Back to food

Vacation is over and the niece is home so we can go back to trying out new stuff. Have to be careful with a somewhat picky eater. How can she be spoiled by Grandma if she has to eat strange things. The only thing of note we made was some granola bars with nine grain cereal. We went to a store that had bulk stuff down in California and I ended up with more than I expected of the cereal. It was for granola bars and it turned out well. Usually I make them with just oatmeal, but the cereal gives a firmer feel. The recipe for those is simple and I changed it enough to claim it for myself. 4 1/2 cups oatmeal (or rolled # grain cereal) 1 cup flour ( whole wheat works well, WWWW) 1 Teaspoon baking soda 1/3 cup brown sugar. Mix together in a large bowl. Larger than you think you would need. Melt together 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup honey. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. If using chocolate chips or peanut butter add a little(1/4 cupish) to the melted stuff. Mix in with the dry ingredients. When sufficiently cool so that things don't melt, add 2-3 cups of good stuff: chocolate, nuts, dry fruit, sunflower seeds, coconut, etc. Last time we did 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 1 cup dried cranberries, and 1/2 cup chopped almonds. Someday I will find dried mangoes and make a white chocolate, mango, coconut bar. Smash into a 9 x 13 pan. Really smash it in there, otherwise it will be very crumbly. Cook in 325 oven for 18-22 minutes. Press carefully into pan again when it comes out of the oven, but don't get burned. Let cool and cut into bars. They are heavy so cut small. For some reason, putting the cut bars in the freezer for a day or so tends to make them less crumbly. They keep well and are good for a work snack, if you catch all the crumbs.

The next installment will go back to the Cooks Illustrated, including the five day bread pudding, and surprisingly good leek soup. Now for random wildflower pictures. They have been good this year. A claret cup cactus and death camas. In case anyone was tempted, don't eat the death camas. It is called that for a reason.