We have some end-of-the-year activities that are very fun for the kids but very tiring for the adults. Field Trip, Field Day, and this week, Accelerated Reader reward party and VIC reward party. The AR party occurs outside where the kids who have read to meat a certain goal over the quarter are rewarded with being able to run around the field in bathing suits under a fire truck's hose as a giant sprinkler, dance to amplified music, eat Popsicles and generally have fun. The VIC party is a reward party for children who have met a certain behavior goal over the quarter. These kids slide down bouncy houses into a pool, like a mini-water park. There's amplified music and general goofing around in the field. It is fun under the sun, but it's also all-hands-on-deck for the parapros as we monitor and help make sure the kids are safe and enjoying themselves. Not to mention working the daily grind of keeping all our little charges in the school academically occupied and behaving or at least contained, lol, as the school year winds down to the 5 days left. I came home tired Friday night.
This morning I got up at 6 am refreshed from a very long week at school. It was very cool so I took advantage of the weather to use the oven for a long period to cook and roast. I made granola, which I adore. Three cookie sheets of crunchiness to enjoy for the next two weeks:
In addition to the three pans of granola I put in some red potatoes to bake, rainbow carrots, cabbage rounds, and butternut squash to roast. All were tossed with virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. I don't toss the veggies with a lot of spices because I usually turn them into something else. The squash will likely become squash and potato soup, or mashed pan-fried patties. So I save the extra spices for later so as to be versatile. I also cut up a basketball sized, juicy and perfect cantaloupe. It was on sale at the Marketplace for $1.00. Part of it will become smoothies.
After all that, while listening to sermons and some music, I went back to bed. Ahhh, what a treat to be able to do that. I did sleep for about an hour and a half, snoozing happily in the cool air with the cats. What bliss. When I got up I wrote and studied a while and this is what happens when I settle down at the table with the laptop:
Bert settles in. Luke jumps up to either settle also or to groom Bert
Luke wants in. First he grooms Bert, then he settles down on the other side of the table.
Murray wants to be around us, to be near, but not exactly with us. He is under the table.
3 comments:
When I catch up on your End Times blog I often click on this one--and then I end up in the kitchen bc your cookin makes me hungry! I have a wonderful granola recipe which might actually be more dessert than health food. :) It's the Sun-Maid raisin recipe probably from the 70s and has sweetened condensed milk. It is the bomb.
Melissa
Your food blogs have been such an inspiration to me! We've always eaten well, but you've encouraged me to be way more creative than I ever was. Thanks to you, I have greatly improved in the area of improv leftover meal creations. :) Tonight's pasta dish is an example - I plan to take leftover mild sausage, combine it with leftover onion and mushrooms, both sauteed, then add in some olives and some recently acquired asparagus, and all tossed over pasta, seasoned to taste.
Other of my favorites - your crock pot sweet potato has become my "go to" method of cooking them, and they turn out so good! I also have made some interesting smoothies (no cantaloupe or mango, though, I don't much care for either), I tried - and liked - kale, and oh yes, love granola. All because of following this blog. I love your cooking posts! Thanks for sharing!
-Carolyn
Wow, thanks Carolyn!!! I am so glad to hear it. Your idea for leftover sausage over pasta with veggies sounds fantastic!
I loved how the crockpot sweet potatoes came out too. I'll be doing them that way a lot more frequently this fall after the weather here cools a bit.
The Bountiful Basket site nearest to me closed down so for the last 8 months I didn't get one, and then the last few times a friend has offered to pick mine up when she goes to a site that is further away. But she doesn't go very frequently. So I have not been getting the different kinds of foods that inspire me and thus have not been cooking that much.
I do love the granola. Almonds have gotten expensive so likely when my current bag is done I'll simply use peanuts and sunflower seeds with the oatmeal to make the granola.
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