Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Power Granola Recipe for Adults and Adventurous Kids




This recipe has everything good I could cram into it. you may think of more things. Sometimes more is better! But there are many variations possible here, depending on your taste.

3 Cups Rolled Oats (or any mix of rolled/flaked grains: Rice, Wheat, Rye, Barley)
¼ cup Honey (if honey is viscous, heat it in the oven first) and/or Maple Syrup
3-4 TBSP Olive Oil (you can substitute other oils as well)
TBSP Sesame Oil
TBSP Vanilla Extract
TSP Almond Extract
Any combination of the following: chopped almonds, chopped walnuts, chopped hazelnuts, (total amount of nuts: about 1 cup, I like nuts!), pumpkin seeds (I put in about 4 TBSP), sesame seeds (I like these, I put in 3 TBSP), sunflower seeds (2 TBSP), several dashes of cinnamon powder, a couple of dashes of cardamon powder, 1-2 dashes of nutmeg and/or allspice. Salt is optional, as are coconut flakes.

Mix wet ingredients in a big bowl first, then add dry ingredients, mixing to cover the dry ingredients so that the flakes are lightly covered but not doused (you may need to add a bit more oil or honey/syrup if it’s not sweet enough for your, or flakes if it’s too moist, just experiment! Then add seeds, nuts, etc.
Spread out a thin layer of the mix on parchment paper on a cookie sheet or in a roasting pan and roast for 8-10 minutes at 300F (or 150C) -- a slow roast is better than a fast burn. Use a silicone or wooden flat edge spatula to turn the mix in the pan, roast several more minutes (5-10) until golden – don’t over-bake. Over-baked granola is no fun to eat!

After roasting, the following may be added to the mix: chia seeds, flax flakes, goji berries.
Allow mixture to cool before storing in an airtight container, preferably made of glass. Keep in refridgerator for up to two weeks. If you and your family eat it every day, it will go fast. Otherwise, you can cut the recipe in half. I like to bake in quantities so I don’t have to do it again right away!


Extra Credit: Granola for Kids Who Don’t Like Nuts or Seeds

EVOO, Sesame Oil, Mix of Rolled Oats and/or other rolled grains
Honey, Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup or any combination of these three ingredients
1-2 TBLSP Olive Oil, Dash of Sesame Oil
Dash of Cinnamon

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Bring on the Cream Pumpkin Soup


For cold and rainy fall days, try this delicious calorie-bomb of a soup!





2 kg chopped pumpkin chunks which is about one and a half de-seeded small pumpkins (If it’s the small potimarron you can leave the skin on! Yes! It adds beaucoup de flavor.)
20-30 cl heavy cream
Handful of Chopped Shallots, Garlic, Fresh Ginger
Lots of EVOO

Add several gernerous sprinklings of Fleur de Sel (I’m using Sel de Guerande) on the unroasted pumpkin chunks in a large baking pan.
Roast pumpkin chunks at 175C or 350F for 20 minutes, stir, add chopped ginger, shallots, garlic, roast another 20 minutes, roast again if needed for several more minutes until pumpkin pieces are soft.
Blend roasted goodies in blender, adding optional flax flakes for your Omegas!
Pour in half the cream, adding a bit of water to dilute if you don’t like your spoon to be able to stand up in your soup.
Transfer to a pot and cook a few minutes on medium heat, stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn to the bottom. 
Add EVOO if needed.
I also added basil leaves for garnish and a bit of creamy vinaigrette sauce to make it look fancy.



 Bon Appetit!

Friday, November 8, 2013

“Le Best of” Top10 Funniest French Car Model Names (that sound like the Seven Dwarves)


Living in France again now, my husband and I are reminded of this funny car name phenomenon. Take time to read each of these slowly and enjoy the images they evoke as you mentally graft these images to a car.

10. Lodgy

9. Clio

8. Jumper (a medium-sized utility van, also known as Boxer)

7. Berlingo (also called Partner)

6. Dokker

5. Nemo (also known as Bipper. Bipper? Really?)

4. Yaris (related to Dr. Seuss’ Lorax and Yottle)

3. Jumpy (also known as Expert or Scudo, it’s a compact car, the smaller cousin of Jumper)

2. Kangoo (A personal favorite name of ours. Also known as Express or Kubistar)

And our number one Funniest French Car Model Name is:


1. Twingo (Two steps from a Twinkie, what self-respecting car owner would…?)

Well, anyway, all in good fun!

PS- My plumber, an Irishman converted to Frencholicism, just drove up in his large utility van called Trafic. (Yes, that's spelled with one "f.") He says it’s the best-selling utility van in Europe. And, he says, at least it’s got a masculine name.