Bus-riding granola eaters

Back in the seventies, my mom discovered granola.

Once a month, she went to her favorite group meeting, "Homemakers."  Homemakers were a group of women that as far as I can determine, were grown-up 4-H.  They met once a month at someone's home and there was always a lesson taught by either the Agriculture extension office agent or by one of the group members.  It was a very crafty group devoted to improving the lives of their families.  I remember one lesson must have focused on sewing "knitwear" and my mom got really excited about stretch fabric and was going to sew some swimsuits for me.  There was a really great neon green fabric we picked out and the pattern she was going to sew was a one-piece with cute draw strings up the sides.  I'm still excited about that suit and I can't wait to wear it!! I wonder if she's going to finish it anytime soon.

In the health food category, they must have learned about the nutritional value of granola one month. In California, they were probably eating granola in the sixties.  But not in Kentucky, we didn't get granola until the seventies so learning about the hip foods people ate on the west coast was really exciting!   The day after the meeting, Mom had a nice box of Nature Valley granola for us. Always eager to try something new, I poured myself a big bowl. It was good!  I think those Californians knew where it was at. 

There was a downside to granola though which was that I was a bus rider.   Not only were the Williamson kids bus riders but our bus stop back in the Delong Road days was at the end of our half-mile long driveway.  If we missed the bus we had to walk back up the half-mile hill to the house and our mom charged us a dollar to drive us to school.  Naturally, when your allowance for the week was about 50 cents missing the bus was a bad thing.

So, no one mentioned to my mother at the Homemaker's granola lesson about how long it takes to chew granola or that a little bit of granola goes a long way.  If one lives in a house with a clean plate rule at every meal AND rides the school bus, a big bowl of granola is not, I repeat, NOT, a good choice.  Let's just say, that my first experience with granola did not have a happy ending and actually cost me two week's worth of allowance.

In spite of that bad first experience, I still liked granola.  I use it more as a topping for yogurt though or as a quick snack than eating large bowls of it.  Mary Rollins is hooked on it too.  I've also discovered recently that making your own granola is easy, delicious and possibly cheaper than buying it in the box.   I created my own recipe which follows and it achieves high ratings from Mary Rollins and Marc.  It must be pretty good because it's disappearing in the kind of quantity that might make one miss the bus!  Wouldn't those Homemakers be proud of me?

Granola recipe
6 cups oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 sweetened coconut
1/2 sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup of dried fruit (I use craisins and golden raisins)


2/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup amber maple syrup
1/4 honey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon vanilla
1 tab water

Preheat oven to 275

Heat oil, syrup, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and water over medium heat until melted together and a bit bubbly.

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl and pour liquid mixture over it and stir until well mixed.  Divide the mixture between two baking sheets covered with parchment paper.  Bake for 30 minutes,  stir about and bake another 20 minutes and stir in dried fruit of choice (or perhaps chocolate chips???).  Let cool out of the oven for about an hour and store in an airtight container. 

Goldilocks and the Realtor

I was criticized last Friday by my dad (hi Dad!) for not blogging more often. I have been really busy lately though with my real job. Incidentally, I was also chastised for having to make a phone call while at lunch. Sorry Dad, that's the downside of working for yourself and not having a secretary. At least, I could go to lunch, right?

Speaking of real jobs and real estate, I've been having lots of interesting showings lately. One afternoon last week, I showed a house that was supposedly vacant. My client and I went in and discovered a bowl of porridge on the table (actually it was Taco Bell). We went up stairs and I found Goldilocks (actually it was a man) sleeping in the master bedroom. We were naturally a bit surprised although my client was far more startled than I. It's not the first time I've walked in on a sleeper and have even walked into homes where people were taking showers. It's getting harder and harder to surprise me after seven years in real estate.

Upon finding the sleeper, we decided to leave and I intended to tell the agent when she called me for feedback about our little surprise. We were a little late for our scheduled showing time but the agent had told me the house wasn't occupied so I hadn't worried about our timing. When I found the man in the bed I just assumed he was the owner or a friend of the owner and had come home after the time we were supposed to be there. Two days after my showing, the agent called to ask me if there had been Taco Bell trash in the kitchen and if it looked like somebody had been sleeping in the bed upstairs. Well, as a matter of fact... She made a kind of gurgled screaming sound when I told her that not only did it look like somebody had been sleeping in the bed but they were still there.

"What, why didn't you call me?" she asked.

Because, I thought you'd call me for feedback that afternoon and I'd tell you then?!?

Apparently, no one knows who that was eating Taco Bell at the kitchen table or sleeping in the bed. No one really knows how he got in either. Apparently, we walked in on a sleeping trespasser.

I told my buyer-client the story when we were looking at houses a few days later. She was a bit freaked out. Me, I figure if he had gotten out of bed, I would have politely introduced myself, apologized for waking him up and asked if he minded if we went ahead and looked at the master bath while we were there. Maybe it's good he stayed asleep or at least played possum.

Next week, maybe I'll tell you the story about the apartment building, the music professor and the junkie.

What girls eat...

Here in the Bluegrass this week, we have just girls.  What?  Yes, the boys, Marc and Will, have left in my Odyssey to go to New Orleans.  They left at noon yesterday for a much anticipated trip to the SEC Tournament.  For those readers, not familiar with what an SEC Tournament is that stands for the SouthEastern Conference Tournament in which it is highly likely that the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team will be the champions.  The boys should have a great time and they have already sent me pictures of Will in Jackson Square and Will standing in front of Cafe du Monde, pictures of the Superdome and pictures of their hotel room.  I am so proud of them.  They not only sent pictures but they remembered to TAKE pictures.  A first, I believe.

Tofu with Sesame Ginger Noodles

Meanwhile, the girls are home having girlie times.  In actuality at this very moment of 8:04 p.m. I am at the office working (and blogging) and MR is at ballet rehearsal.  But last night, we had girlie food. I made Tofu with Sesame Ginger Noodles.  They were delicious thanks very much to my BFF Rachel Ray.  And, cheese-less. 

I sent the photo to the right to Will as a text message.  His response was "Nasty."

That said, I'm off now to drive girls home from ballet and then Mary Rollins and I are going to have a big night of leftovers and Vampire Diaries. 

Life is good (and a little weird without the boys). 

Diary of a Mad Fat Girl: A Book Review

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you picked up Bridget Jones from England, took away her accent and plopped her into Bugtussle, Mississippi?  You can find out if you meet Graciela “Ace” Jones from the newest Blogher Book Club selection Diary of a Mad Fat Girl.  In fact, it might be fun if  Ace Jones met Bridget Jones, although possibly they already met studying abroad in Italy.  They'd have had a good time smoking and drinking their way through Florence and Rome.

Stephanie MacAfee, the author of Diary of a Mad Fat Girl, must have laughed outloud while writing this novel and peppering it with characters that resonate with all the fun and oddity that come from living in a small Southern town.  Ace and her two best friends, Chloe - a good Southern junior leaguer and Lilly, a man-eating former-lingerie model, have no ordinary days playing local school board politics, saving their teaching jobs from the vicious principal of Bugtussle High School, and navigating roller coaster love lives with hunky motorcycle riders, old boyfriends, cheating husbands and the good-looking men of the local police force.  Ace’s strongly Southern voice is hilarious and her observations are a riot.  In a favorite passage, Ace wonders why gyms don’t take a hint from department stores and have plus-sized section so that more generously proportioned women don’t have to exercise with the skinny people. 

While Diary of a Mad, Fat Girl wasn't my favorite book, I had several hours of fun reading it and getting great visuals in my head.  I could hear the characters' voices and by golly, I found myself looking forward to seeing this book as a movie with its funny dialogue, fast-paced plot and charming characters.  In fact, I started casting the movie in my head and finally came up with Brooke Elliott (assuming she can do a good Southern accent) as Ace.  And, maybe whatever dog plays Buster Loo will be as big a star as Uggie.  

I was compensated for this book review by BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are all my own.  

http://www.blogher.com/bookclub/now-reading-diary-mad-fat-girl

March weather

70 degrees and tornadoes Friday. 5 inches of snow on Monday. High of 57 on Tuesday. Oh you fickle Kentucky weather, how you always surprise us.

And, let me say that in every instance I prefer dire snow storm warnings to tornadoes.

Shriner's Hill.  That's Will with the red sled who jumped out of my car like
Snow Ninja to meet his possee on the hill and then off to lunch at Wheelers.

Pancakes a la Mary Rollins.