found on my walk this morning-some poor little child lost it on their way to school brrrrr………..
Long gone are my hopes and dreams inaugurated back in December that ole El Nîno would indeed bless us with a lovely warm Winter, aka no snow and no heavy coats, no biting winds, no ear aches and sinus distress, and last but not least, no bad moods. I think I actually had my best December ever in 2015 – running around photographing flowers in NJ and sans a coat……
Oh well, the last week or so has turned wretchedly cold and this weekend is going to be a doozy, with negative wind chills blowing everywhere. This is all well and good for all those sadists who love reveling in the cold weather. For me, it brings discomfort in my extremities, sinuses and frequent outbursts of very bad words. Make mine “the temperate zone”, will you please? I think this shall adorn my tombstone. My respite from the out-of-doors, after walking my dearest Kit, and after thawing fingers, is inevitably in the kitchen.
My friend sent me this picture the other day from Lake Michigan. I mean seriously, who lives here? They don’t actually like this, do they? (this reminds me of the Edmund Fitzgerald) Well, I knew someone last year who spent the Winter ice fishing so jeez, I just don’t know; there are people whose constitutions (and dispositions LOL) are very different from mine. I do try to have a sense of humor during weather such as this – just ask my family if it’s working, well, no don’t. I’m heading out to the city now – we shall see how that goes. Do I have enough gear?
image courtesy The Rainforest Site
Today’s inspiration comes from two sources – bitter cold and a bag of excellent quality Granola – that of purely elizabeth’s Cranberry Pecan Ancient Grain Granola.
That would be with organic quinoa, amaranth and chia. Making these is a compromise – I get to treat my family to Chocolate Chip cookies that pack a punch of healthy ancient grains! Feel free to make your own mixture of ancient grains but this bag of low-glycemic goodies works quite well for me. Hope you like them.
ANCIENT GRAIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES – adapted from David Leite’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
9 tblsp unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup plus 2 tblsp light brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tblsp vanilla sugar
2 eggs room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups purely elizabeth’s Cranberry Pecan Ancient Grain Granola
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add in the granola and blend. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and blend. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth.
Take bowl off mixer and add in the dry ingredients. Mix in with a wooden spoon. Add the chocolate chips and mix in.
Scoop with an ice cream scoop onto the prepared pans, leaving 1″ between cookies (9 per sheet).
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until slightly firm. Remove from oven and cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to cooling racks and cool. Enjoy!
have a cup of steaming tea! <3