Coconut Almond Granola

Right now, my refrigerator is in the living room. My stove is in the living room, obviously not hooked up. My toaster and microwave is in the living room. Why? Because we are re-doing our kitchen, and its in the painting stage right now. Yuck. I am sooo ready to have a kitchen again! We have been eating greasy fast food, frozen dinners, Hot Pockets, Toaster Strudels, ect. No offense to any of those companies or their fans, but seriously?! I don't know how people can eat that way every single day. I am so sick of it! So what better breakfast/snack than granola?! I am so excited to have a little something different, and something much healthier! I can't wait to experiment with this recipe, its a keeper!

Coconut Almond Granola

adapted from: The Vegster

Ingredients:

• 2 c. oats
• 2/3 c. unsweetened coconut, shredded
• 1/2 c. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted**
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• a dash or two of nutmeg and ginger
• 1/4 c. almond slices
• 1/4 c. chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Mix everything together and bake at 300 for 30-45 minutes. (I baked for 20, I don't like mine super crunchy)

**I didn't have any coconut oil, so I substituted about 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil and 2 Tbsp. maple syrup.

Strawberry Walnut Shortbread

YAY! I have something to blog about!! It has been far too long since I have updated, but just as long since I have cooked! We are days away from finishing our kitchen (WOO HOO!!!) but I couldn't wait that long! I had the day off, so I "borrowed" my lovely mothers kitchen for the afternoon. I thought that if we had some tasty treats to snack on, it would make the last few days bearable! Tony the taste tester hasn't tried these yet, but I thought they were pretty awesome! The original recipe called for raspberry jam, so I can't wait to try that out next time! On a side note-when you put the pan in the oven, DON'T leave the oven mitt in there too. Yup, I burnt the mitt. Flames were involved. Pretty freakin' awesome.

Strawberry Walnut Shortbread

adapted from: Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. flour, divided
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. cold butter or margarine
• 1/2 c. raspberry jam (I used strawberry)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1 c. finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine 1 1/4 c. flour and sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Press into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
2. Spread jam over hot crust.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Combine baking soda and remaining flour; stir into the egg mixture just until combined. Fold in walnuts. Spoon over jam; spread evenly.
4. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.