Hobgoblin

So, that pretty bag of homemade granola I showed you yesterday? Somebody else thought it looked good, too.

I swear you can't turn your back for even one second in this house.

(We got to him in time to save the granola, but not before he chewed holes in the bag and got a little taste).

Recipe

I made my second batch of granola yesterday, and I stayed right by the oven to ensure I didn't accidentally burn it this time.

Success! It turned out so much than the batch I scorched. 

It tastes so good with yogurt and frozen raspberries! I also cored and sliced apples and dried them in the dehydrator overnight. Some dried apple pieces will get added to the mix later today. 

Ingredients:

Oats

Walnuts

Almonds

Pumpkin seeds

Raisins

Dates

(Dried apples)

Coconut oil

Honey

Salt

I used about a half cup of coconut oil and a half cup of honey, mixed with the oats, walnuts, and almonds. I baked them at 325F for about 30 minutes, stirring constantly. The rest of the ingredients were added after it cooled. 

Postcards

Today my friend Karen hosted a small postcard writing party with lunch. We wrote postcards supporting a Democratic Senate candidate in Arizona, Ruben Gallego.

Karen made food inspired by Tim Walz and the state of Minnesota. First up, a Midwestern casserole (or "Hot Dish") 

Then that typical Midwestern side: jello fruit salad. She even had a pretty mold for it!

And for dessert, her mother's recipe for chocolate sheet cake. Karen's family is from Missouri. 

It was a tasty lunch and we got a lot of postcards done and ready to be mailed!

I'm planning my own postcard writing party  early next month. I got the postcards and voter lists from  Postcards to Swing States. I picked Georgia and Michigan, and got 200 for each. I'm going to have to invite lots of friends over to help me get through that many! 

Start of September

The start of September is really welcome to me this year. It's been a long, hot summer that I'll be happy to see the back of. I've had some struggles both with mental health (set off by a change in medications that had to be sorted out) and ongoing family issues. Things seem to be improving now, though. I've been working hard on taking better care of myself and it's finally starting to pay off. A change of seasons will be nice for moving on.

And I can't wait for better weather! Today is still warm and humid but starting tomorrow we're supposed to have nice temperatures for more than a week--mid-80s for highs and 60s for lows. I'll be spending more time on the back porch as the weather cools down. The past couple of mornings (before it got too hot) Gregg and I spent two or three hours out there watching the birds at the feeders and the butterflies around the zinnias. Marco and the dogs are usually out there when we are, enjoying some fresh air and sunshine. Here's a short clip I took the other day of Marco climbing his porch play gym. Everybody loves to see Marco, I think.

It's Labor Day weekend so I'm off work tomorrow. I really appreciate the three-day weekend; the extra day feels like a luxury. 

Happy Labor Day to my fellow Americans, and happy Sunday to the rest of you!