A Nascar Weekend

It's funny what things I've ventured into since I've been married. 

I am the oldest of three girls. Growing up in a small rural community, I was surrounded by many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. My parents made the best with the money they had. Not poor, nor wealthy but truly content as a whole.  We never really traveled. My first airplane ride wasn't until I was 17 when I didn't travel with my family but a friend. As a family, we made yearly outings to Wisconsin Dells doing tours, riding go-Karts and enjoying our time away from  home. We didn't travel far around the Midwest. Being married just ONE year, it has been filled with some new adventures.  One that is the most recent was a weekend in Chicago surrounded by Nascar Fans. My husband is a sports fanatic like most guys in this area.   He enjoys watching almost anything related to sports including daily viewings of "Sports Center". 

Our trip to Joliet was an eye opener to me.  Nascar for most isn't the most exciting sports to watch.  On TV, watching a race is like watching a fly buzzing around your head.  You know there's a reason but ya just don't get it and you wonder when it will end.  For those who don't really get into sports you know what I mean.  Again surprised, I enjoyed myself. When going to a race, you purchase tickets for the whole weekend, watching qualifying and final races for both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series. 

 

As you probably can tell, Shane likes Dale Earnhardt Jr. and so I guess I support him too! Sitting in the stands and experiencing a race isn't something you can explain. The noise, the smell and the overall environment makes the sport exciting.  Spending the weekend at Chicagoland Raceway was a weekend that I will never forget leaving me with a positive impression of the sport I had never watched before taking this venture.

 

Have you attended a sporting event that you were unsure about?

Homemade Granola

Lately I've been on a yogurt kick.  I could eat it with every meal. I like it plain, in smoothies, or with fruit or granola.  I've noticed the granola I've been buying has been full of sugar and extra additives.  I don't eat organic and maybe I should, but I've been trying to be smarter about what goes into my mouth. I found this recipe in the "Better Homes and Garden: New Cook Book".  It's kinda weird I say book in which I have tons of recipe books, but I normally go for online recipes. I love the idea of having reviews and alternative recipe suggestions out there. Online has been a great tool for that but I was reading through the BHG recipe book and found this.  My review: Awesome!  It has a great texture and crunch that most store bought granola has without a great deal of sugar.  Of course granola is going to have sugar but this recipe only calls for 1/2 cup of honey or maple syrup. Can't get any more natural than that. To keep it fresh, store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Or store in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. This will last me for a while.

 

Granola

2 cups regular rolled oats

1 cup coarsely chopped sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or chopped pecans

    *I used 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 pecans. You could add more nuts if you wanted

1/2 cup coconut (optional)

    *I used it and really can't taste it in there

1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/2 cup honey or maple-flavored syrup

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 cup dried fruit

 

1. Grease a 15x10x1 baking pan; set aside. In a bowl combine oats, almonds, coconut (if desired), sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and flax seeds. In a bowl combine honey and oil; stir into oat mixture. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Bake in a 300 degree F oven for 30 minutes to 35 minutes or until light brown, stirring after 20 minutes. If desired, stir in dried fruit.

 

2. Spread on a large piece of foil to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Or store in freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.

 

 



EEK!!!

Halloween is coming fast and I really can't wait. I love Halloween. It brings me back to my younger years going from house to house accumulating a bag full of candy from all of our neighbors. Living in a small community, our neighbors gave us a lot of candy, sometimes even a full size candy bar.  I love the smell of Fall and the sound of leaves crunching from underneath with every step. Halloween is a Holiday that really gets my senses going.  So I've been working on a few projects.  The Halloween wreath is almost done, I'm hoping to finish tonight; just adding some detail.  I just finished decorating the letters "EEK".

 

I found some letters at a local store and mod podged them with Halloween paper and added some detail.  Allowing the letters to be separated leaves options open for placement. It turned out great!

A Recipe from Duluth, MN

We always have a few bananas that go rippen before we even eat them and so I am always looking for new recipes. Last year, we went to a Bed and Breakfast in Duluth, MN called the A.G. Thomson House and had an amazing time. If your in the area, you should check it out. http://thomsonhouse.biz/  They had made the most delicious breakfast ever and so this recipe is one that they served us.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 ½ cups unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 very ripe bananas
6 tbsp sour cream
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
¾ tsp baking soda
2 ½ tsp baking powder
9 oz Mini Chocolate Chips

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, bananas, sour cream, salt, and vanilla. Fold in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Spray two loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Divide the dough into each one. Bake at 350 degrees for about 65 – 75 minutes or until center comes out clean. You could also use muffin liners in muffin pans to have single servings and to speed up baking time.