much ado about nothing

wow - wonderful 3 day weekend over here on the back forty! it's funny how i NEEDED. needed. even after an 11-day vacation, even after all of the rest i enjoy regularly.

i have a few pics to show what i was up to...not the least of which was playing with instagram....not sure i like it much, i think i will stay with the hipstamatic app mostly. mac world problems :)

first off, i spent some time in the kitchen. NOT painting, but actually enjoying the space. i decided to try making a successful granola bar, which i have never really been able to do.

this one is GETTING there...original recipe here.

after reading 111 reviews, i made a few changes...like cutting the butter waaaaaaaaayyyyy down. next time i'd like to try adding a bit of wheat germ and/or protein powder, to 'healthy' them up a bit....

Ingredients

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 T unsalted butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/3 cup dark choc chips, chopped
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Spray an 8x8 nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Line with aluminum foil, and spray again.

In a medium bowl, using a hand beater, beat the egg white until frothy. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and honey. Add the melted butter, oats and other ingredients.

Spread mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing FIRMLY to form an even layer. (I layed wax paper over the mixture, then pressed in with the bottom of a measuring cup).

Bake until the edge of the mixture begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into 12 bars and serve.

these guys were also taunting me. and threatening to rot if i did not pay attention to them.

am i the only one who likes to blanch things?!?

7 pints of tomatoes, hopefully i will also get a batch of salsa in a couple of weeks....

i also took some time to tend to the outside...the grass that remains was looking pretty shabby. i bought some grass seed to 'reseed' some areas, so that is on my list next.

in the meantime, i bought some fall plants to decorate the front door with...i got the ones that had not started blooming yet, but in a few days they should be very nice.

see the cute little rusted 'shelf' i got while thrifting? perfect for this space!

oh. and the outdoor fishies came to live in the basement. 3 goldfish remaining from the pond outside. i hope they like their new thrifted 10 gallon tank!

speaking of thrifting, i found a wonderful quilt for $10. i think it will live in the basement bedroom, which is slated for paint and sprucing up sometime soon (winter, maybe?)

kitty and i also took naps and read the kindle...in that order :)