A little homemade granola

Homemade Granola

I was catching up on some of my blog reading because it is so darn cold outside and I have flipped from one blog to another, to another and can't remember where I started but I found a nice blog, chock full of great ideas. Next thing I am printing some new recipes and one was for this granola. I have made granola before, but this one is delish. I had everything except the sesame seeds. I substituted ground flax seed.  Oh my it just came out so good. You can find the recipe HERE

Oh my it disappeared so fast...it was really good :)

Brrrrr

It has been below 10 degrees all day and man is it cold. Although I hear it is colder in other parts of the country. It will be a bit better tomorrow.

Ok I hate doing a sad post so I will give an update on my Bitty  cat. He is still not eating, but his heartbeat is getting a bit better, Then the poor sweetie is having trouble going the bathroom, so he has more medicine. The magic is that he is a bit better, so keep praying for him. Thank you for all of the emails with suggestions and kind words. It really means a lot.

Life~

First of all let me Welcome in 2014. We had a quiet evening at home. I made Jambalaya with lots of shrimp and turkey kielbasa. It was yummy with crusty bread and wine on such a cold wintery night.

Since just before Christmas my Bitty, my grey cat had been under the weather. At first I thought he was pouting because I have taken in this black male cat that had been hanging around my compost bin for a year. He was still a kitten when he started appearing last fall in October. He would come and stay and then leave. We bought a kitty house to keep him warm. He didn't like to stay in the house. Well I decided to make an appointment at the vet to get him some shots. We named him Hobo. (I am sure you can guess why) Next thing I know he appears at the door with a pretty new red collar. So I put a note on it and it seems he has been going down the street to a house for about the same time. They said they call him Tooth. Who calls a cat Tooth?  Anyway they want to claim him...so I sadly say OK. I ask  them about the vet and they say they will take him.....next thing I know Hobo is here and he seems to be staying. He sleeps in a chair on the patio and never seems to leave. He eats four times a day and still looks oh so thin. Mind you his compost days are long gone. I buy him some yummy wet food. He stays and stays. I get an email from the neighbor down the street asking after the cat. I tell him he has been here. I ask about the vet, oh yeah they never took him. He is so thin.
:( Anyway I wait and I wait. Hobo stays and is coming in more now. I email the neighbors and tell them I will take him to the vet. I am worried. They say ok we will split it. It was never a priority for them. I think if you want the cat you take care of him. I made the appointment.

 Our newest family member "Hobo" He is a big boy and still growing~

This is Hobo and Bitty. They get along just fine. I have really gotten sidetracked. I thought Bitty was jealous. Then Bitty was getting too thin. I mentioned it to the vet and he said well watch him and come back in two months. Well, Hobo got his shots and he was natured. I never called the neighbor to split the vets bill. Funny how things happened. He doesn't leave any more and stays in the house a lot. He even sleeps in the house. I guess he has decided we are his family. Then Bitty is just not getting better, so I called the vet the day after Christmas. He said bring him right down. It seems my Bitty has congestive heart failure. After lots of tests and x-rays. So now he has three types of meds and it has been a week and a half. He responded a bit, but still is not eating. I go back to the vet tomorrow. So say a little prayer for my Bitty. He is just 10 and a half years old and he is my best buddy. He sits on my desk as I type, he follows me in the garden and he sleeps with me at night. He is truly my cat. He loves everyone and is oh so sweet, but he is truly my buddy. My Mom's cat had kittens just before she passed away and Bitty is from her litter. I always feel he was her last gift to me.

Now work has stayed a bit busy through the holidays and I have several first time buyers. In case you don't know it I find homes for people and I sell homes too.  I has been cold and snowy here and I have traipsed through cold wet snow stood in unheated houses....gosh it chills you right to the bones. Thank gosh for warm boots and gloves. I showed houses that are dirty, nasty and just plain stink. Some just need a dumpster parked in the driveway and filled with stuff. I mean can't they even throw the garbage out before I show the house? Is it too much to ask for a light in the basement? A plot plan of the land. There are listing agents who just throw a lock box on the house and give you the combo. What ever happened to going to the home opening it up, turning on the lights? Maybe you could help the Sellers know how to present the house. Beds unmade and just dirty....really, you want to sell your home? What makes anyone want to live there? Dirty dirty, dirty and smokers stale air. YUK. Don't you guys watch HGTV?

Mind you it is not always like this. Some people do a beautiful job. Fresh, clean and appealing. I have had my fair share of beautiful listings. I give advice and I show my listings. Ok, sorry for the rant. I came home made some gingerbread and beef stew. It makes me nest, clean and cook more. I just couldn't live like some people.

I am sorry to be on such a rant today. I am grateful to have my sweet kitty for the past 10 and a half wonderful years and will gladly take what ever time is left and enjoy each moment.

I am grateful that I have a job that can bring such pleasure at times. Seeing that first time Buyer get their first home!! Seeing that joy and knowing that I have helped them or helping someone sell their home for the best price and move on to their next home. Matching someone up to a home that suits them so well. For this I am grateful. I am grateful that I enjoy my own home and love to nest. ~Life is good~

Homemade suet feeders

Come on in. I just love this time of year...I baked several dozen cookies today and the house smells divine. I made some gingerbread coffee to go with the cookies and of course there is hot chocolate.

 

I have finished up the suet bird feeders and already given a few away. So let me show you.

 

Here is one ready to go.

 

Here are the minis, from the Bundt pan. These are the cutest and would make a great kid gift.

 So let me explain what I did. I bought the suet in the grocery store. and slowly rendered it down. I found about 1 lb. of suet made a cup and half of liquid. I put cheesecloth over the top of the measuring cup to strain out the bits of stuff.

 Then I used about four cups of bird seed mixed with one cup of un salted peanuts and one cup of dried cranberries. Then I poured in the cooled liquid suet.

 Then I firmly patted the mix into my Bundt pan. I did put some fresh cranberries in the mold first to make it look pretty. Then you put them in the refrigerator or freezer overnight to harden well. I used my porch because it was cold enough and had more space. Now these are great for the cold weather, You don't put them out on a warm day because they will melt. The fat is good for those New England winter birds.

 

I got one as a gift last year and it was so pretty and the birds just loved it. It did not last but a couple days.

 

So to sum it all up you will need.

 

Bundt pans

cheesecloth

measuring cup

stockpot

ribbon

4 C birdseed

1 C unsalted peanuts

1C dried cranberries

some fresh cranberries

1 lb. suet

 

Have a blast, but don't forget the fat can be messy, so have some paper towels handy.

 

 

Anything Special?

Christmas is fast approaching....funny how it comes at the same time every year, but still seems to sneak up on me. Anyway my question is do you make or do anything special for Christmas? I have certain cookies that I only make at Christmas time. I will be starting those this afternoon. This morning I did something new and there will be a post on it as soon as they are finished. I went to the market and bought suet from the meat department.....ok I bought to much :( I have spent hours rendering it down. More on that later.

I got some more bits and pieces of decorating done. It is supposed to be bitterly cold, as it is today, and snowy this weekend. So I will wrap, decorate and bake. What will you be doing this weekend? Anything special?

 This is new this year. I saw it on Talk of the House blog and loved hers. So I stole her idea of the crèche drawn on the chalkboard~ Don't you just love it? Kelly has great ideas.

Hope you all have a wonderful, productive weekend! Let me know what you will be doing.

Some Christmas decorating

Come on in~ it is starting to look a bit like Christmas here.

Love my new Arnett Santa. I have a old cutlery tray and some tin graters along with fresh greens and red berries on my kitchen counter. He is there to greet you when you first come in.

I really do love him.....

 Just starting to get this room together. I need to get wrapping too.Time is flying by.

The dining room which is open to the kitchen, kind of a informal thing. The fire is roaring keeping it toasty on this cold day. Want a cup of hot chocolate?  Maybe a gingerbread cookie.

 My big old kitty sits in the window watching the birds.

 We have a fire going in here too. That is why the cat loves being in here.

~Some tweaking~

As November is starting to pass my thoughts go to Thanksgiving. How many shall we have? What do I need? Should I try something new? What about desserts?
Then I start changing some things and rearranging a bit. I was thinking how much my dining room has changed in the last few years. So I have put a few new pictures of the dining room and living room up.

 I took my cute shelve and painted it black until I find one I like better for there. I noticed it so much more after the wallpaper was gone.