The Getaway

, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Last weekend was wonderful! We stayed in Oceanside, OR in a tall handmade house set on a steep hill overlooking the ocean. We hiked, had a mediocre seafood supper at the town cafe, read books, finished a puzzle, looked through the binoculars, drank water out of wine glasses, made a yummy dinner at the house, looked at maps, ate Sweet Tart gummy bunnies, beach combed, confiscated a can of refried beans, napped, and petted a kitty. Please, don't tell us what we forgot to do -- salute us in our last twosome 'vacation' ever. ever. ever.
:)

- A

Going Ons

I found pretty spring fabric from Jo Ann - of all places - plus Easter candy season has begun!
Having fun with my homemade amateur light box: packing box, poster board, & a 'daylight' bulb. It needs more light - but hey, it's the amateur version! But I just found this tutorial...

Taking a trip to Oceanside this weekend for R & R, hiking, gourmet cooking, and eating some chowder. Our first trip to that beach happened 3 years ago next week - still our fave spot, I think.
-A

VD

For MrP, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Valentine's Day!!

Hope yours was nice. Later on I'll share a recreation of our awesome gourmet dessert that Paul made up (!!) - probably today at 3:00 when I break into the leftovers.

Oh- and I love any web site that has photos of yummy stuff dipped in chocolate sauce, like this one!


x x o o
-A

Baking Day

BakingSunday, originally uploaded by apkoski.

Sundays are traditionally my big in the kitchen day. I start the beans soaking, make cereal for the week, or maybe try a new bread or a treat recipe. Experimenting with granola flavors is a fun weekly chore. Since we're exiting winter, I'm squeezing in the last few batches cold weather flavors: maple walnut, apple cinnamon, pumpkin spice... and moving toward summer mixes like strawberry cherry, ginger peach, and blueberry nut. Yum!
This weekend I used a traditional recipe from Moosewood that had maple syrup, several kinds of nuts, plus the standard wet ingredient list. Not bearing to let the recipe stand on its own, I also snapped in a couple handfuls of leftover pretzels. It's pretty drn goot! Here we go:

1/2 C. Water
1/3 C. Canola Oil
1/4 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Maple Syrup
pinch salt
4 C. Rolled Oats
1/4 C. Ground Flax Seed
scant 1/4 C. Oat Flour
1/4 C. Wheat Bran
1+ C. nuts: walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds
2 handfuls pretzels

Bake at 200-220 for 2-3 hours on a cookie sheet, turning/stirring once toward the end. (Low temp. is important if you want chunky granola. If you want fine cereal, bake at 350 for 30 minutes, turning/stirring every 5 minutes.)

-A