I started culinary school at the beginning of May - no actual cooking was involved but I learned a lot about safety, sanitation and menu design. At the same time, I started learning how to make butter cream frosting for cupcakes at a local pasty shop. Butter cream frosting flavored with fresh seasonal local goodness (like strawberries and rhubarb) is a beautiful thing. Creamy yet light, and just sweet enough on the taste buds to transport you to wherever your gustatory memories may take you. I really like the way this kind of frosting tastes. And I am learning how to judge when a frosting is perfectly prepared, by the way it looks and the way it feels at the stir of a spatula.
On the home front, here are pictures of the granola I made minutes ago (while watching No Reservations episode on Indonesia.) Granola is very easy to make at home. You can tailor its ingredients to your preference, much like making a stir-fry. If you have access to a co-op, you can buy all the ingredients in the bulk area at decent prices. For the most recent batch, I used regular oats, coconut flakes, craisins, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, some Hope butter, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, brown sugar, local honey and a pinch of salt. I mixed all the ingredients together, spread a thin layer on a cookie sheet and baked in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes. (You may want to turn the cookie sheet after 5 minutes and stir the mixture to ensure even browning.)
I'm excited to have this granola around, especially now that it is berry season. A bowl of granola with fresh strawberries or raspberries, and some milk or home-made yogurt (more on this in another post) is a breakfast of champion.
I hope you are enjoying the beginning of a bountiful harvest season!
