Best Granola Ever- Honey Almond

This is the best granola I've ever had. You'll never buy granola at the store once you try this recipe. It's super easy and so yummy.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1/4 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
2/3 Cup Honey
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
3 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats (not quick-cooking)
1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 Cup Pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 225 deg. In a small saucepan, bring oil & honey to a simmer. Remove from heat and add vanilla. In a large bowl, combine oats and nuts, then add oil mixture and stir until all the oats and nuts are coated. Spread onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then break into pieces. Store in an air-tight container. Enjoy!
If you haven't eaten all the granola while it's cooling you can make a breakfast parfait.
Which you can eat while cuddling in your new bed with the cutest kitty ever...my baby Mason.

New Bedding...YAY!

Finally Finally Finally we replaced our bedding. We've had the same bedding for years and we finally decided to buy something new. I love it. It's like sleeping in a marshmallow. I'd been shopping for weeks and didn't see anything I loved. Then, one night while wondering thru Macys, there it was...my perfect bed. Thankfully, the husband agreed.

Do you have a recent purchase that you are so excited about that you must share it with the blogger world? I'm hoping to find a new pair of boots that I feel this passionately about. My boots are ready for the trash.

Mozzarella, Raspberry & Brown Sugar Panini- Giada

Oh My Goodness...this is panini heaven. I found this recipe in Giada's cookbook and since I happen to have all the ingredients I decided to try it. It's so so yummy. Especially with a latte to sip. Here is the link for the recipe
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/mozzarella-raspberry-and-brown-sugar-panini-recipe/index.html

Mushroom Rigatoni and Gingerbread, oh and New Year resolutions too...

My hubby and I stayed in for New Year's Eve. I toasted the night with champagne & POM juice and tried my best to stay up until midnight. I made it- just barely though.
For dinner he picked out a recipe from Giada's new cookbook. Creamy Mushroom Rigatoni. It's so so yummy. You must try it. I'm not a huge mushroom fan but this dish changed my mind. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/rigatoni-with-creamy-mushroom-sauce-recipe/index.html
For dessert, I was craving gingerbread so I used a Barefoot Contessa recipe. I omitted the raisins. Delicious. There is still lots of it left which will be accompanying us to a friend's house for dinner tonight. http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=479&S=0
And now, New Year's resolutions...I don't think I've ever kept one but I'm really going to try this year.
1. Eat at home as often as possible. I'm going to try my best to pack breakfast and lunch every day.
2. Use my gym membership at least 3 times a week. This is going to be hard since I'm not morning person and after work I get really lazy. Plus, we are moving in a few weeks which makes the gym just a little farther away. But, no more excuses, I will go to the gym. I promise, I will. LOL
3. This is the last one. Maybe if I only make a few resolutions I won't feel so overwhelmed by trying to be perfect and I won't give up. Last resolution is to live in the present and not worry about the future. Enjoy each day and take the time to relax and have fun.
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration.

Chicken and Orzo Goodness

Trader Joes has orzo now. Or maybe they did before but I just didn't notice. Anyway, I was so happy to see it on the pasta aisle. For dinner, I made grilled chicken with orzo and side of pita chips, hummus and tzatziki. So yummy.
For the orzo, I first sauteed onions until they were carmelized, added some salt, pepper, greek seasoning and pine nuts. At the end, right before I added the cooked orzo, I must admit to melting about 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan. So many calories but so worth it.

Pecan Crisps

I received a couple of new cookbooks for Christmas, one of which is all cookie recipes. I love cookies and I try to make a new batch every 2 weeks. A recipe for pecan crisps caught my eye because it had very few ingredients and I already had everything I needed to make them. While I started making them they seemed a little boring, so what's an experimental blogger to do...I changed the recipe a little bit and added some cayenne pepper. I really like those caramelized pecans with brown sugar and cayenne so I figured it wouldn't hurt to add a little into the dough. Next time, I'm going to add a little more. I liked the flavor it added to the cookies. Just a little bit of heat. So, once I perfect the recipe I'll share it.

I see lots of New Year's posts this morning. I figure I should probably do one as well. Now, I'm off to catch up on all the blogs. Have a wonderful celebration tonight. Cheers to 2011.

Jam Thumbprints

I love the Food Network, which means I also love the Food Network magazine. When I saw a recipe for jam thumbprints I knew I had to try them. I received a great big box of foodie goodies from my grandparents for Christmas and it included many many jars of jam. I decided to experiment with the flavors for the cookies. I also added crushed almonds around the sides. Surprisingly, my favorite flavor was the orange marmalade.

What is your favorite jam?