Homemade Cereal

This recipe was garnered from a book I recently read (and reviewed),
Rural Renassaince.
They call it granola, I call it cereal.
All I know is that I will never buy cereal again.
It's so easy to make and tastes delicious!
Most store-bought cereals (even the healthier versions)
are too sweet for me.
This one contains absolutely ZERO sugar,
and the touch of honey makes it just sweet enough.
The ingredients are merely suggestions,
as any combination of your favorite nuts, seeds or dried fruit would fill the bill quite nicely.
So get creative and you'll be enjoying this yummy concoction too!

Inn Serendipity Granola

(Rural Renaissance)

6 C old-fashioned oats

1 C nuts, chopped

1/2 C coconut

1/2 C sesame seeds

2/3 C oil (coconut)

1/2 C honey

2 T water

1 1/2 t vanilla

In bowl, combine dry ingredients.  
In a saucepan over medium heat, add wet ingredients except for vanilla.  

Do not boil.  

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  
Remove warmed liquids and stir in vanilla.  
Pour over oat mixture and stir to coat.  
Transfer onto sheet pans lined with parchment.  
Spread evenly and baked 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Makes 6 C

I couldn't find unsweetened coconut, so I omitted it, but used coconut oil to get the same flavor.

We didn't have sesame seeds, so we substituted sunflower seeds and threw in some flax seeds as well.
Wouldn't toasted pumpkin seeds from your jack-o-lantern be divine!

Add whatever you like and savor the satisfaction of 
another homemade goody.
Enjoy!

I love me some pecans!

Wordless Wednesday

The Maple Hill Hop 54

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on
OUTSIDE
in your neck of the woods.
(Please share only outdoor posts.)

On Saturday I participated in the yearly festival known as 
Pioneer Days, in Lake Wales.
My friends, Faye & Lynn, had a booth there selling
not only pesticide-free produce,
but many exotic and unusual plants.
We also enjoyed the festivities last year.

Rising at 4 a.m., 
we were on our way to being ready for the crowd by sunrise.

It's kind of fun being up that early
when nothing is stirring and the world is stock still.
Soon, the festival would come to life.

With over 100 vendors, 
there was sure to be something for everyone.

The Pioneer Village displayed a historical encampment, 
complete with a fire pit cooking beef stew for lunch.

Craftspeople exhibited their skills at handmade offerings.
This nice lady and I had a long conversation about knitting,
as I have had a tough time of mastering this valuable art.
She introduced me to the option of continental knitting.
I plan to check it out!

So many talented artists.

These hand-turned spoons and kitchen utensils were gorgeous!

While taking a break, 
I hopped on the tractor ride through town.
The homes in Lake Wales are exceptionally quaint.

Doesn't it just make you want to walk right up to the front door,
knock, and sit a spell on the porch with the owners?

Throughout this small town are hand painted murals 
decorating the downtown buildings.

Another favorite part of this event is the vintage parade.

Our family appreciates John Deere tractors,
as Big K hails from its home town.

We like pretty much any ole tractor.

It's always a great time to celebrate the humble beginnings of a neighboring town.
We were happy to be a part of it.
What outdoor festivals have you been to lately?

HOP ON!

An InLinkz Link-up

Rice Crust Quiche

This has to be one of the best things I've ever made.
We had an abundance of eggs this week,
and it just felt like a great thing to do with them.
We also had some leftover yellow rice,
which is just Jasmine rice with a bit of tumeric added.
It's gluten-free, since cooked rice acts as the crust,
and it can be made vegetarian by keeping out the meat,
or dairy-free by substituting your favorite alternative milk and cheese.
Here's our version and a link for the original at the end of this post.
Get cookin'!

Rice Crust Quiche

Butter a 9" pan and press cooked rice to form crust.

Bake for 3 minutes at 350 degrees.

Add 1 C each of cheddar and Swiss cheese,

plus any cooked veggies you may have in the fridge.

In a bowl, combine 4 eggs, 3/4 C milk and 1/4 C parsley, along with these spices:

1/8 t paprika, 1/8 t onion powder, 1/8 t garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste.

Beat the liquids and spices together in a bowl and pour them over the rice crust mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

This is a great way to use up leftovers in the fridge.
What a wonderful alternative for those who are unable to consume the conventional flour crust.
The next time you have a truckload of eggs and some leftovers,
I hope you'll give this a try.

Here's the original recipe.

Thrifty Thursday-Dead Rack Plants

We don't shop much at the big box stores.
In fact, we try to make do with what we have around the homestead.
But I have to confess,
one of my favorite things to do is to hit the "dead" rack
at our local Lowe's.
There are several racks of plants that have seen better days,
all at 1/2 price or better.
I make a beeline for the back of the nursery whenever I have some time on the weekend.

On this past Sunday, when I left my mornings' work at the farm,
these lovelies were calling for me to take them home.
There were lantana, salvia and one cleome in need of some TLC.

This cleome, also known as cat's whiskers, looks like a pink variety.
Most of the time these bargain plants just need a good dose of water
and the right location so that they can thrive.

The orange lantana fits right in with our color scheme,
as we have mostly yellows, blues and whites in the garden.

These add not only a wonderful pop of color,
but also attract pollinators, such as bees, butterflies and moths.

The mailbox bed needed a bit of color,
as the Gerbera daisies are not blooming at the moment.

A few blue salvia and the orange lantana were planted
and will nicely fill in the space.
Since we water three days a week,
they should grow quickly.
The lantana be regularly pruned though,
as they tend to get leggy and we want to keep the area looking tidy.

Knowing I got these for a steal makes it even better.
Don't ya just love a bargain?