Awesome Granola

Last night I was a baking machine. I made cookies and granola, and also prepared for a small dinner party I’m hosting tonight (my sirloin steaks are now happily bathing in a top-secret fajita marinade).

I wanted to share my favorite recipe for granola, which I found in an issue of Runners World magazine last fall. It’s easy, healthy, and delicious. And you can modify the recipe however you’d like. Oftentimes, I like to add dried cranberries, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, etc. You can really make the recipe your own. I love to eat the finished product with vanilla yogurt for breakfast or by itself as a mid-afternoon snack. Following is the recipe straight from Runner’s World. Enjoy!

Awesome Granola (Runners World, September 2006)
Makes 5 cups

2 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat-bran cereal
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup blanched whole or slivered almonds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup buckwheat honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup seedless rasins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine oats, bran, wheat germ, almonds, and cinnamon in a bowl. Heat the honey and oil in a saucepan until small bubles appear around the sides of the pan. Pour over dry mixture and toss until well combined. Spread evenly in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake 40-50 mins. or until golden brown, stirring every 10 mins. Add rasins. Cool and store in an air tight container.

Accessories and Such

I. Ronni Kappos Bracelets

http://www.irkjewelry.com/

Moss Mills Charlotte Ring
http://www.mossmills.com/

Ashley Watson Bags, Tanenger in Dark Brown

www.ashleywatson.net/main.html

Belgian Red: The Marriage of Wine and Beer

This past weekend, upon finishing an entire bottle myself, I was reminded that New Glarus Brewing Company's Belgian Red may be, in fact, my all-time favorite alcoholic beverage. Truly a most refreshing marriage of wine and beer, its unique combination of cherries and hops is like nothing I've ever tried before. Read on, my friends. The following is printed on each bottle's label. It's a great, brief description of Belgian Red's vibrant flavor and elaborate production:

"You hold the marriage of wine and beer. Belgian Red is a tapestry of flavor. This beer is brewed with whole Montmorency Cherries, Wisconsin farmed wheat and Belgian roasted barleys, lagered in oak tanks and balanced by Hallertau hops we aged in our brewery one full year.

Over a pound of Door County Cherries in every bottle makes this beer uniquely 'Wisconsin.' So unique, in fact, that we applied for a patent. Expect this beer to be ruby red, with a medium body that is highly carbonated and intense with cherry flavor and bouquet. Serve your friends Belgian Red in a brandy snifter or champagne flute and toast life with beer from the land of Wisconsin."

I certainly couldn't have said it better myself. You can find Belgian Red in the refrigerator case of most Wisconsin liquor stores. Or you can take a short trip to the little Swiss-inspired town of New Glarus, just outside of Madison, to sample straight from the keg. Enjoy the marriage of wine and beer. And please let me know what you think!

Madisonian Attempts to Ride Around the World

Over the weekend, 28-year-old Madisonian Charles Isley Brigham IV peddled off on an adventure of a lifetime and a quest to fulfill his dream of biking around the world.

Charles Brigham, who has been employed at Budget Bicycle Center for the past three and-a-half years, is currently three days into his adventure, heading southeast and hoping to eventually hit northern Africa, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tibet, India, Laos, Vietnam, Australia, South America, and Central America. Brigham anticipates the 25,000-mile journey taking approximately two years to complete.

While Brigham hasn’t done much formal training to prepare, he did become very accustomed to riding his bike all around Madison on a daily basis (Brigham claims he rejected “car culture” over two years ago). During his journey, he'll take it slow and steady riding with a pack of supplies that will weigh up to 80-pounds, camp each night, and prepare meals over a fire. As for the ocean crossings, his plan is to hitch a ride on a freighter or cruise ship. And for cash, he hopes for a mix of working, bartering, and simply figuring it out along the way. Luckily, Brigham will also be armed with a passport, great bike mechanic skills, spare bike parts, lots of shots under his belt, and the ability to speak Spanish, French and Japanese, all of which should certainly help his cause.

Best of luck, Charles! You can follow his adventure online at www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/worldtour07, where he will periodically post updates on his travels. And thanks to the Wisconsin State Journal for carrying this incredible story!

Father and Son Back Country Bonding

Here are some sweet pictures from my dad and brother's recent backpacking trip through Utah and Colorado. After traversing through the moutains with 80-pound packs (my dad came back ten pounds lighter) for a week-and-a-half, Kelly competed in Utah's Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run, where he placed 24th with a time of 27:50.

French Fry Fun

Over the weekend, Karen and I attempted to make our very own homemade French Fries. This because Karen insists that I have not stopped talking about French Fries for the past two weeks, which I’m quite certain is not true. But even if it is true, it’s probably just a passing craving resulting from last week’s Ironman that will surely soon end.

So anyways, I obviously agreed to this plan, and decided that we should make both potato and sweet potato French Fries—because sweet potatoes are healthy, which I reasoned would balance things out a bit. Luckily, we own a fryer, a purchase from last year that was necessitated after I discovered a recipe for cookie dough egg rolls, a Bluephie’s original. Since then, we use the fryer every now and then for an assortment of recipes—fried chicken, French Fries, donuts, etc. All kinds of artery clogging treats, really. I think it was a solid investment. But I digress. Here is the recipe for our fabulous French Fries:

1. Slice a combination of potatoes and sweet potatoes into long, skinny strips.
2. Fill the fryer with vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees.
3. Fill the fryer basket one quarter full with the strips of potatoes. Fry in batches for 5-7 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.
4. Transfer the fried potato strips onto a paper towel so that excess oil is soaked up.
5. Sprinkle generously (you can never use too much) with Beef-a-Roo Special Salt.

6. Enjoy! Preferably with a big, greasy cheeseburger.

Sorry, Folks. The Free Shows Are Over.

On Friday morning, Karen told everyone that would listen to her that the blind man was coming to our house later that afternoon. He he, she giggled as colleagues questioned her with puzzled looks. Karen loves to call the various tradesmen that come to our house by their trade. For example, there’s painter Dave and builder Dave. And eventually, probably because of Karen’s charm, they all become very fond of their nicknames and begin using these names themselves.

But on Friday it was just the blind man. No accompanying proper name. The blind man came that afternoon and efficiently installed blinds in all three bedrooms, both bathrooms, and two of the downstairs' windows. And I really like them. They’re Top/Up Bottom/Down style, and the two downstairs are cordless. It’s a great, clean look. But best of all, four months after moving in, we now have a little privacy. So for all you peeping Toms (because I know you’re out there), I’m not giving any more free shows. You'll have to find another naked girl in the window to watch.