In my recent attempt to go on a health kick, I’ve been experimenting with a few homemade granola recipes. I am aware that you can purchase it in order to make your life easier, but it gets expensive if you’re making fruit and yogurt parfait for breakfast on a daily basis. The whole process takes about 10 minutes, I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:

3 Cups Rolled Oats (not instant)

3/4 Cups Sliced Almonds

1/2 Tbsp. Wheat Germ (optional)

1/2 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Tsp. Salt

2 Tbsp. Canola Oil

1/2 Cup Maple Syrup

1 Cup Dried Fruits

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the rolled oats, nuts, wheat germ, ground cinnamon, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together the oil and maple syrup. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and toss together, making sure all the dry ingredients are coated with the liquid. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30 – 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Add the fruits or any toppings of your preference once the granola has cooled down. I also added a couple scoops of brown sugar the other day and it was so delicious. Parfaits for breakfast are so yummy and nutritious. Chop up a bunch of your favorite fruits, add a scoop of plain yogurt, a tablespoon of honey and a handful of your own granola–all in a glorious disposable plastic bowl for glorious breakfast.

In honor of National Sibling Day (today), a few of my siblings and I decided to bake a warm batch of Cinnamon Sugar Cookies.

My sisters and I like to browse the Internet for delicious recipes, review them for each other and trade when we get a chance. This one we found on the amazing allrecipes.com (jackpot of recipes)! Because our weakness is baked goods, we knew we would probably devour them immediately so we didn’t bother boxing any up for others. Hey, we were celebrating our sibling-ness so we were baking for each other, okay!

We highly recommend this recipe for holidays, house-warmings, family gatherings, or just general consumption. Don’t forget to Box them up in cute cookie boxes if they’re a gift or arrange them on Plastic Serving Trays for your guests:

Ingredients

* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream butter with 1/4 cup white sugar and brown sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add the sifted dry ingredients, and mix until well blended. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Roll into logs 2 inches in diameter, wrap, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. These logs can be frozen for up to 6 weeks.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon on a flat plate or a piece of wax paper. Unwrap dough logs, and roll in the cinnamon mixture. Cut into 1/4 inch slices, and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Happy Baking!!

If boys can have a poker night, than so can we…or at least some sort of game night. Right, girls? Any excuse to get a group of girlfriends together for cocktails and gossip sounds great.

I’m not particularly well-versed in Poker, but I’m sure that if we absolutely wanted to play, we could google game rules and tips. If Poker doesn’t sound like fun to you, put together a game night with say all the classics from your generation. Trust me, A LOT of board games become less than boring once a few drinks are in the mix. Continue reading →