My husband and I just moved to Franklin, Tennessee. We are still going through boxes but I had to put my kitchen together first. I like to set up my kitchen in stations such as my baking station. I find it makes baking easy if I have all the items I need close by.
Lower cabinet- bowls, sifters, liquid measuring cups.
Drawer- dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, oven mittens, etc.
Counter- flours and sugar
Upper cabinet- spices, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, nuts, etc.
This morning I baked up some of my favorite granola. It takes no time to combine and bake. I love snacking on it or enjoying for breakfast with yogurt or with fruit and milk.
Cinnamon & Pecan Granola
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp light brown sugar
6 Tbsp honey
2 cups rolled oats
1 Tbsp ground golden flaxseeds
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
4 Tbsps dried cranberries, optional
Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the butter, sugar and honey in a medium microwave safe bowl. Stir.
Add the oats, ground flaxseeds, vanilla, pecans, cinnamon and salt in the bowl. Pour the granola on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. Toss the granola with a spoon. Bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss the granola again. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Yields: 3 cups
Tip: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up. I do this when I am cooking bacon in the oven too.
Tip: Use Vietnamese cinnamon- has an intense flavor. Smells and taste like red hots.
When baking if your baked goods are resulting in over baked or under done when following a recipe, it may not be your fault. Being that I am just moving into a new house, I don’t know if the oven temperature is set right. I bought an oven thermometer to test it out. My oven is actually 25 degrees off. So if I am wanting it to be at 350 degrees F., then I set the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
Tip: buy an oven thermometer
I love using mason jars for storing ingredients like cornmeal, oats, nuts, etc and finished products like granola. I keep all kinds of sizes of mason jars on hand.
I like to use the mini mason jars for storing my spices.
Tip: Store spices in mason jars to keep bugs out and to keep spices fresher longer.
Money Saving Tip: Buy spices that you may not use often at a spice store in small amounts.
My son is almost 5 months and becoming mobile. He just started rolling. I want to be able to watch him while I cook; so I bought a kitchen rug. For extra cushion, the rug is lined with a rug mat with cushion. My son loves it!
Mom Tip: Buy a soft rug for your kitchen so that your little one can play close by while you cook.
1 Comment
Leslie McKenzie
March 8, 2019 at 6:30 pmLove the uniformity and clean look the little mason jars give to your spice cabinet!!