Homemade Granola

Today is the last day of the first year of preschool. A tender day, for sure. I hope the most important lesson my son has learned is that school can be incredibly fun.

As a thank you to the teachers, I made some homemade granola and included a recipe card.

Homemade Granola (from the now defunct Blueprint magazine)
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, pecans, cherries, cranberries, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine oil, honey, and sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle syrup over oat mixture; toss with a wooden spoon. Pour granola onto sheet pan and spread evenly. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden (about 25 minutes). Let granola cool completely on a wire rack. Break it into chunks and store in an airtight container.

Thrifted Viking Range

The coveted Viking range. I have been obsessing over the Viking range for a very long time. I pour over the specs and dream of the range that would work best for Camp Ramshackle. However, the hefty price tag of the quality Viking products creates a high bar for ownership.

Imagine my surprise when Eric and I stumbled upon this beauty at the consummate thrift shop, St. Vincent de Paul. Viking lust answered! Sadly, some early riser beat us to it. The range had a big "sold" sign on top. All I have to say is, you lucky duck.

Note to self: research Viking repair for future acquisition. Who knows with this kind of luck maybe I'll find mine on the side of the road.

Restaurant Supply in Los Angeles - Surfas

Surfas in Culver City is a great afternoon destination. The restaurant supply store has been owned and operated by the same family since 1937. I learned about it through a member of the Los Angeles Mycological Society, and God knows they know how to party.


I took the boys for a day trip to pick up a cutting board and candles. But with Surfas, the journey is the destination. We stopped in at Cafe Surfas for eats. I asked for a high chair and the kind woman behind the counter went into the supply store and pulled one off the shelf for our use. Sure, it was shorter than the cafe table, but the youngest was satisfied.

Upgrades at Camp Ramshackle

Since reading Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook, I've been in search of a decent steamer. Her recipes from entrees to desserts include pureed vegetables as a way of insuring that your kids eat their veggies. Plus, with the little one now eating baby food, I'm steaming up more food than usual.

The bamboo steamer didn't fit our existing cookware. A Calphalon steamer insert was too big. All came home and were promptly returned. I kept looking at this one:


The All-Clad 12 quart multi-cooker with two steamer baskets and lid. Granted, it's bigger than I had hoped. Despite the enormous size, she works like a champ. I look forward to hosting a big pasta dinner with pureed zucchini for the toothless set.


In addition to being the steamer I never had, the All-Clad replaces the large pot used for pasta cooking. The blue enamel pot was bought for about 25 pennies at a yard sale many moons ago. The All-Clad upgrade includes both handles as well. We never had it so good.

Risen bread

The bread baking was successful. The Tassajara Bread Book receipe #1 did the trick and inspired a dance.