The Best Granola Ever - total time 30 minutes

You know the phrase "that's so granola"? Describing something that is plain and boring... Well those people have never had this granola! I pretty much make it every week mainly for breakfast parfaits, but it also makes a great snack, especially when you need a few bites in between meals.

You might buy granola in the store... it might taste good... but it is probably expensive, maybe three servings at best, and you don't know all of the ingredients, or maybe you don't like some of the ingredients. Granola is soooo easy to make at home! I had my doubts at first too. But it really is just combining all the ingredients in a bowl and then spreading it on a cookie sheet, ten minutes in the oven and woop, there it is. ;)
I definitely save money too. We would normally go through three bags of granola a week plus cereal and English muffins. I get the main ingredients from bulk bins and the others are usually local and last through many, many batches of granola. It also keeps me full longer in the mornings, so less snacking before lunch. And you can make it into granola bars for a snack on the go.

So, chocolate and peanut butter... best combination ever, right? You probably can't eat Reese cups every day, but this granola is actually healthy and has just enough sweet. Whole grains and great protein from the seeds and nuts. Plus it is naturally sweetened with a little honey and maple syrup... oh... and the dark chocolate chips of course... which are totally healthy, I promise! :)

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Avocado Toasts - total time 5 minutes

I've seen a lot of avocado recipes out there lately!  You would think they were in season or something.  Hass avocados (which is what is in most grocery stores) can grow in California all year long, so I guess they are really always in season.  Other avocados are harvested in late summer and fall.  

But there is a reason everyone loves talking about avocados!  They are delicious... buttery and nutty... and they are nutritious... with healthy fats in omega 3s and potassium.  Nature's butter.  I use it in place of mayo in things like chicken and tuna salad.  It's also great on toast!  Which brings us to today's post...

I started making "avocado toast" way back in the day, in fact, it was one of the first recipes on this blog.  I usually don't roast my own tomatoes for this any more, especially if tomatoes aren't in season.  I love getting sun-dried tomatoes packed in jars with olive oil.  The flavor is amazing!  I always have a jar or two in the pantry to add to pastas and pizza... and toasts.  :)  Any way... now that we're using jarred tomatoes, it cuts out all of the prep time in this recipe and gets you to the eating portion that much faster!  That makes it perfect for breakfast, snacks, or on-the-go lunches.

This is my trusty toaster oven that we received as a wedding gift closing in on eight years ago.  It gets used almost every day and I was cleaning it the other day and some of the words and numbers started rubbing off the dials!  Good thing we have it all memorized!

Recipe for one avocado toast...
1 piece of bread (or english muffin)
.25 hass avocado
1 sun-dried tomato
a few shavings of parmesan cheese

1. Toast bread.
2. Scoop out avocado with a spoon and smear on the toast.
3. Cut up the sun-dried tomato and layer on top.
4. Sprinkle parmesan on top.
5. Devour.

 

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Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Granola Bar - total time 1 hour

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I've never been one to skip breakfast, I would never make it to lunch without gnawing my arm off. So to keep my hunger at bay, I start most mornings with a quick parfait. I loooove this granola I get from Green Bean delivery. It is so yummy! And I have tried a lot of different granolas, definitely all of the ones with chocolate in them. But this one is definitely the best, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, and a little chocolate. Perfect way to start the day... top it with some berries and yogurt... even better!

We go through this stuff like crazy, like, a couple bags every week. It's kind of ridiculous. But we don't always have time in the morning even for a simple parfait (I easily lose track of time before I have had my coffee... even after sometimes... so mornings can go from a leisurely stroll to a mad dash out the door pretty quickly). So what's a girl going to eat when she's run so fast out the door that she forgot to brush her hair and her phone is still sitting on the kitchen counter? Granola bars! A quick grab and go solution.

You could probably just take premade granola and bake it into bars. But where is the fun in that? This way you control everything that goes into the bars and can feel good about what you're eating. No added sugar and tons of protein and fiber... and so yummy... just like McCabe's granola.

It takes a bit of time from start to finish, but it's mostly hands off time. I walked my dog while everything was cooling, came back, covered them in chocolate, and then went back out with Snoop to finish our walk. Probably only spent 15 minutes in the kitchen. Easy peasy!

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Perkedel - Indonesian potato cakes

Fried potato cakes make great snack anytime. Perkedel I think is an Indo-Dutch fusion. There are various spellings all mean the same potato cake if you ever come across them.
perkedel = berkedel = bergedel = bergedil
This is home cooking make perkedel with any mixtures you like. Other than the potato there are no strict rules what else can be added. Tinned corned beef or minced beef is common,

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Chinese pork jerky/ Sweet bbq pork/ Rou gan / Bak kwa/ ??

Hello and belated New Year greeting!. Apology for neglecting the blog again for many weeks, I had disappeared to California enjoying the sun and hopefully has escaped the worst of English winter.

Chinese New Year is coming soon. This year is the year of the rabbit and 1st day of CNY is next Thursday 3rd Feb.

One of my CNY favourite snack is sweet bbq pork from Singapore (and West Malaysia too).

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