Granola - you can make it!

Granola was always one of those things I never thought about making (I was always really impressed with restaurants who offered homemade granola - how did they do it?), but after finding this recipe by Design*Sponge's DIY Wednesday Editors, Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom, I was really inspired. This granola is super tasty and easy to make - no need to buy Bear Naked ever again! The little market that just opened in our neighborhood (Green Planet - 969 Fulton St. @ Washington in Brooklyn) has an amazing bulk food section so I was able to buy the exact amount of nuts and dried fruit.

Thanks Design*Sponge (more great pics like the one above in the original post)!

Recipe below and you can also download the recipe in PDF form here.

Granola recipe:

3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/3 cup honey
handful of brown sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in a big bowl.

Spread out on a cookie sheet

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, stirring and turning every 10 minutes until toasted. (Color will be a reddish brown when done)

After baking, allow to cool in pan thoroughly. Loosen granola from pan with a spatula, breaking it into small chunks as you go.

Add:
1-2 handfuls dried cranberries
1-2 handfuls raisins

Enjoy with yogurt, milk or as is!

Florent: Go While You Still Can

I had the pleasure of going to Florent last night - my favorite place to eat in the Meatpacking District (okay, the only place that I eat at in that area). At the end of our meal - me, saffron cream mussels with fries and Tim, mac and cheese, our waiter told us that Florent was closing. I was bewildered for a second, as Florent is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week, but he meant that they were closing for good come March 31st.

What? They have such great affordable food and they've been there since 1985. Why? They couldn't renew their lease and a Starbucks was looking to move in. As if there aren't enough of those already. As if there are enough good French diners with incredible mussels, mac and cheese, burgers, steaks, etc. around.

So, go while you still can! They may be able to renew their lease until the end of June, but it's still uncertain.



Restaurant Florent
69 Gansevoort St.
New York, NY 10014
t/212-989-5779
www.restaurantflorent.com



UPDATE: 3/12/08 I went to Florent again last night and they said that they are going to be open until the end of June. Yay! Also! If you can call ahead to make a reservation, it's in your best interest. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table, and it was a Tuesday night!

I'm a sucker for foam

If you haven't noticed from my previous posts, I'm a sucker for designs in foam. Jeff made this for me. Isn't it so sweet (despite my crappy camera phone picture)?

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Wikipedia

Happy Year of the Rat everybody! Boy can I go for some of my grandma's Nian Gao (pictured above). It's basically this gelatinous cake made with glutinous rice flour and brown sugar. It's then poured into a pan and steamed, after which it's cut into slices and pan fried (you can dip it in egg before pan frying - it makes it crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside - yum!).

Who knew something so simple can taste so good? It can be really sticky so make sure to brush your teeth and floss well afterward.

Go carbs!

An Even More Important Reminder

Getty Images

Please remember to vote today!

An Important Reminder

Floss.

I just came back from the dentist today and found I had peridontitis or periodontal disease (no cavities though!). And I think it could have been prevented if I flossed more. Now I'm spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars getting scaling and root planing done to get rid of tartar and plaque. Yuck.

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