Orange, Cardamom and Almond Granola

 If you like cardamom, you will want to make this granola. It is a very easy and it makes 2-1/2 cups which is a good amount. Sometimes 5 or 6 cups of granola is too much, especially for two people. It bakes on one pan and it bakes for 20 minutes. I enjoy a little granola on my yogurt so this was the perfect amount for me, especially since I am usually the only one in our house that eats granola. 

I used a teaspoon of cardamom in my batch which might be a little to much for most, unless you are a big cardamom fan like me. The other thing I realized in making this granola is; if you only stir it once half way through, you get more granola clusters rather than just individual pieces of oats and nuts. I love my granola crunchy and this was very crunchy. Next time I make this recipe, I plan on using half agave nectar and half honey.

Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Tacos

I have my DVR set to record all episodes of Cook's Country on PBS. When I have the time, I enjoy watching to see the recipes they have developed with better flavor and sometimes with great shortcuts. I often find myself thinking, why didn't I think of that. I guess my answer would have to be, because I don't get paid to spend all my daylight hours in the kitchen! Lucky us! The Cook's Country staff do spend hours in their kitchens reworking recipes and then they pass those recipes on to us. All the benefits without all the extra work.

I recently made Easy Chicken Tacos, a recipe I saw on Cook's Country. They took about 30 minutes to make from start to finish and they were moist and full of flavor. They do have a couple unusual ingredients that might surprise you, but don't let that stop you. They got a good review from my food critics. This is a recipe that I will probably make a couple more times this summer.

The other thing that made these tacos especially good was the tortillas. I might be the last one to know about these, but I just happened to see them in a refrigerated case at Albertsons grocery store one day when I was looking for something else. They were on an end aisle next to the eggs in my store, so good luck finding them in your store if they are new to you too!


They don't look like much when you take them out of their package. They are super thin, a little greenish and don't look like any tortilla that you would want to eat, but never fear, you will.

Heat up a non-stick pan and after 30 seconds on each side they puff up and become oh so soft and tender! You will never want to settle for the pre-cooked tortillas again!

With the chicken tacos, I served tomatoes, avocados, sour cream and a mixture of cheddar and montery jack cheese. I also made Funky Refried Beans and Lori's Mexican Salsa. 

Dear hubby offered his taco for a quick picture

Enjoy!

Finally...Present time!

After what must have felt like forever to Wiley, it was time to open his presents!

2 year-old Ivan did a great job watching Wiley open his presents, but notice Wiley is in the corner with his back to anyone who might want to come and help him unwrap his presents

Wiley didn't waste any time getting his presents open

Daddy crawled over to help

Have you tried to take a toy out of a package lately?

It takes a knife, a screwdriver, strong fingers to untwist 25 metal twisties and about 30 minutes!

Daddy giving Ivan some loves and kisses

Wiley is having a lot of fun and had time to smile for the camera

Daddy needed more tools

Wiley emerged from his corner with a big smile

Ivan ready to catch Natalie in the butterfly net

The birthday fairy brought a new bike

His feet reach the pedals

Yay, he can ride it!

The brakes work!

He's a happy birthday boy! And yes, he got a new helmet to go with the bike! Safety first!

Dear Gramma Barb and Grandpa Mike, I hope it feels like you were at the party! You were missed very much! We love you!

Wiley's Birthday Party

Wiley almost wiggled out of his skin as he waited for the real party to get started! In a 4 year-olds life, who needs dinner when there is birthday cake and presents waiting. Well actually, who needs anything at all when there are presents waiting to be opened. We decided to have cake before presents, so I started bringing out the treats.

Chocolate pudding shots and Clementine cupcakes

Brownie pops

Raspberry and Blueberry cupcakes

A little whipped cream frosting on his elbow

No problem, he ate it!

Going in for more!

 Watching the candles being lit

It's almost time...

...for the happy birthday song

Yummy strawberry

Loving his song

Candles are out

The cake is calling his name - Wiley, touch me!

What's taking so long?

Rearranging the cake while we sing a third time - for a video

Time for a brownie pop...

...and a cupcake and a piece of cake

After a lick and a raspberry he is finished with his treats

Hugging gramma and thanking me for the party and the treats I made - so sweet!

For the cake and cupcakes I used my favorite recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, "More from Magnolia." I know that vanilla sounds rather dull to some people, but I have made this recipe several times and everyone that tries it, loves it! It turns out perfect every time. I made one recipe, filled my silicone cupcake cups and put the remaining batter into two 8-inch cake pans. 


To dress up the cake, I made Microwave Lemon Curd and spread it between the cake layers and on top of the cake before I frosted with whipped cream frosting. I was amazed at how good the curd turned out. I will admit, my expectations were low, using a microwave, but I will definitely make this again. There is no reason to stand over the stove stirring for 30 minutes again!

For the brownies and brownie pops, I used a recipe from Dessert First that I found on foodnetwork.com. The recipe for the brownies is near the bottom of the page. I split the pan of brownies, cutting half into brownies and I used the rest for the brownie pops. I coated the pops with melted white chocolate and added sprinkles.

More pictures of Wiley's party for Gramma Barb and Grandpa Mike tomorrow! It wasn't the same without you!

Wiley's Birthday Dinner

Happy Wiley arriving for his party at gramma and papa's house

Where has all the time gone! It doesn't seem possible, but Wiley turned 4! Wiley had quite a hard time waiting for his birthday day to actually come. The week before, he woke up every morning super early, waking up his mom and dad to find out if this day was finally the day! Well that day finally came and we had a great time celebrating Wiley!

A few days before the big day, I asked Wiley what he wanted to eat at his birthday party and his response was, "Macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, broccoli, squash and zucchini". "And popcorn, gramma, lots of popcorn!" That was too easy! My next question was what kind of birthday cake did he want, and his response was, "Gramma, I'm allergic to cake, (news to me), but I do like cupcakes." What kind of cupcakes would you like Wiley? "I would like vanilla cupcakes with lots of frosting with raspberries, blueberries, oranges and strawberries." Wow, that was so easy! It didn't take me more than 2 minutes to write out my birthday party plan.

I won't bore you with all the details of the day and a half I worked preparing for the birthday. Let's just say it didn't magically come together, but I had a great time preparing everything, wanting it to be very special for the birthday boy.

Shoeless Ivan making his way up the stairs

Lots of balloons everywhere

4 dozen to be exact

Time with Uncle

Checking everything out with mommy

Popcorn was the first thing he spotted in the kitchen

Mommy and cousins

Great auntie and Elias

Great auntie Lori and mommy

Part of our dinner

Salad

My plate

Too bad Wiley didn't eat more than two bites and four licks that night. He had the "I can't believe it's finally my birthday and all these people are here for me and I'm not hungry, I just want to open my presents" jitters in his tummy!

The baked chicken tenders were a huge hit! Even the grownups enjoyed them. I plan to make a batch up and freeze them to have on hand when the boys stay for dinner. I am happy to share the following recipes.

These pictures are especially for you, Gramma Barb and Grandpa Mike! We all missed you very much!

Tomorrow I will have pictures of the party and presents.

Enjoy!