This and That

 One of my dilemmas now that I am without oven and stove is the making of granola, which is pretty well the staff of life around here. The farmer and my eldest eat it with yogurt for breakfast every morning, and I snack on it throughout the day. I really don't like buying it, as it is usually expensive and full of sugar. Then I remembered this recipe for "raw" granola which I found at The Nourishing Gourmet. It is just soaked almonds and walnuts, coconut, maple syrup, applesauce, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. The beauty of it is that it "cooks" in a dehydrator. I now have a nice full jar of really yummy granola, with no stove and no oven.

Last night we gave a dinner party. It was so fun to break out the good china and silverware, plan a menu, and make champagne cocktails. I roasted a salmon in my counter top roasting oven, made rice pilaf in my rice cooker, and borrowed my mother-in-law's oven to roast asparagus (with olive oil, lemon zest, flaked sea salt, coarse pepper, and pine nuts). One guest brought a delicious salad, and the farmer made chocolate tarts topped with candied hazelnuts. The salmon roasting was tricky, as the pan just barely fit in to the roaster, and trying to put the loaded pan in to the roaster with out burning myself on the hot interior was quite a job! However, the salmon was roasted without mishap, and it was delicious. 

After dinner, we had lots of coffee and desserts and good conversation, lasting until past midnight. Stuart slept on the couch amidst all of the lively talk, and then, having had a full night sleep, awoke at his usual hour of 6, a mere four hours after I got to bed. Needless to say, I am terribly groggy this morning, and plying myself with endless cups of coffee in an effort to ensure I will stay awake during Mass! The truth is, being with out a stove and oven has been tricky. Successfully making a nice dinner for 15 last night gave me the much needed reminder that I can make this work, difficult as it may be!