Healthy granola....

While digging through the fridge one day, I came upon a lonely bag of shredded coconut.... hmmm, what to do with the flaky stuff?  Well, after enjoying a few handfuls straight from the bag, I decided to make granola bars.  Good idea, right?  I thought so too  :D

As you can see, as the official taste-tester, I had to make very, very, very sure they were fit for little monkey consumption.... and it took exactly three squares to determine that they did, indeed, pass my rigorous tests; you know - proper density, correct balance of flavours and general yummy-ness (it's a technical term, look it up)....

So, here's the recipe; which, by the way, can be adapted for use with whatever you have lurking in your cupboards.... as long as the binders are in place, you're good as gold :)

3 Monkeys Granola

2 cups oats (just not minute oats)

1/2 cup brown sugar (did you know you can make your own? what!?)

1/4 cup wheat germ (or oat bran... or not, totally optional)

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch cloves

1/4 cup cranberries (our fave are raspberry flavoured)

1/4 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or not)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup honey (we use buckwheat for a stronger flavour)

1 egg

2 tbsp oil (whatever you have is fine)

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (unsweetened flavoured is great too)

Here's the really, super difficult part, I hope you're ready for it, please pay very close attention....

Dump all of the dry ingredients in a big bowl and mix together....

Throw the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl and mix well....

Pour the wet into the dry and combine.... phew!  Now, that was a toughy ;)

Pour it all out onto a parchment lined jelly roll pan (aka cookie sheet).... or, grease your pan VERY WELL as this stuff has the power to stick like super glue!  Now, at this stage, it should be a little less than 1/2 inch thick on your pan, but again, this is up to you Miss Baker-Babe, I like mine about this thickness so I don't end up with super crunchy granola.... I hate that stuff!  If you leave it a little on the thicker side, you can control the crunch factor a bit better.... I also like to manipulate mine into a very neat and tidy rectangle using my parchment to shift and move the stuff; to get it flat and even on top, I just use my hands (clean hands, of course)....

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven til lightly golden.... sorry, I can't give you a definite time as I do not work that way in the kitchen.... maybe check on it after 10-15 minutes then every couple minutes after that.... that's the best I can do folks :)  My oven temp runs very hot so my times are always off.... (eagerly awaiting the day it decides to leave this world).... As with all of my recipes, interpret them whatever way you please, because that is the beauty of cooking, right?  You can loosely follow someone else's directions and create something that's your very own.

Happy baking all  ;)

Friday night video....

Pulling out some vintage Black Eyed Peas.... gotta say, this is my favourite Peas song, such a great message.... Where is the Love?....

Enjoy your Friday everyone ;)

Anniversary getaway....

So, here it is.... our whirlwind, one night, two day, 11th anniversary getaway....It all began last Christmas; as a WOW! gift, I went waaaay out of my comfort-zone money-wise, and splurged on a gift for Mr. Monkey.  While struggling to decide on the perfect "stocking-stuffer" gift, I had one of those light bulb moments (financially, I hate when that happens).

I said to myself, "What about one of those eco-adventure trips?"  It was something that the monkey-man had talked about often; but, seriously, I hadn't really considered it too much only because I didn't know the cost.  If you know me at all, then you know that I like to hang on to my coin.... it's a good thing.... and a bad thing too.  But, for some reason, I felt like I just had to do it (it may, or may not, have had something to do with the fact that I wanted the gift just as much.... just sayin').  Aaaanyway, I was relentless in my search for the right package.... and I say that like it took me weeks - when really, it took me two days.... hey, what can I say, I'm efficient (eyes rolling at myself).

Well, I finally got around to booking the weekend.  It was to happen the day before our actual anniversary; unfortunately, life sometimes takes over and plans had to change.  Now, I'm a roll-with-it-kinda-girl, so this little bump in the road didn't affect me whatsoever.... Mr. Monkey, on the other hand, was very, very annoyed.... of course, he was the one who had to work on our anniversary weekend - totally understand his frustration.
I found the perfect little bed and breakfast, 21 North, that was hosted by a retired architect/chef named Jean-Claude.  He offers 3 beautifully decorated and spotless rooms, all with private baths.... a definite must in my books as far as B&B's go. 

Our room, the master, looked out over vast apple orchards in the Beaver Valley, to which we had no problem taking in the view.

After dropping our bags at the B&B, we set off.... Our excitement began at Scenic Caves Nature Adventures .... the beginning of our eco tour started here....

As told by our very knowledgeable tour guides, this suspension bridge was built in the middle of a very cold and harsh semi-northern Ontario winter.  Stipulations were that the forest floor not be disturbed whatsoever other than to place the footings of the suspension posts.  This meant that no heavy equipment or machinery could be trucked through to the places where they were needed.  Essentially, everything had to be put into place using a huge crane, pulley systems and good ol' manpower.... did I mention that the weather was frigid?  Imagine, you're at the top of a mountain, stringing cable and slugging 3" thick wood planks from British Columbia in below zero temperatures.... not really a job that I'd like to do :P

After crossing the bridge we took a bumpy; but, fun wagon ride to where we'd do our tree-top walk.  This was a 600 metre, 15-span walk from 20ft-60ft above the ground (as close to the tree-tops as possible).  The only things keeping us from plunging to the ground were our harness systems and some 10" wide boards held up by tension wires.... This was the part of the day that I found the most nerve-wracking.  It was definitely a mind over matter thing, I kept telling myself to focus on my footing and not the big waves being caused by the two huge men flanking me - one being my husband.  We made it across in one piece, as I knew we would, and I am very proud to say that I did it.  Here's a picture of the beginning of the tree-top walk.... umm, there were no photos along the way as our hands were in a death grip on the tension wire "hand rails", and yes, there were white knuckles....

From the last tree-top platform, we hooked up for our first of two zip lines.  This one was between trees and only ran a 330ft. span.... in all, it lasted less than 10 seconds; but, it was less than 10 seconds of TOTAL exhilaration!  Check me out here....

What a rush!  I couldn't wait to get to the next one which was 1000ft long and off the side of the escarpment.  I was originally going to film myself on the ride down, then quickly decided against it for fear of losing my camera.... that would really, really suck!  Anyhow, I took a couple of pictures at the top of the 1000ft zip....

"Caution: When falling, be aware that your head will become dislodged from your body."   At least, that's what I get from this picture.... Too funny!

And, just to give you an idea of how far up our last zip was, here's one of our guides getting into position to harness us up.... you can see Georgian Bay in the distance.... Breathtaking view, and believe me when I say, the zip was AWESOME!  One of the greatest experiences of my life.

I hope you all get to experience the feeling of doing something so inspiring, exciting and daredevil-ish.... The only problem now is trying to top it!

Have a great night folks ;)

Friday night video....

I know I've missed a few Fridays... but, here you have it, your Friday night video.... The Beautiful Adele - Someone Like You....

Have a great Friday evening all ;)

S.A.P. seeks S.A.S to spice things up....

While away for a belated anniversary adventure with Mr. Monkey; we stopped in some little towns full of great shops and interesting galleries.... I promise in the near future to devote an entire post to said adventure....

Aaaanyway, we came across a little "antique" shop FULL to the brim with trinkets and treasures.... these are my favourite kind of "antique" shops.... And - Just as a side note:  I have trouble with these shops calling themselves antique shops only because over half of the stuff in them are not really antiques at all, not in the true sense of the word anyway.... I prefer to think of them more as vintage or curiosity shops.... Ok, so I've aired my big beef - moving along.

While browsing this crammy little place, sans children (can I just say:  I love my children.  But, being able to do one of my very favourite things without having to tell a little monkey to stop touching the expensive china or please don't chop your brother's arm off with that ancient samurai sword - well, let's just say, it was a very calming experience for me)....

Again - aaaanyway, I found this little fella....

A single, aluminum pepper shaker.  There were two actually.  This one was in the best condition, a little dirty; but, nothing a little white vinegar couldn't fix.  I searched high and low for it's mate and came up empty-handed.  Rats!

This little guy actually goes with my canister set which makes me a very happy camper.... and now, the only items missing are the salt shaker, the large flour canister and the grease canister.... I'm 100% positive that I'll never use the grease canister; but, it'd be nice to complete the set anyway, right?

Have a great day folks.... officially, I think, it's the last day of summer.... and it looks like a lovely day in my neck of the woods.  So long my peeps ;)