Healthy Eating in 2011-Foodie Friday

      Like everyone else, I eat way to much "junk" during the holidays. One thing I love about a new year is the opportunity to go back to healthy eating. I'm not one of those people who can live on lettuce and egg white omelets. I like flavor and texture in my food! I love this granola recipe because it has no added fat. Many recipes call for butter (which certainly does enhance the color and flavor) but this one doesn't. The nice thing is that it still tastes great. I love it with low fat yogurt for breakfast or a healthy snack.  

Crunchy Granola

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup water

4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

8 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup walnut pieces

Dried fruit (optional) I used golden raisins for this batch.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats and nuts, set aside. Combine brown sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to a low boil and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and add salt and vanilla (it will bubble when the cold vanilla hits the hot sugar). 

Pour brown sugar syrup over nut/oat mixture and stir well until all the oats are coated. Spread granola onto the 2 cookie sheets and bake 1 hour (until golden and crunchy) at 275 degrees. Allow to cool, break into pieces, add dried fruit if you'd like and store in airtight containers.

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

It is the place to visit for some of the best recipes in all of Blogland!

A Five Minute Tablescape...Think Spring!

     I don't know about you, but I am very tired of Christmas colors and clutter this week. So, when I thought about setting my table yesterday...I wanted to do something quick, clean and simple. I also wanted the table to perk me up during these cold, post-holiday days. This could easily be a tutorial for those of you that are new to tablescaping. You can set a pretty table in a matter of minutes, without having a lot of "fancy" things on the table. This table came together in about 5 minutes and it really was a perfect way to boost the winter "blahs"! (I do see the spoon shifted in the picture...blooper)

     I started with simple cream placemats and napkins. My white American Atelier Bianca Leaf dinner plate serves as a charger for new dinner plates found at Ross a few months ago. They were on sale for $7 for all 4. They are only labeled Fine China. I loved the colors and I wish I could find additional pieces. I bought the flatware at Ross the same day...also a bargain. 

     Thrift shop pink stemware worked perfectly with this china. I draped a sparkly scarf across the table to add a bit of color. The large aqua mercury glass votives were a recent purchase at Z Gallerie. I love the color and I will be able to use them in my home all year long.

     A simple centerpiece of pink blossoms in a silver bowl with a pair of crystal candlesticks finishes the look.

At night, the aqua mercury glass is beautiful.

     I love to theme my tables for the season, but sometimes it is really nice to do the unexpected. Adding a touch of springtime florals to your home can really be uplifting during the dark days of winter!

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     I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday. Please stop

in to say hello to our wonderful hostess!

My Night In The Castle...Not The Disney Castle!

     On our way home from Orlando, we decided to stay at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort in Hoover, Alabama. For the past 4 years, we have been traveling home from Florida on our wedding anniversary. We generally stay at nice, but nothing fancy type places. Last year because of losing hours on the road due to a traffic issue, we ended up spending the night at a Country Inn and Suites and having our dinner at a Waffle House. I wanted to try to do something a little better this year, so we made our first visit to Ross Bridge. The resort is a golf resort, sitting just outside of Birmingham. There is nothing within about 10 miles other than a beautiful residential area leading to the resort. I took pictures of a couple of the homes. They were all gorgeous and at night the Christmas decorations made them even prettier.

  

     After checking in, we pulled around to park the car and I could hear the sound of bagpipes playing. I grabbed the camera and ran to the back deck of the hotel.

     Every night at sunset, the bagpipes are played in various locations around the hotel. It was really interesting when we talked to this gentleman. His daughter was my daughter's manager at Disney until leaving recently to go to work elsewhere. Small world!

We took a stroll around the hotel lobby.

The decorations were beautiful.

     I loved this "tree". They had a storybook on a stand and there were holes in the tree at different levels. When you looked in the holes, you saw scenes from the story.

See how cute?

I loved this take on the traditional poinsettia tree.

 It is mixed with bromeliad plants.

Our room was very nice. The lighting for pictures wasn't!

The view from our balcony was stunning!

The early morning frost made it picture perfect.

     We can't wait to go back when we have more time to explore the area. The pool area is wonderful, so maybe next time a trip in warm weather would be nice. They also have a lovely spa. We didn't eat dinner at the hotel, but our breakfast buffet was outstanding. I give this resort 5 stars!

I am joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday.

A Winner, A Question and A Prayer Request

     I want to thank everyone who entered my CSN giveaway. The winner of the $55 gift code was Sharon, who doesn't appear to have a blog or any info listed except her email. Therefore I can't tell you a thing about her or send you to her blog. Congrats to Sharon.

     I noticed during this giveaway that several people said they were new followers by Google Friend Connect. What I also noticed was that my list of followers did not go up at the same rate that people said they were following. Several of those people do not appear in my list of followers. So...the question is, if someone follows by Google Friend Connect, should they show up in you followers list or are they following and we have no way to tell?

     Prayer request: While we were in Florida, we got a  phone call that my mother-in-law had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Now we all know that this isn't good and considering that my mother has only been gone a few months...this has shocked our family. Once again it was a very unexpected diagnosis. She will be starting chemo soon. Surgery was an option, one that we hoped she would consider, but she opted not to do it. A combination of chemo and possible radiation seem to be the decision she felt comfortable with. My father-in-law isn't able to live alone and she has been taking care of him in many ways...so this is a real concern on how to help them through this time. Prayers for both of them would be greatly appreciated.

     My dad just left. I am behind in every possible way around here. We all got through Christmas and actually enjoyed it. My dad did a great job shopping even without my mom...she would be so proud of him. It is time to regroup and get things organized around here. I also look forward to getting back to reading all of your wonderful blogs. I've missed you!

Last Day To Sign Up For CSN Giveaway

Reminder: Today is the final day to

sign up for the $55 CSN Giveaway!

Click Here for the Details!