summer food friday!

   I love summer food! There is so much growing in the garden, easy to just pop outside and pick a salad or snack or beans, peas, radishes. I can't wait for the tomatoes and squashes! so many good things growing this year. Our soil is a million times better at this house. Our last house (last summer) had bad soil with too much shade, we put so much work into the garden and got very little out of it (kale). Our new garden is thriving with minimal effort and I just keep planting more and more. We are maxed out and there's no more room and I'm not building any more raised beds until the chicken coop is done and the chickens are out of the basement. It;s getting ridiculous. The chicks are a little over a month old and getting HUGE.

I'm happy i made granola and was mindful enough to not burn it for once. I have a terrible habit of putting it into the oven and then going outside or downstairs and not hearing the timer. Those are wild strawberries and raspberries (thanks to Grandpa for the raspberry canes!) from my own garden-so happy about that. the granola is very easy...

granola:
*dry ingredients:
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped up almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
*wet ingredients:
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave (or I use part agave, part maple syrup or honey depending on what I have or am in the mood for)
2 Tbsp nut butter (we've been using cashew)

preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put all the dry ingredients in a big bowl and mix. gently heat the wet ingredients on low in a small pan just until coconut oil is melted. pour into dry and mix. spread evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 45 min-1 hour, be sure to take it out every 15 minutes or so and move it all around with a spatula so the edges don't get burnt. let it cool and store it in a jar for about a week.
so good!

We've been making muffins and pancakes for breakfast because it's been to warm to use the oven later in the day. There have been lots of easy fish taco dinners and lots of big salad and cheese dinners. Many glasses of lemonade and tea w/ lemonade.

and so so many popsicles. I got these at ikea a longtime ago (and while I hate that they are plastic) we used them everyday and I LOVE them, they remind me of the tupperware ones my mom had (she used them to make pops out of grape and cherry koolaid) These popsicles over at Orangette are amazing. I've made them with strawberries too and they were wonderful. Tonight I made cherry and we'll see how those turned out tomorrow. Tomorrow there will be much work, and maybe cussing, over the chicken coop. Happy weekending!