My Love of Coffee

Dear Coffee,

  I just wanted to take a few moments to tell you how much I adore you.  I love the smell when I open the bag of beans first thing in the morning.  And then the soothing sound of grinding you up!  Some mornings I don't take the time to appreciate you, Coffee, as you just needs to be flowing in my veins ASAP!

  It's a comforting sound hearing the the coffee pot go drip, drip, drip as you brew all your goodness into the pot.  And then the best part of the morning is hearing those lovely 3 beeps of the machine letting me know you are ready.

  Nothing makes me more happy then the first taste of hot yummy goodness in my belly.  Now if I could only finish a whole cup of joe that was still hot at the last sip, I would be in heaven.  But Coffee, you must wait if the kids want their breakfast!
  (Although, I am working on that with my ever growing collection of coffee mug warmers. Because who doesn't love a little sweater for their coffee cup!)

 Thank you, Coffee, for all that you do. For keeping me sane and happy, each and every morning.

 Love Me

My FAV tank!

** 'Runs on Caffeine' tank from DickTees. Hoop from Meg at HooperFit**

**This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here are solely my own and I am not paid to promote these businesses**

Super Yummy Homemade Honey Almond Granola!

Honey Almond Granola Recipe

  I love granola! I used to buy it all the time to eat with my greek yogurt in the morning for breakfast. And then I started reading the labels. There was always so much sugar and extra preservatives added! So I decided to do some research and find a homemade recipe that was easy and yummy! And this smells so good while it is baking! I also use this granola in my Awesome Oatmeal Cookie recipe (will post that recipe some time soon!)

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup liquid honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (I use canola oil and water combined in a spray bottle, no more buying aerosol cans!)

2. Mix together the rolled oats, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

3. In a separate small bowl, combine the honey, vanilla and almond extract.

4. Mix together dry and wet ingredients and combine until the oats are coated. 

5. Spread the mixture out onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 mins (or until golden brown) Make sure to stir it up every 5-6 mins (I set the timer for this so I don't forget!) Granola can burn easily so check it often. (Ovens vary with temp, so you may only need 25 mins or so)

6. Let it cool and store in an airtight container.

*This batch makes approx 4 cups of granola. I use about 1/2 cup on my plain greek yogurt in the morning for breakfast and top it with some craisins! So yummy!*

Enjoy!