Granola

I was in the grocery store the other day ... I was going to purchase some granola to put in my yogurt for the morning. I never knew granola was so darn stinking expensive! A small (very small bag) for $4.00! Are you kidding me? So since everything can be found on the internet, I did a search for homemade granola. I chose this one from Alton Brown on the Food Network website.

Granola Recipe courtesy Alton Brown Show: Good Eats Episode: Oat Cuisine

3 cups rolled oats 1 cup slivered almonds 1 cup cashews 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup raisins Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color. Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed. Store in a air tight container once completely cool. (Very important so the granola keeps its crunch.) I'm not really fond of raisins in "things", so I left them out. I have to say I will never buy pre-made granola. This stuff tastes great. It did take some time to make, stirring the granola every 15min while toasting, but worth it. Plus you can create what every type of granola you want. Give it a try.

Winston Was Feeling Left Out

Well apparently Winston thought Zoe was getting all the attention, so he had to get cancer too. Our boy Winston is a repeat offender. He had 2 mast cell tumors three years ago. They were removed and never came back. So we thought we were in the clear. Then the other day we noticed two small masses, pencil eraser size. So off I took him to work to see what the masses were. The initial cytology showed mast cells. He had surgery on Thursday. When they were prepping for surgery they found a third mass, just as they did with Zoe. So once again we are waiting the results of the histopathology to see what grade the tumors are. His first bout with mast cell cancer was grade 1 ... so we're praying for those results again.

The Infamous Gator

We live across from the lake in our neighborhood. Ever since we've lived here we have heard rumors about the gator in the lake. It's been over a year & there hasn't been a single sighting on this gator. Until today! It was just a small baby gator, maybe three feet long. So he wasn't much of a threat. Except for the fact that he has parents. Which I'm sure were somewhere close. I know we live in Florida and that gators are part of our environment, but it's not everyday you come this close to one. Aside from the infamous gator sighting we have been getting our share of rain over the past few weeks. And it's a good thing, because we really needed it.


Here's an update on Zoe. She has been walking outside on her own, I was carrying her before. She still stumbles once in awhile with her back feet, but otherwise has been doing great. Her tumors that were removed came back as mast cell grade 2. Not the best news, but not the worst either. The good news is that the doctor got "clean margins" when he removed the tumors. That means that the entire tumor was removed with no cancer cells left in that area. It doesn't guarantee that another cancerous tumor won't regrow there, but there's less of a chance.


Doesn't her incision look good!?