Granola Bar Recipe

These are the granola bars Sara made. I wanted the recipe, so if anyone else would like it, here it is. If you click the Mother Earth News link, it has some fun variations, too.

Granola Bars
from Mother Earth News
2½ cups rolled oats (old-fashioned or instant)
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cup raisins
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

While your oven is preheating to 300°F, spread the oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, wheat germ and almonds evenly on a 9" x 12" baking sheet. Bake these dry ingredients for 20 minutes, stirring them occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat the butter (or margarine), brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan, allowing the brew to simmer until the oat mixture is ready to come out of the oven. (If you or yours like really crispy granola, bake the dry ingredients an additional few minutes.) As soon as the oat mixture is out, add the raisins, stirring them into the other ingredients.

Now remove the honey from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, then pour the hot liquid over the oat mixture and stir until all the dry ingredients are coated.

Next, press the granola firmly into the bottom of a greased 8" x 8" pan and place it in the still-warm oven to bake (at the same 300°F as before) for 20 minutes. (An 8" x 8" pan makes bars about an inch thick; if you want thinner bars, use a slightly larger pan.)

When you remove the granola from the oven, allow it to cool only slightly before cutting it into squares, but wait until it's completely cool before removing the bars from the pan.

Bountiful Baskets

If any of you are interested, there is a food co-op that recently came to Hurricane. Check it out here:

www.bountifulbaskets.org

You order Tuesday or Wednesday, and then you go pick it up at the theater on Saturday morning. It goes every other week, and it is going this week because we are switching from the A week to the B week. Details are at the site. My most recent basket included:

For $15 plus $1.50 processing fee: ($3 the first time you order)
Apples, 13
Bananas, 6
Oranges, 12
Kiwi, sheepload
Strawberries, 1 lb
Onions, 4
Potatoes, 5 lb bag plus 2 potatoes
Lettuce, 1 enormous head
Cucumbers, 2, the wrapped kind
Cantaloupe, 1
Cauliflower, 1
Mushrooms, 1 carton

Someone priced it at the Walmarts, and it was worth around $30.

Bad Weather Alternative Location

Sometimes the weather is too much for us to have Picnic at the Park...at the park. In this case we meet at the red brick church on the corner of 300 S. and 100 W. in Hurricane. It has a carpeted gym (I know, weird) and we know someone who has a key (congrats on your new calling, Candy!) So this is our alternative space. We usually only do this when the wind is blowing, because it's hard to eat off of paper plates in the wind. It almost never gets too cold to force us indoors due solely to temperature, but it does happen occasionally. So if you get to the park and no one is there by about 10 minutes after noon, check for us at the alternative location. Picnic at the Park at the Church. See you there!!

Location change for Picnic at the Park

The time has come to change location for Picnic at the Park back to the park by the middle school. The address is on 200 W at approximately 400 N. It's easy to find, and if you have any questions, please call Jennifer (635-9138) or Candy (635-9468). This location is fenced and gated, so it's easier to contain the little ones who like to wander into the street. We used the city park in the summer because of the mature trees and shade, but we are glad to move back to this more controlled location. Please let anyone you can think of know about this change (anyone you may have invited in the past, anyone you know who only shows up once in a while, anyone you think would like to come.) See you there on Tuesday at noon!!!

Lost and Found

I found a pair of pink little girl crocs and a black and red little boy croc at the park after everyone left Thurs. I'll bring them next Tues. Anyone? Anyone?

Change of event for Aug. 6

Please note that we have changed the event for August 6. We are planning a repeat of the Sheep Bridge outing we attempted earlier in the summer. As no one was available on that date, we wanted to try again because it really is a fun play activity. All information is on the calendar. Please give a call to anyone you think may not see the change. Thanks.

Change of location for Picnic in the Park (Tuesdays)

We have decided to meet at the city park (corner of Main Street and 200 North) for Picnic at the Park (Tuesdays at noon) for an indefinite period of time. It just seems to be cooler there, with all the trees and grass, and the drinking fountains work. It seems to work out better in the heat. Sorry if we've missed you at the other park. We are a little behind in getting things posted. Please join us at the Hurricane City Park!!