One delicious weekend!

Sundays usually begin in our house with a rush as all six of us scramble around getting ready for church which begins at nine. That means we all need to have breakfast and be washed and ready in our Sunday finest to leave the house by 8:30.

This is typically pretty stressful.

However, this week, I decided to try something new and made breakfast last night: yummy, home made granola bars with yogurt and fruit. The granola bars, my first attempt and my own "guessing at it" recipe, turned our really nice, chewy and just a little crumbly, which we loved for stirring into our yogurt. I flavored the plain yogurt with brown sugar and vanilla and sliced a few of the strawberries we got yesterday at Murray Farm to make a well rounded yet sweet breakfast.

This, with my illy coffee (that I got for 50% off at William Sonoma), was a beautiful way to begin the day.

My plan may have backfired just a touch, though, because with all the free time not spent making pancakes and sausage or whatever else I usually make on Sunday morning, I was a little lazy in checking the wardrobe selections of my older children. When we got to church, I realized my son was wearing flip flops.

Oh, well, at least we had breakfast first!

Saturday was a nice family day, as well. We decided to try out Murray Family Farm, on the 58 between Bakersfield and Tehachapi. A. was going to skip it since there were football games to watch but decided that hanging out with the kids and I sounded like more fun. I'm so glad he changed his mind because we really did have a nice time.

We went to the petting zoo, which was not all that exciting but the girls were especially fond of those little goats. They were just so cute! The boy, of course, was too cool for a petting zoo, but he loves his family so he went along like the good sport he is!

Then, we played in the Human Ant Farm, the Asparagus Maze and the Berry Play Area. It was still a bit warm out but we managed to enjoy running around outside, despite the heat.

Playing was fun, of course, but the real treat was the Indoor Market. Oh, what a treat! There were yummy treats everywhere we looked and the kids couldn't believe it when they were able to try everything. Samples of everything were perfect for the kiddos, since some of the fruit and treats were ones they had never tried. Em especially like the samples and would have finished the figs, had we not pulled her into duty carrying grapes!

We bought a couple of varieties of cherry tomatoes, two varieties of grapes (Concord! Yum! As soon as I publish this, I plan to sit on the back porch and eat my grapes while reading a book. Blissful!), LOTS of strawberries, over 5 pounds of Granny Smiths (for apple pie) and onions and peppers.

Oh, and Tommy found some beef jerky he was excited about (that the dog found last night while we were sleeping and ate!).

So, all in all, a successful day!

Since I had such a fun day yesterday, I'm putting up two recipes: one for Chewy Granola Bars and one for the soup I promised you yesterday.

Here they are:

Chewy Granola Bars

2 C. Oats

3/4 C. Sunflower Seeds

1 C. Raw Sliced Almonds

1/4 C. Brown Sugar

1/2 C. Honey

4 Tbsp. Butter

2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 to 1 1/2 C. Dried Fruit (I used apricots, which I chopped and cranberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a baking dish, mix the oats, sunflower seeds and almonds. Toast them in the oven for 12-14 minutes, stirring often. Don't allow them to get overly browned.

When they are done, remove from oven and put in a mixing bowl. Set this aside. Once the baking dish has cooled, line it carefully with foil and then pray the foil lightly with nonstick spray. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees.

In a saucepan over low to medium heat, mix the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Stirring very often, bring the mixture to a simmer. It will be a warm toffee color and will smell wonderful!

Pour the brown sugar mixture into the oats and add the dried fruit. Mix very well, making sure to coat all of the ingredients. Then dump the granola into the prepared baking dish and press evenly and firmly so that the bars don't fall apart.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of hours in the pan, set on a rack. Then, using the foil to pick up the bars and being careful not to break them, lift it out of the pan and transfer it to the rack.

Allow to rest 30 minutes to an hour and then carefully remove the foil. Once the foil was removed, I allowed mine to rest overnight in the oven (which was cool by then). I then cut them into 12 equal sized bars and wrapped six in plastic wrap. We ate the other six for breakfast. YUMMY!

Tuscan White Bean Soup

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 tsp. Dried Parsley

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pepper

1 tsp. Dried Red Pepper Flakes

1 Can of Cannelini Beans, drained and rinsed

2 Cups Vegetable Broth

1/4 Cup Cream

Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and dried red pepper flakes. Saute until the garlic is tender. Do not allow to burn!

Add the beans and stir well, coating them with the garlic mixture. Once the beans are warm, add the broth and allow the soup to come to a simmer. Remove from heat and, use a masher to quickly mash the beans. For a smoother consistency, use an immersion blender.

Add the cream and whisk it in. Serve while warm.

I served this yummy soup with paninis made with swiss cheese and thick slices of tomato and a gorgeous plum for dessert. It would be wonderful with your favorite type of sandwich also!

Enjoy!

Until tomorrow, enjoy today!

Love from Sarah