Kissin' Wears Out, Cookin' Don't!

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My Mennonite grandmother used to say this all the time. It's a fairly common saying in Mennonite kitchens and one that always made laugh. Ten years ago today, Hubs and I got married. As I was thinking about how to celebrate, my grandmother's words came to mind. I had to laugh at the truth and wisdom in that saying that I now understand more fully. Walking down the aisle, harp playing, birds singing, I had more kissing on my mind than cooking. After ten years of marriage, I can tell you that dinner time comes around every day. Kissing is still important but dinner time is eternal. It's one of those things I thought I knew before I got married. After answering "what's for dinner?" for 10 years now, I really get it. So here's ten things I've learned in ten years:

1. Grammy was right, you'll do more cooking than kissing.
2. You'll probably experience everything you vowed to love each other through.
3. Marriage isn't easy. It takes hard work, every day. It's easy to take each other for granted, it hard work not to.
4. Dirty laundry is another one of those constants.
5. It's the little things, more than the grand gestures, that mean the most.
6. Learn to say "I'm sorry", it goes a looong way!
7. When he apologizes, accept it and move on. Holding on to past hurts ruins future happiness.
8. Be prepared to change course. You never know what road ahead holds.
9. Accept that you won't agree on everything, and that's a good thing.
10. Kissing is still really important!

Ok so this list barely scratches the surface of the lessons learned in ten years but these were some of the biggest for me. I know that there'll be many more things to learn in the years to come. Here's to ten more years and all the cookin' it brings!

Better late than never...

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I got a belated Christmas gift a couple of days ago. It was left on the front porch with no fan fair and came in an ordinary brown cardboard box. In fact, when I picked up the box, I had no idea what it contained. I had gotten another package at the same time and thought this second box was part of that order. Imagine my glee when I opened the second box and saw that it was this:

Okay I already had the kitchen aid, but check out that clear bowl, that holds like 14 cups...with a pouring spout!!! It's a thing of beauty. A happy dance was done.
Hubs had seen me all but drooling on the computer screen when I first saw this on the internet. He'd ordered it for me way before Christmas, but apparently it wasn't released for sale until this week. So it maybe a bit late for Christmas, but it was an awesome gift to get on a random Thursday. Thanks Hubs!

Bumpy, nutty, and a little bit sweet...my year and my recipe

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It's finally almost here. Hubs gets back, this Sunday, from a year deployment to Iraq! It's been a long, at times frustrating and lonely, year. At first I was sure how I'd make it through. There were plenty of tears, even the dog went into a major funk after he left. She stayed in the closet for 2 weeks!
My husband is in the reserves, in a very small unit, so we don't have a large military community to turn to during deployment. We all live very far apart. In fact, I've only had contact with one other wives since Hubs left and she lives 5 hours away. So I've had to navigate this deployment on my own. Luckily for me, my parents lives near by so that was very comforting.
Being alone but not single is a strange place to be. It's sort of like being in limbo. There were times I was out of place in both those worlds. You know like being the only single person at a Christmas party of all couples...yuck!
I have to say that all though I hope I don't have to repeat this experience, it hasn't all been negative. I've learned a lot this year, mostly about myself but also about the people in my life. Everyone was great when Geoff left. "Just call if you need anything." was what they all said. One of my neighbors quipped "of course only if we have the time and it's no inconvenience." He was joking, of course, but there is an element of truth in what he said. Many times people just say things like that.
Not of my friends and neighbors however, they have been amazing. They've helped me with everything from a snake in the front yard to just calling and inviting me to dinner. Last Saturday, my next door neighbor rang the doorbell and said he was going to mow the yard because he wanted it to look great when Geoff got home. While he was mowing another neighbor came over and started edging the yard. Our yard is HUGE so this was no small task! Amazing people!
So this year I've learned: I'm stronger than I knew, I can be okay alone, and I know some pretty wonderful folks!

Now for the recipe. It doesn't have anything to do with this post, it's just some really tasty granola.
Silver Palate Outrageous Granola
3 cups Oatmeal (rough cut works best)
1 cup chopped almonds, pecans or any combination of your favorite (I used pecans)
1 cup or any combo dried fruit (cranberries, golden raisins, apricots, dates, cherries, blueberries)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar
1 cup Pure Maple Syrup

Mix together in a large bowl. Transfer onto a large baking sheet sprayed with non-stick butter flavored spray. Bake at 325 degree F for 35-45 minutes stirring once in-between. Allow to cool completely on tray. Store in airtight jars or containers.

This is one of the best granola recipes I've ever tried and it's super easy. Crunchy, nutty, lightly sweet...delicious!