What's for Breakfast?

♫Good Morning Starshine♫

There are so many choices for breakfast.  I love breakfast meals for dinner on nights when I'm tired or we just want something simple.  Pancakes or waffles are favorites in my home.  Grayden loves eggs and is happy to have them frequently.  Most mornings I really don't have time or don't want to make a hearty breakfast.  Those are reserved for slow easy days like weekends or vacations.

Hibiscus

This week I decided to make an old standby ---Granola.  A simple recipe to make ahead so we can eat a healthy breakfast is always a goal.  It's so easy to make and so tasty for breakfast.  Of course it's great over yogurt or as my grandson likes-- over ice cream.

Here is my recipe for homemade granola:

7 cups of rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 cup of wheat germ
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups slivered almonds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of canola oil
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup of honey

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.

 Spread mixture in parchment or silpat lined baking pan.  Bake in 275 degree oven for 2 hours.  Stir every 20 minutes or so.  After the granola is all baked and toasty, sprinkle one or two cups of dried fruit over the granola.  I usually add raisins.  Any dried fruit is fine.  Allow mixture to cool completely and then store in an airtight container.  I love old jars and have a collection that I use in my kitchen.

When I was outside today, I noticed this bloom on the same hibiscus plant that produced the bloom above.  I hope this doesn't mean it is reverting back to the white plant it was grafted onto!

Pink and White Hibiscus

England, Day Two, Part One

♫Singing in the Rain♫

Have you heard it rains a lot in England?  Oh yes indeed it does.  It doesn't matter to us--well not much!  We're in ENGLAND and we are prepared!  We have our brollies (British plural for umbrella) and our jackets.  It is a chilly day but we are ready to explore.

Today we are travelling to Stoke-on-Trent to see the Potteries.  It is the World Capital of Ceramics!  Many of the famous china we all know and love was first manufactured here.  Sadly many of the famous potteries have left England for Asia.  Today I wanted to visit the Emma Bridgewater Factory.  I have been collecting her mugs for years now.

After eating some toasted Sally Lunn bread with peanut butter and some grapes we picked up at Waitrose (grocery store) we headed out.  This bird greeted us as we went out the door!

I had no idea what kind of bird he was.  After returning home I looked him up and I believe he is a magpie!  He stayed around our place for the whole time we were there.  So neat to see him!

When we got in the car I pushed the saved places button and then selected Emma Bridgewater.  We headed down to Stoke-On-Trent to visit the Potteries area.  We were travelling along in the rain and I was trying to be the encourager. 

Along the way I managed to enjoy the scenery.  Look at the beautiful rapeseed field.

We made it there safely--hey, I think we're getting better at this driving thing!  Also we were happy that the rain had all but stopped!

These are the roses that frame their doorway.

It was so much fun going into their shop and seeing how they make their beautiful pottery.  There are many temptations available  to one who likes their pottery.  Needless to say, I was in EB heaven!

You can go into the decorating room and paint your own mug--like Susan Branch did.  Well I was not blessed with the talents of Susan Branch and decided not to paint a mug.  There was a sweet couple doing a very fine job on their mugs.  In February of this year the Duchess of Cambridge came to Emma Bridgewater and did paint a mug.

Aren't the ladybugs the cutest!  Everything at Emma's is so colorful and happy.  

We decided to eat in their tearoom.  Cornation chicken salad and Thai lentil soup was our choice for lunch.  The soup warmed our tummies and the sandwich was delicious.  It came with a wonderful salad and coleslaw.  It was plenty for us to split!

I must show you this amazing stove at Emmas!  Isn't it beautiful?

On the wall in the tearoom is a collection of tea towels that they have designed over the years.  I especially loved the National Trust tea towel.

Speaking of The National Trust, let's leave Emma's and visit one of their properties.  It's up in the Peak District and I can't wait to show you.

Teapots and Mugs and Nanny

These are the mugs that stand at the ready for tea or hot chocolate.  This shelf  hangs on the wall in our kitchen.  I began collecting these mugs about four years ago.  The top and bottom shelf hold mugs by Emma Bridgewater.  The mugs in the center were bought in Williamsburg and from Susan Branch.   

I keep most of my teapots on a shelf in our Florida room.  I alternate these teapots to the kitchen as the seasons change.  Some of these teapots were gifts.  The small teapot on the left top shelf belonged to my Nanny.  It's special to me as she was very special to me.  She used to make me paper dolls out of the Sunday newspaper advertisements.  We never know as grandparents the influence we have on our grandchildren. I was very lucky to have my Nanny for many years. After I married and had children she came to visit in our home many times.  My children knew her very well. She was quite the character. She always had a parakeet and would always bring Petey with her to visit.  All of her parakeets were named Petey.

My Nanny came to mind today as we were making s'mores outside with our grandson.