Wednesday 12 December 2012

Granola Nut Cluster Cookies


A nice little Granola Nut Cluster Cookie Recipe... Good for gifting or munching! ENJOY!!!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw walnut halves
  • 1/2 cup raw pecan halves
  • 3 tbsp brown rice syrup (no less or it will be dry)
  • 6 tbsp gluten-free rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2-3 tbsp Sucanat sugar, see note
  • Heaping 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Scant 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
  • freshly grated nutmeg, to garnish
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 275F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place walnuts and pecans into a large mixing bowl. Pour on brown rice syrup and stir very well until combined for about 60 seconds. Your goal is to have every nook and cranny covered in syrup. No pressure!
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the oats, coconut, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour it onto the nuts and mix very well until combined. Some of the oat mixture won’t adhere to the nuts, but that’s ok because it adds character.
4. Spoon the entire mixture onto the baking sheet and into a single layer, including any oats that didn’t stick. Garnish with fresh nutmeg. Bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 10-13 minutes (I baked for 23 mins total) and allow to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes.
5. Once cool, break apart clumps and store in glass jars or Tupperware containers. I expect these would stay good for at least a month.

Friday 7 December 2012

Pansy at the Palace


Rating:  [[[[[


Pansy at the Palace
Author: Cynthia Bardes 

Buy Links: Amazon

Summary:
Pansy's life blossoms when she is adopted from an animal shelter by a loving family and little girl named Avery. Swept into her new life at the Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills, this smart and courageous puppy saves the day by solving a mysterious theft. Pansy at the Palace celebrates the spirit of curiosity and exploration, and teaches us that no one is too small to make a difference in the lives of many!

Review:

In this book, Pansy narrates the story. She is a little brown poodle who lived in an animal shelter and feared she would never be adopted. But then that all changed when Avery came to the shelter. Avery took this wonderful little puppy home to the luxurious Palace Hotel in Beverly Hills and from there adventure abounds.

The character creation is so fabulous that we actually can see through the eyes of this puppy, Mr. Bijoux, Monsieur DuMal and of course Desiree the mean nature'd cat. What happens in this story I won't divulge but your children will absolutely fall in love with the little puppy and the antics of what happens in the hotel and the mystery that this young pup solves. 

Children will also get to see that it doesn't matter how big or small you are, you can still make a huge difference in the lives of others. I feel that this is a lesson that ALL children should learn. 

The graphics in the book are fabulous and will catch the eye of even the youngest reader. I highly recommend this book not only for the lesson but also the imagery.

I also must say that I applaud this author for bringing awareness to the Humane Society and local shelters. And I recommend that anyone searching for a pet please do visit them to get your next kitty or puppy, because there are many animals looking for that forever family just like Pansy.

Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.