grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

the Easter BAT

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Way before parents spent too much time trying to create magical memories for their children, my Momma (the BAT) made holidays special by just being herself and keeping life simple. Halloween involved homemade costumes, birthdays included handmade invitations, and 4th of July meant driving over the tracks to buy Roman candles we set off across the cotton field. Christmas was pure-dee-lightful from the moment the Sears Wish Book arrived in the mailbox to the dreaded morning we returned to school in January.

Easter Eggs

via morgueFile

And Easter? Easter was fun too. There was the all important Brinkley Chapel part with Brother Brown’s resurrection sermon, and although Daddy never once attended Easter service with us, he seemed to be in an okay mood (except the Easter Sunday our house was robbed but that’s a different story).

During the week leading up to Good Friday, our house smelled of Easter—white vinegar and PAAS dye. Easter egg dyeing was an important part of our tradition.

But my first spring semester in college, for whatever reason, I wasn’t planning to drive home to Arkansas for Easter break. Not enough time? I don’t recall. But I do remember thinking what about Easter eggs? We’d always dyed eggs together. Oh well, things were bound to change eventually…

Not really.

Momma and Aunt Lavern loaded up the Cadillac and brought Easter to Baylor University complete with THREE dozen hard-boiled eggs. My sister, cousin and I dyed those eggs while staying at the Best Western across from campus.

That, my friends, is the definition of a fun Momma.

Baylor 1981

And yes, I’m wearing a tube top.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Musical Pairing:

The Power of Love, Huey Lewis

Lavender Blueberry Granola

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I love granola, but buying it pre-made can make a dent in the pocketbook. I whipped up a batch of my own using Martha Stewart’s Blueberry Almond granola recipe for inspiration. I modified Martha’s ingredients, eliminating the vegetable oil and coconut and adding flax seed and lavender which I have growing in my back yard. (Lavender not flax seed…)

Lavender Blueberry Granola

Lavender’s health benefits help aid in digestion plus this herb adds a light floral flavor to whatever you are baking—not overwhelming, just a fresh taste. (I try to throw herbs into all my dishes. The antioxidants are healing, so why not?)

lavender

 

I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy homemade granola is to make.

Lavender Blueberry Granola

Print Recipe
Ingredients Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats I used Quaker
  • 3/4 cup raw slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup flaxseed whole, not ground
  • 1/4 cup local honey I use Zip Code honey from Texas Honeybee Guild
  • 1 Tablespoon lavender buds chopped
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 cup dried blueberries

Notes

Don't be afraid to experiment by substituting your favorite berries or nuts.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients except blueberries. Right about now you’ll be thinking wait, this looks strangely like that concoction she made a few months ago for Valentine birdseed feeders… I agree. It does. And although both are edible, this is much better tasting (for humans).

 

lavender blueberry granola

3. Fold in blueberries.

4. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

lavender blueberry granola

 

5. Bake 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Cool. Transfer to your preferred container for storage.

6. Serve with yogurt or ice cream, sprinkle on salads, add to rice pudding, or leave in a Mason jar beside the coffee pot and take a bite every time you walk into the kitchen.

lavender blueberry granola with yogurt

Greek yogurt, lavender blueberry granola, drizzle of agave, sprinkle of bee pollen, sliced bananas

 

If you don’t have access to lavender, you can order organic culinary lavender from Hood River Lavender. My husband and I visited Hood River Lavender (Oregon) last summer. If you ever have the opportunity to spend time at a lavender farm, do it. As you might imagine, the air smells heavenly.

Hood River Lavender

Hood River Lavender Farm, Oregon

 

Now I’m wondering…have you ever cooked with lavender?

lavender blueberry granola

granola in small Mason jars = great gift idea!

 

Grace Grits and Gardening

As rosemary is to the spirit, so lavender is to the soul. – Unknown

 

Superior Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery

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After years of sitting empty, Superior Bathhouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas, has been transformed into a restaurant, brewery and distillery. Superior Bathhouse, built in 1916, is rumored to have been the first integrated bath house in Hot Springs. That in itself is cool. So is the creative menu from chef Angela Nardi (trained in Dallas) which includes black-eyed pea hummus, crab risotto, Petit Jean seasonal meats, etc.

We went twice in three days. That’s how much my husband and I enjoyed it. I ordered the citrus quinoa salad with apple basil vinaigrette (both times). It was as tasty as any I’ve had and honestly, up until the Superior Bath House Brewery opened, I doubt the words quinoa and Hot Springs have been used together. Just a suspicion I have based on past experience…

Superior Bath House salad

Not only was the food and drink superior; the renovation is pretty darn superior too. The main floor has been transformed into a craft beer tasting room and the original front sun porch features almost 75 feet of windows overlooking busy Central Avenue.Continue Reading

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

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