Snowdrops from Wexford.

Hi there! It’s me, Mom in the Garden!  It feels like I’ve been hibernating the past six weeks, or maybe just hiding from all of the rain we’ve had in Ireland!  The sun has graced us this past week, and brought new life along with it.  The difficulty I face with my blog now is figuring out where to start again.  I suppose I could start with saying Happy Birthday to my blog! The beginning of February marked my first year of blogging.  I have loved it!  I really enjoy taking pictures, gardening, and putting it all together.  I do appreciate all of the wonderful comments from you, too!  Thank you for visiting, commenting, or following my blog.  It’s lovely to meet so many gardening enthusiasts from all over the globe!

A love heart … representing the fun I have with my blog!

Lavender and a pretty bow. Well, just because!

I’ve been making mental notes the past month of what seems like a million different topics, and sorting through them in my head is proving difficult.   I have a couple of recipes, a garden tour, some boxwood trimming, a few flowers…

Snowdrops.

Snowdrops.

Snowdrops.

Yes, I agree, that’s a lot of snowdrop pictures!  But they were the first signs of life in the yard, so I had to capture them (and capture them, and capture them…).  The snowdrops were given to me by my friend Susan.  They come from her home place in Wexford, which in my book, makes them extra special.

Signs of Spring!

I love seeing the green shoots of flowers to come.  To me, they are signs of hope!  I like to plant even a few bulbs every year to have something new to look forward to.  Last year I had a bunch of daffodils in containers  https://mominthegarden.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/fragrant-and-pretty-daffodils-to-calm-a-hectic-day/   and planted them here (photo above) in the fall.  I was quite a sight taking this picture. It’s right near the road, and I was crouched quite low photographing the snowdrops and daffodils, trying to get that perfect shot!  I think my neighbors are getting used to my peculiar ways.  🙂

This look says it all.

Lucy, our cat, is my gardening and photography companion.  She sits near me, and keeps me company without complaint, most of the time anyway.

I’m straying from my original plan! A recipe!  I promised my friend Susan the recipe for Granola Cookies.  It’s the least I could do for my gardening bff!  I used Martha Stewart’s recipe which she calls Breakfast Cookies.  I am quite fond of Martha, and only made one adjustment of just using dates for fruit, and my family loved them.

Granola Cookies (Martha Stewart’s Breakfast Cookies).

A full plate of Granola Cookies (Martha Stewart’s Breakfast Cookies).

Perfect with a cuppa. (Our days had been quite dark!!! Imagine a candle for breakfast time?)

My favorite “cream for one” jug.

It’s good to be back.  I hope you like the recipe!

Dana

Granola Cookies from Martha Stewart (she calls them breakfast cookies)
http://www.marthastewart.com/921948/breakfast-cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 4 sticks (16 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups packed dark-brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped (slivered)
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut
• 1/2 cup raisins or currants (I used dates only for the fruit)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped dried mango
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dried papaya
• 1 cup banana chips (I skipped bananas)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (172 C). Whisk together flours, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Beat butter in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar; beat until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla; beat until just combined.
3. Slowly add flour mixture, and beat until well combined. Add oats, almonds, seeds, coconut, raisins or currants, mango, and papaya, and beat to combine.
4. 16 cookies (using about 1/2 cup each, they are large!), and place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Top with banana chips. Bake until golden and firm, about 13-15 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cook’s Note: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 week.