Breakfast 1 and twice the price of gold

I know it’s rude to watch someone while they’re eating, and even worse, take photos, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. I caught this snowy egret mid-gulp and nope, I don’t feel bad about it at all.

Snowy egret or great egret? Egret or heron? If you’re not sure which egret is which, as I wasn’t, the site linked above lets you compare types side-by-side, which is really helpful. The snowy egret has a dark beak with yellow at the top and by the eyes as well as yellow feet, which you can’t see here. The great egret has a yellow-orange bill and is much larger. But I didn’t know that egrets are also herons. Did you?

And did you know snowy egrets were once more precious than gold? The allaboutbirds site says:

During the breeding season, adult Snowy Egrets develop long, wispy feathers on their backs, necks, and heads. In 1886 these plumes were valued at $32 per ounce, which was twice the price of gold at the time. Plume-hunting for the fashion industry killed many Snowy Egrets and other birds until reforms were passed in the early twentieth century. The recovery of shorebird populations through the work of concerned citizens was an early triumph and helped give birth to the conservation movement.

Talk about killer fashion! Makes me even happier to see crowds of these fashion leaders now at the Riparian Preserve!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reward…breakfast in the French woods

One reward for me yesterday was finishing my first month of part time work at my new job at the tea shop.  Of course, there was a financial reward as well, which is definitely appreciated!  Friday was also my first full day, which meant I wasn’t home until late; hence an entry on Saturday rather than Friday.  🙂

But for the Weekly Photo Challenge theme this week, I chose the reward of a morning in France:  breakfast on the quiet-saturated patio of a house in the woods, amazing yogurt with fruit and a delicious cup of tea, a beautiful setting in more ways than one.  Oh, yes–plus the joy of family and the pleasure of relaxation.  Breathe deeply, take a minute, and enjoy with me.

“There is no way in which a man can earn a star or deserve a sunset.”
― G.K. Chesterton

Uncle Jerry’s granola

My uncle Jerry, AKA Gerald F. Brommer,  is a well-known watercolor artist whose sense of artistry also shines in his granola recipe which I’ve been enjoying for years.  It’s simple and delicious and I know he wouldn’t mind if I passed it on to you, too.  It also makes great Christmas gifts.   I have friends and family members who hope each year to find a gift bag of it in their basket or stocking.

Enjoy!!

Jerry’s Granola

7 c. whole oats
1 generous c. each sunflower seeds, cashews, chopped almonds, chopped pecans
1 c. honey
1 stick butter  (1/2 c.)

Bring honey and butter to a boil.  Combine everything else in a large bowl.  Pour honey & butter over the rest and mix well.  Divide into 2 11 X 16 pans.  Bake at 325 until nicely browned.  Watch and stir every 10 minutes or so.  If you want to add raisins or other fruit, add only for a few minutes in the oven or after you take the granola out.

Notes:

• I often use 8 or 9 cups of oats.
• The recipe can be made vegan by using Earth Balance or a similar vegan butter but with no loss of taste.  If you’re a vegan who doesn’t eat honey, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.  🙂

Just beet it

When I grew up, beets came out of a can…and not the home canning type of can that was really a jar.  My mom loved them.  I don’t remember what anyone else in our family thought of them, but I hated them.

Oatmeal–it’s what’s for breakfast

I previously posted one of my favorite breakfast recipes (Whole Grain Pancake Mix by Julie Hasson, https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/peter-please-its-pancakes/) ) but since there are seven days in week, you need some other breakfast choices, so I thought another favorite might be welcome.

Peter, please, it’s pancakes!

My default breakfast is cold cereal with almond milk, preferably with fresh fruit.   But sometimes I want something else, so I was excited when in a copy of The Vegan Diner, I found a recipe for a whole grain pancake mix.  It’s always great to have something homemade that’s also quick, delicious and healthy, which this recipe is.