I know. It’s almost summer. You’re probably over oatmeal.

Which is why instead of “warm spiced oatmeal” I’ve brought you warm spiced granola.

It’s spiced enough to comfort you deep down in your happy place, but not so much as to be overwhelming. This is incredibly hearty, but won’t leave you feeling weighed down. It’s delicious served with almond milk, over yogurt, or eaten a handful at a time like trail mix.

If you’ve never bought cardamom before, I promise you it’s worth it, even just for this recipe. A few other recipes I’ve made that call for it are my Butter Chicken (DIVINE) and Pear Spice  Cake. It’s warming and bright and just different enough to leave you wanting more.

Also: beware. If Sophie’s around, she’ll steal all your coconut.

I have to take Sophie in for a blood draw today and will probably have to be the one to pin her down while they draw her blood. Please send happy thoughts and prayers our way today! Now, for something completely different…

1. It is a mark of a mother’s love that I let Sophie eat all the toasted coconut out of the granola. Everyone knows that’s the best part.

(Stay tuned: my best granola recipe yet coming Monday. It’s unbelievable.)

2. Turns out Milo is not in love with rice cereal. I don’t blame him. It’s bland. Also, yes, I know he’s only 4 months old, but our pediatrician recommended us getting him started since boyfriend is 16lbs and keeps waking up in the night feeling peckish. (for reference, Sophie was 20 pounds at her 1 year visit.) Surprisingly, 16 lbs only puts him in the 75th percentile. I was sure we’d be off or almost off the charts, judging by the herculean effort it takes for me to cart him anywhere in his car seat, made all the more fun to watch by my chasing Sophie hither and yon any time we go anywhere.

3. It’s popsicle season. And we’re celebrating in style. Our current favorites are homemade smoothie popsicles. What you see here is 1c frozen mango + 1c frozen pineapple + 1c frozen raspberries + enough orange juice to make it smooth, then frozen in popsicle molds. Sophie LOVES them. I’m going to try making green smoothie ones, fruit & veggie blends, and chocolate avocado ones shortly.

4. If anyone needs to water anything, just hold it under Milo’s mouth. He. Is. So. Juicy. Seriously, he’s running a constant drip of fluids.

5. Lastly, Milo got his first real haircut last weekend. I’ve trimmed his mullet/party-in-the-back a few times, but we gave the top it’s first trim. We cut a whole inch off and still have plenty to style/play with/coo over. And long hair or short, his arm rolls are as delicious as they look.

Happy weekend, dear reader!

Updated from the archives

I hope you’re not tired of seeing repeat recipes. I rarely repeat recipes since we try so many new ones. But every once in a while, we just get a hankering for something we’ve loved in the past. Naan is one of those things.

This recipe was photographed originally in December 2008. Crazy, crazy! Also, look at that old picture… eek.

If you’ve never had naan, they’re completely delicious. Naan are typically used as flatbreads to scoop up food, like curries. In a completely non-traditional use, they’re great for sandwich flatbreads, to scoop up hummus, or as mini pizza crusts.

If you’re new to yeast, don’t worry. They are not hard at all hard to make, though I do have one tip: roll them out VERY thin. Thinner than you think they need to be. They puff up quite a bit when you cook them, and you want them thin and light rather than too-dense. You can cook them in a pan, on a grill, or (as we did here) in a grill pan.