Day 3 - 23 -- Baking Memories

Between Saturday housekeeping tasks and lecture prep for next week, I took a few moments to look for recipes for oatmeal based granola-type bars. Not being a chocolate fan, many recipes had to be filtered. The books had a few but the internet positively swims with recipes for such items. Further filtering eliminated the cooked varieties. After reading through several -- well, many -- samples I found that the one I had begun with was pretty much what I would go with. It is from a professional magazine filled with practical food-based ideas. I have some kitchen activities planned for tomorrow -- these bars and some things for supper tomorrow and other nights.

When re-reading the recipe, I noticed that the samples I'd been drawn  were very similar and all used cinnamon as a flavouring. I shouldn't be surprised, I guess.  I've been drawn to this spice for most of my life. My favourite oatmeal cookies made by my grandmother contained a bit of coconut, another fave flavour. But when I first read the recipe I was surprised to see they had a touch of cinnamon that pulled all the flavours together without being a cinnamon or coconut cookie. I was intrigued. Many of the other special recipes from childhood contained cinnamon -- fruit cake, crumb cake, spice cake, ginger crinkles, Christmas 'rocks', and this list could go on for pages. Even now I gravitate to yeast-raised cinnamon buns, the cinnamon pinwheels (biscuit base) common locally, apple crisp, chai -- that delightful beverage I have twice daily to help boost my milk intake -- and  pumpkin pie <happy sigh>. This was one of the spices behind explorers' quests to find the spice route. All this from the bark of a tree -- nature is pretty amazing, eh?

 Well, many of you will likely be right where I am for the musical selection today. It was too easy <smile>. The singer has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame and has received the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba for his long  musical career. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Girl -- Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse