Cinnamon Granola

Plus, planning meals for family vacations & my summer reading list

Hi!

We’re on vacation this week, breathing in the pine-scented air at my family’s lakeside cabin in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been coming to this lake every summer since I was a kid. At this point in my life, it’s the one remaining spot in the world that feels fully and truly like home.

This week, both of my brothers and my sister are also at the lake. It’s rare that we can coordinate our busy schedules and lives in four different states so that we can all be here at once. On the days when everyone is here, there will be 15 hungry mouths to feed. We’ve split up the cooking duties, so that everyone contributes and everyone gets a few nights off.

We’re not in a completely remote location, but it’s far enough into the woods that the closest grocery store is 36 miles away on a winding two-lane road. That means we have to plan our meals and shop in advance.

This year, for the first time, the kids have also been assigned cooking duty. The cousins range in age from 21 to 9-years-old. They might need a few assists from the adults, but I think they’re more than ready to take on cooking duties. It’s bittersweet watching our little ones turn into teens and adults, but it definitely comes with perks!

For my two remaining assigned dinner nights I’ll be cooking a triple batch of pork and ricotta meatballs with spaghetti and on the next night a double-batch of shredded Instant Pot pork with rolls, coleslaw and watermelon.

Recipe of the Week: Cinnamon Granola

I’ve also made a big batch of cinnamon granola for breakfast. This recipe is easy to double, which you’ll probably want to do because it’s sooo delicious and so easy to make. The addition of Rice Krispies gives the granola a light, crunchy texture that keeps it from being too heavy. I never plan to make granola with only oats again!

Brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and a generous pinch of salt give this lightly spiced granola a sweet-salty flavor that is absolutely addictive. You can find the recipe here.

---

5 Dinners in Real Life

I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? I hope that my week of real life dinners will provide helpful recipes & cooking ideas for your family.

Here’s what my crew ate last week. We had a few days at home and then a few days at the beginning of our vacation.

Monday: I was in “clean out the freezer and fridge mode” since we were leaving on vacation soon. I defrosted a few chicken breasts and pounded the breasts into thin cutlets that would cook quickly in a skillet. I served the chicken with frozen corn, roasted cauliflower and carrot sticks with creamy herb dip.

Tuesday: Marinated tofu, sautéed spinach, egg rolls and fried rice with scrambled eggs and green onion.

Wednesday: Vacation travel day! My parent’s had split pea soup simmering in the slow cooker when we arrived from the airport and we picked tiny raspberries and snap peas from their garden.

Thursday: Another travel day, but this time by car. We drove further north to my family’s cabin, stopping for huckleberry ice cream along the way. When we arrived at the cabin we were more interested in swimming & relaxing than cooking so dinner was whatever you could find - I had cheese and crackers and a glass of wine, my kids had boxed mac ‘n cheese and my parents ate leftover pea soup.

Friday: More family arrived and it was my night to cook, so I made a double batch of lemon-miso dressing and prepped ingredients for a salad bar: sliced deli turkey, canned chickpeas, hard boiled eggs, steamed potatoes, sliced carrots and cucumbers, radishes, snap peas, shredded cabbage and Romaine lettuce. I made more than we needed, so we had salad ingredients in the fridge for lunches the next day as well.

---

Summer Reading

So, what’s everyone reading this summer?

My book holds from the library didn’t arrive as I expected so I’m caught without exactly the right book to read in a hammock (which, by the way, is not actually a comfortable place to read, especially when the hammock is covered in sticky pine sap).

The two books I was hoping to read on vacation were God of the Woods by Liz Moore and The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton.

Instead, I’ve just started The Light Years, which is starting out slow but has the potential to be something I’ll end up loving since it feels like a cross between a Rosamunde Pilcher novel and Downton Abbey. I also have the option of searching through the bookshelves at our cabin, which in previous years led me to read Three Junes, A Thousand Acres, The Boys in the Boat and The Nightingale.

Books I’ve read and enjoyed on previous vacations at the lake, include:

Family Drama: The Most Fun We Ever Had
Easy to read historical fiction: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Romantic Comedy: If I Never Met You

What are you reading this summer? Share a title or two that we can all add to our reading lists!

---

That’s it for this week, the lake is calling! Hope you have a great weekend!

xo

Jenny