Tea Outdoors and a Recipe

In the canister is Wild Lapsang from Wuyi Origin.

A really yummy tea.

One of the things I love to do is have tea outdoors.

Whether it is on a  hike, a lovely table somewhere,

or even in the back yard.

I am a nature girl at heart

and grew up spending most of my time outdoors.

So it isn't any surprise that as often as possible

I go outdoors with my canister of tea

and a simple goodie.

One of my favorite outdoor treats is granola bars.

Now I was certain I had shared my recipe,

but upon looking this week I found I had not shared it.

It was a recipe I found in the newspaper quite a few years ago,

but altered and I think improved it so it would stick together better.

I hope some of you try this recipe

and go ahead and take it outdoors for some nature time.

Granola Bars

3 cups quick or old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked

1 cup raw, unsalted peanuts

1 cup seedless raisins

1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (no-shell)

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ cup melted and cooled unsalted butter

¼ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup peanut butter

1 -14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Note: It is easy to switch out the peanuts, raisins, and sunflower seeds with other dried fruit and nuts, just keep the same measurements.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line large jelly roll pan with parchment paper. In large bowl combine all ingredients until well blended. Pat mixture evenly, firmly, and smoothly onto parchment lined pan with rubber spatula. Bake 25 minutes until golden on edges. Cool 30 minutes. Lift out of pan and onto cutting board. Cut bars with pizza cutter. Store loosely covered at room temperature. (can be frozen)

 My back yard this week.
Getting ready for the celebration at an outdoor picnic this summer
with granola bars!