Food, Food and More Food

We're down to the final few days before we start heading East and I've been cooking.  A lot.  I don't even *like* to cook, but I know this will make everything a bit easier our first week on the road.

I've made two chickens, eight pounds of hamburger, two pounds of taco meat, one meal's worth mashed potatoes, beef barley soup and maple trail mix.  I still have more chicken, pasties, pumpkin bread and crockpot oatmeal to go....

I did want to share the recipe for the trail mix.  I've never made homemade trail mix before (I told you, I don't like to cook!) BUT this is good and I will definitely be making it again.

The recipe is from allrecipes.com

Tasty Maple Trail Mix

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 2 cups whole almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
•  
• 1 cup chocolate covered peanuts (such as M&M's®)

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Stir the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Meanwhile, combine the rolled oats, pecans, almonds, raisins, cranberries, and sunflower seeds in a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot maple syrup over top, and stir until evenly mixed. Spread onto prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, scrape onto a cold baking sheet, and cool to room temperature. Break into clumps and stir in the chocolate covered peanuts once cool.