1.  "Swiss Oatmeal" - Cold
This is a dumb name -- I'd call it "Yogurt with Apples and Bananas and Grains."  I first tasted this at the Corner Bakery restaurant in Chicago.  Since then, I have been eating it every week!  Why?  Because it tastes SO MUCH BETTER than the sum of its parts -- it's almost magical!

MY RECIPE
This makes 2 servings.

Equal parts of the following 3 ingredients (I used a 6 oz yogurt container as my measuring cup):
1.  Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain Cereal (no sugar, no raisins -- totally healthy!!)
2.  Yogurt (I like plain)
3.  Milk

After you mix those three ingredients together, add:

one banana - chopped
one Granny Smith apple - chopped
unsalted almonds -- any style
sprinkles of cinnamon/sugar mix - to taste

Stir and separate into two containers.  Refrigerate overnight so that the magic can happen!

Breakfast Treat from Hell's Kitchen in Mpls. (now closed, unfortunately).  Wild rice is so good when warm, and it has double the protein of brown rice.   Move over, Quinoa -- wild rice has nearly the same nutritional content!

The Hell's Kitchen recipe is of course awesome, due to whipping cream.  You can use half 'n half, or whole milk, or whatever you want.  I use 2% and it's still delicious.

Hell's Kitchen Mahnomin Porridge

Official Recipe:

4 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup roasted, cracked hazelnuts
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a heavy nonstick saucepan, add cooked wild rice, hazelnuts, blueberries, cranberries, and maple syrup and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Add heavy cream and heat through, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4.
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MY RECIPE (Simpler - Just Wing It!)

1 cup cooked wild rice
?  unsalted slivered almonds (to taste)
?  dried fruit (to taste)
?  maple syrup (to taste)
?  milk (to desired thickness of porridge)

To hear, use pot on stove, or microwave.  For microwave, put on half power (level 5), so that milk doesn't separate.  Hazelnuts are hard to find, but Lund's and Byerly's have them.

My favorite birds are the trogons.  The Resplendent Quetzal on the left was photographed by Tom during our Costa Rica trip in 2009.  A quetzal is a trogon with long wing feathers that look like tail feathers.  Learn more about trogons here.

The Blackburnian Warbler (male) -- can you believe I took this photo in my back yard?  "How come I've never seen one?" you ask.  Because you only see them for about 3 weeks in May (migrating) and they like the high tree-tops.

DOG RESCUE

Small Dog Rescue of Minnesota
This is where we got Josie from.

Homeward Bound Rescue
We transport lots of dogs for this organization.



ABOLISHING PUPPY MILLS

WE NEED TO PASS A LAW IN MN 

S.F. 462/H.F. 702, known as the Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation Bill, is a regulatory bill that provides for protection of dogs and cats living in Minnesota commercial breeding facilities through licensing of commercial dog and cat breeders, inspections of facilities and enforcement of standards of care.

Find information here about lobbying in MN to get a law passed banning puppy mills.

Minnesotans Exposing Petland
This is the group that I protest with at Petland Stores.

Bird Feeder Reviews and Advice



Here's a link to my website and blog on bird feeders.

Squidoo pages -- mostly about birding.  Here's a link to my most popular page on bird feeders.

Here's my page on feeders and other facts.

Here's my page on everything (on Amazon) for tea lovers -- except tea.

Coming soon to 494 & France Ave. in Bloomington! Here's my page about Trader Joe's.

Here's my page on Proust and In Search of Lost Time.