Urban Garden: Week 3

Many thanks to my downstairs neighbor who kept these kids watered while I was traipsing around Mississippi for a week for work. They grow up so fast! (sniff...)

Speaking of both growing up fast and my recent travels, I have some questions for you, oh loyal 3 or 4 readers:

First, the best way to keep plants-- especially herbs-- healthy and growing is to pick them regularly. I know it sounds counter-productive but pruning actually causes them to grow new, bigger, and healthier leaves all at the same time.  So, that being said, I now need to find some creative ways to use both the basil and parsley as they are springing to life faster than I can cut them back. My favorite use of basil is for caprese salads, but I know there is much more out there to play with.  I also need to trim back the arugula in a huge way but I see a grilled pizza in my future for that (and yes, basil will feature prominently there, too).  Any ideas or suggestions for basil, parlsey, or combo recipes?

Second- I promised I wouldn't bore you all with minute details of the eating dilemmas of my work trips anymore.  And so there were dilemmas of the usual sort down in yonder Mississippi-- my favorite was noticing all the scary looking chemicals/preservatives in the coffee creamers; really, is that the only way to keep them from spoiling while unrefrigerated?-- but there were nice treats too, such as indulging in some incredible crayfish down in Hattiesburg, just an hour from the Gulf Coast. As I was gone for a full week this time, I invested in a box of granola bars for the inevitable days where I didn't have time for lunch between meetings.  After spending more time than I should have pouring over the ingredient list of every brand of granola bar in Whole Foods, I finally settled on Annie's Homegrown.

This one passed the Au Naturale test because it was the only "all natural"-labeled brand that actually seemed to be all natural. Sure, the rest looked perfectly fine... until you got to the last few items on the ingredient list. There I found the soy lechitin, xanthan gum, and ever-ambiguous "natural flavors". Not preservatives per se, but certainly invented or manipulated in a food lab somewhere. With Annie's, I recognized every ingredient from start to last.

However, they were... okay. Not bad, but certainly not the best granola bar I've ever had.  With a summer full of travel coming up, the hunt for a better bar continues.  So my second question for you all is: do you have a brand you love (preferably chewy)? Or better yet, a homemade granola bar recipe that you love? If so, please share in comments below (along with your basil/parsley recipes)!