VMBurns: I go through phases where somedays I LOVE cooking and baking. Other days, I LOVE Door Dash (I've developed a special relationship with food deliver services over the past two years. Don't judge). Recently, I was in the cooking/baking phase. In one weekend I made a delicious taco salad, homemade cilantro lime dressing, a chocolate cake, and homemade granola. Of course, I might have been procrastinating since I had a deadline looming (I also rearranged the furniture in my office, shampooed the carpet, and cleaned out my refrigerator). Nevertheless, I'm going to call it research.
HOMEMADE GRANOLA
INGREDIENTS
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I used 1 cup pecans, 1/4 cup almonds, and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup olive oil (or you could use Coconut oil)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, and stir to blend.
- Pour in the oil, maple syrup, honey, and vanilla.
- Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
- Bake until lightly golden, about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway. Press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer.
- Let the granola cool completely, (at least 45 minutes). Top with the dried fruit.
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This sounds so yummy, Valerie! I've been making granola since college, although without dried fruit. I haven't whipped up a batch in a few years now. Must fix that!
ReplyDeleteYogurt with granola has now become one of my new favorite breakfast items (along with bacon).
DeleteThis recipe is quite versatile and sounds healthier than any of the commercial stuff. Yes, I tend to cook/bake in phases, mostly associated with the seasons. Summer means more fruit and fresh vegetable dishes, heartier dishes in the winter, but I bake bread all year long. lroth@pcext.com
ReplyDeleteI totally love fresh fruit in the summer. I love strawberries, blackberry lemonade, watermelon, and pineapple. LOVE pineapple.
DeleteI've only made granola once, but it was delicious!!! I've by meaning to make it again
ReplyDeleteand now I will use your recipe.
I definitely go through stages of cooking/not cooking. I am even too lazy to go out to get fast food and I never thought of Door Dash!!
I usually just make a large plate of nachos and tell my hubby that's dinner!
sharonquiltsatyahoodotcom
LOL - Nachos sounds like a great dinner to me. I love adding chicken, ground beef, or even pulled pork to them. YUM!
DeleteI've only made granola once, but it was delicious!!! I've by meaning to make it again
ReplyDeleteand now I will use your recipe.
I definitely go through stages of cooking/not cooking. I am even too lazy to go out to get fast food and I never thought of Door Dash!!
I usually just make a large plate of nachos and tell my hubby that's dinner!
sharonquiltsatyahoodotcom
Thank you for the delicious sounding recipe for HOMEMADE GRANOLA! Honestly most times I'd take something like this over sweets if given the choice. I'll be making a batch to have on hand for sure.
ReplyDeleteHubby and I both love to cook/bake, but we find times when you seem to be in a rut or the fact that most recipes call for enough ingredients to feed an army instead of just for two. That often means recalculating the amount of the ingredients to make it work for us. Hubby takes spells of desserts or no desserts. That means our sweet baking is more in spurts than just regular cooking. Since Covid, when eating at home became a necessity and even now, we do our own cooking most of the time. Living in a very small town means the eating out options are very limited and living outside the city limits means no delivery. Our big treat is eating out while on trips when we can pick and choose where and what to eat and then walk out leaving the clean up to someone else. :)
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of "TWO PARTS SUGAR, ONE PART MURDER"! It's on my TBR list and I can't wait for the opportunity to dive in reading it. Always enjoy reading your books so much.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I like trying new restaurants when I'm traveling too. That is part of the fun of the experience. Good luck in the drawing.
DeleteFor me, a lot of it depends on season. It's too hot to want to run the oven/stove much in the summer. But summer is a good time to make homemade ice cream and popsicles. I love making cookies and candies in the winter. Plus some things, like divinity, don't do well in the summer because of all the humidity here.
ReplyDeletekozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
I want to try making ice cream. That sounds so yummy. Maybe, this summer I'll be brave and give it a try.
DeleteI definitely go through phases. The kitchen is always a more fun place right after I've bought some new gadget gizmo. Then later it's back to "Bring me pizza!" ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteLOL! Maybe you need a pizza oven. I've been considering it, but I'd probably still order delivery or get a frozen one. :-)
DeleteIt's funny how that works. Sometimes I'm eager to dive into a complicated cooking task and other times if there are more than two steps involved, I'm out of there!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like tasty granola with room for personal preferences.
libbydodd at comcast dot net
There's definitely room for personal preferences. I'm considering trying a batch with pumpkin seeds. I've seen several recipes that add coconut and chocolate chips.
DeleteI also go through those phases. I’m in a “not really excited about cooking” phase right now. Maybe this granola recipe will snap me out of it. It sounds delicious and easy to make. I love yogurt and granola for breakfast. cking78503(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI hope you give it a try. I love yogurt and granola now, too.
DeleteI'm the same way. I go in spurts when I cook every day and other times I do take out. Especially on half price pizza on Tuesdays, when I have left overs for a couple of days. I'm currently in take out mod since it's been so hot.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I completely understand Takeout moods. I'm going to need to think about half-price pizza days. I don't think we have that.
DeleteI'm right there with you! I definitely go through phases. Some days I love to cook and bake, other days not so much. I get in a funk. Thanks for the yummy recipe! Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeletejarjm1980(@)hotmail(dot)com
You're welcome for the recipe and good luck in the drawing.
Deletemost of my phases are not cooking. since it's only me, sometimes it's alot easier to just get takeout. but this recipe looks easy.
ReplyDeletewskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
I totally understand the struggles to cook for one person. Sometimes, it feels like too much work. When I do cook, I have taken to freezing the extras. It's a hard balance. Good luck in the drawing.
DeleteYUM! I love homemade granola and my current batch is about gone. Will have to try this recipe next time. I also go in spurts, cooking right now, lots of stir fry meals and vegie based items as everything is so fresh at this time of year. makennedyinaz(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteStir fry sounds yummy. I may need to give that a try.
Delete