Thursday, June 23, 2022

Homemade Granola #recipe @vmburns

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

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, and stir to blend.

  4. Pour in the oil, maple syrup, honey, and vanilla. 
  5. 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.
  6. 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. 
  7. Let the granola cool completely, (at least 45 minutes). Top with the dried fruit. 
I'm trying to make better choices. So, instead of ice cream, I mix 1 tsp of honey into plain, nonfat Greek yogurt and top with a scoop of my homemade granola. It's great for breakfast or an evening treat instead of ice cream. 

READERS: Do you go through phases where you cook/bake more than others? Surely, I'm not the only one. Tell me in the comments. One random person will win an advanced reader copy of the first book in my Baker Street Mystery series, TWO PARTS SUGAR, ONE PART MURDER. Sorry, but US ONLY!

TWO PARTS SUGAR, ONE PART MURDER, Baker Street Mystery #1

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Releasing August 30, 2022



V. M. (Valerie) Burns

In this delectable new cozy mystery series, social media maven Maddy Montgomery’s perfectly ’grammable life has come undone, and she’s #StartingOver in a tiny town with one giant problem—a killer on the loose . . .
 
When Maddy Montgomery’s groom is a no-show to their livestream wedding, it’s a disaster that no amount of filtering can fix. But a surprise inheritance offers a chance to regroup and rebrand—as long as Maddy is willing to live in her late, great-aunt Octavia’s house in New Bison, Michigan, for a year, running her bakery and caring for a 250-pound English mastiff named Baby.
 
Maddy doesn’t bake, and her Louboutins aren’t made for walking giant dogs around Lake Michigan, but the locals are friendly and the scenery is beautiful. With help from her aunt’s loyal friends, aka the Baker Street Irregulars, Maddy feels ready to tackle any challenge, including Octavia’s award-winning cake recipes. That is, until New Bison’s mayor is fatally stabbed, and Maddy’s fingerprints are found on the knife . . .
 
Something strange is going on in New Bison. It seems Aunt Octavia had her suspicions, too. But Maddy’s going to need a whole lot more than a trending hashtag to save her reputation—and her life.



25 comments:

  1. 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!

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    1. Yogurt with granola has now become one of my new favorite breakfast items (along with bacon).

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  2. This 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

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    1. I totally love fresh fruit in the summer. I love strawberries, blackberry lemonade, watermelon, and pineapple. LOVE pineapple.

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  3. I've only made granola once, but it was delicious!!! I've by meaning to make it again
    and 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

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    1. LOL - Nachos sounds like a great dinner to me. I love adding chicken, ground beef, or even pulled pork to them. YUM!

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  4. I've only made granola once, but it was delicious!!! I've by meaning to make it again
    and 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

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  5. 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.

    Hubby 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

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    1. I like trying new restaurants when I'm traveling too. That is part of the fun of the experience. Good luck in the drawing.

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  6. For 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.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I want to try making ice cream. That sounds so yummy. Maybe, this summer I'll be brave and give it a try.

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  7. I 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

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    1. LOL! Maybe you need a pizza oven. I've been considering it, but I'd probably still order delivery or get a frozen one. :-)

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  8. It'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!
    This sounds like tasty granola with room for personal preferences.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    1. 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.

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  9. I 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

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    1. I hope you give it a try. I love yogurt and granola now, too.

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  10. I'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.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. I completely understand Takeout moods. I'm going to need to think about half-price pizza days. I don't think we have that.

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  11. I'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!
    jarjm1980(@)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. You're welcome for the recipe and good luck in the drawing.

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  12. most 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.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. 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.

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  13. YUM! 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

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    1. Stir fry sounds yummy. I may need to give that a try.

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