goodnight granola

It was a long week. And the next week might be long too, but more exciting I think. I'm moving! To a new apartment with big windows and an L shaped balcony. Maybe I will start to grow some herbes fines! I will be so sad to say goodbye to dear Libb, but there are new chapters to begin and great huge new doors to open. She will go join her man in Toronto and I, Jude, will finally arrange my possessions in my new small room, where I will stay for the next year and a bit. Finally! I don't have to pack up my things in four months and go some place else.

To soothe my fatigue, I made granola. I love making granola, especially at 10:30 at night. Because there is nothing else I want to do at this time (except these days it's been reading food blogs like there'll never be another one) and because Libb loves granola so much it gives me great pleasure to fill our home with a warm nutty honey vanilla rich smell that penetrates my bones and loves me to the core.

Making granola is so easy. There are so many variations as well. The hardest part is making sure you don't burn it. Other than that, it's just around 5-6 cups oats, 1/2 C oil and 1/2 C honey (heated up slowly), and then whatever other good things you want. I dumped in coconut, sesame seeds, spelt bran and flax seeds. I'm dying to try it with wheat germ (which you add after roasting the oats so you don't lose nutrients) and the "Joy of Cooking" has three versions, one where you first roast buckwheat groats, then add the oats and other things. Nuts are a killer addition, but I didn't have any. Dried fruit must go in last, otherwise it will just dry up and take forever to chew.

So what you want to do is mix together your oats, coconut, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, whatever kind of seeds together in a bowl. Then you add a teaspoon of really good vanilla to the oil and honey, mix it around, and pour it over the dry oat mixture. Stir this around so everything is coated with oil and honey and spread it onto a baking sheet with sides (otherwise known as a jelly roll pan). The oven should be at 325 degrees F. Stir every five minutes. Do not, do not, I repeat do not, put too many oats into the pan at once. This means you will have to do several pans, or several batches. Tonight's batch took me two pans and I roasted it perfectly. Note that it will finish cooking when it comes out of the oven, so the a nice light golden colour that leaves you feeling like it should roast more means she's a-done!

Happy early morning crunching!

- chef murph