Just when I started editing the photo below, my heart almost sank. For heaven’s sake I could not remember if I even wrote down the ingredients. When that happens it does feel like I invited people over to my dinner party at an exotic location and I forgot to give proper directions and there’s no way they’re going to get here. Gah! I eventually found the recipe on the last page of my To-Do list steno notebook. I jumped with glee (in my head). This is one granola mix that I really, really love and would like to make again and again. So I do hope you like it.

When Dan and I started hiking in Arizona, I wanted to try making our own granola to bring. I tested a few recipes that contain a lot of oil and I don’t feel too good about that, so I tried to look for alternative ways to ’soak’ the oatmeal to cook it without using oil. I also wanted it to be clumpy for easier eating on the trail, but I don’t want a bar, just clumps so it’s not too messy to eat while hiking. I also have to put into consideration the nuts and fruits that Dan doesn’t like. He’ll only accept dried cranberries in there. I had to bargain to add the sunflower seeds. Sounds confusing? Welcome to our kitchen! Haha.

This smelled amazing while it was baking in the oven. I wanted to bottle up the aroma. Mmmm! It kept longer than I expected. I’ve read several recipes saying that homemade granola can keep for one week in an airtight container. Others suggested to put the container refrigerated. In my experience, it seems that putting in the fridge is the best — it keeps the crispiness better. Leaving it in room temperature makes it a bit chewy, which other people might prefer. Oh yes, this recipe makes crispy granolas, but not hard. Those small chunks of goodness are a delight to snack on. Yummy!

So here it is. Let us know if you make it. We’d love to hear what you think!

© Gourmeted.com, 2009. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: almond, cranberries, cranberry juice, honey, maple syrup, oatmeal, pecan, sunflower seeds, wheat bran, wheat germ

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We absolutely loved this simple dessert of Apples in Honey and Pine Nut Caramel and have made it on more than one occasion. So one morning, with one too many apples forgotten, I finally used them with the a variation of the recipe to top off the breakfast oatmeal. I skipped the cream and pine nuts (because we didn’t have either, honestly) and decided to stick to just butter and honey. Mmmm.

I cooked old fashioned organic oatmeal in whole milk. God I love that. I made sure not to overcook it.

This was a winning combination. Yumm.

You might be wondering about the second alternate title. Well, Dan dislikes oatmeal. It’s one of those things on his long Will Not Eat list. This does not sit too well with me as I’m pretty open to all kinds of food and when I travel, I try as much local fare as I can. Food, as in life, is an experience — and for me, you’re missing out if you don’t at least try new things or revisit old ‘ew’ stuff labeled from the days you couldn’t even spell your name.

So slowly, I’ve began to lead him into a new chapter in his Foodie life and have him retry food that he ‘hates’. He cringes when you mention “oatmeal”, “mushrooms”, “cabbage”, or “bananas” as if he was going to be sick at that instant. From the mere mention of the food. I told him that if he tries it again and still hates it, then fine. But to completely shun them would be a shame. There’s a whole world out there outside of steak, pasta, and potatoes. Come to think of it, it’s like training a child to eat veggies, really. Haha.

One thing about food aversion is that most of the time, it’s just the way it’s been prepared that brings out certain detestable qualities. Other times, you went to the wrong restaurant. When it comes to oatmeal, I found out that Dan doesn’t like the ‘mushiness’ of it, just like how bananas are mushy. And I completely understand that because I hate both mushy oatmeal and bananas. However, that only comes out when you overcook oatmeal and if you use the the instant ones. Even I find it gross. So I remedied that and cooked it my way — not overdone, and with whole grains to munch on. He really liked it! Plus he finished his bowl of cereal with fruit.  Bingo!

I’d say I have a feeding success rate of 80% when it comes to something “different”. So for those who are challenged by their boyfriends, husbands, or even little ones, I’ll share you with a few tips.

What I learned about feeding the (well-loved) ultra-picky eater:

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© Gourmeted.com, 2008. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: apples, breakfast, butter, honey, oatmeal

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We like getting feedback and ideas from all of you — it encourages us to experiment and tell you the delicious incarnations we’ve discovered. This is how this honey-strawberry variation came about. When Jen, an old pal from way back, asked about using honey with our recipe here, I just had to try it and find out the results firsthand. Or first spoonful, I guess, because that set off a multiple series of others. It was simply delectable. I fully blame the honey and the full-fat Greek yogurt that I accidentally bought. I previously used Fage Total 0% [PRONOUNCED Fa'-yeh] and had stellar results, so I didn’t think I was missing out on anything. Clearly, as Dan pointed out to me several times over the course of finishing this batch, that accidental mistake was a a great thing. Given my track record, my mistakes often end up as acts of genius in the kitchen, and elsewhere — the cosmos has a way of straightening me out. This time, I’d lightly pat myself on the back for giving this a try. [Note: I checked the Fage website and the Fage Total classic I used here was made from milk and cream.]

One snag in this honey-strawberry experiment was, and I think your inner honey-minions should take note of, the change in color color…to dirty pink. It’s easily remedied with a drop of red liquid food coloring.

Hmm…all this talk of frozen yogurt doesn’t seem right at the moment because my toes are cold from winter-like conditions here in AZ. We had a weather hiccup, and temperatures dropped from 110ºF to the 50º’s. Yes, you read that right. However, I thought it best to still post this for those of you suffering sweltering heat.

I hope you try it! Include it in your Memorial Day menu, if you like. This could very well be the reason you purchase that Cuisinart frozen yogurt/ice cream maker you’ve been eyeing. ;-) Here’s the recipe:

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© Gourmeted.com, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: dairy, frozen, honey, ice cream, strawberry, yoghurt, yogurt

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