Good Morning!
After two days of record high temperatures, it's finally cooled off here in NW Arkansas! I'm taking advantage of these lower temps to do some baking today! I've got several things on the plan: zucchini bread, apple muffins, lemon bread, Monster Cookies, Rice Krispies Treats, meatloaf, and more. But first, granola!
Homemade granola is super easy to make and will save you a TON in cost, as well as unhealthy additives and sugars. You can add anything you like to it and it is very forgiving.
I always begin by greasing a large pan and dumping in lots of oats and barley. Then I sprinkle on coconut, sunflower seeds, and raisins. Sometimes I add other nuts and dried fruits. I plan to add chopped dates to their bowls once I serve them, but I keep our dates in the refrigerator so I'll wait to do that until breakfast time. After I've added all my dry mix-ins, I stir it all up. Then I pour on a generous amount of honey. Finally, I sprinkle on the tiny stuff like cinnamon, cloves, and flax seed. I do these after the honey to help them stick to the larger bits without getting lost at the bottom of the pan. Then I stir everything up again good and start baking it, uncovered, at 350 degrees.
I'm not actually baking anything, but rather toasting it. I stir the mixture up every 20 minutes or so until it's all toasted the way we like. This usually takes 2 hours or so for a big batch, so it's a great thing to start in the morning and work on for awhile if you're making a lot. Once it's done, I take the pan out and let it cool 15 minutes or so, stir, cool another 15 minutes, and repeat that process until it's all cooled. I store our granola in large clear plastic containers with plastic snap-on lids. The kids usually gobble it up within a couple weeks but I think it could easily store a month or so in that air-tight container. Yum yum!
What are you working on this week? Let me know in the comments. Have a happy week!
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