At long last, granola!

Wow, it's been a busy week. I had the "brilliant" idea that I'd try to paint and reorganize my entire apartment before my parents come to visit next weekend. Well, at least I finished the kitchen and the living room.

I managed to find time to make a pretty decent spanish tortilla on Sunday, and today, I finally got to make that granola I've been threatening, and damn, is it good!

I adapted this recipe from the Food Network (be sure to read it all the way through!):

5 to 6 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup pecans
Grated zest of 2 oranges

Combine all those ingredients in a big bowl. Feel free to vary your choice of nuts. I just used what I had leftover from my mole making frenzy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the following:

1/4 cup maple syrup or cane syrup - I used cane syrup cause that's what I had in the house
2 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons pure coconut oil - it's truly worth it to stock your pantry with this!
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt

Now, combine the two mixtures till the oat mixture is nicely coated. Spread it out onto two sheet pans and bake in an oven preheated to 250. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn, and stir it up every 10-15 minutes or so, over the course of about an hour. Surely you've got some dishes to do as you pass the time...

Once the granola is nicely golden brown, transfer into a large bowl and let it cool a bit. Now add a couple of generous handfuls of currants and dried cranberries and mix it up.

Enjoy, and be sure to share with your neighbors!

Yay - I'm finally able to upload photos, so I reposted the entry w/ the pasta in spinach creme sauce. Now you don't have to imagine the loveliness; you can see it with your own eyes!

One last bit before I sign off - I listened to a lot of great music over the weekend, but I especially enjoyed Jesse De Natale's "Soul Parade". And I swear, it is NOT because I sang harmony on a couple tracks! Jesse is a gifted song writer and storyteller whose songs wash over you like sweet relief after a long, hard day. Kind of like coming in from the rain and warming up in front of a fire, with a big pot of soup simmering on the stove. And what could be finer than that?