Homemade Granola

If you have never had homemade granola you have missed something special in the world of breakfast cereals!  Fresh granola is something you don't forget and the stuff in boxes in the grocery store just doesn't come close to how good the homemade stufft is.  The basics for this recipe came from a crock pot cook book for vegetarians.  The nice thing about cooking granola in the crock pot rather than the oven is that it doesn't burn and is easier to stir.  The sky is the limit in terms of what you can add to the granola.  The basics are rolled oats, nuts, dried fruit, a little vegetable oil, and maple syrup.  The standard amounts are as follows:

5  to 6 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of chopped or sliced almonds (or walnuts, pecans, etc.)

1 cup dried mixed fruit 

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

2/3 cup of pure maple syrup (grade B)

1 tsp cinnamon

To make the granola in the crock pot, lightly oil the insert of the crock pot (should be a large one 4, 5, or 6 quart).  I use a 6 quart crock pot for my granola.  Add the oats, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon and mix together.  Add the oil and syrup and continue to mix until all ingredients are wet.  Cook on high with the lid off for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes.  After 90 minutes, turn the crock pot to low and continue to cook with the lid off for the next 2 hours or until the mix has dried.  Continue to stir the mixture every 15 minutes or so.  Once the granola is ready, pour it out on a large sided cookie sheet and spread out to let it cool.  Once cool it can be packaged in a canister or for gift giving, cellophane bags are nice.  The granola is best if eaten right away and within 2 weeks after making it.  It usually doesn't last that long!

Things to add to the granola mix include dried cherries, plums, apricots, blueberries, or just plain raisins.  A quarter cup of sesame seed is a good addition and you can also add coconut if you like.  Some recipes call for wheat germ and I haven't tried that yet.  I especially like to add dates in addition to the dried fruit  because I love dates and they give a nice sweetness to the granola.  The maple syrup is the only sweetener I have used although there are recipes that call for honey or date sugar as the major sweetener for the granola.  However, Grade B maple syrup is a very flavorful syrup and I would consider it is the heart of this granola recipes.  I wouldn't substitute andything else for the maple syrup and I would recommend only real maple syrup and the grade B variety as it has a deeper maple flavor.  If you use honey in the recipe the granola is no longer vegan so if you are giving the granola as a gift to a vegan you'd want to stay with the Maple Syrup.





Cici's Chili

It has been way too long since my last post but I hope to post more recipes in 2011! The Chili recipe to follow is one that I've used for over 25 years and I found the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. It is fast, easy, and satisfying. Most importantly, the recipe is somewhat flexible so that you can adapt ingredient amounts to suit your taste or what you have on hand.

The basic ingredients are hamburger, canned beans, canned tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, onion and bell pepper.  Plan on about 20 minutes to prep and 20 minutes for cooking so that you can have this on the table in a little less than an hour. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

2 cup chopped onion (about 2)

1 large green bell pepper chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 15-16 oz. cans of kidney or pinto beans rinsed and drained

2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes undrained

1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 cup water

2 tablespoon chili powder (variable depending on your taste)

1 tsp. dried basis crushed (optional)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream (optional)

When making this chili don't get stressed out if you don't have everything on the ingredient list.  For example, I have made the chili with only one onion rather than two.  I have omitted the chili powder and added diced tomatoes with green chili.  I have made the recipe without the basil and also used diced tomatoes with oregano and it has turned out fine.  Also the amount of chili is really to taste.  I don't use 2 tablespoons because that is too spicy for my family.   The point is that the flexibility is built into the recipe and don't be afraid to experiment.  I do prefer to use pinto beans and I usually add more beans to the recipe than called for.  For health reasons I have always upped the bean content so that this recipe didn't rely so heavily on the hamburger. 

Directions for making this are as follows:  In a 4 quart stock pot or large dutch oven cook the ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic until the meat is brown.  Drain fat and stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, basil and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Now how easy is that?  You may top the chili with shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream. 

This is especially good on cold nights.  I made the chili this week on Thursday night and it was a big hit with Morris and Cait.  Many of the ingredients are stables you may have on hand (hamburger in freezer, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, canned beans in the pantry, onion and bell pepper in the fridge, and the basic spices).  This makes the dish convenient to make at a moments notice.  I hope you try it and like it!