daily granola

I've been eating a lot of granola lately.

My go-to weekday (who am I kidding - nearly everyday!) breakfast is a bowl full of seasonal fruit with some granola and milk.  Because of sensitivities with my tummy, I have had a hard time finding granolas in the market that agreed with me and also tasted delicious.  Much like Goldilocks and her porridge, I thought some granolas were too soft, some too hard.  Most all were too sweet. 

While visiting my parents recently, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make a batch of my own.  In my typical style, I more or less dumped some ingredients in a bowl and hoped for the best.  With just the right sweetness, a hint of warming spices, and the crunch of nuts and oats, we had a winner.  I quickly jotted the recipe on a sticky note, lest I forget this new-found gem.

My parents and I enjoyed a week of happy granola eating before I headed back to my home.  But I left them with that scribbled note.  Who needs a recipe though, really?!  

I've been making a large batch of granola nearly every week since then.  Just like the first day, I throw in some ingredients and cross my fingers.  Considering my profession, one would think I would be a little more precise in my creation.  But once you know the essential components, there is something really comforting in just throwing something together.  Perhaps that is why casseroles are such comfort food: no recipe!

today's granola

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup honey 

1/4 cup date paste, optional
(can be made by pureeing dates and a little water in your blender)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon ginger 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

4 cups old fashioned oats

1/2- 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1/2- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Mix together all of the syrup-phase ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  
It helps to warm this phase; in the absence of a microwave, I melt my butter and warm this phase by placing my metal mixing bowl over a saucepan with simmering water.  The steam will gently (but effectively!) warm it.

Add oats, nuts, and any other ingredients that strike your fancy.

Spread the granola out on a sheet pan.  I like to line the sheet pan with parchment for easy transfer to my storage container, but it is not necessary.

Bake at 275F 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious.  
Do not stir if you want the granola to form clusters.  

Let cool and break into smaller pieces.  

Store airtight.  
It will keep well for about a month, but I have never had any stay around that long!  

A few tips: 

Hydrating the oats a little bit helps prevent some of the toasty bitterness.  Water, apple sauce, or syrups can be the hydrating portion.  This water also helps the granola to agglomerate (form clumps) in the baking process.

The addition of fat helps to prevent a dry and chalky granola. 

Sugars provide the sweetness, aids in that delicious browning, and makes the granola crispy.  A combination of sugars will give the best results, but is not necessary.  I like to use table sugar (sucrose) and honey (fructose and glucose).

Add whatever suits your mood: sub in some maple syrup, add some dried fruits, fruit purees, nuts, or seeds. Have fun with the process! 

into the woods

My sister and I grew up in the woods.

Maybe I should clarify.  It's not like we were raised by wolves.  We had a loving, comfortable home that happened to sit in the crook of forested land.  Building forts and making adventures in those woods filled much of our play-time.  I am not sure we appreciated it at the time though, as it was simply childhood as we knew it.  Besides, most of our classmates at our tiny country school had similar backyards.  Shoot, some of them even had 4-wheelers and horses!  How could we compete with that?!

When we went to look at college campuses, our mom would often say, "I like this school, they have nice trees."  We couldn't understand her logic;  Surely we should explore the strength of our desired academic program,  not the way in which they have landscaped!   Years later, I understood what my mom was trying to convey:  you don't just go to college, you live there too.  And you will be happiest if you enjoy where you live.

I have picked many homes with that lesson in mind (and disregarded it while picking others).   My current home has sweet proximity to a large city park and an ocean beach, but there are no trees in the neighborhood.   In fact, the concrete surroundings and tall buildings can make it feel gloomy and overcast, even when the sun is shining.  Sometimes this, combined with the other challenges of living in a city, really gets to me.  A near-daily trek to the park or weekend trips to far-away mountains always helps to clear my mind and my lungs.

But ultimately, I long to live in the woods.   Where adventures (and forts!) are once again in my backyard.

once a runner

I ran today.

Ok, so it was not very long, and it was on a treadmill, and it was broken up by walking. But I will take it;  This is the closest I have been to a run since July.

See, running is in my blood.  It's an addiction that started 20 years ago with a painful 1-mile loop around a canyon with my junior high track team.  In the time since, I have rarely taken more than a week off.  Sure, over-use injuries and time commitments have kept me away for short bouts, but this time, it was different.

credit: St. Helens Chronicle

One night last summer, I decided to do a little beach bouldering instead of my standard evening run and ended up pulling a hand-hold down to the crash pads with me.  The remainder of the year has been a haze of squeaky crutches, brightly colored casts, and rehabilitation.  And no running.

At first, this was really tough.  It is very hard to suddenly shift from the routines of a working, running, "strong and independent!" (complete with fist pump) woman, to being weak and dependent, unable to work or run.

But then I started to learn a few things.   I learned how to ask for help.  I learned how to be pretty darned self-sufficient, from crutching down the sidewalk with my giant, laundry-stuffed pack, to navigating the Muni on one foot.   I learned how to be alone with myself.  The biggest thing I learned is this:  I don't have to run every day.  I won't fall over and die without running.  This was a pretty big revelation for me.

credit: Tim Guffin

Even so,  I still consider myself a "runner," and I have used the ability to run as a gauge for my rehabilitation.  When I can run again, free of any limps or hitches, I will be healed.  Of course there have been many forms of healing in this process, and my run today simply signifies the strength I have gained throughout.

the year of big ideas

When the new year rolls around, the term "resolution" is a bit of a turn-off to me.  Something about it makes me think of crowded January gyms and dwindling good intentions.  In recent years, I have preferred to think about my goals for the coming year, as opposed to things I hope to change.  This year, my sweetheart and I have referred to this new year optimism as the "year of big ideas," crediting the inspiration we have gained from many a Dirtbag Diary.
This blog was created out of the resolve to become a better photographer, and today, I come back with similar intentions.  While I do not intend to post a photo every day, I do intend to continue sharing with you some of my everyday observations, both in images and in words. 

 

Happy New Year, Friends.  I look forward to this journey into 2013 with all of you.