I’m not much of a cook but do get inspired sometimes to create some culinary delights. In spite of being a west coast cat, I haven't been a big fan of granola in the past. Perhaps if I'm feeling like a lazy hippy and don't want to cook a proper meal, then I grab a bowl of the stuff. Nevertheless, I recently found a recipe and decided to give it a try in hopes of upping my granola game. So after purchasing all the necessary ingredients, I proceeded to put them all together in a masterpiece. It was simplicity itself. The Zen of slice, dice, chop, sprinkle dry ingredients: rolled oats, unsalted almonds, sunflower seeds, toasted wheat germ, walnuts, sesame seeds, pecans, sweet coconut flakes, and mmm a drizzle of cinnamon, the holiest of all spices. Om.
Then it’s time to get down and dirty by mixing vegetable oil with half a cup of honey; pour it into the mix, penetrating with your fingers, rolling and tumbling and squeezing into a single mass of nuts and grains, really working it until it's all mixed up, and afterward, gently, you spread it on a baking sheet and heated at 325 deg Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or so, flipping now and then, gently, gently, until your home is infused with the aroma of toasted nuts and cinnamon- smelling like heaven, so pull it out of the oven, yes, and cover it with a layer of fruit, consisting of cranberries, raisins, cherries, chopped apricots, currants, and whatever divine treats you got hidden in that pantry.
There is a calming beauty in cooking a good batch of granola. The awakening of the olfactory senses and gustatory thrills, the rawness of each ingredient, so close to Earth! So good for the soul. Crunchy delight. What can I say? I am a granola convert. It's got to be homemade, however, no other way around it. Topped with a few scoops of Greek yogurt, and this is perfect food to weather out those pandemic blues.
