Humble Mornings

Hi.

It’s us.

Sheepishly peering out from our desktop computers.

In a nutshell, we’ve been working 60-hour weeks and made the huge mistake of putting our favorite blog on the back burner… What were we thinking?!

To cover the long and short of it, here’s what’s happened in the last couple months (really? Months?! Gulp…):

A festive and calorie laden Christmas extravaganza. The ringing in of 2011 (Happy New Year, by the way!). Two family birthdays, a food show and Valentine’s Day.

Yup. That pretty much covers it.

Anywho, while cooking has been less accessible with our hectic schedules, we still have managed to feed ourselves (I’m sure that was never a concern of yours, let’s be honest). And with my early morning hours, I need a pick-me-up at 5am that goes well with my 2 large cups of incredibly dark and caffeinated coffee.  You may have already guessed what I’m about to say.

Homemade granola. With honey, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkled atop nonfat vanilla yogurt with berries. Holy wow.

There are a few things I love about this morning hero. One, the consistency is phenomenal. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a texture person. Too much crunch or too much mush doesn’t do it for me; I need balance and so do my teeth. Two, when paired with yogurt (granted, in moderate quantities) and berries, you get a breakfast consisting of almost all food groups, enough to make your second grade teacher incredibly proud. And finally, it leaves you feeling full and happy until lunch rolls around. It may even get those with a bad case of the cranks to crack a smile… or at least keep frowning to a minimum.

I like to make a double batch and keep it in a glass jar. It lasts for a couple weeks if you store it in a cool, dry place. But beware of husbands… they’re known to break it out and eat it night and day.

So please accept this recipe as an apology for our slackitude, as well as a toast to the good meals to come in 2011.

Happy Eating,

Elizabeth

Everyday Granola

By Molly Wizenberg of Orangette fame, as printed in Bon Appetit Magazine

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup honey*

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup assorted dried fruit***

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Mix first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Stir honey and oil in a small saucepan on medium-low heat until smooth.

Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss to coat. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes**. Place on rack; stir granola and allow to cool. Mix in fruit. Serve.

* Sometimes, I like to switch it up by having it be a quarter cup of honey and a quarter cup of maple syrup. Mmmmm. Maplely.

** I like to bake it for 50 to 60 minutes in order to get a slightly crunchier granola.
*** Cranberries and cherries are great, but honestly, any dried fruit works!
**** Apologies for the lack of photos... I forgot to snap some once the tossing and the coating got going.