THE MORNING STILLNESS

Good morning! I hear it's a little chilly in certain North American cities right now, but where I am the weather is perfect. I just enjoyed an amazing breakfast on my balcony where the air was crisp and the sky was clear. It has been an unnaturally dry October so far in Vancouver (or so I believe) and I am not complaining. Nothing really compares to sitting outside on a fall morning and starting your day where you can just see your breath, looking out at a pale blue and yellow sky, mountains covered in shadows and low mist rolling off the ships sitting on the bay.

Last night I made my very basic granola while listening to Nick Cave's Abattoir Blues (which I highly recommend as listening material when it comes to granola making.) This morning I was able to enjoy it with vanilla yogurt, prune plums, dried blueberries, and Earl Grey tea. You should make this granola, it's so easy!

Here's my recipe, the roots of which come from a recipe by Smitten Kitchen:

Basic Granola, makes two large baking pans

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups sweetened (I often use un-sweetened) flaked coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 1/3 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup other chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts this time because they were on sale)
1/2 cup pepitas
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 tsp. cinnamon (my man loves cinnamon, you could use less or more, to your own taste)
a pinch salt
1/3 cup brown sugar (I often leave out the sugar, especially if I am using sweetened coconut)
3/4 - 1 cup light honey (I used a wildflower honey from the farmer's market that my man picked up and that smelled like heaven as soon as I opened the jar)
3/4 - 1 cup vegetable oil
2 - 4 cups mixed dried fruit (totally optional! I usually don't add any, that way I can customize my granola every morning)

Preheat oven to 375°F and line two large baking pans with parchment paper. Stir together, in a large bowl, all ingredients except the fruit. Spread the mixture evenly over the surfaces of your baking pans. Bake 15-30 minutes, stirring every five minutes and check often to avoid burning. Let cool for an hour or so before you add any dried fruit. My little tip is that after I remove the pans from the oven I like to press down on the granola with a wooden spoon before I let it cool, that way it sticks together and I can break it all apart into large delicious chunks.

I hope you have a fantastic Friday morning!