My Favorite Pantry Staple -- Granola!!

Well, I'm feeling a little out of touch, but I'm still here. And I'm still thinking about oats. In fact, I made a huge batch of Mama's Bullet-Proof Waffles this morning! They turned out great... golden, crisp, and yummy.

But today, I'm thinking about granola. There are many mornings my breakfast consists of two simple, homemade, food items: granola and yogurt. The secret to making my granola is very unpredictable. Are you ready? It's not something you'd ever guess... I use my crockpot! Otherwise known as a slow-cooker. Most kitchens are equipped with one. I know I bought mine for the sole purpose of birthing my babies at home. The midwives wanted a crockpot with warm cloths and water, ready for... well... ready for all the things one needs wet, warm cloths for during a birth.

Anyhow, these days, I use my slow-cooker for making granola! Without further delay or introduction, I give you....


There's no fancy or clever name for this recipe. It's just granola, after all. First, get out a big slow-cooker (mine's a 6-quart), sans lid, and lightly oil the crock Next, dump all the dry ingredients into the crock:



Give them a healthy stir to mix them all up:



Then, get out your favorite measuring utensil for finicky liquids (I use a very old "metric wonder cup" from Pampered Chef). Okay... I confess, I got mine at a garage sale and have been using it for 10 years, now! So much so that the markings are gone and I use it upside down most of the time. That said, here is the first link that came up when I googled "Metric Wonder Cup." Obviously, I have no affiliation here, just giving you a source if you want one. Measure all of the liquid ingredients into the cup. Mine's a two-cup measure, so I can do the oil, vanilla, and rice syrup at the same time!



Now, add the liquids to the crock and give everything a very good stir. In other words, combine all these ingredients with a nice, large, wooden spoon.



It should look something like the following picture:


Cook on "High" for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. I stir about every 20 minutes. This usually isn't a problem, since I'm almost always making yogurt and some other staple at the same time. Meaning I'm in the kitchen a LOT. We seem to run out of these items all at the same time! Make sure you do NOT use a lid! It sweats and the granola would never get dry enough.

After the initial 1.5 hours on "High," switch to "Low" and cook for an additional 2 hours, still stirring occasionally. After the cooking is over, pour the granola out onto a big cookie sheet or tray and let it cool. Store for up to two weeks (it won't last that long...) in an airtight container. Here it is on my tray:



And here's a close-up of the granola, so appetizing, I'll bet you want to take a bite right now!



Enjoy! Next time..... Energy Bars! I hope you'll tune in!

Mama's Bullet-Proof Waffles

When I asked my family what they thought a good name for my waffles would be, my husband came up with the best answer: Bullet-Proof Waffles. They are delicious, good for you, and I always feel nourished after eating them. I'm happy to offer these for breakfast, along with fresh fruit and pure maple syrup. I've never served them to anyone who didn't like them, and I'm pretty sure you'll like them, too. Without further ado, I give you

Mama's Bullet-Proof Waffles

Above is the recipe, so you can follow along. If you click on it, it will get larger.

Start off by dumping 4 cups of rolled oats into a big bowl. Then pour 5 cups of your choice of milk - I use soy - on top of them and let them soak for 15 or 20 minutes.

Then add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil.



Next, crack 6 to 8 eggs into a smaller bowl and scramble them.

Pour them into the bowl along with the oats, milk, and oil.



Now's a good time to get our your waffle iron, plug it in to preheat, spray on a bit of oil if yours needs it.




After a brief stir to combine all the wet stuff, add the rest of the ingredients:

4 Cups flour
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Mix it all up, just well enough to combine. Over mixing makes for tough waffles, and we can't have that!

This is a good time to show you the salt I use. It's Himalayan Sea Salt, and is fabulous! Old, full of minerals, tasty, AND beautiful. I got it from my friend who offers it in her store.



By now, your iron should be hot and ready to go. Pour a cup to a cup and a half of batter into the center of the waffle iron and spread it out a bit.

Then close the lid and go work on...

the dishes... ugh.
Take a glance at your waffle iron and you will see a thing of great beauty, and a good subject for home school chemistry:

Ahhh, look at those babies rising and lifting the heavy lid of the waffle iron! Hmmmm... I can smell them already!



This is about the time my kids start listening for the "twee twee twee!" sound of my waffle iron. It sounds just like the noise they make right before Anthony Perkins is about to use his knife in the shower scenes of "Psycho." Oh it's not THAT bad... just kind of reminiscent, actually.

Lift the lid, remove with the assistance of a fork, and you have 4 beautiful, golden brown, waffles, steaming and ready for butter and maple syrup.

We use local maple syrup, to help support our neighbors, and because it's one of Mother Earth's nectars. If we eat it from local sources it feeds us better than, say, maple syrup from Vermont.

Enjoy! And please let me know how you like them!

Next time... granola!