Crunchy Bloggity Give-Away

OK, here's the deal. My mother tells me I need to start blogging again. I have made a couple feeble attempts to keep up with it the past year. But, let's just say I had a slight distraction. So, now that the fast-track courtship is over, the wedding is behind us, and my girl has moved to Timbuktu, I have a little more time on my hands.

I haven't stopped cooking, or sewing, for that matter. I just stopped taking pictures of and writing about all my domestic pursuits. That fact has actually pleased my family because they haven't had to wait until the food was staged perfectly or stop mid-bite to pose for pictures. So, I haven't yet broken the news to them that I plan to start the blog back up again full-swing.

I'll break it to them gently....

Meanwhile, I have a little fun planned for you, my patient readers. I got busy in the kitchen today and went a little health food crazy. I'm a kinda-sorta health food nut. Not the weird kind, although I guess that depends on who you talk to. I like to grind wheat and bake our bread. I like to buy fresh milk from the farm and make butter from the cream. I like to cook all sorts of whole grains, some with really weird names, like quinoa. I cook lots of veggies. But my children eat junk, too. So, we aren't totally crunchy.

I do, however, make some pretty kickin' crunchy granola! It is one of my most oft' requested recipes. Tom loves this stuff and eats it on his cereal every morning if he can get his hands on it. And my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, sister, and nephew request it at Christmas. It's really easy to make; so I'm going show you how I do it. Then I'm going to offer you the chance to win some if you just leave a comment telling me how thrilled you are that I'm blogging again, or some other such nonsense!

We'll start by dumping into a large pan a whole box of rolled oats,

the old-fashioned variety, of course!

Next, we'll add every kind of raw seed and nut we can find at the health food store. That usually equals: pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and almonds.

Oh, and oodle gobs of cinnamon plus a dash of sea salt.

Now let's warm up some coconut oil and honey. Pour in a little vanilla,

and dump all this over the oatmeal, seeds, and grains, stirring well.

We'll then bake this crunchy concoction in a 300 degree oven for about an hour, setting the timer to buzz every 15 minutes so we can stir it up and keep the edges from getting too brown.

Last, but definitely not least, we're gonna toss in a bunch of dried fruits.

I do this after it is baked, because cooked dried fruit just doesn't do it for me.

For these, I've chosen raisins, apricots, and cranberries.

And there you have it, folks. My famous granola for all the world to enjoy! I keep it in a pretty jar on the counter. But be warned, it won't last long!

Don't forget to comment and enter the give-away. You don't have to have a blogger account; just post anonymously if you want. But don't forget to tell me who you are! I'll let you know in a few days who wins!

Love,

Laura Lee