REBOOT Granola—Cooks and Books #3 with author, Holly Jacobs

Granola again.

I posted this a while back, but had more requests yesterday. I burned my first batch.  #ThingsCanBurnAtTwoHundredDegrees. (I thought I turned off the oven...and obviously didn't.) The second batch turned out fine.  I used local honey from Fred's Fine Fowl. Anyway, here you go again. This recipe is very adaptable.  I used pecans yesterday and some locally sourced honey.  And coconut.  I've been using that a lot in recent batches.  So experiment...and make sure you turn off the oven.

Original Posts

I keep getting requests for this recipe…well, any recipe from me is a rather broad description.  This one in particular can take all kinds of tweaking toward your own personal taste.  I'm including the version I make most often here and some of the easy substitutes.

Anyway, I'm putting it here so it's easy to find in the future!

Holly's Easy Granola

1/2 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar (or honey or maple syrup…real maple syrup)
1/2 cup water
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups oats (I've been using a Bob's Mill multi grain cereal for part of the oats lately & love their thicker cut oats)
1 cup of soy flour & whole wheat flour (I vary the amounts and have never found a problem)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 TB or more cinnamon
1 cup or more nuts (walnuts, pecans and almonds are my favors…I've been doing more nuts of late)
Place in two greased 9x13 pans and bake about 2 hours at 250, stirring every twenty minutes or so.
I frequently do an hour or so, turn the oven off and leave the granola in it as it cools.  Later in the day I come back and do the other hour or so. 
When I serve it for breakfast, I do a quarter cup or so with about the same amount of yogurt and then fresh fruit or raisins.

Hope you enjoy the recipe reboot!

Holly

Cooks and Books...Mexican Lasagna

In my last Cooks and Books video, I made Taco Seasoning Powder..today I'm making Mexican Lasagna with it. Watch until the end, I mention how to get young hockey fans to try it!

Hope you enjoy!

Holly

Works In Progress

 There's a term that writers use...work in progress.  It's a book you're currently working on.  I like to think my life is a work in progress.  I keep working on it and I'll confess, I'm pretty pleased with where I am and the direction I'm heading!  I start Ceramics II next week.  I spent the winter break working on projects, experimenting and hope to continue that this term. 

I have a recipe that's a work in progress as well.  I'm looking for the perfect oatmeal bread.  I'm getting closer.  I sometimes use left over steel cut oatmeal.  I think I'm going back to that.  It's a heavier loaf, but it's very moist.  I didn't have leftover cooked oatmeal yesterday and so I adapted and tried this variation.  It was very good!  I had a piece with wild blueberry jam for dessert last night...and toasted some for breakfast.  It's still a bit delicate if you're slicing it thin, but it really is very tasty.  My friend Brenda asked for the recipe, I'm posting it here for her and anyone else who wants to try it.

Oatmeal Bread (a recipe in progress)

1 1/2 cups oatmeal (I use a thick cut oat)
2 Cups of hot milk

Put them in your mixing bowl and let them soak a half hour...a lot of the milk will be absorbed and it will cool to a yeast acceptable temperature.

Add 1-2 Tb yeast
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 tsp salt
3 Cups bread flour
another 2-3 cups whole wheat.
(This half and half has enough whole grains to make me happy, but with the bread flour it's lighter than a pure whole grain)

I added a bit of warm water as I mixed because I thought the dough looked a bit too dry.
Knead.

Let rise until double.

Punch down.  Divide in two and put in pans.  Let it rise again.

Bake at 350 for about 45-50 minutes.

I'm definitely getting closer to my perfect recipe!

Keep an eye on my blog over the next few weeks...there will definitely be more school projects posted.  

And if you're looking for something to read, Hold Her Heart is on sale today for $.99!!  If you haven't read it, I hope you'll check it out and don't forget, my entire PTA Mom Trilogy is finally all out! If you've read these, or any other books, and have a moment, I'd really appreciate a review!

Oh, and last but not least, keep an eye out.  I was working on ceramic spoons at the studio and had an idea for a short story.  I'll be including it in my next newsletter for subscribers to read for free.  Not a subscriber?  You can join here.  I try to do special things for subscribers and it's a good place to keep up with new releases!

I'm heading out to the kitchen make a sandwich on my bread!

Holly

Cooks and Books, Episode #2 Dinner Rolls

My first recipe of 2016...my second edition of Cooks and Books!!

Homemade Dinner Rolls!
Enjoy!!