Vanilla-Scented Granola

It's been a rainy weekend which is the perfect opportunity to stay in and bake 'n blog! I'm not quite sure what got me thinking about homemade granola. I have never made it before, so maybe I was just curious to see if making it from scratch is really worth it. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is SO worth it. I had trouble keeping myself from just eating this by the spoonful out of the baking pan. The toasted almonds, vanilla, cinnamon and honey make a delicious flavor combination that is sweet, but not too sweet. The texture is wonderfully crispy (especially right out of the oven), and the caramelized sugars provide additional crunch. The granola keeps for two weeks in an air-tight container, but it will be gone before that. You'll think twice about purchasing store-bought granola again after trying this recipe!

The recipe is very straight-forward. Mix your old-fashioned rolled oats (not the instant kind), sliced almonds, golden brown sugar, salt and ground cinnamon in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine the oil, honey and sugar and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Mine started simmering very quickly, so keep an eye on it. Take it off the heat, and then add in the vanilla extract.

Pour the hot liquid into the bowl with the oats, and then toss the mixture until the liquid has evenly coated the oats. You may need to use your hands.

Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, and then spread the granola mixture evenly over the pan. Bake it for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Those toasted almonds made my kitchen smell so good!

This basic granola recipe is incredibly versatile. Make a parfait with Greek yogurt, honey and berries, serve it over vanilla ice cream for some extra crunch, or eat it with your favorite cereal.

Make sure you put the leftovers in an easily accessible place in your pantry!

Vanilla-Scented Granola
From Epicurious
Note - I made half the recipe

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I was generous with the cinnamon)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Lightly spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. 

Mix the next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Combine oil, honey and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

Pour hot liquid over oat mixture; stir well. Using hands or a spatula, toss granola until thoroughly mixed.

Spread granola on prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack and cool granola completely. 

Can be made two weeks ahead, store in airtight container at room temperature.

Mom's Basic Banana Bread

The unseasonably hot weather this week has turned our lovely apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows into a greenhouse. The bunch of bananas we bought on Sunday have thus become brown-spotted before their time. I come from a long line of women who hate wasting food; banana bread, anyone?

My mom's recipe is no-muss, no-fuss, just throw everything in a bowl and then mix until just incorporated. You'll be eating a freshly baked piece of bread in under an hour. It's a simple, classic banana bread - sweet but not too sweet with just enough banana flavor. I didn't have walnuts on hand, so I used some pistachios and raw almonds. Note that I doubled the recipe pictured here (we had a lot of very ripe bananas!).

The recipe is actually from a neighbor in Wisconsin (I lived there until I was eleven). She brought the bread as a treat to an afternoon coffee with my mom when my sister was a baby. The aroma of the baking bread certainly brings back memories of simpler times - coming home from school and grabbing a slice from the beige tupperware container on the counter.

When life is stressful, there's something soothing about baking - there's a set beginning and end to the project, you have to carefully measure the ingredients, your treat is going to bake on its own time (not yours), and you end up with something made from scratch. I'll remember that the next time I'm just too busy to bake.    

Mom's Basic Banana Bread
Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas (3 if small)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preparation

Preheat over to 350 degrees and grease a medium-sized loaf pan (8 1/2" x 4 1/2") or two small loaf pans. I use Pam's baking spray and non-stick loaf pans.

Mix the butter, bananas, flour, sugar, eggs and baking soda in a large bowl until just incorporated. Then, fold in the chopped nuts. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes. If using two small pans, it will probably take 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean when the bread is ready.