Joe's Granola
So where do recipes come from? I never went to Cooking School so I never took a course that teaches you how to create recipes, if there even is such a course. I imagine there must be courses on the primary spices used in cooking the different cuisines of the world, which ones work well together, etc. I have approximately 100 different spices in my kitchen and might use half of them. I think long and hard before trying any recipe that calls for ingredients that I don't recognize. One last recipe deal breaker.... if the cost of the ingredient/spice requires taking out a second mortgage, I'm out.
The vast majority of my recipes come from 4 sources;
1. My head/stomach
2. Family and friends
3. The Internet (thanks Al Gore)
4. Cooking Shows
As the following recipe is about 75 to 80% pilfered from my favorite cooking show, I want to give them a shout out. America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Country presents consistently straight forward dishes that are within the skill set of the average home chef. The "bow-tied" host can be a bit tedious, but the two primary chefs Bridget and Julia are worth the price of admission. There is also an online subscription you can get for the Cooking Show. I like to store my favorite episodes in a Recipe Folder in my email account, so I can bring up the recipe and video on my smart phone while I'm in the kitchen making the dish.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients - combine in large bowl;
5 cups Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
2 cups lightly chopped nuts - pecans/almonds/walnuts... chef's choice
Liquid Ingredients - combine in smaller bowl;
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tblsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees. Thoroughly mix liquid ingredients until blended. Then pour over the oats and nuts and toss until they are coated with the sticky liquid. Line a 18" x 13" baking sheet with sides, with parchment paper, and distribute the mix evenly in the baking sheet. Press the mixture down firmly on the baking sheet using a potato masher or flat spatula. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 325 degrees, turning the tray at the halfway point. Remove from oven and cool for at least one hour. After cooled, gently peel up a corner of the parchment paper and remove the cooked granola in chunks from the tray into a large bowl. If desired, add dried fruit, about 2 cups, at this time. Raisins, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, etc... chef's choice.
