We have been here for three weeks and it's actually starting to feel normal. We finally found an apartment. We have a place to live! Someone actually wanted our money. It was a 4th of July miracle. Last week though...last week was kinda hard. In the midst of all these major decisions we are making, I felt a little homesick. Oh, wasn't life simpler on Elm Street, with our crazy cheap mortgage and our dog and our friends and.... But then I remember that we are in CALIFORNIA! The land of sunshine, good food, culture, beaches, wine country, and my brother. Ah yes, that's why we uprooted our entire lives to be here!
So, to combat my momentary lapse, I baked. That's just what I do. I made two recipes from my favorite blogger Molly Wizenberg: french-style granola with little chocolate bits and an almost-flourless chocolate cake for my brother's in-laws who were coming over to dinner that night. That's all I needed, and I was back on track.
Molly's French-style granola with chocolate
Adapted from a recipe by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette
Makes about 4 cups
I added extra almonds and a teaspoon of cinnamon to this recipe. You can read Molly's original post here.
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw slivered almonds
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
2 T sugar
Good pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
6 T agave syrup or honey
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 cup good quality dark chocolate, chopped
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
In a small sauce pan, heat the agave/honey and oil just until they are easy to combine. Stir, then remove from heat and pour over the oat mixture. Mix well to combine so that all the oats are fairly well covered.
Spread evenly on 2 large baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Take the pans out of the oven and stir the granola to help it cook evenly. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool well. This hardens the granola.
Empty granola into a large bowl or container for storage. Add the chocolate. I like to add it when the granola is still just barely warm because it really melds with the granola. Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
I think this recipe would be really nice with a large pinch of finely chopped rosemary. Just so you know.
