Well hello there 2015! Good to see ya. I know, I’m 6 days late, but you can forgive me, can’t you? So far, you yourself have been a doozy, so I think you can give me a break.
We started off the year with dinner and a bit too much champagne at our good friends’ house, after which we made it home and into bed at 11:45 pm. We just couldn’t hang! But the next day we found ourselves climbing up a 1700+ft hill between Morro Bay and Atascadero called Cerro Alto – literally “tall hill” in Spanish. We had a crew of 4 people and 5 (five!) dogs, and when we got to the top of the hill it was freezing-ass cold, so we went back down right quick.
Then AJ’s parents came into town Friday evening (after I worked the day after the new year… woo… hooo…. [I am a bit bitter]), and the wedding planning began! Kathy came prepared with a list of things we needed to get done, which was awesome. We got the man a nice suit, I bought matching ties for all the boys, we discussed flowers and centerpieces and officiants (any good suggestions?) and bartenders and invitations and more! And I still feel like we have everything to do. Liiike find an awesome polaroid camera (easy), find cheap&functional polaroid film (not easy), or figure out some other brilliant idea for a guest book. Oh yeah, and find a bartender and officiant. In 2.5 months! I may be a bit of a stranger around here until then…
Anywayyyy, granola! Super tasty, crunchy, seedy, coconutty granola. I’m obsessed with making my own granola recently. I have no idea why I ever bought it from the store before. It is so easy. My last rendition was a bit more spiced up with cinnamon and nutmeg, and had added raisins, too. But this one? I kept it simple. And simple can sometimes (most times!) be oh-so-delicious. This is just a bit on the sweet side, so if you are super sensitive then you can decrease the amount of sugar a bit. It’s also a little lighter in texture than my Christmas granola, which is perfect as a respite from all the heavy holiday food. In all, I LOVE this new recipe, and it’ll definitely be a staple around here.. until, that is, I go and make a whole new one!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year!
Coconut Chia Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ½ cup almonds, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 425ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Combine oats, oat flour, salt, coconut, chia seeds, and almonds in a large bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil in a 2-cup measuring cup, then add the maple syrup and granulated sugar. Mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and use a silicone spatula to distribute evenly – this takes a few minutes of stirring. Make sure there are no dry spots.
- Dump the mixture onto the lined baking sheet, then press down firmly all over with the back of the silicone spatula.
- Bake 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir the granola. Use the back of the silicone spatula to press it down firmly again, then return to the oven and bake 6-8 more minutes, until it begins to brown on the edges. Keep an eye out – it’ll burn quickly.
- Remove the granola from the oven and stir again, then press down again. Let cool completely – it’ll crisp up as it cools. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. Enjoy!