Coconut Almond Granola with Four Fruits

 

I know I'm dating myself here, but to the younger generation, let me tell you that Kate Hudson has a mom named Goldie Hawn. Back in the day she made some very funny movies, among them a breakout film called “Private Benjamin.” I'll never forget when she joined the army how surprised she was that it was not at ALL as depicted in the commercials -- no condos, no great meals, no beach vacations. Nope, just marching around in the rain, during which time she recited a rather funny monologue about what she wanted to do, and how she was a “nice person” and shouldn't have to endure such torture. To illustrate her remark she said she never “…went to anyone's house empty-handed.”

Well, I'm pretty much the same. I’m going to dinner tonight and, like Private Benjamin, I never go any place empty-handed, so thought I'd make up some Coconut Almond Granola and take a large jar to the hostess, and two smaller bags to the other couples who will be in attendance. It is so delicious that you can pretty much skip the bananas, milk, yogurt, and spoon, and just dig in!

This is my own personal recipe, a mishmash of a variety of others I've run across over the years. I've found you can pretty much toss in what you like according to what happens to be in your pantry at the time.

Coconut Almond Granola with Four Fruits

4 c. old-fashioned oats

¾ c. sliced almonds

½ c. sweetened flaked coconut
½ c. sunflower, pumpkin, or flax seeds

2/3 c. (packed) brown sugar

1½ t. ground allspice

½ t. kosher salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter

4 T. honey

½ c. pitted, chopped dates

½ c. dried apricots, quartered

½ c. golden raisins

½ c. raisins, dried cranberries, blueberries, or cherries

Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Melt butter with honey in heavy small saucepan over low heat. Pour over granola mixture and toss well. Spread out mixture on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add dried fruits; mix to separate any clumps. Continue to bake until granola is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes longer. Cool. Do ahead. Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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Homemade Croutons

Have you ever wondered what to do with your old buns?  Your old, stale, dried out buns?  And by this I mean hot dog, hamburger, and sandwich buns.  The buns that always seem to come either too many or few to the package and you either never have enough or you have way too many.  If you have too many, consider yourself in luck!  Stale sandwich buns make the best croutons, bar none. They make a great addition to salads, to top soups, as a tasty snack, and the best part is they freeze beautifully so you can make them now to serve at Thanksgiving!

Select an assortment of buns that have seen better days.

Using a bread knife, slice them into half-inch squares.

Gather the spices you'd like to use to season them.  These are the ones that I use, but it's really a personal preference.  Try not to use too many with heavy concentrations of salt or your croutons will be too salty.

One secret to good croutons is butter.  Be generous, but not overly so or they'll not dry properly in the oven.  Put a stick of butter into a large saute pan and add your spices.  Stir everything together as the butter melts.

Add the bread cubes and stir to coat well.  After sauteing them in butter and seasoning, they'll bake in the oven for an hour or so to dry out.

Bake them in a slow oven (250 degrees F) for an hour to an hour and a half.  They should look like this when they're finished, i.e. dry and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Now enjoy them in your favorite soup or salad.

Here's a recipe that I like.

Cream of Spinach Soup with Onions and Mushrooms

(With homemade croutons)

1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and very thinly sliced

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 large onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. butter

1/4 cup dry white wine

1-1/2 T. flour

1 cans chicken broth (14.5 oz.)

1/2 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (10 oz)

1 cup cream

1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and white pepper to taste

In a large pan or Dutch oven, place first 5 ingredients and saute mixture over low heat, until mushrooms and onions are soft and all the liquid rendered, is evaporated. Add wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in flour and cook and stir for about 2 minutes, turning all the while. Stir in broth and spinach and simmer soup for 2 minutes. Add cream and simmer soup for 10 minutes, uncovered. Add seasonings to taste.

(Aren't these little bowls the cutest? I picked them up in the clearance section of Anthropologie for half off! Now I wish I'd have bought more than two, but I always feel guilty picking up yet another dish of some sort even though I love them. I love them ALL!)

Bon Appetit!

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