Grrr Nola!

I'm a big fan of breakfast. It really can set the tone for your day. One of my favorites is granola with yogurt,  all homemade. I've got the yogurt making down. (See, Yogurt) But I'm still hunting for Zenny's recipe for granola. I just can't get that flavor out of my head.

I've done some googling and have started making my own batches, tweaking it here and there until I find the flavor she mastered...or something close. I did something very right last time...so why oh why did I not write the combination down somewhere?! Back to the drawing board.

Granola is fairly simple to make. Mix your ingredients, bake stirring occasionally until you can smell it then it's done. And man how wonderful the kitchen smells with baking granola. (325 for about 30 mins)

I made a batch this week and thankfully, it's close. Just missing some freshly shredded coconut. This is what I had in it:

• 4 cups of rolled oats
• 1 cup of bran flakes
• pecans (I just dumped the bag in)
• sesame seeds
• ground flax
• sunflower seeds
• 1-2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp of oil

For me it's the cinnamon that is the flavor that haunts me. Getting so close. :)

Tammy
One of The Girls

I had a photo but the photo picker in blogger isn't currently working. I'll add it when it's up and running again.

Yogurt

 This weekend I made yogurt and it turned out perfectly!

I first came to appreciate yogurt during my first trip to Greece. It was offered every morning in the hotels we stayed at with hard boiled eggs and muslex for breakfast. Not liking the runny version at home I wasn't hopeful but gave it a try. Zing! Nothing like home. This yogurt was thick, creamy and a tangy delight. I was heartsick for it when I came back.

Now those who know me, know I like my ingredients to have as little processing as possible so I try to make what I can myself. I also prefer to make it instead of buying it.

It started with different types of breads. Then Zenny's Granola recipe which, try as I might, never tasted as good as hers did. She was the cook at the guest house I stayed at when I was in the Philippines. Some of it is that I'm sure our ingredients here in Canada are just not as fresh as what she had to work with so the flavors don't pop quite the same. But still. I've recently lost the recipe so am emailing to see if I can get another copy.

So what better to go with homemade granola than homemade yogurt. And lucky me, I got a yogurt maker for Christmas! It turned out just how I remembered it in Greece! Bliss!

Hmmmm I'm craving tzatziki and tandoori now too. Giggle.