November Days

November days have flown with daily school and not quite keeping up with the rest. I smile at the dusty candlesticks and autumn centerpiece that evolved out of Gabe's crafted turkey, dried, shriveled pomegranates, and a few leaves. I left the pomegranates out last holiday season, and kept them in the fridge all year as they looked too dried out to consume. Lo and behold I still have them, and they add a nice spot of color for the table for this year too! So, even dry, shriveled pomegranates add to the myriad of things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I've managed to keep the granola jar supplied for Marshal's daily breakfast. I read that nuts, seeds, and grains should all be soaked, sprouted, and dried for optimal digestibility and health, but so far I've only had just enough ambition for a bag of almonds or pecans from Costco. A handful of almonds are a great snack and are good thrown into the morning bowl of granola. I soak them, covered in filtered water and 1 Tblsp of sea salt, overnight and then dry them in a 140-150ºF oven for 24 hours or until crisp. It is worth it in taste and crunch alone!

My granola is composed of 12 cups of organic rolled oats bought in bulk, 2 cups of raw, unsulphured coconut, 1/2-1 cup each of sesame, sunflower, flax, and pumpkin seeds. I then stir 1 cup expeller-pressed coconut oil, 1 cup honey, and 1 tsp sea salt in a 2 cup measure cup, and then stir into the dry ingredients in a large roasting pan. I then bake it at 325ºF for an hour or longer until nicely golden, stirring every 15 minutes. At the end, last 10-15 minutes, I add raisins or other dried fruit. It makes a very satisfying breakfast that keeps us going strong most the day.