{"id":1795,"date":"2004-12-08T15:31:00","date_gmt":"2004-12-08T15:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elitemporaryblog.wordpress.com\/2004\/12\/08\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime"},"modified":"2015-09-24T03:54:35","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T03:54:35","slug":"granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/","title":{"rendered":"Granola: when darkness looms, or anytime"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winter in the Pacific Northwest means dusk at 3:30 in the afternoon, with sunset around 4:15. Six in the evening might as well be midnight. When I look out my rain-streaked window at 5pm, I\u2019m met with the luminous glow of wet asphalt<\/strong> under the streetlamps in the grocery-store parking lot<\/strong>. So picturesque you are, Seattle.<\/p>\n

These long, cold nights and short, dark days call for rousing breakfasts<\/strong>. We\u2019ve all got to stoke the proverbial fire, but in winter such small rituals feel truly fortifying, somehow more deeply nourishing than during summer\u2019s more carefree months.<\/p>\n

That said, I should admit that \u2014 regardless of the season, gentle reader \u2014 each day I wake expressly for the purpose of eating the exact same breakfast<\/strong>.* Never mind the bus I\u2019ve got to catch or the work to be done. Nothing can keep me from my crimson glass breakfast bowl<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Behold, the routine:
1. Get out of bed;
2. Put on fleecy black bathrobe;
3. Wash face and put in contact lenses;
4. Turn on NPR<\/a>;
5. Enter kitchen;
6. Pour glass of water, preferably cool to cold;
7. Take down aforementioned bowl from shelf;
8. Deposit in bowl two handfuls of Heritage O\u2019s cereal<\/a>, a few spoonfuls of granola and a few of raisins, and big scoops of Brown Cow<\/a> plain yogurt;
9. Thoroughly mix contents of bowl with spoon; and
10. Eat.<\/p>\n

As mystic G. I. Gurdjieff<\/a> said about something, \u201ceverything else is nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, maybe you’re raising your eyebrows. Granted, this breakfast won\u2019t win any awards for aesthetic value, and it certainly wasn\u2019t crafted with what one typically thinks of as a gourmande\u2019s spirit. But honey, it certainly fills the void within. And regardless of your stance on plain yogurt or health-foody cereals, this homemade granola is mighty toothsome<\/strong>: amber-brown, hearty but delicate, fragrant with cinnamon and orange zest, toasty with almonds.<\/p>\n

Morning is not to be missed, even when it\u2019s still dark outside.<\/p>\n

*Sometimes there\u2019s Irish oatmeal<\/a>, but not often. There\u2019s also the occasional homemade scone<\/a>. But honestly, variety in breakfast food is overrated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Rancho La Puerta Granola<\/strong>
Adapted from The Rancho La Puerta Cookbook: 175 Bold Vegetarian Recipes from America\u2019s Premier Fitness Spa<\/em><\/a>, with thanks to jolly Bill Wavrin<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
\u00bd cup chopped raw almonds
\u00bd cup sunflower seeds
\u00bc cup whole-wheat flour
\u00bc cup oat or wheat bran
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
\u00be tsp ground ginger
\u00be tsp ground cardamom
\u00be cup honey
\u00bd cup unsweetened, unfiltered apple juice
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp grated orange zest
2 Tbs fresh orange juice<\/p>\n

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.<\/p>\n

In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flour, bran, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.<\/p>\n

In another bowl, whisk together honey, apple juice, vanilla, and oil until the honey is thoroughly incorporated. Add the orange zest and orange juice.<\/p>\n

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread the granola evenly over the baking sheet and bake for 1 \u00bd to 2 hours, checking every 15 or so minutes. When the granola begins to brown, stir and turn over gently with a spatula. Take care that the outside edges do not burn. Your house or apartment should, by this point, smell spectacular<\/em>. When golden and dry, scrape onto a cool baking sheet and set aside to cool. Granola will crisp as it cools. Store in an airtight container, preferably in the refrigerator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter in the Pacific Northwest means dusk at 3:30 in the afternoon, with sunset around 4:15. Six in the evening might as well be midnight. When I look out my rain-streaked window at 5pm, I\u2019m met with the luminous glow of wet asphalt under the streetlamps in the grocery-store parking lot. So picturesque you are, Seattle. These long, cold nights and short, dark days call for rousing breakfasts. We\u2019ve all got to stoke the proverbial fire, but in winter such small rituals feel truly fortifying, somehow more deeply nourishing than during summer\u2019s more carefree months. That said, I should admit that \u2014 regardless of the season, gentle reader \u2014 each day I wake expressly for the purpose of eating the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGranola: when darkness looms, or anytime | Orangette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Granola: when darkness looms, or anytime | Orangette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Winter in the Pacific Northwest means dusk at 3:30 in the afternoon, with sunset around 4:15. Six in the evening might as well be midnight. When I look out my rain-streaked window at 5pm, I\u2019m met with the luminous glow of wet asphalt under the streetlamps in the grocery-store parking lot. So picturesque you are, Seattle. These long, cold nights and short, dark days call for rousing breakfasts. We\u2019ve all got to stoke the proverbial fire, but in winter such small rituals feel truly fortifying, somehow more deeply nourishing than during summer\u2019s more carefree months. That said, I should admit that \u2014 regardless of the season, gentle reader \u2014 each day I wake expressly for the purpose of eating the…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orangette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/molly.wizenberg\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2004-12-08T15:31:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-09-24T03:54:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/12\/Granola1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mollyorangette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mollyorangette\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Molly\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/\",\"name\":\"Orangette\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/12\/Granola1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/12\/Granola1.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/\",\"name\":\"Granola: when darkness looms, or anytime | Orangette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2004-12-08T15:31:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-09-24T03:54:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#\/schema\/person\/72d7c362f82fa0578c635d88a69d07fe\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Granola: when darkness looms, or anytime\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#\/schema\/person\/72d7c362f82fa0578c635d88a69d07fe\",\"name\":\"Molly\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/orangette.net\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/orangette.net\/author\/molly\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Granola: when darkness looms, or anytime | Orangette","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Granola: when darkness looms, or anytime | Orangette","og_description":"Winter in the Pacific Northwest means dusk at 3:30 in the afternoon, with sunset around 4:15. Six in the evening might as well be midnight. When I look out my rain-streaked window at 5pm, I\u2019m met with the luminous glow of wet asphalt under the streetlamps in the grocery-store parking lot. So picturesque you are, Seattle. These long, cold nights and short, dark days call for rousing breakfasts. We\u2019ve all got to stoke the proverbial fire, but in winter such small rituals feel truly fortifying, somehow more deeply nourishing than during summer\u2019s more carefree months. That said, I should admit that \u2014 regardless of the season, gentle reader \u2014 each day I wake expressly for the purpose of eating the…","og_url":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/","og_site_name":"Orangette","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/molly.wizenberg","article_published_time":"2004-12-08T15:31:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-09-24T03:54:35+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/12\/Granola1.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@mollyorangette","twitter_site":"@mollyorangette","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Molly","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#website","url":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/","name":"Orangette","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/12\/Granola1.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/12\/Granola1.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/","name":"Granola: when darkness looms, or anytime | Orangette","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2004-12-08T15:31:00+00:00","dateModified":"2015-09-24T03:54:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#\/schema\/person\/72d7c362f82fa0578c635d88a69d07fe"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2004\/12\/granola-when-darkness-looms-or-anytime\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Granola: when darkness looms, or anytime"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/orangette.net\/#\/schema\/person\/72d7c362f82fa0578c635d88a69d07fe","name":"Molly","sameAs":["http:\/\/orangette.net"],"url":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/author\/molly\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1795"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2429,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1795\/revisions\/2429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}