how I make granola.

I get in these funks where I want to cook something, but I'm too tired/injured/filled with darkness to bother with complicated recipes. This is where granola comes in because, for myself and my family, it's an incredibly healthy and quick option, and also very versatile. And--man--do I love my oats.

Every person I know makes granola a different way. This is mine.

Granola
4 cups whole oats
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cardamom
2 1/2 tbsp. powdered stevia
pinch of kosher salt
2 medium overripe bananas, mashed, then pureed in blender
1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted (I used the microwave)
1/3 cup raw honey
unsweetened rice milk
shredded, unsweetened coconut (I used Bob's Red Mill)
roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds

Preheat your oven to 300. Combine the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, stevia, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, coconut oil, and honey, mixing well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a wooden spoon. Now pour in a little bit of rice milk at a time, mixing after each addition. I didn't make a note of measurement here because well, I never measure this part. I add enough that the granola is moist, but not sopping. Too wet and it won't crisp up in the oven.

Pour the mixture onto a large, non-stick baking sheet. I use my fingers and the back of a spatula to press the mixture down flat in one firm layer, all the way to the edges of the pan. Try to distribute it evenly. Now put it in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes.

Take the mixture out and move it around on the pan. I try to put what was around the edges in the middle, middle to the edges and so on. Back in the oven, this time for 10 minutes. Check it again. Turn your oven down to 275. From this point, I do ten minute intervals, checking constantly, until it reaches a crispiness and a light golden-brown color. Then I simply shake a mixture of coconut and sunflower seeds all across the top, and put it back into the oven for about 8 minutes.

Breakfast. And elevenses. And dinner.

a new blog name (and a loaf of bread)

So...I renamed by blog. Obviously. I have no real reason for doing this, other than I felt like it was time. Also because when I originally named it Bee's Nest, I was feeling rather lazy and just went with my familial nickname. The URL I desired wasn't even available, so it was all rather ramshackle and not exactly what I wanted.

It's funny when you name something...I think we try to come up with something overly clever or witty or poetic. Or maybe that's just what I do. I had about 40 other combinations of words other than the above and trust me, they were all rather pretentious. So I asked myself, "Brit, what are a few of your favorite things?" And immediately my brain screamed FLOWERS AND COFFEE CUPS!!!!!!!! I collect both with an obsession bordering on mental illness.

And so that's what I went with. I'm sticking with it.

Also, I made bread and wanted to share my very favorite recipe. I love bread. Who doesn't? I love trying new bread recipes all the time, but if I was forced to pick just one, it would be this one.

My Favorite Loaf adapted from The River Cottage Family Cookbook

King Arthur bread flour, 4 cups plus more for dusting (I need to say this: please do not deviate from the King Arthur flour. I'm convinced it's what makes this bread so wonderful.)

2 tsp. kosher salt

3 tbsp. ground flax seed

1 packet dried instant yeast

2 tbsp. olive oil, plus a little for greasing

2 tsp. sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, flax, and yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Put the olive oil and sugar in a measuring cup, then fill to just over the 1 1/4 mark with warm--not hot!--water. Stir very well, then add a little at a time to the flour mixture, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon until combined. At this point you'll have a very shaggy mess. Tip this out onto a floured cutting board. Wash and dry your bowl and set it aside.

Begin to knead your dough. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle some flour over it and work it in. If it feels too dry, use a sprinkle of water. You're going to knead for 10-15 minutes--just keep going until carpel tunnel sets in. The dough will turn into a soft and bouncy mass. Form the dough into a ball.

Drizzle some olive oil into your clean bowl, then place your dough in the bottom. Flip it over once, then cover with a damp tea towel. Place in a warm location, but not too warm or you'll kill the yeast. Let the dough rise for about 2 hours, by which time it should be gloriously puffy.

Punch the dough out, then turn it out of the bowl, and knead again for just a minute. Roll the dough into a log or sausage shape, then place into an oiled loaf pan. Tuck the ends slightly underneath the rest of the dough. Cover and let rise again for half an hour. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400F.

Place the loaf in the oven on the middle rack and set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 375F. Cook for another 10 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven, turn out your loaf of bread, then place the whole thing back in the oven, upside-down so that the bottom can brown. This will take 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it. When the loaf is a lovely golden shade, and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom with your knuckles, it's done.

Leave your bread to cool for at least an hour, which will allow it to form a crust. It's a hard wait, I know. Then slice and enjoy with butter and honey, strawberry jam, or like I did, with a beautiful salad.

xoxo
Brit

carrot, ginger, and coconut soup.

Or, more accurately, carrot-ginger-coconut-pumpkin soup, but I feel like that's an awfully long name for such a simple recipe.

While this soup was definitely inspired by similar ones floating around on Pinterest, the end result is my own, tweaking it and adjusting the taste and adding dashes of this and that until I felt it was right. Feel free to adjust it to your own tastes--this is incredibly versatile, and you could make it sweeter or more savory, depending on what you add in. It's like (vegetarian) Thanksgiving in a bowl!

What You Need:

- one 13.5 oz can lite coconut milk
- roughly 1 cup pureed, canned pumpkin
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger root
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 6 whole medium-sized carrots, peeled and chopped
- sprigs of fresh rosemary
- olive oil, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, sea salt, black pepper, and honey

What You Do:

Start by drizzling a non-stick pan with olive oil. Heat the pan on medium/high, then add the onion. Let the onion sweat it out for a few minutes, then add the carrots. Keep a little cup of water on hand, and add just a tbsp. at a time when the pan gets too dry. Cover and let the onions and carrots sizzle away, stirring every few minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, pour in your can of coconut milk. Add a dash of cinnamon and a very tiny dash of cayenne pepper. Heat the milk on very low heat--you don't want it to bubble at all. Check your carrots. When you can pierce one with a fork, pour this mixture into the coconut milk. Add the pumpkin and ginger. Finely chop a little rosemary and throw that in as well. Remove the pot from heat and pour into a blender. Blend the soup, slowly at first. --->Make sure you vent the lid just a bit to let the heat out.<--- You may need to add just a little water to make it thinner. Once you have a smooth mixture with no chunks, pour it back into your saucepan. Heat again on low, and add a drizzle of honey, and salt and pepper. You may have to add what seems like quite a bit of salt, but just keep adding a pinch and tasting, until the savory quality of these vegetable comes out. Just go slowly--if you over-salt, you can't really undo it.

When satisfied with the taste of the soup, turn off the heat and cover it. I let it sit around for about 45 minutes or so while I baked a loaf of bread and made my husband a pizza. I, of course, don't really expect you to do those things. I would however recommend letting it sit for at least a half hour, so the flavors can deepen. Also, as is the case with most things, this soup really does taste better when closer to room temperature.

To serve, drizzle a bit of plain yogurt on top, then sprinkle with a bit of salt and add a sprig of rosemary. There you go! (By the way, I'd say you could serve at least four people this, especially if paired with some crusty bread, good, hard cheddar cheese, and some salty, oily olives, but that's up to you.)