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Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert

Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert is an easy dessert that you can make from a few items in the pantry and freezer at any time of the year. It works well for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day, bridal or baby showers, etc. It is sweet and rich, yet somehow also seems light and refreshing. It is a rather nostalgic dessert as it reminds me a little of an orange push-up ice cream treat from my childhood. Plus, it is a molded gelatin dessert, which always reminds me of the past. As with other gelatin and fruit dishes, someone might call this a "Jello salad" in the United States. However, this recipe uses an entire quart of orange sherbert in addition to gelatin, so I can not bring myself … Continue Reading about Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert

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Easy Homemade Granola

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I do not pay more than two dollars for a box of cereal…unless my husband is at the grocery store with me. He purports to not like “flaked” cereal, thus he is always putting some type of granola in the cart. Except on a rare occasion, the granola is much more than two dollars a box even if I do have a coupon.

My sister made the situation worse when she found him a granola from England at an unusual grocery store near her home. He loved it, and we are now able to buy it locally…at more than six dollars for a fairly small box!

Thus, I set out to make granola that would be better tasting than most of it you find at the store, at least as healthy, and much cheaper.

After much research, I came to a few conclusions about homemade granola:
1. It is easy to make.
2. It is very easy to customize to your individual taste and price point.
3. It is cheaper than the boxed granola.
4. It needs stored in an air tight container.

I have actually made it a couple of different ways. The must haves include oats, canola oil, and salt.

: Easy Granola

  1. 3 c. rolled oats
  2. 1/2 c. wheat germ and/or ground flax
  3. 3/4 c. nuts ( I like using slivered or sliced almonds)
  4. 1/2 c. honey
  5. 1/4 c. maple syrup
  6. 1/4 c. canola oil
  7. 1 tsp. cinnamon
  8. 1 tsp. salt
  9. 1 to 1 1/2 c. dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cranberries, etc.)

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Place oats, wheat germ and/or flax, and nuts in a large bowl.
  3. Mix honey, maple syrup, oil, and salt in a microwavable bowl.
  4. Microwave on high about 15 to 20 seconds.
  5. Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture and coat thoroughly.
  6. Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to stir every 5 to 10 minutes to assure even browning and baking.
  8. Cool on parchment paper on a wire rack.
  9. Once completely cooled, add dried fruit.
  10. Store in an airtight container.

If using flax, make sure that it is ground flax (flax meal). Do not use whole flax seeds. They are apparently not digested and you will not benefit from the rich omega 3’s, etc. they contain.

I have used both wheat germ and flax in the same batch.

I also made a batch using 1/2 c. brown sugar in the dry mix, omitted the honey and used 1/2 c. maple syrup.

Brown sugar seems to make the granola clump together more.

Pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds may be used.


How did I do? It is tasty, it is healthy, and it has a low per batch price. In fact, I made about 800 grams of granola for just under three dollars compared to over six dollars for 600 grams of the English granola.

The homemade granola is now my husband’s favorite. Of course, I still can’t keep a box of blueberry Special K without him eating it…there is a comment about flakes here but I am just going to leave it alone:)

Comments

  1. Hahaha! Ahhhh, men! What flakes! Looks like you’ve cracked the code on granola! We uy Bob’s Red Mill granola and Mueslix and it’s pricey … but I get it at a discount store so the pain isn;t quite so bad … on occasion, I do make SB granola … think I’ll try your recipe and see what he thinks!