Pumpkinspun’s Musings

Ann promised folks at our recent knitting weekend that she’d share her famous granola recipe, and since I try and post family recipes on this blog anyway, I had her dictate the recipe to me this evening:

Ann’s Yummy Crunchy Vermont Granola

8 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 cup oil (canola is good)
1/2 cup honey and/or maple syrup
2 cups assorted seeds and nuts*

*sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, sesame seed, all raw, of course!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Get out 3 or 4 cookie sheets
In oversized bowl pour in grains, nuts and seeds. In 1 cup measure, fill halfway with oil, fill rest of way with honey. Pour over nuts and grains. Mix thoroughly. (Note from Ann: this is the longest part of the job.) Ann starts mixing with a spoon and ends up blending with her very washed hands.

When well mixed, spread out thinly onto ungreased cookie sheets. Place in oven, after about 10 minutes when granola starts to color, take out, mix granola up in pans and rotate position of pans in oven. Bake for about half the time again (another 5 minutes) until light golden brown.
Cool in pans, when completely cool store in airtight container. When cool you can add dried fruit to your pleasure. (wild berry mix dried fruit, raisins, cranberries, whatever)

Makes about 3 quarts of granola.

Hearty Winter food

Here’s a favorite recipe of mine, a very hearty and heavy type of muffin that I have adapted so many times it barely resembles the recipe as I first saw it (originally from the Victory Garden Cookbook). These are NOT light muffins, in weight, density nor calories, but oh, are they yummy, and filling, and they are a great nutritious and handy snack food for a long car trip!

Pumpkin/Winter Squash Muffins

Sift together:
3 cups flour (whole wheat or white)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup-3/4 cup sugar (depends on your taste)
1 tsp salt

Mix in a separate bowl:
2 cups finely grated RAW Pumpkin or Winter Squash
(this is great with acorn, buttercup, or any other sweet winter squash)
2 eggs
1 cup crushed canned pineapple, with juice
1 stick soft butter

Optional add-ins:
*golden or reg raisins, nuts, grated coconut, sunflower seeds, *sesame seeds (add whichever of these to the wet ingredients before mixing w the dry - I love to put golden raisins and sunflower or sesame seeds in particularly)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, sift together dry ingredients, then add the add the wet ingredients and cut with a pastry blender or fork until JUST blended, do not beat. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full, top with a smidge of sesame seeds, and
bake for 20 minutes, or until just golden on top. Makes about 18-24 muffins. They store well for a week if kept covered and are GREAT served warm! They also disappear fast around my house.

Enjoy!

Sadelle