Granola Payola

 gra·no·la noun \grə-ˈnō-lə\

Definition of GRANOLA: a mixture typically of rolled oats and various added ingredients (as brown sugar, raisins, coconut, and nuts) that is eaten especially for breakfast or as a snack

Origin of GRANOLA: from Granola, a trademark; first known use: 1970

Rhymes with GRANOLA: Angola, boffola, canola, crapola, Ebola, mandola, payola, plugola, scagliola, Tortola, Victrola, Vignola, viola

It's a granola weekend at the Unprocessed Project. Merriam-Webster's definition, above, contains everything one would expect in a cereal meaning and more. Since when are rhyming words included in definitions? I could have lived without rhymes. I did, however, enjoy the hop-skip-and-jump from granola to crapola--which is all I've been getting from my taste testers--and thence to payola--which is what I'll soon be demanding if they want me to keep feeding them. And while I might have come up with canola myself, ebola and the rest would have eluded me, so the list was fun in a found-poem kind of way.

Also, until looking up the word, I was not aware that granola began life as a trademark, like xerox and kleenex. Somehow granola seems above those utilitarian items--more granola-y. Which brings us to a usage not yet sanctioned by the mighty M-Ws of our language: granola the adjective. As in: tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, real food-blogging, perhaps someday moving to an organic farm in Vermont. As in: Laura's way more granola than her brothers (so they say) but less granola than pinecone-scarfing Euell Gibbons (remember him?). The Urban Dictionary provides a hip new definition of granola to fill the void left by M-W. Agree or not: it seems a tad overreaching to me.  

But enough word nerdery--food pictures demand recipes. This recipe comes, slightly amended, from Jane Brody's Good Food Book: Living the High-Carbohydrate Way. You read that right, paleo fans: a book that advocates low-fat, high-carb (really whole grain) eating. First published in 1985, it is, incredibly, still in print. My copy has plenty of life left in it, so I won't be rushing out to buy a new one (how granola of me).

   

Great Granola

Melt 1/4 c. butter or margarine in an ovenproof pan and stir in 1/4 c. honey.

Add 3 c. rolled oats (regular or quick), 1 c. shredded or flaked coconut (optional), 1 c. sunflower seeds (untoasted), 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and any other grain or nuts you wish to use (note: if you add a LOT more, you'll want to adjust the butter/honey ratios).

Bake mixture at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring several times.

Add 1/2 c. wheat germ (optional) and bake for ten more minutes, or until lightly browned.

Remove granola from oven, stir in 2/3 c. raisins (and/or any other dried fruit--I added dried apricots today). Let cool completely before transferring to a storage container.

Nothing could be simpler.