So, it’s just another routine day here at Chez Carr. Got out of bed, threw on my bathrobe, trundled out to the living room, drank my Americano while reading the paper, took my shower, got dressed, fixed breakfast, ate breakfast, did the dishes, put on my “head”. (“Head” meaning apply the minimum amount of makeup to make me less scary looking). After making myself presentable, I then sat down at my desk and read the email posts that interested me, made a quick revue of Facebook posts, and got my daily dose of reality by reading Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American. Pretty darn interesting way to begin a day, right? (Actually, at my age, any day that I wake up still alive and kicking is cause for celebration!) But, if somewhere each morning I’m fortunate enough to find even one small morsel of delight in my daily morning routine, I’m pretty much assured that the rest of my day is going to run smoothly. And today’s delightful bright spot was this granola.

And yes, I make granola all the time. In fact, there are several great granola recipes already on this site. But this one was especially fun to make because it includes freeze-dried fruit. And I’d never worked with freeze-dried fruit before. And I find that I like freeze-dried fruit – a lot! At least I like the blueberries. I also purchased freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries, and I can’t imagine that I won’t find them just as delicious. Eating freeze-dried blueberries is just about as good as eating the crunch berries in Cap’N Crunch, without the corn flour, sugar, oat flour, brown sugar, palm and/or coconut oil, salt, sodium citrate, natural and artificial flavor, red 40, malic acid, reduced iron, niacinamide, (one of the B vitamins), yellow 5, strawberry juice concentrate, zinc oxide, blue 1, yellow 6, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid (4 more B vitamins), BHT (preservative), and tocopherols (preservative). (And no, I do not routinely eat crunch berries. I wish I could because they are truly a guilty pleasure. But I must draw the line somewhere. And my Cap’N Crunch line is drawn in indelible as well as inedible ink!) But back to freeze-dried fruit.  

There is however one itsy, bitsy problem inherent with freeze-dried fruit. It’s damn expensive! So, as much as I would like to eat it every day, it ain’t going to happen! At Chez Carr, freeze-dried fruit has now been relegated to the list of “once in a while if you’ve been really, really good” that includes, but is not limited to, that crème de la crème of steaks – filet mignon, saffron, a pound of fresh cracked crab (that I don’t have to shell), and Scharffen Berger baking chocolate.

But if you happen to have some freeze-dried fruit just lying around, I would highly recommend that you use it in this granola recipe. Of course, if you don’t happen to have any around, this granola is still wonderful without its inclusion. Let’s face it, the next time I prepare this recipe, there won’t be any freeze-dried fruit in my cereal either!

As always, be happy with what you have. Some things, like freeze-dried fruit are lovely, but going without them is OK too. In fact, if we all got everything we wanted, and all our wishes were invariably granted, how would we ever know the pure joy that simple pleasures can bring?

I treasure what I do have. And I don’t pine away for the things that are out of my realm of possibility. My dad taught me to be happy. And I will always be more than grateful for his insight. Peace and love to all.  

⅓ c. extra virgin olive oil

⅓ c. maple syrup or honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. fine-grain sea salt  

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

6 c. old-fashioned rolled oats  

1½ c. roughly chopped whole almonds (or nut of choice)

1 c. coconut flakes

1½ c. dried blueberries

1 c. freeze-dried blueberries, opt. (I used a 1.2-oz. package)   

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon together. Stir in the oats and nuts until the oats and nuts are evenly coated.  

Spoon the granola evenly onto a large-rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the coconut flakes. Return to oven and bake an additional 11-14 minutes or until the oats are a lightly golden color.

Remove from oven and stir in the dried blueberries. Allow the granola to cool undisturbed for at least an hour or until completely cool. The granola will crisp up as it cools.

Stir in the freeze-dried berries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Wonderful served with milk or for a special treat, serve as a parfait with yogurt.