Rules and revelations

After so many of you very sweetly asked for my granola recipe, it made me stop and think about my cooking habits.

First, I don't use a recipe for the granola. Or most anything I make. Sure, the first time, or maybe even two, that I make something I use a recipe. Almost. I like to substitute if something doesn't strike me as quite right. Or if I don't have an ingredient. I will not run to the store to get an ingredient. I will stick everything I've mixed together so far into the fridge. But you can forget about me going to the store for something.Thinking about how I really thumb my nose at recipes then led me to thinking about how I do that to so many things in my life.

And that led to a huge revelation for me.

I am a rule breaker.Honestly, that came as a huge shock to me. I have always felt that I was a strict rule follower. Seriously. But now I realize that I rarely follow rules - I just don't like to get caught breaking them.I don't mind if I get caught not following a recipe. It does make it hard to recreate something that turned out particularly good. Once I made a pear pie that was incredible. A friend asked me for the recipe. I searched every cookbook I had and even went to the library to look through some I could remember checking out. No luck. It was a one time treat.

Sure, I have my share of flops. But, I also have my share of hits. And fortunately, my husband is very adventurous so he never minds that his food has a slightly different taste each time he sits down at the table.

But the rule breaker revelation doesn't stop there. I rarely think rules are meant for me. At least if I ask nicely. Which I am prone to do. Frequently.

Sometimes this gets me nowhere. But often, it gets me where I want to be - or at least closer. When I'm buying or paying for something, I will very often propose a better deal for myself. I usually get it. Doesn't bother me to ask at all. As a matter of fact, I love for my children to hear me do this so that maybe they can learn this habit as well. It has saved us a fortune.
People are divided into those that are comfortable asking for discounts, favors, and breaking some little rules that don't cause any harm to anyone and those people that break out into a sweat just thinking about doing one of those items. My dear husband falls into the latter group. Which is why we make such a perfect couple.

Kinda like the good cop/bad cop. Guess which one I am.

*Now, because such a large number of you really did ask for that recipe, all nice and everything, I'll try to help you. My recipe is based on the Moosewood granola recipe in Moosewood Restaurant New Classics (which is a great book. As a matter of fact, I love all the Moosewood cookbooks.).
4 1/2 cups rolled oats (use whole oats. I buy the ones in the large container at Aldi. And, I use about 6 cups)
1/4 cup oat bran
1/2 sunflower seeds (I don't use these. Not sure why but I think I was out the first time and forgot they were in the recipe)
1/4 hulled sesame seeds (Nope. Never used them)
2 teaspoons cinnamon (Or more. Use good quality. Think Penzeys)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (Almonds are my favorite nuts. I use more than this. And I buy them whole and chop them myself. Cheaper and easier for me)
1/4 cup each cashews, Brazil nuts, walnuts (Really? People eat Brazil nuts? Not me. I do like walnuts. Never put cashews in. I often add pecans because I am from the south)
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (Never used this either)
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses (I forgot this was in the recipe. That would be good for me to add. For sweetener, I use honey and a tiny bit of brown sugar. I don't add quite 1/2 cup total at this time, but I have gradually decreased my sugar)
Add your dry ingredients together in a glass lasagna sized dish. Forget the cookie sheet. Your granola will stick if you do that. Mix the oil and sugars together in a bowl and microwave a minute or so, especially if you use brown sugar because it has to melt. Stir. To this I add vanilla - again, spring for the good stuff. How much do I add? A good dollop. Precisely. Plus, a little extra because I love vanilla. Pour the liquid over the dry and stir. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, stir, bake 10 minutes more. Allow to cool. Then, add in dried fruit if you want. Be creative. After it cools completely, I put it in a cereal keeper. It would probably keep a couple of weeks or longer but mine never lasts. I love it best over really good vanilla lowfat yogurt. Stonyfield Farms makes a great one that is about $2 more a container than Aldi's which is just as creamy and good. Enjoy.