I make a lot of granola. Like a lot, a lot. My husband eats a bowlful every morning with yogurt. Me, I just eat it by the handful. I’ve tried yogurt, I’ve tried milk and eating it like a cereal, even topped with bourbon peaches. But for whatever reason, I’ve never craved granola in the morning. It’s more of an after-the-gym or late night snack for me.
It really is true, that when you can’t have something, that’s when you want it most. That’s me and pancakes. I’ve never been a huge sweet breakfast fan. I know I’ve written in the past about my weekly Saturday pancake breakfasts growing up, which resulted in boycotting pancakes for years. Then, when I finally had the ability to stomach them again, I found I didn’t really need them. Savory eggs with bacon and potatoes became my breakfast of choice. For years I would occasionally order pancakes at brunch–the menu description just sounded so tempting–eat a bit and be done. Too much sweet.
Last month, when I reviewed my week’s Secret Recipe Club reveal posts, it dawned on me that I was doing something wrong. Two beautiful granola recipes were among the collection. Both full of flavor, crunch and simple as could be. It was then I realized: I was doing granola all wrong.
Lately dinner has been a rush. Work is wonderful but stressful so late nights lead to quick fixes like burgers or mac & cheese or worse…takeout. Needless to say, I haven’t been cooking as much as I’d like. Which also accounts for the long periods of silence in between posts. I just haven’t been able to experiment with creating new recipes lately.
While dinner is a struggle, breakfast is something I’ve come to love and need. I used to be the person who never ate breakfast, went to work, maybe grabbed a cup of coffee on the way, and then didn’t put anything of substance in my stomach until about 1:30 or 2pm. Yet somehow when I started forcing myself to eat breakfast a few years ago, I became addicted and now need it to survive. On the occasional day I leave my apartment without food in my belly, I feel nauseous and dizzy on the subway ride in, until I’m able to finally fill that void. To avoid the drab bowl of cereal, I try to prep some foods on Sunday night to carry me through the week’s mornings.
I’ve always had a thing for lemon poppy seed muffins. Why I’ve never made them, I’m not sure. The extra stress of shopping for poppy seeds? Who knows. So when I was assigned to Traci’s Burnt Apple blog, through the Secret Recipe Club, I knew exactly what I would be making. I absolutely love Traci’s honesty. In her introduction, she admits to making a muffin so hard her husband tossed it through the wall, literally. She couldn’t cook. Yet her determination and growing family, forced her to take on the challenge. Burnt Apple is filled with healthy recipes, but unless you read the recipe, you’d never know. Everything just looks so tasty!
Brooklyn Locavore 