Hostess Gift: Tomorrow's Breakfast

The weekends are always best spent with friends. And, when that includes a home cooked meal at a friend's home, there is reason to celebrate and be thankful! 

I have said this before. I LOVE giving gifts. Especially when it serves to thank someone for their generosity or a kind thought. 

On Saturday evening, we joined some friends at their home for dinner. To me, the perfect hostess gift is thoughtful. Sometimes practical. Other times, simply fun. Wine, flowers, cocktail napkins, etc. are always generous sentiments, but when time allows, homemade is better. And with an hour on my side on Friday, I made a batch of granola and complimented the nutty, crunchy snack with strawberries for a "Tomorrow's Breakfast" gift pack.

OLIVE OIL GRANOLA WITH DRIED APRICOTS AND CRANBERRIES 

(adapted from this recipe)

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups mixed raw nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, raw cashews, pecans, almonds, etc.)

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup mixed dried fruit (chopped apricots, cranberries, cherries, figs, prunes, etc)

ONE: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl, combine the oats, nuts/seeds, syrup, honey, oils, salt and cinammon. 

TWO: Spread mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet, in an even layer. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.

THREE: Allow to cool. Transfer granola to a bowl and add dried fruit. Store in an airtight container for a week. Any additional granola can be kept in the freezer for later use.

NOTE: Depending on how moist your dried fruit is, the granola may soften. Even so, it's just delicious, especially when spread over yogurt, ricotta cheese or served with milk.

Hopefully "Tomorrow's Breakfast" served to the ease our friends into a family-packed, busy Sunday morning.