Last week, D and I got into our "Wayback" Machine and time traveled back to the 70's. We made tie dye shirts. D liked his so much that he says I should quit my job and become a professional tie-dyer. I told him that there isn't much call for that job these days.
We did some "string art" which was what got us into this 70's mood. We saw a project in one of the Family Fun magazines for string art. I'm not very crafty so I went to Michael's Crafts and bought a string art kit. It was pretty easy. Here is a picture of D's creation. It isn't quite finished.
Believe it or not, I made some Blueberry Granola. The recipe came from the Slash Food website. Definitely check out the site and read the funny story behind this recipe. It is worth the read. I made a few changes to the recipe. It is tasty.
Blueberry Granola
2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup peanuts or toasted almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut (I used unsweetened, but you can go for the sweetened kind if you'd like)
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ (optional)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used blueberries but you could use apricots or craisins or even dried apple)
scant 1/4 cup cooking oil (not olive)
1/2 cup honey
Mix the oat, nuts and grains in a large bowl. Measure oil into the measuring cup and swirl it around before pouring into bowl. Then measure out the honey in the same, unwashed cup. The oil will help the honey exit the cup. Toss everything together until evenly coated and then pour out into a baking pan. I use a large roasting pan, as it keeps everything contained. A cookie sheet with a lip also works, but you have to stir it slightly more carefully if you use that. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, turning it with a spatula every ten minutes or so. You want everything to be an even golden brown. When it is finished cooking, returned the baked granola to the mixing bowl, add the raisins and fruit and stir to combine. Stir gently several times as it cools, so that it doesn't clump together too much.
I never ate granola in the 70's, I never owned a tie-dyed shirt back then either. I did do my share of "string art" and made a few of those crazy yarn octopus (octopi?) (remember those). I wanted to share a little bit of the 70's with my son. We both enjoyed ourselves immensely.
