Microwave Granola To The Rescue...The Fastest Gift From The Kitchen

At 9 am one day last week, I realized that I needed some baked goods... FAST. No time for cookies, banana breads or even muffins. So I turned to my world famous Granola. Regis and Kelly were on in the background and I had 4 batches made before host chat was over. Well, not exactly, but I WAS able to leave the kitchen well before RR came on at 10.

Plan to make multiple batches, because this is so good. Don't scoff because this is a microwave recipe. I'd put it against the finest baked granola. AND there is no extra fat (other than the considerable amount in the nuts and the tiny amount in the wheatgerm).

The microwave part is both good and bad. It's good because it's so fast. The bad part is that it's tricky to cook more than one recipe at a time. So for maximum efficiency, I PREPARE 4 batches at once, but COOK them one right after the other.

To cook 4 batches really quickly, I toast all the nuts together in a 10 inch glass pie dish - about 3ish minutes on high. Meanwhile, I measure out one recipe worth of the other dry ingredients 4 times into 4 separate containers. When the nuts are done, divide them into the 4 containers. You don't have to be exact.

Place the first batch of dry stuff in the 10 inch glass pie dish. Stir in the honey and cook according to the recipe. Pour mixture into a BIG container - a huge mixing bowl or roasting pan. Then place the next batch of dry ingredients into the glass baking dish. Add the honey, stir well and cook. Pour THAT into the first batch of cooked granola. Continue for 2 more batches. Add the raisins and dried cranberries. Stir really well and store in an airtight container until you've eaten or given away every last rolled oat.

The only tricky thing is mixing in the honey, which can be a bit of a sticky enterprise. I'm pretty particular and I like to to make sure that no oat flake goes un-honeyed.

(When I'm making four batches, I use at least 4 types of nuts. Each recipe calls for 2/3 cup of nuts, so I use two-thirds of a cup each of sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, and chopped cashews.)

For gift-giving, I fill the granola into plain plastic bags, no zippers, strips or fancy stuff (they're not all that easy to find). Turn the bag, so the granola goes into one of the bottom corners. Twist the bag tight and you'll have a cone shape. Close with a twist tie. Tie with a ribbon and you'll have a quick, delightful gift for any deserving friend, colleague or neighbor. Here's the recipe for one batch of granola. (It's never enough.)

Sue's Awesome Granola
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup raisins and/or dried
cranberries

Place the nuts in a 10 inch glass pie dish or microwavable bowl. Cook on high for 2 minutes to lightly toast the nuts. (The time may vary with your microwave.) Stir in oats, wheat germ and brown sugar until well mixed. Stir in honey, making sure to coat the mixture well.

Cook on high in microwave for 2 minutes. Stir well. Cook up to 2 minutes longer, stirring and checking the mixture after 1 minute. (Depending on your microwave, it might be done.) Cool slightly. Stir in raisins and/or dried cranberries. Store in airtight container.