Until this morning, I didn’t know that snacking on oyster crackers had anything to do with my daughter’s imminent departure to college. Tomorrow, we’ll take her back to New York, where she began her education sixteen years ago and likely will finish it there.
Like bookends of her career of hitting the books.
Every night for the past two weeks, while everyone was asleep (eating disorder, eating disorder), I slowly snacked on salty bites of emotion that turn into wallpaper paste in the mouth. Why oyster crackers and not something more decadent like chocolate or food more thematic like black & white cookies or bagels or even something regressive like baby food and cheerios? Why not luscious sliced peaches in my refrigerator? Could it be I’m trying to build more arm fat so my last hug will leave an impression. Or am I developing the pooch into a phantom pregnancy?
Then it hit me, my freshmen fifteentwentywas earned with nightly helpings of butterscotch sundaes that I absurdly topped off with oyster crackers. Early version of salted caramels, perhaps.
I was bringing back my college comfort food.
Isn’t it funny how you can feel homesick for your home and for your kids who aren’t home? It’s the same angst of learning to thrive without the protection of family. Maybe the gnawing pain in the gut feels less sharp with a coating of wallpaper paste.
Well my stomach may have felt better with oyster crackers but my ass was begging me to stop, claiming it hurt equally as much as my stomach when being wedged into pants and my eyes say they’re burning something fierce when having to look at a reflection of that sore ass in the mirror. So, I’m opting for something snacky, healthy, and comfortingly homemade. This granola does the trick.
Easy to make of course and great for wholesome grains that top a parfait as a complete breakfast or top the next butterscotch sundae.
Truthfully, we’re bursting with excitement . It will be my birthday and while I can think of no better present than escorting Kendall to the dream school she worked so hard to attain, I’m reminded of this one song I played over and over while I danced with her at 13 weeks old, on my last day of maternity leave.
[recipe]
homemade granola
4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups walnut halves
1 cup unsweetened shredded large-flake coconut
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2/3 cup dried currants
grated zest of two oranges
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup of juice from the oranges
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees with racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Set out two rimmed baking sheets.
- Combine the oats, walnuts, coconut, salt, currants and orange zest in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir in the maple syrup and the juice of the oranges. Whisk until thoroughly combined, then pour the maple mixture over the oat mixture and stir until everything is well coated, at least 30 seconds.
- Divide the mixture equally between the two baking sheets and spread into a thin layer.
- Bake, stirring a couple times along the way, for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until the granola is toasty and deeply golden. You may want to rotate the pan once, top to bottom, to ensure even baking.
- Remove from the oven and press down on the granola with a metal spatula–you’ll get more clumps this way. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature.
recipe from Super Natural Every Day and provided by your friends at crunchtimfood.com
3 Comments
recipe?
Thanks Tami. I corrected the typo in code that had prevented the recipe from showing.
I am all vklempt…and the granola sounds good too. xo
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