Granola and Yogurt

 My favourite breakfast :)  Ever since I worked in the kitchen at a Christian "behaviour modification" (aka boot) camp back in the Summer of 2001 I've loved having homemade granola and yogurt for breakfast.  It was the meal I most enjoyed to prepare and it just felt so hearty to eat. Admittedly, after that summer it wasn't until I had kids that I tried to make it again from scratch.  And until last week I had only made the yogurt from skim milk powder (since that's what we had to work with at the camp).  But oh, how yummy yogurt is when made from milk :) Thank you, Soulemama for posting your recipe.  So simple. My recipe for granola is Keith's mom's that I've tweaked with over time.

Yogurt - Soulemama

The amount of milk you use will roughly equal the amount of yogurt you make.  If you'd like to make a quart of yogurt, you'll need a quart of milk.  You'll also need some starter yogurt.  You can use the leftovers from the previous week's yogurt or store-bought yogurt that has active bacterial cultures.

In a saucepan, heat your milk to 180 degrees F (I don't have a food thermometer so I heated it until it was just about boiling or scalded.  You then cool the milk down to 110 degrees.  You can do this more quickly by putting the saucepan in a bowl of cold water or in a sink of cold water (be careful not to get any in the saucepan).  When the temperature reaches 110 degrees (or when you can put your finger in the milk comfortably), stir in your yogurt.  Soulemama figures it is 1/4 cup per quart or 2 cups/gallon. You can then ladle the mixture into mason jars (be sure they are very clean). Don't put the lids on yet.  Place your open jars in a cooler and wrap a towel or blanket around it and close the lid of the cooler.  Incubate the yogurt for 7-10 hours at 110 degrees.  When it has thickened, put it in the fridge (it will continue to thicken up a bit).  There are lots and lots of ways to incubate your yogurt (in a gas oven with the pilot light, etc.) check out Soulemama's post for more ideas.  You can eat your yogurt with some honey or maple syrup mixed in - or just plain.

Granola - I sometimes half the recipe depending on what the supply and demand is around here.

8 cups quick oats (not instant)
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup wheat bran
1 cup oat bran
1 cup shredded coconut
chopped or slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, any other nut or seed you'd like to toss in.
2 cups water mixed with 2 cups oil
1/3 cup honey
In a large roasting pan mix together dry ingredients.  Stir in oil mixture and honey until well coated. Bake uncovered in oven at 250 degrees F for 2 hours; stirring every 30 minutes.  Add raisins and leave pan in oven while it is cooling down (this will plump up the raisins).

If you'd prefer, you can use 1/3 cup maple syrup or 2 cups brown sugar instead of honey to sweeten.

Add some fresh or frozen berries and you've got yourself one delicious and nutritious breakfast!