Kacie's Day Off - Granola and Auto-Repairs

Once upon a time when Stuart and I lived together and owned our own garage, we changed our own oil and did some of our own car maintenance   Of course when I say we, I mean I directed Stu's driving up the car ramps, and he actually got under the cars and did the dirty work while I talked his ear off.  Now that we don't have the luxury of doing it ourselves, we have to trust unknown mechanics to do it for us.  Now maybe it's because I'm a doctor and I believe in knowing all the facts and seeing things for myself, but it's pretty hard for me to trust someone telling me what needs to be done with my car.  I can't see it for myself, I know nothing about cars, and I know that I'm at a high likelihood of being taken advantage of.

Today, I was off.  And since I was 3,000 miles past my 75,000 mile check up (don't tell my dad!), I figured it was high time to suck it up and find an auto-mechanic.  So after some Google searching I happened on a place that looked promising.  I walked in the service department to the strong smell of grease and motor oil.  The guys behind the desk had stained fingernails and wrinkles around their mouths from years of cigarettes.  They were men of few words and bad grammar   I had a good feeling about this.  I handed over my keys and went to the waiting room where the wife of the owner greeted me with an internet password written on a Bounty napkin and offered me some fresh brewed coffee and a Hershey bar.  John Wayne posters plastered the dimly lit walls, and an American Flag hung high in the corner.  Turns out I had found a good place!  Even if they overcharged unbeknownst to me, at least I'm supporting some nice local people!  And before I left one of the mechanics cut his finger and I got to look at it.  No stitches required.

 My car repairs were a success, and so was this granola that I made!  Several months back I tried to make granola bars which were not quite so delicious.  They were a bit too chewy and I was afraid I would run the risk of pulling out my fillings if I ate them.  So I decided to attempt granola in its loose form this time.  Much better.  This is one of those things that if you have a well-stocked pantry, you can pretty much throw together at any time - and not in too much time at all!

After the granola was finished I decided to test it out on some non-fat Greek Yogurt with a lovely blood orange on the side.  Oh boy how I love blood oranges!  They're one of my favorite fruits.  First of all they're stunning.  I just love all the color mixture in the fruit and on the skin.  No two look alike.  They have few seeds, are pretty easy to cut, and are the perfect mixture of sweet and tart.

Homemade Loose Granola

1 egg white
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1.5 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 cup coconut shavings
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or vegetable)
1/4 cup flaxseeds (or sesame, or chia)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries, but apricots might be nice)
chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 300.  Combine all ingredients except the dried fruit and chocolate (if using).  Pour out on a baking sheet (covered in foil for no clean up!) and place in the oven.  Stir every 10 minutes, and bake until dry - about 40-50 minutes.  Let cool.  Afterward, stir in the fruit and chocolate chips.  Serve with milk as a cereal, or on top of granola, or just by itself!