The gift of granola

Homemade granola and a few springy flowers from friends

Continuing on the theme of what to give in times of grief, how about handmade granola? It's crunchy and portable, and blessed with good shelf life. It wraps up nicely and looks attractive. You can snack on it by the fire after playing your ukulele, add it to your breakfast yogurt or ice cream, make a good cookie out of it. Whatever path you choose, this gift is sure to bring a wink and a smile.

I made a batch for the other family in mourning - and found myself devouring the leftovers. When Ellen came by with her edible boutique of veggies, I ended up pressing my container of large-flake, unsweetened coconut in her hands and urging her to go make granola. (Selfishly, I did not give her the small-dice dried papaya from Whole Foods.)

The idea got started when my pal at Taste of Home Jeanne asked for a good granola recipe. This was on a weekend when she was playing around in her kitchen with whatever she had on hand, some pepitas, real maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla - she's a terrific flavor-builder. I sent her the Coconut Granola Crunch from Diane Morgan's book Gifts Cooks Love. In its story about the book, The Dallas Morning News published the Coconut Granola Crunch recipe here.

Granola gives you so much room to play and interpret. I didn't feel like skinning hazelnuts hidden in my freezer - or opening every dry goods bin to find the flax seeds, so I left those out. Instead, I went with almonds and pecans for the nutty touches, and dried papayas, cranberries and raisins dark and golden. I meant to add dried apricot but upon opening the pouch for the first time, was alarmed at the dark contents hidden there (I've seen this before with organic dried apricots; something about the package seal failing).

The Gifts book says the granola will last for a month if stored at room temp in tightly sealed glass jars or cello bags.

It didn't last four days at my house. I gave some to Ellen as she departed. She said it didn't even make it to her house.

As I look through my copy of the book, you know what also jumps out?

Blueberry-Blackberry-Basil Margarita Puree - an adult slushee! Speaking for Dueling Margaritas, we cannot help but feel intrigued. This makes us feel better.