Brunch? Bring it on!

by Laura Donnelly — February 19, 2007

This is the perfect time of year to dig out the waffle iron, dust off some old recipes, and spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon with a homemade brunch. Remember waffles? Granola? Ambrosia? We'll be bringing you recipes all week for each.

Granola's popularity has waxed and waned over the years, but there are a huge number of commercially made (rather mediocre) types available at the market. When Quaker introduced "100% Natural Granola" in 1972, nobody noticed that it contained more sugar and fat than the most atrocious children's cartoony-surprise-in-the-box cereals. So try making our recipe for homemade granola; you will not believe how good it is!

Yeast (or Belgium) waffles burst onto the scene at the 1964 World's Fair in New York when a Belgian restaurauteur named Maurice Vermersch introduced them. You can adapt any favorite pancake recipe to work on a waffle iron; you simply need to add a bit more oil or melted butter to help prevent sticking.

Brunch is believed to have been invented in Britain, either for hunters returning from an early morning outing or Saturday night revelers who needed a hearty meal and a little "hair of the dog."

Instead of going to a restaurant for soggy eggs Benedict, why not have some friends over, share some of these dishes, and let a lazy, relaxed, winter Sunday afternoon be just that.

Laura's Best Homemade Granola

This granola is so good I put a sprinkling on salads. It is very rich in complex carbohydrates and good fats from the seeds and nuts. A little bit goes a long way!

4 cups oats
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup almonds, slivered or chopped coarsely
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup raisins and/or other dried fruit like apricots or cherries

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Combine honey, canola oil, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Combine all other ingredients in large bowl. Pour oil/honey mixture over all and stir well to try to coat all of it. Spread out on large baking sheet.

3. Bake approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown. Stir frequently, especially at the end when it will start to brown quickly. When done, stir in raisins. Let cool, and keep stirring occasionally while cooling to prevent granola from clumping too much and sticking to pan.