The last few days, here in Wisconsin, have been pretty cold and gloomy-typical Autumn weather. In fact, on Saturday it even snowed. Not much, but more than just an occasional flake floating through the air. It’s been good weather to bundle up with a cup of coffee or spiced cider, spiked with bourbon or rum, of course and read or watch a movie or two. It has also gotten me in the mood to whip up a big batch of granola. I always associate granola with fall and winter. I’m not sure why as granola makes a great breakfast year, but for some reason I have always associated it with colder weather.

One of the great things about granola is it is so easily customizable to what is on hand or what I have a taste for. Sometimes I load it up with tons of nuts, other times it takes a decidedly tropical twist with coconut and various dried tropical fruits. Sometimes it is heavily spiced or really sweet, other times I go for a more subtle flavor profile, it all depends on my mood.

The granola I offer today falls into that last category, lightly spiced and just slightly sweet, studded with pieces of sweet-tart dried apricots, sliced almonds, and as a nod to Fall, pumpkin seeds.

Apricot, Almond & Pumpkin Seed Granola

5 cups Oats
1 1/2 cups Sliced Almonds
1 cup Pumpkin Seeds (I used purchased pumpkin seeds without the shell)
1/2 cup Wheat Germ
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Honey
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp. Almond Extract
1/2 pound Dried Apricots, diced

Preheat the oven to 300. Combine oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds and wheat germ in a large bowl. In a small sauce pot combine oil, sugar and honey. Heat to dissolve sugar. When sugar is dissolved, remove pot from heat, allow to cool for 10 minutes then add the cinnamon and almond extract. Slowly pour over oat mixture, stirring to combine. Stir until well mixed then pour onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes for the first 30 minutes, then every 5 minutes until done. Granola is done when it is all a light golden brown and crunchy. Allow to cool completely then fold in the dried apricots. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Serve in a bowl of milk, like cereal or topped with yogurt and a drizzle of honey.

I have always been a pet lover. I got my first cat when I was 2 years old and had her until I was 15. As a kid I also had gerbils (can’t count how many or how many the cat got) a few fish, a dog, a lizard and various toads we captured. That love of animals has extended into adulthood. When I was single and living in Chicago I had ferrets. Man, are those little creatures a blast! We used to go “ferret bowling,” sliding them down a long, hardwood floored hallway, trying to knock them into each other or various obstacles, usually socks. They loved it and would coming running back and wait to get slid down the hallway again. We often tired out long before the ferrets did. When I met my wife, she added her to cats to the household. Currently, our house is home to not only three humans, but 2 dogs, 2 cats and an aquarium full of fish. It makes for tight quarters, sometimes, in our small house, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We try hard, to treat our animals well, and that means keeping table scraps and feeding them “human” food to a minimum. Of course we don’t always succeed and our 2 dogs have become pizza hogs, willing to do almost anything to get their grubby little paws on a slice or 2, or whole pizza. They have also quickly learned the joy of having a 2 year old around. She often walks around with food dangling from her hand that just screams to be snatched or she will often walk away from a bowl of snacks, leaving it unguarded, and in the dogs minds, fair game. As treats we usually try to give them dog biscuits (aka Milkbones), usually store bought, but on occasions we have made treats for them. Luckily the web is full of recipes for healthy dog treats. Just make sure that the recipes don’t include a lot of added sugar or salt, which can be unhealthy for dogs. The recipe below is one my wife found a few years back. We haven’t made them in awhile, but when we have the dogs go nuts for them. In fact, when I came up with the idea for this post it reminded me that it was time to treat the dogs to these again, besides I think the 2 year old would enjoy cutting them out.

Cheddar Dog Biscuits

1 cup boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup milk
1 each egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 teaspoon chicken or beef bouillon granules
2 1/2 to 3 cups AP flour or whole wheat flour

Stir together water, oats, and butter and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add cheese, cornmeal, egg, sugar and bouillon to oat mixture. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition, until a stiff dough forms. Knead dough for 5 minutes, adding more flour if sticky. Roll out to 1/2″ thick. Cut into desired shapes (of course dog bone cutter cutters are cute, but your pooch won’t care what shape you cut them into) and place on a greased baking sheet, 1″ apart. Bake at 325 for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool and dry on wire racks.

While somewhat bland by our tastes your dog will love them. Heck, you might even like them too. They’re not bad, and they are definitely a good source of fiber. So go ahead and try one yourself!