Fifteen years ago when I started graduate school, my monthly grocery budget was $20. I had two main objectives with that money: to make it go as far as I could, and to eat as healthy as I possibly could. My choices may have appeared limited, but I made the most of it.
Thankfully, the stress of graduate school helped my creativity juices flow rather regularly. Every Saturday, it was my ritual to wake up early and make something. It usually involved the oven… the white enamel-coated oven that walked right out of the 1950’s, complete with bread warmer.
That oven taught me a lot. It made me a better baker. It gave me lots of hard lessons. And it did only one thing… it heated up to whatever temperature suited it every Saturday morning. Sometimes it was off by 50 degrees, and other times almost 200 degrees. But after weeks and weeks of practice, I was beginning to get the hang of things.
While it was annoying, it was all I had, so getting upset wasn’t exactly an option. Instead, I saw it as war - me versus the oven - and I was going to win. I knew the cost of every item in that recipe… $20 didn’t go far, and I wasn’t about to lose my entire grocery budget to an inanimate object that couldn’t maintain a steady temperature.
Finding baking recipes that gave me an advantage over that oven were incredibly difficult in those pre-pinterest days. When I took trips to visit my family in Eastern Kentucky, we would pour over recipes the entire weekend. During one of those trips, I found the beginning to my Saturday Morning Granola. A few battles with the oven helped me perfect it. Now, with modern conveniences and a slightly larger budget, this recipe is a snap for just about anyone.
My favorite part is to change the spice mix and to use different mix-ins. Here are a few thoughts:
If you make my Saturday Morning Granola, leave a comment below… I want to know what combination you made so I can try it!
Author
Dorathy for Hyssop Tree
Hi, I'm Dorathy! I started Hyssop Tree to connect difference-makers through community. If you're new, welcome! Take a look around and be sure to explore the blog for more interesting articles and the soaps page - where every soap you purchase helps someone in need. Also, I'd like to invite you to join our community - once or twice a month I send out a letter to my pen-pals. Just sign up below!