My Granola, and the new giveaway
Just as I was pulling a batch of granola out of the oven today, I received an email from the winner of my giveaway over at Menu for Hope. What good timing. This is the 3rd time I have made granola this week. Last weekend alone, I made 5 pounds for the Bakesale for Haiti project, which coincidentally raised more than $22,000 for Partners in Health, a group well known for their good work in Haiti.
Sarah Henry gives a run down of this winning bay area benefit on her blog Lettuce Eat Kale, including a brief catch up with the delightful Samin Nosrat who organized the efforts. Be sure to take a peek.
And just in case you missed it, Pim Techamuanvivit of Chez Pim has organized her own bakesale for Haiti this Sunday at Lulu’s at the Octagon in Santa Cruz, starting at 8am. No doubt there will be some good baking going on in that neck of the woods, so do yourself a favor and get there early.
And because I’m still in the giving mood, and have yet to have a GIVEAWAY on my site, anyone who posts a comment in response to this post about their favorite memories of visiting Nepenthe or Big Sur over the years will be eligible to win a pound of my granola, sent directly to their home. And if you have yet to go, drop a line anyway. Make sure to include your contact info so that I can reach you. Deadline is next Monday, Feb 1st.
Just in case you’re not feeling lucky or want to make the granola yourself, here’s my recipe adapted from my book (pg. 253).
My Granola
Makes about 6 cups
My granola is a tasty and healthy alternative to store-bought cereal. Eat it out of hand, as my kids do, sprinkle onto yogurt, or simply add milk. For a sweeter granola that has more clusters, stir in 1/4 cup honey with the maple syrup.
2 cups whole oats
1 cup wheat flakes
1 cup raw almonds or cashews
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup oat bran
1/3 cup high quality organic powdered milk
Zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup safflower oil
1/3 cup boiling water
1/3 to 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, wheat flakes, almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, oat bran, powdered milk, zest, cinnamon, oil, boiling water, and maple syrup, mixing well. Spread out on a baking sheet. Bake slowly, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 45-50 minutes. Stir in raisins or cranberries when cooled. Store in an airtight container.
(PS.) If you receive this post via an RSS feed or email, make sure to click through to my website to leave a comment. You can do this by double clicking on the post’s title.
I’m feelin’ lucky….. Cranberry allergy be damned!
Nani, what a great idea! You can have giveaways, and/or market your food through your blogsite…”Nani’s granola, etc.
I HAVE TO make my own because I’m so inspired!! It’s been nearly half a century (40+ years) since I’ve tried.
Love you, and keep sharing your gift of food.
Maryxoxo
Hi Romney -
I’ve left my alter ego on the shelf for the moment, but Oye Sancho shall ride again! I have yet to visit Nepenthe, but I’m determined to take a day trip down there sometime in the spring and eagerly looking forward to it. I have driven up Highway 1 once or twice but inexplicably never stopped at Nepenthe; I’ll be doing something about that….
Warmest Regards
Mark
I grew up in Carmel and have so many wonderful memories of times spent with friends and family at Nepenthe and Cafe Kevah. I can remember countless afternoons spent idling way, just enjoying the view with friends and inhaling baskets of fries with ambrosia. I also remember sitting on the banquettes inside with my parents and devouring the cream cheese-olive-walnut sandwiches with that delicious brown bread. Those were always my favorite!
I loved reading your book cover to cover a few weeks ago while spending the weekend in Big Sur.
Warmly,
Heather
Hi Nani,
We met when working at Anthem. Congratulations on the book! I am going to Big Sur next week for the first time, to celebrate my birthday. Looking forward to having lunch at Nepenthe. If you have any suggestions of things I must not miss, let me know. I enjoy reading your blog.
Best wishes,
Ann
Oh my…so many great memories of Nepenthe…the ‘regulars’ on their stools at the bar; the great fires in the pit below the full moon reflection on the ocean; the wonderful characters I worked with there. But the greatest memories come from the “Sign Parties” that happened each month to celebrate the astrological sign of the time. These gatherings brought all the Big Sur folk down out of the mountains, and people from Carmel & Monterey… and even people from San Francisco and out of state! We would all be waiting anxiously for the last “Ambie” to be served so we could dance on the terrace to the music coming over the loudspeakers. Everyone would be in fine form and fashion and many even wore costumes, whether it was October or not. The parade constantly flowed by and the drinks flowed and we all danced and danced and had great times. And of course watching all the Fassetts twirling their ways through the crowd…what a beautiful family! In the earlier sign parties, the cakes were amazing and many, and the candle light from them lit up the whole restaurant. I moved away from Big Sur in the 90s, and I miss those celebrations; I haven’t experienced anything like them since.
I so love what you are doing with your book Nani.
Love the cookbook and make the bake apples almost every weekend. Hope to visit Big Sur some day soon…very soon!!!
I love all these responses, the memories, the desires to go, the missed opportunities and connections. Thank you Tzila for making it real. And to Urbanas for baking from my book each week. To Ann for remembering me, and Mary for keeping the faith and always responding; and Mark too. Gina-glad you are feeling lucky. Heather, I love that you remember those cream cheese walnut sandwiches!! oh, yes!
Keep the comments coming. Oh, this is going to be hard to pick; just may have to give out a consolation prize, too.
I haven’t been to Big Sur since I was a kid but after running into you over the weekend and seeing some of the pictures you had, I want to go.
I love that you are sharing such lovely memories of something so precious with the rest of us.
And that granola sounds so good!
Nani,
Just writing to say I love the sound of this granola recipe, orange zest a nice touch. Will have to make a batch. And I’ll link to it on my own granola post, so people can pick and choose among many offerings.
And: We have the same tablecloth! Funny, hey? Looks lovely in this shot.
One of my favorite memories of Big Sur is sitting up high on an overhang, taking a break for lunch while on a hike, and watching in the shallow water below as a mama whale came in close to shore to nudge her baby back out into the ocean. Magical!
But I’m not putting myself in the running for this contest, just wanted to share a story.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sarah Henry, Romney Steele. Romney Steele said: My granola and the new giveaway; leave a comment on my blog and be eligible to win a pound. http://tiny.cc/6Y45k [...]
My favorite memories of Nepenthe are when I went there as a teenager. I grew up in Carmel Valley and spent many of my weekends basking in the cold and refreshing river waters of the Little Sur and Big Sur Creeks. We would head down the coast in my friend’s old VW Westfalia, sometimes taking Old Coast Road, spend time at Pfeiffer Beach, stopping along the way at the Big Sur Deli to get vegetarian tamales, and sometimes even drive down as far as the wall where the seals sang. In many different trips down there, I’ve seen both the heavily traveled parts and the untouched secret trails and beaches.
My favorite memory of going to Nepenthe was actually way back in 2002. We first stopped at the Free Box, located up the road in the back, and found a really warm blanket to cuddle with in the van. Being in the middle of winter, this was indeed a treasure. Meeting up with a friend who worked there, we shared an amazing insider’s walk down behind the restaurant, where we shared some incredibly delicious Ambrosia Burgers and bean salads. The sunset was amazing that night, a river of earthy reds, salmons, and tangerines-and kept alight from our full bellies, beaming faces, and the kind of love shared only by true friends at seventeen.
I have yet to go, but we are in the very early planning stages of a trip. I want to build some wonderful memories. Thanks for the chance to win.
Only been to Big Sur once as a child on a family vacation. Remember the beauty, the smell of the air, and amazing fauna and flora
tvollowitz at aol dot com
I have been to Big Sur and Nepenthe only once but I will always remember the mood, and the view, as well as the drink (my first Red-Tail Ale. We went just before sunset and left with a huge full moon rising over the mountains. I hope to be back one day soon!
Cheers -
Peter D
captunderp at hotmail dot com
Thanks for the great recipe. I’m sure i’d like it as much as Lolly’s salads.
I won’t go on about the beauty of Nepenthe. Too many visitors could spoil it.
Thanks for the contest.
When I was 16, my parents took a trip from Texas to CA. We went to Big Sur for the first time. I remember The waves crashing into the coast line and looking down at the jagged rocks from a cliff and thinking of the awesome power Jehovah God used to make it all.
robswindowcleaning at yahoo dot com
Thanks for giving us the granola recipe. I’m going to try making some tomorrow.
Although I lived in California for 16 years I’ve never visited Big Sur. I spent all my time in the Los Angeles area or on planes to San Francisco. I managed to finally visit Monterey for the first time a few months ago. Eventually I will make it to Big Sur and Nepenthe.
Hey Nani,
I have many favorite memories of Nepenthe. One of my favorites is remembering the first few months that I worked there in the 70s. I was “Lettuce Queen” which meant I was responsible for washing all the crates of lettuce that went into the salads at Nepenthe, and also cutting the cabbage for the cole slaw. I would arrive at the restaurant around 4 am after walking down the middle of Highway One in the moonlight (rarely any traffic at that hour, which is why I could walk down the middle of the road.) I carried crates of lettuces from the walk-in to the “lettuce cage” which was a screened-in room behind the restaurant. There I would wash the heads of romaine and red leaf lettuce in a huge sink, then repack in the crates. It was totally quiet and magical at that hour. I would often take a break inside the restaurant – one of my favorite spots was the little alcove at the back by the restrooms. So cozy – I often watched the ocean from there as the sky got lighter. Working alone in the pre-dawn hours in the lettuce cage, I had lots of time to reflect on life, to dream of the future…anything to help me ignore how cold my hands were from washing lettuce! A couple years ago I went back to Nepenthe and had my picture taken inside the lettuce cage! It is still there. It was hard to explain to my companions what that place meant to me.
Ohhhhh, Big Sur. In my thoughts since first venturing there in my early 20’s, in the early 1990’s. Nepenthe was the goal as I had recently been introduced to color knitting by your uncle Kaffe and Brandon at a workshop in So Cal. When they dumped, quite unceremoniously, black garbage sacks full of luscious colors and textures of Rowan yarns onto the workshop floor, I was hooked. Visions of rolling around in the decadence that is Rowan took me.
Big Sur and Nepenthe exceeded expectation. Not only was I thrilled with seeing some of Kaffe’s work but the food and the views spoke to me. It took 15 years but I finally moved to the Monterey Peninsula for 3 and 1/2 glorious years. Visits south were frequent for food and hiking. Alas, I am now farther north but I do dream of moving to Big Sur one day. The simplicity, beauty and community call.
Cheers!
nancy
PS love the book! The shop in Mendocino had copies as you offered; unsigned but perhaps I can correct that deficiency someday.
My goodness, your granola looks amazing!
I haven’t been to Big Sur yet, but as I just moved to CA from the east coast 6 months ago, visiting looks like a much more doable possibility now!
When I was a child we went to Big Sur, very beautiful there. I was born and raised in Fontana, CA. I live in TN now.
I am from California and seriously have never hear of this place (I have not lived there since I was 18, but still!) I checked out the website and it looks amazing. The food looks so delicious and the scenery is amazing! I have never tried their food, but I would definitely like to try. Will have to keep this place in mind next time I go home to visit. And I would love to try this granola. Looks yummy! Thanks for this giveaway. It’s awesome.
I’ve never been there before! But i’m excited now after looking on their website.
I’ve not been to Nepenthe or Big Sur but I do love granola!
bgcchs(at)yahoo(dot)com
love to try this.
We visit Big Sur every summer. My favorite Nepenthe memory is a visit after my husband and I went on a hike in one of the state parks around that went much longer than we anticipated. We were exhausted and admittedly dirty, but stopped at Nepenthe on the way back for a drink and a snack. Definitely revived our spirits while enjoying the gorgeous view. Looking forward to our annual visit in August!
that’s funny romney, “if you feel lucky”! i love what your doing towards haiti, bless your heart.
i’m hoping all is going well with you and your family. your book continues to sit on the top of my cookbook pile, i do love it so.
after seeing julie and julia (finally), i thought it would be fun to go through your book in the same way, make each recipe. i have plans to do that this summer.
take good care,
lori ♥
oh, Romney, what a gorgeous book. . . . a true keepsake. it certainly does bring back good memories of being in that enchanted place. one of my favorite visits . . . . probably 20 years ago, my husband and i were there, eating outside on a beautiful, sunny may day. a gentleman (almost certainly one of your family), dressed exotically in a long white caftan-style garmet, brought a large umbrella to our table and set it up, saying to my husband, “we men who don’t have much hair left must take the extra step to protect our heads, mustn’t we?” he was charming —– and my balding husband appreciated his kindness!
(then we went downstairs to the Phoenix and bought the ring i have used as my wedding band since then. . . .)
thank you for sharing your special world —–
maggie
I’ve never been, but I do love granola. Thanks.
I’d love to try this.
My favorite memory of Nepenthe is taking my teenagers there for first time last spring. I’d only been there twice before and when we made plans to go to California that was top on the list of places to go. Thank you for sharing. It really is a beautiful tapestry of history.
I was really surprised to see the powdered milk in the ingredients, but that makes a serving of granola a really well-balanced meal.
Never actually been to Big Sur but rode past it on a motorcycle some years ago. Route 1 on a Harley is a cool way to go!
madamerkf at aol dot com
Have made it to California, but never to Big Sur.
I have yet to go but I would love to try your granola
I’ve not been to visit, but reading through these comments certainly makes me wish that I had!!
I’m not much of a traveller, and we live in NY, so by the time we got to Big Sur when I was a kid, I had really had enough of driving and seeing touristy stuff. I just wanted to go to a motel so we could be out of the car and go swimming in the pool.
But that’s one place that I’ve always thought I should go back to.
One year I was fortunate enough to win $1,000 United Airlines airfare good for my family and me. As I was not married, their definition of my family was my parents and my unmarried siblings. My sister and I flew out to San Francisco and drove down the coast to San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with my cousin and her family. We did a lot of the touristy stuff along the way, and we did admire the ocean views along Big Sur. The Pacific Ocean seems a bit more rowdy than the Atlantic Ocean! Nobody was surfing there when we passed though. Guess it was a bit too chilly or people were working!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for the great contest!
bahjeep@aol.com
oh I would love to eat this by the hnadfuls! Granola is so so good and crunchy, it satisfies that crunch and chewing sensation I crave.
I haven’t visited before, but I would love to. Your granola looks awesome!
I’ve never been to either but i’d love to go! I have a list of places online to one day go to that they’ll get added to.
[...] yet before I get too caught up reminiscing, I have a winner from my granola giveaway, also made fresh today, and that is Susan Flynn, who worked at Nepenthe back in the seventies and [...]
I have many great memories of Big Sur visits while I was living in the Monterey Bay, going to school at the Monterey Institute. I met my husband while we were students in Monterey. We would often go with friends to Big Sur, including Nepenthe. A special place for us to go was Pfeiffer Beach…. the turn off is not marked well, and the road is not always easy to pass…. but once there, the wind, the water, and the rocks draw us in. It is such a magical place on earth. We have great memories… We went back to Monterey in 08 to visit Pfeiffer Beach and Nepenthe and bring our 2 girls there- ages 6 and 3. We were bummed to find out that we couldn’t get to either, because of the fires. We were traveling from Monterey to Cayucos to visit friends – and had to take Hwy 101. From there we could see the smoke from the fires- but with Hwy 1 impassable at the time… we had to forgo visiting Big Sur. We were so bummed- and so were our kids. We followed the news and blogs- watching and waiting. We were so worried about Nepenthe, about many Big Sur places.. So glad it survived! We will be back- and we’ll show Big Sur to our kids… especially Pfeiffer Beach and lunch at Nepenthe!!
Finished the book last weekend….so sad to finish it, but absolutley loved it! We are going to try some of the recipes this weekend.
Having grown up in Carmel, I have many fond memories of Nepenthe and driving down the Coast to Big Sur (one of the most beautiful drives in the world). However, my very first memory of Nepenthe was as a young child – I don’t even know how old I was – it must have been the late 1960’s. It was breezy, but sunny. I remeber the windchimes, the view, the candy sticks in the gift shop (I think you mentioned them in the book – took me right back) and an overall feeling of being in a magical place. I haven’t been up to Big Sur in awhile (I live in Southern California now. Reading the book made me long to be back….maybe its time for a drive up the Coast.
I asked my parents about their memories of Nepenthe, and my Mom told me that was their special date spot when they were dating (and after they were married). I didn’t know that.
Cheers!
Our first trip to Nepenthe was in 1984 on our trip down the coast from San Fransisco to Laguna. We were so enchanted, we were there for hours. There were mud slides further down the highway so we had to trek back north and down a inner road to San Simeon, but it was worth every mile! We loved it there so much, we took a menu and had it hanging in our first apartment, reminding us to return whenever we went to California.
We returned to California in 1987. This time we drove with our California friends from a vacation in Lake Tahoe specifically to Nepenthe for another great meal, great view and a great afternoon!
Whenever we hear anyone going to California, we tell them they must stop there to eat, to drink, to sit and enjoy Nepenthe. Thank you for this book. I am ordering it to add to my collection!