Paris’ Imperfections and the Parfait Granola Parfait
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The epic Notre Dame. Photo credit: Maggie Wilkens
At Marcel in Montmartre…giving a whole new meaning to French Bulldog
Cousins back out on the town…and Maggie’s miraculously long arm for the quick selfie.
Of course, life happens no matter where we are and no matter how fiercely we try to cram it into the metaphorical bento box where everything has its place and nothing ever gets messy.
Last week my dear cousin Margot and wonderful friend Maggie flew around the world from San Francisco and Seattle respectively to join me for an epic week’s adventure in Paris.
We had grand plans.
Give us this day…our daily oyster. Photo credit: Maggie Wilkens
Post yoga power food….sushi in a box.
We were going to eat oysters everyday and drink champagne every night. We were going to go to the Louvre and the Musée D’Orsay and the Musée Carnavalet all before lunch time. We were going to dance until dawn with Paris’ rich and famous, and shop until we drop. We were going to show Paris a time like it has never seen before.
And then, it struck. Stealthily creeping in, a monster in the night who lurks in the shadows and lingers in the fog…
The French Flu Epidemic.
Unbeknownst to us, Paris had been struck with one of the worst epidemics in the country’s history and we were its latest victims. Three girls, 48 hours of agony, 400 square feet, one bathroom. You get the picture.
Suffice to say we have survived and are slowly rejoining the land of the living. This morning blue skies awaited us, promising better days ahead. The tower of yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit enjoyed at the coffee shop around the corner didn’t cause me to recoil, and the promise of something besides dry bread and nibbles of banana finally sounds appealing.
Makes about 8 cups…YUM! Add to yogurt and fresh fruit for the parfait parfait.
Such deliciousness…the parfait granola parfait.
- 6 cups rolled oats
- 1 c+ chopped nuts (I usually add 1.5 c of sliced almonds)
- 1 c wheat germ
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp cinnanon
- salt
- 1 c raisins
- 1/2 c safflower or canola oil
- 3/4 c honey, golden syrup or maple syrup (I like a 50/50 split of honey and molasses)
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Toss dry ingredients but not the raisins together
- Heat oil and sweeteners briefly in the microwave (this makes it easier to mix). Add liquids to grains, toss to coat grains throughly.
- Spread the mixture on two sheet pans and bake until golden brown, turning every 10 minutes so it browns evenly.
- When done, after about 30 mins, add the raisins and let cool.
- Store in a tightly covered jar.
Category Breakfasts, Health Conscious, Paris, Vegetarian | Tags:
I am glad you three are feeling better! Now get back out and enjoy Paris :).
Oh no! So sorry you all were sick but at least you had each other and you weren’t sick with the flu alone in Paris! And, you did have Oysters at least one night 😉
Oh don’t worry Alyssa…we got in lots of oysters, even with our 48 hour hold-up.
I definitely want one of those.
Oh Andrea…we will totally go here. A super fun spot for an indulgently long brunch over croissants, cappucino, and Nutella!
Oh noooo! That is awful… hope you make up for it all.
It wasn’t much fun, but don’t worry, I’m making up for it all now!
My husband was sick on our “romantic” Paris trip. He wanted me to go out and walk the streets of Paris at night while he sweated it out, but I watched German MTV and mopped his brow. Fortunately, we’d already got our croissant and macaron on!
The granola sounds delis, have you tried making it in a slow cooker instead of the oven? It keeps the goldening much more even.
What a good wife you are!
Tell me more about this Granola in the slow cooker technique..I’ve never heard of it and I’m fascinated.
I’ve made Aloha Granola (with pineapple, papaya, coconut, macadamia nuts, oats, sesame seeds, honey, coconut oil and dried cantaloupe) myself, which was the best granola I’ve EVER had, and there are a billion recipes on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=slow%20cooker%20granola
I should really do a blog post on it!
Oh goodness…the flu is no fun! And i bet it’s even worse in a strange country 🙁 Glad you’re feeling better!