It's good to have protein-packed granola for any occasion. 

Hurricane Idalia is powering through the Gulf and about to strike Florida. At 2pm CST, the wind pressure was 974 mb and moving at 15 mph. At 5 pm CST, winds were 100 mph and Idalia was a Category 2 storm.  Over the next few hours, the storm's intensity is expected to reach Category three status. As with all hurricanes, folks are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. 

My friend and Chef Laura hunkered down with her family a few years back as a hurricane approached the Louisiana/Alabama area. She made banana beignets and a few other hurricane-ready foods. The snacks helped during power outages that lasted several days. 

My Aunt Marge shared this recipe with me many years ago. When my kids were younger, I would make it frequently. It's the perfect granola that can be customized. Marge's favorites are in this granola combination. 

On a side note: Prayers are with all those touched by Hurricane Idalia. 

Ingredients:
Four cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
Two cups of shredded coconut
Two cups of sliced almonds
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup of good honey
1 1/2 cups of small, dried apricots
1 cup of small, dried figs
1 cup of dried cherries
1 cup of dried cranberries
1 cup of roasted, unsalted cashews

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds. Whisk the oil and honey and pour over the oats. Spread out onto a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes. After cooling, add the dried fruit and nuts. 

Questions Answered...

What's the best way to store granola?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Is it more expensive to make your own granola or buy store-bought?
Pre-made anything right now is very expensive. To have the variety available in this recipe, it would cost twice as much to buy at the store as opposed to making your own. 

Can I use quick oats?
All my research about this question points to 'NO'. When you add liquid to the oats, it tends to make them mushy. Old-fashioned rolled oats are the best. 

A good friend and wife to my Uncle Danny shared this recipe for cream cheese pinwheels. Actually, I added it to the WKY Community Living website a year or so ago but hadn't made it myself. After tasting the flavors and witnessing the ease of the recipe, it's on my list of favorite pool party snacks. 

Jody and my uncle live in Florida. Oh, how horrible it must be for them. All that sunshine, warm temps, and the ocean. Let's breathe in the air again before saying the word 'ocean'. There aren't many who want to spend all day in the kitchen if your patio view is a white, sandy beach or the deep canals of the Florida waterways. Either way...it's a little slice of paradise. 

The cream cheese pinwheel works for several occasions. One is a quick snack. The most time-consuming part of the recipe is waiting for the cream cheese to soften. This little problem is solved by buying soft cream cheese. For this recipe, I did buy the Philadelphia eight-ounce stick of cheese. I let it sit outside of the refrigerator for an hour before using it in the recipe. 

The veggies were quick and easy to chop.  Rolling up the cream cheese in the tortilla was the most fun. I felt like I was making sushi. As mentioned, making this recipe for snacks is great. However, a meal could be made. Simply add bacon, ham, or any preferred deli meat to the mix and you've got a dinner. 

Jody suggested having your favorite salsa on hand as a dipping sauce. My husband and I really like the medium-hot Arriba Roasted Red Salsa. It's available at Midtown Market in Paducah. I'm sure it's more widely available than I realize. Check it out online. Here we go!

Ingredients:
Four large tortilla-filled pinwheels. For eight tortillas, double the ingredients.
Eight ounces of softened cream cheese
One cup of shredded, sharp cheddar cheese
Four green onions, chopped
Bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
Small can of black olives, chopped and drained
Two-ounce can of green chilis
Large burrito-size tortillas

​Directions: 
After chopping and waiting for the cream cheese to soften, mix all ingredients together. Spread equal portions of the mixture on each burrito-size tortilla. Roll up. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour in the refrigerator. Cut 1/2" to 3/4" slices. A pinwheel design will emerge. Eat by themselves or serve with your favorite salsa.