Authors Note:  So I'm sitting there the other morning, drinking my coffee and minding my own business when I get a message on Facebook from 1_Instigating_Mother:"hey you west coast wonk - I challenge you to a granola-off - you got any game left?" And I'm thinkin' WTF is this lunatic soccer mom on about this time? I got so much game left it's sick, whatever the crazy challenge is that she wants to lay down. I schooled her last time, and I will school her again with this challenge. We all know that the only reason Francis Lam didn't pick me to win the Bourbon Slushie-Off is because he's scared this crazy housewife from Hysteria Lane will track him down and go all Midwestern Bree Van de Kamp on him.  And he's got good reason to be afraid.  I, on the other hand, do not.

Also thanks to Stellaa, OS's resident liberal (and I suspect long-time hippie sympathizer) who was kind enough to back me in this challenge, and sent me a number of granola recipes only available to those who know the secret Berkeley handshake. It's most certainly  a West Coast thang.

In her hey day Parrish was a strong proponent of the tie-dyed look. As you can tell from this photo where not only is she wearing tie-dyed pants, but my niece Aurora is sporting a lovely tie-dyed onesie and matching socks. (Thank goodness Parrish has gone on to meet Jerry Garcia, 'cause she would so kick my ass for posting a photo of her with cornrows.)

Parrish's commitment to tie dye bordered on compulsive for a while, and she even went so far as to break in to my bedroom (past the lock on the window and the deadbolt on the door) to steal a white dress I treasured and tied it up in rubber bands and soaked it in dye while I was out at work. 

Guests at Parrish's wedding in Humboldt

At the end of Parrish's life she had moved from Humboldt to Boulder Creek, California- yet another hippie enclave.  Her last few years were surrounded by the forests of the Santa Cruz mountains and a small group of girlfriends whose commitment to keeping the hippie tradition alive was no less than hers, and as a group I frequently referred to as  The Goddamn Hippies.  I regularly made them munchies as they gathered around my sister's bedside to talk, read, sit quietly, or smoke a bong load.  This recipe would have been a more than acceptable treat.

Goddamn Hippie Granola Cookie & Tie Dyed Ice Cream Sandwiches*

Granola
4 tablespoons butter
2 pinches salt
2 cups chopped pecans and almonds
4 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the salt over low heat. Add the chopped nuts, stir frequently for 5 minutes, until lightly toasted. Add the honey and brown sugar and stir until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

In a large bowl combine the oats and coconut. Add the sugar mixture and toss until the oats are evenly coated.

Spread the granola evenly on the prepared pan. Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to redistribute the granola.
Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Store the granola in an airtight container.
(*adapted from http://www.thehubcyclery.com/Home_files/Killer%20Granola.html)

Granola and Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups granola
1/4 cup dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, raisins)
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, beating until well combined, and then add vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and then add remaining ingredients.

Drop dough in ice cream scoops 2 inches apart on a baking sheet (press down to flatten) and bake for approximately 16 minutes, rotating trays half way.

Cool cookies on a rack and keep in airtight container.
(Adapted from Epicurious.com's Granola and Dried Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies)

Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups 2% milk
2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
One 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Bring milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Slowly heat beat the hot milk into the eggs (adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time for the first 3/4 cup) Pour the entire mixture back into the pan an place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until custard thickens slightly. Do not over cook as the eggs will scramble.

Remove from heat and strain custard into a large bowl set in an ice water bath.  Allow to cool slightly, then add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Store in the fridge for a few hours, preferably overnight.  Mix in ice cream machine as per manufacturers instructions.

Creates approx. 1 qt of vanilla ice cream
(from Bruce Weinstein's awesome cookbook: The Ultimate Ice Cream Book)

Vanilla Ice Cream
4 flavors of gelatin

Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of one of the flavors of gelatin in the bottom of a freezer compatible container.  Layer with some of the vanilla ice cream.  Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of another flavor of gelatin, and layer with additional vanilla ice cream. Continue until you've used all the colours and all the ice cream.

Put ice cream in fridge for several hours until firm. 

(instructions courtesy of Disney's Family Fun.)

Final Author's note: Originally, I had planned on making Marijuana Ice Cream as part of the recipe for this challenge, as that seemed apropos of both my sister and the hippie movement.  However, the recipe called for 2 oz of marijuana, which retails for about $800 and reminded me vaguely of the time Parrish and I tried to temper the nasty aftertaste of shrooms by making vanilla shroom milkshakes.  So, I thought better of the whole exercise.