I love granola bars, not the soft ones but ones that are crunchy and a mix of salty and sweet. Recently I purchased my first Nigella cookbook, Nigella Express. I saw these breakfast bars and immediately tried the recipe.

I used a mixture of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, along with the peanuts. They came out super crunchy just like I hoped. I think you can play with this recipe and and add the different dried fruits or nuts. They keep in a plastic container for about a week.

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This morning, on a beautiful sunny California day, I wanted something light for breakfast.

I ended up making a breakfast parfait from things left in my kitchen. I had strawberries and blackberries and used this yummy granola I buy at Zinc Cafe.

Zinc Cafe is a local cafe and market in both Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. I happened to meet the owner this last year, waiting in line for an IPhone one Saturday morning. Yes, I was one of those crazy people. He was inspired by Alice Waters, Cafe Fanny. They serve delicious food. Breakfast feature frittatas, homemade scones and oatmeal. The one nearest me has a little wine and cheese area where I have discovered many yummy cheeses.

Their granola has oats, pecans, flax seed, coconut and orange rind. It is light and crunchy.

You can take this recipe and make your own creation from your refrigerator. This would make a great starter for a brunch.

1 container yogurt ( I used Yoplait Orange Creme)
1 cup of berries
1/4 cup granola

Take a glass, parfait glass or a wine glass. Spoon part of the yogurt on the bottom, top with the granola, then the fruit. Repeat the layers and then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of granola over the top of the fruit.

When I was a little girl my mom would bake this coffee cake from the Bisquick box. Do you remember those? I loved the chunks of cinnamon sugar topping. I would count the minutes until it came out of the oven. On a cold, rainy Saturday morning nothing tasted better.

I wish you could smell the buttery, cinnamon smells escaping from the oven as I write this. It smells just like those coffee cakes from back then. I am sure the Bisquick recipe would not stand up today to those memories but here is one that will.

Try not to gasp as loud as I did when I saw the amount of butter. Remember this makes 24 large pieces. You will think there is a crazy amount of topping but it that is what makes this so good.

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When I was little we would go to this breakfast place where I discovered German Pancakes. They are puffy, light pancakes reminiscent of popovers, another childhood favorite. You had to wait, as they are made to order, and out would come this giant, golden brown delight!

The great thing is most of the items you have in pantry and you can top with your favorite fruits or whatever you have in the kitchen.

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