Daybreak Parfait and "Morning Glory"

One of my favorite breakfast meals is a fruit and yogurt parfait. Quick, easy, delicious, and nutritious it's the perfect way to start off a busy morning or a relaxing weekend. Homemade granola couldn't be easier to make and not only is it better than most store brands, you can customize it with any flavors you like. Layer the granola with some fresh berries and creamy yogurt and you've got a breakfast that's sure to please! 

For the Granola
3 cups of oatmeal
¾ cup of sweetened/shredded coconut

1 cup of chopped walnuts

½ cup of sunflower seeds

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

½ teaspoons of nutmeg

¼ teaspoon of kosher salt

¼ cup of brown sugar (light or dark)

¼ cup of vegetable oil

½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey

½ cup of dried cherries

½ cup of dried cranberries

For the Parfait

Your favorite yogurt - about a  ½ cup per parfait (I recommend vanilla)

2 Fresh peaches sliced

A pint of fresh Raspberries

Our freshly made granola

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large mixing bowl - toss the oatmeal, coconut, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Make sure the spices are mixed thoroughly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, oil, brown sugar, and the maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients over the oats and toss together. The best kitchen tool to do this step with is a set of clean hands - a cooks best friend. Spread the oats evenly onto an ungreased baking sheet and place into the oven.

Bake the granola for about 20 to 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes to ensure all the granola gets a nice even golden brown color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes and return the granola back into a large mixing bowl. Add the dried fruits and stir to combine. Let the granola cool completely and store in an air tight container.

To assemble the parfaits, first place a few raspberries on the bottom of the glass. If you can't find fresh, frozen berries will work just make sure they are thawed. Top the berries with a little bit of the granola. Mix a few of the sliced peaches in with the yogurt and pour over the granola. To finish the parfait, top with more granola and serve. Obviously, this parfait can be customized with any of your favorite fresh fruits and your favorite blend of yogurt. Now for this weeks movie we're staying with the theme of the morning and going with with 2010 film "Morning Glory."

Rachel McAdams stars as Becky Fuller, the newly hired energetic and passionate producer for an early morning news program called Daybreak (which inspired the name for my parfait). Daybreak is at rock bottom when it comes to ratings against the other morning news show but Becky is determined to turn the show around. Diane Keaton plays Colleen Peck, the only news anchor on the show left after Becky fires Colleen's co-host on her first day. Knowing she has to get the ratings up in order to save her job and the program, she goes after legendary news anchor Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) to fill the empty news chair and bring a respectful presence to the show. Problem is, Pomeroy feels morning news shows are a disgrace to news has no enthusiasm for his new position that he was forced to accept. To make matters worse, Colleen and Mike don't exactly enjoy sitting behind the same news desk together and Becky will have to use everything she has if she wants Daybreak to stay on air. Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Wilson, and John Pankow co-star.  "Morning Glory" is really a wonderfully entertaining film with a great mix of comedic and heartfelt moments. Keaton and Harrison both give strong performances to add to their already brilliant film acting careers and Rachel McAdams was the perfect choice to play the loveable Becky. Click here to watch the trailer for "Morning Glory" it's a great film and one I'd recommend to all!