Granola

Oh, granola. The whole grain, crunchy, sweet breakfast treat that you just can't stop nibbling at. Who needs to buy storebought when homemade is equally as good, if not a million times better? Add to the fact that you can easily customize it to suit your own tastes- more nuts, less fruit- and you have a winner that goes great with milk as a cereal, or sprinkled on top of your morning yogurt. It's just plain good to have around for a quick and healthful pick-me-up. I personally don't like to add dried fruit to mine. Something about the soft texture of the dried fruit contrasting with the crunchy oats is off-putting to me. But don't mind me-- do as you please! Recently, I have been enjoying my own freshly made batch with non-fat vanilla yogurt, dinosaur plums (sooo good) and a drizzle of honey. Mmm mmm good. Unfortunately, I prematurely deleted my granola photos, but head into the kitchen to see for yourself just how quick, easy, and good granola really is.

Granola
adapted from the King Arthur Flour site

7 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, (I eyeballed it; feel free to go up or down as you please)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, salt, and almonds. Place the oil, honey, maple syrup and extract in another bowl, whisking very well to combine. Pour this mixture over the oats and stir very well to coat. Spread the granola in an even layer on two very large baking pans. Bake for two hours stirring the mixture about every 15-20 minutes or so to insure even baking. Cool completely and break up. Store in an air-tight container. Granola can be kept at room temperature for several weeks. Freeze for long term storage.