The grand goodness of granola

Granola has always been a part of my life. My dad has eaten it for breakfast for breakfast for as long as I can remember! My mom used to make it in those flimsy turkey-roasting pans you see at the grocery store until we discovered a wedding cake pan—that tells you how big each batch is! My parents have an old industrial-sized mayonnaise jar they keep their home-made granola in (not that you could tell what it is as it is so old) but as I didn't have anything big enough to bake or store it in I halved the recipe when Alan asked me to make some for him. Home made granola is way better than store bought, and if you have never made it you should give it a try! Mix and match the optional add-ins to make the perfect start to your morning ; ) Already have a recipe? I would love to hear what you do differently!

Granola
makes 6 cups, easily doubles

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 c. oats
• 1/2 c. brown flour
• 1/2 c. wheat germ
• 1/4 c. flax seed (optional. Mom says you can use flax seed flour too)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries (or the dried fruit of your choice. Dates and raisins work well. You can add more than one kind, 1/2 c. each)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp. vanilla
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 c. oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250º degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, flax seed, salt, pecans, and dried fruit.
2. In another bowl mix together the brown sugar, vanilla, water, and oil. Stir until the sugar disolves.
3. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring as you pour until the dry ingredients are coated with the wet.
4. Transfer everything from the bowl into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour.
5. Let cool. Store in an airtight container.