granola

Granola

If you haven't tried homemade granola, this is a good place for you to start! It's easy and very satisfying. I will admit that after a day or so, the granola does not come out of the pan in these nice squares..... It kinda falls apart into a delicious, sticky jumble..... perfect for yogurt or vanilla ice cream.

Here's what you need:

2 C old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 C sunflower seeds (try to find the raw kind - I could not....)

1/2 C sliced almonds (today I used slivered almonds, which were just as good)

1/2 C wheat germ (this is also good on yogurt, if you are wondering what to do with the rest of the jar)

1/2 C honey

1/4 C dark brown sugar

2 T butter

2 t vanilla

salt

6 1/2 ounces chopped fried fruit. Any combination would be great. Today I used an entire bag of Sunkist brand dried fruit.

Here's what you do:

Toast the oats, seeds, nuts and wheat germ in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Stir them around once in a while. Turn oven down to 300.

Grease a 9X13 pan.

Melt together the honey, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt.

Mix the warm grains, the melted goodness and the dried fruit. Do all this while it's still warm. Try not to eat too much of it at this point! It's so good.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press it all down with wax paper - careful- it's still hot..... Bake for 25 minutes at 300 degrees.

When the granola comes out of the oven, press it down again with wax paper.

Allow to cool completely.

Cut into squares or just dig in.

I adapted this from a Food Network recipe. I'd love to hear your granola stories! What grains and fruits work well for you? What have you tried?