Granola

I don't know about you, but I've never been able to skip breakfast.  I need that cup of coffee and something to get me through the morning.  Lately, we've been making homemade granola, trying to find one that's not too sweet, not too toasty, but just right.

There are lots of recipes for homemade granola around, ranging from simple to chocolate-coconut-fruity-explosions.  I prefer to start with a basic, not-too-sweet recipe then add some rasins, dates or nuts, depending on what the general mood and pantry contain.

That leaves room for fruit and yogurt.

Here's a basic recipe for granola.

In a bowl, mix:

2 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats - don't use quick-cook oats

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup oat bran

1/4 cup honey (different flavored honey yields different tasting granola - clover is a good, mild choice)

3 TB canola oil

2 TB brown sugar

a splash of vanilla

a dash of cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Line a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper

Toast at 325* for 8 minutes

Stir and add 1/4 cup sliced almonds (if using nuts)

Toast another 8 minutes, until golden brown.  If your oven runs hot, watch the granola and take it out when it looks done.  It shouldn't get dark brown.

Once the granola has cooled in the pan, put it in a container, stir in your raisins, other fruit and store, air-tight, for as long as it lasts!  (I'd guess about 7 days, but ours never made it that long!)

Filling a jelly-roll pan all the way to the edges is best.  It's okay if the pan looks overstuffed - too much exposure at the edges makes the granola brown faster, so take it out earlier if your pan isn't full.

I'm not usually a big fan of one-dish gadgets in the kitchen, but if you're going to make a lot of granola, you probably want a silicone mat for your jelly-roll pan.  We learned the hard way that scrubbing the pan is a royal pain.  Parchment paper is a big help, but lifting off a mat and funneling all the granola into a plastic tub was the easiest!