Gra-No-La Baby!

I love, love, love this granola.  I don't think there is anything quite as lovely as a bowl of good yogurt, some fresh blackberries or raspberries, and a generous amount of homemade granola.  There isn't!  Nothing beats it for brecky (that's breakfast in Australian) or mid day snack, or late night snack.  Yum!!

I stole this recipe 10 years ago at a Great Harvest convention.  We were in the wilds of Montana, sleeping on itsy-bitsy cots, and housed in Teepee's.  There were a lot of other folks in our Tee Pee, and I had a nursing baby.  I remember it well----I wonder why:)  Anyways, every morning for breakfast the folks in the lodge would put out a large spread of goodies, but my favorite was the enormous bowl of granola and yogurt.  It was so good.  So being the nursing mother I was at the time, I felt like everyone owed me something, and I walked right into the kitchen and demanded the recipe.  Actually I asked very kindly if the nice cook would share some hints to why her granola was so good.  I totally expected her to be one of those recipe nazi's that won't share.  It's inhuman to not share recipes--it makes me want to find out the recipe even more, and then share it with the world.  But the nice cook lady shared!  She shared!  Can you believe it?  She shared!  She pointed me to a yellow sheet of legal paper and said, "Copy it down honey.  Here's a pen."  I will forever be in this woman's debt.  I love her.  It's really that good.

So don't buy another quart of yogurt until you've made a grundle of this stuff.  You will love me, and forever be in my debt for sharing.  Actually I do it because I love my friends!  I'll share anything with you---------just not James!

Tee Pee Granola

1 c. honey

1 c. oil

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

Bring these ingredients to a simmer on the stove.  Make sure the sugar has dissolved, then pour on top of the following ingredients:

8 c. old fashioned oats 

(the nice lady told me to toast the oats in a 350'F oven for 20 mins.  She said it makes them more digestible.)

1 c. wheat germ

1 c. wheat bran

3/4 c. flax seed

1/2 c. millet

1 1/2 c. sunflower seeds

2 c. coconut

1 c. sesame seeds

2 c. slivered almond (or any kind of nut you like)

1-2 T. cinnamon (opt. but I love it)

(All of these ingredients can be found in a good grocery store.  I have access to all of these things at the bakery, but Kitchen Kneads in Logan is a good source.  Also I've found that Bob's Red Mill products are good, and pretty inexpensive.  If you live anywhere near a WinCo though--that's the place to get your bulk seeds, and brans, and stuff.  Dirt cheap and you can get only what you need.)

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet and mix until everything seems coated.  Spray 2 cookie sheets with Pam and divide the granola between the pans.  Bake for 30 mins. at 350'F stirring the mixture every 10 mins.  After the granola is out of the oven, add dried fruit of choice.  I used a mixture of dried cherries and blueberries last time, but I've used mangos, apricots, and craisins too.  Let the mixture cool and break up and place in quart size Ziploc bags.  It makes a lot so freeze what you won't be using immediately.