Granola

Living in the great Northwest, home amongst the environmentally conscious, working to erase their carbon footprints...okay, "granolas," you find a lot of all-natural recipes, etc. These two made me think of home when I was younger; Mom making granola, and Dad eating it.

Husband-Mocking Granola
Makes 6 cups

Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup mild honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 cups mixed dried fruit of your choice, chopped into bite-size pieces, if necessary
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl add oatmeal, apple juice, oil, nuts, sugar, honey, cinnamon and salt; stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly on two large, shallow baking pans, about ¾ inch thick.

Bake for about 1 hour, taking the oats from the oven to turn them every 10 to 15 minutes to ensure even baking. At the 45 minute mark, begin checking the oatmeal every 5 minutes, and remove from the oven as soon as the oats are golden in color.

Stir in the dried fruit and cool. Store in the pantry or freezer in a self-sealing plastic bag or airtight plastic container to keep the granola crisp.


Fruit and Spice Granola
Makes 10 cups

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup honey
4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup pecans pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup dried dates
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried blueberries

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. On the stove top, melt butter with honey in a small saucepan. While butter is melting, mix the oatmeal, coconut, nuts, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Once the honey and butter have combined, pour the hot mixture over the dry mixture and stir until mixed. Spread evenly between two baking sheets.

Bake the mixture for 30 to 45 minutes, checking it every 10 minutes or so to stir it and break up any large clumps.

When the mixture has reached golden brown, pull it out of the oven, pour it into a large bowl and mix in the fruit. Cool before serving.