Granola

Granola
from my mom

10 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup Wheat Germ
2 cups Sunflower Seeds
3 cups Nuts (Almonds are my choice)

1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar (packed)
1 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 cups Honey (I always use Cox's creamed honey)
1/2 cup Molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
3 teaspoons Vanilla

Add the first 4 ingredients into a bowl and stir.  Then combine the rest of the ingredients into a pan and cook on the stove until the sugar has dissolved--do not boil.  Pour syrup over dry ingredients while stirring.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.  When done, cool pan and continue to stir.  Store in an air tight container in a cool place.

{cooks note}

I've been sick lately; therefore, my lack of posts.  I never thought at 29 I would get a double ear infection.  To top it off, I also got a sinus infection.  I am craving fall like no other.  It's still too hot here to wear pants.  Ugh!  In the spirit of fall, I decided to make my mom's delicious homemade granola.  The smell of my house yesterday was heavenly and made me happy.  My family loves this granola and we eat it every day until it is gone.  It's simple and tasty--just how I like it.  You can add whatever else you would like...cranberries, raisins...there are no rules.  I add a few scoops of ground flax to my dry mixture.  It probably equals out to be 1/4 cup.  Once you have everything mixed together, pour the mixture onto 3 baking sheets.  I have done two in the past and it takes much longer to cook.  I also have played with the oven temperature and increased it to 325 degrees.  Since my oven can only hold one pan at a time, I cook them individually.  It will seem like your timer is ringing every 10 seconds, but be patient, it will be worth it in the end.  I would say that I cooked each pan for 30 minutes total...sometimes I have to add in an extra 10 minutes depending on how crunchy I want the granola to turn out.  When finished, make sure you let the granola cool on the pan stirring occasionally.  If you think it needs to bake longer, don't be afraid to put it back in the oven.  Add this to your favorite yogurt or eat it with milk, either way you will love it.

*I buy slivered almonds at Costco.  You can also find them in the bulk isle at Winco.