Delicious!

This time of year, I always want to bake. There's something about fall (evern fake Florida fall) that makes me want delicious smells to waft from my kitchen. I decided to try something new this afternoon - home made granola. I was recently at a friend's apartment and she had a tupperware of home made granola on her counter... which reminded me how much I love granola! Stir it with yogurt, douse it with milk, or eat it plan as trailmix... delicious! I've never made my own but I found a recipe online that looked pretty yummy and used honey as sweetner (another one of my favorite things). So, I decided to try it. My apartment smells wonderful right now and the first batch just came out of the oven. I'm munching on some right now and, I must say, this recipe is a keeper. So, please pardon my diversion from anything serious or deep... this post is purely culinary in nature. ;-)

Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups honey, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
1. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, wheat germ, walnuts, almonds, and dried cranberries.

2.In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Drizzle over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat evenly.

3. Spread the mixture out in a thin layer on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (possible less. it only took 25 minutes for mine) in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes to toast evenly. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Granola will become crunchier as it cools.
Enjoy!