This time last year I started making homemade granola. Ever since, I’ve made sure to keep a batch on hand. I like it as a cereal swimming in Julia’s milk. It’s also good on ice cream or yogurt.
This week, though, I let us run out and we’ve been without for several days now due to the fact that I haven’t wanted to turn on the oven. Yesterday I sucked it up, turned the oven to 350 degrees, and whipped up several weeks’ worth of breakfast.
It’s so good I gave bags of it away as Christmas presents last year.
Ingredients:
Toasted coconut.
Toasted almonds.
Dried cranberries and raisins.
Toasted oats.
The recipe:
10 ounces flaked coconut
2 1/2 pounds thick, rolled oats
1 pound dried fruit (I like raisins)
1 pound slivered almonds
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (you can make it hotter, if you like, but don’t leave the room even for a minute as you’re toasting your ingredients. Ask me how I know this). Spread the coconut onto a cookie sheet so it’s in a single layer. Keep an eye on it as it will burn soon after it browns. When you can smell the scent of coconut, it’s ready to come out. Let cool and add to a big container with a tightly fitting lid.
Toast the slivered almonds the same way. Cool and add to the coconut.
Add the dried fruit.
In a small saucepan combine the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Heat until the honey is nice and liquid. Pour the mixture over the thick, rolled oats. Spread that mixture onto two separate cookie sheets and toast until the oats are a golden brown. Cool and add to the container. Cover with a tightly fitting lid.
Granola!
Enjoy a homemade breakfast for weeks.
Waiting for Thoreau 
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