Granola

I had no idea when I got married I was going to be immersed into a family who loves to cook. Luckily for us, we never lack in good recipes. My sister-in-law shared with us her granola which, in my opinion, is the best granola out there. She was so kind to let me share it with you. 

If that's not incentive enough, I read in this month's Rachael Ray's Every Day Magazine, making your own granola is 39% cheaper than store bought. Now really. Have you ever really had a good store-bought granola? I didn't think so.

You're going to want to make this recipe. Again. Again. And again. 

Granola

Combine the following (except vanilla) and boil for one minute. Stir in vanilla. 1 1/2 cups brown sugar  1/2 cup water1/2 cup honey3/4 cup oil1 tsp cinnamon1 tsp salt2 tsp vanilla

Combine the following in a large mixing bowl:6 cups rolled oats (not the quick kind)2-3 cups of assorted nuts (whole or chopped) (I prefer almonds and pecans)1/2 cup wheat germ1 1/2 cups coconut

Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients and stir to coat well.Spread onto two cookie sheets.  (If you have silpat liners they work really wellwith this recipe and the clean up is a snap!) No need to grease the plain pan.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  I bake two pans at once and stir and swap racks withthem at the 15 minute mark.  The Granola will not feel crunchy after thirty minutesbut it will harden up as it cools.  You want to see it turning a golden brown around the edgesafter 15 minutes.  This is when I stir it up and switch places.  Don't over bake!!
Add one of our favorite ingredients: Craisins. Just eyeball however much you want. 

Store in a covered container for 2 weeks.  But it rarely lasts that long!