Granola

Great for breakfast or combined with yogurt or ice cream. I love the smell of this cooking.

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 - 1 cup wheat germ
1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened or sweetened, depends on preference)
1 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup oil
1/2 - 1 cup honey (to taste)
2 cups dried fruit - craisins, apple slices, apricots, banana chips, whatever you have around
1 tsp almond extract
2 Tbsp vanilla

Mix grains, nuts, and coconut together thoroughly in a large bowl. Pour oil and honey over mixture and stir and mix well. Spread on lightly greased pans (I use 2 large glass cake pans). Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes. Every 10 minutes, remove from from oven and stir well to redistribute granola to toast evenly.

After 30 minutes or once golden brown, remove from oven. Return to large bowl. Mix in dried fruit. Then add almond extract and vanilla stir thoroughly. Return granola to pans and put back in oven for another 5-7 minutes.

Return granola to bowl and allow to cool. If desired, you could add and additional 1/2 cup honey - I think it will make it crunchy/stickier. I typically haven't added the additional honey. The granola turns out very soft. Store in air tight container. Will store for about 3-4 weeks.

[Like a lot of cooks out there, I don't follow this recipe exactly. I will typically do about 1 cup of honey from the beginning and decrease the oil slightly. The trick I've learned with this granola is mix well and make sure it doesn't burn. You are just toasting it. I've added lots of different combinations of nuts and fruits - basically what ever I've got on hand - and it's always great. My 2 1/2 year son loves this for breakfast. Good luck and enjoy!]