Crunchy Granola Reprise

I know I'm dating myself, but so what??  I think this recipe has its origin sometime in the '60's. Since Bob has been going through granola lately like there's no end in sight, I've begun making it again, to save ourselves a bit of hard-earned cash.

Granola is very forgiving, not to mention flexible.  And, I had forgotten just how easy it is to make or how good it can be.  The house smells lovely right now with all those toasting grains, from the current batch.

Everything is basically dumped into a big bowl.  Stirred around a bit and then baked in a slow oven (250F) for 2-3 hours.  Then you can add whatever dried fruits or nuts you want.  I'm going to add in some Brazil nuts that need to be used, toward the end, so they get a bit toasty.

Crunchy Granola Reprise

1 cup hot water
1/2 cup veg. oil
1/2 - 3/4 cups honey or agave nectar (use more if you want it sweeter)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extracts
4 cups rolled oats (or Scotch mix)
1 cup buckwheat groats or shredded coconut (or both)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Add after baking:
1/2 cup nuts (I used peanuts and chopped Brazils this time)
1/2 cup dried fruit

Pour boiling water over the buckwheat groats, if using, and let sit for about a half hour.  Then add the remaining liquid ingredients and stir.  In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients together well, then pour over the liquid mixture and stir until the moisture is taken up.  Spread over cookie sheets and bake slow (250F) for 2-3 hours.

Turn several times and break up lumps.  When dry, let cool and add nuts, raisins, or other dried fruits if desired.  I've been adding little dried blueberries.  Soooo good.  Dehydrated fruits would be fantastic, if you had a bumper crop of strawberries or whatever.  The store ones are pretty pricey.  Enjoy your breakfast!

 Just had to wait for this morning's bowl to get the final shots, and added a few of our fresh strawberries.