Granola

My husband and I went to "A Culinary Escape" at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City one year. It was a weekend with instruction, recipes, and best of all, samples! One of the things they made was Granola. I've altered the recipe some to fit our tastes a little more. This is a hit in my family. We love it on top of yogurt, with milk as cereal, even on top of pancakes or waffles. It also makes a great gift! How do you eat granola?

5 1/2 cups of Rolled Oats (not instant)
1/2 cup Sunflower seeds
1/2 cup Pepitos (pumpkin seeds--I have to find these green ones at the health food store)
1 cup Walnuts, chopped
2 tbs Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground clove
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tbs Vanilla Extract
1 cup Honey
3-5 cups Dried fruit

Preheat the oven to 250. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the dried fruit into a large bowl.




Use your hands to turn the mixture over until it is thoroughly combined. Place on a large baking sheet. I find I need to use 2. Toast in the oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes and turning them over to be sure nothing burns. (your house is going to smell amazing!) If you use 2 baking pans, and one is above the other, rotate them each time you stir. Remove the pans from the oven and let stand for about 1 hour until it has cooled completely. Then mix in your fruit. You can use any type of dried fruits you want. Right now I have a pre-mixed medley that includes apples, peaches, apricots, raisins and dates, and I add cranberries. I really like the "anti-oxident" mix that I have found at the grocery store. You can go pre-mixed or individual, it just depends on your taste. You'll notice I put 3-5 cups of fruit, it just depends on how much fruit you want in the mixture.

Enjoy!