Granola

Ah food, how do I love thee?  One simple food that I've been in love with since childhood is granola.  I can eat it dry, on yogurt, with milk, on ice cream, with peanut butter or nutella.  If it's in the house, I'm grabbing it by the handful and snacking while I'm at my desk.  My mother makes delicious granola and a few years back, for Christmas, she gave me about 2lbs worth!  She puts in sunflower seeds, oatmeal, rasins, honey and a little oil.  The great thing about making your own, is that you can add whatever you want to it.  Chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, flax seed, peanut butter.  You name it!  Here's a recipe I love for easy granola: 

Chocolate Cherry Granola

Ingredients: 
6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)

• 2 cups mixed nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds or cashews (I like almonds and sunflower seeds)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

• Dash salt

• 1/2 to 1 cup honey 

• 1 cup  chopped dried fruit (I like dried cherries)

• 1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine oats, nuts and seeds, cinnamon, salt and honey. Place on a sheet pan and put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. Mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.

• 2. Remove pan from oven and add dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until granola reaches room temperature. Add chocolate chips.  Transfer to a sealed container and store in refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.

What's your favorite way to eat granola?  What ingredients would you add to make your dream granola?