Granola goodness

One of my favorite breakfasts is yogurt with granola mixed into it. Something about it just feels like a good start to the day. But I'm picky about my granola, and for what felt like ages I muddled through with sub-par stuff simply because I couldn't find a kind that I liked. Well, until a few years ago, when Katie's mom made me a batch of the Best Granola Ever and gave me the recipe (giving a girl a fish AND teaching her how to fish is really the best deal). I've tweaked it ever so slightly--mmm, flax seeds--but this is pretty much the same recipe she gave me. I keep it in a gallon-size ziploc bag in the pantry, and always go through it before it goes bad. I recommend 1/3 cup of it mixed in with a single-serving container of peach yogurt. Yummy.


Granola

4 1/2 cups rolled oats (NOT quick-cooking)
1 cup toasted wheat germ
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
2 cups chopped, slivered, and/or sliced almonds (this time I used a combination of slivered and sliced)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup neutral-tasting oil (I used coconut, but you could use any neutral salad oil)
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. almond extract (I didn't have any this time around, and the granola still tastes great without it)

Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients; set aside. In a small pan, combine the brown sugar, oil, and honey. Stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Pour over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Spread mixture evenly in 2 large baking pans. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until golden. Stir several times while cooking. Makes 9-10 cups.