Put It In a Pan and Bake It 'Til It's Crispy

One of my favorite things about Springtime, aside from the planting and the cleaning and the playing, is what I get to eat.  Morning time isn't so chilly that I have to have warm oatmeal, which by the way, makes me want to crawl back into bed, not run around doing fun things or being productive. So...

 It's GRANOLA Time!!!  Yesterday I put together the ultimate Jenni granola and was sure to add all of my favorite things to it.  Plus, because it makes so much, I got to bottle up a few pretty jars for some special people...like our blogs cute Cali who had a birthday yesterday!  Happy Birthday Girly!!!

Anyway...here's my recipe:

Jenni's Favorite Things Granola

8 cups rolling oats
2 cups of crispy rice cereal
2 cups oat bran
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups sweetened shaved coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup real maple syrup
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teas. salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
2 cups dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Lightly grease or line a large roasting pan with foil.

Combine the oats, cereal, oat bran, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and coconut in the large roasting pan.  Stir together brown sugar, syrup, honey, vegetable oil, salt and cinnamon in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat.  Mix in dry cranberries

Bake in preheated oven for as long as it takes for it to get toasted and mostly dry.  Stir every 30 minutes or so for about 2 hours.  Cool and allow to dry completely before storing in an airtight container. 

Serve with milk or yogurt or even ice cream (but not for breakfast of course). 

My favorite is just with ice cold milk in a bowl and with a spoon.  I hope you love it!  I find it to be the perfect way to start my springtime day!