Happy 5th Blogoversary to me!

It is hard to believe that 5 years ago today I started this blog (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015). My paternal grandma passed away 1 1/2 weeks ago and tomorrow is her funeral. My cousin recently asked me for some of her recipes (Biscotti, Artichokes and Neapolitan Meatballs). I’ve been making this granola recipe for several years now and while this granola recipe is not from my grandma, I hope my kids will always remember cooking in the kitchen with me and our music playing loudly.

My kids love when certain foods get made and this is one of them. My oldest wanted to help me make this batch of granola and asked if we could triple the recipe. My hubby and youngest are giving up processed carbs for breakfast and lunch during Lent. As my youngest says, “I never met a carb I didn’t like!” So his options for breakfast have been very limited. He loves eating this with milk for breakfast. My oldest will have the granola added to yogurt for an afternoon snack. What I love most about this recipe is you can start with the basic recipe and modify it by adding what you want or like in yours. I’ve added cinnamon before, or pumpkin pie spice and pepitas during the fall; you can change the nuts (as I did here) or change the dried fruit. It all turns out delicious!

Granola
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3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Adapted from: Alton Brown’s Good Eats