Granola

Free!

My cookie sheets are worthless.  They have been for a long time, but sometimes I'm slow to catch on.  The last five things I've made on them - mostly cookies and roasted vegetables - have all come out black on the bottom.  So I've decided to get rid of them.  Any takers?  They might be worth something on the scrap metal market.  But they're unsuitable for kitchen use.  And they're not even magnetic, so you can't even use them for magnetic poetry.  Harrumpf.

(FYI: I'm replacing them with baking stones.  If you haven't used them before, you should know that they're magic.  Everything I've baked in them looks like perfection.)

Last weekend I spent a few days at my parents' house in "the country".  I did a lot of baking, but nothing y'all haven't seen before, so I didn't create any new posts.  (The Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies were a big hit, by the way.)  One of my mom's friends is an excellent cook, and she had made some homemade granola, so when I went over to her place to deliver some baked goods, we made a little exchange.

Mmmm... Have you ever tasted granola that had the essence of "toastiness" rather than "sweetness"?  That's what this stuff tasted like.  It's just the way I like my breakfast - not too sugary, but with a lot of crunch.  With a little batting of the eyelashes, I was able to pry the super secret recipe from her.  (Actually, she just copied it out of this month's Bon Appetit magazine.)

Today was a perfect fall day for being a homemaker, so I made the granola.  If you want to stop by for breakfast tomorrow, this is what I'll be having.

Modifications
I used sunflower oil instead of canola oil because there's a family in Pierz, MN that produces it.  I also opted for apple juice-sweetened dried cranberries instead of dried blueberries, 'cause blueberries are hella expensive.  The tang is a little intense, but I still like it.  Maybe currants next time?

Ps. Have you seen my new apron.  It's sexy.  And so am I.