Dear Diary Homemade Granola, STFD!

STFD, which stands for Shut the Front Door because I am trying to be PG or at least PG-13 on my blog.  Well I love Granola.  We would buy it almost every week from the HEEEB (is what we called H-E-B, to my out of state or country readers it is a grocery store that is in Tejas).  Well some of you know I have a subscription to Everyday Food and well I stumbled upon a recipe from one of its loyal subscribers for homemade granola!  I saw the recipe and went, THIS IS SO FREAKING EASY WHY HAVE I NOT DONE THIS BEFORE.  So my gift to you is the recipe in a nut shell with my own little spins and tips.

Homemade Granola, it is so easy ya'll

Ingredients

3 cups of rolled oats (old fashion oats not the instant kind it should say it takes about 5 minutes to cook them)
2 cups of nuts coarsely chopped (I have used pecans, walnuts, pistachios roasted and unsalted of course)
1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut ( I omit this because Jonathan hates coconut but feel free to add it)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar (Tip I have used dark brown sugar and it is wonderful too!)
1/2 cup honey (I have used agave nectar too in the place of honey works well for substitutions)
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (look at your label I found out they use corn syrup in most vanilla extract but I found some without and it was bourbon vanilla, ugh yeah!)
3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of fine salt
1 cup of mixed dried fruit (dried cranberries, raisins, dried blueberries, whatever you fancy)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Yeah now I am hungry

Preheat oven to 300 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.  Lightly coat two rimmed baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or I use parchment paper.  In a large bowl combine oil, honey, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, mix well.  Then add the oats and nuts to the mixture and still until it is all coated well.  Divide mixture between sheets.  Bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then add 1/2 cup of coconut to each sheet and mix; bake until mixture is golden brown about another 15 minutes.  Tip, I would check the granola to see how fast it cooks because dark colored baking sheets cook faster then light colored aluminum ones.  Let it cool completely on sheets.  Then break apart in large mixing bowl and add mixed fruit and chocolate chips.  Store in airtight containers for up to 3 weeks.  It is delicious!  I like to mix it with my greek yogurt for breakfast or a snack.