Granola

I could have given you the recipe for Granola last time if I had thought of it. This morning as I was eating yogurt and granola, again, I remembered where I got the recipe I've been using in my kitchen for 39 years.

Mom's friend, Esther Mae Kauffman, gave her the recipe for *Cereal*. When I got married I copied a bunch of family favorites for my recipe box. This was one of them.

1 cup salad oil
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups wheat germ (optional)
2 lb. oatmeal ( I use a cardboard
circular container of Old Fashioned Oats.
It holds 2 lb.10 oz.)
1 1/2 cups honey
1 T. salt I have cut that down to 1 tsp.
2 cups coconut
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
Sunflower seeds, almonds or any of your favorite kind of nuts

Put all the dry ingredients in a gigantic roasting pan. Gently warm the honey, oil, vanilla and water. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir very well. Toast in a 250* oven for 1 1/2 hours. I set the timer and stir it every half hour. Cool, store in a tight container.

If I am out of honey I just add more brown sugar instead.  I never use the wheat germ these days.

All of my children or their spouses have texted me for this recipe. I know it by heart and just rattle off the ingredients to them in a text.

It makes a nice Christmas gift or hostess gift in a quart jar with a pretty ribbon tied around the top.

Thank you, Esther Mae!