There is just nothing better than waking up to a lovely Americana handed to you by your husband along with the morning paper. This is how I start every morning. (Not a bad gig, right?) Well, to make it up to him, I usually fix him a breakfast that is both nourishing and delicious. And one of the ways I do this is by making my own granola. Now granted, I don’t serve granola every morning because that would get too monotonous. (And as you well know, breakfast can be a bit tedious if you don’t change things up every day.) So when our dear friend Peggy offered me her granola recipe, plus a sample, I jumped at the chance to taste another person’s homemade version of this very expensive (off the grocery shelf) breakfast staple. And oh was it good! So of course I had to make some for us, and share her basic recipe with you. (And yes I changed a couple of things, but I simply can’t help myself!)

At this point, I really should explain what constitutes a typical breakfast at Chez Carr. I basically like to serve a variety of items for breakfast in much the same way I would serve several small tapas at a dinner party. Small portions, but a nice variety. So breakfast at our home usually consists of a piece of whole wheat toast, a small piece of breakfast meat (one slice of very lean bacon or 2-oz. of chicken breakfast sausage), an easy over or scrambled egg, a half piece of fruit, and a small bowl of granola with either a dollop of Greek yogurt and blueberries (for example), or a small amount of milk. And when I say a small amount of granola, I mean about 3 tablespoons. And the dollop of yogurt is about 2 tablespoons. Just enough granola to add crunch to our meal, and just enough yogurt to give us that delightful creamy mouth feel we so dearly love. So all in all, really not a heavy breakfast. Once in a while I go nuts and fix us pancakes. But they’re made with whole grain or oat flour, so they really do have some protein and therefore some redeeming nutritional value! Oh, and Mr. C always has a small glass of juice every morning with breakfast. (Can’t leave that out!)

So if you too would like to add a bit of excitement to your morning meal, make up a batch of this healthy granola. Your whole family will appreciate the delicious flavor and crunch. And even though they might not equate their newfound energy with eating this protein rich cereal for breakfast, they should be able to make it to lunch now with energy to spare. This is simply not Captain Crunch my friends! This is the real deal. And no preservatives with names only a biology professor can pronounce. Just healthy ingredients that are easy to assemble and ever so easy to get everyone in your family to eat. Word of warning to you parents with school age children: Don’t be surprised if your children start wanting this granola for an afternoon snack. This grandma advises – let them! Granola is sure a lot better for your kids than candy, cookies, chips, or any form of frozen after school snack.

Thanks again Peggy for this wonderful recipe. And for my recipe for granola, search under Granola, and mine will magically appear.

• 3 c. rolled oats
• 2 c. nuts & seeds (almonds, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, etc.)
• 1 c. shredded unsweetened coconut or whatever coconut happens to be in your pantry at the time 
• ¼ c. vegetable oil
• ½ c. honey
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
• ¼ c. roughly chopped candied ginger
• 1 c. dried fruit (golden raisins, chopped dates, dried blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, apricots, etc.)

In a large bowl mix together the oats, nuts, seeds, and coconut. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, honey, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom; pour over the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Spread evenly on 2 large baking sheets. Bake in a pre-heated 250 degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the candied ginger and mixed dried fruit. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. (Total baking time – 45 minutes.) Remove from oven and place baking sheets on wire racks. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Serve with yogurt and fresh berries or simply with milk.