My mom watches my little guy for me sometimes in the evenings, if I have to be at the softball field late with my daughter. Last night when I got to her house to pick him up, I walked in the front door to the most wonderful aroma of something baking in the oven. I was surprised when she told me that it was homemade granola (I was expecting her to say that she was baking cookies).

This granola is delicious! much better than what you can buy at the store. The baked oats and maple syrup along with the other ingredients baked together to perfection. We snacked on it warm right out of the oven that night, the next morning we had it with milk, but my favorite was when I made it into a yogurt parfait with fresh berries! This is definitely a recipe that I will be making over and over again.

My mom got the recipe from Food Network. Thank you mom, not only for helping me with the kids when I need you, but for sharing a passion for food with me. Thanks for making this yummy granola and giving me the recipe!

The ingredients are:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 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 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, coconut, and brown sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.
4. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Transfer to large bowl, add raisins and cranberries and mix to combine.