Cherry-Almond Granola, New Kids and a Flood

No sooner did I make an inspiring list of goals for the year than I got hit with a few major interruptions. First, our goat became a first time mama. The three kids are a delightful little distraction but it is easy to lose an hour staring at them when I only meant to quickly check on them.

In the midst of the fun our drain backed up, leaked out a faulty pipe and ruined my lovely kitchen floors. This necessitated digging a four by four hole in my laundry room floor which has left me in one of the worst situations for a large family. No laundry facilities!

However, I still yearn to spend quality time with my children and feed them healthy food so in the middle of the chaos I decided to enlist their help to turn some of my bulk purchased oatmeal into a hearty batch of tasty granola.

Cherry-Almond Granola

Preheat oven to 300

Mix in large bowl,

8 cups rolled oats

1 cup almonds

2 T chia seeds

1 cup coconut

(You could substitute any nut or seed in place of the almonds/chia seeds/coconut)

In a small saucepan melt together

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 t cinnamon

1 t pumpkin pie spice

1/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

Cook and stir just until melted and combined. Pour slowly over the oats mix, stirring thoroughly. 

Once all ingredients are evenly mixed, spread on two large cookie sheets.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

After removing from oven add 1 cup dried cherries.

(You could substitute any dried fruit on hand. I prefer to add after granola has cooked so the fruit does not dry out, just a personal preference).

Once cool, place in airtight container and enjoy.

As you can see, this was a fun and easy recipe that my children loved helping out with. It is also flexible enough that if a child does not measure exactly, it won't be ruined.

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