My Favorite Granola Recipe

I'm certainly not a lady that feels she has to make every last thing from scratch (and don't worry I won't put that pressure on you either), but I do enjoy some homemade granola now and again. I have been looking for a granola recipe for over a year that I really like. I've tried at least 10 recipes, none of which hit the spot. My friend Sydney brought me over a sample of the recipe she uses and I loved it! Thought I'd share!

Sydney's Homemade Granola

Ingredients

• 3 cups of old fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup of walnuts roughly chopped
• ½ cup of almonds roughly chopped
• ½ cup of pecans roughly chopped
• ¼ tsp of cinnamon
• ¼ tsp of salt
• ½ cup of real maple syrup
• ½ cup of dried cranberries optional

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix all of the ingredients so everything is coated.
• Spray baking sheet (use one with sides).
• Layer granola evenly on baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
• Cool for 20-30 minutes (until cool to the touch) before storing.
• Store in an airtight container.
• Yields (9) ½ cup servings.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

The other day Joel and I were in the mood for some tasty goodness  and so I whipped up this easy "bread" (it's a lot more like cake, lets face it). It turned out simply divine... mmm... mmm... good! I found it on the food blog Dinner with Julie.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar (white or brown)
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, thin plain yogurt or milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2-1 cup chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, or a combination

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9″x5″ loaf pan with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
• In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry along with a few handfuls of chocolate chips and/or nuts, if you’re so inclined, and stir just until the batter comes together. 
• Scrape into the prepared pan and bake for an hour, until the top is cracked and springy to the touch.