It's been quite a while.

Many months have passed since I last blogged. What does that tell you? Life has been one hectic, but fun ride. And here we are in 2009.

The husband and I had great holiday season. We trekked up to Seattle, a foodie central, to visit family during Christmas. It was a wonderful visit, getting to spend time with family that we hardly see. There was lots of laughter and talking and of course, eating. I am blessed with a family who knows how to cook well and eat well. And in Seattle, there was no exception. We had quite an adventure, going out to eat at some places that offered phenomenal gastropub fare - Quinn's Pub (wild boar sloppy joes, fried frog legs in buffalo wing sauce, frites with truffle oil, beef bone marrow, and gnocchi with rabbit ragout) - to the best little burger joint in the neighborhood - Red Mill Burgers (Bacon Deluxe with Cheese - peppered bacon cheese burger with the Mill Sauce). Plus, my family cooked some fantastic meals. My sister-in-law, one evening, made mushroom risotto accompanied by an endive and apple salad with blue cheese dressing. I was a little nervous eating endive (I didn't even know what it was) but it sure was delicious. This same awesome sister-in-law showed me how to make my own batch of granola.

I very well could just buy granola at the nearby grocery store. That would be easy, fast, and pretty cheap. But with the opportunity of making my very own, why settle for store-bought? And I actually know what is going into what I am making.

So here's my own version of homemade granola (fashioned after my sister-in-law's recipe):

2 cups of uncooked oatmeal
3/4 cup of light corn syrup (don't worry, it's not evil and it's in about everything you can buy and eat from a store. If you'd prefer, use honey)
chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts because they were on sale)
dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
*seeds (sunflower, etc) - optional
*milled flaxseed (almost in powder form, for some good omega-3 fatty acids) - optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a bowl, mix the uncooked oatmeal and chopped nuts together.
2. Pour light corn syrup into the bowl and mix everything thoroughly so that the oats and nuts were coated and starting to bunch together. (At this point, I also added the milled flaxseed)
3. In an ungreased, nonstick cookie sheet, spread the mixture evenly.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven so you can "mix" the granola and flip it over (you will notice it starting to brown). This way, the granola will be broken up.
5. Bake for another 5 minutes, then you're done!
6. Let it sit for another 10 minutes, out of the oven, until it's cool to the touch.
7. Once cooled, transfer the granola into an airtight container (break into bunches if necessary) and mix in dried cranberries.
8. Voila! Homemade granola. Great to eat as a snack, in fat-free plain yogurt (put in a little "Sugar in the Raw") or in milk as cereal.

This recipe is open to preference and variation, so don't be afraid to do a little bit of experimentation. I know I will!