Pecan Raisin Granola

Ahh, homemade granola. Pretty easy to make and SO tasty! I finally got my act together last night and made a batch. I took inspiration from Esther Shank's recipe in Mennonite Country-Style Recipes. But, as usual, I didn't have or didn't care for all of the ingredients listed in her recipe, so I changed things up a bit.

Pecan Raisin Granola
yield: about 5 cups

1. Into a large bowl, measure 4 cups of oats. I am die hard in my love of old fashioned rolled oats. I think they put wimpy quick oats to shame. Old fashioned oats have presence; they don't melt into mush upon leaving their canister. Nonetheless, use whatever oats you have on hand or prefer.
2. Next, add between 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped pecans as you like. 
3. Shank's original recipe calls for wheat germ, which I am fresh out of. So, I found some slivered almonds, chopped them up finely, and tossed about 1/2 a cup of them into my bowl. 
4. Add 3/4 cup raisins to the bowl. Dried cranberries would also be good here. 
5. In a separate smaller bowl, combine 1 cup of brown sugar, 3/4 cup oil (such as vegetable or canola), 1/3 cup water, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (or a little more, if you like!), 1/2 tsp. salt, and 2 tbsp. real vanilla extract. (Vanilla extract seems to be the magic ingredient that takes this granola into the next level of goodness. Two tablespoons seems like a lot of vanilla, but no skimping...it will make the granola oh so wonderful!)  Mix all ingredients together until well blended. 
6. Pour liquid mixture over oat mixture. Stir to coat
7. Spread mixture onto your largest baking pan--you don't want any granola goodness falling overboard! Distribute evenly across pan. 
8. Bake at 275 degrees for one hour total. Use a timer to remind yourself to get up off the sofa and stir the granola every fifteen minutes (total of three times) during the baking process.
9. Serve with milk, yogurt, or even ice cream. Yum! 
10. Store cooled granola in pantry, fridge, or even freezer for long-term storage.