Having made granola for myself yesterday, I don't think I'll ever buy it again. Completely easy, and you can tweak the flavoring in whatever direction you'd like.

The recipe I found called for pecans. I say I don't like pecans, but to be honest I don't like the way they look so I've never tried them. I've been getting a little more adventurous in the food department lately, though, so I may give them a shot next time I'm faced with one.

My nut of choice (other than my family members, of course) is Trader Joe's Cinnamon Almonds, which seemed like a good flavor to bring to the mix.

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons oil
1 pinch salt

Directions:
1. Mix everything in a large bowl.
2. Spread the mixture onto a baking pan.
3. Bake in a preheated 300F oven for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.

I used maple syrup from Matfield Maple Farm, the flavor of which has me licking my fingers whenever I use it. We'll be tapping our own trees this year thanks to them. Not only do they provide delicious syrup, candy, and sugar, they're generous with information and advice. We have two enormous Maples, and Jon did a small-scale experiment with tapping one of them a few years ago. This year we'll do both.

One note on the recipe: For my oven, at least, an hour is too long. I took my granola out at 45 minutes, and I think a few minutes less would have been ideal.