This is the taste of my childhood. (Well, this and grape Tang, but that doesn’t exist anymore….) 

There are 1,000,001 ways to make granola and different styles have their devotees. Here is a good, basic recipe that is super-flexible and can be modified any number of ways but is also very, very good just as it is. You can add nuts, vary the seeds, vary the cereal (but not the oatmeal), use maple syrup for part of the water/honey, or whatever. My only warning: if you want to add dried fruit, add it after the baking.

This recipe was used by my mother, who got it from her friend, Diane Henry, probably in the mid-1970’s. I’ve modified it a little bit, but not much.

Maren’s granola:
5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
3 cups crushed wheat bran flake cereal
1/2 cup wheat germ and/or 1 cup Grape Nuts cereal
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds and/or sesame seeds
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup honey

Preheat oven to 275ºF. Mix everything in a very large bowl, then spread evenly on two silicone mats on large baking sheets.

Bake for 30 minutes, then stir each pan and rotate them in the oven. Bake 30 more minutes and check. If granola is still soft an not lightly browned yet, bake another 10-20 minutes. Cool before storing in an airtight container.

Bonus: your house will smell amazing!