I Dub Thee Oven

We got a new stove last week. After 9 months and 5 maintenance requests, our manager (aka manager of procrastination) finally fixed our oven handle. By replacing to whole oven... Don't get me wrong I'm as pleased as can be. It's clean, all four burners work, and its not 50 years old. Give or take. Oh yeah, and there's an oven handle! Woohoo! Well done Mrs. Manager, you've managed to fix one of the 8 things wrong with this apartment. Now we must wait another 2 months for you to address the other problems.

In the mean time, lets make some granola!

I'd like to think that my granola making skills have improved a lot since my first batch. Not that it's hard. Oh no, it's real simple. But I'm always testing out the ratio of wet ingredients and possible flavor possibilities. This has become my delicious default.

Maple syrup, nuts, brown sugar, and a little bit of cinnamon.

 Then adding whatever dried fruits I've got on hand. My roommates always ask me to make it, because it makes our apartment smell like pure happiness. That and to mask the smell coming from the trash.

I consider this the ultimate nibble food. But add and/or eat it just as you would any other granola.

Maple Pecan Granola
1/4 cup oil (use whatever you have, I used olive and still turned out great)

1/2 cup applesauce

2/3  cup maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil.

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients and mix well. Add oats and pecans, then mix well. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then transfer to the baking sheet. Bake granola for about 40-45 minutes, stirring avery 15 minutes, until granola is golden. Remove and allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

Enjoy! And store in a sealed jar or container.