Granola, Take ???

Ok, so I kind of love making granola.  And now that I'm not teaching (read: am doing homework all day) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's nice to have a break for a bit.  And bake something.  Something edible.  That isn't going to create a crazy surplus of baked goods.  Because there just aren't as many people around to eat those baked goods anymore.  I miss my apartment from last year.  I used to make fun things.

P.S.  I should be writing precalculus lesson plans for this week.  Oops.  But I had a busy day of driving and finding bridesmaid dresses and finishing other homework.  Time for a break.

Not that granola isn't fun, mind you.  I love granola.  I just feel like I'm running low on creativity.  And actual baking and cooking.  But I do love granola.  Mmmm.

I was, however, way too lazy to get out my cookie sheet now that the one in my apartment left with my former apartmentmate.  So I used a pizza pan.  Good plan, right?

It actually turned more into an experiment, as I tried to figure out if having a thicker layer of granola would make it bake more evenly.  I know that sounds odd, but often the every edges of the cookie sheet where the granola is thinner burn some.  So, I decided I'd try this.  It seemed to work just fine.

I also realized that my apple juice (yes, I use juice boxes for baking -- it makes it last longer.  I don't have to finish a whole bottle of apple juice before it goes bad!) expires . . . after I am a married woman.  Maybe it isn't as far away as it seems sometimes.

I started with my usual granola recipe.  I am just too much a fan of it to not use it.

And I used a lot of cinnamon.  I am a huge fan of Cinnamon Life . . . and I've been eating it recently.  So I decided cinnamon would be good.  I decided against allspice and nutmeg -- I usually use them, but I decided to do something different.  I used a little ginger and cloves instead.  And a lot of cinnamon.

I also happened to have some raw pumpkin seeds, and I added them.  At first, when it came out of the oven, I wasn't sure if it was a good choice or not.  But they aren't as pronounced as I first thought.  They worked.

Finally, I had a mixture of dried cherries, cranberries, golden raisins and blueberries that I added.  Yum.  I love this combination.

In other food news, I half-inadvertently, half-purposely bought a vegan banana chocolate chip cookie.  It is good -- it wasn't quite the right consistency, but  it was a good taste combination.  I might have to play around with this.  I haven't tried much real vegan food.

This also happened the other day when I was peeling an orange for dinner.  It wasn't intentional, I promise!