Homemade Granola

This is so easy.  Once you get the proportions down, you can improvise with different nuts and dried berries.  Here it is:

Granola
(based on Earthbound Farm's Maple Almond Granola)

4 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups chopped raw almonds or pecans or walnuts (or any combination thereof)
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/4 cups maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins or chopped dates or chopped apricots (or any combination thereof)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine dry ingredients --not the fruit-- with syrup and oil till moistened.

Spread on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake until it begins to brown, about 20 minutes.  Stir with a flat spatula and continue to cook until it's light, golden brown, another 15-20 minutes.  Watch it carefully because it can burn quickly.  Remove from oven.

Place cookie sheet on a cooling rack.  Add dried fruit and combine.  Be sure to stir it once it's finished and out of the oven or it'll harden and stick to the cookie sheet.  Allow it to cool.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a month or freeze it for up to three months.