Food on Friday: Homemade crunchy müsli

As you may have figured out by now, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  (If you need proof, it's here, here, here, and here.)  I eat it every day, no matter how late I wake up or how little we have in the pantry and fridge.  On Saturdays and Sundays, I enjoy taking it slowly, lighting candles and savoring my big cup of coffee.  During the week, I'm just as satisfied with a slice of peanut butter, banana and honey toast or a big bowl of cereal.  

It's finding a cereal that's nutritious and satisfying that doesn't cost and arm and a leg here that is challenging.  It's been quite a while since I have bought cereal in the United States, but imagine this is even more true there than it is here.  It's impossible to find something that isn't loaded with sugar and contains enough stuff to actually keep you full until lunchtime.  

Enter homemade crunchy müsli (or granola, as we Americans call it)!  This stuff is seriously fabulous and the best part is that you have all the control.  

I loaded mine with oats, nuts and seeds then toasted it to a rich golden brown and tossed in some shredded coconut and dried fruit.  Peter and I tasted it this morning and it may just be my favorite cereal I have ever had!  (It didn't hurt that the sun was shining and that Peter and I were actually in the same place for breakfast for once.)

Here's how to make your own: 

Follow Aran Goyoaga's recipe for Basic Granola here.  

(The best part about this recipe is that she provides metric measurements for all my German friends, too!)

Add in your choice of 'fun stuff'.  I chose sesame, flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, as well as almond slivers.  Then, after my oats, seeds and nuts baked, I added the coconut and mixed dried fruit, so that there was a little of everything in there!  Yum!

Wouldn't this make the most beautiful hostess gift when you visit a friend for the weekend?  I think so  Just put it in a pretty jar and maybe take it with some gourmet coffee.

In the end, it is so delicious, the empty bowl looks like this!  Have a fantastic weekend everyone!