I'm Back? [Honey Granola]

When I last posted, it was during a transition period at my job. The business was in a tough position and I was thrown in the mix to maintain order while my boss dealt with the paperwork to keep the business alive. Working through uncertainty isn't my strength and I was fairly stressed and tired. Eventually, everything settled down and I was promoted after 2 years of hard work.

It's been both an amazing, stressful, and tiresome journey, but I have finally discovered my footing. I feel more secure and I am falling into a pattern where I can complete my work duties while still creating time for hobbies. Since September, I have not baked or taken any gorgeous photos. I have just been grinding in and out of work trying to reach the high expectations I set for myself. I am learning to compromise what I want versus reality. A difficult pill to swallow for a perfectionist like me.

Now it's time to unwind with some homemade granola and yogurt. Yums.

Honey Granola
adapted from Baking Unplugged by Nicole Rees

Note: This isn't a very sweet granola, but feel free to increase the sugar up to 1/2 cup to suit your taste. I prefer my granola plain so I don't add any nuts or dried fruits, but you can always add up to 3 cups of nuts or dried fruits.

Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg white
3 TBSP oil
3 TBSP honey
2 TBSP water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
4 heaping cups old fashioned oats
3 cups of dried fruits or toasted nuts/seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, egg, oil, honey, water, vanilla, and salt until combined.
3. Stir in oats, coat evenly. 
4. Spread out mixture in an even layer on the pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir granola and push the browned bits toward center of pan.
5. Reduce heat to 250°F. Bake for 20 minutes. 
6. Stir and back for another 20 minutes.
7. Remove from heat. Stir and allow to cool completely.
8. Stir in any desired dried fruits or nuts.
9. Store at room temperature in an air tight container.