Going granola

I've been blazing trails in my domestic life, channeling my inner earth-mother and embracing what's natural. I haven't given up shaving my legs but I have been baking bread (well, trying anyway), planting a garden, and making homemade cereal. Granola. I remember my mom made it a few times in enormous batches when I was little and stored it in huge buckets with lids. Granola's become a bit more sophisticated since then, and it's delish. I've used the Barefoot Contessa recipe as a jumping off point. Blueberries give it a summery flavor, though dates would and golden raisins make for a more autumnal flavor.  This is how we like it:

4 c. old fashioned rolled oats

2 c. sweetened shredded coconut

2 c. sliced almonds
1 1/2 c. raw cashew pieces

3/4 c. canola oil

3/4 c. good honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup golden flax seed

1 1/2 c. small diced dried apricots

1 c. dried cherries

1 c. dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries

Preheat oven to 350

Toss oats, coconut, almonds, cashews in a large bowl. Whisk together oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Add brown sugar, salt & cinnamon, stir to combine.  Pour onto a 13 x 18 sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice even golden brown, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the golden flax over the oat/nut mixture and return to the oven for 15 more minutes. Remove granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break it up. Add the apricots, figs, cherries, cranberries and blueberries. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.