#2,441 Girl Time + Granola.

I spent a while visiting with Mammaw this afternoon, and I regret so much the way it’s become only a once or twice a week at best visit I get to make since we started filming the show. She’s in bed by 7 every night, just when we’re leaving work, so it’s been hard for our schedules to work. Saturdays and Sundays are my only chance lately, and when I walked through the door this afternoon, her eyes lit up like when I would come to her house as a little child, ready to build forts and make pie crust cookies with me. She was in great spirits, and it made me feel so good to see her that way. She seems to be doing well consistently, most always feeling good. I’m so grateful to still have her in my life.

A few days ago I told y’all about my friend Lily’s famous granola… And she told me the gist of how she does it, so tonight I tried it on my own and was pleasantly surprised that it tasted just like hers! Hooray! This is wonderful news! But this is horrible news for my weight loss efforts! Whatever, it’s the most delicious thing in the world and life is too short to not eat good food. Am I right? You’re gonna want to pin this one:

Lily’s Maple Pecan Cranberry Granola

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups chopped pecans
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp. salt
1.5 cups dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 250. Stir together oats, pecans, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together syrup, salt, and oil. Cover 2 baking sheets with a pieces of tin foil. Combine the oat mixture and syrup mixture, then spread evenly across the baking sheets. Bake 35 minutes, then stir gently (try not to break up all the chewy little clumps of oats—that’s the good stuff!), bake for 35 more minutes. Remove and transfer to a big bowl, then stir in the cranberries so they’re evenly distributed. Share with your friends and tell them all to eat it like cereal in milk or with yogurt. They will love you.