A few new things that are making my mornings brighter:

New teapot...from For Life...love.

New tea...finally got around to ordering great loose leaf tea from Upton Imports . My favorites are Bond Street English Breakfast and River Shannon Irish Breakfast. Both make a good, strong morning cup.

New granola recipe. Homemade granola is one of my favorite breakfasts. It's sooo much healthier than store bought and it's really easy to make. After making my tried and true recipe for 2 or 3 years, I came across this one via Orangette. But after making it, I realized it was way too sweet for me. So I tried again, this time cutting out over half the sugar. And guess what? It was just as good. Here's my altered version of the recipe.

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grade B maple syrup (using grade B is important, it gives a richer flavor)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add olive oil and maple syrup and give a good stir, until all dry ingredients are moistened.

Spread granola in an even layer onto baking pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until granola is golden brown and most of the moisture has evaporated.

Remove from oven and let cool all the way before storing in an airtight container.

Very easy and delicious. And healthy.