The BEST Granola Bars

My friend, Kendall, introduced me to homemade granola bars. This recipe tastes delicious and can be changed so easily depending on what you have on hand. Feel free to substitute coconut oil for butter, almond or other nut butter for the peanut butter, honey for corn syrup. Make it as healthy as you want and it will still taste delicious. I've included a link to the original recipe at the bottom of this post. This recipe includes some of the extra add-ins I use in my recipe.

You never have to buy granola bars again. Save money and make your own and know exactly what you're putting into them.

Coconut Granola Bars

3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips*
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, shelled
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp flax seeds

3 cups old-fashioned oats

*You can use cranberries or other dried fruit in addition or in place of the chocolate chips if you'd like.

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine sugar, nut butter, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Add the mix-in ingredients next and combine. Finally, mix in the oats at the end.
Press into two greased 9x13 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 23-30 or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Original Recipe Found at:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-granola-bars/detail.aspx

Coffee Cake

This is the coffee cake recipe I grew up with. It's so simple to make and so delicious. It's not too dry and not too "cakey." I brought it to MOPS this week and every last bite was eaten up. It really doesn't take that long to make but if I know I'm going to be in a rush for time, I will make the batter part up the night before and pour it into a greased 9x13 pan and put the pan in the fridge. I then mix up the brown sugar mixture and just leave it in a Tupperware on the counter. In the morning, I pre-heat the oven and sprinkle the topping over the batter. Once the oven is pre-heated, all I have to do is bake it for 25 minutes and I'm ready to go.

When you add the topping, just sprinkle it fairly evenly across the top of the batter. As it bakes, some of it will stay near the top and much of it will sink into the cake. It ends up looking very pretty and marbled when it's done baking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

From the kitchen of: Martha Rowlands
Preparation time (start to finish): 30 minutes. Serves 6-8.

Mix together:

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons melted shortening/butter
1 cup milk

Add:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt

Pour into greased 9x13 pan.

Top with mixture: (Mix in separate bowl with a fork)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Bake 25 minutes at 375 degrees.

This is definitely best when eaten warm although it can also be eaten room temperature or re-heated.

Fresh Burrito

I was at my friend, Kendall's, house for dinner a couple of weeks ago. She made these burritos for dinner and they were so delicious! In the past couple of weeks, I've probably eaten one of these burritos at least every other day. Once I cook the chicken, it lasts for about a week in the fridge. I can then throw together a burrito in about 3 minutes! Here's how to make it:

Shredded Chicken:
Add about 3 chicken breasts to your crock-pot with half a jar of salsa (I prefer the green salsa but use whatever you have) Great way to use up those jars of salsa that get opened and linger in the fridge once the chips are gone! Turn your crock-pot on high and cook until you can shred your chicken with a fork. Use a little for your burrito and store the rest in the fridge.

Organic, whole wheat burrito size tortilla
Shredded chicken, warmed up
Shredded cheese
Avocado
Lettuce
Tomato
Sour Cream

Warm your tortilla in a pan and flip. Make sure it stays soft and doesn't become crunchy. Remove and add a little of all of the above ingredients. Fold in sides and roll up. Eat immediately!! This burrito tastes so fresh and is so quick and easy to make.

Variation: My husband prefers to make chicken tacos. He heats up small corn tortillas, adds chicken and then tops it with pico de gallo. Also delicious!

Meatless Tacos

Another great way to use up the abundance of squash this time of year. My husband and I loved this. The jury was split as far as the kids were concerned, but hey, at least one of them liked it! I think other veggies would be good as well, such as chopped bell pepper, onion, garlic, etc.

3 T. olive or vegetable oil
1 cup cubed potatoes
2 cups cubed zucchini
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tsp. chili powder
dash salt and pepper
12 taco shells
Toppings as desired: shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, green onion, chopped cucumber

Heat taco shells according to package directions.

Heat oil over med-hi heat. Saute potatoes for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Add zucchini during the last few minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients except toppings. Fill heated taco shells and top as desired.

Apple-Feta Tossed Salad

Delicious! Perfect for winter when it's hard to find veggies for your salad. From Taste of Home magazine.

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup walnut halves
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
5 cups torn romaine
5 cups torn red leaf lettuce
1 medium red apple, chopped
1 medium green apple, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

DRESSING: (I added a little olive oil to help tone down the vinegar)
6 tablespoons white wine or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the walnuts; sprinkle with sugar and pepper. Stir until well coated. Spread onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. (I just used candied walnuts which I bought to save a few minutes)

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the romaine, red lettuce, apples and feta cheese; set aside. In a blender, combine the dressing ingredients; cover and process until blended. Drizzle over salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle with sugared walnuts. Yield: 12 servings.

Creamy Cucumber Bites

These are a big hit everywhere I take them! From Charissa Stiefvater of Schaumburg, IL.

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 oz pkg. ranch salad dressing mix
1/2 t. dill weed (I use at least a full tsp, sometimes more)
1 loaf sliced party rye bread (usually found near the deli)
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
Garnish: dill weed

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; mix well and spread on one side of each bread slice. Top each with a slice of cucumber and sprinkle with additional dill weed. Chill until ready to serve. Makes 2 dozen.

Instant Oatmeal

OK, admittedly I am not a huge oatmeal fan, but I eat it (and serve it to my kids) often because it's so cheap and so good for you! But compared to cereal or toast, it's a little time-consuming when you've got hungry kids waiting. So when I stumbled on this recipe for making your own instant oatmeal, I was really excited. I hardly ever buy the prepackaged kind because it's so much cheaper (and healthier) to make real oatmeal.

Back to the not-being-a-fan part, oatmeal is much easier for me to eat with various toppings such as chopped apples, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc. So I decided to improvise a little bit and made the first batch with Craisins, sliced almonds and dried chopped apples. I'm looking forward to experimenting with some other types of whole grains next time, too. But here is the recipe as it appeared in Woman's Day magazine.

18 oz. container quick-cooking oats.
1 envelope (3.2 oz) nonfat dry milk (which I didn't have, so I just left it out. It still turned out fine)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to an airtight container. To serve, scoop 1/2 cup oatmeal mix into a bowl and add 1/2 cup water. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Makes about 16 servings.

Chinese Chicken Morsels

Yum! The marinade for this is so delicious, and unique. My only change would be to use a little less lemon if you're using bottled juice. If using fresh, the entire amount would probably be OK. Also, I don't know what cut of "dark chicken" the authors used, but I used thighs, and they just don't cut into "cubes"! :) Mine turned out more like little piles, but were still so tender and juicy. I'm a big dark chicken meat fan! But these would be great with white meat, too. From Once a Month Cooking cookbook.

1 lb. boneless, skinless dark chicken
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (gives it a tasty kick without being too spicy for my little ones)
1 c. uncooked rice (Jasmine is perfect for this)

Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes.

In medium bowl, mix next 5 ingredients. Place chicken pieces in marinade and refrigerate, covered, for several hours, or freeze in large ziploc for later use.

Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Place chicken cubes about 1 inch apart on broiler pan sprayed with Pam. Broil 4-5 inches from heat for 7 minutes.

Brush with marinade. Turn chicken cubes and broil another 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions.

Heat remaining marinade (I boiled mine a few minutes to sort of sterilize it). Serve chicken and marinade over rice. Makes 4-5 servings.

Wine Poached Chicken

I was a little disappointed by this. The flavor of the wine just didn't infuse the chicken as much as I was hoping, and the sauce is so thin it's hard to get much with each bite. Maybe thicken it (the sauce) with corn starch at the end? It is lowfat, though, and very quick and easy. From Simply Colorado cookbook.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon leaves (which I didn't have, thyme made a nice substitute)
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 c. dry white wine

Saute mushrooms over medium heat until just starting to cook down. Add chicken to skillet; sprinkle evenly with salt, tarragon, pepper and parsley. Pour wine over chicken. Cover and simmer for 15 min. or until chicken is tender. Serve with sauce left from skillet. Serves 4.

Smoked Monte Cristos

A FAST, easy lunch or dinner that everyone in my family really enjoyed, even my picky 4 year old. The blackberry preserves sounded weird to me but were surprisingly complementary! From Southern Living magazine.

4 T. whole grain mustard (Dijon works in a pinch)
8 honey-wheat bread slices
1/2 lb. thinly sliced smoked deli turkey
4 (1 oz.) Swiss or mozzarella cheese slices
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 T. butter
2 T. blackberry preserves
1 T. powdered sugar (optional)

1. Spread mustard over 1 side of each bread slice. Layer 4 bread slices, mustard sides up, with turkey and cheese slices. Top with remaining bread slices, mustard sides down.

2. Whisk together eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Dip both sides of each sandwich into egg mixture.

3. Melt 1 T. butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook 2 sandwiches in skillet 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and sandwiches. Serve immediately with blackberry preserves. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

White Pizza

Yum! Something a little different, and incredibly fast.

1 prepared pizza crust
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, divided
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
pepperoni slices if desired
seasonsed salt to taste

Place pizza crust on a lightly greased pizza pan or baking stone; bake at 425 degrees until dough rises, about 3-5 minutes. Spread garlic over crust; sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheeses. Arrange tomato and pepperoni slices on top; sprinkle with remaining cheese and seasoned salt. Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes.

Chicken Bryan-Carrabba's Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

This meal is delicious! Very fancy looking when prepared and other meats can be substituted for the chicken. The first time I had this was with pork chops and it was amazing then as well. 

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

Servings Size

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2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt, to taste

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Olive Oil

4 ounces goat cheese

6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2-4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

4 teaspoons onions, minced

8 tablespoons butter, divided

6 tablespoons white wine

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon's worth)

Directions:

1. Brush chicken on both sides with olive oil, season to taste with Kosher salt and cracked pepper.
2. Grill chicken until done (internal temp of 165F) - prepare lemon butter sauce while chicken is grilling.
3. Saute onion and garlic in 2 Tbps butter until soft and fragrant.
4. Add white wine and lemon juice, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes to reduce.
5. Add remaining 6 Tbsp butter, a little at a time, until it melts and mixture is emulsified.
6. Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil, heat until hot (but do not overheat or sauce may break).
7. Top nearly-done chicken breasts with 2 oz each of the goat cheese until cheese warms and softens.
8. To serve, spoon lemon butter sauce over chicken breasts.
9. Enjoy! I serve this dish with pasta tossed in butter or olive oil (the delicious lemon butter sauce will perfect it), garlic mashed potatoes and a green salad -- yummmm!

One tip I saw on the original link was to substitute white wine for the second half of the butter to help make it a bit healthier. It will save lots of calories. I have not tried this substitute as I haven't yet made this dish myself but I'm sure I'll give it a shot when I make it.

Fiery Volcanos

This is from my mom's kitchen, I don't know where she got it. But it's good! And easy to make. I often serve this to company.

Fiery Volcanos
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups rice
1 lb. ground beef
¼ cup onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 15oz. can pineapple tidbits
1 4oz. can mushroom pieces
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
2 TBSP. vinegar
1 TBSP. cornstarch


Directions:
Prepare rice.

Brown and drain ground beef. When meat is half cooked, add the onion. Then add the salt, pepper, pineapple, mushrooms, tomato sauce & vinegar.

Remove ½ cup of the broth and wisk in the cornstarch. Return it to the pan and bring to a boil to thicken. To serve, spoon over rice “volcanos”.

Scrambled Egg Breakfast Enchiladas

Scrambled Egg Breakfast Enchiladas
recipe from: http://hubpages.com/hub/Scrambled-Egg-Breakfast-Enchiladas-A-10-Minute-Recipe-for-a-Great-Mexican-Breakfast

(This recipe is for one, multiply the recipe as needed.)
3 eggs whisked in a bowl with a pinch of salt
3 corn tortillas
A spicy and smooth tomato based salsa (A red chili sauce would also work here)
A bit of grated mild to medium cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey jack or other mild cheese
Sour cream
A few thin slices of white onion and cilantro sprigs (if you have any)

Heat 2 pans on the stove, both at medium. One pan should be a non stick fry pan suitable for scrambling eggs – the other needs to be a very heavy flat surfaced fry pan or skillet, suitable for dry frying the tortillas. Cast iron or something of a similar heft will shine here.

When the pans have pre heated, add a splash of oil to the non stick fry pan, and scramble your eggs. Remove the pan from the heat before the eggs are entirely cooked, as they will continue to set after you add them to the tortillas. Take them off about 30 seconds before they would look like you would want to eat them and place in a bowl off the heat.

Once your eggs are waiting at the side, take your corn tortillas and dip them to completely cover them in the spicy tomato salsa. Add another scant splash of oil to your heavy cast iron like pan, and place both tortillas face down beside each other to sear.

Let the tortillas cook for about 1 minute (checking to see that they are not burning) and then flip them over. Once you have flipped them, pile your eggs onto the tortillas, dividing evenly, and then cover the eggs with a bit of grated cheese. After another minute or so, fold the tortillas over the eggs (Don't bother trying to roll them up, just fold them like mounded quesadillas) and then move to a serving plate. The tortillas should be very softened and the sauce should be browning up and crisping in places.

The tortillas may stick a bit, but don’t worry about it. Use a heavy metal spatula and just scrape them firmly off the pan. They will look fine on the plate.

Top your finished enchiladas with sour cream and more spicy salsa and place cilantro leaves and thin slices of crispy onion over the sour cream. These are great with refried beans on the side, but quite substantial enough without them if you don't have any handy.

Georgia's notes: I made this for the first time this morning. I used a mild red enchilada sauce. As I was in a hurry, I forgot the sour cream etc. on top, but it was still quite good. The top two tortillas in the package didn't hold together very well (as is often the case) but the second two turned out looking better. I'll be making this for breakfast the rest of the week! A nice change from fried eggs & toast every morning. :)

Homemade Hummus

Hummus
This recipe is originally from MckMama's Blog.

1 16 oz can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans)
The liquid from said can of chickpeas (I personally use just a little of the liquid so it's not too runny)
4 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime if you want to get crazy)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 crushed garlic cloves (I often use one)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Variations: I made this without the Tahini. Only used 2-4 T of liquid from chickpeas. Tasted great when finished. Might try some cumin powder next time.

This tastes amazing with homemade pitas. I'll try to post that recipe soon.

Chicken Fajitas

I love fajitas, but have never tried to make them before. I found these recipes on about.com and the fajitas tasted fantastic.

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Fajita Seasoning Mix
source:http://busycooks.about.com/od/homemademixes/r/fajitaseasonmix.htm

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2-1/2 tsp. crushed chicken bouillon cube
• 1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. cumin

Preparation:
Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into small glass or plastic container, seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place.
Makes the equivalent of 3 packets of commercial or purchased Fajita Seasoning Mix.

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Chicken Fajitas
source: http://busycooks.about.com/od/chickenbreastrecipes/r/chickenfajitas.htm

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 3 Tbsp. Fajita Seasoning Mix
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 6 flour tortillas

Preparation:
Cut chicken into thin strips. Cut green pepper into strips. Heat oil in large skillet and add chicken. Cook and stir over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Then add three tablespoons of the Fajita Seasoning Mix, water, green pepper and onion. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir over medium heat until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and grated cheese in warmed tortillas.

Quick and Easy Pizza

I wouldn’t say we have a great crust recipe but it’s a super fast and easy recipe to make. We throw this together all the time. For awhile, we made this pizza every Sunday right after church. Our favorite way to make our pizza is with Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ sauce, chopped cooked chicken, mozzarella and gouda cheese. Everyone loves this pizza but it’s more in the ingredients than the crust. I’ll also include our red sauce recipe as it’s easy and quick as well. The dough makes 2 large pizzas or 3-4 medium/small pizzas. Make sure you make the crust thin as this dough does not work with a thick crust! If we only want one pizza, we put the other half rolled in flour into a zip lock bag. It can be refrigerated for about a week or frozen and later thawed.


7 Minute Pizza Dough
4 ½ cups flour
1 ¾ tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
¼ cup olive oil (optional)-we always use it
1 ¾ cup ice cold water

Mix in bread machine for 7 minutes. Makes 2-4 pizzas depending upon size.


Pizza Sauce
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
A little less than one tablespoon oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 ½ tsp garlic (crushed/powdered) We usually use crushed

We cook our large pizzas in the oven at 425 degrees F for between 15-18 minutes

Flatbread Tacos with Ranch Sour Cream

These are a little different from the same old tacos or burritos. My husband raved about them! It is from Taste of Home magazine.


1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 teaspoons ranch salad dressing mix
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tube (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Optional toppings: sliced ripe olives and shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese

1. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dressing mix and lemon juice; chill until serving.

2. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning and pepper sauce; heat through.

3. Meanwhile, roll out each biscuit into a 6-in. circle. In a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook each biscuit for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown; keep warm. (I use my electric griddle and do several at once - much faster!)

4. To serve, spread each flatbread with 2 tablespoons ranch sour cream; top each with 2/3 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle with toppings if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

Grilled Baked Potatoes

I love baked potatoes but hate how long they take to cook. I came across this recipe at kraftfoods.com and loved it. Grilling them makes the skins so crispy and flavorful.


4 baking potatoes (2 lb.)
1 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup Real Bacon Bits


HEAT grill to medium-high heat.
PIERCE potatoes with fork or small sharp knife. Rub with oil; sprinkle with salt.
MICROWAVE potatoes on microwaveable plate on HIGH 8 min. or until tender, turning after 4 min. Place on greased grate of grill. (you can also wrap them individually in foil before grilling, but the skins will be less crispy)
GRILL 12 to 15 min. or until potatoes are crisp and lightly browned, turning occasionally. Split potatoes. Serve topped with remaining ingredients.

Italian Styled Pork Chops

From the Kitchen of Megan Camp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together: (All of these are approximates. Do what looks right to you.)
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder or crushed garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 cup parmesan cheese

Pork chops (as many as you're planning on serving. The mixture above will make enough for about 3-6 pork chops)

Wash and pat dry pork chops. *Dip in flour mixture and fry for 2-3 minutes in a skillet with a little oil. I always sprinkle a little more flour mixture onto the pork chops once they’re in the pan. Flip and fry on the other side.

Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and place pork chops on cookie sheet. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture over top of each pork chop. Put about 1 tablespoon of grated Italian cheese and parmesan cheese on top of each pork chop. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and meat is done. The pork chops should be moist, tender and full of flavor. Serve with applesauce if desired.

*If you’d like, you can dip the pork chops in a beaten egg before placing in the flour mixture. I tend to skip this step and it still works out great.