Monday, July 25, 2011

Home made Granola Bars

I love granola bars, they are one of my favorite snacks. I like making them too, because I get to use leftover items in my pantry. (For example: the almost gone dried cranberries, the remaining cup of chocolate chips or the left over Rice Krispies.) One of my friends has a great saying, it's the "back of the refrigerator special". Well this is similar, but the "back of the pantry special".

Recipe:

Base: this is what you need to have it stick together
3 teaspoon of cooking oil
2 cups of marshmallows (the small ones will melt quicker)
½ cup of peanut butter (chucky or smooth)
3 cups of oats

Ideas for Bars:
1/3 cup of Chocolate chips
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
1/3 cup of raisins
1/3 cup of Peanuts, cashews or almonds 
1/3 cup of Rice Krispies  


Preheat oven to 350°. Have a cookie sheet, with aluminum foil, sprayed with cooking spray ready to go. First, heat the oil in a medium sized pan over medium heat. Add the peanut butter and the marshmallows. Once the mixture has melted, slowly start adding the oats. 
Once all the oats have been added, you can pour in the nuts and berries (do not add the chocolate chips yet). After everything is combined (minus the chocolate chips), remove from heat & pour mixture onto cookie sheet. Smooth the mixture out across the cookie sheet to about 1/4"-3/8" thick (I use the back of a greased wooden spoon). Now sprinkle on the chocolate chips & "push" then down into the mixture a little with the spoon. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove & cool for 10 minutes, then make some space in the frig, put down a few pot-holders & finish cooling in the frig for 1-2 hours. If you used a Stone cookie sheet just slide the granola & foil off onto the pot-holders. Remove from frig, break granola into bite sized chucks. Store in closed container or Zip-lock bags. Enjoy!

 
Some of the ingredients from the "Back of the Pantry"



Don't forget the cooking spray. This stuff WILL stick!

Make sure your Mallows are melting & not cooking.



The mix starts to get thick when adding the oats.





I use a greased wooden spoon to flatten/spread the mixture to about 1/4"-3/8" thick.



We like to store them in bags so you can "grab-n-go".

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sarah's Fried Corn

You will need: fresh corn, preferably peaches and cream, an iron skillet. All the other stuff you can fudge.

Recipe:
1/2 cup of butter (you can use margarine)
8-10 fresh corn on the cob; shucked and de-stringed
4-5 teaspoon of salt
1/2 c - 1 c of water
2 teaspoon of white sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (can be the other)

First, start by cutting the corn off the cob. Then place corn in the iron skillet. Turn on the stove top on medium heat, add the butter, salt and pepper (plus sugar if you would like). The corn will start to cook and I add the water once the butter has melted. I believe that water brings out some of the awesome stuff that is in the iron skillet; not sure if it works that way. The whole frying process takes like thirty minutes, until the corn is soft and it will smell totally awesome.






Starting to get awesome!


Sunday, July 3, 2011

Pumpkin Cheeseake


Ingredients:
  • 25-35 gingersnap cookies
  • 1-3/4 cups sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into chunks and softened
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  • One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Chopped Hazelnuts 


Directions:
  1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°. Lightly coat a 9-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Using a food processor, grind the cookies with 1/4 cup sugar. Add the butter and pulse to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake until firm, 3 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
  2. You will have two mixtures: a pumpkin (orange) and a white mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in 2 eggs until blended. Transfer 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture to a small bowl and set aside. for your orange mixture, add the remaining 3 eggs, the pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin-pie spice and salt and beat until combined, 2 minutes.
  3. Set the spring form pan with the cooled crust on a double layer of heavy-duty foil and wrap the foil tightly around the bottom and sides; set in a roasting pan. Make sure that no water can get in. Pour the (orange) cheesecake filling into the crust. Then, dollop the reserved (white) cream cheese mixture onto the filling and, using the tip of a knife, swirl together. If you would like add chopped hazelnuts to the outside edge,  Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and fill with enough boiling water to reach about halfway up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center is slightly wobbly but the edges are firm to the touch, about 1-1/4 hours.
  4. Transfer the roasting pan with the cheesecake to a rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Remove the spring form pan, discard the foil and let the cheesecake cool on the rack for 3 hours. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Wrap the pan in plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight. 
  5. Remove the spring form pan sides. Run a knife under the bottom of the cake to release it, then slide onto a serving platter




Friday, July 1, 2011

Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

Thanks to my mom who generously give a muffin top pan! Since the gift has come to my house my children have devoured some chocolate chip muffin tops. I did make some blueberry muffin tops, I enjoyed them, however the boys did not so much. So, below is the recipe, you can substitute the chocolate chips with blueberries if you like.

Recipe:

  • Dry Ingredients 
    • 1 3/4 cup of all purpose flour
    • 1/2 cup of brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons of baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • Wet Ingredients 
    • 1 cup of milk 
    • 1/3 cup of applesauce
    • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup of chocolate chips
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. First, mix your dry ingredients in one bowl. Then mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. Mix the wet and dry together until mixture are well combined, add the chocolate chips. Spoon out the batter into each of the muffin top saucers, fill in up to the top.
Bake at 350 for 22 minutes. Place on cooling rack and let cool. Yield 12 muffin tops.
Oh, the muffin top pan.

Crispy on the bottom..