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".

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!

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

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..

Pork Tenderloin

In my family, we all like pork tenderloin. It is a great cut of meat. At the grocery, you can get those pre-seasoned pork tenderloin; and they are good. However, they are filled with crazy amounts sodium and preservatives. I usually buy the pork tenderloin with no season and I cook it in the crock pot with vegetables and potatoes.  So, I have wanted to try something different lately with the pork tenderloin and here it what I have come up with…..

Recipe:

3-4 garlic cloves

Fresh Rosemary ( I used  5 6-inch sprigs, or you can use the whole )

3 teaspoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Mince the fresh garlic. In a large bowl, place the meat in the bowl; pour the oil on top, salt and pepper and rosemary. Then, rub the ingredients into the pork roast, cover the bowl and place in fridge overnight.

 The next day, preheat oven at 400 degrees and place pork on a greased oven baking pan. (You know one of those with a bottom and a top with slits in it.)

Cook in oven for 45 minutes- 1hour til the meat has reached 160 degrees. 

Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone at my house loves chocolate chip cookies and to me, handmade chocolate chip cookies are the best. I got this recipe from one of my favorite food blogs: Smitten Kitchen. The recipe was named: Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies; needless to say I was already excited.

Recipe: 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease cookie sheets or use Aluminum Foil with Cooking Spray. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt and then sift.  In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Mix the vanilla, egg, and egg white with the butter/sugar mixture until creamy. Add in the sifted flour mixture slowly until combined. Next, stir in the chocolate chips gently with a spoon. Spoon out cookies about 1 inch in diameter. Bake 13 to 15; this may vary depending on the size of the cookies. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet or slide the Aluminum Foil with cookies off onto the counter top for 5 minutes and then move them to a cooling rack. 

1 inch round balls of dough....

Makes a beautiful right sized cookie!! 

Source: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/crispy-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Not sure if I would have called these cookies chewy or crispy. They were definitely awesome and definitely gone quick!

Sunday Morning Pancakes

My kiddos love pancakes. Every Saturday or Sunday morning we have pancakes; it makes the weekend even more special. From scratch pancakes aren't hard to make and you can have them ready in a flash. The pancakes below are easy to make and I modify them with chocolate chips, cinnamon, or fresh blueberries: just depends on what you are in the mood for that morning. 

Adapted From: Better Home and Garden: New Cook Book

Recipe:

• Dry Ingredients 
• 1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Wet Ingredients 
• 1 cup of milk 
• 1/3 cup of applesauce (or 2 tablespoons of oil)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional) 

First, mix your dry ingredients in one bowl. Then mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. After both mixtures are well combined; add in the cinnamon if you would like. Get your skillet and put you burner on medium heat. Wait until the skillet is hot before putting the cooking spray on the skillet. I test by putting a drop of water on the skillet; if it sizzles, it is ready. Once, you have the cooking spray on the skillet start putting the pancake batter in the skillet. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to dish out the batter into medium sized pancakes. Let the batter cook until bubbles appear on the upside; then flip. Cook for another two minutes or three and then the pancake should be ready to go. This recipe will make around 12 medium pancakes. Enjoy!

Mix both dry ingredients and wet ingredients together. Add a bit of
cinnamon here if you like to. 

I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to dish out pancake into
the greased pan.  

Yum! Fluffy panackes! 

Stack o pancakes!! 

The syrup is from Kroger: Cinnamon Maple; which is the main reason
I put cinnamon in the pancakes. They were delightful!