Granola Bars

These are super easy!

A great kid friendly recipe.

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Ingredients:

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3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup raisins (you could also use chopped up apricots or cherries or whatever dried fruit you like best)

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

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Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with a large piece of foil. Lightly grease the foil.

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In a mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon until well blended. Add dried fruit, nuts, butter, and vanilla. Stir until moist and crumbly. Dump into your prepared baking pan. Press down into the pan with your fingers. Bake until the top is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container.

Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps

If you are looking for a recipe using only what you already have in your fridge/pantry...this probably isn't the one.  But it's super yummy!  And yeah, I'm aware that the paper plates are SUPER high class...and the one picture shows what a free-for-all family dinner can be at our house, but we're among friends, right?

Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps

Thin cut pork, skewered and barbequed
Peanuts, crushed (dry roasted and unsalted)
Green Onion, sliced
Shredded Carrot
Large Leaf Lettuce (we have used a variety of kinds, it really depends on what is best in the season)
Rice Vermicelli Noodles (these I would buy at the health food store, because they are much cheaper than when (if) you can find them at the grocery store.)

Wrap carrot, onion, peanuts, noodles, and pork in lettuce and dip in sauce.

Dipping sauce/pork marinade

2 garlic cloves, cut into pieces...they are for flavor, but not for eating, so make them big enough that you won't accidentally dump a huge chunk of garlic in your wrap
3 T Sugar
2 T Lime or lemon juice
1 C. warm water
6 T fish sauce (buy at the health food store as well.  We use the Tiparos brand.)
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (or red pepper flakes)
Add shredded carrot and green onion to taste
Combine and mix well.  Make sure all the sugar is dissolved.

You can marinade the pork in the dipping sauce before cooking, but it is not necessary.  (I usually do)

While this may seem like an odd recipe, my kids eat it like crazy.  They LOVE building their own, and believe it or not, they love the fish sauce, too. 

Marinade

1/2 c. Soy Sauce
1/2 c. Water
2 Tb. Lemon juice
1 Tb. Brown Sugar
2 Tb. Oil
1/4 tsp. Hot pepper sauce
1 clove Garlic
1/4 tsp. Ground black pepper

Mix Well.
Marinade meat at least 1 hour. Best if over night.
For beef, chicken and wonderful for Shisk-Kabobs

Veggie egg rolls

I got this recipe off of the food network. It's an easy and yummy one from Emeril.
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Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons canola oil (I used vegetable oil)

1/2 head green cabbage, shredded

1 cup julienne carrots (I bought the matchstick ones)

1 cup julienne snow peas (I didn't have these on hand, so I used Celery)

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup soy sauce

8 egg roll wrappers

peanut oil for frying (I can't use peanut anything in our house, so I used vegetable oil)

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sauce: (I skipped this and just used a store bought sweet and sour sauce)

1/4 cup dry mustard

1/4 cup water

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In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the sesame and canola oil. Saute cabbage for 2 minutes. Add carrots and snow peas. Cook an additional minute.

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Whisk together cornstarch and soy sauce until smooth. Stir into vegetable mixture. Cook until sauce comes to a boil and is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

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Lay the egg roll wrappers on a flat surface and lightly brush edges with water. Place 1/8 of the filing at one end of each skin, leaving a 1/4-inch border at the top and sides. Roll wrapper over filling, tucking in the ends after the first roll. (If this sounds too confusing, just look at the picture on the back of your egg roll wrapper package. It shows you how to roll up egg rolls.)

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Heat 3 inches of peanut oil in a large, deep saucepan. When the oil is hot, about 350 degrees, fry the egg rolls until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from fryer and drain on paper towels.

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For the sauce, just combine the dry mustard with the water.

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*** What do you do with all the left over wrappers? Well, Hayden and I got a little creative one day.... we peeled and cubed up a few granny smith apples, cooked them with a little butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Do you see where this is going? Yeah, we made dessert egg rolls for lunch. It was fantastic! Have fun and get creative. Leave a comment if you've got other ideas for those leftover wrappers.

Tortellini Soup

1 pound italian sausage

1/2 cup sliced onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 1/2-2 cups chopped zucchini

3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes (cut up if whole or big pieces)

3 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

8 oz cheese tortellini (or more if you want)

Brown sausage. Add garlic, onion and zucchini. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add tortellini. Simmer 20 min or until tender. If you like it milder, use regular flavor ground sausage, the italian gives it a little bit of spiciness. I use about twice the amount of tortellini, its so good!!! You can also add other vegetables if desired.

Giant Cookie Cake

4 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c. light brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

3/4 c. heavy cream

3 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

5 pkgs cream cheese, room temp

2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugars in a mixing bowl. Add in vanilla, eggs and yolks, mix. Add half of flour mixture, mix. Add cream, mix. Add remaining flour mixture, mix. Stir in chocolate chips.

For each of the 5-6 cookie layers, drop one level cup batter onto center of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. To make the circle even, trace an 8-inch plate or bowl on the underside of the paper. (Refrigerate unbaked dough) Spread dough into a circle. Bake til edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Use a spatula to reshape the circle. Return to oven and bake til edges are golden brown, about 6 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. If any dough is left over you can make regular sized cookies.

Mix cream cheese and sugar in a clean mixing bowl. Spread onto cookies. Stack cookies, placing an unfrosted cookie on top. Refrigerate until frosting is set, at least 20 minutes or up to 4 hours. Serve at room temp.

(I used frozen, then thawed out cream cheese and it changed the flavor of the cream cheese, it wasn't as good as I thought it should have been. Otherwise, Josh loved it for his birthday cake.)

Fruit Pizza

Cookie Recipe

2 Cubes Blue Bonnet Margarine, softened

2 C. Sugar

2 Eggs (Add one at a time)

1 C. Sour Cream

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

4 1/2 C. Flour

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

Cream together margarine and sugar, add eggs one at a time, and mix. Add sour cream and vanilla, mix. Add baking soda, flour and salt, mix. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Roll out and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Let cool. Add fruit pizza frosting and desired fruits.

Frosting Recipe

8 oz Cool Whip

8 oz Cream Cheese

1/2 Package Powdered Sugar

Mix together.

Fruit topping suggestions: strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, mandarin oranges, blueberries, bananas (use fresh)

Broccoli Soup

2-3 lbs fresh broccoli
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
3 cans chicken broth
2-4 cups water (approx)
3 cups half & half
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
4 1/2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup heavy cream whipped (optional)
1 cup shredded cheese

Trim broccoli, split stalks & put into big pot (about 6 quart size). Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, nutmeg and bay leaves. Add chicken broth and enough water to almost cover broccoli. Bring to a boil and cook until broccoli is tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain, reserve broth. Remove and throw away bay leaves. Puree veggies with one cup broth. (To make it chunkier, I just use a potato masher) In emptied pot, melt butter and add flour, stir until smooth. Add veggies and half & half. Heat through. Add cheese, stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want it thicker, melt 4 1/2 more Tbsp Butter and add 3-4 Tbsp flour and stir until smooth. Add to soup. Enjoy!

Glazed Corned Beef

Since this week was St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to share with you the BEST recipe for corned beef. My mom made this a few years ago and it has been a hit since. The recipe is from the Taste of Home magazine.

Ingredients

• 1 corned beef brisket with spice packet (3 to 4 pounds), trimmed
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 celery rib, sliced
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

Directions

• Place corned beef and contents of seasoning packet in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Add onion and celery; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
• Drain and discard liquid and vegetables. Place beef on a greased rack in a shallow roasting pan; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Brush over beef.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Yield: 12 servings.

Note: I don't have a dutch oven, so I just boil mine in a pot. Works just fine. And for those of you that have never tried corned beef, give it a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised. Ask the butcher to pick you out a good one in the meat section. Enjoy.

IRISH BROWN BREAD

This is super easy and very filling. The kids have fun making it because they only get to use their hands. You can bet that I'll be baking another loaf on St. Patrick's Day to go with our corned beef and cabbage.

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Oh, how I love holidays!

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Ingredients:
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2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 cups buttermilk*
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Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients with your hands. Make a well in the middle and pour in 1 1/2 cups buttermilk. Continue mixing with your hands, adding the remaining buttermilk as you combine the ingredients. The dough will be very wet and sticky.

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Dust your hands with flour and shape the dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper). With a knife, score a deep X in the top of the ball. Bake until it's golden brown, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before slicing. Makes a crusty, dense loaf.

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*Buttermilk - If you don't have any on hand you can mix 2 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice with enough milk added to make 2 1/2 cups. Then let it sit for 5 minutes before adding to the bread.

bacon & cheese breakfast cups

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6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese

(I've also used cheddar, but Swiss is my favorite)

1 green onion, chopped

10 refrigerated biscuits

5-10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat cream cheese, egg and milk in a medium bowl until blended. Stir in shredded Swiss cheese and chopped green onions.

Separate biscuits. Stretch each biscuit into a 5-inch circle, and press into a greased muffin tin. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon crumbled bacon into each biscuit shell and top with 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture. Top with another teaspoon of crumbled bacon. Bake for 22 minutes or until set and nicely browned. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

baked apple french toast

Our favorite french toast recipe!

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1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

3 large tart apples, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup minute tapioca

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

9-12 thick slices of french bread

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In a microwave melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Whisk until combined. Pour into a 9x13 casserole pan. Distribute apples on top and sprinkle with tapioca. Set aside.

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In a deep dish whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. Dip bread into mixture and place each slice on top of the apples. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

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Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the bread is nice and toasted. Let cool for a few minutes before turning over onto a serving platter.

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip!

"Olive Garden" Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip

1 c chopped artichoke hearts (the seasoned/canned kind)

½ c frozen chopped spinach

8 oz cream cheese

½ c grated parmesan cheese

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp garlic powder

dash of ground pepper

Boil spinach and artichoke in a cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat until tender. Heat cream cheese in a small bowl in the microwave set on high for 1 min. Add spinach and artichoke hearts to the cream cheese. Stir well. Add the remaining ingredients to the cream cheese and combine.

Serve with celery, crackers, chips, a sliced baguette, or toasted bread for dipping.

Potato Sausage Soup

2 large cans evaporated milk
2 large cans creamed corn
7-8 potatoes diced
2 lbs. sausage
1 onion chopped

Brown sausage and onion. Add to other ingredients in crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, depending on the size of your diced potato pieces. If you want it thinner add another can of evaporated milk. Enjoy! It's super easy and so yummy!!!

Chicken Biscuit Casserole

(ok so I am pretty sure I got this off of Rachel Ray's show, but can't quite remember...)

3 chicken breasts
7 tbsp butter
1 onion
2 tbsp flour
1 c chicken broth
1 c milk
dash of salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 c baking mix
1/2 shredded cheddar cheese

preheat oven to 425 degrees

Shred or cut cooked chicken and put pieces on the bottom of a casserole dish.
In a skillet, melt 3 tbsp butter. Add onion. When onion is cooked, lower heat to medium and sprinkle flour into skillet. Stir in chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until thick. Stir in 1/3 c milk and simmer 2 minutes. Pour into the casserole dish. (You can also add veggies to this recipe if you want).

Biscuits
Melt remaining butter with the garlic in a bowl in the microwave.
Stir baking mix and 2/3 c milk and cheese together in a bowl.
Drop tablespoonfuls of biscuit mix on top of casserole, then brush the biscuits with the butter-garlic mix.
Cover and bake until biscuits are golden, about 30 mins.

(you can cook it uncovered for slightly crispier biscuits)