Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bar

So this recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs: Peas and Thank You. I think Mama Pea is hilarious and I’m totally jealous of her awesome looking kitchen and incredible photography skills. Not to mention her adorable daughters. And even though we aren’t vegan her recipe posts still make my mouth water.

These granola bars are her healthy makeover of Quaker granola bars. I love chewy granola bars and go through phases where I' eat them all the time. I also frequently buy them for Doug’s lunch. But I’m trying to watch our intake of HFCS and sadly my beloved granola bars include HFCS. But Mama Pea’s don’t. This makes me very happy.

Mama Pea’s bars are vegan and mine are not. This is because I can’t find vegan versions of two ingredients here. One is vegan butter. I’ve used Earth Balance before and really like it but when I went to make these bars I discovered that I was out and a trip to the store showed that they no longer carry this. Boo! The other ingredient is the chocolate chips. I’ve checked every store in town and no one has vegan chips. Double boo! And I actually got lucky with the brown rice syrup. I can’t get it here but I did finally find it at the food co-op and hour away. Oh and I also cannot find brown rice cereal here so I had to use regular rice cereal. But if you can find all these ingredients you can make these just like Mama Pea.

I thought these bars were incredible and they held up really well. I wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and stored them in a zip lock bag in the fridge since it was really humid here when I made them. They last a week no problem. Definitely give these a try. They are really tasty and come together in no time.

Crispy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

From Peas and Thank You

2 Cups Old-fashioned Oats

2 Cups (Brown) Rice Crispy Cereal

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Cup Brown Rice Syrup

1 Tablespoon Margarine (vegan or regular)

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips (non-dairy optional)

Preheat over to 325 degrees, Spray an 8 x8 pan.

Combine oats, cereal, flour, and baking soda.

In a small saucepan heat brown rice syrup, margarine, sugar, vanilla, and salt slowly over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. Allow to thicken slightly and then remove from heat. Let cool slightly.

Pour the mixture from the sauce pan over the cereal and oat mixture and stir to evenly cover. Then pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Press the mixture down lightly.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. The bars will become crispier the longer they bake.

Cool completely before cutting.

This was my first attempt at a chocolate cheesecake. And I’ve now made it twice. It is so rich and delicious, Everyone who tried it loved it. It did crack a little but honestly it is so good no one complained about the imperfection.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. I think it might be incredible with some nice rip strawberries alongside on a warm evening.

Chocolate Cheesecake                               

From Kraft Foods

24 Oreo Cookies – crushed

1/4 Cup Melted Butter

4 – 8 Ounce Packages Cream Cheese – softened

1 Cup Sugar

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Package (8 squares) Semi-Sweet Chocolate – melted and slightly cooled

4 Eggs

 

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees.

Mix cookie crumbs and butter and press into large springform pan that has been sprayed with no-stick spray.

Beat the cream cheese, flour, sugar, and vanilla. Once well mixed add chocolate and continue mixing. Add eggs 1 at a time mixing each one in completely on low speed. Pour into pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until center is almost set – check with a light touch. Cool totally and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Baked Maple Cinnamon Donuts

I love donuts. When I was little we had an awesome donut place in my town and I used to love going there with my parents and getting right up to the big glass case filled with donuts to pick what I wanted. Sadly that place closed long ago and the only options for donuts now are at the grocery stores. So now I never pass by a Krispy Kreme when I’m on vacation (when we were on vacation in November I almost did a happy dance when we went into one and I saw the Pumpkin Spice donut – yum). Sadly the nearest location is about 2 hours away, boo.

So of course I had to jump on the homemade donut bandwagon and pick up a pan of my own. I searched for a while for the perfect recipe to break in my pan, and I’m really pleased with the one I picked. This Baked Maple Cinnamon Donut recipe from Sweet Cheeks in the Kitchen is incredible. It is easy to whip up, doesn’t take long to bake, and tastes incredible. I will definitely be making these again. And of course more donut recipes will be finding their way into my kitchen.

Baked Maple Cinnamon Donuts

Seen on Sweet Cheeks in the Kitchen

1 Cup Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
Pinch of Salt
1 Egg (lightly beaten)
1 6 Ounce Non-fat Vanilla Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
2 1/2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray pan with nonstick spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the egg, yogurt, oil, and syrup.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and fold in the wet ingredients until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly into the pan (you can pipe into the pan by putting the batter into a baggie and cut off the tip and then pipe. I got six donuts.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. While the donuts are cooking combine the cinnamon and sugar and melt the butter. Allow the donuts to cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack over a pan or towel. Dip each donut into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Eat right away or store in an airtight container.

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

So these definitely do not fall into the category of healthy New Year resolution-fitting recipes but they are definitely tasty. These are another Pioneer Woman recipe and, like pretty much everything else from her I’ve made, these are delicious. And the leftovers are worthy of fighting over who gets the last bite. Make them, now. Then just run a few more minutes on the treadmill, it is totally worth it.

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 stick Butter, Divided Into 1 Tablespoon Segments

2 pounds Carrots, Peeled And Cut Into Thick Circles (baby carrots work too!)

½ Cup Jack Daniels Or Other Whiskey

¾ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Teaspoon Salt

Ground Pepper, to taste

Gather all your ingredients (this recipe goes fast once it gets going!). Then melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over high heat. Add carrots in a single layer in the skillet (will do two sets) and cook 60-90 seconds.

Remove all the carrots. Add the whiskey (keep your face back! trust me!). Let cook and evaporate for 30 seconds.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the rest of the butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar in. Stir. Add the carrots. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove lid. Add salt and pepper. Cook until glaze is thick and carrots are done. Will take around 5 minutes. Serve immediately (but hope for leftovers!).

Honey Yeast Rolls

So I can’t believe I haven’t blogged these before. I made them last year a couple of times and really thought that I had blogged them. But when I went to make my grocery list for Thanksgiving I tried to pull up the recipe to see if I needed anything and discovered that it wasn’t there.

So I went back to the original source of these insanely easy and delicious rolls, Annie’s Eats, to make my list but vowed that they would be blogged this time. They are just way too good not to be posted all over the Internet. And as proof of this fact I admit that I did not get a single picture of a roll out of the pan – they didn’t last that long! There were a few left when we were finished with our meal but they were quickly grabbed and thrown into bags because everyone wanted one for later! Plus, my mom loved these so much that she raved about “the delicious rolls Kayla made” to both of my aunts when they talked on the phone. Now that’s a sign of a good roll!

But my favorite thing about these rolls is how easy they are. They were one of the first (and still only really) yeast recipes that I’ve tried. Even last week when I made them I still got nervous when I mixed them up – but it was totally stupid because they rose so well right away. I’m pretty sure there is no way to mess these up.

And another great thing about these is that you can stop them mid-process and freeze them and they are just as delicious as when you go from start to finish.

Definitely go check out Annie’s blog for more gorgeous pictures of these rolls (and all her other amazing looking food!). And then try them, you’ll be glad you did.

Honey Yeast Rolls From Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:
2¼ Teaspoon Instant Yeast
1 Cup Water (105-115 degrees F)
¼ Cup Honey
3 Tablespoons Oil (Canola or Vegetable)
1¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Egg, beaten lightly
4 Cups bread Flour
Vegetable No-stick Spray
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter 2 Tablespoons Honey

In a mixer combine yeast and water. Then add honey, oil, egg, and salt. Mix well.

Add 3 cups of the bread flour and mix until it comes together – it will be very sticky. Switch from the paddle to the dough hook for your mixer. On low speed slowly add the last cup of bread flour. Mix until it is completely mixed in. Continue mixing for around 8 minutes or until the dough is a smooth ball that is elastic in consistency if pulled.

Spray a large bowl with the no-stick spray. Place the ball of dough into the bowl, turn it around until covered with the spray, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm spot and allow to rise for 2 hours or until it is double its original size.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 30 seconds. Cover with a towel for 10 minutes and then punch the dough down. Shape into balls and place into a lightly greased pan (I use a 9x13). I get about 15 rolls, but I think it depends on the size you want them.*

Cover and let rise again for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Mix together the melted butter and 2 tablespoons of honey. Cover the rolls with the honey and butter mixture. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

*This is where I’ve stopped the process to either freeze these or even just keep them overnight. To freeze them cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in freezer – the day before you are ready to make them place the pan in the fridge. To stop them overnight cover tightly and place in fridge. On the day you want to make these (whether you froze them or just placed in the fridge) take them out about an hour and a half before you want to bake them to allow them to come to temperature and have their final rise. Then bake per the directions.

Deviled Eggs

With Thanksgiving coming up next week it seemed like the perfect time to finally blog these eggs. Deviled eggs were always a staple on the holiday table in my house growing up, but lately I’ve taken over the making of the eggs. But these eggs are different from the ones I ate growing up. If you’ve seen my egg salad recipe then this recipe will be very familiar. When I make the deviled eggs I use my mother-in-law’s recipe. These eggs are more of a sweet taste while my mom’s are a tangy, mustardy flavor. My hope is to get my mom to write down her recipe for me again so I can blog it too. It shouldn’t be a problem because we pretty much rotate deviled eggs at my parent’s house – one time I’ll make these and the next mom will make the tangy eggs. So hopefully around Christmas I can get the other recipe too.

Just like the egg salad this is really just a list of ingredients – there really isn’t any measurements here. These eggs are totally dependent on how many eggs you are making and your tastes. The Miracle Whip and mayo really just add to the consistency of your filling – adding more will make your filling more creamy but doesn’t really do much for the taste. Adding more sugar, French dressing, or pepper changes the taste. The important thing to remember is that you can always add more of an ingredient but you can’t take it away if you put in too much – so start small and add on.

Deviled Eggs From My mother-in-law

Ingredients
Eggs
Mayo
Miracle Whip
French Dressing
Pepper Sugar

Place your desired number of eggs into a pot, cover with water and place over medium-high heat for 20 minutes.*

Once eggs are done drain the water, cover with cold water, and peel the shells off. Place the eggs in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, or until cooled.

Cut your eggs in half and scoop out the yolk, place it in a bowl. To the bowl add mayo and Miracle Whip until you have reached the consistency that you like (I start with a tablespoon of each and then go from there).

Once you are happy with the consistency add the dressing (I usually start with a teaspoon), the sugar (I start with 1/2 a teaspoon), and pepper (I start with a small dash and go from there). Slowly add more of each until you are happy with the result – keeping the amounts you are adding small so you don’t add too much.

Fill your egg whites with the filling – you can spoon it in or pipe it in from a plastic bag with the tip cut off (or you could use a bag and tip like you would for frosting).

Chill for at least 30 minutes (over night is best) then serve.

*If you have another way that you like to boil your eggs then use it. The goal is just to have some hardboiled eggs.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

These are a really quick and easy snack that comes together in no time flat. They are really tasty and keep really well in an airtight container. They'd be great for a get together or just a night in with a movie.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

Adapted from Delish

1 Bag Oyster Crackers*

1/3 Cup Oil (I used vegetable)

3 Tablespoons Ranch mix (or one packet)

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Put oysters in a plastic zip bag.

Pour oil into bag and shake to totally cover the crackers.

Add ranch mix, garlic powder, and lemon pepper to the bag. Shake until well-coated.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, stir after 10 minutes.

Allow to cool before eating.

Store in an airtight container.

*You can also use pretzels.