Granola Bar Recipe

My kids like to snack, so I try to provide them with heathier, non processed options. I make them these granola bars often but they never end up the same bc I always add new things.This is one of the ways we like it, feel free to add what you and your family likes to the mix.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1/2 C wheat germ or ground flax seed
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C chips-chocolate, peanut butter, butterscoth,white chocalate  (choose your fav or do all)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 C health bar morsels (optional)
• 1/2 C honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1.                       Preheat the oven 350*. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2.                       In a large bowl, mix together: oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, chocolate chips, health bar and salt. Mix in honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands if need be until well blending. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3.                       Bake for 30-35 mins until golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Thats it! You can add raisins, nuts or anything really to this recipe. Its a base recipe that I throw together and add whatever I have in the cupboard. I really like to add toasted coconut into the mix! So yummy!! Hope you and your family ENJOYS!!

                     Happy Snacking!!!

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Make Your own Graham Crackers

I don't know about you, but my family and I love us some Graham crackers! Esp with peanut butter or s'more ingredients! My kids like to dip theirs in milk, which makes a mess, but I totally get it! So good! So when I found out that I can make my own with ingredients that I can read, then I was all in! I love to make snacks that the kids love and I can feel good about, bc other then that they usually only get fruit. All those package snacks are loaded with ingredients I don't want to give my tikes or are expensive! So here's the recipe I found from Smittten Kitchen and tweaked to fit my family.

Ingredients:
~makes 10 4x4.5" or 48 2' sq.

• 2 1/2 C + 2 tbs unbleached all purpose flour (can sub 1/2 C whole wheat flour)
• 1 C dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 7 tbs unsalted butter cold and grated
• 1/3 C mild flavored honey like clover
• 5 tbs milk (full fat if have)
• 2 tbs pure vanilla extract

Topping (optional): 2 tbs granulated sugar, 1tsp ground cinnamon (mixed)

Get to Making:

Dough:
    Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt into a food processor or electric mixer. Pulse or mix on low to blend then add butter until looks like coarse meal.

     In separate bowl, whisk together honey, milk, and vanilla (wet ingredients), Add to flour mixture and mix on low until dough starts to form. *If its not moist enough and wont stick together like dough-then mix another proportionate ratio of wet ingredients and add to dough (I had too, maybe bc I used my hands?)
     Lay out saran wrap and dust with flour to add your dough in a 1' thick rectangle. Wrap and chill until firm ~2hrs

Rolling out the Dough:
     Divide dough in half and roll out onto flour surface into a long rectangle ~1/8 thick. Trim edges

Now cut your dough using a pastry cutter or I used a pizza cutter to cut desired size. Traditional cut is 4 1/2", but I just went with the flow. Poke each cracker half way through with end of wooden skewer or toothpick.

Place onto non stick baking sheet or parchment paper and sprinkle with mixed topping.

Bake for 15-25 minutes on 350* or until brown and slightly firm. They wont be hard when you first take them out like a traditional cracker, so DON'T over cook!

Let cool and ENJOY!! Let us know if your family loves them as much as ours.

     Happy Snacking!

Written By Brandi



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TO DIE for Chocolate Caramel Bars

WARNING!! WARNING!! These are so amazing and delicious that you will probably eat the entire batch unless you share with family and friends!!! Just wanted to warn you bc I don't want to be at fault when you cant control yourself! lol  I have this problem and often times just go with it bc why not?! I work out, I deserve a pan full of heavenly goodness. I'm sure a few crunches will burn the entire batch off, right?? My mom and sis in law both make this, one with and one without nuts for those allergic family members (my HUBBY). Both are equally as yummy. Here's the one with nuts:

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 flour
• 1 c quick oats
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C Cold butter
• 1 C chopped walnuts
• 2o caramels
• 1 14oz can eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
• 2 C chocolate chips (or more if you love the heavenly morsel)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 375*
2. Mix in large bowl: flour, oats, baking soda, & salt (*this is crumb mix)
3. Cut in butter until crumbly
4. Save 1 1/2 C of crumb mix and press rest into 13x9" pan and bake for 15 mins.
5. Add walnuts to saved crumb mix
6. In saucepan on low heat: melt caramel with milk
7. Layer chocolate chips, caramel mix, then crumb mix onto pressed mix and bake for 20 minutes.

That's it! That's all it takes to make a piece of Heaven! Enjoy!!!!


written by Brandi

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Homemade Wheat Thin Crackers

Have you ever read the label on a wheat thin box? Sparkly Polliwog has and we don't like what we have found! Why buy a snack that has MSG in it when you can make it yourself and know exactly whats going in it. Not that the package kind is evil or anything, but there is just stuff in it that you would never add to your food by choice. It is also a fun project to do with the kids! Found this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

          Ingredients:

   Makes ~3 dozen.  I doubled it :)

• 1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp table salt , +additional for topping          
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 4 tbs unsalted butter
• 1/4 C water

Directions:

1. By hand or food processor: COMBINE the flour, sugar, salt, paprika, and butter until evenly distributed. (I don't have a processor, SIGH, so mixed by hand-I grated the cold butter before mixing). Mix until looks like cornmeal.

                                 Drizzle 1/4 C water and combine and knead until all blended.

  2. Heat oven 400* and either lightly grease baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
  3. Roll half the dough out at a time on floured surface. You want to get it as thin as possible and in much of a rectangle shape as you can. You can recruit a helper ;0

                            Using your pizza, knife or pastry wheel, cut into 1 1/2 inch squares.
 4. Place onto baking sheet, don't need to be spaced to far apart and poke holes into each square using a tooth pick

Sprinkle some salt and bake until golden and crisp ~5-7 minutes depending on thickness 

Cool on baking rack

Store in airtight containers up to 2 weeks.

We like ours with the Garlic Cheese Ball! So YUMMY

Hope you and your family enjoy this alternative to the package kind. We sure do for so many reasons! Happy Snacking!!

Written by Brandi

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Cranberry Orange Sauce

 

I have never been a huge cranberry sauce fan, but when our friend over at Diva Di Cucina shared her yummy recipe, I am now its #1 FAN! I made it for Thanksgiving and it really is fantastic! I plan on making it again as a side to accompany the Turkey I make for our families Xmas Eve dinner(even if I do joke I'm making a TOFURKEY).

 

Its well worth the tiny bit of effort to have such a delicious side! Its recommended to make at least 6 hours ahead of time to let it thicken. Its great bc I can have it done the day before Xmas Eve and ready to go while I prepare all the other food. I doubled the batch last time, but will not next time. This recipe makes plenty the way it is.

   Here's What You Need:

• 2 C Sugar
• 1 orange, juice & zest
• 1 lime, juice & zest
• 1/4 C cider Vinegar
• 1/4 red wine
• 1/2 C dried cranberries
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 1/4 C grand marnier or other orange liqueur                          
Here's what You Do:

1. Combine sugar, zests, juices, vinegar, wine, dried cranberries, and the Cinnamon stick into a medium size sauce pan.
2. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves~stirring constantly
3. Bring to a boil, and let boil for 3 minutes



      4. Fold in fresh Cranberries & orange liqueur

5. Simmer and stir occasionally until cranberries start to break open ~15 minutes.
6. Remove from heat & allow to cool before storing in the fridge until ready to serve.


This really is a great side dish! Check out Diva di Cucina for some other yummy recipes.



written by Brandi

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