Thursday, October 21, 2010

Homemade Granola Bars

Delicious, and SUPER easy! I added a handful of dried cherries and a handful of chocolate chips.

Homemade Granola Bars
adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures
Makes 8 bars

1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 1/3 c quick-cooking oats
Dried fruit, nuts, candy

Spray a 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, honey, and corn syrup. Stir constantly over medium heat until butter is melted, sugar is dissolved, and mixture is smooth. Stir in oats (and your chosen add-ins) until well coated. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 22 minutes.

Cool in pan 5 minutes. Slice into bars. Cool in pan an additional hour before removing.

**"Follow the directions on cutting and removing these from the pan. It will make them much easier to remove from the pan."**

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Now on Facebook!

You'll find the link on the right side of this page. Now I *really* need to start taking pictures of these recipes!
Take the pledge to read a book to a child, and Target will donate a book to a child in need on your behalf!

Thanks to Freebies4Mom for sharing!

Quesadilla Casserole

My Dad will not eat anything that has any heat, so we had to change this up a bit!

adapted from McCormick's Recipe Inspirations

1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
16 oz. tomato sauce
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 3/4 oz. can whole kernel corn, undrained
4 1/2 oz. can chopped green chiles, undrained
6 8-inch flour tortillas
2 c freshly shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chiles; mix well. Stir in all of the spices except red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Add red pepper.

Spread 1/2 c of the beef mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef mixture, and cheese.

Bake 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Creamy Potato Soup

4 c chicken broth
4 c peeled and diced gold potatoes
1/4 c finely diced onions
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz cream cheese with chives

In a stockpot, combine broth, potatoes, onion, seasoning salt, and pepper. Boil until potatoes are tender. Smash potatoes as desired. (I usually smash 1/3 - 1/2 of them.) Turn heat to low, and spoon in cream cheese by the tablespoonful. Stir until cheese melts.

I serve this with crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar over top.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Chick-fil-a was canceled tonight (my friend's Grandmother is in town.) We had Chinese take out. :)
Tuesday - Leftover potato soup.
Wednesday & Thursday - Mom's turn to cook. I do know that Quesadilla Casserole is still planned for one night, and she's doing shrimp the other night.
Friday-Monday - Baby girl and I will be out of town!

Have a happy week!