Friday, October 29, 2010

Easy Mixed Bean Soup

I'm all about easy meals, and it doesn't get much easier than this!

Easy Mixed Bean Soup

1 lb. dried mixed beans
1/3 c frozen diced onions
1/3 c diced carrot
1/4 c diced celery
2 chicken & tomato bouillon cubes*
1 heaping tablespoon Salt Mix
10 c water

Soak beans overnight.  Drain.  In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.

It's that easy!

*You could easily make this a vegetarian soup by omitting the bouillon cubes, then replacing some of the water with vegetable stock.

We're headed back out of town again today.  Have a safe weekend!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

If you have not made these granola bars yet, you really need to! Today when I made them I used peanut butter, broken pretzels, chocolate chips, and teeny tiny marshmallows. I was told that I'd outdone myself. SO good!!!

Makes 8 bars

1/4 c butter
1/4 c peanut butter1/2 c brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 1/3 c quick-cooking oats
1/3 c chocolate chips
1/3 c very small marshmallows 
1/3 c broken pretzels
Spray a 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine butter, peanut 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, chocolate chips, marshmallows, and pretzel pieces 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 27, 2010

Candy Recalls!

Check out the article HERE.

Up to $200 of FREE Murad products!

In celebration of The Water Secret's bestselling status, Murad is  giving away a secret gift bag filled with up to $200 in Murad favorites —including select full-size products—with every book purchase!  Follow the link below for details!
http://www.murad.com/thewatersecretoffer.jsp?ICID=092810WATERSECRETV2

Thanks to Freebies4Mom for sharing this!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Raspberry Oatmeal Squares



I made these for a bake sale a few weeks ago, and they were delicious! Today I'm going to substitute the raspberry jam with red plum preserves.

Raspberry Oatmeal Squares
from the JoyOfBaking.com

1/2 c butter, room temperature
1 c light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c old-fashioned oats, divided
1 c raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and place rack in middle of oven. Grease a 9x9 baking pan.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, mixing until well-combined. Stir in 1 3/4 c of the rolled oats. Press 2/3 of the dough into the prepared pan. Spread the jam over top.

To the remaining dough, add the remaining 1/4 c of oats. Crumble evenly over the top of the jam. Bake 25-30 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares to serve.

We're back!

We got home from our Pennsylvania trip last night! We had so much fun! We'll be home today, tomorrow, and Thursday, then leave for the weekend again. Here's our menu plan for the week:

Breakfasts:
PB&J Waffle-wiches
Crockpot Oatmeal
Muesli and fruit
Eggs, toast, and fruit

Lunches:
Egg salad sandwiches, carrots
Peanut butter & Nutella & Banana sandwiches, apples
"Snack Lunch" (Usually this consists of cheese or yogurt, carrots, fruit, crackers, and ham or turkey slices.)

Dinners:
Steamed shrimp, fries, salad
Slow-cooker beans, cornbread
Baked Pork & Apples, broccoli, rice
(Out of town for two nights)
Homemade vegetable soup before Trick or Treating on Halloween