Recipe: Homemade Granola Bars

Are you ready to be the hero at your house for having the best snacks in the whole wide world? Then you simply must make a batch of these homemade granola bars. As a good friend said today as she tried one, "These are delish!"

For the recipe I used, click HERE. I followed the recipe except for one thing (what's wrong with me...why can't I ever just do as I'm told??). I added 1 cup of chocolate chips instead of the smaller amount that the recipe calls for. I recommend adding even more than one cup...but I'm a chocolate addict, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt.

Just had to take a minute to share the link for these yummy treats. They're homemade. They're chewey. They're satisfying. They don't have preservatives. They have a bunch of stuff that is actually good for you. I love 'em. The friends love 'em. The kids even love 'em. Let me know what you think!

What To Do With All This Zucchini?!? (Lots Of Ideas At the Bottom Of Post)

Okay, I have a slight problem. It's the zucchini. The zucchini is threatening to take over my garden...yard...kitchen. Every time I turn around there's another one that's mysteriously grown to a crazy size.

So I got busy tonight. I pulled out the food processor, and started shredding it. I saved several reasonable sized zucchini to grill, fry, or steam. The rest all got shredded.

I had help. This beautiful, spunky, sweet, sassy little sweetie was my helper (I dare you to come up with another "s" descriptor! Well, I can think of one, but this is a family blog, gang):

Thomas was there too, but he didn't approve of the activity. He didn't like the sound of the food processor.

Not one...

...Little...

...Bit...

Poor little guy. At least I only had to do something like FIFTEEN rounds! Now come on, he didn't scream the entire time...only while we shredded...he happily munched on his crackers while we measured, scooped, and sealed.

In the end we had all sorts of goodies to put in the freezer:

So what am I going to do with all of this zucchini (and there will be lots more too, I'm sure)?? Here's a run-down on some of the yummy ways I've found to use it so far:

1. Fry it - you cut it into sticks for this, not shredded.

2. Fry it with a tempura batter covering it (my favorite so far).

3. Make really yummy muffins. Go ahead, make a double batch...they freeze great.

4. Sneak the shredded stuff into the baby's food. Along with a little apple sauce or yogurt? He never notices.

5. Make the best zucchini bread on planet Earth. Go see Becky for the recipe :)

6. Make zucchini "cakes"...think crab cakes without the crab. Okay, maybe this is my favorite! I didn't have the seasoning that the recipe calls for, so I used Johnny's Seasoning Salt.

7. Steam - Slice and halve, and steam with some red onion. Be sure you don't over-cook, or it will turn to mush! Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese, serve.

8. Grill - Slice and halve, put in foil packet along with carrots and onions of similar size. Add some olive oil, parmesan, and Johnny's Seasoning Salt (yes, we use a lot of the stuff around here). Seal up the packet, and put on the grill. YUM!

9. Fry - Slice thinly. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Toss the zucchini in the pan with some red onion. Stir and heat until cooked through. I like a squeeze of lemon juice thrown in too.

Do you have a favorite zucchini recipe? Share, please! Leave a comment with your favorite way of fixing it...or blog about it, and leave a link in my comments section for me.

Recipe: Fried Zucchini Sticks

My friend Angela gets credit for this recipe. I made them last night, and they were delicious! Here's how to make them:

- Wash and dry 2 medium zucchini
- In a medium pan, pour about 1/2 inch vegetable oil, and heat on medium high (8 on my stove top)
- Leaving the skin on, cut the zucchini into strips (think large french fry size)
- In a bowl, beat 2 large eggs with a fork
- In a separate bowl, place 1 cup flour and your favorite seasoning salt (I love Johnny's). Stir.
- Dip zucchini in egg to coat, transfer to flour mixture and coat with flour.
- Is your oil ready? Place a coated zucchini in the oil to find out. It should immediately sizzle. If it doesn't, remove the zucchini and wait a bit longer.
- Fry for a few minutes, and then turn. Fry until golden brown.
- Remove from oil and place on paper towel to cool and drain oil.
- Enjoy! My kids liked these best with some ranch dressing to dip in.



Looking for nutritional info for zucchini? Click HERE.

Recipe: Homemade Pancakes From Scratch

I can't remember where we found this recipe, but it's been a staple for a long time around here. We used to do the pre-made mixes, but most of them have allergy warnings for nuts (Clara is allergic).

We've (I use "we" very loosely...hubby is the pancake expert around here)...Anyway we've found this recipe to be very versatile. We've added whole wheat flour when we feel like it, and they still turn out great with a little extra water or milk added.

Our family especially loves fruit mixed in. Give them a try!

2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
2 cups milk
2 eggs

- Combine dry ingredients
- In separate bowl, combine milk and eggs
- Gently stir egg mixture into dry ingredients
- Heat 2 tsp. butter in frying pan or griddle (medium heat)
- Ladle mixture, cook, flip, and serve
- Makes 4 servings (doubles or triples easily)

Enjoy!

Recipe: Southwest Chicken & Bean Pasta - YUMMY!

This is an awesome, fresh tasting dish. It makes a TON, so it's a good choice for your large family or for a potluck (also great left-over). Loaded with fresh veggies and lean protein, it's sure to please both your tongue and your tummy!

It's also super simple to make.

You'll need:

4 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced (I cooked ours on the grill - fantastic!)

12 oz pkg of large elbow macaroni, cooked per package

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 bunches green onion, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 medium red pepper, chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 small can sliced black olives

1 cup corn (I use frozen corn, cooked in micro for a couple minutes)

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup sour cream (low or no fat would work fine)

3 Tbs lime juice

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs taco seasoning (or one packet) powder

- Combine all the produce (fresh and canned) with the pasta, and toss until mixed.

- You can finish one of two ways:

- OPTION 1 (sort of a creamy sauce): Combine the sour cream, juice, oil, and spices, mix with pasta and produce mixture, stir over medium heat until warmed through, top with chicken and serve

OR

- OPTION 2 (more of a tangy sauce): Combine juice, oil, and spices and combine with pasta mixture. Serve with the sour cream on top or on the side.

My family loved this dish...I hope yours does too!

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Recipe: Homemade Hot Fudge

You MUST try this! Right. Now!

2 sticks butter

2 oz semi-sweet chocolate

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 pint whipping cream

1 capful vanilla

• Melt the butter and chocolate over medium heat
• Mix the sugar and cocoa together in a bowl
• Once the butter mixture is melted, add the sugar mixture and stir.
• Add the whipping cream, and stir until blended.
• Stir and heat until mixture comes to a boil.
• Continue to stir and heat for about 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla.

Keep refrigerated when not using it. It will solidify...just pop it in the microwave to heat it back up. Also good by the spoonful right out of the fridge ;)

To go to my main page, click HERE

To see more of my recipes, click HERE

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Or you can always head back to Rocks In My Dryer for more great WFMW tips. Have a great Wednesday!

P.S. Thanks to my hubby's dad for this awesome recipe

What A Dinner!

Sometimes a simple stew with bread can be so satisfying, don't you think? It's just comforting ...cozy ...yummy.

As you can guess, I made stew for dinner today. Normally I wouldn't write about it, but I also made THE most incredible bread! I wanted to share the recipe with you...but it's not mine to share. If you'd like it, you'll have to go visit Amy. I made the sun dried tomato bread variation, and it was positively amazing. I only had about 3 (OK, 9) pieces. You really have to try it!

I also have a really great stew recipe too. Remind me to post it a bit later. Right now I'm taking my sniffly-nosed self to bed!

Fun St. Patrick's Day Treats

( Actually much yummier than they look!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I have to admit, this is one of those holidays that I really never paid much attention to...until I had kids. Boy whoever said that kids change everything - they weren't kidding!

In fact, I didn't even really know what it was about (besides all things green, of course). I found THIS, which told me everything and more.

In keeping with the green spirit of things today, I made some fun snacks for Clara's preschool class...green rice-crispy treats! They were simple to make - just mix some green food coloring in with the melted butter and marshmallows before dumping in the cereal. I also sprinkled them with some green colored cookie sugar, which made it a little extra special.

And I don't know...I was in a mood last night...and I decided to wrap them each up like a little present. I wrapped them in waxed paper, and tied a green or white ribbon around each "package". This was a simple way to dress up one lone rice-crispy treat, and was a fun surprise for Clara.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of making these our "all occasion" treat. RC treats are so cheap and easy, and such a fun project to do with the kids. Let's see...pink for Easter, orange for Halloween, red for 4th of July...I''m going to make a name for myself as the "Rice Krispy Treat Queen" yet!

Here's a picture of my little creations from last night:

A Recipe: Daiquiri's Amazingly Tasty Pasta

First, I have to say that it is a special skill...being able to take a photograph of food that really makes your mouth water. I don't have that particular skill.

Do you love pasta? Do you love sweet? Do you love spicy? Do you love salmon (chicken would work too)? How about a little salty? If you're having a craving, then this dish will take care of it for you!

I created this dish all by my little self, and I'm so proud of it! The problem? I've never measured the ingredients as I make it...I just "dump". I'll do my best to estimate how much of each ingredient is in there. Here goes:

Angel hair pasta- about 2 servings worth

2 Tbs minced garlic

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 medium red onion

1 Tbs capers

1 cup sun dried tomatoes

2 cans salmon

mushrooms - 1 can or 1/2 pound fresh

parmesan cheese

artichoke hearts (optional)

(This dish is also very yummy with no mushrooms or artichoke hearts if you prefer)

- Cook the pasta according to directions, drain and set aside.

- In a medium sized pan or skillet, add the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir and heat over medium high heat until garlic is slightly brown and bubbling (this lets the flavor of the garlic and peppers incorporate into the oil). Remove from heat.

- Chop onion into medium sized pieces. Add onion to oil mixture and cook until onions are cooked too your liking (I think they're best with a little 'crunch' still in them). If you're using fresh mushrooms, add them with the onions too.

- Drain the salmon and rinse gently under hot water.

- Now just dump...add the salmon, sun dried tomatoes, capers, mushrooms (if you're using canned), and artichoke hearts. Heat over medium high heat while stirring gently (you don't want the salmon to turn to mush).

- Put pasta on a plate, and top with the "goodies" you just cooked up.

- Add some parmesan cheese, thank God that he made you with taste buds and a healthy appetite, and ENJOY!

P.S. This dish is really best if you follow it with some dark chocolate. Mmmmmm!

P.P.S. I always make a huge batch because it re-heats very well.

Our Cowgirl Turns 5!

Look at our beautiful 5 year old cowgirl!

We had a great party yesterday! There were 13 little cowpokes here to celebrate with us (including our bunch), and we had such a fun time. We all got decked out in our best western duds. I even got to wear my boots that I haven't worn since my line-dancin' college days:

Clara and her Daddy

Pioneer Woman has nothin' on me! I'm pretty sure I got the best lookin' cowboy around!

"Stick 'em up!"

"Howdy ma'm"

Here's me sneaking some cow-girl Sammy snuggles.

We did a scavenger hunt, pin the tail on the pony, and musical "saddles". We also had "horsie" cake with ice cream, and hit a horsie pinata which was stuffed with candy, tiny plastic horses, and barnyard animal stickers. I think everyone's favorite part was the bandanas. I found them in various colors at our local party store at a very reasonable price. They all got to play cowboys/girls and bank robber. It was a hoot!

Daddy was even kind enough to hold the ladies' hats for them while they tried to pin the tail on the pony!

I was pretty proud of the cake I made for her. I can't take credit for finding this beauty though. My friend Becky make this for her daughter's party last year, and it was so cute! Here's where you can find instructions to make it (it's super easy!).

OK - here's the scoop on the "carrot cakes" I made: you have to cut big sections of the cake off to turn it ito a horse shape. I hated to waste that cake! So I turned them into carrots, since we all know that a horse's favorite food is a carrot, right?!? Let me tell ya...it's tough to make tiny carrot cakes! To make up for how ugly they were, I just added tons of frosting...which later slid right off the sides (see carrot 2nd from the right). As you can see, Clara's real impressed too:

Martha Stewart, I am not!


But they served their purpose. The kids were arguing over who got carrots in no time!



We have such wonderful friends and family. And so generous! I can hardly believe the gifts that she opened! She even got a REAL cowgirl hat in pink from my sister! I was sure thankful...Clara's been after me for a hat for ages! This party was extra special with grandparents in town to help her celebrate. Grandma's sweet-talkin' Thomas...but I'm pretty sure he's only interested in her cake!




Here's Clara and her cousin, Taylor. Best of buds now...just wait 'till they're fighting over boys though! Oh, wait...that's right...Clara won't be interested in boys until she's 27 years old and is ready for the nice Christian young man her mommy chooses for her!

Here are all the little cowpokes who celebrated with us

And here's Sammy trying on Daddy's boots before bed last night

Well, that's it! That's all the Birthday Party conversation I have in me today. I'm signing off now to watch the Super Bowl. The Packers aren't playing (booo)...but the game is a good excuse to eat lots of chips, candy, chili, and cobbler! Go whatever-team go!

Recipe: Frozen Yogurt Treats

I was going to wait to post this on a Works For Me Wednesday, but I just couldn't wait! We had so much fun making this (mostly) nutritious treat that I just had to share it today.

We took some cookie cutters in the shape of letters...M,D,B,C,S (mom, dad, Ben, Clara, Sammy). We put them on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, and spooned our favorite yogurt into them. Just for fun and added nutrition, we added some sprinkles. Then we popped it into the freezer for about an hour. We were able to gently push them right out of the cookie cutters without a single casualty (whew!).

The kids LOVED them, and I liked that they were having a healthy treat.

As we were all sitting at the table gobbling up our respective letters, we were coming up with ideas for the next time we make them. We thought it might be fun to layer different flavors of yogurt...or do a yogurt-sprinkle-yogurt style "sandwich"...or my personal favorite: do a vanilla yogurt-chocolate (syrup or chip)-yogurt "sandwich". Have I mentioned that I'm a chocolate addict? It would also be fun to cut up some extra fresh fruit or add frozen berries. Or maybe put some cookie crumbs in the middle (vanilla wafers or...oooo...Oreos!) The variations are endless!

I think I might make these on Valentine's Day with our heart shaped cookie cutter. I'll have to make them one at a time since I only have one cookie cutter, but it will be worth it. Maybe I'll wrap them in waxed paper with a little ribbon and store them in the freezer until after dinner. They can all open their very own "lovey" from Mommy.

Give it a try - a fun project AND a healthy treat. Enjoy!

P.S. Drop me a line to let me know how they turn out for you!

The Joy Of Green Play Dough

It turns out that making play dough is really therapeutic! We had lots of fun making it just the right shade of minty green and kneading the flour in at the end. I was really wanting to use my new Kitchen Aid stand mixer...but letting the kids help won out. Oh well. I just love dough...bread dough...pizza dough...play dough...it's so soft and squishy!

Oh, and I took note of a few recipe tips that I didn't write in my original play dough post. First of all, vegetable oil works very well if you don't have olive oil (I didn't have olive oil today). This is good to know since vegetable oil is SO much cheaper. Also, I usually use MUCH more flour than the recipe calls for. Keep this in mind if you're going to try the recipe.

Benjamin cracked me up today. He was helping with play dough for a while, but the decided to work on his little kindergarten workbook. When daddy asked him if he was going to help with play dough anymore, Ben said, "No daddy. I am not. Making play dough is fun, but it's not as important as getting into cowwege." (college, for those of you who don't know Ben-ese) Ha! Sometimes I just don't know where he gets that stuff!

Here are some pics from our fun project:

Recipe: Buttermilk Bran Muffins with Blueberries

These are the BEST muffins! I got this recipe from my friend, Beth. Thanks Beth! I've modified the recipe a little here and there. They are my family's favorite breakfast food, and I feel good about feeding it to them. A warning though...this makes a HUGE batch of muffins (around 6 dozen). Either cut the recipe in half, or freeze them. I pop them into freezer bags, and pull them out as I use them. They freeze and microwave perfectly. OK already, here's the recipe:

2 1/2 C sugar

1 C + 3T softened butter (I use Smart Balance Spread)

5 eggs (I use 1/3 cup egg substitute per egg)

1 qt buttermilk

6 C whole wheat bran (found in the natural foods section of your grocer)

2 C boiling water

5 t baking soda

2 t salt

6 C whole wheat flour

1. Combine sugar and butter

2. Add eggs and buttermilk

3. Add bran and boiling water

4. Add baking soda, salt, and flour

5. Fold in fruit, if desired. I use frozen fruit. It's important to bring the berries to room temp or higher before mixing into batter. Add only the fruit, not the juice that results from defrosting. Blueberries and raspberries are both excellent in this recipe.

6. Bake in greased muffin tins (no paper liner necessary) at 400 F for 13-15 minutes

7. Remove from pans and place on wire rack to cool.

8. Enjoy!

(Here's what the wheat bran looks like)

Homemade Italian Play Dough

This is the best homemade play dough ever! Very soft and squishy. The kids play for hours with this stuff (especially when they've helped to make it). I got this recipe from my kids' preschool teacher...thanks Heather!

3 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Salt
1 Tablespoon Alum
2 Cups Boiling Water
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Optional food coloring, flavor extracts, and glitter

Put water in large glass bowl and bring to a boil (the micro works well for this).
Dissolve Alum in boiling water.
Combine salt with 2 cups of flour and add to bowl.
Add oil and food coloring to desired intensity.
Add flavor extract and/or glitter.
Stir well.
Add remaining cup of flour.
Stir well again.
Put dough on floured counter top and knead a few minutes, adding more flour if necessary until dough is of pliable consistency.
Store in airtight container.

* I usually add a bit more oil and flour than the recipe calls for. I also typically double the recipe.
**One of the nice things about this recipe is that it's not done on the stove top, so it's easy to let the kids help. They can do almost all of the measuring, dumping, stirring, and kneading. My oldest son and daughter LOVE this project!

Edited to read: See THIS post for recipe tips