Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Granola Bars

My dear friend, Haley gave up desserts for Lent. She's a strong woman. Stronger than I'll ever be. I decided one night after we crammed our faces full of pizza that a sweet treat was in order, but what could Haley eat? That's how these were created. Granola isn't dessert. Right?

We whipped these up and they turned out being better than most desserts, and I didn't feel guilty going back for seconds, and maybe some cheeky thirds.

There's something about peanut butter and chocolate together that makes anyone's ears perk up, and these granola bars are no exception. Oh and did I mention that they're no-bake? I like.

Best part is that you can switch the pecans out for say, dried fruit, or extra chocolate if you're into that. No judgments here. Judgment free zone.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Granola Bars
by March-25-2014
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 2 cupes crispy rice cereal
  • 1 cup pecans (or dried fruit, extra chocolate etc.)
  • sprinkling of chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper to make it easier to cut the bars out later. 2. In a large bowl mix together the oats, crispy rice cereal and pecans. Set aside. 3.In a small sauce pan combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Let the entire mixture melt together, and let cook until bubbly. About 2-3 minutes. 4. Pour the mixture over the oat and cereal mixture and stir to combine. Pour the combined mixture into the prepared 9x13 pan. Take a measuring cup and press the mixture firmly into the pan. Then sprinkle the chocolate chips across the top and press those in with the measuring cup as well, or they will fall off.5. Put the pan into the fridge and let cool for 1-2 hours or until set.
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Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 16-20 bars
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Salted Caramel Crispy Treats

I have an exceptionally wonderful aunt, who I affectionately think of as the Martha Stewart of our family. She's the aunt who brought homemade marshmallows and homemade graham crackers for s'mores while vacationing in North Carolina this past summer. I can still remember her putting together beautiful tea parties for the cousins, where I ate the sugar cubes instead of plopping them in my tea. Basically, my Aunt Glenda is all that I aspire to be in a baker and cook, so when she e-mailed me this recipe with "Mary make this!" in the subject line I knew I had to make them.

And I did. The very next day. She told me in her e-mail that I would "never be able to go back to the old boring Rice Krispy Treats." And I was like "how can someone replace the original?" But, SHE WAS RIGHT. So right. I want to always have marshmallows and heavy whipping cream on hand to make these every day. You'll want to have five in one sitting, and you will probably give into that craving. I did. Shhhh.

If you're a big fan of salty and sweet look no further and make these. Now. Right now. Seriously.

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Salted Caramel Crispy Treats
by March-19-2014
Ingredients
  • 6 cups cups crispy rice cereal
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp. light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp. flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, plus more for sprinkling
  • One 10-oz bag mini marshmallows
Instructions
1. Spray an 8 inch square cake pan with nonstick spray. You can pretty much use whatever size pan you want for this. It'll just depend how thick you want the treats. I used a 7x11 in pan, but a 9x13in or an 8in will work just fine as well. Add the rice cereal to a large heatproof bowl and set aside. 2. Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, stir in the brown sugar, heavy whipping cream and corn syrup. Cook until thick and syrupy while stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Stir in the salt (I used kosher salt and they turned out just fine). Turn off the heat and stir in the marshmallows. Keep stirring until the marshmallows are smooth and melted.3. Quickly pour the caramel marshmallow sauce over the cereal and stir all together. Pour into the prepared pan and press down with a piece of parchment paper sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt. Let them cool completely, and then cut into squares.
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Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 12 Servings
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Lasagna Soup

I love soup. I love the simplicity of it, and how easily you can throw everything in one pot, and forget about it for awhile until it's time to eat. I'm always on a search for good soup recipes, and this may be the soup of all soups. This soup has everything. Pasta, meat, a delicious broth, and the best part? Cheese. Isn't cheese always the best part?

I first made this dish while in college. It was fast and had tons of leftovers which I greatly appreciated. Then I moved back home after graduating and made it for my mom, and now it's in a permanent rotation for dinner here. 

I found this recipe on A Farmgirl's Dabbles blog and modified it a bit.

If you're in the mood for something cozy, warm, and hardy look no further. Enjoy!

 

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Lasagna Soup
by March-13-2014
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 finely chopped onion
  • 1-1/2 lbs Italian sausage
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 2 14.5-oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 8 oz. pasta
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 oz. ricotta
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until transparent. Add sausage, and break it up into pieces. Cook until almost browned. Add oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook until it becomes a rusty color.2. Add in the fired roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, and bay leaves. Turn down the temperature and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.3. While the soup is simmering begin to cook pasta in separate pot, You can really use any type of pasta here, but pick one that had a lot of ridges and will hold the broth. I used radiator pasta, but even rigatoni or fusilli will work. Cook until al dente. 4. While the pasta is cooking you can mix up the cheese topping. Add the ricotta and Parmesan together in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.5. Once the pasta is cooked and the soup mixture has simmered, you can begin assembly. I usually put a big dollop of the cheese mixture at the bottom of the bowl. Then I add the pasta, and the soup mixture over everything. I top it off with a bit more of the cheese mixture and Parmesan.
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Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8

Let me know if you tried out this recipe and if you liked it! I would love to hear about you food adventures too.

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Written by Mary Ryherd On In , Tagged , ,