Chewy Granola Bars

Do you buy the chewy granola bars from the store? I did... all the time. Not anymore! These are amazingly easy and so delicious! I found the recipe at Make and Takes.

I don't think my butter was soft enough and therefore I don't think my ingredients mixed as well as they should have. Most broke into pieces after I cut them. But, it didn't stop me from eating all the broken bits! It tasted so good!

Next time I will bake in an 8x8 instead of the 9x13. I hope the thicker bar will help it to stay together better. Also, I saw some comments on Make and Takes about subbing peanut butter for the butter for a different flavor. I will DEFINATELY be trying that!

*HA HA HA!!! I am rolling in laughter right now. As I am typing the ingredients I realized that I totally left out the brown sugar! Probably why they didn't come together as well!*

Chewy Granola Bars

2 1/2 c. Oats - quick rolled oats
1/2 c. Rice Krispies
1/4 c. coconut
1/2 c. M&M minis or mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Add all of the ingredients and mix together until combined. Press into a square 8×8 pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars. Let it set completely and then cut into bars. For thinner bars, press mix into a 9×13 pan.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas & Spanish Rice

These enchiladas were SOOOOOOOOO good! I found the recipe at Phe/MOM/enon. I love enchiladas and am always looking for new recipes. I will make these over and over again. The only thing I might change is the amount of honey. I think I may decrease it by a tablespoon or so. It may have been a little more sweet just because I didn't add in the full amount of chili powder, though. Even so, these were awesome!!!!

The spanish rice recipe I found at Allrecipes. Easy peasy and so delicious! What a great side for this meal!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 tablespoons honey

5 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I used 3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed)

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 2 large chicken breasts)

8-10 flour tortillas

1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded (I used colby-jack)

16 ounces green enchilada sauce

1 cup heavy cream (I only used about 1/2 cup)

Mix the honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic together and toss with the shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (or toss together in a ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours).

Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

--------------------------------------------------

Spanish Rice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups water
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute rice, onion, and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender.

Stir in water and tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Long name for a dessert, right? But, my oh my.... SO DELICIOUS! This is very rich, so I don't suggest eating as large of a piece as pictured, although you could!

I found this recipe at an awesome blog, Bake or Break. I have had this in my file for a while and finally gave it a go today. What a treat! Of course, in my book you can't go wrong with cookie dough or cheesecake. I have a cookie dough cheesecake recipe that is wonderful and to find something similar in bar form was great!

On to what you come here for... the recipe! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Using an electric mixer , mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Filling:

10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.

Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.
Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of butter if necessary to make chocolate smooth. Drizzle over top of bars.

Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars and serve.

Blackberry Breakfast Cake

I am about to write off all breakfast cakes. Two weeks in a row I have been less than satisfied. This week was better than last, but it still didn't knock my socks off. I have a Cream Cheese Coffeecake and a traditional crumb cake still to try, so I will wait before I give up all hope!

I found the recipe at A Southern Grace. By all means, this is not a bad recipe. I really enjoyed the cake part, but as soon as I got a bite with the blackberries, it wasn't as good. I found it odd considering I love blackberries. Hmmm.... not sure why I didn't like them here.

Also, I didn't toss my berries in with the dry ingredients and they all sank to the bottom. Another case of my hands working faster than my brain!

I am still posting the recipe as it was good... maybe I'll try it at another time with a different berry.

Blackberry Breakfast Cake

Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup quick oats
2 cups fresh blackberries
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Topping:
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup quick oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or coat with cooking spray an 8x8-inch pan.In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar and eggs. Stir in the vanilla, buttermilk, and oil. Add in the dry ingredients, including the oats, and stir just until incorporated. Coat the blackberries and nuts in a bit of flour and then fold in until well blended.Pour the batter into the pan and gently shake it to even it out. Sprinkle the chopped nuts and oats evenly over the top of the cake.Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool at room temperature.

Roasted Vegetable Turkey Pinwheels & Mini Pumpkin Bites

I've got two delicious round foods for you! I didn't plan it that way, but I think it is kinda funny how both of these dishes are in the exact same pattern! :)

The pinwheels came from the August/September issue of Taste of Home. These were such a yummy lunch and a great way to get in veggies mid-day! The required a bit of planning, but it wasn't too bad. I roasted the veggies around 9 am and we ate the wraps at noon. I think the cream cheese filling would also be great as a dip!

The mini pumpkin bites are super quick and so good! I found the recipe on Sparkpeople over a year ago and I love them! Just mix together and pipe onto Nilla wafers. Or... for an even quicker treat, just dip the cookies straight into the bowl!

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Turkey Pinwheels
2 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2" slices
1 large sweet yellow pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2" slices
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 TBSP olive oil
2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp salt
8 tortillas (10"), room temperature
1 pound thinly sliced deli turkey
4 cups torn Bibb or Boston lettuce

Place squash, peppers, carrots, and garlic in a baking pan. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 450 for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and tender, stirring once. Cool slightly.

Place the vegetables, cream cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a bowl; cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until thickened.

Spread 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture on each tortilla; layer with turkey and lettuce. Roll up tightly; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Unwrap and cut each into 8 slices.
------------------------------------------------------------

Mini Pumpkin Bites

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup cool whip

1 cup vanilla pudding

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Dash ground cloves

Dash ground ginger

Nilla wafers

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Mix pudding, pumpkin, and spices. Fold in cool whip. Put mixture in a sandwich bag and clip the corner. Put cookies on a tray and squeeze pumpkin mixture on top. Chill in refrigerator. Dust with powdered sugar.