Better than Granola Bars

I like to make and keep granola in the house most of the time, but it never seems to last long enough. It's so darned good that it's too easy to graze until it's gone which completely defeats the purpose of snacking on IT instead of, say, a Little Debbie. So today I decided to turn my granola into granola bars.

Preheat oven to 250

1st Step Ingredients:

3-4 c Oats
1/4 c oil
1/4 c honey
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c chopped almonds (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl ensuring every oat is coated. Once combined, lay out on a non-stick or greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir, and repeat. Oats should cook a total of 60 minutes but must be stirred every 20 minutes to prevent burning.

Remove from oven and add the following ingredients:

1/2 c raisins
1/2 c cranberries
1/2 c chocolate chips

Stir until all ingredients are combined. Chocolate will melt. Return all ingredient to the cookie sheet (covered in parchment or wax paper) press flat and let cool for 20 minutes. Then cut into preferred portion sizes and refrigerate to set.

Store bars in fridge and quickly eat the left over crumbs that didn't adhere to the bars!

So easy, REALLY, and YU-Uh-mee!

Broccoli Rabe

Broccoli Rabe (or rapini, however you want to try to pass it off as food) is NOT fabulous. Avoid it at all costs. No number of recipes or comments will ever convince me otherwise. Just an FYI.

PB & Your Choice

What is more fabulous, and I mean this seriously, than a good ole peanut butter sandwich? Pair your favorite peanut butter with a little something sweet (I love honey, Andrew prefers bananas, and Ella will only eat the traditional with jelly) and you have a perfectly balanced healthful treat. The real trick is the bread. You have to have the perfect bread. Here is the recipe for it (if Stephanie won't post this, I will!):

Honey Oat Bread

1C warm water
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 C honey (sometimes I use a smidge more)
1 tsp salt
1/2 C rolled oats
2 1/3 C bread flour ( I have subbed 1 C whole wheat, not bad)
1 tsp yeast

*Optional ingredients:
1/4 cup ground flax
up to 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten

Mix water, oil, salt and honey. Disolve yeast into this mixture and let it rest until foamy (5-10 minutes). Mix dry ingredients together. Add yeast mixtured and combine well. Knead 5-10 minutes until sticky and elastic. Add more flour or water to gain the desired stickiness and elasticity for bread dough. Let rise at least an hour. Punch down (I knead it again for a minute) and shape into a loaf; place in loaf pan. Let rest 10-20 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350.

*A note on the optional ingredients: I made this the first time without the optional ingredients (but I did sub in a cup of wheat flour). It was perfecty delightful and immediately became a staple in our home. The next time I tried adding in about 1/4 cup of ground flax. The bread was a little too dry and crumbly. The last time I made it, I subbed in a cup of wheat flour, added the 1/4 cup of flax, and instead of the 1/3 cup of white flour, I used a few extra oats and 1/4 cup of vital wheat gluten. This made the most elastic, chewy, moist bread ever. It was amazing. But I bake at high altitude, so you may need to adjust for that and for your own taste. I think that, for most people, 2T of gluten will do the trick.

Cocoa-Loco Pork

I know. The name is stupid. But it is fun. And it really is crazy good. Mix 2 cups of salsa with about 2T chili powder, 2T dried oregano, fresh or granulated garlic to taste, 1t cumin, a splash of cinnamon, and most importantly, 2T cocoa powder. Pour it over a pork roast (pork butt is best, but any pork will do) and cook.

Preferred cooking methods:

1. Pressure cooker: Season and brown. Cook on high for about 25 minutes per pound. Natural pressure release.

2. Bake: Season and brown. Bake at low temp (300 or less) until meat thermometer says 165.

3. Slow cook: Season and brown. Plop in all in a crock pot. Cook on low all day.

Pull the meat apart and use it in tacos and burritos. Holy goodness.

I usually do this in the crock pot because I am lazy and it is easy. The meat tends to dry out a bit that way (crock pots suck for white meat). But if you mix the sauce in after shredding, it doesn't matter. Baking solves the dry meat problem, but takes forever. Not good on a warm-ish day. I tried the pressure cooker on this last night and OH MY GOODNESS that was the best pork I have ever had. And, no separate pan for browning. LOVE IT. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can probably get an old stovetop one at a thrift store. It would do the job just as well as the fancy electric kind.

So I know I violated the Taco Thursday rule by doing it on Monday, but it is worth it. Do it on a Tuesday. Like today. We are having leftovers, so it can officially be Taco Tuesday...

First post

I keep coming across recipes that are fabulous. And I keep coming across recipes that are NOT fabulous. And I keep searching and searching for more recipes that are fabulous. I keep reading on FB about recipes my friends have tried that sound fabulous. I want to try their fabulous recipes, but I never keep their posts. So, I decided to start a blog for me and all my foodie friends: a collection of fabulous recipes.

Everytime you make something fabulous, post your recipe here. On days when your fabulous food meter is running a little low, come here for dinner ideas. Who will make the first fabulous post?