Granola Bars

I put mini chocolate chips in these, but feel free to substitute raisins or other dried fruit.  You could even add nuts.

These are pretty sweet.  Next time, I might cut the brown sugar in half.

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup honey
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan.

Mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, chocolate chips and salt.

Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla.  Mix well.

Using your hands, pat the mixture evenly into the pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges get golden brown.

Cool for a few minutes, then cut into bars or squares.  Don't let them cool completely, or they'll be too hard to cut.

Southwestern Chicken and Rice Casserole

Oh.My.  I have issues with casseroles .... they rarely turn out the way I think they should.  Finally, I achieved success!!!!!!!  I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, and I modified it a bit to fit our family.  I've made it twice now and both times, everyone gobbles it up.  Last night, hubby actually said, "This is a really good meal."  He rarely says that, so I knew it was good!!!!!  (He usually says, "It's fine."  To him, that means he likes it.  It took me a while to figure out that It's fine really means It's good.  So for him to say It's good .... that must mean it's great!)

The original recipe is HERE.  I'll put it here the way I made it and I'll put some notes and thoughts at the bottom.

Southwestern Chicken and Rice Casserole

• 1 (15 Oz.) Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
• 1 (10.75 Oz.) Can Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 1 C. Water
• 1 C. Picante Sauce
• 3/4 C. Uncooked Long Grain White Rice
• 1/2 Tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 (11 Oz.) Whole Kernel Corn Drained
• 4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Halves
• Taco Seasoning
• Cheddar Cheese

Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread drained black beans over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Combine soup, water, salsa, rice, onion powder and corn in a bowl; pour over black beans.

Lay chicken on top and generously sprinkle taco seasoning on top of the chicken.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are done.  Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven until cheese is melted.

My Notes

- Instead of the 1 cup of water, next time I might try adding a can of petite diced tomatoes.  Maybe even the ones with green chilies.

- You can use whatever kind of salsa or picante sauce you like.

- I think this would be easy to put together ahead of time and just pop in the oven an hour before dinner.

- If you use brown rice, I'd probably add a bit more water.

- Cheese ..... again, use whatever you like.  Last night, I used a combination of mild and sharp cheddar cheese, only because that's what I already had.  Mexican cheese would be good, too.

- I think this casserole has a lot of possibilities to change it up a bit and to adjust the spiciness to what your family likes.

Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

I just wanted to post this so I don't lose it!  This recipe looks soooo yummy!!!!

Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti

BEST Brownies Ever!!!!!!

Oh.My.Goodness. I don't think I can ever bake brownies from a box again. Here's an AMAZING recipe!!!!!

BEST Brownies Ever!!!!!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 Tbl. salted butter
• 2 Tbl. water
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 9 x 9 inch square pan.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and water. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth.
   
3. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool in pan and cut into squares.

A few notes ....... I used 3/4 cup semisweet chips and 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips because that's all I had on hand. The brownies still turned out great. I mixed everything in the pan I melted the butter in.

Also, next time, I'm going to double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan.

Broth - Beef and Chicken

I'll admit it. I'm a broth snob. I only buy Swanson broth. I've tried generic broth, and every time I do, there's congealed fat in the can. It grosses me out. So I buy Swanson. Well, I used to.

I've blogged about making my own chicken broth. I got 11 cups the last time I did it!!!!!!! That's about equivalent to 6 cans of broth. There's almost 2 cups in a regular can.

For beef broth, I use Better Than Bouillon. At my Kroger, it's $5.99 for each jar. There is enough in the jar to be equivalent to 19 cans of broth!!!!!!!! I think it tastes better than canned broth, too. So it tastes better, there's no waste from all those cans, and it's cheaper! It's a bit of a pain because you need boiling water to make the actual broth. But for me, the advantages far outweigh that!

Menu - Feb. 7-13

Now that surgery is over, I need to get back into the swing of menu planning. Here's the plan for this week:

Sunday - Not sure yet
Monday - Chicken Mozzarella, Pasta, Carrots
Tuesday - Pasta Fagioli Soup
Wednesday - Beef Stroganoff, Salad
Thursday - Chicken Tetrazzini, Salad
Friday - Pizza (made with Artisan Bread Olive Oil Dough)
Saturday - Going out, I think.

Liquid/Soft Diet

So my daughter is one a liquid and soft food diet for 2-3 weeks. She had surgery a few days ago for her cleft palate, so that's why. Here's my list so far of what she can eat.

Yogurt
Jello
Pudding
Smoothies - yogurt, milk, fruit - I may even sneak in some wheat germ
Mashed Potatoes
Baby Food
Carnation Instant Breakfast
Ice Cream
Applesauce - plain and with cinnamon

I'm trying to give her things that are healthy, but that she'll actually enjoy. If you have any ideas, let me know!