Granola Bars

I realize that I have been making a TON of desserts lately. I promise I make other things besides desserts. I will admit though that I do enjoy making desserts the most! Actually I will say that I enjoy making anything I really enjoy eating. Lets just get this out in the open......the main reason I enjoy baking is because I enjoy eating yummy food! This is why I am not a chef. I have very little desire to make food that I don't personally get to enjoy. I love cooking for groups where I get to enjoy food with others, that is great, but just cooking for others seems like a task. I am very grateful that there are those out there that cook selflessly, very grateful. I am just not one of those people. In case you haven't noticed I seem to get on tangents in my posts, sorry about that. Now back to the real topic of discussion. I have been making way too many sweet treats lately and decided that this post needs to be about something more healthy. Of course healthy to me still has to taste good or else I won't eat it. These bars turned out to be just what I needed. They are hearty and filling yet sweet and tasty. My husband and I have been taking them with us to work and eating them for breakfast. For all the healthy stuff that is in them, I still enjoy eating them and occasionally choose them over a dessert.

Homemade Granola Bars


2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons whole raw flax seed
3/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 banana mashed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, wheat bran, flour, chocolate chips and salt. In a separate bowl mix together honey, egg, peanut butter, vanilla, and mashed banana. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.  Mix well using your hands or in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. I didn't spread it to the edges. I left about 1 inch of space on one side because I wanted the bars to be a little thicker.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut. Do not over bake, if you want chewy granola bars just bake until the edges barely start turning a golden color. Store in zip lock bags.

Recipe adapted from here

Oreo Custard

I happened to have a lot of extra egg yolks from making some angel food cake and I decided what better thing to do with egg yolks than make custard! My absolute favorite ice cream is cookies and cream followed closely by peanut butter panic. I reasoned that since cookies and cream is my favorite ice cream, then why not try it in a custard? I can truly say that I'm glad I did! Custard has such an amazing creaminess to it, add the fantastic flavor of Oreos and instantly I'm in a sugar coma/heaven!

Oreo Custard

1 cup heavy cream
3 cups half-and-half cream
8 egg yolks
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
15-20 Oreo cookies 

Pour the heavy cream and half-and-half cream into a heavy saucepan, place over medium-low heat, and heat until barely simmering, stirring frequently. Turn the heat down to low. 

Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. 

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat three times more, whisking thoroughly before adding each additional 1/2 cup of hot cream to the egg yolk mixture. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot cream, and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and will coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 8 minutes. Do not let mixture boil. 

Pour the ice cream base into a bowl add whole Oreo cookies and allow to cool for about 20 minutes. If you like more solid chunks of cookie add them during the freezing stage.  Place in refrigerator and chill for several hours or overnight. The next day, pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Remove the ice cream, pack into a covered container, and freeze for 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Blog Awards!!!

Ok I'm Kinda new to this whole blogging thing. The last few months have been so much fun! I have been introduced to so many new food blogs with amazing recipes and pictures that make you want to take a bite out of your monitor. I am constantly amazed at how many amazing food blogs there are out there. You can imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when Dee over at Deelicious Sweets gave Me a blog award! I was so excited! First off I hadn't really even heard of blog awards. Second I love Dee's blog so this was a huge compliment! This is such a fun little thing to do and a great way to get to know knew blogs. Thanks again Dee!

Ok so this is how it works, as an acceptor of this award I must tell 7 things about myself. Here you go:

1. I am a newlywed (8 months baby!!)
2. I love small things, you know like the little travel size things you get at grocery stores and in hotels. I have little tiny bottles of ketchup, mayonnaise, syrup, and honey and I love them!
3. I love fire!!!! I like being in charge of starting the campfire and using lots of lighter fluid. I think this scares my husband :).
4. I am new to having nieces and nephews and my 2 year old nephew has recently learned my name and I think it is THE CUTEST thing to hear him come up to me and call me by name. I just love it!
5. I am very ticklish.
6. I am a sucker for good chick flicks.
7. I like cats, I know so many people either love them or hate them, but I like them. We don't actually own any, but maybe one day just might have one.

Now I get to pass this award onto 15 other bloggers.

1. L-Mo cooks and reads
2. Everyday Kitchen Aid
3. Wilde in the kitchen
4. The Caffeinated Globe
5. All that's left are crumbs
6. Fragrant Vanilla Cake
7. Frieda Loves Bread
8. Forever Now and Then
9. Gingerbread Bagels
10. Runs with Spatulas
11. A Spicy Perspective
12. The Sister's Cafe
13. Our Best Bites
14. Desserts For Two
15. I Wash You Dry

This is just a small group of blogs that I frequent, there are so many more that I also love. Thanks for all the great recipes!

Heath Bar Angel Roll

I think my affinity to sweets is no secret to most of you. It is a serious problem I have. I am always thinking of yummy treats that I want to make. The problem with this is I usually already have 2 or 3 desserts hanging around my house. I don't know if my taste buds call it a problem, but the scales sees it as a problem. Luckily we have lots of friends, family, and coworkers near by that we can share the treats with. Well a few weeks ago my sister made a delicious angel food cake made the traditional way with whipping cream and strawberries. This sparked my memory of a dessert I would make years ago. I got the idea from one of my old roommates. The first time she made it for us I knew it was love. One of my other roommates and I made it several times after that. I knew I had to make it again. I held off for a few weeks, but today it was time!

Heath Bar Angel Roll

1 cup sifted flour
1 1/2 cup sifted sugar
1 1/4 cups egg whites (about 10 eggs) at room temperature
1 1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
6 tbs sugar
Heath or Skor candy bars crushed up (you can find bags of Heath toffee bits near the chocolate chips at the grocery store)

Sift flour and 1/2 cup sugar together in a small bowl. In a large separate bowl combine egg whites, salt, cream of tarter, almond extract and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1 cup sugar gradually, 1/4 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition. Fold in flour mixture by hand. Fold mixture gently to not deflate egg mixture.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Pour angel food cake batter into prepared pan. spread evenly to fill the whole pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and loosen edges with a knife. Turn warm cake onto an extra piece of parchment paper or a towel dusted with powdered sugar. Allow to cool completely on wire wrack.

While cake is cooling prepare whipping cream. In a cooled bowl with cooled beaters combine whipping cream and sugar. Beat at med high speed until soft peaks form.

After cake is cooled unroll gently. Spread whipping cream on unrolled cake. Sprinkle with heath toffee bits. Roll back up and store in the freezer until ready to eat. When ready to serve slice into desired size of pieces and enjoy.

Creme Brulee French Toast

I have always been a sucker for a luscious, unhealthy, sugary breakfast. I rarely eat them, but occasionally I splurge and love every second of it. I figured Easter morning was a good day to splurge. I got this recipe from my mom a few years ago. She made it for us at a breakfast for dinner get together we had. Ever since I started this blog I have wanted to put this recipe on here. I love it because I can make it the night before and bake it the next day. I also love it because it has a yummy carmel that ends up on top and you don't have to add extra syrup (that is unless you are my mom and likes the extra syrup).

Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs corn syrup
1 loaf texas toast bread (I actually used homemade whole wheat bread)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half cream
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

In a small sauce pan melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour into large greased jelly roll pan. Spread to cover surface. Place 12 slices of texas toast bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, cream, salt, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Spoon egg mixture over each piece of bread. Cover and refrigerate over night. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. If not serving immediately turn each slice of bread over to prevent bread from sticking to the bottom of pan.

Yummy Whole Wheat Bread

I am a sucker for fresh baked bread. There is nothing better than warm soft fresh out of the oven bread. I love white and wheat bread. I love that when I make bread the smell of fresh baked bread fill my whole house. I just love it! This bread is soft and tender, but still has a good hearty wheat taste to it. Add a little cinnamon honey butter and I'm in heaven!

Whole Wheat Bread

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
3 cups lukewarm water
1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup honey
6 tbs nonfat dry milk
6 tbs butter
5 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbs salt
2 cups white all purpose flour

Soften yeast in 3 cups lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl of stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Add remaining ingredients and beat until dough forms a ball and leaves sides of bowl.  Continue with dough hook kneading for about 5-10 minutes. Remove beater, cover bowl, and let dough rise for 1 hour in a warm place away from drafts. Punch down and shape into 2 loaves. Place in 2 well greased 5 x 9 - inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in size about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Turn loaves out onto a wire rack and cool. Brush tops with melted butter.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from the Lion House Bakery cookbook.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat butter, honey, and cinnamon together with hand mixer until creamy. Serve at room temperature.

Simple Crepes with Orange Sauce

I have mentioned before that growing up every Sunday morning we would have some sort of yummy breakfast together as a family. It was a tradition I loved. My sister isn't a big breakfast person, and wasn't too excited about most of our breakfasts. These were one of things she actually would eat with us. Needless to say we ate them often. These are very simple. I know there are about a million other things you can add to crepes but I always go back to just eating them this way.

French Crepes

1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tbs melted butter
Powdered sugar for garnish

Combine all ingredients, beat well until smooth. Pour into hot greased pan. Tip pan until crepe is as thin as possible. Cook until edges start pulling away from pan and are starting to become a nice golden brown color. Flip carefully and cook for just a few seconds on the other side. Makes approximately 8 each.


Orange Sauce

1 1/2 tbs cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs grated orange rind (optional)
1 cup orange juice
1 tbs lemon juice

In a medium sauce pan combine cornstarch, sugar, and orange rind. Stir in juice and water. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil until sauce appears more clear and has thickened. Add lemon juice. Serve over top of crepes.

Here is how I like to serve mine:

Take a single crepe.

Sprinkle with your desired amount of powdered sugar.

Spread powdered sugar with a fork to evenly distribute.

Roll

Pour orange sauce over top

Bon Appetit!