Fall Granola Goodies

For me Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love so many aspects of this season from the clothing, the weather change, the FOOD, the smells (from seasonal foods cooking to seasonal candles burning) and knowing that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner! This fall is a bit different for me than falls in past. I find myself entering my THIRD TRIMESTER of my first pregnancy. Oh Baby how my senses have heightened. Not only is my sniffer picking up the slightest scents (and odors unfortunately) but my belly is constantly calling for something to munch on. I am eating about every two hours these days and with a consumption like that I am trying to be conscious of what I am putting in my mouth (key point...trying). I found this recipe for homemade granola bars in the October/November 2010 Taste of Home magazine and had to share with everyone. Its healthy (enough), easy to make, quick, and will fight off hunger pains longer than store bought substitutes. Plus the smell that fills the house is PERFECT for this time of year!!

Here is the recipe and pictures...

Ingrediants
3-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped almonds
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped dried apples
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Combine oats and almonds in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl, combine the egg, butter, honey and vanilla. Stir in the sunflower kernels, coconut, apples, cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in oat mixture.
Press into a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 13-18 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3 dozen

Before I put them in the oven

After and cut into bars

I think I am going to add chocolate chips next time....

ENJOY!

Spicy Deliciousness Dip

I couldn't resist sharing this horribly addictive recipe I experienced for the first time a few weeks ago (Thanks Caroline). Its a jalapeno cilantro dip that is excellent with tortilla chips. I had it at a fantasy football draft party and have since made it for tailgating. It's a great addition to any gathering. Here is a double bonus, it's INCREDIBLY easy and quick to make.

Getting Ready to Blend

Post Blend. If you place in the refrigerator for bit it firms up

making it the perfect consistency!

Here are the goods...

16oz Sour Cream

1 Packet Ranch Dip

3/4 Cup Pickled Jalapenos

1/4 Cup fresh Cilantro

Add ALL ingredients to blender...BLEND...ENJOY

Cheap and Easy...A Few Of My Favorite Things

I made this dish for dinner tonight and LOVED it. It was so easy, most of the items needed were already in my pantry/fridge and it was fast. What is not to love about all of those things?

Cayenne Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:
•Coarse salt and ground pepper
•1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1 medium red onion, finely diced
•2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or 1/2 of lime squeezed)
•1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks (if they are on the small side I suggest 2)

Directions:

•In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken. (FAST HINT: sprinkle each side of the chicken with each ingredient, then rub. The spicier you want it, the darker red you need to make it)

•In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

•Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Done...that's it...EAT UP!!

This recipe is from Martha's fabulous collection

Holy Guacamole!

I tend to get requests to make my Guacamole quit a bit. Granted most of them are from my hubby (weekly) but I also get hit up for any major sport watching event, whenever we grill out with friends, showers/engagement parties etc...

I have also had a few of my friends ask me how to make Guacamole. Which at first I thought was kind of funny because its basically mashed up avocados with some extra goodies mixed in but a lot of people think its some magical recipe. I am here to tell you it's super easy, anyone can do it and to STOP buying that green premade "guacamole" they sell at the grocery store...its not real...gag!!

First start with avocados, halved, seed removed and shelled into a bowl like so...

(this is 5 avocados - I usually will use only 2 if I am making it for just my hubby and myself)


Once all of the avocados are in the bowl I will run a knife through them to help break them up (pre-mixing) without actually having to stir them which makes my guac a little more "chunky" than smooth. The more you mix & stir the avocados the more they break down and will result in a smoother consistency. But beware...do not over stir at this stage. You will be mixing in the next few steps which will help create a "spread" like consistency.

The next step, add the extras! I tend to like things a little more spicy so I choose to add spicier ingredients. Here is the trick with spicy...spicy foods equal flavor. If you do not like spicy things it doesn't mean you shouldn't add some, or all of these ingredients. You should just add them moderately.

Added ingredients:

Red Onion

Jalapeno

Cilantro

FRESH Lime Juice

Tomatoes

Secret tool I LOVE!!! My "chopper". This one is from Pampered Chef but you can get them at any store that sells cooking tools. I use this thing all of the time! It is a HUGE time saver and honestly does a better job at chopping things like onions, jalapenos, cilantro, etc than I do.

Make sure to pre-chop/slice ingredients before adding to chopper for a better result.

Onions chopped and ready to be added to the mix. If you want them more fine...chop longer :-)



All the goodness in one bowl - pre mixed!

TA-DA!!! Yummy Guacamole!! ENJOY!

(the seeds help it from turning brown)

Sliders - Home Style

I was at the grocery store the other day and saw these cute little mini buns and the infamous Jack in the Box commercial instantly popped into my head.

I couldn't resist making sliders for dinner that night. I rounded up the remaining ingredients and headed home.

The secret to any good burger are these two ingredients. A few shakes (6-8 per lb) of each will give life to your beef without losing the "hamburger" taste we all crave and love.

Since we didn't have any propane for the grill I resorted to the skillet. To be honest, looking back I think I will cook them stove top from here on out. They are too small to really grill, and may cook to fast and dry out.

Yummmmm...Cheese....

The finished result....TA-DA!! This one is garnished with red onions and spicy guacamole. We also had mustard and pickles as finishing touch options.


These were a hit with hubby! We ended up eating TEN of them!!!!!

-Enjoy-
Jodi

Retro Baking Accessories

I came across a super cute website today called Layer Cake Shop through Daily Candy. It is a bakers dream! They have every accessory imaginable. Everything from retro cake toppers, girly baking cups, fun labeling stickers, icing, sprinkles...the list goes on and on!

Here are some of my favorites:

Grilled PB & J

One of my favorite small appliance is my panini maker. I am a strong believer that a cold sandwich is twice as good grilled!

I had a craving for pb & j the other day and when I started to make it the panini maker was right there so I thought...why not! I am so glad I did. It turned out awesome.

You do have to be careful not to put too much peanut butter on it though. Once it gets warm it becomes a lot more liquid and gets everywhere. It can also be a bit overwhelming and over power the sweetness of the jelly.

My favorite combination is peanut butter and blackberry preserves....mm, mm, mm!

The best part about this grilled gooey masterpiece is it makes a great warm breakfast. I have enjoyed pairing it with a cup of coffee so much that we have run out of peanut butter this week. Not being huge peanut butter fans- that never happens in this house.

I am anxious to try some other combinations like pb & honey...I may even add a banana here and there!

It may not look pretty...but we all know true beauty is on the inside!!

Sweet & Spicy Pie!

Even though I did not make this I couldn't help but share its YUMMINESS with everyone!

Sal's Pizza in Dallas makes an amazing pizza. They are located on Wycliff just off of the tollway. Their crust is always cooked perfect! It never too thin & crunchy, or think & heavy. It's thin enough to fold but substantial enough to hold its ingredients. On top of crust perfection their sauce is right there as well. Bottom line is anything you order is going to be brag worthy.

Well I decided to spice up (literally) one of my favorite types of pizzas. Hawaiian (Canadian bacon & pineapple). I added jalepenos...result...DELICIOUS!!! The spicy mixed with the salt of the ham and the sweet of the pineapple was magic in my mouth!

If you are up for it and love spicy as much as I do you will have to try this next time your pizza craving attacks. You won't be disappointed!!!

Wife Training

A long running joke between Ray and Matt is that I need to go to Wife Training. They throw this around when they tease me about cooking dinner, my cleaning habits, etc...well tonight I hit the jack pot when it comes to the cheaters version of Wife Training...Hello Central Market!

I usually don't go into Central Market because it tends to be a little pricey. We do most of grocery shopping at the Tom Thumb (which is across the street from Central Market). Tonight I decided to go in and grab the few items I needed and I am SO GLAD I DID!!! First off it wasn't any more expensive than what it would have been across the street but the quality is 3x better...LOVE THAT!

I also love the "Meal Kits" they had....aka the cheaters version of Wife Training. Tonight I bought the pizza making kit. All of the ingredients were fresh (even the sauce...they make it there in the store), you don't have to buy more ingredients than you will use, and you don't have to slave away in the kitchen all night to prepare a meal (my favorite part)!

Here is the kit and recipe card:
Pizza Dough
Olive Oil
Fresh Basil
Pizza Sauce
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Roasted Garlic Cloves (whole fresh cloves!!!)
Freshly Shredded Cheese

Here is what it looked like right before it went into the oven!

And finally the final product! It was supper yummy!!!!

These Meal Kits are a LIFE SAVER! They are affordable, yummy, and it makes you feel like you made it from scratch - like the good wife you should be :-)
They have all sorts of meals to choose from...I can't wait to try them all! YUM YUM!!

Cheesy Tortellini

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes to make. It is so easy and quick but honestly taste like you have spent all day slaving over it. We have had to double the recipe in our home because we are always wanting more. Rachel Ray was the genius creator of this dish.

Ingredients
1 pound cheese tortellini
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
5 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced separately
2 tablespoons flour
1 2/3 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

1. In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the tortellini until al dente; drain.

2. Meanwhile, add the peas, butter and scallion whites to another large saucepan and cook over medium heat for two minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the scallion greens and season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir the tortellini and 1/3 cup cheese into the sauce. Divide the pasta among 4 serving bowls and Easy does it sprinkle with more cheese.

Contributor: JODI

Jodi is a 20 something female who started this blog in hopes of collaborating with her foodie friends to generate a fabulous resource and story board for all other foodies out there. Wanting it not only to be stocked full of great recipes but also the adventures (and messes) that more times than not accompany food genius! She has invited family and friends that share her love of food and creation (and no professional training) to join her in publishing such stories.

Living in Dallas with her husband Matt and lovable mutt Kayla, Jodi cooks at least 4 times a week and bakes as much as possible. Baking was Jodi's first love. Pies were her poison back in college and have since opened the flood gates into the cooking world.

Favorite Dish: Mac & Cheese or Fajitas
Favorite Flavor: SPICY
Favorite Drink: GIN & TONIC or an Amber Beer