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!

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)

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!!