Granola Bars

These are great to snack on. I save all the granola crumbs that I accumulate from cutting these and put them on my yogurt.


3 1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c raisins or any dried fruit
2/3 c butter melted (I used half butter and half applesauce and it worked out fine, because 2/3 cup is a lot of butter)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c almonds or other nuts

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.

Then add all ingredients together and pack into a lined 9 by 13 inch pan.

Cook for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. When done let them cool slightly in the pan. Cut them when they are still a little warm.

Orange Julius

Tastes just like the ones at the mall. If you want I'm sure you could add different flavors of juice if you want more variety.

6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
1/2 c suger
1/2 tsp vanilla
about 10 ice cubes

Blend juice, milk, water, sugar, and vanilla together in blender.



Gradually add ice cubes and blend until smooth. Add or subtract the number of ice cubes depending on the desired thickness.

New Year

I know I haven't posted anything in a while. My winter break was pretty busy, I moved in with Alex and I got engaged! Spring semester started a few weeks ago so now I'm back in school and that takes up a lot of my time.

I promise I'll have more yummy food to post soon. My birthday is coming up and I'm planning on making tasty treats!

Here is something I made over break: For my and Alex's engagement party I made a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake which is my favorite cheesecake I've made so far. The recipe is under the post: Best Cheesecake Ever!

So now you can see what the final product looks like.



Here is our other cake

Valentine's Treats

Heart-shaped pizza


I got heart shaped cake pans for Christmas this year so of course I'm going to use them for Valentine's Day. But instead of baking a cake I thought it would be cute to make a pizza.

Homemade pizza is super easy to make, especially if you buy pre-made dough or dough mix. I usually get the dough mix that you just add warm water to.

You can use a variety of cheeses and toppings. I used mozzarella cheese with red bell peppers. I always use fresh garlic -that is a must.




Dirt Cake


For dessert I wanted to have something I haven't made in a long time...Dirt Cake!

What you'll need:
1 pkg Oreos
8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1/2 stick of soft butter
2 cups milk
2 (3 oz) pkgs instant vanilla pudding
1 tub of whipped cream
1 cup powdered sugar
Gummy worms

Crush the oreos, a food processor works great but don't do it for too long or else the crumbs will be too fine.
Combine the cream cheese, butter and sugar. In a different bowl mix the milk and pudding until it slightly thickens. Then add the whipped cream. Mix the cream cheese mixture and the pudding mixture together.

Layer the cream and crushed cookies and top with gummy worms.




His and Hers

Since I turned 21 this Valentine's Day I thought I'd share some tasty drinks. A fruity one for her and one that's a bit stronger for him.


Mai Tai
2 oz rum
1 oz orange juice
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz cherry mix
ice cubes

Manhattan
1 oz Sweet vermouth
2 oz whiskey
optional 1/2 oz cherry syrup
ice cubes

Candied Roasted Nuts

Alex bought some roasted nuts recently and he ate all of them before I even got a chance to get my hands on them. So I decided to make some homemade candied nuts for him since he loves them so much. The recipe is really easy and it makes a lot so you can keep some and give some away as a gift.

Recipe:
1/3 c brown sugar
2/3 c white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 lb nuts (I had cashews and pecans)
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water



Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Mix sugars, salt, and cinnamon.


In a separate bowl beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff.


Add nuts and coat evenly. Pour in sugar mixture and stir until all nuts are covered in sugar.


Spread onto a cookie sheet (you may need two cookie sheets-also lining them with parchment paper would be a good idea) and bake for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.


When they are cooling, give them a toss so they don't all stick together.


I put some in a mason jar with a red ribbon to give to Alex.

Thanksgiving

I had a Thanksgiving with my family in my hometown of Chilton, but I wanted to have a little Thanksgiving of my own with just myself and my boyfriend. I couldn't have a Thanksgiving without cooking anything. Plus it meant more leftovers!

I won't post recipes here because mostly everything I made is pretty traditional Thanksgiving food. So just enjoy the photos.

Alex is a vegetarian, and it was just the two of us so I didn't make turkey, instead I made a Cornish Hen, it was adorable.


I made these red potatoes with onion, garlic, and butter instead of mashed potatoes, they were delicious.


Cornbread stuffing


Baked cheese and vegetable twist


Green bean casserole


Cranberry sauce (yes, out of the can! Alex insisted on it.)


And of course pumpkin pie

Butterscotch Apple Cake

I found this recipe at Noblepig.com

Ingredients:
1 c vegetable oil
2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 c chopped pecans
3 c chopped peeled apples
1 c butterscotch chips
caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

First mix oil and sugar together, and then add the eggs beating after each one.

Add flour, baking soda, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix together. Stir in vanilla, the chopped apples, and the chopped pecans.



Spread in a 13x9 in. pan. the batter will be thick.



Sprinkle with butterscotch chips.


Bake for 55 minutes. The center will seem a little wobbly, but it needs to cool completely in the pan.


Garnish with caramel sauce.