Homemade Granola Bars {In My Kitchen}

I found the recipe for these Granola Bars from here

They were SO delicious, moist and SO easy...here are the couple of changes I made or will make in the future...

~I didn't have quick oats so I used Old Fashioned which made them not hold together as well..but still delicious :)

~Next time I will omit the 1/2 cup of brown sugar...with the honey and applesauce, the extra sweetness is just not needed

~I made mine with chocolate chips, cranberries and coconut...mmmmm!

~I also threw in a tablespoon or so of ground flax seeds and wheat germ :)

Give these a try...I think you'll love them!

A new {Favorite Thing}

I had seen these in several magazines awhile back, and had been on the lookout for them...

well, I finally tracked some down :)

EOS Lip Balms

ok...first, are they not the cutest little things??

The flavors are (pink) Summer Fruit - smells like peaches

(citron) Honeysuckle Honeydew - yum!

(light blue) Sweet Mint - can't seem to find this one :(

They have lots of great qualities..

Organic

Paraben free

Gluten free

Petrolatum free

Phthalate free

Shea butter and Vit E

I had been looking for them in the cosmetic sections of Walgreens and Rite Aid (the only two stores I know of that carry them in my area), but found out they are in the aisle with Chapstick, Carmex, etc...just FYI

Just a new summer favorite!

My Green Smoothie {In My Kitchen}

I have been making a Green Smoothie almost everyday!

It is so yummy and a great way for me to get some extra greens.

Here is how I make mine:

1 fist full of kale

1/2 apple chopped

1/2 banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

a little water (if I have coconut water, I use that)

a little crushed ice

*I have also added a little coconut oil and sometimes flax oil*

I blend this up in my little Magic Bullet and voila!

I have also seen other recipes using spinach, cucumber and pear...so I think I might give some of those things a try too!

Let me know if you make this, or have another recipe for me to try!

Cheers!

Bagels {In My Kitchen}

Bagels were on my list of "must try to make"

So...I found this recipe and gave it a try.

The first batch I tried,  I made the dough in my bread machine, and it just didn't turn out right...so I made another batch and this time I used my Kitchen Aid with dough hook...

and Voila!

I followed Emeril's suggestion of rolling the piece of dough into a log and then forming into a circle and pinching the ends together. 

After I boiled them and right before putting them in the oven, I brushed them with egg white and sprinkled dried chopped onion and dried garlic granuals...next time I will add poppy seeds for a true "everything" bagel...our favorite!

These were SO much easier than I thought they would be and so delicious!

All Things Farmer

I clicked on a link on my friend Catie's blog the other day called

All Things Farmer

and I have been hooked!

James Farmer is a landscape designer form Georgia, and in his "about  me" this is what he said ...

"A glass of tea, sweetened, and garnished with lime; a garden lined with boxwoods and brimming with bouquets to be cut and arranged; a meal prepared with seasonal flair and flavored with soul; a home for comfort, classicism, and personal style…all things of delight, all things of warmth, all things of provenance… all things Farmer."

He had me at "tea" and "boxwoods"!

James has so many great recipes, and garden and entertaining ideas on his blog...AND he has a book coming out in September!

One thing that caught my eye was his recipe for

"the Farmer's tea"

His favorite iced tea is made with Lipton tea bags and one Earl Grey bag with simple syrup. 

 I am a HUGE Earl Grey tea drinker so I knew I would love this...and I do...you must try!!

If you haven't visited All Things Farmer...I highly reccomend it!

Today I.....

am loving all the Grad announcements that are arriving....

hard to believe this time is near

spent some time planning this....

 read this book to Lucy and have requested more from the library!

made this for dinner~

lasagna

salad 

french bread

strawberries

Carmelized Brownies {In My Kitchen}

I made these brownies this weekend for my Husband's birthday.

It is a Paula Deen recipe I found online made with a simple box brownie mix and a quick caramel topping...they were so delicious!

Caramelized Brownies

preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 box brownie mix

4 T butter

1 c chopped pecans

1 c firmly packed light brown sugar

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, pour into a greased 9x13 pan

In a saucepan melt butter and add pecans and brown sugar ( at this point the recipe told you to stir until the sugar dissolves, which mine never did...I was afraid it would burn so I just stirred it until the consistency was a little like warm caramel :)

Pour caramel mixture over brownie batter and bake 25-30 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

(I doubled this recipe for nice thick brownies, so my cooking time was longer...I just kept an eye on them, and the center was a little gooey when I took them out, but once cooled...they were DELICIOUS!!)