Coconut Chocolate Bars

If you are looking for a sweet, sticky indulgence, look no further. These are the sorts of treats that are too dangerous for me to keep around on a regular basis. They're just so darn tasty! I could eat a whole pan by myself in less than 24 hours. Since I can't justify making them that often, I love it when I have a good excuse. When I don't have a good excuse, I just send the majority of the pan to work with my husband. I do hope that I'm not responsible for someone failing their PT test! No, really, these little suckers are absolutely divine.

I first was introduced to these bars at a friend's house almost a decade ago. I immediately asked for the recipe. I just knew that I would want to eat them again, and soon. However, I was disappointed with the process for how they were put together. The recipe I was given had you simply layer ingredients, but I found that led to a crumbly (albeit tasty) mess. I suspected that mixing the ingredients together first would produce a more cohesive product, and I was right.

First, make graham cracker crumbs out of the graham crackers. I use my food processor and then add the melted butter right in to mix completely. These days, I suppose, you could buy the pre-ground crumbs and save yourself some time. Make sure the crumbs and butter are thoroughly mixed and press into the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch pan. This is also a good time to start preheating the oven to 350° F.

In a bowl, mix the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, flaked coconut, and walnuts together. It will be a sticky, gloppy mess.

Spread the sticky mixture over the pressed crumbs as evenly as possible. Gently press down the topping; you don't want it to end up pressed so tightly it bakes into a solid rock!

Bake at 350° F for 25-30 minutes, or until everything is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting. This dessert has so much butter in the crust, that if you use a non-stick pan, you really have no worries about it coming out. If you refrigerate the bars for a bit, you can easily pull the whole 9x13 sheet out so that you can cut it easily on a cutting board with a pizza cutter. Bars can be stored in an air tight container for up to a week.

Chocolate Cookie Bars

Yield: approximately 18 bars

1 stick of butter, melted (1/2 cup)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs together until well mixed. Press evenly into a 9x13x2 inch non-stick baking pan. In a separate bowl, mix together the condensed milk, chocolate chips, flaked coconut, and walnuts. Spread over the crumb crust and gently press even. Bake 25-30 minutes or until the bars are nicely golden. Cool completely before cutting and serving. Cutting the bars is much easier if you refrigerate the pan for a few hours first. The whole 9x13" sheet can be removed from the pan to be cut with a pizza cutter on a cutting board. Bars keep up to a week at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Southwestern Style Chicken Soup

In the last year, we've experienced a bean revolution in our household. It seems like every time I turn around, I come across evidence that beans are practically a super food. Not only are they apparently super healthy, but they are cheap and really tasty. Now, I throw them in all kinds of dishes. A lot of the time, I use them instead of adding meat. In this soup, however, the beans play a supporting role. And what a supporting role it is. I love both the flavor and texture of this soup. The creaminess of the beans contrasts perfectly with the pop of the corn kernels. The slight tang of the lime brings out the warm spice of the cumin. This is a hearty and delicious soup!

Southwestern Style Chicken Soup

Yield: 4 servings

1 TBS vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

1 TBS garlic, minced

4 cups water

1 1/2 cubes Knorr chicken bouillon

1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup frozen corn kernels (or fresh)

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 TBS lime juice

2 tsp cumin

1 TBS chopped cilantro

salt & pepper, to taste

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Cook the onions until they are translucent and softened. Add the garlic and continue to saute for two minutes. Add the water and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken and remaining ingredients. Simmer for five minutes.

Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

photo from mrshappyhomemaker.com

So good, so rich, so yummy, so easy for a crowd!

Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

recipe courtesy of MrsHappyHomemaker.com

• 1.5 cups whipping cream
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups of milk chocolate chips

Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Stir again before serving. Garnish as desired.

Pork Chops with Feta

I know I've been a little MIA lately... every time we're staring another military move in the face, I start getting antsy trying to get my ducks in a row. In addition, the weather's been freaking fantastic! I have to take advantage of it while I can. Hell will be here soon enough. I've been riding my horse a lot... trying to get my fill before I have to find her a new home, and I've been trying to get a lot done around the house and yard; we'll be renting our current house to another military family when we leave. I'm sad to report that there's been a lot of take out lately. Shhhhhhh! Don't tell!

Tonight, however, I wanted to make an old fashioned, from scratch dinner. This combination turned into a winning one. So yummy!

I sliced the onions into long strips. I used two small onions. I put a little olive oil in a large saute pan and then cooked the onions, stirring frequently until they started to brown nicely.

I then cut a pint of baby portobello mushrooms in large chunks. I minced 3-4 cloves of garlic as well and added these to the pan to cook with the onions. When everything was nicely browned, I deglazed the pan with about 1/4 cup of Madeira.

I dumped the sauteed goods into a bowl to hang out while I cooked the pork chops. At this point, the pan was fairly clean again.

I drizzled a little more olive oil into the pan. When it was hot, I added the pork chops, cooking them over medium heat. I sprinkled them with salt and pepper. I let them cook without disturbing until it naturally let go from the pan and had a nice brown crust. I them cooked them on the other side until almost cooked through.

I returned the sauteed onions and mushrooms to the pan and threw in the thyme. I stirred everything together and turned the heat down to low.

The sauce was a little thinner than I preferred, so I temporarily removed the pork chops for a moment. I sprinkled a little cornstarch into the mixture and stirred until it was thickened.

I returned the pork chops to the pan and then sprinkled the feta over top. I turned the heat off and served them immediately.

Pork Chops with Feta

Yield: 4 small or 2 large servings

1 TBS olive oil

2 small onions, sliced

1 pint baby portobello mushrooms, cut in large chunks

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup Madeira

1 TBS olive oil

4 boneless pork loin chops

1 TBS fresh thyme, minced

1/2 -1 tsp cornstarch (optional)

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until they soften and start to brown. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Continue to cook until the onions are tender and the mushrooms are nicely golden. Deglaze the pan with the Madeira. Pour the mixture into a bowl and set aside.

Add the other tablespoon of olive oil and let it heat up. Pat the pork chops dry before adding them to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let the chops cooks without disturbing them until they release naturally from the pan and are nicely browned. Then, flip them over and let them cook on the other side until they are almost cooked through.

Add the onions and mushrooms back to the pan. Add the thyme and stir. Reduce the heat to low. If the sauce is too thin, remove the pork chops and sprinkle a little cornstarch into the sauce until it is the thickness you prefer. Return the chops and sprinkle the feta over top. Turn the heat off and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Pretty much whenever I see "slow cooker" I am all over it. That so captures my lifestyle right now. I love love love slow cooker meals. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com but I adapted it...a lot. And then when Jason said, "Can you keep that recipe?" I knew I had found not only a success but a new family staple. This was RIDICULOUSLY easy and so delicious.

Ingredients:
4 thin chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 T butter
3 T minced onions
1/2 t cumin
1 t parsley
Dash of Mrs. Dash or season salt
Salt and pepper
4 c water plus 4 tsp bouillon chicken base (or just use chicken broth or water and real bouillons)
1 large can of refrigerator biscuits or two small cans

Directions:
Place all ingredients except for biscuits in the crock pot on high. Cook for 5-6 hours. One hour before it time to eat cut up your biscuits with kitchen shears. Cook for an add'l hour. Break up chicken with fork (should shred effortlessly) and serve. I know it might seem too runny before adding biscuits...the biscuits will absorb a TON of the liquid. Some people on allrecipes.com said they added veggies. Sky is the limit with the versatility with this recipe.

Quinoa with Cilantro and Black Beans

Cilantro. Enough said. Why is that stuff soooo amazing? I love it. Especially in warm weather. And enough about Quinoa already!!! :) I have been hearing and hearing about this super food and have eaten it once or twice but never prepared it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As did all my kids. I was shocked. This recipe is VEGAN (I know, I know...who knew? I certainly didn't think about that) except for the fact that I added chicken b/c I was afraid my husband might tell me to find another home if I cooked a meal without meat. :)

QUINOA WITH CILANTRO AND BLACK BEANS

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (I used about 3T minced onions)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (I used the refrigerated minced garlic)
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I am sure you could use whatever broth you have around)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 c of grilled chicken chopped *OPTIONAL*
Squeeze of fresh lime (this was not in the original recipe but I will certainly try this next time)

Fry onions and garlic in oil in sauce pan on medium heat until lightly brown. Mix Quinoa in and add broth. Add seasonings. Cover and reduce heat and cook for twenty minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Add corn in and stir. Cook add'l five. minutes. Then add in rinsed black beans and chopped cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over and toss. I served this is the main entree along with fresh fruit.

Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

What makes whole wheat bread "perfect"? Fluffy, moist, light, soft, delicious bread that you would prefer over a piece of cake during your late-night-after-the-kids-have-gone-to-bed-sugar-binge. Yes, this is the one. You will absolutely LOVE it.

courtesy google images

**A Few Notes before you begin: I grind my own whole wheat flour- I cannot guarantee a similar result of perfection with store-bought whole wheat. If you have a Bosch, you can buy a wheat grinding attachment (I have it and love it). I grind 20 cups at a time and store what I don't use in a ziploc in the refrigerator. If left out at room temp., it will go rancid in less than a week. Vital wheat gluten is found in the baking section of your grocery store- I also refrigerate this after opening. And, of course, I keep my yeast (Red Star brand from Costco) in the freezer at all times.

Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

Amy Foulger

*Makes 2 large loaves, or 3 small

3 cups warm water

3/4 Tbs. salt

1/4 c. canola oil

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. powdered milk

1 1/2 Tbs. yeast

1 Tbs. vital wheat gluten

1/2 c. slow-cooking oatmeal

4-6 c. whole wheat flour

(see recipe for below for eggwash and oatmeal- optional)

Mix all ingredients in your Bosch until blended. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Then, mix it again for 5 minutes. If needed, add flour for desired consistency. Dough should be slightly sticky. Place dough in a greased, oven-safe bowl and rise in 185 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until doubled in size. Punch down your dough, pinch off 3 loaves (or two large loaves, depending on your loaf pan size). Shape dough into greased loaf pans**(see below) and put back in 185 degree oven to raise for 20 more minutes (don't go over this time around as loaves will raise fast as they bake). Remove from oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

**For a straight-from-the-bakery look, you can apply an eggwash (2 Tbs. water+ 1 egg) and oatmeal on top of your loaves right before raising the second time (while in loaf pans). Mix the egg and water, spread on loaves with a pastry brush, and then sprinkle oatmeal on top. Raise in oven.