Granola Bars

I know, I'm kind of on a granola kick lately, but who doesn't love granola?  I have tried SO many granola bar recipes and failed SO many times.  Some ended up as granola since they didn't stay together at all, some tasted more like candy bars, some tasted like cardboard, and some tasted like bricks.  But these!  These finally are a triumph.  They are chock full of deliciousness - oats, almonds, coconut, dried fruit in whatever variety you like, and just enough honey to make them stick together wonderfully!  I used a combo of dried dates, peaches (home-dried!), and cranberries, and loved the flavors.  But you could definitely do apricots, cherries, blueberries, or whatever else floats your boat.  I would probably always use dates as part of the combo since they make such a good glue and sweetener, but the rest you could play around with.  Let me know what you use!  Enjoy!

Homemade Lara Bars {aka Date-Nut Bars}

(coconut cream, pictured)

Have you ever had "Lara Bars" before?  They are, quite simply, a bar made up of dates and nuts.  Some have other additions, but the base is always dates and nuts.  I tried them for the first time a few years ago and thought they were quite good.  Since then I've always wanted to make my own since the ingredients are so simple.  If you haven't used dates before, don't be afraid.  They are a fruit that grows on a date palm tree (my sister in Florida has one in her yard!).  You can buy them with or without the pit - just remove it if you buy them with, it's very easy.  I've found them at Costco and several other grocery stores.  They are naturally very sweet and sticky, so they are great for binding things together and providing sweetness.

Luscious Lemon Bars

First new recipe from Pittsburgh! If you didn't know, we moved across the country a few weeks ago, and are finally settled and really loving it here. I made these delicious lemon bars the other night when we went over to someone's house for dinner. They were a hit! I had a recipe that I altered quite a bit, and I'm glad I did. They turned out really tasty. The crust was crisp and the filling was soft, tart, and sweet - but not too sweet. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

Yum! If you love oatmeal and chocolate, you will LOVE these bars. They're kind of our new favorite thing ever. Soft, chewy, buttery, and delicious. They are super easy to whip together and they taste so good!

Blondies

So first off, in case you haven't heard, I'm pregnant. Woohoo! We're very excited for our second little one to be on the way. Everything's been great except for the whole sick thing. You know...minor detail. But, that is just about over so I'm finally ready to get cooking and blogging again! I had lots of plans over the past couple months, but the thought of food was repulsive, so those plans got pushed aside.

Easy, no-fuss Brownies

I've been trying to eliminate boxes from my life. Meaning mixes. As in brownie mixes, cake mixes, etc. I figure, I usually make my own bread, why was I using a box for brownies? Silly. So I've gotten rid of all the cake and brownie mixes, and once I did that I needed to find a great brownie recipe. I only tried a couple because I found this one and loved it! It's so fast it's barely harder than using a box, and it's so much better (and better for you, I'm sure). It only uses one bowl and you just throw everything together and mix it up. I whipped these up on Friday night because my sister and her roommate decided to stop by, and everyone loved them! The gooey chocolate chips make them divine. Yum!

Mint Brownies

I made these last night to take to some people today. You see that thin layer of green? Yeah, that's the mint - I thought it was fitting for St. Patrick's day. Next time I make these I'll double the amount of mint frosting (I will include the doubled amount in the recipe). I thought it needed more. Also, the recipe says you can add nuts if you want. I love nuts in brownies, but since I was taking these to other people I didn't include the nuts. Some people are very against them; you never know. So if I make them again, I'll definitely add nuts. Other than that, these were very delicious! If you have a brownie recipe you absolutely love, you can go ahead and use that. Otherwise, try this one! They're kind of cake-like so if you like that, you'll like these. I thought they were quite tasty.

Peanut Butter Squares

I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Add oats and it's pretty much amazing. That's what these bars are. I got this recipe from my sister Amy and it is so easy and so delicious. The recipe says to not only top this with the chocolate, but also to put a peanut butter frosting on top of that. I've never done that because it seems like it would be a little bit of a sugar overload, but I'm going to include it on here so you have the option to try it if you'd like. Let me know if you do and if you liked it! I think they'd be pretty darn good any way you make them.