Nigella's Breakfast Bars

I think I've told you all that I'm kind of in love with Nigella Lawson. Right?  Right?

I've been wanting to find a good recipe for granola bars for some time.  And although my friends were shocked that I didn't go my usual Ina route - they clearly don't understand the absolute love affair I have with sweetened condensed milk.  I can't really explain why I love sweetened condensed milk, but I always remember being slightly disappointed that my mom was really good at scraping every last bit of milk out of the can when I was a kid.  And I would always risk cutting off my finger to get some of its gooey goodness off of the lid.

I lived life on the edge - what can I say?

Now that I've told you all of that childhood nuttiness, you maybe understand why my inaugural attempt at homemade granola bars was courtesy of Nigella's easy-peasy recipe that contained a bunch of pantry ingredients and featured a binder of ... you guessed it - sweetened condensed milk.

Nigella's Breakfast Bars
from Nigella Lawson's "Nigella Express"

1 14-fl-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dried cranberries (**I used 1/2 c. raisins and 1/2 c. dried cherries)
1 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame - I just had sesame on hand)
1 cup natural unsalted peanuts (I used mixed nuts ... again, it was what I had on hand.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and oil a 9- x 13-inch baking pan.  Because I knew this was going to be pretty messy, I actually lined mine with parchment paper so I could easily lift out and cut the bars when they were finished.  Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.  Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula to fold and distribute. Spread the mixture into the pan and press down with a spatula to make the surface even.

Bake for 1 hour, remove, and after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down, to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.  Makes 16 bars.  I wrapped mine up individually in waxed paper to share with some of my co-workers.  The rest, I stored in an airtight container.  And they didn't last long ... :-)

Whiskey Pretzels

I got this recipe from my beloved coworker Cindy.  This is one of those recipes that is unbelievably simple and incredibly tasty.  And it makes me a big hit at parties. 

Whiskey Pretzels

2 Bags of Pretzel Rods
1 Stick Butter
3 T Whiskey
Heaping T of Brown Sugar
1/2 t. of Cayenne Pepper
1 t. Garlic Powder

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add whiskey, brown sugar, pepper and garlic powder.  Stir until well combined.  If using pretzel rods, place pretzels flat on jelly roll pan.  (Cindy uses two -- one fits one bag).  Drizzle melted ingredients & roll the pretzel rods to coat.   Bake 20 minutes.  Leave on pan to cool.  Store in an airtight container.  

At this point, I've made this recipe with pretzel rods and with mini twists (as seen above.)  I really like the mini twists better, because they are better for dipping.  In that case, I use the mini twists (two bags) and make the recipe in my roasting pan. 

This is really good dipped in a mustard dip.  Or it's excellent plain.

Texas-Style Breakfast Casserole

In an attempt to lose a few pounds, I've been with Weight Watchers since around my birthday last year.  (I think that's the occupational hazard of being a food blogger ... you eat what you cook and if you're a good cook, you tend to eat a lot.  Or as a dear friend would say about her gut, "I've earned this.")

And although I have my thoughts about things such as low-fat anything, I have found some pretty decent recipes on the WeightWatchers.com site and have adapted them to reflect my tastes. 

This breakfast casserole is one that I've made for my in-laws and on some lazy Sundays when I want something substantial and want to use up some of the veggies that are threatening to become science experiments in my refrigerator. 

On this particular day, I had some leftover spinach and tomatoes that I needed to use.  This casserole is a good way to use up some vegetables that might be in danger of expiring in your refrigerator.

Texas-Style Casserole
adapted from WeightWatchers.com

2 cup(s) frozen hash brown potatoes  
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup green or red pepper, diced
8 oz turkey sausage, thinly sliced (I use the kielbasa-style sausage for some extra kick)  
1 cup milk (we are a 1% family, the original recipe calls for skim)
2 large eggs  
salt and pepper to taste 
3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese  

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a medium square or rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.  Place potatoes and then vegetables in baking dish; top with sausage.  In a small bowl, beat together milk, eggs, salt and pepper; pour over sausage and then sprinkle with cheese.  Bake until casserole is hot and cheese is browned, about 45 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces and serve.

Gloria's Cinnamon Popcorn

I've already expounded on the theorem that my mother-in-law perfected recipes in an attempt to secure her daughters-in-law.  (And it worked - both of her sons are married.  Good work Gloria!)  Well, here it is ... this is the snack that she always sent home with my then-buddy, future roommate and now hubby, when he would go home to visit his folks in Dubuque, Iowa.

My mouth is watering just looking at this dish of perfection.  And I wonder where I put that extra bag of cinnamon red hots ... hrm ... Must.  Find.  Red Hot Candies.

Cinnamon Popcorn

2 sticks butter
½ c. light corn syrup
1 9 oz. package of red-hot candies
8 quarts popped popcorn

Spray pans, bowls, and utensils with baking spray.  I use an air popper to pop the corn - you can also use a stovetop method.  Place popped corn in large roaster that's been coated thoroughly with baking spray. 

In a saucepan, combine butter, corn syrup and the red hots.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Pour over popcorn and mix thoroughly.  My mother-in-law turns hers onto two cookie sheets, I actually just leave it in the roaster.  Bake 250 for 1 hour-stirring every 15 minutes.  Remove from pans (or roaster) and place on waxed paper to cool.  Break apart. Store in airtight container or plastic bag.

Wash the pans and utensils immediately when baked or the corn syrup mixture will harden and be very hard to get off.

I originally made this recipe for some of my coworkers at Christmas.  Pretty darn festive, if you ask me ... but it truly is good at any time of the year.  Because it's addictive as all get out.

A guest post on "Finding 300" ...

I had the very awesome honor of being asked to guest post on one of my friends' blogs.  Katie writes "Finding 300."  This is her goal:

"I’m coming up a list of with 300 things that are good about myself, not based on actually doing something (possessing the capability is different than doing), because this is part of my journey toward tackling my demons. For much of my life, I have always thought about what is wrong with me, or that I am only good enough if I’m doing something, and therefore I’ve turned to food as a little “release” if you will, a moment of bliss, that allowed me to escape from feeling bad about myself."

I was thrilled when she asked me to write five things that I like about myself and although I thought this was going to be a walk in the park, it actually was a really great challenge for me to write down the things that make me appreciate myself.

Go check out my post here.  And while you're at it - stay for awhile ... it's hard to be in a funk when you're reading about someone who appreciates what they have.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I will be the first person to tell you that I'm not the kind of girl who goes out searching for really spicy foods.  I love Indian food, I love Mexican food and I love me some jambalaya every now and then, but for the most part - I'm proud of my Scandinavian heritage.  That means meat, potatoes and this very distinct addiction to any kind of carbohydrate.

So I will be the first one to admit that I was very surprised when I fell in love with this dip that was featured at one of the several potlucks that my office had around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  This dip is great with tortilla chips, but is AMAZING with celery sticks.  And if you eat it with celery sticks, it's better for you - right?  Right?

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 (10 oz.) cans of chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese
1 c. ranch dressing
3/4 c. pepper sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot, my friend Jon who originally made this dish used the mild sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings)
1 pkg. shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a large skillet over medium heat until heated through.  I used a knife and cubed up the cream cheese before placing it in the skillet and incorporating it in with the ranch dressing.  Stir until well blended and warm.  Mix in half of the shredded cheese and transfer the dip into a slow cooker.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, cover and cook on Low until hot and bubbly. 

A couple of notes ... the next time I make this (because my husband hasn't quite forgiven me for bringing this dip to my coworkers and not making it for him yet), I will just add all the cheese at one time before putting it into my crock pot, because if you don't stir this dip while its cooking in the slow cooker, chances are that it's not going to get heated up in the middle and might get burned on the sides.  I'm just sayin' ...

Also - you can do all the steps prior to putting it in the crockpot in advance.  I made this the night before it was my treat day at work, so this dip refrigerated well and I transported it cold to work and then heated it up in the crockpot.