Lulu's Recipe Box

TC's 30th Birthday Party

I love throwing parties, so my husband turning the big 3-0 in early May was the perfect opportunity to throw a great party! TC is a simple guy and didn't want much of a fuss over the party, which made it a little difficult for me to decide on a theme. I wanted to keep it simple, rustic, as manly looking as possible and have it reflect TC's hobbies and favorite things. After thinking along those lines, I came up with baseball (the Milwaukee Brewers being his favorite team!), beer, and of course, good food! After sharing these ideas with TC, he was definitely more excited for the party.  : )

The colors were mustard and navy, the Milwaukee Brewers' team colors, which I used in many of the decorations. Taylour, from Swoon Soiree on Etsy, did a fabulous job creating the navy and mustard "Beer Me" and "Keep Calm and Drink Beer" signs, as well as the food labels. I was so happy with how they turned out! I bought plain wooden utensils to paint navy and also found navy striped party straws to put in the mason jar glasses. For some rustic details, I tied jute twine around the top of the mason jar glasses, wrapped beer bottles with the jute twine (a fun DIY project), and filled the bottles with wheat. Instead of buying a birthday sign, I used a chalkboard that we already had hanging in our entryway closet. My friend Keisha, who helped me during the day with party prep, did the beautiful artwork.

We are limited with space in our small apartment, so activities such as beer pong wouldn't work unfortunately. Instead, we had ladder golf to play outside and I found this fun 1983 trivia, which was a big hit since our friends love trivia. I even bought a nice beer bottle opener for the winner! Everyone had fun talking, eating and drinking too!

Most importantly, we had a lot of delicious food! The menu included many recipes that we love to make at home. The ham and swiss sliders disappeared in about 10 minutes, and the soft pretzel bites were perfect for munching on all evening. One of my favorite ideas for the party was the ice cream sundae bar. I found Milwaukee Brewers ice cream sundae helmets to use as bowls, just like the ones at baseball stadiums, and had a variety of toppings to choose from! Everyone had fun customizing their own ice cream sundae!

Here is the full menu: (click on the light blue link to go to the recipe)

The sundae bar (assorted toppings)

Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

Chocolate brownies (Ghirardelli Chocolate Supreme Brownie Mix)

Chips & Dip (my friends Keisha & Riaz made the dips)

Veggies & Dip

Pulled Pork Sliders - not pictured

Ham & Cheese Sliders - not in the picture because they were in the oven

Soft pretzel bites - Philly Pretzel Factory

Fruit Kebabs

Feta Pasta Salad

Summer brew (used pink lemonade instead of raspberry lemonade)

Assorted beers, scotch and non-alcoholic beverages

It was such a fun party, and I can't wait to plan many more in the years to come! I hope you have a wonderful 30th year TC!

Vendor Information: (Click on the light blue links)

Swoon Soiree - 5x7 beer signs and food labels

Chalkboard, yellow striped napkins, white frames- Ikea

Jute twine - Lowe's

Mason jars - WalMart

Wheat sticks - Michaels

Clear bowls, white beverage tubs, tablecloth - Target

Navy paper straws & beer cocktail napkins- Sur La Table

Wooden utensils -The WEBstaurant Store

Ice cream sundae helmets - icecreamsundaehelmets.com

Serving pieces, such as bowls and platters - Crate and Barrel for the most part

 

 

No-Bake Brownie Batter Cheesecakes

I was looking through my iPhone today and came across photos of these amazing, decadent no-bake brownie batter cheesecakes that I had made for our friends, the Dudley's. At the beginning of July, we had them over for a farewell dinner since they were making a big move back to the Midwest just a few days later. Sara and Tim were the first friends that we made here in Philadelphia who were also from the Midwest. We always felt comfortable and right at home when we hung out with them. They understood the difficulty of leaving our family and friends back in Iowa just as they had to do and we also had a lot in common. We will miss them and their adorable daughter Elsa dearly, but are so happy that they were finally able to move back to North Dakota to be near their family.  Hopefully we will be back in the Midwest soon and will be closer to them once again! 

With the Dudley's at our wedding two years ago

Although I'm a month late blogging about these cheesecakes, I just had to share this recipe with you. Brownie Batter Cheesecakes people! You had me at brownie batter. These actually have brownie batter powder from the box mixed in with cream cheese and whipped cream. Yeah, I didn't say they were healthy! : ) And the fact that these are no-bake is a plus in this horrible summer heat that most of us are enduring. The last thing I want to do on a 90 degree day is turn on my oven. So find time on a hot day this week to whip up these delicious brownie batter cheesecakes. You will be licking your dish clean!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 T. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 T. Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 T. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the brownie filling:

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat)

1  1/2 cups box brownie Mix (in powder form)

2 T. milk (I used skim)

Mini chocolate chips, for garnish

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for the crust together until moist. Divide evenly between four serving dishes and press into the bottoms and up the sides about 1/2 inch. Depending on the size of your serving dishes, you may be able to get 5 or 6 servings. Set aside.

To make the whipped cream, using an electric mixer, whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to another bowl and set aside.You will use half of this in the brownie filling mixture and half of it to garnish on top of your cheesecakes.

To make the brownie filling, in the bowl of the electric mixer, place cream cheese, brownie powder mix and milk. Whip until smooth. Gently fold in half of the whipped cream.

Spoon the brownie filling evenly over each crust. Top your brownie cheesecakes with the remaining whipped cream and garnish the top with mini chocolate chips if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

***Recipe from Lauren's Latest

Greek Quinoa Salad

Wow! I can't believe it has been three months since I have posted a new recipe. In my defense, we were pretty much gone the whole month of July. Now that we are back from our vacation, I am back in the kitchen and have already made my new favorite summer salad twice in the past week. If you love Greek salads, then you will love this salad which has all of the typical Greek flavors with feta cheese, kalamata olives, cucumber, tomatoes and red onion, but uses quinoa instead of salad greens. It is perfect as a side with grilled chicken or fish and makes great leftovers for lunch too.  This salad is delicious, flavorful and hearty with the quinoa and veggies. I'm sure it will make an appearance in our household at least a few more times before summer is over!

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

pinch of salt

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup feta cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Using a fine mesh strainer, rinse the quinoa under cold water. In a medium sized saucepan, add quinoa, water and salt. Bring it to a boil on medium heat and boil for five minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Transfer to a bowl, fluff with a fork, and cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, all of the veggies, feta cheese and kalamata olives.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and add that to the quinoa mixture. Toss to coat and add salt and pepper to taste.

***Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

Flank Steak with Bloody Mary Tomato Salad

With the beautiful Spring we have been having, there has been a lot of grilling going on in our house. I love grilling because it means I get to put TC to work. : ) He is in charge of grilling the meat which means I can put my focus on preparing the sides. Plus I love any chance to cook a meal together! This is a great Spring/Summer meal that is easy to prepare and will definitely please those of you that enjoy Bloody Mary drinks! The recipe calls for flank steak, but you could also use skirt steak or sirloin steak. I actually used sirloin steak because I had it in the freezer.  The salad has the same ingredients that go into a bloody mary, minus the booze. I'm not a bloody mary fan, but still loved the salad.  I didn't have green olives on hand, so I used kalamata olives which I know are not the typical bloody mary ingredient. It still turned out, but I will definitely get green olives next time!

Serves 8-12

Steak Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. flank steaks

Kosher salt

2 tsp. (packed) light brown sugar

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil for brushing grates on grill

Salad Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped red onion

3 T. Sherry vinegar, divided

2 lbs. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup chopped celery hearts (inner stalks and leaves; from 1 bunch)

1/2 cup chopped brined green olives plus 2 T. olive brine (I used kalamata olives since I had them)

2 T. prepared horseradish

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I used Tobasco)

1/2 tsp. celery seeds

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place steaks on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt. Mix sugar and next 3 ingreients in a small bowl; rub all over steaks. Cover; refrigerate 1-3 hours. (If you are in a time crunch, don't worry about refrigerating 1-3 hours.)

Let steaks stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat gas grill to high. Brush grates with oil. Grill to desired doneness, about 5-7 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest for 10 minutes.

For the salad, mix onion and 1 T. sherry vinegar in a large bowl. Let macerate 10 minutes, tossing often. Add tomatoes, celery, and olives.

Whisk remaining 2 T. vinegar, olive brine, horseradish, and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Add to bowl with tomato mixture; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)

Cut steak crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Serve salad with steak.

Note: The salad tastes better if prepared a few hours ahead.

***Recipe from Bon Appetit

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Chicken fajitas are one of my favorite dishes to order at Mexican restaurants, so when I saw this authentic recipe, originally from Cook's Illustrated, I knew I had to try them. I have made fajitas at home before, but they are usually on the stovetop with a packet of fajita seasoning. When I first read this recipe, I was a little turned off by the long list of directions, but really they are very simple to put together as long as you have someone to man the grill. I whipped together the marinade for the chicken with lime juice, jalapeño, worcestershire sauce and a few other ingredients. The chicken marinated in the fridge for 15 minutes while I cut up the pepper and onion pieces. The chicken, veggies, and tortillas are all thrown on the grill and ready to assemble into delicious fajitas in no time. You really don't need toppings because the marinade flavor is wonderful, but I topped mine with a little sour cream, fresh cilantro and shredded cheese. With the warmer temperatures lately, get that grill fired up for these fajitas! I can't wait to dig into the leftovers tonight! Now, if only I had the ingredients for a margarita as well...I could really make this into a little fiesta. : )

Ingredients:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2-3 limes)
6 T. vegetable oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1½ tsp. brown sugar
1 jalapeño, seeded, ribbed and minced
1½ T. minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. pepper
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied (6 halves total), about 1½ lbs.
1 large red onion (about 14 oz.), sliced into ½-inch thick slices, rings not separated
2 large bell peppers (I used red and green) (about 10 oz. each), stemmed, quartered and seeded
8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, guacamole/avocado, shredded cheese, fresh lime, and/or fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and pepper.  Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade; set aside.  Place the chicken breast halves in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes (no longer than 15 minutes).  Brush both sides of the onion rounds and peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, using a large chimney starter, ignite 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes and burn until the coals are fully ignited, about 20 minutes.  Empty the coals into the grill, spreading them in a single layer. Place an additional 20 unlit coals over the lit coals on one side of the grill to create a two-level fire. Place the grill grate over the coals and allow to heat for 5 minutes.  Scrape the grate clean with a grill brush.  (For a gas grill, light all burners to high, cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.  Leave one burner on high and turn the rest down to medium.)

Remove the chicken breast halves from the marinade and transfer to the hotter side of the grill; discard the left over marinade.  Place the onion rounds and peppers on the cooler side of the grill.  Cook the chicken until it is well browned, 3-4 minutes.  Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it is no longer pink inside (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160˚ F.) Meanwhile, cook onions and peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice as needed.  When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

In 2 or 3 batches, transfer the tortillas in a single layer to the now empty grill on the cooler side.  Cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side.  When the tortillas are done, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or foil.

Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl.  Slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and add them to the bowl with the onions.  Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved unused marinade and toss well to combine.  Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of reserved marinade in another bowl.  Arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter with the warmed tortillas and serve with optional toppings such as sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cilantro, and/or shredded cheese.

***Recipe from Annie's Eats, originally from Cook's Illustrated

Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

These cookie bars are, in two words, amazingly delicious! Even though I was practically drooling after pinning them from Two Peas and Their Pod, I wanted to wait to make them for a get together with friends. I knew it would be dangerous to have a whole pan of these bars in the house for only TC and I. We have zero self-control when it comes to sweets. Last night, we got together with some of TC's classmates and their significant others for a pizza making party, so I immediately told the hosts that I would be in charge of dessert! I knew these bars would be a crowd pleaser and boy oh boy, were they ever. : ) I caught one of our friends holding his cookie bar and saying to it "You are sooo good!". Haha. We almost ate the entire pan last night. I only saved a few to photograph today for this blog post, and then TC and I finished those off!

These bars combine the best of both worlds, sweet and salty. A layer of chocolate chip cookie dough is topped with melted caramel and sea salt and then more chocolate chip cookie dough. The addition of caramel and sea salt really brings these bars up a few notches. You can't go wrong with sweet, gooey and salty cookie bars. They will certainly brighten up your day and your taste buds!

Ingredients:

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
10 ounces caramel candy squares, unwrapped
3 T. heavy cream
Sea salt, for sprinkling over caramel and bars

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart (11x7) baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.(I only had a 3 quart glass Pyrex dish or 12x8, which worked fine.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the melted butter and sugars together until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the caramels and heavy cream. Microwave caramels on high until caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds. This will take about 2 minutes.

Divide the cookie dough in half. Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Pour hot caramel over the cookie dough. Sprinkle caramel with sea salt. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough over the caramel and spread dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Sprinkle the bars with additional sea salt.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Cool bars on a wire rack to room temperature. Cut bars into squares and serve.

***Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

Penne alla Vodka with Garlic bread

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! TC and I made a delicious meal of penne alla vodka and garlic bread. We don't go out for Italian food often, but when we do, I love ordering pasta with vodka sauce. It is a tomato-based sauce with heavy cream and a small amount of vodka. How can you go wrong with that combo? This recipe also has red pepper flakes to add a little spice, but you could definitely leave them out without altering the taste of the sauce. TC enjoyed the extra spice, but I think next time, I will put in 1/4 tsp to make it less spicy. I was amazed by how quickly this sauce came together and it tasted just as yummy as the Italian restaurant version. This is a wonderful dish to make during the week, coming together in about 30 minutes, or make it for a special occasion to impress family and friends. They will feel like they are dining in their favorite Italian restaurant!

I also whipped up some garlic bread which was so good. I got a small loaf of French bread that would feed just the two of us, cut one-inch slices without cutting all the way through the bread, spread each slice with a generous amount of garlic butter and wrap in foil for soft baked bread!

Penne alla vodka (serves 4)

Ingredients:

16 oz. dried penne (feel free to use a different pasta)

1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved

2 T. olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1 T. tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (use less or more depending on how much spice you enjoy)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 to 1/3 cup vodka

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup reserved pasta water, if needed

2 T. finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

Drain the tomatoes, but reserve the liquid for later. Divide the tomatoes in half. Add half to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Coarsely chop the remaining tomatoes, discarding the seeds. Combine the puree and diced tomatoes in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Add in enough of the reserved tomato liquid, so that you have 2 cups total.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomatoes and salt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vodka. Return the pan to the heat and simmer briskly until the alcohol flavor is cooked off, about 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently and lower the heat if the simmering becomes too vigourous. Stir in the cream and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

When the pasta is finished cooking, drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss over medium heat until the pasta adsorbs some of the sauce, about 2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water. Stir in the basil and extra salt if needed. You can also stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired or just serve with the Parmesan cheese.

***Recipe from Cook's Illustrated via Annie's Eats

 

Garlic Bread

Note: If you have a larger loaf of bread, double the garlic butter recipe.

1 small loaf of Italian or French bread

4 T. unsalted butter, softened

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning or dried parsley (could also use 1 T. fresh parsley if you have it on hand)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the softened butter, garlic and Italian seasoning or parsley. Add in as much freshly grated Parmesan cheese as you'd like and stir to combine.

Make 1-inch thick slices into the bread, but do not cut all the way through. Put a generous amount of the butter mixture on each slice. If desired, top the bread with some more Parmesan cheese. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes in the oven.

***Adapted from Simply Recipes

 

Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Butter Frosting

Happy Valentine's Day! I know it's probably too late to whip up a batch of these sugar cookies for your loved ones today, but I thought I would still share the recipe for upcoming holidays like Easter and St. Patrick's Day. I had been eager to use my heart cookie cutters, so I set out to find the perfect sugar cookie recipe on the Internet. Turns out, I just needed to call my sister. She recommended this Cook's Illustrated recipe to me and I knew it had to be good. I used a vanilla butter frosting and gel paste food color (from Michael's) to tint the frosting pink for Valentine's day. Even though sugar cookies can be a little time consuming to make and decorate, they will be well worth it when my husband and I are eating them for dessert tonight! Have a wonderful day with your loved ones!

Rolled Butter Cookies (Sugar Cookies)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup superfine sugar (or granulated sugar processed in food processor for 30 seconds)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg, plus 1 yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface

Directions:

1. With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes wth mixer set at medium speed. Add yolk and beat well. Then add whole egg and vanilla. Continue beating until well incorporated. Add flour and beat at low speed until flour is just mixed in. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. (Can be refrigerated up to 2 days or double-wrapped and frozen for 1 month.)

2. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove on disk of dough from refrigerator and cut in half. Return unused portion of dough to refrigerator until ready to use.

3. Lightly flour work surface; roll dough to 1/8 inch thick, using thin metal spatula to loosen dough. (You could roll thicker than 1/8 inch if you prefer). Sprinkle surface lightly with flour as needed to keep dough from sticking.

4. Cut or form dough into desired shapes. Place dough shape 1/2 inch apart on parchment-lined cookie sheet (I use my silpat). Bake, reversing cookie sheets (from top to bottom and back to front) halfway through the baking time, until evenly golden brown, about 6-8 minutes.

5. Use thin bladed spatula to immediately transfer cookies to cooking rack. Cool to room temperature. Decorate cookies, if desired, and transfar to airtight container (can be stored up to 3 weeks).

***Recipe from Cook's Illustrated

 

Vanilla Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla

4 T. milk

Assorted food coloring or gel paste food color (if desired)

Directions:

Using an electric mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the confectioners sugar. Add the vanilla and milk and beat to combine. Then, on high speed, beat frosting until it is light and fluffy. You can always add more milk if you want the frosting to be thinner or add more confectioners sugar if you want the frosting to be thicker. The recipe is very forgiving. Tint with food color if using. If not using right away, cover with plastic wrap to prevent the frosting from drying out.

***Recipe from Joy of Baking

 

 

Cherry Chocolate Coconut Granola

I'm sure everyone, myself included, can get into breakfast ruts every once and a while. I end up eating the same thing for breakfast for several weeks at a time and then getting sick of it. I normally go back and forth between cereal, an english muffin, or oatmeal on cold winter mornings. It can be very difficult to come up with healthy, creative, and quick breakfasts for your busy mornings. This homemade granola with cherries, chocolate and coconut will have you looking forward to breakfast every morning. It is healthy, a little bit sweet, and very versatile. You can substitute different dried fruits for the cherries, or omit the coconut or chocolate if you don't want the sweetness. I personally loved all three additions to this granola and will definitely be making big batches of this to eat with milk or yogurt for breakfasts and snacks. Get out of your breakfast rut with this delicious granola!

Makes about 14 cups (recipe can easily be halved)

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

2/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

6 cups old fashioned rolled oats

6 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil

1 cup honey

1/4 cups ground flaxseed (optional)

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups dried cherries

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the coconut to the pan in an even layer and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and toasted. Transfer the coconut to a small bowl and wipe out the skillet. Return the pan to medium heat and add the chopped walnuts and almonds. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the oats and oil and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the oat mixture a large bowl and stir in the honey, ground flaxseed if using, cinnamon and salt. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake, stirring every few minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about 15 minutes total.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir in the toasted coconut and dried cherries. Move the granola to one side of the baking sheet and press gently into a thick slab. Let cool to room termperature. Break the dried and cooled granola into small clusters, mix in the chopped chocolate and, store in an airtight container.

Serve with yogurt or milk for breakfast or a snack.

***Recipe from Annie's Eats

Ham and Cheese Sliders

With the Super Bowl coming up next weekend, I know many of you are looking for tasty foods to serve your family and friends. I have a wonderful and what I'm sure will be a popular slider for everyone! This is not your regular boring ham and swiss sandwich. These ham and swiss sliders are taken up a few notches with delicious, sweet Hawaiian rolls (found at my local Target store) and a buttery, mustard, poppy seed sauce which is drizzled on top. They are so simple to assemble and will be the perfect addition to your next party or cut the recipe in half for a quick weeknight meal!

Ingredients:

For the sandwiches:
24 Hawaiian Rolls (or other slider rolls)
24 slices honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise

For the sauce:
1½ tbsp. yellow mustard
8 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. finely minced onion (or 2 tsp. dried minced onion)
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Poppy seeds, for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Split the rolls and spread the insides lightly with mayonnaise.  Fold a slice of ham to fit on each slider bun, and top with a slice of Swiss cheese.  Replace the top bun to assemble the sandwiches.  Place the sandwiches fairly close together on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (if you want less of a mess).

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients except the poppy seeds in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Drizzle the sauce over the tops of the rolls.  Sprinkle the tops with poppy seeds.  Cover loosely with foil and bake 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.  Remove the foil and bake 2 minutes longer. Serve warm.

***Recipe from Annie's Eats