Homemade Granola Bars

I’ve been wanting to learn to make homemade granola bars for a while now. They are the easiest thing to grab while you are running out the door but I figured they must have a lot of steps and ingredients. When I was given this recipe from the family I nanny for I figured okay, maybe I can try this. But then when the 12-year-old whipped this out in about 20 minutes I figured this is something I have to try! Enjoy this simple and easy recipe.

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
½ cup wheat germ
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
½ cup dates, chopped and pitted
½ cup raisins
½ cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰. Butter baking dish and line with Parchment Paper.
2. Cover Paper with almonds and oatmeal and bake 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Transfer mixture into large mixing bowl and add wheat germ.
4. Reduce heat to 300⁰.
5. Place butter, honey, sugar, vanilla and salt into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
6. Pour over oatmeal mixture and stir together. Stir in fruits.
7. Bake 25-30 minutes.
8. Let cool 2-3 hours before serving at room temperature.

Honey Glazed Carrots

This is my all time favorite carrot recipe. I am not too sure where it came from, I’m sure it’s a variation of some recipe I found online once and of course changes, because, well that’s what I do. It’s pretty simple and doesn’t take too long to whip up. It’s great for big dinner parties because you can fit a ton of carrots into a skillet at once. Enjoy, I know I will.

Honey Glazed Carrots

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs carrots
1 can reduced sodium chicken broth, or water
½ cup honey
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

1. Heat oil on high in a skillet and add carrots.
2. Cook for 2 minutes and then add broth, honey, and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper.
3. Bring carrots to a boil and lower heat to medium.
4. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Uncover and let cook for another 7 to 10 minutes, or until honey has completely glazed carrots.

Pan Fried Pork Chop with Caramelized Apple and Onion Glaze

2 Tbsp olive oil
5 Pork Cops
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion
1 shallot
2 Fuji apples
1 tsp sugar

1. Place pork chops on plate and season with desired amount of salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic on one side.
2. Let sit 15-20 minutes to bring to room temperature. This will help with even cooking.
3. Oil the bottom of a frying pan and cook the pork chops on medium for 4-5 minutes each side. When you flip to cook the second side of the chop season again and allow the seasoning to sit on top of the meat.
4. After meat is cooked remove from pan and cover.
5. Add another 2 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add sugar, apples, shallots and onions. Sautee on medium while constantly stirring to ensure nothing burns.
6. When finished onions will be translucent and the apples will be golden.
7. Turn heat off and place chops back into the pan. Cover and let sit a few minutes to get the temperature of the pork back up.
8. Serve with apples and onions over the pork. No apple sauce needed.

Jam and Brie Phyllo Bites

Phyllo is an amazing, flakey pastry used in Greek desserts. Because they are stretched so thin, they aren’t the easiest to make so it’s a great thing us lazy Americans can go to the store and buy them in the frozen food section. In the form of sheets or already shaped into cups these are great to have on hand to make a quick dessert or appetizer. Below is my favorite app my mom makes sure to have at any big family dinner she has. The warmed up cheese, topped with a sweet jam (apricot and raspberry are my favorite) and crispy shell, this is a wonderfully flavorful bite.

Jam and Brie Phyllo Bites
1 box Phyllo cups (15 cups/box)
1 wheel of Brie
Any flavored jelly or jam

1. Lay phyllo cups on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Drop a ½ inch square of brie into each cup.
2. Bake at 350⁰ for 20 minutes or until the whitest part of cheese is melted completely.
3. As soon as melted take out of the oven and drop ½ teaspoon of jelly or jam onto each phyllo cup.
4. Serve immediately.

Breakfast on the Run

Waking up to be at work at 4 a.m. is never fun. I don’t want to get up any earlier than I have to, and I don’t think someone would be able to eat a meal at that hour anyway. I still work in retail as one of my part time jobs. I just can’t get rid of it. I love merchandising and dressing manikins, changing the windows and setting the floor with new product. But I hate the early mornings. In my four years in the merchandising world I have become a pro at grabbing a quick breakfast for the road. I need a little something to start my day and get me moving when the rest of the world is enjoying their beds. Below are a few of my favorite go-to breakfasts on the run.

Breakfast on the Run

1. Hard Boiled Eggs

2. Greek Yogurt