3 Quarters Today

My Life, my photography, my passions

Food

Day 187/365: Barbeque Chicken

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The Secret to Great BBQ Chicken
The Secret to Great BBQ Chicken

The answer…slow cooking. Many times I’ve ruined perfectly good chicken because I put it on the bottom rack, and even on low the fat dripped off and the flames singed and burned it to a crisp. Now I put the seasoned, naked chicken on the top rack and the burners on low, as low as they can go.

I let them cook for at least 30 minutes until golden brown, checking every 5 minutes or so, yes they take babysitting if you don’t want the chicken to burn, then lather with barbeque sauce.  Regardless of the desire to turn up the heat I don’t, I want the barbeque sauce to bake on, I turn it every 5-10 minutes watching for hot spots on the grill.

Only after I see that the chicken is cooked, juice runs clear (no I don’t use a thermometer) do I turn up the heat to caramelize the sauce. My favorite sauce is Cookies BBQ Sauce, it’s a staple in Nebraska barbeques, found locally in the Midwest and is the only sauce my kids will use. Heaven forbid if I buy something like Krafts.

Day 176/365: Easy Homemade Granola Bars

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This easy homemade granola bar recipe is courtesy of Red Feather Guides in North Park Colorado.

A few years ago my husband (then fiancee) had a wonderful half day horseback ride into the mountains and the guide brought these delicious healthy homemade granola bars. I Can’t say enough about the company and the people. Not only was it a fantastic horseback ride in the Rocky Mountains, but we brought back this amazing recipe which I love to fix for school snacks, hiking trips, and we even took them skiing.

Healthy granola bar ingredients

The recipe is at the bottom, but needless to say the “goodies” inside the granola bars can vary, instead of raisins I used dried blueberries (I have 6 lbs a friend gave me). Dried cherries substituted for cranberries too. I added dates too. Can I ever leave a recipe alone? Never!

Healthy Homemade Granola Bars are easy to makle
Homemade Granola Bars- before baking

The first batch was so popular I ended up making two batches. So I’ll be taking these to work this week and have snacks for the kids during their summer school vacation.

Homemade granola bars - recipe easy to make with common household ingredients. Delicious and easy

These weren’t nearly as good as eating them at 12,000  feet. But then again is anything? Here’s a picture from that trip and another shout-out to Red Feather Guides. If you ever are in northern Colorado and want to go on a horseback ride into the mountains they are the ones to call.

Horseback Riding in the Rockies
Horseback Riding in the Rockies

Here is the snack spread the guide shared with us at the summit. We sat on this ledge which overlooked Lake Agnes, it’s behind us in the valley, sorry you can’t see it, and ate our lunch.

Snack at the top of the Rockies
Snack at the top of the Rockies

Ok, enough of the teasing here is the easy homemade granola bar recipe.

Lurch Germany Flexiform Cereal Bar / Granola Bar Mold 11.8 x 6.9 in 6 cavity - brownLurch Germany Flexiform Cereal Bar / Granola Bar Mold 11.8 x 6.9 in 6 cavity – brownKirkland Signature Whole Dried Blueberries: 2 Bags of 20 Oz (1 Bag is 1LB 4 OZ which is 20 Ounces)Kirkland Signature Whole Dried Blueberries: 2 Bags of 20 Oz (1 Bag is 1LB 4 OZ which is 20 Ounces)Food to Live Certified Organic Dried Cranberries (Non-GMO, Kosher, Unsulfured, Bulk) (8 Ounces)Food to Live Certified Organic Dried Cranberries (Non-GMO, Kosher, Unsulfured, Bulk) (8 Ounces)365 Everyday Value Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats, 18 oz365 Everyday Value Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats, 18 oz

Red Feather Homemade Granola Bar Recipe

  • 1/2 Cup Butter
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar (brown packed, or white)
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/3 cup Molasses
  • 1 3/4 cup Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup nuts
  • 1/2 cup Raisins
  • 1/2 cup dried Cranberries
  • 1 cup Chocolate Chips

Directions

  1. Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda together in a bowl
  2. Combine butter, molasses, sugar and eggs together in 2nd bowl
  3. Combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients
  4. Combine oatmeal, raisins, chocolate chips, nuts together then add to mixture
  5. Spoon into a 19′ x 13′ pan  (parchment paper and spray with Pam-don’t forget this, seriously they will stick, you will regret it)
  6. Cook for 20 minutes at 350, check for doneness at this point and length time 5 minutes until the consistency desired.
  7. When cool turn upside down with parchment paper, seems to be easier to cut up into bars this way.

I tend to be generous with the “goodies” and find myself adding an extra cup or so of nuts, fruit or chips, still turns out fantastic! Enjoy

More Easy Home Made Granola Recipe Ideas

Granola Recipes: The Ultimate GuideGranola Recipes: The Ultimate GuideHomemade Granola Bar RecipesHomemade Granola Bar RecipesGranola! The Ultimate Recipe GuideGranola! The Ultimate Recipe GuideGranola Cookbook: Delicious Granola & Oat RecipesGranola Cookbook: Delicious Granola & Oat Recipes

Stay Tuned for more Easy Homemade Granola recipe ideas.

I just bought a new Pampered Chef bar snack mold and I’m excited to try it out. 

 

Day 172/365: Grilled Pork Chops

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Grilled Pork Chops

Went to the grocery store and found these thick, center cut pork chops on sale for $1.99/lb, oh my are they delicious! Why in the world would you buy hamburger or ground beef for $3.49 a lb when you can grill a whole cut a meat instead. After liberally seasoning it with Patty’s Prime Seasoning and some pepper I threw it on a sizzling grill, seared it really nice then turned the heat down to let it cook.

Better than steak!

Day 169/365: Sweet Basil at Sunset

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Basil at Sunset

Sweet Basil is my favorite herb to cook with, I put it in just about everything. This little five inch plant should get to be about two feet tall and just about as bushy, if we get any warm weather. The secret is to keep pinching off the tops of each stem to make it grow bushier.  I’ll document as the plant grows. Just a quick post this morning.

Quick and Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

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It’s Easy to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Don’t these chocolate covered strawberries look delicious? I made them at home. Seriously.

Not even a word to describe how good they actually taste. Just like at Christmas, I dip everything in almond bark chocolate. I have used Ghirardelli’s melting chocolate when I’m doing a small personal batch for gourmet chocolate covered strawberries. But for large events, chocolate almond bark works just fine.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Day 153/365 Project: Chocolate Covered Strawberries

It’s easy to make chocolate covered strawberries from scratch. All you need is big delicious looking strawberries, chocolate, and a fork. Ok, a double boiler pot does come in handy.

I get the white almond bark drizzle on the strawberries by dipping a fork in the white chocolate and drizzling it over the strawberries.

It’s not hard to make chocolate strawberries, all you need is a double boiler and some dipping chocolate. But, some people think it’s a little intimidating. Around Valentines Day you will see and hear ads from various online stores where you can buy chocolate dipped strawberries and have them delivered.

Why Use a Double Boiler when Melting Chocolate?

Chocolate is a fickle ingredient. If you it too hot chocolate will burn or “seize up” and become clumpy. (Whatever you do, do NOT add water to chocolate.) With a double boiler pot, you add an inch or two of water to the bottom pot and set on medium heat.

You can turn the stovetop on a boil, to begin with, but then reduce the heat to low to gradually melt your chocolate. If you don’t have an “official double boiler pot you can use a metal bowl and sit in on a saucepan. Or a smaller pot inside a larger pot, as long as the bottom doesn’t touch the water.

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Melting Chocolate Without a Double Boiler

This can be done. But take caution and be careful. I normally melt two squares of white almond bark for 20 seconds at a time and check it until it’s soft. Don’t just look at to see if it’s melted. The blocks of almond bark retain their shape, even when melted.

Ghirardelli melting chocolate wafers are actually designed to be melted in the microwave. Instructions are on the package and it’s VERY wise to follow them.

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Strawberries are good any time of the year, but I make them on Valentine’s day and also for high school graduation parties. They are everyone’s favorite and I’ve created an expectation amongst my friends. My kids LOVE when I make chocolate covered strawberries.

Homemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 WaysHomemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 WaysHomemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries 4 Ways

For my son’s graduation, I made about 60 chocolate covered strawberries and it wasn’t nearly enough. I could have made three times that many considering how popular they were. Maybe next time.

Buy Chocolate Covered Strawberries Online

If you don’t think you can handle dipping your own strawberries then you can always buy them online. Golden State Fruit sells them on Amazon and the reviews are fantastic.

I’ve read reviews for Sherri’s Berries and the Golden State Fruit Company Although they both pack and ship them approximately the same Golden State Fruit Company comes out ahead.

Very little is more romantic and makes an impression than tasty chocolate covered strawberries. What woman doesn’t like chocolate?

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