Thursday, June 14, 2012

Granola Bars


 recipe from the blog- lauren's latest

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan {about 12x8x1} and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. {If your pan isn’t small enough, pack the mixture into one side. You really want to press them down so they stick together.} Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Recipe Notes: If your granola bars don’t seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have made them too thin or you didn’t pack them in tight enough. Stick them in the fridge for 20 minutes and that should help keep them together. {Be sure not to keep them in there too long or else they’ll become super hard!} The next time you make them, try reducing the butter to 3 tablespoons and really packing them down.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Rockin' Easy YUMMY Beef Stew


Stew Meat
1 pkg. Lipton Beefy Onion OR Beefy Mushroom soup mix.
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
onion, chopped
celery
carrots
potatoes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
parsley to taste

1. Place a little oil at the bottom of a pot. Cover the stew meat in flour and brown in the oil. Add water so it just covers stew meat. Pour Lipton soup and brown gravy mix on top and stir it in. Add onions and celery. Add some seasoning. Cover pot. Bring to boil and then turn down till just simmering. Simmer for 3-4 hours or until meat is BEGINNING to fall apart. (If you wait too long and the meat if PERFECT then it will be too done once you wait for the potatoes and carrots to cook).
2. Add carrots first, then a few minutes later follow with potatoes*.
3. Season to taste.
* I have found that Yukon Gold potatoes work and taste the best for beef stew.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Creamed Eggs- A Phillips Family Tradition!

Serves about 4. Perfect for our small family of 3!

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
3-4 c. milk
salt to taste
pepper to taste
paprika to taste
parsley to taste

Melt butter in pan. Once melted, add flour to make roux. Wisk in about 1 c. milk. Continue to wisk in milk slowly as it thickens. Add seasoning to taste.
Boil eggs for 10-15 mins. (I do close to 10 mins. because I like mine to be more soft-boiled). Chop eggs and add to white sauce. Serve over toast!