Homemade Granola Bars

These are easy to make and are a great grab-and-go. Oh, I forgot delicious. Totally delicious. And addictive.

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

3/4 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup ground flax seed

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp butter

vanilla to taste

approx 8 oz. chopped dates (I buy whole and chop myself)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Stir the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned. Line a baking pan with wax paper and spray with nonstick spray.

Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, and vanilla into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

Combine the toasted grains, honey mixture, dates, and sesame seeds and mix very well. Put the mixture into the lined pan, cover with a second piece of sprayed wax paper, and use a rolling pin to flatten the mixture into a sheet. Once it cools, carefully peel away the wax paper and cut the sheet into bars. You may wrap them individually (I reuse the sheets of wax paper for this) or you can store them in a container. Just make sure there is something between them so they don't stick together.

Best Brand-name Salsa

I don't usually go for the quick, brand-name recipes, but this is OH SO YUMMY. A coworker brought it one day, I begged the recipe out of her, and when I recreated it at home, I almost ate the entire batch before we even got to the marinating stage.

A few things to note:

• I usually dislike corn in my salsa. If you dislike corn in your salsa, fear not: this stuff is delicious.
• The recipe is completely MILD. If you want kick, you can add some diced fresh jalapenos/chilies or some ground cayenne pepper.
• This takes only a few minutes to make and is awesome even before it marinates overnight. Great for unexpected company or a quick side for a party.
• This recipe calls for Italian dressing, but does not taste Italian in the final product.

Ingredients:

1 can of corn

1 can black beans (can add more to taste)

1 can Mexican-style diced tomatoes. I used, and LOVED, the Rotel brand.

1/2 chopped red onion

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 package of Good Seasons Italian dressing, made per package directions. I used Italian wine vinegar and part olive oil, part vegetable oil.

Dump the above ingredients together and marinate overnight. That is, if you can resist the smell for that long.

Enjoy with corn chips.

In fact, I am going to do that right now.