Chewy Granola Bars

4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Lightly grease 9x13in. pan

In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients.

Firmly press mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut into bars.

Let bars cool completely before removing from pan.

Vegetarian Burrito Casserole

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cooked rice
1 (12 oz) package frozen soy burger-style crumbles
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
2 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning mix
2 (10 inch) burrito-size flour tortillas
1 (14.25oz) can vegetarian refried beans
2 fresh jalepeno peppers- seeded, sliced & divided
1 1/2 cups salsa
2 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat over to 375 degrees F

Place soy crumbles, tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, chili powder, cumin & taco seasoning in medium frying pan over medium high heat. Cook & stir, breaking up tomatoes, for 10 minutes.

Lay 1 flour tortilla in a lightly grease 8x8 inch baking dish. Layer w/ 1/2 the beans, jalepeno slices, rice, salsa, soy mixture & 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Repeat layers w/ remaining ingredients, beginning w/ the flour tortilla & top w/ remaining 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until heated through & cheese is melted. Serve immediately.


*I left out the jalepenos because I didn't want it to be too hot for Roman. And I left out the salsa because I didn't know if that would make it watery or not. Can always be added on top.

Baked Ziti

(from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef (which I obviously didn't use)

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 1/2 cups sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
-Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

-In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.


-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

-Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

-Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Oh. My. Gosh!!! Sooooooooo insanely good! Seriously- SOOOOO good!

Pear & apple chips

From: Weelicious
2 Pears
2 Apples

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Using a mandoline, thinly slice the apple and pears into “chips”.
3. Place the slices on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet making sure not to over lap the pieces.
4. Bake for 1 hour, turning the “chips” halfway through (if you live in a humid climate, they may take a bit longer).
5. Cool and serve.

I definitely recommend putting in a couple trays @ a time, if possible. You will make quite a few chips, but they get gobbled up very fast! They're super, super yummy! I also suggest baking the pear ones a bit longer (only like a few minutes) because they are juicier than apples & need a few more minutes to get a bit crunchier.

Seriously easy & awesome pizza dough

From: allrecipes.com

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
(my husband adds cajun seasoning to the mix)

Directions:
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water.

Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.

Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

***This is such an awesome recipe! My husband is a total pizza connoisseur & he asks to make this for dinner, so it MUST be good. :) And Roman gobbles it right up.

Rice & Cheese Treasures

From Weelicious.com

2 cheese sticks (I used cheddar)
1 cup cooked rice, brown or white (it helps if rice is sticky, so if you're cooking the rice just for these balls, it helps to use a little extra water when making the rice)
2 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds or Gomasio

1. Cut cheese sticks into 1/2 inch cubes (depends on brand, but each stick should make around 7 cubes).

2. Take about 2 Tbsp. of the rice w/ moist or damp hands (to avoid sticking) & place cheese in the center, rolling the rice into a ball around it.

3. Place rice balls into a steamer pot over boiling water for 2 minutes. If you don't have a steamer, place in the microwave for 10 seconds or just until the cheese melts.

4. Sprinkle w/ sesame seeds or gomasio.

5. Serve.

*** I used a steamer & think I'll spray it w/ cooking spray next time, to prevent the rice from sticking.

*** Definitely make sure that your hands are wet when rolling the rice! Plus, make sure to pack the balls tightly or else they'll fall apart while steaming.

*** I used white minute rice because I was lazy. :P

Triple Layer Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (7oz) package flaked coconut (2 2/3 cups)
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass pan).

In 13x9x2 inch baking pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over butter. Top evenly w/ coconut, then sweetened condensed milk.

Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

In small saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate chips w/ peanut butter. Spread evenly over hot coconut layer.

Cool 30 minutes, then chill. Cut into bars. Store cookies loosely covered @ room temperature.