No Bake Candy Bars

I made these up one night with my girls because we were craving something sweet! They turned out sooooo good! They are sweet, salty, and crunchy. They are perfect for summer because there is no oven required. All of these ingredients you might even have in your kitchen, so whip some up tonight!

Ingredients:

graham crackers
25 caramels
2 tablespoons milk
mini marshmallows
pretzels, broken into small pieces
chocolate chips (I did a heaping cup)

1. This is a really easy treat. Start by lining your 8x8 pan with a piece of foil. Next make a layer of graham crackers to fit the bottom of your pan. I trimmed a couple of pieces with a serrated knife to make a perfect fit.
2. Unwrap all your caramels and put them in a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoon of milk and pop it in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds and give it a stir. Continue with 30 seconds at a time and stirring until it is smooth and creamy.
3. Pour HALF of the caramel over the crackers. Just drizzle it over. I doesn't have to be perfect, you are going to put lots of good stuff on top of it. Next, pour an even layer of mini marshmallows on the caramels. Kinda press them into the caramel. Yum. Ok next.
4. Pour (or drizzle for better coverage) the rest of the caramel over the marshmallows. Sprinkle an even layer of pretzels on top of the caramel and press them in too. Next and last.... melt the chocolate chips in a bowl (30 seconds at a time again until smooth) and pour the chocolate on top of the pretzels. Smooth out with a knife and set in the fridge until set.
5. When they are set, pull the foil out and cut into bars.

Garlic Knots

We all know that I have an obsession with bread. Anything bread I love! I love making bread. I make fresh bread for my family a few times a week so we can have toast and sandwiches. Now my kids love bread. It is a vicious cycle really. But is it oh so good.

I also love making rolls, bread sticks, and tortillas for dinner. So these garlic knots were perfect for our pasta dinner the other night.

Now, this is a bread machine recipe. I love my bread machine. But I have a confession.....I use it only for dough making. It does all the work and makes no mess. I just dump everything in and in an hour my dough is ready for rising. Wonderful! Now if you don't have a bread machine then just use your favorite roll dough recipe or frozen rolls. Easy peasy.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soft butter

1 cup warm water

1 beaten egg

1/4 cup sugar

3 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons yeast

melted butter

garlic granules

1. Start by putting your soft butter in the bottom of the bread maker pan. In a measuring cup, beat your egg and add a little bit of the warm water while mixing. This will temper the egg. Add the rest of your water to the egg and add both to the pan.

2. Next, add your flour. I do a combination of all purpose and whole wheat but you can do whatever you like :) Just make sure it equals 3 1/4 cup. Add the sugar right on top. Then add salt and yeast. Pop in into your bread maker and press the DOUGH setting.

3. When it has finished rising in the pan, remove from pan and punch down. Roll it out and cut into strips. At this point if you are using your own dough or a frozen (now defrosted) do the same. Tie the strips into knots and place on a greased cookie sheet. Do the same for all your dough strips. Let rise for about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 365 degrees for10-12 minutes until light golden brown. As soon as these come out of the oven brush them with butter ( I used melted tub butter) and sprinkle with garlic granules. Eat and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Marshmallows

I know this may seem like a fall side dish, but this is my families favorite way to eat sweet potatoes. My kids gobble this up.....and then ask for seconds. It makes me so happy. There are like a million different versions of this dish out there but I have experimented and tweaked my own to make it perfect with a lot less sugar and fat in it. Tonight at dinner my husband told me that I got the proportions perfect.

Boo ya.

So, try it and I know you will love it!

Ingredients:

4 medium sweet potatoes (yams)

2 tablespoons tub butter (I use Brummel and Brown)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons brown sugar

marshmallows

coconut

1. First poke all your potatoes with a fork and pop them into the microwave. I have a "baked potato" setting that I just push and let my microwave do all the work. But, if your microwave doesn't have that setting, just cook them on high for 5 minutes. Test them to see if they are soft all the way through. If the are still hard, just add on a minute at a time until they are done. I usually do this a couple hours ahead of time so they have time to cool. It is NOT fun to peel the skin off of a burning hot potato.

2. After your potatoes have cooled, peel them and put them into a bowl. Use a potato masher and mash them until they are creamy. Next add in your butter, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix it all together and scoop into a casserole dish.

3. Preheat your oven to 425. Right before you put your dish in the oven, sprinkle some marshmallows and coconut right on top. As much as you want :)

4. Bake for 15 minutes until warm. Then broil for just a minute or 2 until your marshmallows and coconut are golden brown. Eat and enjoy!

* This can be made a couple of hours ahead of time and kept in the fridge.