best dessert recipes

Stuffing at Very Good Recipes

Yep, It's From a Box

I love stuffing. In fact it's one of the things I love most about holiday meals. But I can't even lie, we eat stuffing year round. For any of you that read my meal plans on a weekly basis, you know many times if I serve pork chops or ham steaks, stuffing is one of the side dishes included.

Now, here is something you might not know. Every single time I make stuffing, it's from a box! Yep, it's one of the few things I don't even attempt to make from scratch. And if I'm being completely honest, I actually prefer the boxed variety to any homemade I've ever had! I'm certain it's because what I grew up with both from my mom, and her mom. My other grandma always made homemade, but on my mom's side, it always came from a box, and that was okay with us.

I'm sure many of you enjoy making your own, or maybe you have a tried and true family recipe; and I have all the respect in the world for that. There are so many kinds of stuffing, or dressing, out there, who am I to say which is the best? I just know what our family enjoys the most, and it's what we stick to.

But that doesn't mean we can't make it a little better. Jazz it up a little so to speak. Add some fresh, yummy things, and that dried stuffing mix is brought back to life in a whole new way. And nothing says holiday more than apples and cranberries! The flavor of this version is like nothing I've ever made before, and it really tasted like homemade!

This recipe fantastic because you can take a little help from the store, making one thing on your menu a little easier, and easily adapt it to feed a few or a crowd. Not to mention, it's pretty economical too. This time of year you can usually find the boxed mixes for $1 or less!

If you have a great stuffing recipe and don't really groove on the boxed kind, that's okay. Maybe you can incorporate parts of this recipe into your favorite version and still come up with something new. But if you're like me and willing to take a little pre-made assistance, here is one way to make it just a little more special!

Cran-Apple Pecan Stuffing From Kraft
1 box stuffing mix for turkey
1 1/2 c. apple juice
2 TBS butter
1 small apple, finely chopped
1/2 c. dried cranberries, extra for garnish
1/4 c. chopped pecans, extra for garnish

In a medium saucepan bring apple juice and butter to a boil. Add stuffing mix, apples and cranberries. Stir. Remove from heat. Cover. Let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add pecans. Stir well. Transfer to serving dish. Garnish with extra cranberries and pecans.

Shared on The Country Cook Nov. 22, 2013

Shared on The Country Cook Nov. 22, 2013

Stuffing at Very Good Recipes

Broccoli at Very Good Recipes
Pin It

Barbecue's Best Friend

I think one of the things most fun about the summer grilling season is finding yummy new side dishes to nicely compliment all the delicious offerings coming off the hot grill. Everyone has their favorites, everything from a crisp tossed salad, to creamy coleslaw to a zesty pasta salad, there are so many choices!

For our family, one of the best ways I can come up with new things for us to try is to take a couple favorites and combine a little "this and that" from each into something new. It almost guarantees me success with a dish that will go over with flying colors. It makes sense though. If you're taking things you already know you love and combining them, it should be even better, right? Well, okay, I guess that reminds me of an old episode of Full House (You remember the Tanner family??) where Michelle was trying to cook and she combined two of her favorite foods into a new dish...Tuna Fish Ice Cream...yeah, that didn't work out so well, especially for the poor taste tester! But for the most part, I think it's a good equation to depend on!

The two dishes I took inspiration from for this new one were my Broccoli Salad and Honey Mustard Coleslaw. I've seen tons of recipes for broccoli slaw, and have passed the mix in the produce aisle a hundred times, but I never found one that was perfect for us. That's when I decided to pull great things about dishes we already enjoy, combine them, and hope for the best. And it totally paid off! The crunch of the broccoli mix is only added to by the crunch of the almonds. The raisins give it a tiny hint of sweetness that plays off the tangy dressing so well.

This summer is going to be filled with great food! Have fun coming up with new things for your dinner table, and remember you can always use dishes you can make in your sleep to come with brand new delicious ones!

Broccoli Slaw

1 (12 oz.) package broccoli slaw mix

1/2 c. golden raisins, extra for garnish

1/2 c. slivered almonds

5 TBS mayo

2 TBS sugar, or to taste

2 TBS lemon juice

1 TBS white vinegar

1/2 tsp. celery seeds, extra for garnish

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, celery seeds, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Set in fridge for 5 minutes. In a large bowl combine slaw mix, raisins and almonds. Lightly toss with fingers to combine. Pour dressing over top. Mix well to coat. Chill at least an hour before serving. Garnish with extra raisins and celery seeds.

Shared on The Country Cook June 14, 2013
Shared on Make Ahead Meals June 17, 2013

Broccoli Slaw

1 (12 oz.) package broccoli slaw mix

1/2 c. golden raisins, extra for garnish

1/2 c. slivered almonds

5 TBS mayo

2 TBS sugar, or to taste

2 TBS lemon juice

1 TBS white vinegar

1/2 tsp. celery seeds, extra for garnish

Salt and Pepper to taste

Shared on The Country Cook June 14, 2013
Shared on Make Ahead Meals June 17, 2013

Broccoli at Very Good Recipes
Pin It

Fruit & Nut Granola Bars

Granola bars are one of my favorite breakfast and snack treats, and I love making my own bars at home. I don't think I'm really a control freak in most areas, but I do like to be in control of what goes into my food. Being able to choose the ingredients for my granola bars gives me the assurance that none of the ingredients will have names that sound like they were poured from a chemistry lab beaker.

Print Recipe

Fruit & Nut Granola Bars

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup Rice Krispie cereal
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 cup dried apples, chopped
1 1/2 cups honey
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch pan by lining with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to over hang the sides of the pan slightly.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, cereal, chia seeds, walnuts, almonds, cranberries, and apples; mix well.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine honey and peanut butter, stirring until melted together. Pour the melted mixture over the oat mixture and stir together. Firmly press the granola mixture into the prepared pan, then bake for 25 minutes. Cool, then lift the foil from the pan and cut into bars.

Chop the dried cranberries and dried apples into smaller pieces.

I love the mix of nuts and grains in this recipe.

Add the dried fruit to the grains and nuts; mix well.

Melt the honey and peanut butter together, then add to the granola mixture.

Press firmly into a 9 x 13-inch pan that has been lined with aluminum foil. I like to use a small pastry roller to pack mine in tightly.

Bake for about 25 minutes, then cool. Lift the granola out by the aluminum foil.

Cut into bars or squares as desired. I cut mine into 18 large bars.

This recipe was shared with:
Weekend Potluck
Full Plate Thursday
Creative Juice

Chop the dried cranberries and dried apples into smaller pieces.

I love the mix of nuts and grains in this recipe.

Add the dried fruit to the grains and nuts; mix well.

Melt the honey and peanut butter together, then add to the granola mixture.

Press firmly into a 9 x 13-inch pan that has been lined with aluminum foil. I like to use a small pastry roller to pack mine in tightly.

Bake for about 25 minutes, then cool. Lift the granola out by the aluminum foil.

Cut into bars or squares as desired. I cut mine into 18 large bars.

This recipe was shared with:
Weekend Potluck
Full Plate Thursday
Creative Juice

Scones at Very Good Recipes

Well, It Sounded Like A Good Idea

So how many of you have extra fresh cranberries laying around after the holidays? I did, and I thought for sure I knew exactly how I was going to use them. In fact, the whole reason for wanting to try this recipe was because I anticipated such a scenario. And I would love to tell you that if you do indeed have extra cranberries in your fridge, this would be the perfect recipe for them; but alas, I can not. Let me explain. When I went looking for a recipe for me to have my first attempt at making scones, I found exactly what I was looking for at Taste of Home. I downloaded it, saved it and then forgot about it for about two weeks. The holiday rush set in, we had a big family wedding, and I truly never thought about it again until New Year's Day when I was ready to bake them. That's when I discovered my mistake. Um, this recipe calls for dried cranberries, not fresh. Oops! I guess that's why it's a good idea to actually double check something before you attempt to bake it. Honestly I don't even remember reading dried the first time, so I'm assuming I was once again speed reading (I do that a lot) and missed it. Oh well, luckily I always have dried on hand too, plus I did get to use something leftover from the holidays...one orange.

Now I have never been the biggest scone fan. The few I've had in the past were dry and almost flavorless. But these are bursting with orange and cranberry flavor, plus moist and delicious! The 3 of us had to force each other to stop at one after they came out of the oven. Warm with a little butter spread on top...oh my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Sometimes the best laid plans end up taking a turn in the other direction, but when they still result in a yummy sweet treat, who really cares?

Orange Cranberry Scones From Taste of Home
2 c. flour
10 tsp. sugar, divided
1 TBS orange zest, grated
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. cold butter
1 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. half and half
1 egg
1 TBS milk

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine flour, 7 tsp. sugar, orange zest, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine cranberries, orange juice, cream and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. On a floured surface gently knead 6-8 times. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 10 wedges. Separate wedges and place on ungreased baking sheet Brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Shared on Make Ahead Meals Jan. 7, 2013
Shared on Mandy's Recipe Box Jan. 8, 2013
Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain Jan. 9, 2013
Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Jan. 10, 2013
Shared on The Country Cook Jan. 11, 2013

Pin It

Scones at Very Good Recipes

Pin It

Merry Christmas Eve

Today we will be heading to my in laws for the annual Christmas Eve blowout! Lots of gifts, food, laughs, games, laughs, alcohol, laughs, and memories being made. We are lucky because we get family on both days of Christmas, Adam's being Christmas Eve and mine on Christmas Day. It makes for a full 48 hours of holiday celebrations that we look forward to each and every year. Last year we actually hosted the bash, so this year I'm looking forward to being a "guest" instead of "hostess".

When I shared my Pheasant Noodle Soup with you I explained that an annual autumn hunting trip leads to our Christmas Eve meal, so there is no surprise we will be feasting on those birds today. I'm actually marinating them in a lemon, rosemary garlic mixture, and Mr. Everyday will be grilling them come dinner time. I think they will taste fantastic coming off the open flame, and when I was coming up with dishes to take with us, I thought Cranberry Orange Sauce would be perfect! The flavors of cranberry and poultry always go so well together and I knew the hint of orange would marry well with the rosemary on the birds. Now, I will fully admit usually when I do cranberry sauce, it comes from a can, and if my boys have their way, it's in the shape of the can when put on the table....ha ha. But for this special meal, and delicate meat, I wanted to try my hand at making fresh; and I'm so happy I did! It was incredibly easy and turned out perfectly and gorgeous!

I hope however you are spending this special day, and to me, the most holy night of the year, you are surrounded by those you love most in the world and enjoying every single minute of blessings from above.

Orange Cranberry Sauce From Rachael Ray
2 ( 12 oz) bags fresh cranberries, rinsed
Juice and Zest of 2 oranges
1 c. sugar
2 pinches salt
1 c. water

In a large pot over medium high heat combine water, orange juice, salt, orange zest and sugar. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Stir in cranberries. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently until sauce thickens slightly. While cooking, use a potato masher to break up cranberries a little. Using a ladle transfer to a bowl. Allow to cool before serving. Will thicken as it cools.

Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Dec. 27, 2012

Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Dec. 27, 2012

Fan Inspriation

One of the best things about doing what I do is the interaction I am so blessed to have with all of you, my EMM family and fans! I love talking to you on Facebook, Twitter, through email, comments here, etc. I love having foodie conversations, answering questions and swapping ideas. That is exactly how this recipe came to be. EMM fan, or as I like to call her, Super Fan Bekki, emailed me asking about adapting my Baked Pineapple recipe a little bit. As soon as she told me what she wanted to do, I had a feeling it would go one of two ways, with no in between. It would either be a disaster, or totally EPIC! Well, after tweeking it a little bit, the two of us came up with something for her to experiment with. I couldn't wait to see how it turned out. As soon as she could, she emailed me with the results. It was EPIC! She said it was so unbelievably good; and was kind enough to send me a couple picture. The minute I saw those I told her "Oh yeah, I'm totally testing this at home and blogging it!". This was a huge hit with my boys and Mr. Everyday has already requested it for Christmas Eve dinner! However, I know many of you will want to include it on your Thanksgiving tables. To be honest, if we weren't celebrating with our PA family, I would too! It would make a fantastic side dish to any turkey dinner! I guarantee you would "wow" your guests with this one! And if you have tried the original version with pineapple, and love it, please try this one too! You won't be disappointed! I love my EMM fans so much, and am so thankful for each and every one; especially when they help me come up with yummy new recipes!

Baked Cranberry
1 (14 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/8 c. cranberry black cherry juice
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
5 slices white bread, cubed
6 TBS butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 2-3 quart casserole dish. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs and beat well. In a small bowl, using a fork, slightly smash cranberry sauce. Add cranberry, juice and bread to egg mixture. Stir well. Pour into casserole and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean and it's brown and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
*NOTE* I found the cranberry black cherry juice in the juice aisle next to other cranberry cocktail juices. Mine was actually the Great Value brand at Walmart.

Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain Nov. 14, 2012
Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Nov. 15, 2012
Shared on The Country Cook Nov. 16, 2012

Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain Nov. 14, 2012
Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Nov. 15, 2012
Shared on The Country Cook Nov. 16, 2012

Fruit Cookies From My New Cookbook

Today I baked cookies from a new cookbook. The cookbook I used was from a prize package that I received from Shannon at Cozy Home Scenes just before Christmas.

Shannon hosted a Gingerbread Party during December, and I shared my Gingerbread men cookies, bread basket liner, and aprons at her party. I was one of the lucky prize winners from the Gingerbread Party, and my prize package contained a Christmas Cookies cookbook, a Gingerbread oven mitt, and a Gingerbread spatula! The day the package arrived in the mail my granddaughter Ginger happened to be at my house visiting, so she was excited to help me open my goodies!

I couldn't wait to start using the cookbook. The title of the book is Christmas Cookies, and it has some beautiful traditional cookies for the Christmas season. Like these Christmas Stocking Cookies . . .

. . . and these Reindeer Cookies.

But some of the cookies in the cookbook can be enjoyed at any time of year, like the Fruit Cookies that I made today. The cookies are made with dried fruit - both cranberries and blueberries - and they're topped with pine nuts for a delicate crunch. In the cookbook the cookies are called Blueberry, Cranberry, and Cinnamon Cookies, but because I love a simplified recipe title, I am renaming them "Fruit Cookies".

Fruit Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
scant 3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pine nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla; beat until well combined. Sift the flour, cinnamon, and salt together; add to the butter mixture. Add the blueberries and cranberries; stir all until thoroughly combined.
Place the pine nuts in a shallow dish. Scoop up a tablespoon of the cookie dough, roll into a ball, then roll the ball in the pine nuts to coat. Place on the prepared pan, spaced well apart and flatten slightly. Bake in preheated oven for 10 -15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.

You'll need dried cranberries, blueberries and pine nuts for these cookies.

Roll the balls of cookie dough in the chopped pine nuts before baking.

Place the cookie dough balls on parchment paper and flatten slightly.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes.

These cookies are a real treat. They would be a wonderful addition to a Christmas cookie tray, but they are also a fruity warm treat on a cold January day! Thanks, Shannon, I'm going to enjoy my new cookbook, oven mitt, and spatula!

This recipe was shared with:
Sweet Temptations Thursday
Momtrends Friday Food
Sweets for a Saturday
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Makin' You Crave Monday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Crazy Sweet Tuesday
This Chick Cooks
Cast Party Wednesday
Newlyweds Party
Mrs. Fox's Sweets Party
Bake with Bizzy
Tastetastic Thursday

Today I baked cookies from a new cookbook. The cookbook I used was from a prize package that I received from Shannon at Cozy Home Scenes just before Christmas.

. . . and these Reindeer Cookies.

You'll need dried cranberries, blueberries and pine nuts for these cookies.

Roll the balls of cookie dough in the chopped pine nuts before baking.

Place the cookie dough balls on parchment paper and flatten slightly.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes.

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins

These are tasty little muffins that require a Sourdough Starter for the recipe. I know that several of my blogging friends keep a Sourdough Starter, but if you don't have one and would like to try making your own, check out the recipe here. It is so easy to maintain, and the bread is delicious!

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 cup sourdough starter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan by greasing or use paper liners. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar; then add cranberries and orange zest. In another bowl combine egg, oil, orange juice, and sourdough starter. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until muffins test done.

I had already baked bread with my starter twice in the past week, so I decided to use it to make muffins today. Sourdough starter is so versatile, it can be fed and baked with often, or if you don't want to bake, you can give away or discard the excess starter.

This recipe will make 12 regular size muffins.

Bake for about 20 minutes.

These are good breakfast muffins made with whole wheat flour and not too sweet, but flavored with orange zest and cranberries.

This recipe was shared with:
Muffin Monday
Your Recipe My Kitchen
Naptime Creations Tasty Tuesday
Anis Favorite Things
This Chick Cooks
Bake with Bizzy
Not Your Ordinary Recipes Foodie Friday

Momtrends Friday Food

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 cup sourdough starter

This recipe will make 12 regular size muffins.

Bake for about 20 minutes.

Momtrends Friday Food

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Oh my! These bar cookies are made with sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter chips, dried cranberries, and walnuts over a chocolate crust. This yummy recipe has been adapted from the Hershey's Recipe Collection cookbook.

This recipe was shared with:
Naptime Creations Tasty Tuesday
Crazy for Crust Crazy Sweet Tuesday
Goodbye City Hello Suburbs Workshop Wednesday
Dining With Debbie
Lady Behind the Curtain Cast Party Wednesday
Bake With Bizzy
Miz Helens Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday
Talking Dollars and Cents Sweet Temptations Thursday
Everyday Tastes Its a Keeper Thursday
Something Swanky Sweet Treats Thursday
Tastetastic Thursday
Not Your Ordinary Recipes Foodie Friday
Jane Deere Fusion Friday
Momtrends Friday Food
Bacon Time with the Hungry Hypo
Sweets for a Saturday
A Well Seasoned Life Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 60 wafers, crushed)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup (or 10 2/3 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into pieces

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 1/3 cups (6 ounce package) sweetened dried cranberries or 1 1/3 cups raisins

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the vanilla wafers in a food processor; process until finely crushed. Add the cocoa, sugar, and butter; process until mixture is crumbly. Press mixture evenly on bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture; sprinkle evenly with peanut butter chips and dried cranberries. Sprinkle nuts on top; press down firmly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cover with foil; let stand several hours before cutting into bars and serving. Makes 36 bars.

Process the vanilla wafers, then add the cocoa, sugar, and butter and process to make the mixture for the crust.

Press the mixture into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the crust.

Sprinkle a layer of peanut butter chips over the sweetened condensed milk.

Add the cranberries . . .

. . . and the walnuts . . .

. . . then bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

These Chocolate Cranberry Bars have a kind of granola bar taste, yet they are a sweeter cookie version, very delicious!

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 60 wafers, crushed)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup (or 10 2/3 tablespoons) cold butter, cut into pieces

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 1/3 cups (6 ounce package) sweetened dried cranberries or 1 1/3 cups raisins

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Process the vanilla wafers, then add the cocoa, sugar, and butter and process to make the mixture for the crust.

Press the mixture into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the crust.

Sprinkle a layer of peanut butter chips over the sweetened condensed milk.

Add the cranberries . . .

. . . and the walnuts . . .

. . . then bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

These Chocolate Cranberry Bars have a kind of granola bar taste, yet they are a sweeter cookie version, very delicious!

Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins

I can't go very many days without baking muffins. The recipe I'm using today for Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins is from Taste of Home, and it is a great recipe. I love muffins, and I have tried many, many recipes, but if someone told me that I could only have one muffin recipe, this very well could be the one I would choose. There is just something about cream cheese that flavors a batter like nothing else. The only thing I changed about this recipe from the original is that I used dried cranberries instead of fresh ones to make my muffins. I think this recipe would be great with any dried fruit, or fresh blueberries too.

Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins
1 cup butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Drizzle
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons 2% milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and pecans.
Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans to a wire rack. Makes 20 muffins.
For glaze, combine confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over warm muffins.

This recipe makes a large batch; I had 20 muffins.

The glaze adds just a little extra goodness.

Try these Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins, and I think you'll agree this is a 5 star muffin recipe!

This recipe was shared with:
Fresh Food Friday
Fat Camp Friday
Sugar Bananas
Jam Hands Recipe Sharing Monday
Muffin Monday
On the Menu Monday
Naptime Creations Tasty Tuesday
Sweet Temptations
Jane Deere Fusion Friday

This recipe makes a large batch; I had 20 muffins.

The glaze adds just a little extra goodness.

Try these Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins, and I think you'll agree this is a 5 star muffin recipe!

Easy Granola Bars

This recipe for Easy Granola Bars caught my eye in the morning newspaper, and when I saw that it was from Pam Anderson of ThreeManyCooks, I took an even closer look. Granola bars always make a quick breakfast before school, a great lunch box snack, or an after school treat. School is already back in session for my grandson, and will likely be very soon for many other children as well. Landon wasn't here today to help me with this recipe, but this would be a good recipe for kids to make themselves, with just a little supervision.

Easy Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chips or chunks (about 3 ounces)

1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. For bars' easy removal, line pan bottom up the two sides with a 9 by 18 inch strip of heavy duty foil. Grease foil with vegetable cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Turn into prepared pan and pat down until firmly packed. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature and put pan in freezer.

When bar is firm, use foil handles to remove from pan. Remove foil and use a long, sharp knife to cut bar into sixteen 1-by 4-inch bars. Can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 week or frozen.

The ingredients need to be firmly packed into the baking dish. This small pastry roller helps to pack it in the pan tightly.

After baking, cool to room temperature then place pan in freezer until firm.

I used a bench scraper to cut my bars.

I cut my bars a little larger and only ended up with fourteen bars.

Try a batch of these Easy Granola Bars to help your kids get started back to school; I think the kids will be glad you did!

This recipe was shared with:
Jam Hands - Recipe Sharing Monday
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms - Melt in Your Mouth Monday
On the Menu Monday
Delectable Tuesday
Naptime Creations
Workshop Wednesday
Fat Camp Friday
Sugar Bananas
Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Easy Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chips or chunks (about 3 ounces)

1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Turn into prepared pan and pat down until firmly packed. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature and put pan in freezer.

When bar is firm, use foil handles to remove from pan. Remove foil and use a long, sharp knife to cut bar into sixteen 1-by 4-inch bars. Can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 week or frozen.

The ingredients need to be firmly packed into the baking dish. This small pastry roller helps to pack it in the pan tightly.

After baking, cool to room temperature then place pan in freezer until firm.

I used a bench scraper to cut my bars.

I cut my bars a little larger and only ended up with fourteen bars.