Crunchy Granola Bars

This week we made crunchy granola bars

The results were mixed.
First off, it was an easy recipe, and I literally made granola bars!
However, I'm not sure Nature Valley should be worried...
I thought they were a little burned (but that might have been my own fault), a little dry (I was 1/4 cup short on the honey), a little boring (I only had half the needed amount of nuts), and a little overly sweet (now that was not my fault). But, they were not terrible, I might try them again with (a) the proper ingredients and (b) some additional things like maybe craisins!
Totally mixed reviews though-my sister said they almost killed there they were so sweet, O thought they were horrid (typical), my cousin was quite interested, and a new taste panel-my two older brothers totally loved them! They might be my new testers, they ate almost the entire pan and thought they were wonderful. Who would have guessed!

check out the recipe and other reviews!

Glazed Lemon Cookies

These were a hit! I liked them, they were super easy and fast. I loved that they were almost as good as my lemon sugar cookies but took way less time. I thought the lemon was a bit strong and I would use a more traditional cream cheese frosting-this glaze was too sweet. All in all though, this was a recipe to keep!

check out what everyone else thought and get the recipe here:

Raspberry Strudel Bars

This week we made Raspberry Strudel Bars
They were a huge hit, everyone loved them (even me and I normally am not into cooked fruit!)

Success-They were quick, they were easy, they were delish-I would recommend these to everyone.

Check out the other bloggers and the recipe!

Cheddar Cheese Bread

I chose this recipe because it was so fast looking and because we have been eating a lot of (and loving) the Asiago cheese bread from Kneaders. I hoped this would be just as good.



Well, it was interesting-It had a different texture than I expected, sort of like cornbread and I think that threw me off. Also, I have made most of the artisan breads in this book and they are beyond fabulous so I had high expectations.

Pros: It was super fast and easy-only took about 10 minutes to throw together, no rising time, and then 45 min to cook so I'll have to try it again with soup sometime. After my fam tries this tomorrow, I'll post their reviews-they are generally pretty positive :)

All in all, I'd say it was interesting, something to keep on the radar, but I'm not fully convinced just yet.

Recipe:
3 ounces Parmesan cheese grated on the large holes of a grater (1 cup)
2 1/2 c flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 ounces (1 c) sharp cheddar in 1/2 inch cubes
1 c whole milk
1/2 c sour cream
3 Tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and sprinkle 1/2 c Parmesan on the bottom.
2. Mix dry ingredients and toss in cheddar and coat with the flour. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl, then combine with dry ingredients with a spatula.
3. Scrape batter into pan, sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden, 45-50 min. Let cool in pan for 10 min and then on a rack for one hour.
 one funny thing I noticed from the other reviewers-some people did not like or did not seem to use sharp cheddar-the only cheddar I ever use :)
 Check out other reviews here: