Up until a few months ago I was going through box after box of Nature Valley granola bars. They are my favorite, crunchy and sweet, and not fake tasting like so many granola bars out there. Looking at the ingredients list didn't make me feel too bad. Although they are loaded with sugar, they contain mostly natural ingredients which is nice to see. However, it was my goal to make a homemade version that could compete with the crunchy goodness of the store bought kind. Over several months time I tried several granola bar recipes, but none of them would turn out how I wanted them to. They would either fall apart and turn into granola instead of a granola bar, or they were so hard I could hardly cut them, much less take a bite. These attempts were often not the best tasting either. Finally however, I found a recipe that looked promising. It originally came from America's Test Kitchen which made me even more excited. Their recipes almost always turn out great. These granola bars were no exception. They are crunchy and sweet, strong enough to hold up in my lunch box, but not so hard that they break a tooth. They are exactly what I was looking for. ***REDIRECT ALERT!! I have moved to a new site, new domain, new host. Please follow me there to find this great granola bar recipe as well as many more! It's a simple recipe that uses ingredients I almost always have on hand. To ensure that these bars are super crunchy, the recipe calls for toasting the oats with oil before forming the bars. I think this is the key step. One of the most difficult parts about making homemade granola bars is cooking them enough so that they get dried out all the way through, but not so long that they start over cooking. Toasting the oats first means that the bars start out dry and crispy, so they don't need to cook as long and start overcooking. After toasting the oats, all you have to do is pour the liquid ingredients over them, mix it up, and press it in a lined pan. Press down to squish all of the granola together into an even layer, and bake. Nothing to it. I like these bars the best with almonds, but when I made my last batch I was out of almonds, so I just added an extra cup of oats and they turned out just fine. So if you don't have any nuts around, or don't like nuts, just leave them out! Another key step to making the perfect granola bars is cutting them while they are still warm from the oven, before they harden up and become impossible to cut nicely. I have found that letting the pan rest for 10 minutes works best for me. After these 10 minutes I grab my trusty pastry scraper and cut up the bars (I like cutting the pan into 45 bars, 9X5). Then just let them cool the rest of the way and you have the perfect granola bar. To be honest, while these bars are delicious, they do not taste like the Nature Valley crunchy granola bars. I still love my Oats and Honey granola bars, but they will definitely just be for emergencies from now on! Grab your oats Add the oil and salt and mix to combine Toast them on a cookie sheet until golden brown Meanwhile, grab some honey and combine it with the brown sugar Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves Add the cinnamon (if using) and the vanilla Pour the liquid mixture over the oats, if using nuts add them here as well Spread the granola on a greased, foil lined sheet pan and use a spatula to press into a tight, even layer Bake! Let the granola cool for about 10 minutes and then cut them up into bars (don't wait any longer than 15 minutes to cut or it will be too hard) Once cut, let them cool the rest of the way Break up the bars Enjoy as many ways as possible! ***Click HERE to see these granola bars in their new home!! Thanks! Crunchy Granola Bars Adapted from Bakerlady, originally from America's Test Kitchen Ingredients 7 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups whole almonds, pecans, walnuts or peanuts 3/4 cup honey 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional) Directions Adjust oven rack to the middle of the oven and set the temperature to 375 degrees. Line an 18 x 13 inch rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil. Combine the oats, oil and salt in a large bowl and mix until the oats are evenly coated. Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until pale gold, 20-25 minutes. Remove the oats and lower the oven temp to 300 degrees. Place the nuts in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Or just chop coarsely with a big sharp knife. Combine the honey and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and cinnamon (if using). Combine the oats, nuts, and honey mixture in a large bowl and stir with a large rubber spatula until the oats are thoroughly coated with the honey mixture. Spray the baking sheet (still with foil sling) with non-stick spray then transfer the granola mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Spray a large metal spatula or a square dish with non-stick spray and firmly press the mixture into the pan. Make a flat, tight, and even layer. Bake until golden, about 35-40 minutes. Cool in the baking sheet, on a wire rack, for 10-15 minutes before cutting into bars, I used a pastry scraper to cut. Cut the bars all the way through and then allow the granola bars to completely cool. Do not wait longer than 15 minutes before cutting the bars. They harden up significantly as they cool. Any longer and you’ll have a very hard time cutting thru them. The bars can be stored, covered for up to 2 weeks.

A sophisticated twist on classic fried chicken, Made with luxurious caviar and a spicy Fire Chicken Sauce.

Prepping for my second postpartum period is looking a lot different this time around. I am far more intentional and know what will be most helpful for my family. Top of the list? A freezer filled with nourishing meals!

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Now lets do some freestyle cooking for today, what I am thinking of is combination of chicken and shitake mushrooms which is a great combination as they complement each others flavour. Now its just a matter of picking up a sauce that will be good for it and I guess...

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"This is a book dedicated to delicious flavours packed with goodness that will help you get healthy food on the table in less time, with less work and with fewer ingredients. That ease is what I need in my life, and I suspect it's what you might need too!" Ella MillsElla Mills, founder of Deliciously Ella, is back with over 75 brand new recipes devoted to making healthy eating easier. What can you do today that makes life simpler tomorrow? How can you create a healthy, genuinely delicious meal in minutes? She shares vibrant, colourful, speedy, plant-based recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner that will: Take less than 30 minutes to make Contain 10 ingredients or fewer Have no more than 5 steps Be healthy and packed with goodness Be delicious and flavourful There's no denying the challenge or the pressure to continuously look after your wellbeing, carve out time to exercise, manage your stress, cook healthy meals, get enough sleep and make time for your friends, all while juggling life's other many demands! Ella wants to make eating well every day a joy, and in Healthy Made Simple she gives you the tools you need to unlock a healthier life. Healthy Made Simple can be purchased at your favourite bookseller.

Pork and Prawn Balls in Aromatic Broth is a dish I adapted from Gordon Ramsay, its a soup dish of pork and prawn balls served in a beef broth infused with Asian flavours.

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I can be an impatient person (my husband will affectionately call me Veruca Salt from time to time, and if I’m being exceptionally impatient, he will sing the Willy Wonka song). This impatience has lead to many years of quick meals because when I want food, I want it now. Breakfast especially needs to be quick and something I don’t have to put a lot of energy in to. So where does this strata fit in?

I'm excited to release another easy and delicious recipe for you today. Let's make baechujeon, Korean cabbage pancake! It's easy, fast, simple and cheap and most of all you will be surprised how good it tastes! This baechujeon is made with napa cabbage (baechu) which is what we use to make...

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This pack of 34 worksheets is great for your early learners or special education students who are working on cooking skills such as identifying various measuring cups and spoons! Worksheets are differentiated to meet the needs of all of your beginning learners. This packet contains the most common measuring cups and spoons: 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/4 cup, 1 tablespoon, 1/2 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, and 1/4 teaspoon. Download the preview to see ALL worksheets included. Print and go! Or laminate and use over and over again! I am using this pack with my special education high school class (of early learners), but these skills are appropriate for any age. Working on cooking skills? You'll love this Kitchen and Cooking file folder pack including measuring activities and more! ________________________ How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: *Go to your My Purchases page. Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. After selecting that button you will be taken to a page where you can give a rating and leave a comment for the product. I really appreciate your feedback as it helps me know what products are most helpful for your classroom! Plus, it gives you free money to use for other products!! Learn when I post new products and sales by following me! *Click the green star that says "Follow Me" near the top of any page within my store (or you can click here) and you will officially be a follower!

What can I say about oliebollen? No new years eve will ever be complete without this doughnut-like pastry that’s so firmly embedded into our Dutch culture. Where it should stay forever, too. This clas

The cook's biweekly food column was placed on a hiatus in May following remarks she made about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo

Shakshuka is a Classic Mediterranean Breakfast with poached eggs in tomato pepper sauce. There are many interpretations of Shakshuka, but in its most basic form, it is simply a bell pepper with tomato dish, with eggs poached in. It's so simple and yet so amazing. Actually, Divine!

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Taking a risk is one of the things that I am afraid to do because there is no assurance that I will be victorious. Somehow, baking taught me so many things – being patient, thinking out of the box, going out of my comfort zones and not being afraid to try again. After the grins and jumps that I did after the success of the first homemade pizza, I moved to a higher level. This time, it’s something that requires more kneading (if by hand). I have a hand-held mixer with a dough hook, but as a beginner in bread-making, I prefer to knead by hand. The feeling of accomplishment is quite different. You get my point? I’ve been searching for bread recipes to try and there are so many amazing recipes that I couldn’t choose only one. If you are thinking that I bookmarked some recipes to add to my 5 km list, yes, you are correct. 😀 (I wish having a list of 5 km long means getting to finish 5 km by running.) For my first homemade bread, I chose Challah Rolls. And mini ones… well, supposed to be mini ones. I just found these from Jonathan @ The Candid Appetite and I just can’t help but adore them. They are perfectly braided and beautifully browned. Who could say no? I have said multiple times that I don’t like the smell of active dried yeast, so I used instant yeast instead. I don’t think I have divided the dough equally and braided them beautifully. Other than those, the Challah Rolls came out incredibly delicious – so soft and fluffy. I just could make them my pillow. 😀 The house smelled so good. Really, nothing beats the smell of homemade bread. It is crucial to wait for 30 minutes before eating because that’s when you will get the awesome deliciousness of the bread. These rolls are good with simply butter, or can also be enjoyed with a jam… also with Nutella, sunny side up, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs… 😀 During the first FF challenge, many awesome bloggers helped me with my yeast problems, though I want to make some shout-outs today – Angie – I remember her telling me that Gerard @ Bread and Tortillas is pro at bread making, that he could help me. Gerard – I did not wait for too long and Gerard emailed me explaining everything he knows and patiently answered all my questions. The most important thing that I have learned from him is ‘it is almost impossible to over knead by hand.’ And that’s what I did – I kneaded for more than 20 minutes and the texture came out really perfect. Selma – she left me with a trick, a very good one: “When I knead, I keep my left hand on the bottom of the dough and then pull and stretch at the top with my right hand, fold it over, give it a quarter turn and carry on. It’s all about developing the gluten strands.” I did mine sideways – hold the dough and stretch them sideways like you are using arm equipment. And if you’d ask me if I did that for more than 20 minutes, my answer is a BIG FAT YES! 😛 Linda – she was the one who strongly encouraged me to use instant yeast. She also assisted me with all my bread-making problems and patiently answered all my questions and emails. Also, thank you to all who left their comments on the said post and gave some ideas on yeast/breads. I appreciate everyone and this post is dedicated to all of you. <3 I hope you enjoy these! I want to know your encounters with the yeast beast. Leave your comments below. 😉 Happy partying and have a wonderful weekend!! Find me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Facebook. I am sharing these at Fiesta Friday #63, hosted by the Amazing A. I am also sharing these amazingly delicious bread at FoodieFriDIY #SundaySweets Bake of the Week #CookBlogShare Recipe of the Week What’d You Do This Weekend? Totally Terrific Tuesday Tasty Tuesdays Please follow and like us:

I make this epic Cobb salad for myself when I'm feeling a little extra, hungry but not quite able to pick out exactly what I want to eat among the various food groups. It's of great comfort to me, then, knowing that I don't have to pick; I can have the chicken, the eggs, and the bacon. Better yet, each will be perfectly cooked and balanced and deliberately composed in relation to the rest. Cobb salad is exactly what I want to eat when I want to eat absolutely everything.

"What I love about using the taste Korean Sticky Chicken Meal Kit in this recipe is that the sauce adds a real kick to the dish fast, making it a super-easy weeknight meal. Cooking eggplant normally uses a lot of oil so using the air fryer keeps the crisp factor without all the calories. I bet it will be a new family favourite in your household in no time." - Michelle Southan, Food Director

The other week I was digging through the fridge and freezer looking for a quick and easy option for dinner, and I found a container of frozen chicken stock, and some frozen poached chicken left over from making the stock. I decided to make a simple chicken pilaf using what I had on hand. It was a MAJOR hit in our family, and will be on regular rotation from now on! I hope you enjoy it. :)

I hope that title hasn’t freaked you out too much. Please stay! I know what you may be thinking, “I recognise the egg bit but what the devil is the rest doing in a breakfast?” For the most part we will be quite normal here, thanks to you all: muffins, smoothies, porridge, pikelets, that kind … Continue reading

I chose this to be one of the away-from-home-super-short-post collection for a reason - I don't feel like explaining it. You either know and share a great passion, or even obsession in some cases for what this "mochi" is, or you don't. No words I can say will convert you from one side to the...

In this article, we will cover the differences between an executive chef, chef de cuisine, line cook, and sous chef. To your surprise, chef de cuisine isn’t what, you might be thinking it is, chef h