Peanut Butter Granola Bars

1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C honey
1/4 C butter
4 C granola

Combine in heavy saucepan; butter, peanut butter, and honey. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes. (Don't go over 2 minutes! You'll regret it!)

Mix in 4 C granola. Press flat in 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until chilled. Cut into squares or bars. Line pan with foil for easy removal before cutting into bars.

(Note: might be kind of crumbly if you cook it too long. But the crumbs are still super tasty!)

Chicken Tetrazzini

I've found that now that I'm not working or in school, I have lots more time to try new recipes!!Here's one that we had last night and LOVED. We didn't put mushrooms in (yuck, at least we think so) and we used water instead of dry sherry and it was so yummy.

1 package (7 oz) spaghetti, broken into thirds
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry or water
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 jar (4.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350F

2. Cook and drain spaghetti

3. Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and whipping cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

4. Stir in spaghetti, sherry, chicken and mushrooms into sauce. Pour spaghetti mixture into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with cheese.

5. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly in center.

6. ENJOY!!

Stovetop granola

3 tbs. olive oil
6 cups rolled oats
1 tbs. cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped almonds (or your favorite kind of nuts)
1 cup dried cranberries (opt)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oats and cinnamon, then cook and stir until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out on a cookie sheet to cool.

Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat. Stir in the honey and brown sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Add vanilla and stir. Return the oats to the pan and add coconut. Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so. Pour out onto two cookie sheets and spread to cool.

If you like crunchier granola, bake at 350 for 10 minutes, stirring once.

Once cool, transfer to an airtight container and stir in the almonds and dried cranberries. Any additional nuts and fruit can be stirred in at this time also.

And the winner...

Thanks to the two of you who posted recipes! The winner (sorry its WAY late!) of the random drawing is...

Jenny Runyan!

I will be contacting you shortly about the meal that you don't have to cook! Yay!

Raspberry Salad

Slipping this one in at the buzzer....

This salad is the perfect side dish for a hot summer day! My sister-in-law brought it to a family BBQ one day and we haven't stopped talking about it since. It is delicious!! (and so easy!) The only negative is that it can be a little pricey to make, but I think (and my husband actually agrees) that it is worth every penny!

Raspberry Salad
Ingredients:
3 boxes instant pudding Cheesecake flavor
3 C. milk
8-10 graham crackers
3 T. butter
2 T. sugar
Cool whip
1 small bag frozen raspberries

Directions: Mix Cheesecake instant pudding with milk using a wire whisk. Crumble the graham crackers in a separate bowl. Melt butter and mix sugar into it. Pour butter and sugar mix over graham crackers and use your hands to blend. Pour mixture over cheesecake mixture. Mix in cool whip (about 10-11 oz.). Delicately fold in raspberries.
*NOTE: This recipe makes a lot, so if you are just making it for your family you should definitely half it.

Grandma Tess' Ice Cream Pie

This cool treat is great not only in summer, but all year long! I like it because it's a great way to make ice cream seem more fancy and it reminds me of home. It's like you're eating a banana split in a pie! Yum!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 packages graham crackers from box
1/2 cube butter
chocolate syrup
Half gallon size Neopolitan ice cream (you could also try using another flavor)
3-4 bananas
1 container of Cool Whip

-Crush graham crackers and mix in butter (it works best to use your hands!) to make the crust. (Save a little of the crushed crackers for later) Press into 9x13 pan.
-Drizzle generously with chocolate syrup. Put in freezer for about 15 minutes to let harden a little.
-Slice bananas and spread out over chocolate syrup layer.
-Drizzle another layer of chocolate syrup.
-Open carton of ice cream so that the whole square is laying out in front of you. Cut ice cream into about 1/2 inch thick slices and arrange on pie. (You should use half the carton)
-Add another layer of bananas.
-Drizzle chocolate syrup.
-Layer the rest of the ice cream, same as above.
-Follow with a final layer of chocolate syrup.
******Freeze over night***************
-Top with cool whip and let freeze for a few more hours
- Sprinkle with leftover crushed graham crackers