Pretzel, Caramel & Chocolate

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If you thought I stopped making granola bars you were wrong.


I’ve been on this kick and I can’t get off. These were amazing. Super easy.

1 cup quick oats
1 cup broken pretzel pieces
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup high quality honey (I used local)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used 60% dark)
1/2 cup caramel bits

Mix all the dry ingredients together very well, then start adding in the honey until it’s all combined. Press into an 8X8 that’s been lightly greased (and I do mean lightly) or lined with parchment.

My bars didn’t hold together well unless I kept them in the fridge but  I set them out a couple minutes before devouring and they were just fine. I guess structural integrity doesn’t mean much to me when pretzels, caramel and chocolate comes together. I could have eaten it with a spoon and been fine.

Enjoy!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

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We started our summer off the right way, this year: a Rockies game! This was a first for Joe and the kids, who had never been to a major league game before.


The weather was beyond perfect and we had really great seats.


Lukas was extremely interested now that he’s started playing baseball, himself. He was enthralled for nearly the entire game. It was a great experience for him.


Hotdogs, cracker jack, and of course…


Beer. I won’t lie, I had a couple, and they were fantastic. Lukas informed us in the 7th inning that if we were too drunk to drive we could sleep in the outfield.

Of course we were neither allowed to sleep in the outfield, nor drunk, but Joe did cone me in the parking lot on the way back to the car that night. It was a big orange one, too, with reflective material on it so it shimmered as he humiliated me in front of everyone.

Thanks, dad.

Mary Poppins In The Park

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A couple weeks ago we went to the summer movie in the park. It’s held downtown, courtesy of our local businesses, and it’s 100% absolutely free.


There’s all sorts of vendors down there, jump houses for the kids, and a big grassy open space for seating.


We popped up some corn before we left the house, gathered some blankets and chairs and headed down. It was really the perfect way to spend a Saturday evening with the kids. Plus…Mary Poppins. I know it was less fun for Joe but Lukas loved Mary Poppins when he was little and Ava loves it, too. No need to state how I feel about Miss Mary…right?


It’s events like this that make me love this little community.


Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in every way.

Granola Bars, Take II

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I altered the last recipe to make these beauties.  Kind of a granola bar slash rice krispie treat…thing.  Pretty damn good.

Who doesn’t love no bake stuff?

All it is is 2 cups crispy rice, 2 cups quick oats, 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, 1/cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup honey (I mixed mine with light karo because I ran out of honey and didn’t want to open a new bottle, hehe),  some mini marshmallows I wanted to use up, and some mini chocolate chips pressed into the top.

Yes.

Next up, crushed pretzels, flax and dark chocolate granola bars!

Hiding What’s Ugly

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Heinous, eye sore of a laundry chute at the top of the stairs with no way of incorporating it into your decor to make it more tolerable?


Mention that you have an idea for a rustic door to go over it that actually fits into your decor and your children will build it for you for Mother’s Day.

Yep. The children built me (with the help of their father, of course) this awesome door to hide my very ugly but highly functional laundry chute. Now that it’s up and working I’m getting used to it and think I might stain it a darker color, or at the very least clear coat it to bring out the dark spots in the wood (I think these old elephant pictures might have to go, too), but they did an awesome job and I was truly surprised.

Best Mother’s Day present ever.

Homemade Granola Bars

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7 ingredients and amazing!

All I did was heat up some butter, brown sugar and honey. Once it came to a boil I let it cook for a couple minutes, pulled it off the heat, and added a little vanilla. I poured it over 2 cups each of quick cook oats and crispy rice cereal. I also added half a cup of mini chocolate chips to my dry ingredients so that when I added the wet it would get all melty and make it a chocolatey oat like bar.

Perfecto.

Up next…peanut butter!