Granola on a Stick

These granola bars can be cut into bars or molded onto "sticks" like I have done. Either way they are the perfect snack for your family's camping or hiking trip. They're a great accompaniment for a bonfire and a ghost story!

**Note** - Unless you have access to an oven while camping (in an RV or elsewhere) you will want to prepare these treats at home ahead of time.

What You Need:

1/2 C. Light Corn Syrup
1 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Butter, Melted
2 Tsp Vanilla
3 C. Quick Cooking Oats
1 1/2 C. Fruit, Seed & Nut Trail Mix
3/4 Mini Chocolate Chips
Large Pretzel Rods

Additions might be: shredded coconut, M&Ms, marshmallows, etc

 What You Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl mix corn syrup, brown sugar, butter and vanilla until well blended. Stir in oats. Add trail mix and chocolate chips. Stir in additional goodies 1/4 C. at a time, making sure that the mix is still sticky enough to mold around the sticks. Marshmallows are not recommended for the granola sticks but may be added if you are going to cut the granola into bars.

To Make Granola Sticks:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Measure out 1/2 C. of granola and shape into a log. Starting from the bottom of the log, stick the pretzel into the granola, shaping it around the pretzel. Do not worry about the shape because you will be reshaping it after it bakes. Fill the baking sheet side by side with 5 granola pretzel rods. Make sure you leave ample room between each one. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until light brown. Do not panic when you see that the granola has melted away from the pretzel rod. Once the sticks have baked for the required time, removed the tray from the oven and working quickly with two knives simply mold and shape the granola back around the pretzel sticks. As the granola cools, it will harden around the pretzel stick.

This recipe makes about 10 granola sticks depending on how much granola mix you measure out for each pretzel rod.

 To Make Bars:

Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish. Firmly press granola mixture into the pan. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until golden brown. It is very important to allow the bars to cool completely before cutting them with a sharp knife.

Cherry Delight Breakfast Cake

This cherry cake is great for breakfast or dessert. It will make a nice surprise breakfast for Mom on Mother's Day. Don't forget a cup of coffee or tea to go along with it.

Ingredients for Cake:
 
3 C. flour
1/4 C Sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C water
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
1- 21 oz can Cherry Pie Filling

Ingredients for Cake Glaze:
 
1/2 C confectioner's sugar
2-4 tsp milk


To Make Cake:

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, sugar & yeast and mix well. Heat 1/2 cup milk, water and butter until very warm and then add to flour mixture, along with eggs. Beat at low speed with hand mixer until all ingredients are wet; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Stir in an additional 1 to 1 1/2 cup flour until a stiff batter forms. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise about 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Grease a 13 x 9 pan. Stir batter; Pour 3/4 batter into pan and top with cherry filling. Spoon remaining batter by tablespoons over batter. Cover again and let rise until light, approximately 20 - 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover dough mixture. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.


Meanwhile make glaze:

Mix sugar and 2 tsp milk. Continue adding a little milk until a thick glaze consistency is created.

Drizzle over cake while it's still warm.


For different variations of this cake: try blueberry, apple or mixed berry pie filling in place of the cherry pie filling in this recipe.

Cookie Carnival - April Roundup!

I apologize for the long delay in posting the roundup again this month.

April's Cookie Carnival cookie recipe was Toasted Coconut and Orange Icebox Cookies from Aida Mollenkamp at the Food Network.

Check out these beauties:

Katrina @ Baking and Boys said "The cookies are definitely very orange flavored and had a great coconut chew to them.  The chocolate covered bites were better than the plain halves.  Overall a really good cookie!"

Cristine @ Cooking with Cristine loved these cookies plain, without dipping them in chocolate.

I want to welcome Krista @ In the Kitchen with Krista to the Cookie Carnival!  This is her first time participating with us! 

Chaya @ My Sweet and Savory decorated her cookies with colored sugars.

Amanda @ Amanda's Cookin' took the time to rewrite this recipe so that it was easier to understand. She said that her family loved the cookies!

Thanks, ladies, for another great round up! 

Your cookies look fabulous!


I hope to see you at the May round up.

Keep an eye on your inbox for the cookie recipe fojavascript:void(0)r May!  


For more info. on how YOU can join the Cookie Carnival, click here.  I'd love for you to join us! 


Happy Baking!
Tami

Winner of "My Green Thumb" cookie cutter set!

Thank you to everyone who signed up for my first giveaway!  I hope to do another giveaway soon!

On that note....

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

Barb, sfo


Congratulations, Barb!!
Please contact me within 48 hrs to give me your info.

There were 13 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

   1. Barb, sfo
   2. Candy Girl
   3. Ashley
   4. Eating Clean
   5. MaierHousehold
   6. Surge
   7. The Prickly Pinecone
   8. Sugar Plum Fairy
   9. The Prickly Pinecone
  10. Sugar Plum Fairy
  11. Sugar Plum Fairy
  12. Barbara Bakes
  13. Liz

Timestamp: 2010-05-05 11:47:02 UTC

Sugar Cookies & My First Giveaway!

I was thrilled when Elizabeth, from Ann Clark LTD, wrote to me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing some of their cookie cutters. If you are not familiar with the Ann Clark company, they have been producing unique cookie cutters and related gift products in Vermont since 1990. Anne Clark LTD is one of the leading cookie cutter companies in the United States, plus they enjoy a distribution across the country and world wide.

Let me tell you first hand, their cookie cutters are very nice. I've had the opportunity to use their over-sized individual cookie cutters. Each cutter comes with a cookie recipe + an icing recipe.



I used the recipes that came with the cookie cutters. There are several more cookie recipes on their website, as well. The cookies were crisp on the edges and soft and chewy in the centers ...just the way sugar cookies should be!

Where's the pictures of the cookies that I baked? Sadly, there aren't any. I made the sugar cookies with every intention of icing them but then my son and I got sick once again. We both suffer with allergies and this year the tree pollen is really causing havoc for us. So we ended up eating the cookies without icing them (they are really good that way!). There will be a next time for these cookie cutters and then I will post a picture of them!

~*~*~ Instead of waiting for the pictures of my sugar cookies, you will have a chance to win your very own set of Ann Clark Cookie Cutters! ~*~*~


 ~*~*~*~ANNOUNCING MY FIRST BLOG GIVEAWAY! ~*~*~*~

One lucky winner will win a "My Green Thumb" cookie cutter set!

A delightful set of five tin cookie cutters packaged in a sturdy gift box. Each set comes with the artwork of Ann Clark and recipes for cookies and frosting. Cookie cutters include: hummingbird, butterfly, dragonfly, ladybug, and watering can.

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO SIGN UP TO WIN: 

1. Sign up to follow Tami's Kitchen Table Talk using Google Friend Connect or let me know that you are already a follower. (please provide the name that you're signed up under.)

2. Sign up to receive Tami's Kitchen Table Talk newsletter or let me know that you already receive it. (please provide the email address.)

3. Join the Cookie Carnival Blog Event that I host each month or let me know that you are already a member of it. (please provide the email address that you use to receive the Cookie Carnival info.)

4. Check out the Ann Clark website and tell me what your favorite cookie cutter is PLUS sign up to join their "Make More Cookies" blog. (please let me know that you've signed up.)


ONE WINNER WILL BE RANDOMLY DRAWN ON MAY 5, 2010!!

The winner will have 48 hrs. to contact me after being notified of winning. If there's no response, I will move on and pick another winner. 

GOOD LUCK!!


TAMI