Snickers are by far my favorite candy bar.  Have been for years.  Sure, I’ll eat most other candy bars, but when it comes down to it sometimes I’ve just gotta have a Snickers!

For those times when I’m craving one and I don’t have any in the house and don’t want to run out to get one, this recipe will sooth that craving!  I found this recipe via The Sisters Cafe (a food blog that I frequent quite a bit).  Most of the time I have all of these ingredients around the house.  These little beauties taste Just. Like. Snickers.!!  And served along side some vanilla ice cream….need I say more??!

Snickers Bars

Photo courtesy The Sisters Cafe

Printable Recipe: Snickers Bars

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 14-oz package of caramels
1 cup peanuts
1 cup chocolate chips — or more…

Directions
Mix the chocolate cake mix, 3/4 cup melted butter, and 1/3 cup sweetened condensed
milk together. This mixture will be very thick. Spread 2/3 of this mixture into the bottom
of an ungreased, 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes until set.
Unwrap the caramels and put in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1/3 cup sweetened
condensed milk to the caramels, and melt in microwave, 1 minute at a time until mixture
is completely melted and smooth.
Spread the chocolate chips on top of the cooked cake mixture. Spread/drizzle caramel
mixture on top of this. The caramel will be uneven. Sprinkle peanuts on top next. Then
put remaining cake mixture on top next. Again, this mixture is quite thick, so this will
also be uneven which is ok.
Bake at 350 for 16-20 minutes.
Let cool completely before cutting. This is important as the caramel makes it very difficult
to cut if still warm.

I’ve had the honor of trying Nature Valley’s new Granola Thins, and I’m hooked!  I have always loved Nature Valley’s granola bars (oats & honey are my favorite!).  I eat them by themselves, crush them up and put them in yogurt and cereal, you name it.  I’ve also recently discovered their Sweet & Salty Nut Bars….yummm.  Those are great, too!

When I was contacted to try their new thins and was so excited.  I was able to try the dark chocolate and peanut butter flavors and loved both. They are 100 % natural granola squares and have a texture more like a graham cracker than their crunchy granola bars. The bottom of each granola thin is a layer of creamy peanut butter or dark chocolate flavor, and together they create a melt-in-your-mouth taste! I love what the peanut butter and dark chocolate adds to the granola bar, and I love how thin they are.  They make for the perfect snack!

Check out how you can also make S’Mores with the Dark Chocolate Granola Thins!

Follow these easy steps to make S’Mores with Granola Thins…

• Roast marshmallow over open flame until it turns golden brown.
• Select two dark chocolate Granola Thins. Try (the peanut butter flavor as a tasty alternative. You can even use one of each!
• Place the marshmallow inside the two thins, granola side out, and enjoy!

I am excited to share these new Granola Thins with you!  I have a Nature Valley Thins Prize Pack to give away!!

The prize pack includes:

• Coffee Mug
• Desk Calendar
• Mouse Pad
• Peanut Butter Granola Thins
• Dark Chocolate Granola Thins

To enter to win the prize pack, just leave a comment with what your favorite Nature Valley Granola Bar product is!

A winner will be picket at random on Friday, July 23!  Good Luck!

I came across this recipe from another blog and I soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it!  Hello, it uses Crescent Rolls, Ranch, and cheese….three of my favorite things!  It has a really great flavor and is something different, which I’m always looking for.  I see this as being something great to take to pot lucks or to friends/people in church that you need to take a meal to.  I like to try to take things that are not your typical dishes so people aren’t eating the same types of things all the time.  This is definitely one that I don’t think many folks will have had.  This recipe is a keeper!

Cheesy Chicken Ranch Squares

Photo courtesy of Feels Like Home

Printable Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Ranch Squares

Ingredients

• 1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 8-ounce tubes (8-count each) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1/4 pound (6 to 8 slices) cheddar or colby jack cheese, sliced
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed (2 ounces)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly coat a 13x 9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl combine Ranch mix and chicken, stirring to coat. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until needed.
4. Unroll one tube of crescent rolls in the baking dish. Firmly pinch together perforations and pat dough as necessary to fit bottom of dish. Place sliced cheese, covering all dough.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken evenly over cheese. Layer spinach evenly over chicken.
6. In medium bowl, beat 3 eggs, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Pour evenly over layers.
7. Unroll second tube of crescent rolls over the top of layered ingredients. Press perforations to seal and stretch to fit. Brush beaten egg yolk over dough. Cover with foil.
8. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve warm.

I just ran across this recipe and I now have one more recipe to add to my menu for our Independence Day celebration BBQ!  It’s looks so delicious and refreshing, which is just the recipe I was looking for!  I’m always looking for things that are light and refreshing to serve during the summer because, let’s face it….IT’S HOT!!  I cannot wait to make this.  I sounds so good!

Fruit Soup

Picture and recipe courtesy of The Sisters Cafe

Printable Recipe: Fruit Soup

Ingredients

¾ c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. peach juice (or a cup of water)
3 Tb tapioca (be sure to use the quick cooking tapioca!)
6 oz orange juice concentrate
1 ½ c. water
2 cans mandarin oranges (with or without juice)
1 quart sliced peaches, cut in to bite size pieces – (or 1 large can of peach slices in lite syrup)
2 c. fresh strawberries, sliced, just before serving
2 bananas, just before serving
1 bag frozen (or fresh) raspberries or berry mix, thawed but still cool and firm (raspberries give the juice a red tint, without raspberries it is an orange color. I almost always use a tri-berry mix which includes raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.)

Directions

Bring sugar, water, peach juice and tapioca to a boil. Continue boiling on medium high for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Some tapioca will be clear and other granules will have a white center. Take off heat. Let sit for 30 minutes. (This is when the tapioca will become more clear.)
Add 6 oz orange juice concentrate and 1 ½ c. water. Chill overnight.
Add mandarin oranges and peaches.  Just before serving add strawberries, bananas, and raspberries/berry mix.  Can be served with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Two of my favorite things in one….Oreos and cheescake!  What a yummy dessert!

Oreo Cheesecake Bars

Printable Version: Oreo Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:
For the crust:
23 Oreo cookies
2 tbsp. butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. sour cream, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
12 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with foil.  To make the crust, place the Oreos in the bowl of a food processor.  Process, pulsing, until the cookies are finely ground.  Add in the melted butter and pulse until the cookie crumbs are moistened.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan.  Press the crumbs into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside and prepare the filling while maintaining the oven temperature.

To make the filling, add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the sugar until well combined.  Blend in the sour cream, vanilla and salt.  Beat in the egg and egg yolk on medium-high speed until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Stir in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula.

Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust, smoothing the top with a spatula.  Bake for about 40 minutes, until the cheesecake is set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool about 1 hour to room temperature.  Cover the pan and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.

To cut the bars, pull the cake from the pan by lifting the foil up out of the pan.  Place on a cutting board, peel away the foil, and slice into bars.  Clean the knife blade between each slice to keep the edges neat.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

I cannot wait to tune in tomorrow morning to our local radio station B98.5 with Jeff & Lisa because they are having The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) on the show!!

If you’re in the Little Rock area, tune in around 7:30.  If you’re not in the area, that’s ok!  You can listen online at B98.com!

Caramel Apple Pizza

Printable Version: Caramel Apple Pizza

Ingredients

2 apples, sliced thinly (I like Granny Smith or Braburn)
1 tube sugar cookie batter
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c peanut butter(crunchy or creamy)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c brown sugar
caramel topping
chopped nuts (optional)
cinnamon

Directions

Flatten cookie dough out on pizza pan (or pizza stone if you have one) and bake in oven as directed.
Combine cream cheese, vanilla, peanut butter, and brown sugar in mixing bowl and beat with mixer until well blended.

Slice apples and dip in lemon juice or lemon lime soda to prevent browning.
Spread cream cheese mixture evenly onto baked and cooled crust. Top with sliced apples. Drizzle caramel topping over entire pizza. Sprinkle cinnamon and nuts over the top.

This goes great along side some rice and veggies.  Very tasty dish! (and easy, of course!)

Crockpot Lemon Herb Chicken

Printable Version: Crockpot Lemon Herb Chicken

Ingredients

4-8 chicken legs (or chicken breasts)
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp minced onion
2 tsp oregano
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions

Place chicken legs in the crockpot.  Sprinkle with oregano and minced garlic.  Pour chicken broth over the top, and drizzle lemon juice over the chicken legs. Top with minced onion.  Cover and cook on low for 6ish hours, or until the internal temp reaches 180 degrees.

Serve over rice, drizzled with leftover sauce from the crockpot.

O.M.G.  I could eat this stuff every day!!!  This is one of the best things I have ever had!  You can you absolutely any kind of fruit you want and it will taste absolutely amazing.  The cinnamon chips are very easy to make.  If you want to cut back on cooking time you can buy them at the grocery store.

This is a perfect dish for entertaining during these spring and summer months.  People will RAVE about it!

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Printable Version: Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients

• 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 apples – peeled, cored and diced (I like to use Granny Smith)
• 8 ounces raspberries
• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

Cinnamon Chips (you can also purchase Cinnamon Chips and skip this step)

• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 2 cups cinnamon sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Need I say more?!

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

Printable Version: Crockpot Mac ‘n Cheese

Ingredients
6 cups cooked macaroni (about 3 cups dry)
4 Tbsp butter
4 cups evaporated milk
6 cups shredded or grated cheese
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In large mixing bowl, toss cooked macaroni with butter. Stir in evaporated milk, cheese, salt and pepper. Place in the crockpot. Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-5 hours.