My {Graham Cracker} Fix

Chewy, gooey treats
for your summer appetite.
...not your beach body.

I can't resist a warm, fresh-baked cookie out of the oven or a good s'more at a summer bonfire, and this recipe combines the two. If you are looking to enhance your "cheat day" experience, you can find all the ingredients in a single grocery store aisle for about $20.

Seven-layer or magic bars are essentially lots of sinfully sweet ingredients, layered atop lots of other sinfully sweet ingredients. Disclaimer: this recipe is not healthy by any means, but anyone who tries these bars never seems to regret it.

Gooey S'mores Magic Bars
{featured in Progressions online}
Makes 1 Dozen Bars

You Need:
-1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
-1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
-1 cup dark chocolate chips
-1 cup peanut butter chips
-1 ½ cup mini marshmallows
-1 cup pecans, chopped
-1 cup sweetened coconut, shredded

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

-Spread graham cracker crumbs across the pan -- TIP: Stores sell boxes of just the crumbs so you don’t need to worry about crushing the regular size crackers. 

-Combine the condensed milk and graham crackers, firmly pressing the mixture down to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Most magic bar recipes combine the graham crackers with butter then use a layer of condensed milk on top, which creates a crunchy crust. Combining the graham crackers and condensed milk eliminates the need for butter and creates a soft, cookie-like texture.

-Layer the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, marshmallows, pecans and coconut on top of the graham cracker crust.

-Bake for 20 minutes in the oven, or until the marshmallows and coconut become golden brown.

-Let bars cool for one hour, and cut into squares. Enjoy!

The rich dark chocolate complements the creamy peanut butter so the sweetness of the other ingredients is not overpowering. The combination of roasted coconut and marshmallows adds a crunch to these gooey, melt-in-your-mouth treats. 

My {Eggroll} Fix

Proceed with caution.
These eggrolls have potential
to be addicting.

Sweet and Spicy Eggrolls
Serves 4

You Need:
1 package egg roll wrappers
2 cups bok choy, shredded
1 cup bean sprouts, chopped
2/3 lb lean ground beef
1/2 carrots, shredded
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 tb ginger
1 tbspn low sodium soy sauce
1 tbspn Szechuan sauce
1 tbspn sesame oil
Canola oil (for frying)

This recipe is a fun one, and it is perfect for a party snack or family dinner!

Brown the ground beef over medium heat in a skillet.

Combine the vegetables in the skillet and let simmer. Once the ingredients are well mixed, add the soy sauce, Szechuan sauce and sesame oil.

Take the eggroll wrappers out of the package and get three plates to hold the wrappers, add the filling and place the finished eggrolls.

Add about a forkful of the mixture onto a single wrapper. It helps to have a cup of water next to the plate to wet the edges of the eggroll wrapper. This seals the corners so your eggroll doesn't unravel while it's cooking.

Form the eggroll just like you are wrapping a present. Fold the top of the wrapper over the mixture and press into the middle of the eggroll. Fold the outer corners into the middle of the eggroll. Then roll toward you and wet the remaining edge so it sticks to the eggroll and seals all the corners together.

Pour enough canola oil into fresh skillet to coat the bottom. Once it is bubbling, add the eggrolls and cook for ten minutes.

Allow them to cook on each side until golden brown. 

Take the eggrolls out and let them cool on a baking sheet and paper towel to absorb the grease. These eggrolls are packed with a dynamic flavor from the sauces! But they are a bit spicy so use less of the Szechuan if you want more of a mild spice.

Enjoy! It's quite a challenge not to eat the entire plate.

My {Granola} Fix

Top off a pancake,
parfait, oatmeal or milkshake.
Just whip up and bake.

Spoiler alert - This is isn't an original recipe. But I promise it's good.

I went up to my super crafty aunt Terri's house in Prescott Valley last weekend and she was so excited to make granola she found in the May edition of Food Network Magazine. It's from this restaurant called Eleven Madison Park, where if you spend $125 they give you a complementary batch. Since I don't have $125 just lying around, we decided to put on our oven mitts and make it ourselves!

Coconut Sour-Cherry Granola
Serves 28

2 3/4 cups organic rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup unsalted pistachios
1/3 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup dried sour cherries

Calories: 119; Total Fat: 8 grams; Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams; Protein: 3 grams; Total carbohydrates: 10 grams; Sugar: 3 grams; Fiber: 2 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 207 milligrams

Let me just say that if this serves 28, I ate about four servings too many. But it is that good! And it's great on those strange peanut butter sandwiches where you use apple slices instead of bread.

Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees. Then line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine your oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut and salt in a big bowl. Then pour all the delicious ingredients (brown sugar, maple syrup, olive oil) into a saucepan over low heat. Keep stiring until everything disolves into a sweet, syrupy concoction. Then pour it over the oat mixture and fold it in until the granola is completely coated.

Resist the urge to eat the granola and spread it out onto your baking sheets. Pop it into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, taking it out a few times to move it around. Once the granola is golden brown, you can remove it from the oven and mix in the sour cherries.

Unless you want a big mess, let the granola cool to room temperature before you break it apart so that it has time to stick together.

Where you put the granola is up to you. Since my aunt is very crafty and has an entire room devoted to scrapbooking, we put the granola in little mason jars we dolled up with ribbons.

This makes for a great gift. I brought it home for some of my friends and it earned rave reviews. Try it for yourself!