Easy Peanut Buttery Goodness Bars

I apologize for my absence.  I’ve been traveling, well moving, across the country.  We are temporarily settled in Salt Lake City until we decide on a final destination.  In the meantime, I’ll be posting recipes that I threw together before I left.  Most of them will be quick and easy because I didn’t have a lot of spare time around my packing, and today’s is no exception.  These bars come together in just a matter of minutes.  Then they just sit in the fridge overnight and in the morning, you have a chewy, sweet, salty, peanut buttery treat.

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup honey
• 3 cups oats
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla 

Ok, so I didn’t manage to get the salt or vanilla in the picture.  The truth is, I didn’t initially intend to put them in, but decided along the way that they would make a nice addition. 

Here’s a little trick for you.  If you spray your measuring cup with a bit of oil, it will make the honey come out a little easier. 

Now, add the honey to a mixing bowl. 

See, it almost all came out.  Now you can just put the peanut butter in there without even having to scrape it first. 

For the peanut butter, I used a natural one, which had not yet been refrigerated, so it was of pouring consistency.  If you’re using something more conventional or something that has been refrigerated, just warm it in the microwave for a few seconds to make it nice and soft.  You’ll also notice that I’m using a crunchy variety.  I recommend that because of the texture, but you can certainly use whatever you have on hand.  I imagine this would work well with any other kind of nut butter if you have a peanut allergy in your house. 

To that, add the salt and vanilla. 

Stir until everything is thoroughly combined. 

Now it’s time for the oats.  I used a combination of quick oats and old fashioned rolled oats.  Either of those will work just find on their own, but if you have both, the mix makes a really great texture. 

Stir until the oats are evenly coated in the peanut butter mixture. 

Pour into a parchment lined 8x8 pan.  If, like me, you’ve used all of your energy doing something else (I did mention I was packing, right?) and you can’t be bothered to actually lay the parchment neatly in the pan, don’t worry.  Just plop the mixture into the middle of the parchment. 

Then, as you press the mixture down and spread it into the corners, the parchment paper should work itself out. 

Cover this and place it in the fridge overnight.  After that you’ll want to continue to store it in the fridge so they don’t get too sticky.  I was surprised by the fabulous texture of these bars.  They remind me a lot of a chewy, nougat kind of candy bar.  For being so simple, they are amazingly delicious. 

What is your least favorite part about moving?  I'm pretty sure mine is actually the unpacking, but I haven't gotten to that part yet.

Someone Get Mother Nature a Midol!

I'm pretty sure Mother Nature is suffering from PMS.  She can’t seem to figure out what she wants to do.  At the moment, it’s decided to be cold and miserable again, and for some reason that feels even worse than when it gets cold the first time around.  Well, since I couldn’t seem to get warm, I decided it was time to try warming myself from the inside out.  What better way to do that than with chicken soup?  And what better way to have chicken soup that with homemade noodles like I used to have when I was a kid.  A nice thick, rich broth with big chunks of chicken and chewy, delicious noodles.  Sounds good, right? 

Here’s what you’ll need for the noodles:

2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Yep, that’s it.  3 ingredients.  The process of making the noodles is almost as simple.  Mix together your flour and salt, and make a well in the middle. 

Whisk all your eggs and pour them in.  Slowly start stirring in the flour. 

Just add from the edges and stir.  You’ll probably have to get your hands in there at some point. 

Eventually, it will come together into a ball. 

If your hands don’t look something like this, you’re not doing it right. 

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and sprinkle flour over the top. 

Knead until it looks something like this:

Make sure it’s well floured all the way around, then wrap the whole thing in plastic and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes.  After that, remove it from the plastic and cut it in half.  Return half of the dough to the plastic, and the other to a floured surface. 

Can’t really take pictures of the rolling process because… well… it takes both hands, but I’m sure you can figure it out.  Just keep everything well floured and keep moving the dough around so it doesn’t stick.  When you get to the right thickness, it should look something like this:

That’s somewhere between ⅛ and ¼ inch, I’d say.  Now it’s time to cut the noodles.  A pizza cutter works fabulously for this.

Cut the dough into long strips. 

Apparently I was cutting while intoxicated, but that’s what makes homemade noodles homemade, right?  Cut the strips into whatever length noodles you like. 

Toss them with more flour so they won’t stick together and spread them onto a rack.  Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.  That way they can dry out a bit while you work on the soup.   

Here’s what you’ll need for the soup:

• Chicken, I used 4 bone-in breasts, but use whatever pieces you like
• 1 medium onion
• 1 bunch of celery
• 2 carrots  
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• Parsley
• Water

In a pan over medium high heat, put a tablespoon of oil and brown your chicken on all sides. 

Add the pepper, half of the celery and onion, the garlic (peel the cloves, but leave them whole), and a tablespoon or so of chopped parsley.  Add enough water to the pan to cover everything. 

Bring it to a boil and allow it to simmer for 40 minutes.  It’s a good time for a break.  After that, remove the chicken pieces from the pan.  Just put them aside to cool for a few minutes. 

Strain the liquid and return it to the pan. 

Add the remaining celery and onion, and the carrots.  Allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes. 

During that time, pull the meat off the chicken pieces, and tear it into whatever size chunks you want.  I like mine a bit on the large side. (That's what she said!!) 

Add it to the pot.

Start adding your noodles a little at a time, stirring after each addition.

Mmmmm… noodles.  They only take a few minutes to cook.  Now’s a good time to add another tablespoon of chopped parsley, as well.   

You can serve it as is, but I like my broth to be a little thick.  Sometimes the flour on the noodles is enough, but this time I needed a bit more.  Whisk together 3 tablespoons flour and ½ cup cold water.  Stir it into the pot, and bring the whole thing back to a boil. 

Allow it sit for a few minutes before serving, then just ladle it into a big bowl.  Then, if your hubby’s out of town and you’re home alone, just snuggle up in your favorite spot, wrapped in a nice cozy blanket, and finally get warm.  Mmmmm.  It doesn’t hurt if you have a little furry space heater in your lap, patiently waiting for you to finish so he can lick the bowl. 

What warms you up when it’s cold outside?