Amazingly Simple and Delicious Homemade Hot Chocolate

I am seriously addicted to this hot cocoa recipe. It's so easy to make and tastes amazingly rich, even when made with fat free milk. It's perfect by itself or served with some crisp cookies.

Serves 2

2 cups milk (I used fat free)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla

Whisk together the milk, cocoa powder and sugar in a sauce pan and heat until steaming. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips and vanilla. Whisk until the chocolate chips are melted. Enjoy!

Caramel Popcorn

We love popcorn in our family- it's cheap and pretty versatile, not to mention tasty! This is my go-to recipe for caramel popcorn (my 2 year old actually asks me to make it for him). I combined a few recipes that I found in one of those company cookbooks where everyone contributes their favorite recipes. The caramel is made in the microwave, so it's really easy (I've only burnt it once! :) )

Makes about 10 cups popcorn

Ingredients:
1/2 c popcorn kernels
1/2 c dark brown sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 c unsalted butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Pop popcorn in an air popper or in a pot on the stove. In a glass bowl, combine sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes longer. Stir in the baking soda. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. It's totally worth the effort!!

Granola bars with Apricots and Cranberries

I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa (0ne of my favorite Food Network shows). The only changes I made was to leave out the dates called for in the original recipe. I used what I had in my pantry- dried apricots, cranberries and raisins.When individually wrapped and stored in an air-tight container, these granola bars will taste great for a month!

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed (I used unsweetened)
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots*
1/2 cup dried cranberries*
1/2 cup raisins
cooking spray
*or any dried fruit you have on hand, such as raisins, apples, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the almonds, coconut and oatmeal onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the almonds and coconut are lightly toasted. Remove from oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Combine the butter, honey, sugar, vanilla and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for one minute and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour coconut/oatmeal mixture into the bowl. Stir in the wheat germ and dried fruit. Spread into a greased 8 x 12 inch baking dish lined with foil (make sure it hangs over each side of the tray to make "handles" so you can pick up the large bar and pull it out to cut it easily into individual granola bars). With wet fingers, press the mixture into a flat bar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until browned and allow to cool 2-3 hours before cutting (if they're too warm, they'll fall apart). Using the foil handles, pull out the baked granola bar and cut into individual pieces. Wrap each bar in foil and place in an air-tight container. It should make 16 rectangle shaped bars.

My New Favorite Snack- Flatbread Crackers with Dill/Chive Cream Cheese and Cucumbers

I got this idea from a vegetarian cooking show I saw on PBS. Although, she didn't season her cream cheese and she used soy cream cheese (I'm not that daring). So, I decided to make up my own version. There are so many different varieties of flatbread crackers in your cracker section in the grocery store. I've also seen them sold at Cosco and Sams. I bought Chicago Flatbreads everything on it crackers with sesame seeds, salt, caraway seeds and poppy seeds. They are awesome! You could also use Wasa brand whole wheat crisp breads. The show I watched actually suggested eating these for breakfast. It's a good way to get your veggies!

For one serving:
1 oz low fat or fat free cream cheese
1 tsp minced green onions
1/8 tsp dried dill
3 flat bread crackers (or more depending on how thick you spread your cream cheese!)
9 thin slices of cucumber (3/cracker) or thin slices of radishes
salt and pepper

Combine the cream cheese, onions, and dill. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread on the crackers. Top with thin slices of cucumber. Sprinkle cucumbers with a touch of salt and pepper.

Another version:
Instead of dill, add 1 tsp minced fresh basil. Spread cream cheese on crackers. Top with sliced of bottled roasted red bell peppers or sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil.

Homemade Granola

Although the first recipe I posted was quite contrary to healthy eating habits, Mundo and I generally like to stick with a pretty healthy diet. This granola is a great snack and tastes awesome with yogurt. You can experiment with different dried nuts and fruits.

3 cups oatmeal
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1/8 c. whole flax seed
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. pineapple or apple juice
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp olive oil
cooking spray
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. chopped dried apricots
1/4 c. raisins.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine the oatmeal, nuts and flax seed in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, wisk together the brown sugar, salt, syrup, honey, juice, almond extract, cinnamon and 1 tbsp olive oil. Pour over the oatmeal mixture and stir to combine. Spray the bottom of a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the dried fruit. Allow to cool. Smell your house- it smells yummy :)