Mom's Chewy Chip Bars

These granola bars are made with honey and oats so you don't have to feel too guilty when you down a few! I love these bars! I make them at least once a month it seems like! Nick and I love to grab one before heading out and about or just for a quick snack!

4 1/2 C old fashioned oats or 3 C oats and 1 1/2 C rice crispies
1 C flour
2/3 C butter/margarine
3/4 C honey
1/3 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 C chocolate chips
1 C butterscotch chips
1/2 C peanut butter

In a mixing bowl combine everything but the chocolate and butterscotch chips and mix well. Stir in chips. Press into a greased cake pan. Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes and cut into bars.

Mom's Homemade Bread

I think that this is the perfect start to this blog:  Mom's bread. Yes, I know that this is on my other blog, but I also know that Haley and I have so many memories of coming home from school and smelling that fresh bread right out of the oven.  Yum!  We could devour a loaf in an afternoon.  Poor mom.  Now I make this same bread for my family.  I want them to be a part of this yummy tradition.

Honey Wheat Bread

1 1/2 T yeast

2 C warm water

1 crushed vitamin C tablet (this is a dough conditioner, other recipes may call for lecithin)

1/4 C oil

1/4 C honey ( I do a heaping 1/4 C , since I like the honey taste)

3 C whole wheat flour

3 C white flour

2 t salt (I do a tiny bit less than 2t)

Dissolve yeast in water.  Add vitamin C, oil, honey, salt, and 2 C wheat flour.  Mix this with a wire whisk by hand or with mixer.  Add 2 C white flour and stir with a wooden spoon (or, if using mixer, add all the rest of white and wheat flour and mix with dough hook for 2 minutes or until combined and dough pulls away from bowl).  If mixing by hand, knead in the rest of the flour until dough is soft and elastic.  (If using mixer, I take it out of the bowl to knead it a few times to make sure it is soft and elastic.)  Shape dough into a ball, making the top smooth and any creases in the dough tucked under the bottom of the ball.  Put it into a greased bowl, and turn it once so the top of the dough is greased and thebottom of dough ball is facing down in the bowl.  Cover (with clean kitchen towel) and let it rise about 1 hour, until it is doubled and then punch the dough down.  Grease 2 loaf pans and divide dough in half, shaping it so it is smooth on top and any folds are in the bottom of the pan.  Cover and let them rise for 30-60 minutes, until doubled and looks like the right size.  Bake it at 350 for 30 minutes.  Take out of the oven and let sit 5 minutes before removing from loaf pans to wire racks. I like to spread butter on the top when it is still warm.