Peter’s Star Bars

 2 ½ cups rolled oats

2 cups chopped mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, pepitas)

1 cup dried fruit (blueberries, pomegranates, Craisins)

1 ½ cups milk or almond milk

1 cup fresh ground peanut butter

¼ cup honey

¼ cup maple syrup

A few pinches of salt

 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

 

Combine oats, nuts, dried fruit, and salt into a large bowl, and set aside.

 

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over low heat for 5 minutes; add in the peanut butter, honey, and syrup.  Stir until peanut butter is melted.  The mixture should be runny, if too thick add a little more milk. Pour the melted peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and mix well.  Keep stirring until all the oat mixture is wet. Spread onto a quarter sheet or a 9x13” pan and press firmly to even out the bars.  Bake for 1 hour; remove and let sit for 15 minutes.  Cut into rectangles, it will make about 16 bars.

 

**Peter says you can use almost any nuts or dried fruit of your choice!

Braaibroodjie, South African Grilled Cheese Sandwich

 

 

Ingredients

 

8 slices white bread

8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature

1/4 cup (60 milliliters) mango chutney or Mrs. Balls Chutney

8 ounces (227 grams) sharp white cheddar shredded

2 large tomatoes thinly sliced

Bacon sliced, cooked

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Instructions

 

Preheat grill to medium low heat. Spread softened butter over both sides of each slice of bread.

On half of the slices, spread a layer of mango chutney. Top the other slices with cheese. Cover the cheese with bacon or a tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper, then top with the other slices, chutney side down towards the bacon or tomato. Grill the sandwiches until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

Peter’s Star Bars

 

2 ½ cups rolled oats

2 cups chopped mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, pepitas)

1 cup dried fruit (blueberries, pomegranates, Craisins)

1 ½ cups milk or almond milk

1 cup fresh ground peanut butter

¼ cup honey

¼ cup maple syrup

A few pinches of salt

 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

 

Combine oats, nuts, dried fruit, and salt into a large bowl, and set aside.

 

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over low heat for 5 minutes; add in the peanut butter, honey, and syrup.  Stir until peanut butter is melted.  Mixture should be runny, if too thick add a little more milk. Pour melted peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and mix well.  Keep stirring until all the oat mixture is wet. Spread onto a quarter sheet or a 9x13” pan and press firmly to even out the bars.  Bake for 1 hour; remove and let sit for 15 minutes.  Cut into rectangles, it will make about 16 bars.

 

**Peter says you can use most any nuts or dried fruit of your choice!

Cheese Straws

  

16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, room temperature

1 ½ sticks butter, room temperature

2 cups flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

5-6 dashes of hot sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Sift together all dry ingredients and set aside.  By hand or in a food processor (using a pulse button) mix cheese and butter together well.  Add hot sauce and then add in dry ingredients and mix well.  Chill dough and roll into little logs (straws), or wafers, or use a cookie press and make any shape cookie.  Bake on an ungreased baking sheet in a preheated 300-degree oven for 10 minutes lower oven to 225 degrees and bake for 10-30 minutes until the wafers/sticks are crisp.  These freeze well!  The size of the wafers/straws will determine how long the straws take to cook!  

Teri’s Pimento Cheese Spread

8 ounces grated Cabot Sharp Cheddar Cheese

8 ounces cream cheese- softened              

4-ounce jar of diced pimento – drained

½ - 1 cup mayonnaise

heavy dash cayenne

dash garlic powder

 Mix all in a food processor and chill.

Sweet & Spicy Nuts

1 cup untoasted walnut halves

1 cup untoasted pecan halves

1 cup unsalted, dry roasted almonds

1 cup unsalted, dry roasted cashews

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ cup white sugar

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon butter

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Combine walnuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews in a large bowl. Add salt, black pepper, and cayenne; toss to coat.

Heat sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted, and sugar is dissolved about 1 minute. Slowly pour the butter mixture over the nuts and stir to coat. Transfer nuts to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Bake nuts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then remove the nuts from the oven. Stir the nuts to coat them again with warm syrup; spread them back out in a single layer. Return to the oven and bake until nuts are sticky and roasted, about 6 more minutes. Allow it to cool before serving.

No Bake Granola Bars

1 ½ cups Rice Krispies

½ cup Uncle Sam’s Cereal

1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup dark corn syrup

¾  cup reduced-fat peanut butter (or can use regular peanut butter)

1 teaspoon vanilla

½  – ¾ cup toasted pumpkin seeds, coconut, or nuts, I used all

DIRECTIONS:

Lightly grease 11 x 7-inch, can use a 13 x 9-inch baking dish but you will have a thinner bar.

In a large bowl combine Rice Krispies cereal, oats and raisins.

In a saucepan stir the corn syrup or honey and brown sugar until just at a boil.

Immediately remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until well combined.

Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl; mix to combine.

Mix in mini chocolate chips (if using) work fast the mixture hardens quickly.

Transfer the mixture into prepared baking dish, then using slightly wet hands push evenly down into the pan.

While the mixture is still soft, for easier slicing take a sharp knife and slice into desired size bars.

Chill until firm.

Pickled Gingered Carrots Sticks

3/4 cup rice vinegar

2-3 tablespoons raw sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2- 1/4" slice ginger

1/2 cup water

Approximately 4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks

Boil together all ingredients but the carrots until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat, add ginger slices, and set aside to cool.  Peel and cut carrots into about 2" long sticks.  Place carrots into 2 jars, putting a ginger slice in the middle of each jar.  Pour vinegar mixture over the carrots, cover, and allow jars to come to room temperature, then put them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 24 hours.  They keep in the refrigerator for 4 weeks.  I think it takes 2-3 days before they start to reach optimal flavor. 

Peter’s Star Bars (Homemade Granola Bars)

2 ½ cups rolled oasts

2 cups chopped mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, pepitas)

1 cup dried fruit (blueberries, pomegranates, Craisins)

1 ½ cups milk or almond milk

1 cup fresh ground peanut butter

¼ cup honey

¼ cup maple syrup

A few pinches of salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Combine oats, nuts, dried fruit and salt into a large bowl, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over low heat for 5 minutes; add in the peanut butter, honey, and syrup.  Stir until peanut butter is melted.  Mixture should be runny; if too thick add a little more milk.

Pour melted peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and mix well.  Keep stirring until all the oat mixture is wet.

Spread onto a quarter sheet or a 9x13” pan and press firmly to even out the bars.  Bake for 1 hour; remove and let sit for 15 minutes.  Cut into rectangles, it will make about 16 bars.

**Peter, my son says you can use most any nuts or dried fruit of your choice!