Batch Cooking

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups rolled oats, quick cooking
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9X13 pan.
2. Mix the peanut butter, honey, egg, oil, and vanilla extract until well blended.
3. In a separate bowl combine oats, sugar, salt and mini chocolate chips; add to peanut butter mixture and mix for about a minute.
4. Press the mixture into a 9X13 pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Let the bars cool completely before cutting. I cut them into large bars and it made 15 bars.

*You could even change the chips to milk chocolate or peanut butter chips. It may even be great with chunky peanut butter or Nutella. Store in an airtight container.

Twice Baked Potatoes

• Get out your crock pot. I use 4 potatoes and poked them with a fork a few times. I wrapped them in foils and put them in the crock pot for about 5 hours on high. I turned them over about half way through baking. They actually will brown a little on the bottom and taste like you grilled them!
• When I could easily poke a fork in them I took them out of the crock pot and let them cool. (I had made stuffed shells for dinner so while they were baking, I was able to assemble the potatoes.)
• I don’t have any measurement for this, it’s mostly just to taste. I pretty much use what I put in my mashed potatoes but did not add as much milk, you don’t want them to be too creamy.
• Clean out the potato and put the white part in a bowl. Place the skins on a cookies sheet.
• I add a little butter, milk, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese (or a Mexican mix) salt, and pepper. I used my potato masher and not a mixer to smash them.
• Then I fill up the skins with the mixture and plac them in the freezer to firm up a little. I put 2 potatoes in a small ziploc bag and freeze for future dinners.
• When I wanted to reheat them, I took 4 potatoes and put them on a plate with a paper towel. I microwaved them for 4-5 minutes. I had to put the paper towel on the plate to absorb the water because I think I froze them while they were still warm.