Homemade Granola Bars

 I'm really trying to make more everyday items from scratch. My family loves granola bars, so I decided to try these homemade granola bars from Allrecipes.com. We all loved them! Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour(I used whole wheat pastry flour)
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.  

recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

I have a new favorite recipe site. OnceaMonthMom.com  . I will do once a month cooking from time to time (or my version of it anyways). Once a Month Mom has a TON of wonderful recipes and advice for anyone wanting to try once a month cooking. I made Italian sausage tortellini soup tonight and it was delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

• 1 lb Italian sausage( I used sweet Italian sausage)
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 5 cups beef stock
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped(I used canned)
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 cups zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 cup carrot, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups red bell pepper, diced  (I didn't use)
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 Tablespoons basil, dried
• 1 Tablespoons oregano, dired
• 10 ounces tortellini, cheese, fresh
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

 Saute sausage in a large pan. When the sausage is cooked almost all the way through, push to the side and add onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes, untill onion and garlic are soft. Drain fat. Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, wine, basil and oregano. Simmer for 40 minutes, until carrots are soft. Add tortellini to boiling soup. Follow package directions on tortellini for cook time. Serve with parmesan cheese on top.

Recipe courtesy of Kelly at onceamonthmom.com