CANDIED PECANS OR WALNUTS

Great on the Buca Salad, or alone as a snack!

Ingredients:

1 C. sugar

1/2 C. cold water

3/4 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 lb. shelled pecan or walnut halves

Directions:

Combine 1^st 5 ingredients in a skillet on medium high heat; simmer until mixture spins small thread from spoon (will bubble, separate & expose skillet bottom when scrape a wooden spoon across it). Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Continue stirring until syrup coats pecans. Pour on waxed paper and gently separate nuts while cooling. (If they don’t seem to harden, put back in skillet and heat a little more).

HONEY CRUNCH SNACK MIX

This makes a great snack!

Ingredients:
1/2 C. butter (1 stick)
1/3 C. honey
1/4 C. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 C. crispix
1 C. oats
2 C. pecans

Directions:
Place first five ingredients in a saucepan and stir together over low to medium heat...until the butter melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Place the crispix, oats and nuts in a shallow baking pan (a jelly roll pan works perfect). Pour the butter/honey mixture on top and carefully stir to coat the cereal. Place in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, stirring at least once. Remove and place on waxed paper to cool. Then add craisins and store in an air-tight container.
Yum!

*You can use different nuts, or omit nuts entirely and use more cereal...

thanks Marie Snodgrass!

CORRIE'S GRANOLA BARS

These are so yummy (even with raisins)! Makes a great snack or breakfast...great on a trip!
(and don't tell your kids...but they are healthy too!)

Ingredients:
2 C. oats
1 C. flour*
3/4 C. brown sugar*
3/4 C. raisins or dried fruit (I usually use a mixture of several, or whatever I have on hand)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. walnuts (opt.)
1/2 C. melted butter
1/2 C. honey
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 T. milled flaxseed (opt.)

*you can use white-wheat flour or half whole-wheat flour and can cut back on the sugar some...just don't overbake them or they will be too dry with these changes!

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and place in a greased jelly roll pan, forming a flat square loaf (about an inch tall, don't touch the sides of pan). Mixture will be dense and gooey. Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. Let bars cool completely before cutting into squares or rectangles. Bars will be chewy. Enjoy!

thanks Corrie Sides!