Windex

So, this isn't technically a food recipe, but I ran out of Windex today while we were cleaning our mirrors and windows so I Googled a DIY recipe and the results were great.  This is just as good as Windex and a lot cheaper too.

Windex

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of WARM water
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch (yes, that's right-- cornstarch)
• 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• Small squirt of dishsoap

Mix the ingredients together in a spray bottle and tada! Done! Just make sure you always shake it before you use it because the cornstarch may settle a bit.

Cranberry Almond KIND Bars

These are super yummy granola bars.  And lots cheaper than buying Kind Bars... holy mackerel!!  I'm going to add some oats and cut down on the nuts a bit to make them even cheaper so I'll post that recipe if it's a success...
You can swap out the nuts and add things like coconut etc. to customize these to your tastes.

Cranberry Almond KIND Bars

Prep time: 10 minutes       Cook time: 20 minutes       Yield: 15 bars

Ingredients

2 cups (230 g) raw whole almonds

1/2 cup (70 g) raw macadamia nut pieces (or cashews)

2 cups (60 g) crisp rice cereal

1 cup (140 g) dried whole cranberries

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons (42 g) canola oil

1/2 cup (168 g) honey

1/4 cup (84 g) corn syrup

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a quarter sheet pan (a shallow rimmed 9 x 13-inch baking sheet) with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
• In a blender or food processor, place about 1/4 of the whole almonds and grind into a mostly fine powder.  Toast the remaining almonds and then chop them just a bit (some will still be whole).  In a large bowl, place the ground almonds, the remaining whole almonds, cashews pieces, rice cereal, cranberries and salt, and mix to combine well. Add the oil, and toss to coat. Add the honey and corn syrup and mix to combine well. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.
• Scrape it into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Use the back of your spoon to press down evenly with as much force as you can muster to compress the mixture into an even layer. Be careful not to allow large clusters of almonds to gather in the corners of the baking sheet, or they will not hold together when you slice the whole thing into bars.
• Bake until the mixture is lightly browned and bubbling (about 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Without removing the bars from the baking sheet and using a butter knife, score the bars into 3 equal rows of 5 rectangles each. Allow the bars to cool for another 10 minutes before placing in the refrigerator until completely chilled (about 30 minutes).
• Remove the bars from the refrigerator and invert the bars onto a cutting board, with the parchment paper now on top. Peel off the parchment paper, and finish cutting 15 bars. Wrap each bar tightly in wax paper, and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Chicken Cannellini Bean Tacos

These tacos are simple and delish - a good crock pot recipe for a busy day.  I used Great Northern beans.

Chicken Cannellini BeanTacos

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs)
3 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 can chopped green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp crushed coriander
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Taco shells
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream
Salsa

Place chicken in crock pot and sprinkle with taco seasoning.  In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, chilies, cumin and coriander; mix well. Pour over chicken. Top with beans.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and stir to get sauce on all the chicken. Allow to warm through if needed. Serve with toppings as desired.

Fresh Cherry Tart

I love, love, love fresh cherries so I was super excited to try this tart. And very happy that it was so deeee-lish!  :)  Also, I used strawberry jam since that's what I had opened and it was just fine.

Fresh Cherry Tart

9 graham cracker (2 1/2 x 5" each)
2 Tbsp plus 1/4 C sugar, divided
6 Tbsp butter, melted
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 C heavy cream
1 lb fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved
1 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam
1 tsp water

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, pulse graham crackers and 2 Tbsp sugar until finely ground. Add butter and process until combined. Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Using the base of a dry measuring cup (or your hand), firmly press mixture into bottom and up sides of pan. Bake until browned, 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add cream and beat until soft peaks form. Spread mixture into cooled crust. Arrange cherries on top.

In a small microwavable bowl combine jam and water; heat 30 seconds at a time until liquified. Using a pastry brush dab cherries with glaze. Refrigerate tart at least 30 minutes.  Can store, covered, up to 1 day.

Muddled Lemonberryade

I made this berry lemonade for our July 4th cook out and it was delish!  The original recipe calls for club soda but we really don't like club soda so we used 7-Up instead and it was great.  I should have taken a picture cause it does look pretty cool. Maybe next time...

Muddled Lemonberryade

4 lemons, sliced
1/2 C mint leaves
1 C sugar
1 pint berries (quartered strawberries & blackberries)
1 quart water
7-Up

Place lemons in bottom of a large pitcher.  Add mint and sugar on top. With a wooden spoon mash the mixture for 1 minute. Add the berries and lightly mash.  Add water and refrigerate until chilled.

Fill tall glasses 3/4 with lemon mixture then top off with 7-Up.  Serve.

Serves 6-8.



Altered slightly from a recipe from Food Network.