The 7 Layer Bar

This is hands down the easiest cookie to make ever. No really, it is. You pour some stuff in a pan and bake it. Oh and here’s the best part, PEOPLE LOVE THEM. So just keep how easy this is a secret – deal?

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Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (just put crackers in a bag and take your anger out by mashing it up)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a 13 x 9 inch pan with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.

3. Cover bottom of pan evenly with graham cracker crumbs. Now layer the three different kinds of chips. Pour the can of condensed milk all over the chips. Then add a layer on top of coconut.

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4. Bake for about 25 minutes, edges and coconut will have started to brown. Once the pan has cooled, lift the foil up and out of pan. Set on a cutting board and slide bars off foil before cutting.

My Favorite Meal of the Week – Lemon Chicken and Broccoli

This is one of those dishes that we tried once for a weeknight dinner, and loved it so much, that it’s now turned into a staple in our house. It’s fast, easy, healthy, and filling. It also requires very few ingredients, so it’s a great option for anyone who wants to avoid searching for a lot of different items at the grocery store.

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Apricot Oat Bars

So here’s the deal. I made these on a night when I made several other cookies and these got overshadowed by two really sweet and decadent cookies. But it wasn’t the apricot oat bars’ fault. They are much healthier than the other two cookies. And I really appreciated these guys the next morning for breakfast. So in conclusion, these are delicious, but more of a healthy brunch item than a decadent dessert.

And I firmly believe that when you want to go for it in the dessert department, you should! I do the two extremes, fruit salad or a massive fatty brownie covered in frosting.

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My Favorite Meal of the Week – Balsamic Onion Tart with Goat Cheese

I used to not like onions. I know what you’re thinking, who was I? And I totally agree. Who doesn’t like onions? First of all, they’re on everything. Second of all, they’re so delicious!! The first time I consciously had caramelized onions (and also watched someone make them) was back when Dave and I first started dating, and it was actually an important day in our relationship. Perhaps this is where my new love for onions comes from! There are so many great things you can do with them, but often they are an add-on to a dish, and not the dish themselves. So when I saw this tart, I just had to try it. And oh my god, it is amazing. The combination of balsamic vinegar and onions is a truly good partnership.

This dish is the perfect appetizer because it’s surprisingly light! It’s also a great dish to make while making other things, because while you don’t actually have to do a ton of work, the onions do have to sit on the stove for an hour to an hour and half. So it’s perfect to do while you’re preparing something else.

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Mini Pies

I just made these mini pies for a friend who came over for dinner because it was just the two of us and there was no way we were going to eat a whole pie, but these would be great for a party. I’ve mentioned this before, but I think people at parties always do better with mini desserts that they can just grab off a plate, and not something they have to cut and serve for themselves.

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My Favorite Meal of the Week – Homemade Potato Chips

Potato chips are fantastic. But the kind you find at your typical BBQ are definitely not something you should be eating all the time. But these homemade versions are much better for you, and yet still delicious and addicting!

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Crostata

So I think you guys know where I stand on easy desserts, I think they’re great. They’re perfect for dinner parties, especially if you don’t have a ton of time to prepare. My mom made me an amazing crostata while I was home this summer, and I’d been wanting to make my own. I did this with a classic summer fruit, peaches. But if you wanted to make this in the fall or winter, you could easily use a different fruit, like apples.

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My Favorite Meal of the Week – Pork Tenderloin with Plum Chutney

While home this summer, my parents served this dish for a dinner party we were having. It was mostly motivated by the fact that they have a very excited little plum tree that is giving them tons of fruit and they were looking for ways to get rid of it. But it turned out to be delicious. So even though you guys don’t have plums growing in your backyards, you should make this. Who doesn’t love meat cooked on the grill? Oh, and then wrapped in prosciutto?

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Buttermilk Scones with Jam

Have you ever experienced a proper tea? Like the kind you have in England with mini sandwiches and amazing scones with cream and jam? Well if not, go online right now, book a ticket to England, and experience a proper British tea. If that’s not an option, then find your nearest fancy hotel that offers a tea. But find some reviews online first to make sure they do it up right. Because the best part of a tea, is not actually the tea. Well at least not for me. It’s the scones with the cream and jam. OH MY GOD. So amazing. Just thinking about it now is making me hungry. Sadly, I don’t do heavy creams or dairies anymore, but I can still get down with a scone and jam. I tested these bad boys out last month for my anniversary. I wanted to surprise Dave with breakfast so I made these and served them with three different fruit jams.

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My Favorite Meal of the Week – Corn Cakes and Green Bean Salad

To me, this is one of those quintessential summer dinners. It involves a lot of different vegetables, and is healthy and light, but also filling. The corn cakes are similar to the zucchini fritters I posted previously, so if you liked those, definitely try this out. These have quickly become a new favorite in my house, made even better by the tomato and avocado home-made salsa we served with them. The green bean salad is another light and healthy item with a lot of diverse flavors, but it takes very little time to throw together.

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