More blogging, heartbeats, and granola bars

So admittedly, I have been a horrible blogger! So so horrible that I haven't even blogged about my birthday...which happened September 22nd! I definitely need to get on the ball. So here is my plan. I am committing to blogging every other day for a week. I know I know, to many of you blogger's that may sound pretty weak, but the way I have been at it lately it will be a huge improvement. So the goal, every other day, till next Thursday:)

Some personal stuff, Micah and I heard our babies heart beat for the first time a couple days ago. It was really cool. We even got to see the little guy (or gal) wiggle around a bit. It is just the size of a kumquat so still very small. I go back in 3 weeks to possibly check if it's a boy or girl. Did you know they may be able to tell sex at 13 weeks? We want to find out soon because if it's a boy I will still have to have an amnio to make sure the baby doesn't have the disease. I'm not too excited about that.

Ok, now on to cooking news. I have actually been cooking alot even though I haven't posted about it. A couple weeks ago I decided to be a really cute wife and make my husband some home made granola bars to take to school with him. I used an Ina Garten recipe and absolutely loved it. However I did leave alot of things out. Like...the dates, apricots, and cranberries. I am not a big dried fruit fan. But I did replace them with something even better, chocolate chips and butterscotch chocolate chips! Really yummy! My husband loved them. If you have a chance try them out and let me know what you think!

Ina wrapped hers up all cutesy in parchment paper, I tried that with
a couple of them but it was the biggest pain! Tape wouldn't stick
to the parchment so they just kept flopping open, so for the rest
I used saran wrap.

Ina Garten Granola Bars

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.