peanut butter and honey oatmeal bars

So it snowed here this week. Not a lot, but enough to stick to the ground. I've said it before and I might eat my words again, but surely this is the last of winter. Right? Right?!?

And, as if snow is not bad enough, we've had insane wind right along with it. I'm not one to complain about wind. I mean, coming from Kansas, the land of few trees and zero hills, wind is just a part of life. But that wind had nothing on this. I'm talking about almost knock me over wind gusts. Like, walking to campus and had to stop and brace myself so I didn't get swept away. People driving by are probably still laughing about it. Next time I'll be sure to strap bricks to my feet to keep me on solid ground.

Spring, please?

I've been bringing you non-stop winter food for what feels like a million years and it's time to change things up. I whipped up these bars one evening when my sweet tooth was jonesing for a snack and I miraculously had all the ingredients on hand. Even though these are technically dessert, I'm going to go out on a limb and dub them (pseudo) health food. These bars are packed full of oats and peanut butter and relatively light on the butter and sugar. Nevertheless, these bars are full of flavor, especially if you opt for honey roasted peanut butter.

I think I could take down a pan of these on my own. In fact, my mouth is watering for one right now. Might have to make another batch of these this weekend to ease my pain at the cold, gloomy weather.

Happy Friday!

peanut butter and honey oatmeal bars

ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy (I used honey roasted peanut butter to enhance the honey flavor)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal (not instant)

peanut butter and honey icing:
1 Tbsp butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar
1/8 tsp salt

directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and lightly grease.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, honey, peanut butter and vanilla until well-combined. At low speed, blend in the flour and salt. Stir in the oatmeal until ingredients are completely combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.

Transfer to prepared pan and spread, using a spatula, into a thin, even layer. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until bars are golden brown around the edges and set. Allow to cool.

For the icing: Beat together butter, peanut butter, milk and honey in a small bowl until well combined. Blend in 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar and salt until smooth. Gradually blend in additional confectioners sugar, one tablespoon at a time until icing has a thick, but still spreadable consistency.

Spread icing into an even layer on top of the bars. Allow icing to set for about 2 hours before slicing the bars. Store bars wrapped or in an airtight container.

Yield: 9 bars

Source: very slightly adapted from Baking Bites

guinness beef stew

I want to face plant in this pot of stew and I'm not even sorry about it.

Yes, that's right, I'm dropping yet another cold weather recipe on you…at the end of March! But hear me out...

I really did think we were over and done with winter foods a few weeks ago. At that point, I thought I had made every winter meal there was. But, I forgot one. And Mother Nature knew. She knew I forgot to make stew. And because of it, we're still stuck with highs in the 30's and a snowstorm in the forecast. Whoops.

So, to appease Mother Nature, let's all make stew. And then maybe April will be different? Maybe?

To be honest, beef stew has never been high on my list. However, I had some Guinness in the fridge for St. Patrick's Day and it only seemed right to put it to good use in a big pot of stew. And I'm certainly glad I did. This guinness beef stew has officially changed my thoughts on stew. The meat is flavorful and perfectly cooked, the veggies are chunky and hearty, but the real winner here is the base of this stew. It's flavored with Guinness, brown sugar, and tomato paste and I'd drink it with a straw. No lie.

Here's hoping this is the last of the cold weather and comfort food. Now go make this stew before spring really gets here.

guinness beef stew

ingredients:
1 (3½ to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness Draught, divided (do not use Guinness Stout as it is too bitter)
5 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat to 325 degrees. Season the beef with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the onions and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional 1 minute.

Whisk in the chicken stock, 3/4 cup of the Guinness, brown sugar and thyme, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beef and return to a simmer.

Transfer the pot to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

Stir in the potatoes and carrots and continue cooking until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 1 hour, stirring halfway through cooking. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of Guinness and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Source: slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from Cook's Country

chicken biscuit pie

Okay, enough already. It's March and there is snow on the ground outside my window. As much as I love sweaters and boots and layering to my heart's content, I'm calling it. We've all had enough, Mother Nature. Give it a rest already.

March has officially come in like a lion so does that mean we for sure have the lamb part ahead?

The only saving grace of all this cold, yucky weather is that I have had ample opportunity to make all my favorite stick-to-your-ribs meals. Chili, stew, risotto…and now pot pie! This is an old-fashioned pot pie with a twist. Instead of the traditional flaky crust (which I will never turn down, by the way…flaky crusts for life!), this pot pie features big scoops of hearty chive buttermilk biscuits, baked right on top of the filling. If you like a greater topping to filling ratio (and who doesn't?), this pot pie is for you.

If you have some shredded chicken on hand (or decide to opt for a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store), this meal will come together mostly in one dish. You'll need an extra bowl for mixing the biscuits, but the rest of the meal is sautéed, baked, and served in one dish. Because we may be stuck inside, but that doesn't mean we want to spend our time doing dishes.

BTW, I have my fingers crossed that this is the last wintery meal I have to make. Can we get a second opinion on that whole groundhog thing?

chicken biscuit pie

for the filling:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped

1 tsp thyme (or 2 tsp fresh thyme, if you have it)

Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (preferably whole milk, but 2% will work)

4 cups shredded chicken
1 cup frozen peas

for the topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
Salt and pepper
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk

directions:
Make the filling: Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, chopped carrots, celery and thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the mustard, then sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Cook, stirring, until the flour is toasted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the broth, milk and shredded chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Make the topping: Whisk the flour, cornmeal, chives, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add 3/4 cup buttermilk and stir until the dough comes together. If the dough feels dry, add additional buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time.

Stir the peas into the chicken filling. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop about 14 mounds of batter on top. Transfer the Dutch oven or skillet to the oven and bake until the topping is puffed and golden, about 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Source: adapted from Food Network's Turkey Biscuit Pie