Easy Granola Bars, and TAG! You're it!

My friend Kim from The Farmer's Wife blog tagged me so I'll fulfill my obligations for being "IT" first, then share this fab recipe with you! Growing up in a neighborhood that had something like 64 kids, I got quite good at a lot of the street games. Lets see how I do with this one...


Let's see...says here I've got to answers these 9 questions...fair enough. Here goes:

1.What do you refuse to eat?
Hold the Mayo! HATE mayonnaise, cottage cheese and canned tuna fish.

2. What is the most ethnic dish you have ever made?
The MOST ethnic? Damn, that's a hard one, being Italian American it would be a cop out to post something Italian, and living in a Hispanic community any of those dishes would be a cop out too...I guess it would have to be Chicken Tikka Masala. I don't like curry, but I do like other Indian dishes, and this is one I can get into!

3. Salt or Sweet?
Both! At the same time please!!!

4. What kitchen gadget can you not live without?
My Kitchen Aid stand mixer. When I get into a baking frenzy it's my best friend!

5. Last restaurant you ate at?
That wasn't fast food or a chain restaurant? I think it was the Fireside Pub in Methuen, MA...The last chain was The 99 and the last fast food was Chipotle

6. Where would you like to live if you could move anywhere in the world?
Camden, Maine. it has the wooded mountains and the ocean all in one place.
Heaven on earth to me!

7. What is your blog about?
Food. What's coming out of my kitchen and going into our bellies.
You won't see anything too fancy, but it's always delicious!

8. Do you have pets?
We have 2 dogs (Pugs from the local rescue) and two cats (adopted as kittens from a shelter)

9. What’s the last city you visited?
For work, West Greenwich, RI
For vacation, Mystic, CT

Now I have to tag 4 other bloggers:
Dionne from Try Anything Once
Kristie from Kreated by Kristie
Meghan from Butter Cream Blondi
Mina from Angel Loves Cooking
Tag!! You're it! Now it's your turn to answer these questions! :)

Now for the granola bars! You can make all kinds of substitutions to this recipe depending on what you like and what you have on hand! This is how I made them this time:

Easy Granola Bars

Ingredients

• 3 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup sliced almonds (you can add a cup of whatever nuts you want here)
  
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (you can add a cup of peanut butter, cinnamon, or butterscotch chips here if you want)
  
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, apricots and raisins (you can add a half cup of whatever dried fruit you want here)

Directions

Step-by-step View

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2.In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sweetened condensed milk, butter, coconut, nuts, chocolate chips and dried fruit with your hands until well blended. Press flat into the prepared pan.

3.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.

Enjoy!
Christina