Hello dear readers! I’m back here today with two delicious recipes to share with you. Yes, it is Friday and you might be thinking, “Wait. What? No Fun Friday Favorites post?” Never fear…those posts will begin soon. But with the self-quarantine in place, I felt it was urgent to give you two yummy ideas to bake and make today. You’re welcome.

Up first…

Salted Nut Bars. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and for the record…her bars are always better than mine. I don’t know what I do differently, but when she makes them, we all gobble them up like starving hyenas. Carol actually calls them Sickening Bars, probably because they are so sickening good. Here’s the recipe:

Salted Nut Bars

1 yellow cake mix

2/3 cup melted butter (11 TBSP)

1 egg

3 – 4 cups of marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

2/3 cup light Karo syrup

12 oz pkg of peanut butter chips

2 cups Rice Krispies

12 oz. jar of peanuts

Grease a jelly pan (or 9×13 pan if you’d like thicker bars) and preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust: combine the box of yellow cake mix, 2/3 cup of melted butter, and 1 egg. Mix and press into pan. (I use a ziplock baggie on my hands to press into the pan, so it isn’t so sticky. See photo below.) Bake 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread 3-4 cups of marshmallows over crust. Then, back 5-7 more minutes, until puffy. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cool.

On stovetop, melt 1/4 cup butter, 2/3 cup light Karo syrup, and 12 oz pkg of peanut butter chips. Once melted, remove from stove and add Rice Krispies and peanuts. Spread this mixture over the marshmallow layer. ENJOY!

Alright. Now that you have your dessert made. Because we all know that desserts rule the world. Up next…I have a delicious appetizer for you to make. There are many vegetables in this, therefore, I feel it’s a healthy dish to counterbalance the ridiculous amount of tortilla chips that will be consumed with it.

Cowboy Caviar

2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 avocado, diced

11 oz can of yellow & white corn (or super sweet corn)

15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained & rinsed

15 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed

3-4 tsp dried cilantro or 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup sugar

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

In large bowl, combine tomatoes, peppers, onion, avocado, corn, black-eyed peas, and black beans.

In smaller bowl, whisk together olive oil, sugar, white wine vinegar, salt, chili powder, and dry cilantro (if using fresh cilantro, put in large bowl with peppers and other ingredients).

Once you’ve whisked together, pour over the tomatoes and peppers mixture in the large bowl. Stir gently, allowing the oil mixture to cover all of the vegetables. Store in a sealed bowl until ready to serve.

Enjoy with tortilla chips.

And there you have it. Two new recipes for you to make. Stay healthy and we’ll see you back here next week!

xo ~

Angela Banae