Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The Picnic Game! (Recipe: Granola Bars)

When I was a child, we would play games on long road trips to make the time go more quickly. One of our favorites (that I still play with my husband sometimes) was the I'm Going to Grandma's House game. You start with "I'm going to Grandma's house, and I'm bringing [something starting with the letter A]. The next person says, " I'm going to Grandma's house, and I'm bringing [the word that starts with A] and [something that starts with B]. So on and so forth, you work your way through the alphabet, with each person reciting all the previous items before adding their own.

Apparently, there is a game that is very similar, called the picnic game. Same basic rules, just a couple differences. First, you start with "I'm going on a picnic..." And second, when we "went" to Grandma's house, we "brought" all sorts of random things, like aardvarks, umbrellas, and tutu-toting tortoises. For the picnic game, you have to "bring" a food. Actually, half the time our items for Grandma's house ended up being foods anyway, so this is right up my alley.

Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations is hosting a virtual Picnic. In order to participate in the Picnic Game, each blogger chooses a letter and brings a dish that begins with that letter. I love playing this kind of game, so I was excited to be invited to play Louise's virtual Picnic Game. Here goes!



I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing...

A - Almond Joy Pie
By Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet



B - Baked Beans
By Grub and Stuff



C - Chocolate Picnic Cake
By Dying for Chocolate



By Sporadic Cook



E - Easy Blender Chicken Pie
By Simple Recipes



F - Five Bean Salad
By Moveable Feasts



And my letter: G - Granola Bars!
By Fun Foods on a Budget



These bars are super yummy and super easy to make. Plus, you can customize them any way you want!

Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ or wheat bran
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup flour - all-purpose or whole wheat
1-2 cups additions - like nuts, dried fruits, and baking chips
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey, corn syrup, or pancake syrup
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, additions, and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes for chewy bars, or 30-35 minutes for crunchy bars. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

I have made these several times, doing something different each time. This delicious batch is chewy, made with 1/2 cup each raisins, slivered almonds, and white chocolate baking chips. Yum!

10 comments:

Megan said...

We used to play a similar game called "Crossing the Plains." But in our game the person whose turn it is makes up a secret rule {like all food items, alphabetical order, double letters, etc} and everyone is trying to guess the rule based on what's allowed to go and what's not. The "It" would say, "I'm Crossing the Plains and I'm going to take ______, so I can go." Then the next person goes and if their item doesn't fit the rule, the "It" says, "You can't go." Then "It" gives another example of what can go, etc. A fun game for road trips or for waiting in line! =)

Johanna GGG said...

Those granola bars look just what I have been needing - I have been feeling like something oaty so will put these on the to do list - if only our picnic was actual rather than virtual as I would be making a beeline for this plate

Janet Rudolph said...

Love this recipe. Yes, I'll customize it, too, by adding some chocolate chunks, but then, I'm always DyingforChocolate!

Juliana said...

Oh! Granola bars...love the ingredients in it...look so shinny and tasty...these bars are a great addition to the picnic and everyday...look forward to try it :-)

Hungry Janey said...

I am definitely going to give these a try this weekend. Thanks!

Heather S-G said...

Oh, these sound soooo great! Honestly, I think I'm going to make some today because I can't wait until tomorrow to "have" one ;) Great picnic contribution =)

Karen said...

Perfect! So healthy and delicious . . .

Rochelle R. said...

These look like a delicious picnic treat. I think I would like to try them with some coconut in them.

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Stephanie! Please forgive me for not getting here sooner. Actually, I was here in the midst of planning the picnic game and saw your yummy Granola Bars. It just got so crazy:) I do apologize.

I just wanted to pop in and thank you again for "playing." It's been GREAT fun and you did awesome!!! Thank you so much:) Louise

The Food Hunter said...

I love your granola bars!!