"no-bake recipe" news and stories

• It's too hot for the oven, y'all. Time for no-bake tamale pie.
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• Okay, one more quiz. This one's easy, frankly.

With only a few exceptions, granola bars have steadily gotten worse over the past few years. This probably has to do with the fact that more time is being spent developing energy bars, nutrition bars, cereal bars and snack bars, all of which have been growing in popularity. I happen to like granola bars and think of them not necessarily as health food, though they certainly do have healthy aspects, but as a healthy alternative to a candy bar. I like my granola bars to be chewy, slightly soft (as opposed to dry and hard) and with a little bit of crunch.

These perfectly fit the bill.

I like cereal as well as the next person, even the plainer kinds like Rice Krispies and regular Cheerios, which are not exciting enough to be "kids cereal" nor are they healthy enough (i.e. made to enhance "regularity") to be strictly for adults. Let's face it: they're pretty uninspiring as far as cereal options go. I'll buy a box on sale and eat it when I run out of other things. They will last quite some time when the box is unopened. This is an excellent feature since it is only rarely when I put plain-jane cereals to their best use: marshmallow cereal bars. With three ingredients, there is hardly any simpler snack and few more delicious. Since these involve no baking, prepared entirely in the microwave, a batch or two is a great way to clean out the cupboard and make room for newer, more exciting breakfast options. It's also a great thing to make with your kids.