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Your favorite trail mix has been transformed into the ultimate candy bar in this Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark with swirled layers of white and dark chocolate, studded with dried fruits, and crunchy nuts.  Salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy, and CHOCOLATE are all covered in this beautiful and easily adaptable holiday treat.

One of my favorite things about chocolate bark is the versatility of it. Need a last minute hostess gift? Take five minutes before getting ready for dinner and stir together a batch. It will harden in the fridge in less than an hour. Slice it, bag or box it, and you'll have a one of a kind gift that everyone will love. Need a quick dessert? Chill a batch in the refrigerator before dinner and break it apart as you brew some coffee or pour wine after dinner.

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Filled with chewy marshmallows and crunchy peanuts, this Rocky Road Chocolate Bark is sure to be loved by chocolate-loving kids and adults alike this holiday season. Cookies may get the most talk this time of year, but there's something even better about a treat that comes together in just a few minutes, looks impressive as a gift, and doesn't even require you to turn on the oven. 

Barks, toffees, and fudge are my favorites among all holiday treats. When it comes to gift giving, what's not to love about a recipe that provides multiple gifts in one fell swoop?

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When we're looking for an alternative to the turkey sandwich or yet another plate of leftovers, this Southwest Turkey Chopped Salad is one of our favorite meals to make. Crisp vegetables, plenty of roasted turkey, black beans, pine nuts, cheese, and crunchy tortilla chips are tossed with a spicy ranch dressing in this very flavorful and easy to make meal.

Often, when using the leftover turkey in different meals, the turkey flavor overpowers everything else in the dish. The turkey in this salad is mixed with so many other great flavors, the flavors balance nicely. This salad gets two thumbs up from Sean and all three kids every year.

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It's my favorite time of the year and I'm having a blast sharing my holiday excitement by giving away more of my Favorite Things! Today is extra special, because if you love finding the perfect gift even half as much as I do, this $50 Amazon Gift Card is going to make your day.
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Flavorful marinated strips of fork-tender beef are served with crisp hot onions and peppers in this recipe for Beef Bulgogi. Bulgogi is one of the most well-known Korean foods and I've been trying to make it at home for years now. I've tried some ridiculously complicated recipes with tons of special ingredients and nothing tasted right. I finally asked my friend, Shinae, if she had a bulgogi recipe for me to try and sure enough, her recipe was perfect!

Similar to the way that Jap Chae makes my heart go pitter pat, Bulgogi is Sean's favorite Korean food. When I first tasted this beef, as it was coming out of the hot skillet, I almost squealed with happiness. I grabbed a fork and ran a bite to Sean's office for him to try. We both loved it. Sean followed me back to the kitchen and kept sneaking bites from the waiting bowl as I finished cooking the rest of the meat. I've made this a couple of times now and our kids love it every bit as much as we do.

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"Slice the meat against the grain" is found in the instructions for many recipes. You've probably seen that written countless times and if you didn't know how to find the grain, you might have guessed and crossed your fingers. When I was a newlywed, I remember flipping the meat over about ten times trying to figure out where and what the grain was.

When working with most beef, it is important to slice the meat across (or against) the grain of the meat. The meat is made of long muscle fibers all lined up in a row. You want to slice across the muscle fibers (also called the grain of the meat) and break them into the smallest sections possible. By slicing across those fibers, the meat won't be tough at all and it will be wonderfully tender.

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Creamy vanilla ice cream swirled with rich caramel sauce, filled with chunks of crisp shortbread, chewy caramel candy, and dark chocolate. This ice cream is perfect for a warm summer night, a dinner party with friends, or as a grand finale for Thanksgiving night.

Inserting rant here --> Why do we only share ice cream recipes in the warm months? Does everyone stop buying ice cream in the winter? Does homemade ice cream no longer trump every single carton on the shelf mid-winter? Heck no. I might not recommend eating this on your front porch if you are in Michigan, New York, Minnesota, or anywhere else that isn't 60+ degrees most of the winter! But why not eat ice cream in front of a cozy fire?

Help me out here, my friends who live in places that actually see snow. I know I live in Phoenix and our winter months aren't really winter at all, but do you really not eat ice cream in the winter???

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Roasted green beans are smothered in a creamy cheese sauce and then broiled until crispy to make this Green Bean Gratin. Barely 15 minutes from start to finish and I was scooping these cheesy beans onto our plates. There will be plenty of sauce left on the pan, so be sure to pick up some crusty bread to make the most of it!

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Millionaire Bars begin with crisp buttery shortbread, then they are layered with chewy caramel and dark chocolate. I could probably stop right there and you'd be convinced to make these bars. However, I need to tell you that these bars taste just like a Twix, only better. Why? Because the shortbread is more flavorful, the caramel is richer, and the chocolate is darker. So yes, much better.

These bars were absolutely irresistible. I sliced them for the photo and then I slivered them into bite size pieces. This was not the wisest move, because every single time I opened the refrigerator for the next day I popped another piece in my mouth.

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After years of using plastic scoops that broke when scooping peanut butter or melted in the dishwasher, I'm loyal as can be to stainless steel measuring spoons and cups. Because they are one of my favorite things, I'm giving this set of Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons to one lucky winner today! These measuring tools would make a fabulous stocking stuffer for any cook or baker in your life.

I have at least 3 different sets of cups and 4-5 sets of spoons in my kitchen drawer right now. I'm a firm believer in not having to stop and wash something midway through a baking or cooking project. So, even if you already have a great set, you probably need another one. Just call me the enabler of easier baking days!


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This is my newest favorite salad. I don't do a whole lot of copycat recipes, but this one, I can't even tell you how much this one needed to be made. This is a copycat recipe for Costco's Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad. The crunchy greens, sweet-tart cranberries, and crunchy-salty pumpkin seeds are tossed in a creamy poppyseed dressing and it all works together to make this salad worthy of our Thanksgiving table, and likely at least a dozen more tables as well before the end of the year.

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Caramel Cheesecake Dip is without a doubt one of the best spur of the moment recipes ever. Yesterday was a baking day for me and my counters were covered with a ridiculous assortment of ingredients. I had some leftover cream cheese after making a couple batches of cookies (new recipe coming next week!) and about half a jar of caramel sauce was left sitting on the counter too.

I tossed the cream cheese in the mixer and beat it until it was smooth, then drizzled in caramel sauce until it tasted just right. This might be the easiest recipe you'll see here on the blog this month, but trust me when I tell you that you want to make it.

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Whether you like to eat your chicken with or without the skin, there is no denying that boneless chicken is easier to eat, faster to cook, and often more convenient than bone-in chicken.

Today I'm sharing my method for removing the bone from chicken thighs. This makes it possible to enjoy boneless chicken for a fraction of the price from the store!

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Bite size meatballs, sautéed mushrooms, and fettuccine noodles are smothered in a creamy classic stroganoff sauce to make this Meatball Stroganoff Fettuccine. This recipe is the result of combining my boys' request for meatballs with my own craving for pasta and mushrooms.

My whole family gave the meal two thumbs up and it will definitely be made again. I think these saucy meatballs will also be delicious served with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes.

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Holiday recipes are in abundance right now and everywhere I look there is something new that I want to try. As I wrap up our plans for this year's Thanksgiving table, I'm sharing my family's top picks for side dishes this year. Whether you are looking for something new, or planning to make all of your family's favorites, I wish you a positively delicious day!

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These Doughnut Waffles are lightly sweetened and flavored with a dash of nutmeg before being dipped in a maple glaze. I've made these waffles a few times now and each time they've disappeared lightning fast. My youngest son stood in the kitchen cheering and jumping up and down as he watched my every movement as I started dipping the waffles this weekend. (Can you blame him? What's not to love about a sweet weekend breakfast?)

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Roast beef tender enough to cut with a fork, each juicy slice is loaded with southwestern flavors. Our favorite Mexican spices are rubbed into the roast before cooking, creating a crust so delicious, you may find yourself snacking on little pieces of beef before this makes its way to the table.

Roast beef is one of my favorite company meals. A few minutes prep work and then the main dish cooks on its own while I'm handling the rest of the meal. This roast is brushed with honey mustard and then rubbed with an abundance of southwestern spices before an overnight rest. A couple hours before dinner, start it in the oven and cook it to a perfect medium rare (or the level of doneness that your family likes best).

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"Tie the roast before cooking" - how many times have you skipped over those words in a recipe? I used to skip the tying step every time, because I had no idea how it was done and the couple times I attempted it wound up a mess.  I'm going to show you a frustration free, simple technique that works every single time and the results are well worth the minute or two of effort!

Tying a roast before cooking helps the meat cook evenly and prevents the roast from spreading out as it cooks. The cooked roast will be nice and round and the juices are more likely to stay inside the roast instead of running out of it.

This is as easy as tying your shoes, I promise. (It might even be easier!) If I can learn to tie a great roast, then anyone can do it!

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Bite size balls of buttery cookie dough filled with salted pistachios and sweet cranberries, it's impossible to eat just one. I've been craving cranberries like mad lately and I'm resisting the urge to make my beloved Cranberry Christmas Cake for at least a couple more weeks. (I could eat that whole cake myself in a couple of days!) When I saw the Craisins sitting next to the oatmeal yesterday after breakfast, I couldn't resist trying a cookie dough ball for snacking.

Pistachios with cranberries is a new-to-me flavor combination and I really liked it. I've seen the combination popping up all over the place over the past few years. Sue paired cranberries with pistachios in this gorgeous bread, Aimee made biscotti, and Julie made granola bars.  I finally had to try them together for myself. The salty nuts and sweet fruit combined with the buttery brown sugar oatmeal cookie dough proved to be an irresistible combination.

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Thick and creamy clam chowder filled with plenty of potatoes, clams, and bacon is perfect for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion. This is an excellent clam chowder that rivals some of the best chowder I've ever eaten. (and yes, that includes Pike Place Chowder!)

I've tried several different clam chowder recipes over the past few years and I've never liked one enough to share it with you. However, I absolutely love this Chunky Clam Chowder; it is rich and flavorful with the clam flavor present in every bite. This is your best potato soup taken to a completely new level.

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Welcome to the first week of November, my friends! Are you getting excited about the holidays yet? I spent last weekend in Wooster, Ohio with Certified Angus Beef and ten other food bloggers. We had a blast in the Certified Angus Beef test kitchen learning more than I ever could have imagined there was to know about beef. In addition to all the beef talking, learning, cooking, and eating; I had a great time wandering through the small town and soaking up all of the gorgeous autumn leaves, cool weather, and small town window shopping.
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Crispy roasted potatoes, topped with melting cheese and plenty of crisp bacon are a great side dish for any meal. I've served these Crispy Cheese and Bacon Potatoes with eggs for breakfast and with herb roasted chicken for dinner. There is never a bite leftover.

The secret to these potatoes is an extra long roasting time and a good drizzling of bacon grease. The smoky bacon flavor is in every bite and the extra minutes in the oven leave the edges of each potato nice and crisp with a fluffy center. The recipe is really quite simple, despite the extra time in the oven. Luckily, there is very little actual work involved, making this my kind of recipe!

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Win my favorite coffee cup in the first of TEN FUN GIVEAWAYS this holiday season! I am so very excited that the holidays are finally in full swing. Less than a month is left until Thanksgiving and I can hardly wait!

I'm going to be giving away one of my favorite things every week through the end of the year. I'm almost done shopping for my family and I'm ready to have fun finding some of my very favorite things to give away.
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*** Throughout the month of November 2014, Barefeet In The Kitchen will donate $1 to Feeding America for every comment left on this blog post, up to $500. Thank you for helping feed the hungry! ***

As I was growing up, my family was often blessed by food gifts from charity. I learned a lot from countless meals of plain beans and rice. I remember watching my mother cry over a gift of groceries. I learned to be grateful for every single thing in my life. Though I grew up without an abundance of material things, I was richly blessed and I never went to bed hungry.

There may never be anything more beautiful to me than a full pantry. The monotony of grocery shopping as an adult is countered by the overwhelming gratitude that I am able to go to the store and purchase what we need every week.

If you were hanging out with me here on the blog last year, you'll remember that we participated in a food drive through Feeding America and together we raised almost $5,000 to help feed the hungry throughout the holiday season.

Once again, as the end of the year approaches, I would love to get as much food as possible into the homes of those who need it. Every dollar you give through our Virtual Food Drive helps provide TEN meals for people in need. We can work together to make a HUGE impact in many lives this holiday season.
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