Homemade granola topped blueberry bars...

Yes... it is Tuesday again, which means another round of baking so Jeff can bring in goodies for Wednesday Treat Day at his office.

I went for a layered bar recipe this time and think I found one that could easily be changed around to use what you may already have on hand. On the bottom of these Blueberry Bonanza Bars is a thick and crisp crust laced with toasted almonds. To ensure the crust stays firm, it is pre-baked from a cold state just until the edges begin to turn golden. While you wait for this to cool, you begin working on an almond-coconut granola that will become the topping. Rolled oats, sliced almonds and coconut are tossed together with a warmed mixture of butter, honey and brown sugar. To assemble, a layer of chunky blueberry preserves is first spread over the cooled crust followed by a final layer of the homemade granola. The bars are then placed back in the oven to set the preserves and to turn the granola into a crunchy golden brown topping.
The richness of the nutty shortbread-like crust is cut from the dark sweet preserves with the faint coconut-scented granola adding a crunchy finish. These would be nice to play around with different flavor combinations - maybe apricot and walnuts or orange and pecans? If you found that you enjoyed the clumpy granola topping, you could make that just by itself - bake in a 325 degree oven until golden - about 25 minutes.

I got one of those "looks" when Jeff saw I pulled out an avocado that he didn't notice we bought this weekend to use in tonight's dinner of Cumin-Dusted Chicken Breasts with Guacamole Sauce. They happen to be one of those ingredients he is adamant he does not like, but I figured we would give it a go anyways and see what happens. I'm usually pretty good at weeding out things that he for sure would not like and I think he has gotten that hint by now. The sauce is a quick-to-make combination of chunky mashed avocado, sour cream, green onions, parsley, fresh lime juice and a few seasonings. The chicken portion of this dish is coated in a sweet and smoky mixture of brown sugar, cumin, salt and pepper. First seared in a hot skillet, the breasts then go for a trip into the oven to finish cooking. The seasonings on the glistening chicken make for a killer sweet caramelized coating that cuts through the heaviness the avocado brings to the sauce. Cool with a refreshing lime tang, the generous sauce bites back a bit with heat from a little addition of ground red pepper. Since the chicken and sauce are so well flavored, we served this over a mild mixture of brown and wild rice.

Recipes
Blueberry Bonanza Bars
Cumin-Dusted Chicken Breasts with Guacamole Sauce