Meal Planning - A Busy Mom's BFF

I debated over making a post about this, because the Interwebs are already littered with meal planning articles.  But this is more of a "praise in favor of", rather than a "how-to" type post.  Because we all have different lives, and what works for me might not work for you.  But y'all--meal planning has been a lifesaver for us, so I just wanted to sing its praises, and then give a few tips for how to make it work for you.

Why I Like It:

- Less Waste:  By preparing a meal plan around what needs to be used up in our fridge/freezer, we sacrifice less food to the trash can in the name of Moldy Mush and Freezer Burn.  And it can feel a little bit like Chopped: "What can I make that uses cauliflower, cilantro, red onion, mushrooms, and avocado? (Answer: this guy.)

- Less stress:  Y'all, I am BUSY.  I work 8a-5p, with a break 3 days a week to go to class, have to coordinate with the Hubs about pick up/drop off of Lil' Man, and in theory, get my lazy butt to the gym.  The less I have to think about what I'm putting together for dinner, the better. Also, by cooking big batches of stuff as part of my meal plan, we have tons of leftovers, which takes care of lunches all week and in-between dinners, so I don't even have to cook every night.  With already having a tight schedule during the work-week, I generally can't afford to leave the office for lunch anyway, so having leftovers I can eat at my desk also helps me be more efficient with my work time.

- Lower Cost:  By planning around what I already have (rather than living off whims), we make fewer trips to the store, and can stock up on foods when they're on sale, and have them in the freezer for when a whim strikes. For example: It's winter right now, and I noticed that one of the stores has potato salad on sale for 99 cents. Well, I don't know about you, but when I see potato salad, all I want is gumbo.  Thankfully, I already have andouille, okra, chicken and shrimp in the freezer (bought while on sale), so I can go buy my cheap potato salad and then make whatever type of gumbo sounds tasty.

Tips For Success: 

Have a Frame:  This could be a chalkboard in your kitchen, an Excel spreadsheet, whatever works for you. I use Pepperplate.com, because it's simple, and I can access it from work, my phone, or home on my laptop.  Pepperplate is designed for 1 week at a time, but you can plan out further than that.  Once I have a week planned, I print out the page and hang it on the fridge for reference.

Have a Method:  For me, I have a mission of ACTUALLY cooking all the things I pin on Pinterest, because I love to try new recipes.  That means I have to be realistic and go through my Pinterest a few times a year and have a heart-to-heart with my mind and stomach: "OK guys, I know that picture of the rosette apple pie looks REALLY pretty, but are we ACTUALLY ever going to bake it?  No."

Seriously...it is GORGEOUS though.

I saw a recommendation on another blog for folks who don't like to experiment--make a list of the meals you and your family really love (and that you like/don't mind cooking).  Ideally it's about 20-30 dishes.  Then, you just divvy those dishes up across a 1-month calendar, and then you plan your shopping each week around those dishes.

Have some Forgiveness:  Things are going to happen that will screw up your plan.  Maybe family make a surprise visit and you go out to eat with them, rather than making the dish that was going to be your leftovers for lunch the next day.  Or maybe everyone gets sick.  Or maybe you just have a crap day and don't feel like cooking.  It's OK.  Our meal plan almost always ends up covered in little cross-offs or arrows where we moved something to a later day.  

Have a Backup:  We almost always have at least one frozen pizza in the freezer, for emergency situations where no one feels like cooking.  I also buy pot pies and microwave meals when we can get them cheap and keep 4-5 in the freezer. So if we do run into a situation where there's no leftovers to take for lunch, I still have something I can grab and take with me to the office in the morning.  

We are not normally this fancy with our microwave meals, but between a sale at Target and an Ibotta deal, got these for $1.50 each.

Take an Inventory:  Like I mentioned, we like to stock up on things while they're on sale, so we have a lot of food in our freezer.  But if we don't actively try to use things up, we end up with random 2 year old freezer-burnt pork chops.  This is particularly important if you have a chest freezer rather than an upright, where it's easier for things to get buried and forgotten about.  I like to do this 1-2 times a year, and then search through my Pinterest recipes to see how we can use up some of the older items.

Yes, that says "9 Bacons".

Take the Shortcuts:  I could spend my weekend meal prepping for the next week...or I could play with my kid.  I could make meatballs from scratch and have dinner on the table at 7pm...or I could buy the frozen meatballs (on sale, of course) and have dinner done in 30 minutes.  Using shortcuts doesn't make you a bad person.  One of my current favorite shortcuts?  Bagged salad kits.  I decided last year I want to eat more delicious salads--you know the ones, with all the different stuff in them?  But I am WAYYYYYYY too lazy to prep a fancy salad at home myself. So, I can either go to the deli or a restaurant and spend $7-8 (or more) on a salad, OR, I can spend $3 on a salad kit that has enough for 2 big salads (so two days' worth of lunches for a buck-fiddy each), and just add grilled chicken breast (prepped the night before or over the weekend) or a tuna pouch from home.  

...and last but not least:

SHARE THE DUTIES:  Y'all, I would be lost without my husband.  He is an amazing life partner, and any time I have to juggle everything myself, it's a mess.  I do really enjoy cooking, but sometimes I just don't have the energy, or I'm running behind.  It's really helpful if I call him on my way home from work and say, "hey, I can get the kiddo if you can start the prep work for dinner, I'll text you the recipe".  And then when I get home, all the chopping and measuring stuff is done, so I can jump right in and start cooking. Or he may just hop in and cook it all himself.  By having a meal plan on the fridge, there's no mystery about what we're having--all he needs is to know where the recipe is.

If you have a great meal planning tip, please share it in the comments!  

Breakfast Oatmeal Bars

This has become one of my go-to staples for breakfast. I can make a 9x13 pan of baked oatmeal bars over the weekend, cut & wrap them in wax paper, and have ready to grab-n-go breakfasts for almost the whole week.

They're also really easy to change up.  The base of the recipe is solid, so you can use raisins & pecans one time, the next time add dried cherries & chocolate chips...sky's the limit.

INGREDIENTS: (makes approx 10-12 bars)
Base:
2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla

Add-in ideas:
- shredded coconut
- chopped nuts
- raisins or other dried fruit
- candied ginger
- chocolate chips
- flaxseed
- chia seeds

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350F, and then lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and then add in the wet ingredients.  Stir until well combined, and then cover and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes (VERY IMPORTANT STEP--don't skip this.  Otherwise your oats will be crunchy and not chewy & moist.)

Then transfer the mixture into the greased baking dish, and bake under golden brown and the edges are pulling away from the pan (about 30 minutes).  Let cool completely and then cut into bars, wrap in wax paper or cling wrap, and store in the fridge.

Tater Tot Poutine: Because WE CAN.

Poutine.  POOOOOOO-TEEEEEN.  It's just a really fun word.

And a delicious dish.  I mean, our friends up north have really nailed the comfort food arena.  Tim Horton's, beaver tails, Nanaimo bars, and POUTINE.  No wonder everyone is trying to move up there...I mean, that's the REAL reason, right folks?  Nothing to do with who El Presidente is.  Put on your best holier-than-thou act all you want---you REALLY just want to have unlimited access to Timbits and a double double from T-Ho's.  AND POUTINE.  Which, if you're not hip to it, is french fries, covered in fresh cheese curds, and then doused in rich brown gravy.  Go on, tell me you're not salivating.

Anywho...

I was perusing the cheese case at my local wine purveyor's the other day and found a package of jalapeno cheese curds from Edgewood Creamery in Purdy, Missouri.  They were marked down for quick sale, and I was happy to oblige.

What shall I do with these cheese curds? The only honest, respectable thing one can do with cheese curds-- serve them over potatoes with brown gravy.  It's every cheese curd's dream to go out like that.  
BUT...I didn't have fries at home. And I didn't want to MAKE fries.  But what I did have?

TATER TOTS.

So, like a good Midwestern non-Canadian gal, I baked up some crispy, delicious tots...

...and got to work.

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 2-3 servings)
Approximately 2 handfuls of tater tots (or more. I won't judge.)
4 ounces cheese curds
1 cup prepared brown gravy (I use Tony Chacheres)
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions (you could easily add or do mushrooms instead--I had some sliced onions I needed to use up and they went really well in this dish.)

DIRECTIONS:
Bake the tater tots according to package directions until brown and crisp on the outside (generally about 20 minutes).

While that's going, prepare your gravy.  Add the cool water, gravy mix, and onions to a small pan, and heat to boiling, while whisking.  Let boil for at least a minute, then decrease the temperature and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency (I like the gravy to be slightly thick, and to cling to the back of a spoon.)

Once the tots are done, transfer them into small bowls, then add the cheese curds, and top with onion gravy.  

Pairs well with Dark Star black kolsch from Bur Oak Brewing in CoMo.

Basil Kale Pesto & Italian Sausage Pasta

Last week I picked up some kale at the store...this bunch was MASSIVE.  Like, wouldn't even fit in the crisper drawer of our fridge massive.  I froze about half of it to use later on, made a batch of Zuppa Toscana with some, and then put most of the rest of it into this pesto. I've made a kale pesto before, but since I have basil in my garden this year, I figured it would be pretty tasty to use both together!  

This was a super-easy dinner to throw together after work.  I had the sausage cooking on one burner, the pasta water going on another, and then the pesto being blended in the food processor, so you can really work on all the elements at once.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 6 servings)
1 lb italian sausage, without casings
10 oz bowtie pasta
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic

pesto:
3-4 leaves fresh kale, stems removed
1 loose cup of fresh basil (~10-15 leaves)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet, cook the sausage until fully browned.  Drain the fat.
At the same time, start a pot of water for the pasta, and season with the salt and garlic.  When it's up to a rolling boil, add your pasta and stir occasionally. Boil your pasta 'til al dente.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the ingredients for the pesto and then blend until the kale & basil are finely minced and everything is combined into a big beautiful green mush. Should be a slightly thin paste.  Season to taste, as kale can be a little bitter--the lemon juice will help to offsite that.

When the pasta is finished cooking, drain the water, and then combine all ingredients (pasta, sausage, and pesto) in that pot.  

Garnish with extra parmesan, cracked black pepper and some basil chiffonade, if you're feelin' fancy.  Serve with a side of bread, or salad, or both if you're wild & crazy like that.  Enjoy!

NutriFacts: (per serving)

• Calories485.3
• Total Fat26.8 g
• Saturated Fat10.5 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat4.0 g
• Monounsaturated Fat17.8 g
• Cholesterol60.6 mg
• Sodium1,153.6 mg
• Potassium394.8 mg
• Total Carbohydrate41.8 g
• Dietary Fiber3.6 g
• Sugars2.5 g
• Protein20.1 g

Smoky Shrimp & Grits

As expected, holidays around here were hectic. I’m sure you can empathize!  But I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and filled your bellies with delicious, warm, comfy foods, and perhaps got a few nice gifts!  I hope your children & extended family didn’t completely destroy your home, and that you had a few moments to rest & put your feet up.
Today’s recipe is perfect for a cold, snowy day when you need something creamy, cheesy & satisfying.  Plus, if you use instant grits, it takes less than 30 minutes to make.  Perfect for after work when you need to throw something together on the fly that still feels gourmet—plus it’s under 300 calories per serving!
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup instant grits
• 1 cup smoked gouda, shredded
• 4 slices bacon, 1/2” diced
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 2 green onions, sliced
• smoked salt (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
First, cook your grits according to the package.  If you’re morally opposed to instant grits, you can make regular, I was just saving some time.  Once the grits are fully cooked, stir in the cheese.
Next, in a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy (6-8 minutes).  Pull the pieces out & let drain on a paper towel.  Then add the shrimp, tomatoes, corn, Cajun seasoning & smoked salt to the skillet & cook until the shrimp are done (3-5 minutes).  Stir in the green onions at the last minute, then serve over grits.
NutriFacts:
 Calories 281.8
  Total Fat 5.1 g
  Saturated Fat 2.9 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
  Monounsaturated Fat 0.3 g
  Cholesterol 228.5 mg
  Sodium 769.3 mg
  Potassium 366.1 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 27.4 g
  Dietary Fiber 2.1 g
  Sugars 1.8 g
  Protein 29.7 g

Guest Post: Primo’s Red Beans & Fries

Time for another guest post from my cousin Primo, straight from his pad in NOLA!  Seemed perfect to post on a Monday!

~~~

It’s Monday and that means it’s red beans & rice day down here in New Orleans. In the 19th century, Monday was laundry day in the city. Without washing machines, the women of the house had to wash all of the household’s laundry painstakingly by hand, leaving little time for cooking.  So dinner had to be something that could cook without being fussed over.
Enter the red kidney bean, brought to New Orleans by those fleeing Haiti’s slave rebellion. The beans needed to soak overnight before cooking. After soaking and draining them, housewives simply set the beans on the stove with fresh water to boil until tender, and then added a delicious helping of sautéed “trinity”– the Cajun/Creole cooking base of diced onions, celery and bell peppers.  This would typically also be combined with leftover ham from Sunday’s big family dinner.
While I love red beans and rice, I wanted to mix things up a bit and put a small twist on a local staple. While Monday is ‘red beans and rice day’ down here, it’s Monday Night Football for  the rest of the country. Football and finger foods go together like, well, red beans and rice. Thus, red beans and FRIES were born.

(FeauxNote: if you’ve made up a big batch of red beans & have some leftovers, this is a great way to use them up.)
INGREDIENTS:
Frozen waffle fries (or if you have a mandoline, you can make your own)
1 can Blue Runner red beans
1 lb smoked sausage (traditionally andouille or tasso, but use what you like best)
1/2 – 1 cup of trinity (diced bell pepper, celery & onion)
Green onions for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 400F and when at temp, throw in your French fries (waffle fries hold up best for our purposes; Alexia makes some seasoned waffle fries, and Great Value sells a generic for about $2.00).

While I have the luxury of a modern washing machine, I decided to cheat and use a can of Blue Runner creamed red beans for experimentation purposes (and because I felt lazy). (FeauxNote: I can get Blue Runner at Wal-Mart in Missouri, but if you can’t find them, you can try this Crockpot recipe.)

While the beans heat up on the stovetop, dice a link or two of your favorite sausage—andouille in my case (FeauxNote: Johnsonville makes a New Orleans style smoked sausage if you can’t find real andouille near you) and drop the sausage in a medium skillet or saucepan to begin heating up and releasing that delicious fat. Enter your “trinity”. Again, I cheated and bought a container of pre-chopped veggies.

Add as much or as little to taste. Sauté those fine ingredients together until your onions become translucent. At this point, your peppers and celery will retain their crunch for a good texture contrast. Remove from heat.
Place a good base layer of your fries on a plate (platter if serving family style). Add a layer of the trinity/sausage. Heap your creamed red beans on top (FeauxNote: I added the Blue Runner beans to the pot and mixed it all together, rather than keeping them separate & layering—still tastes awesome). Lastly, garnish with some freshly diced green onions from your window garden…

…add a dash (or 5) of hot sauce, and serve.

Oh, and watch out for aliens posing as butternut squash. (Compliments of Feaux’s Hubs.)

Since the serving size on this varies (especially if you’re sharing with a group), I won’t attempt a NutriFacts sheet, but just use your brain—stop when you’re full.

Hey….I didn’t say it would EASY.  But just TRY to have some restraint.

Have a great week, folks!

Thai Cashew Quinoa Salad

A friend recommended this dish on Pinterest. I’m a big fan of her Chinese noodle salad, so I figured if she liked this, then it had to be good!  It’s so fresh and crunchy—and I LOOOOOOVE all those colors! I tweaked the recipe a bit to add a little more heat to balance out the sweetness of the dressing.

INGREDIENTS:

¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1 heaping cup shredded purple cabbage
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup edamame, shelled
½ cup cashew halves
½-1 cup chopped cilantro (we like a lot of cilantro)
¼ cup diced green onions

For the dressing:
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp sriracha
Water to thin, if necessary

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the quinoa according to package instructions—it should make about 2 cups when cooked. Set aside in the pot.

Add the peanut butter and honey to a small microwave safe bowl and nuke for about 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and sriracha and whisk until smooth and creamy. If necessary, thin the dressing by adding a little more olive oil or some water.

Drizzle half of the dressing over the cooked quinoa & mix to coat.  Then in a large bowl, combine the red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, edamame, cashews, and cilantro. Fold in the quinoa.  Add as much of the remaining dressing as you’d like (to taste). Garnish with green onions. Chill until ready to eat.

We served it with some grilled chicken, and topped the chicken with a little bit of the leftover dressing.

NUTRIFACTS: (salad only)

Calories 234.3

  Total Fat 9.5 g

  Saturated Fat 1.4 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 2.7 g

  Cholesterol 0.0 mg

  Sodium 485.6 mg

  Potassium 160.5 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 29.1 g

  Dietary Fiber 3.4 g

  Sugars 6.4 g

  Protein 10.0 g

Quinoa Salad & a 3 Day Cleanse

Somewhat symbolically, with the beginning of the new year, the Hubs & I decided to try a cleanse.  I say “somewhat” symbolic, because it was really more about trying to get our systems back in check after consuming massive amounts of holiday food.  The sis-in-law told us about the 10 Day Water Cleanse, but she also mentioned that her brother in law broke down crying after being on it for 7 days.  Umm… no thanks.

Instead, we opted to go with the 3-Day Jumpstart Cleanse, because, well…it’s only 3 days.  I am far less likely to give up something that’s only 3 days.  And it seemed pretty simple too: protein shake in the morning,  some probiotics & vitamins throughout the day, and you only have to give up caffeine, gluten, dairy, processed sugar, and booze.  I can live without those for 3 days.

Prebiotic protein shake: blueberries, almond milk, banana, kale, protein powder, & apple cider vinegar.

However, the tricky thing about eating is what you’re allowed to eat together.  Fruits & veggies you can have any time, but you’re not allowed to have animal protein, grains, or legumes together.  That may sound like no biggee at first, but it poses a big challenge when you’re planning a meal…especially when you throw those other rules in there. 

“Glazed chicken wings with peas! Wait…are peas legumes?  And wait, we can’t glaze wings, because of the sugar… Okay, side of corn w/dry rub wings? Wait…is corn a grain?  What does it say about starches?  Does it count potatoes as a veggie?  How about tuna salad…wait, no, there’s sugar in the mayo…”

“I’m craving sweets…how about a microwave oatmeal muffin?  Wait…no…can’t have the brown sugar, and can’t combine egg (animal protein) and oats (grains)…. are oats even gluten free?  UGHHH…”

My first day of the cleanse, I was completely ill-prepared.  I ended up taking a hard boiled egg, some edamame, and raw veggies for lunch.  For dinner, we did grilled chicken & steamed broccoli…and were then pretty well worthless all day because of how few carbs we’d taken in during the day.

Now, on Day 3, here’s what I threw together for lunch, so we could make up for some missing carbs.

This is a twist on my salsa rice recipe, but I used quinoa to get more protein & be more filling, since I couldn’t use beans & grains together.

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

1/4 onion, diced

1 tsp garlic powder

14 oz can tomatoes & green chilis

1 handful cilantro, chopped

Corn, removed from 1 ear

1/2 avocado, chopped

2 Tbsp lime juice

chili powder, cumin & paprika to taste

 

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the water & quinoa in a pot & bring it to a boil.  Add the diced onion and the garlic powder, cover, and reduce the temperature to simmer & let cook for 15-20 minutes.

When the quinoa is fully cooked, add the remaining ingredients & mix well to combine. 

Then, voila, you’re done!  Healthy, delicious, and super easy!  I love all the colors!

 

NutriFacts: (makes 4 servings)

Calories: 350

Fat: 8.3 g

Fiber: 8.4 g

Carbs: 60.3 g

Sodium: 358 mg

Protein: 11.7 g

Christmas Candy: Peanut Clusters & Peppermint Bark!

Happy holidays, friends!  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Feliz Navidad, and all that jazz.  This is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year.  Hot cocoa, candy canes, some fluffy white stuff outside, evergreens covered with twinkle lights inside, Christmas movies on every channel, and neighbors who say “electric bill be d@mned” and cover their houses with LED bulbs synchronized to Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  It’s MAGICAL, I tell ya!

It’s also crazy hectic.  How many Christmas parties did you attend this year?  No less than four here, with even more invites that we just couldn’t make it to.  And you’re usually expected to bring some sort of tasty treat for the hosts/other guests, right?  Which of course, you have TONS of extra time to make, right?

Well, before you break down & bring sugar cookies* from the supermarket, I’d like to suggest a couple quick & easy alternatives.

(PS—we do not condone store-bought sugar cookies.  Try this family recipe here, instead.)

These treats arose because, with The Scoop closed for the season, we happen to have about 6 packages of almond bark & melting chocolate, which we use during the season to make our specialty cones:

 

(Yes, that’s bacon.  Don’t judge.)

We also had a large can of peanuts leftover… Peanuts…chocolate?  You see where I’m going.  Right?  …no?  Okay, I’ll show you.

Yes, PEANUT CLUSTERS!  Seriously, these could not be easier.

Ingredients: (Makes about 15 clusters)

3 squares melting chocolate

1 dash vanilla extract

Peanuts (about 1 1/2 cups)

 

Directions:

First, place a metal cookie sheet in the freezer or fridge.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 60-90 seconds in the microwave.  Stir with a spatula & add in the vanilla, then add the peanuts, and toss until well coated.  Add peanuts about 1/2 cup at a time, till you have a good chocolate : peanut ratio (if you add too many peanuts, the clusters won’t stick well to each other & the peanuts might not get completely covered.

Pull the cookie sheet out of the fridge & cover it with wax paper; then drop the peanut mixture onto the wax paper in spoonfuls.  When you’ve used up all of your mix, place the cookie sheet back in the fridge until set. (It shouldn’t take more than about 15 minutes.)

As a fun variation of this (if you have some extra time), you can mix some peanut butter & peanuts together, drop spoonfuls of that mix onto a waxed cookie sheet & freeze for about 30 minutes, then coat those in the melting chocolate.  It’s like a Reese’s PB cup!

 

Not much for peanuts?  How about peppermint?

Ingredients: (makes approximately 8x12 sheet of bark)

3 squares white almond bark

3 squares melting chocolate

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

2 candy canes, crushed (a plastic baggie + meat mallet work well)

 

Directions:

Cookie sheet => fridge or freezer, then cover with wax paper

Melt white chocolate first (60-90 secs in the microwave) and add 1/4 tsp of peppermint extract.  When that’s well combined, pour the white chocolate onto your wax papered cookie sheet and spread out as evenly as possible.  Place in fridge to harden.

Now melt your milk chocolate in the microwave, and add the peppermint extract to it.  Mix well, and then pour on top of the white chocolate.

Spread evenly over the top, and then immediately sprinkle your peppermint crumbles over the top.  Press into the chocolate if necessary so they stick well.

Place back in the fridge for about 15 minutes, and then break apart into pieces.  It doesn’t have to be pretty—think Peanut Brittle.  You can cover the top of the bark with another sheet of wax paper if you don’t want to put your hands all over food that may eventually go in someone else’s mouth.