Have you ever been to the state fair in your state? I hadn’t until this weekend. The Michigan State Fair has a long history and was originally in Detroit. After funding evaporated it disappeared for a bit until it was reinvigorated at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.
I’ve been on a kick of doing everything I can this summer and Novi is not terribly far from home, so we headed to the state fair. We weren’t sure if we would enjoy it, but we didn’t have anything else to do, so we went in with an open mind.
Once we found a parking spot, which was a but challenging and hilariously made Dad super impatient, we headed inside to get our wristbands and explore the indoor portion of the fair.
There were tons of vendor booths with locally made products and local business owners. While a few of the vendors were a little too pushy in trying to sell their product or service, most of them were very nice and we picked up some local honey and some roasted lentils for snacking. There was even a mini farmers’ market which was cute.
There was a showcase of things that had won fair prizes from paintings to quilts to floral arrangements to baked goods. I really enjoyed exploring the wonderful things people had made. Of course, the animals made up a large portion of the indoor exhibit. There were giant cows, tons of adorable goats, baaing sheep, and some pigs that we didn’t get a good look at.
We headed outside on what I am fairly certain was the nicest Labor Day weekend ever weather wise. It was seriously perfect out – 80s, sunny, a gentle breeze. We explored the numerous food stands with all the classic fair foods: hot dogs, fries, ice cream, cotton candy, funnel cake, roasted corn, before walking around the rides, games, and more animal exhibits with adorable bunnies and beautiful birds.
It was a lovely day and I really hope if you have the chance to explore a state fair near you, I really hope you go. It’s such a fun, relaxing summer experience that really is quintessential.
You know what else is quintessentially summer? These Peach Blueberry Breakfast Bars. I made a purely peach version last summer, and I only improved them by adding blueberries.
These are vegan and gluten free and kind of healthy, loaded with oats and fruit and nuts. And they are crazy delicious. I want to sit down and eat the whole pan. They have this almost fritter thing going for them with the glaze and gooey interior, but they are much, much healthier than fritters.
I’m not letting summer go and you shouldn’t either. We have Peach Blueberry Breakfast Bars and fairs to keep things sunny!
Peach Blueberry Breakfast Bars
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 18 bars 1x
Ingredients
Bars
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Scant 1 cup olive oil
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 cups chopped peaches
- 1 ½ heaping cups blueberries, picked over
Glaze
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. oil a 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, stir together oats, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the vanilla and oil and stir to combine. Add the walnuts, peaches with their juices, and blueberries and stir until the mixture is combined and no dry spots remain.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes until golden brown and mostly set on top.
- Make the glaze. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice, adding more sugar or lemon juice as necessary until a drizzleable glaze is formed. Drizzle glaze evenly over hot bars.
- Serve warm or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Bars may also be individually frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil, and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave for 30 – 60 seconds.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Nutmeg Nanny and How Sweet It Is
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
Hi Laura, it seems very fun hanging out to the state fair!
Αnd your healthy delicious breakfast looks perfect for the energy that you need!
kisses
I remember going to the Ohio State Fair when I was a kid. It seemed so enormous and so much fun. Glad you got to experience it. And your breakfast bars, really peach and blueberry, you are making them irresistible!
I’d love to hear more about your time at the Ohio state fair. I know you would love these bars too.