Food

Chicken Spaghetti

- Mama 3 Comments

After my grandfather passed away, I inherited every recipe in his house. Some of them are older– recipes from great-grandparents, some dating back to the 1940s or earlier, and some are newer– as recent as the 90s (Oh my gosh… SO long ago!). Some are scrawled on pieces of paper, some torn from cookbooks, some typed with a typewriter onto a recipe card… Some of them have unique stories behind them, and some of them have no stories at all. I even found a couple of recipes that literally were just written on post-its that were stapled together. Whenever I do a post from these recipes, you’ll see a seal on the photo that shows that it’s an heirloom recipe. My family has tried each and every one of these recipes and I will share comments about what they think about each recipe below. I hope you enjoy each of these recipes that we have tried together. If you are coming here from Pinterest, be sure to look in the sidebar for ways to either “like” my facebook page or follow me through an email or RSS subscription!

I honestly don’t know the origin of this recipe. It was clipped from a newspaper, I’m not sure which newspaper or when the original date of publication was. In fact, I’m not even sure who the recipe is from… there was no source listed on the recipe I had clipped– it had been clipped off completely. I wish I knew the original source on it, or at least the publication date.

You’re going to start by boiling chicken. This time around, all I had were thighs, so after boiling I had to de-skin and de-bone them. It would have been easier to use boneless skinless breasts so I could have skipped that step, but it’s truly up to you. You can use a small fryer, some thighs, chicken breasts, literally any chicken you have on hand. For the record, this would also work with turkey meat. Add a chicken bouillon cube to the boiling water, as well.

After the chicken has cooked, set it aside on a plate to be shredded, and save some of the chicken-water (chicken broth? something) in the pot.

Break spaghetti noodles in half, put them in the chicken-water pot, and then add enough water to cover the noodles.

While the spaghetti noodles cook, go ahead and chop some green bell pepper to add to the mixture later. You can also add other colors of bell peppers to the mixture (the original recipe called for red and green, but we only had green on hand).

In a 9×13 casserole dish, combine the shredded chicken, 2 cups of shredded cheddar (we typically shred the blocks fresh, but you can certainly buy it pre-shredded), the bell pepper, a diced onion, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (or your homemade equivalent, but I prefer to use Campbell’s), a little seasoned salt, and a dash of pepper, combining until it’s thoroughly mixed.

Mix in the cooked spaghetti noodles, then cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Top with another 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and bake for another 5 minutes, or just long enough to melt the cheese on top, then serve warm.

The entire family loved this dish, from Zach (18 months old) to Dad (I won’t list his age…). It was creamy and easy-to-make (the most time consuming part was de-boning the chicken).

Some perfect pairs for this dish? Dinner rolls, fruit salad or fresh fruit, and a salad. Don’t forget to comment below and tell me what you’d serve with this yummy chicken spaghetti!

Here’s the full recipe below:

Chicken Spaghetti
 
1 whole chicken, cut up
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 lb spaghetti, broken in half
2 cans mushroom soup
2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp seasoned salt
dash of pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook chicken in a pot with water and a bouillon cube until done, about 45 minutes, then remove chicken and all but two cups of broth.
Add spaghetti noodles, broken in half, to the chicken broth. Add enough water to cook the noodles.
Remove bones from chicken.
Mix all ingredients except spaghetti in a casserole dish until well combined, reserving 1/2 cup shredded cheddar for later, then stir in spaghetti until the pasta is well-coated.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Return to oven for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Love With Food: Small Company, Big Goals

- Mama 3 Comments

When the nondescript white USPS mailer landed on my front porch, I wasn’t expecting much. It was relatively small, so I assumed it was one of the many items I occasionally order or receive from companies related to my blog.

When I opened it, though, I saw a red box. It wasn’t any ordinary box. It was a red box that I had been pining after, anticipating, and counting the days until it would arrive (my countdown wasn’t exactly an accurate one, which is why I didn’t recognize the white package immediately).

The box wasn’t particularly large (compared to other boxes I receive), but I knew it would be packed with some amazing stuff.

Love With Food is relatively new to the subscription commerce world. There are so many hundreds of different boxes that it’s often hard to keep up. I did get the opportunity to try out Love With Food at a very low price, and decided it was worth taking that risk one month and seeing if it was a box I liked.

I never realized when I spent that small amount on the box (the price is already low anyway– at $12 including shipping, it’s not exactly a huge financial burden– but the price I scored it at was perfect for trying it out), how impressed with the company I would be.

I already loved the company’s idea: Every purchase helped Love With Food donate food to someone in need. One box=one person helped.

When I signed up, I was thrilled about the concept… I got something, someone in need got something, and it was totally win-win. Not long before my order shipped, the East coast got hit with a superstorm, Sandy, that destroyed homes, destroyed businesses, and for some, destroyed lives.

Love with Food could have decided to just give the food they donate to the East Coast. But instead, they went one step further.

My box purchase for the month meant that not only were they going to make their usual donation, but on top of that, they would donate an additional portion of food to relief efforts in the East Coast region. This meant that twice as many people would be blessed by their company, a company I helped support by ordering a box.

But the big question was… even if it’s helping others, was the box personally worth it to me? Because truly, I can do the work of donating food myself and helping families in need, but when it comes to the box, is it worth it to spend the money on the box itself? And the bigger question: If I had paid full price for this box, would it have been worth it?

The answer is a resounding “Yes.”

This month’s box was guest-curated by Amy Roloff of TLC’s “Little People, Big World.” She’s just recently released a cookbook called “Short and Simple Family Recipes.”

Amy has lovingly prepared meals many times on the show Little People, Big World, and now you’re able to prepare those recipes, too. While the box didn’t come with a copy of her book, autographed copies are actually available at a discount in the Love With Food shop.

It’s true, Amy knows good food. In this box, she took time to tell Love With Food about her fall favorites, perfect for a November box.

The first couple of items I saw in my box were the Stash Pumpkin Spice Tea and the Mulling Spices Blend from the Aspen Mulling company.

The Stash Tea Company produces amazing teas that I already have experience with (I’m a huge fan!), but I had not had the chance to try Pumpkin Spice before. It’s a naturally decaffeinated black tea, and they’ve added nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, which are some of my favorite spices. While the taste is absolutely incredible, nothing beats the smell of this tea. If I could purchase the scent of that tea bag to freshen up my car or my linens, I absolutely would.

I have not tried the mulling spices from Aspen Mulling Co. While I could use it in hot or cold cider, I’m actually considering mixing it into pancakes for a fall favorite! I’m just waiting for pancake night to try it out!

When I saw the Mini Crunch from Mrs. May’s, I was thrilled. I am a huge fan of blueberries… in fact, I even blogged about my love for blueberries back when I was pregnant, having eaten nearly 3 pints of blueberries each week during the season’s peak. I even have my own blueberry plant because I’m so in love with blueberries. I had hoped to wait and try these crunchy little bits on a salad or on top of yogurt, but I simply couldn’t wait… I ended up eating the entire packet straight out of the bag. They’re a great snack that way, but I still want to order more to top some yogurt with!

As for Skeeter Snacks cookies, I had never heard of them before. It’s a surprise to me that I hadn’t, because I love finding nut-free options in snacks. My cousin has a severe nut allergy, and I work very hard to double-check for nut-free varieties so there’s always a snack on hand for him, or for my son’s nut-free friends. I was that girl in college who would always double-check that she had nut-free selections for Halloween when our dorm opened up trick-or-treating, just so all of the kids could have fun with it. These cookies are a great option. I wasn’t a fan of how overly crunchy they were (I like my cookies super soft), but overall, they tasted good… my brother ended up stealing the whole second cookie! Just days later, I found a coupon for Skeeter Snacks in my newspaper, so I’ll be on the lookout for them soon.

I wish I could tell you what I thought of the Mango Pear Pineapple from Fruit.o, but because Zach is used to having his own snacks in a similar pouch, he pretty much immediately comandeered the pouch for himself. I have to think it must have been good, because it was gone in about 30 seconds. I like that it’s 100% organic and has no added sugar, making it a great snack for him. Next time, I may order extra so I can try some, too!

The Inka Corn corn nuts are actually harvested from non-GMO crops. It’s a roasted giant corn that is perfect for snacking on. I made the mistake of sharing my Love With Food box with so many members of the family, because it was everyone’s favorite. I went to order more from the Love With Food shop, only to find that it was totally sold out. I’m excited to look for it elsewhere because it had the perfect crunchy flavor with just the right amount of nutty, salty taste in the corn. I think it may quickly become my go-to snack (as soon as I can track more down). Like I said, it was the absolute favorite of everyone, including me.

As for the Truffle Pig from Hagensborg Chocolates, I honestly laughed when I opened the little blue wrapper. I knew that the packaging called it a “truffle pig” but I didn’t realize that when I opened it, the chocolate would actually be shaped like a little chocolate pig! It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen (at least in terms of food). I would have shared, but it honestly didn’t last long, because it was truly delicious. I loved the flavor, perfect and creamy milk chocolate that really had just the right texture and flavor. As a chocoholic, it was the perfect bite-sized treat to end my day with. For a long time, I’ve had this little tradition of enjoying a truffle at the end of the day, before bed, as a nightly indulgence. After trying a Truffle Pig, it’s now been added to my list of truffles I love, and I plan to order it again soon.

The Turkey Bak Kwa from Little Red Dot Kitchen was arguably the strangest treat in the box. I had anticipated something like the dry jerky of my childhood, but this was moist. Like really moist. Like almost juicy moist. This Bak Kwa was featured in Food and Wine magazine, and for good reason! It’s delicious. The texture did throw everyone off at first, but it is something I would eat again. The Asian twist on it made it a hit with me, and I seriously thought this would be good chopped up and mixed with Asian noodles and broccoli.

Finally, the boxes came with some gift certificates– $10 off at EcoMom (a favorite store of mine as it is) and a $5 credit at PicPlum (a shop that was brand new to me).

I saved the EcoMom gift certificate for later, because I neglected to read the fine print and spent about an hour deciding on which of Zach’s favorite snacks to use it on, only to find out that the fine print said I couldn’t buy food with it… oops! I’m still deciding how I want to use the certificate. The funny thing about the EcoMom gift voucher is that with every purchase, EcoMom donates one day of food to a child in need. By purchasing this Love With Food box, I fed three people (in addition to myself) because Love With Food feeds one, and then they fed an additional one due to Superstorm Sandy, and then one more by using this Gift Voucher to order from EcoMom, who donates food to those in need. Oh, and funny story. I recently did place an order to EcoMom (unrelated to my Love With Food voucher) and when it arrived, it had a card with a coupon code for new customers to get $5 off a Love With Food subscription. Looks like these two have created a very good partnership.

PicPlum is a company that does photo prints, including square prints (perfect for Instagram photos!) You can even send them anywhere in the world! I love this because I have family in many countries worldwide, and I love the idea of being able to send a photo to my siblings in Germany, Brazil, or Sweden. This time, I had them sent to myself. I had been meaning to order an 8×10 of a picture I took of Zach at the park recently, so I took this opportunity to order that, along with three 4×6 photos. While PicPlum made me reel a little bit at the sticker shock at first, when I compared print prices from them to other premium photo printers, I found out that they printed at more affordable pricing and had better size options, as well as better shipping options (having the choice to send the photos anywhere with an attached message was cool). The quality was very good, too, and I love the way the 8×10 of my son printed– very true-to-screen when I was working on the photo.

So now, it’s your turn to try Love With Food. If you like what I’ve had to say about it, try it out and order a December box! Not only will you be getting a curated box of treats you’ll love, but you’ll also be helping someone in need. And, for December, Love With Food will still be donating food to Sandy relief efforts, so you’ll actually be helping two people.

Click the button below to head over to their site and order if you’re interested in Love With Food. I really hope you’ll give it a shot… it’s a great company and it’s doing a service I’m very passionate about– giving food to those in need.

Love With Food - Discover Great Food for a Great Cause

When googling coupon codes for Love With Food, I did find one for $5 off a box, but it’s not valid for long, so hurry and use it. Enter HOLIDAY12 at checkout (valid until tomorrow!) so if you want to try it out, now is a great time to make the leap and test it, at least for one month.

One more thing… when you order boxes, review the products inside, or refer friends, you earn points. Those points can be put towards items in the Love With Food shop. The shop not only has full-sized versions of the items that came in the box, but it also has items that complement the products that you received (for example, this month, in addition to items in the box, I saw autographed copies of Amy Roloff’s book, Bhakti Chai, and items featured in previous boxes.

All opinions are my own, and Love With Food, Amy Roloff, TLC, or any of the companies mentioned above have not reimbursed me in any way for my post with my honest opinion. The Love With Food badge above does link to my unique referral link. Other than that, I have received no reward for this honest post.

Snap, Crackle, Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats

- Mama 3 Comments

I’m nearly certain that Rice Krispie Treats almost kind of count as a cookie.

There’s just something about them that is so delicious, and this is hands-down the most delicious of all.

Grab some Rice Krispies and, of course, some of my favorite seasonal delights…

In a saucepan, over low heat, combine the entire bag of Peppermint Jet-Puffed Marshmallows and half a stick of butter, cut into chunks.

Stir. And stir. And stir some more.

Keep stirring until it looks something like this:

And then, it’s time to fold in your Rice Krispies. You’re going to need about 6 cups of it. Fold that in gently, being careful not to squish the Krispies!

Then, grab a 9×13 foil-lined pan. If you like them a little thicker, use a 9×9 pan. For cookie exchanges, I prefer the thinner bars and for Santa, I like them a little thicker.

While those are still a little squishy, sprinkle on about 1/4 cup of Andes peppermint crunch baking bits and press them gently into the surface of the Rice Krispie Bars.

Then, melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, preferably semi-sweet, and drizzle that all over. This season, I am absolutely all about the drizzle. It’s a very easy way to dress up every treat, without a ton of effort. It looks classy and fun, with a simple flick of the wrist.

Once the chocolate has solidified, all you have to do is lift the foil lining out, slice, and serve.

It’s that easy.

But I Don’t Bake! Chocolate Bark

- Mama 5 Comments

It happens every year. People send out the cookie exchange invitations, and there’s always that person that gets invited, but decides to turn down the invitation because they don’t bake. They may not come right out and say “Sorry, I don’t bake, so I can’t come.” But they’ll find ways to get out of going, for sure.

If you’re that person, be warned. I’m stripping you of your excuses, because you can absolutely make this. If you can work a microwave, you can make this.

Start with these beautiful Nestle Toll House Holiday Morsels.

Then, get you/your sous chef/your mom/your child/your brother to sort them by color.

I recruited my amazing sous chef/mom to sort them while I did the second step.

Okay, this is the really hard part… take foil, line a 9×13 pan, and set a single layer of chocolate graham crackers on the bottom of the pan.

Melt your three colors of chocolate chips in three separate microwave safe containers, stirring every 30 seconds of the melting process to keep from overcooking them.

Spread the brown molten chocolate onto the graham crackers. Then, blob red and green melted morsels onto the layers, making sure to alternate colors.

Take a knife and gently swirl it back and forth across the pan.

Draw lines with the knife in the other direction, too.

If you want, you can even drag the lines diagonally.

Stick the whole pan into the fridge until the chocolate is hard. Lift the foil out of the pan, then break apart the bark in small chunks– random shapes are fine.

Ta-da! Take that to your cookie exchange and impress everyone without lifting a finger. If you want to get fancy, you can stir in a total of a teaspoon of extract into the chocolate– mint is a favorite, but orange adds a surprising twist.

See? Even if you don’t bake, you can absolutely make this bark and go to a cookie exchange. You win, and everyone else wins, too.

The Snowballs are On Fire!

- Mama 3 Comments

Fire! Fire! Help Me! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Anyone else an IT Crowd fan? No? I’m telling you, that’s an underrated show if I’ve ever heard one…

Well, either way, you’re going to need a fire extinguisher if you’re trying this recipe.

These sweet snowballs made of chocolate and powdered sugar look awfully harmless, don’t they? Well, until you see the secret ingredient…

Whew. Jalepeño peppers!

Okay, I’m going to pause the recipe here for a little joke…

Why was the pepper nosey?

…It was jalapeño business! Ha. Ha ha. Just go with it, guys.

De-seed those so you don’t totally burn your tongue off.

Dice them up into little pieces.

Now, set those aside.

In a separate microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 package (12 oz) of Nestle’s Semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of Nestle baking cocoa, and 1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Microwave that for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate bits are completely melted.

If you stop here and do nothing else, this makes a great cupcake filling.

Today, though, we’re going to keep going.

Dust your peppers with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and then fold those into the chocolate mixture.

Once they’re folded in, refrigerate the whole mixture for a couple of hours until the mixture is firm.

Grab 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. You’ll want plenty of powdered sugar.

Take the chocolate by the spoonful and roll it into balls. Don’t try answering the phone or typing an email or anything else during this time, because your hands can pretty much only roll these balls right now.

Drop the balls into the powdered sugar and toss them until they’re coated. After one coat, they’ll look a little something like this:

Roll them around in the powdered sugar a second time, making sure each one is completely coated… and then enjoy them.

If you’re feeling naughty, serve them to your unsuspecting guests. Feeling nice? Give them a little warning about what’s inside.

Comment below and tell me which you are– naughty or nice– and whether you’d warn your unsuspecting guests about the fire that waits. These are sure to be the most unique thing that appears at your holiday cookie exchange, and they’re delicious, too.

 

Spice, Spice Baby… Soft Apple Spice Cookies

- Mama 3 Comments

Stop, collaborate, and listen.

These Soft Apple Spice cookies are going to Spice Up Your Life (Can I do a Vanilla Ice reference and a Spice Girls reference in the same post? Because I’m doing it… so ha).

Grab your favorite spice cake mix. I love Betty Crocker Spice Cake mixes.

Also grab some apples. I have three shown, but then after cutting them, I realized two was enough.

Peel them, and then dice them up.

Once you’re done with dicing them, go ahead and toss them with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon of caramel ice cream topping.

It’ll look like a less blurry version of this:

Now, get back to that cake mix. In a bowl, combine your cake mix, 1 egg, 1/2 cup oil, and 1 tablespoon of either apple juice or water.

Fold in your apples.

Now, here’s where it’s up to your discretion. These cookies are delicious enough and soft enough that little cookies are enough to satisfy a craving, so I drop mine by the teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet. If you want a larger soft cookie, go with a tablespoon and spread them farther apart.

Bake those at 350 for 10 minutes, or until edges are done. Then, a secret trick that my mom has always done to get cookies rounder and flatter and more awesome, as soon as you pull the cookies out of the oven, smack the tops with your spatula and then remove them directly onto waxed paper.

Let those things cool completely, and then pile them on a plate. If dropped by teaspoonfuls, you’ll get around 50 cookies.

Now grab your cookies, and let’s get out of here.

Word to your Mother.

(Am I the only one who still listens to Vanilla Ice? Leave me a comment below and let me know your favorite Vanilla Ice song, or your favorite holiday cookie!)

“Mint” to Be Layered Chocolate Mint Bars

- Mama 4 Comments

Lucy and Ricky.

Wilma and Fred.

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Thelma and Louise.

Mint and Chocolate.

Some things are just meant to be together… and these brownies, mmm, these brownies… well, not only are they the perfect combination of mint and chocolate, but a delightful pairing of these brownies with your tastebuds, well, that’s a match made in heaven.

You’ll want to start with Betty Crocker Mint Chocolate Cookies, which are divine by the way, and a box of Betty Crocker brownies, the kind for a 9×13 pan, any variety you please, plus the ingredients to make them.

Go ahead and prepare the brownie mix according to package directions. Pour that into the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan.

Now, prepare the cookie dough according to package directions, just mixing the ingredients listed on the back of the package.

Now that looks and tastes delicious, but I feel like we can really kick it up a notch on the festivity scale.

Tint it green using a few drops of green food coloring. I used 7 drops of my regular McCormick food coloring.

Now, drop it by the spoonful on top of the brownies, trying to cover as much of the brownies as you can.

Bake that whole mixture at 350 for approximately 30 minutes or until it’s done. Cool the whole thing completely.

Once it’s cooled, melt about 1/8 cup of chocolate– you seriously don’t need that much for this. It’s just to make it extra pretty.

Drizzle the living tar out of it… just drizzle all over that thing.

Let the drizzle set completely, and then cut it into pretty little triangles, just like this.

See? Totally “Mint” to be…

If you cut them into triangles, not only do they look extra fancy, but you get twice as many… if you cut them into squares, you’ll get 24 bars, but cut those squares into triangles, and BAM! 48, extra-fancy, gorgeous bars. Ta-da!

Just promise me you won’t share any of them with Brangelina… I’m a Jennifer Aniston fan.

Almond Joy to the World… the Cake Pops are here!

- Mama 8 Comments

It never fails. In the post Halloween madness, I rifle through the candy dish only to find that the Almond Joys are gone. We have this problem every year, an Almond Joy shortage, because everyone in our family happens to love Almond Joys.

So, as I was walking through the grocery store, I saw something that made me do a serious double-take.

International Delight has come out with Almond Joy coffee creamer! I was hesitant to put it in my cart, because, come on, how often do things actually taste like the candy they’re supposed to? I’m a skeptic. But, I thought, if nothing else, this will taste pretty good in coffee.

Then, I remembered something. Miss CandiQuik wrote an awesome post about using Coffee Creamer in cake pops! Um, hello? Wouldn’t that just be perfect?

When I got home, I tasted a little bit of the coffee creamer, and I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. It literally tasted like liquid Almond Joy, and I was in heaven.

To make the cake pops, I started by baking a chocolate cake. You can totally use your favorite boxed chocolate cake mix here if you’d like, but I realized after my shopping trip that I was fresh out of chocolate cake mix (how does that even happen?!) and decided to whip up my favorite from-scratch recipe. If you’re making the cake from a box, add in 1 teaspoon of almond extract when it’s in the batter phase. If you’re making a from-scratch cake, substitute any vanilla called for with the almond extract.

To make the cake from scratch, start with 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, making sure to sift t, then add in 1 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 3/4 of a teaspoon salt. You can actually stop here, bag up the mix in an airtight baggie or container, and keep it on the shelf for up to three months, but I decided to add my liquids and bake right away. Before using the mix, I try to sift it again, which produces a lighter cake.

Once you’ve sifted your dry ingredients, stir in 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup of water, 3 eggs, and 2 teaspoons of almond extract (for a typical cake, use vanilla, but for these cake pops, almond adds that extra boost for Almond Joy flavor). Bake the cake in a 9×13 pan in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until cake is done in center and toothpick comes out clean.

Now let it cool completely, which is really, really difficult to do when you smell the cake and want to dive straight in, fork optional.

Once it’s cooled… shred the cake to bits!

This is where your Almond Joy coffee creamer comes in. Pour in as little as 1/4 cup but as much as 1/2 cup, kneading the mixture together as you go, making sure it’s moist enough to form a ball. In this step, I also added in 1 tablespoon of CocoReal to boost the coconut flavor, but that is totally optional and doesn’t affect the taste too much. Then, knead in 1/2 cup shredded coconut.

It will look a little something like this:

See all of that delightful moist cake-y coconut mixture?

Take that and roll it into balls. This is where you can take one of two paths… I rolled mine into ping-pong sized balls, which is about the size of a typical fun size Almond Joy once it’s shaped. This size is a good size, but it can actually be a little rich, so you might want to roll them about half of that size. On the plus side, you’ll get more of them, which is perfect if you’re taking the treats to neighbors and friends, or bringing them to a cookie exchange. If you’re like me, you’ll want the big pieces. It’s up to you how big you’d like to roll them.

After making sure my balls were all uniform (I live with a 12 year old… I can’t type that without snickering anymore), I rolled each of the balls into a log-like shape that resembled an Almond Joy more closely, then I pressed an almond into each one.

Pop those into the freezer for at least half an hour, but preferably a little longer than that.

Melt some milk chocolate, remove your pops from the freezer, and then dip your stick into chocolate and then stick it into the pop. If you find the chocolate is too thick for proper dipping, you can always thin it out with a little bit of coconut oil.

If any of your almonds decided to jump ship, at this point, you can drizzle a little bit of melted chocolate into the indentation and press the almond back onto the pop. That should secure it on easily.

Refrigerate or freeze those for a little longer to solidify the chocolate and make sure the sticks are secure.

Now, do the final dipping… dip each cake pop in chocolate, shake off the excess, and then let them dry completely, sticking them in the refrigerator to help speed up the process. Melt some white chocolate and tint it green (or use Nestle’s fun red and green baking bits!) and drizzle that over the top of your cake pops, if desired, to add a festive touch.

Don’t have any lollipop or cookie sticks on hand? Don’t worry… you can absolutely make these cake pops into cake bites by leaving the stick out and dipping the bits into chocolate themselves.

Serve that with a large cup of coffee using the leftover Almond Joy creamer, and you have the makings for a perfect snack.

Don’t forget to play with other flavors of International Delight liquid coffee creamer and let me know which ones you like best in your cake pops!

On the First Day of Christmas… Surprise Caramel Tarts!

- Mama 3 Comments

Of course, we all know the things that Christmas is about. We know that it has this deep, rich, amazing meaning.

But it’s also kind of, just a little bit, a teeny tiny bit, about the presents, isn’t it? I mean, who doesn’t love opening up a gift and being totally surprised? People who hate life, that’s who.

These tarts, you see, they’re just like opening a present. When you first bite into it, you think “Mmm. Pumpkin. Marshmallow. It’s good.” And then you notice that there’s just this amazing caramel flavor flooding your tastebuds. Because these, like a present, are all wrapped up like a pretty little package, with little clue as to what magic awaits beneath the surface.

The best part of these tarts (or the worst, if your waistline is like mine) is that they are so incredibly easy to make.

You’re going to start by preheating your oven to 325, and grab a package of Betty Crocker Pumpkin Bar mix, plus some Jet-Puffed Mini Marshmallows and Kraft Traditional Caramels.

Mix the contents of the Betty Crocker pouch with one egg and a stick of softened butter to form a batter. It’ll look like this:

From here, you will want to fill a greased mini muffin tin with two teaspoons of batter in each compartment.

Bake those puppies for 12 minutes or until the edges are golden, then pull them out and turn the oven off!

Quickly pop an unwrapped caramel into the center of each tart, pressing it in so it becomes even with the top of the pan.

Then, top each one with several mini marshmallows, making sure the caramel is hidden, because, duh, if you don’t hide it, it totally spoils the surprise!

Put those back in the warm oven for another 3 minutes or until your marshmallows are soft and gooey. If you’d like, you can use a torch to brown the tops of the marshmallows. I didn’t for this post, simply because I live with a 12-year-old pyro who wouldn’t let a torch last very long around here.

See? From the outside, you can’t even see the caramel. They just look like cute little pumpkin cupcakes. But, bite inside…

…and suddenly, all that’s left are crumbs.

This recipe makes about 36 mini tarts, so it’s perfect for taking to a cookie exchange, giving to Santa, using as teacher or neighbor gifts, or, my favorite, polishing them off myself with a tall glass of iced coffee.

Oh, and Pumpkin is also totally a Thanksgiving thing, so there’s no reason you can’t take these gems to a Thanksgiving feast, either.

Keep an eye out because there are 11 more recipes coming your way that are perfect for taking to cookie exchanges or adding to your holiday baking list. If you don’t want to miss a post, be sure that you subscribe to receive posts by email over in the sidebar, or like DigitalEraMom on facebook!

Avalanche Rice Krispie Bars

- Mama 2 Comments

Quite some time ago, my area had a mall with plenty of shops. The mall is still there, but the shops? Not so much…

One of the shops that used to be there was Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and they had these awesome Rice Krispie bars called Avalanche bars. Avalanche bars were nice because they were arguably the cheapest thing you could get at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and they tasted really good. But in reality, they’re so easy to make and so much more affordable to make yourself that you’ll never buy another Avalanche bar again!

When I was looking for the perfect Avalanche Bar recipe, I knew there had to be an awesome duplicate already out there, and there was. I figured since there’s no reason to re-invent the wheel, I’d look at the recipe from Cookies and Cups, making a few modifications as I went.

Start with a 12 ounce bag of white chocolate chips, and melt that in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each 30 seconds in the microwave. When it’s melted, stir in 1/3 cup of creamy peanut butter.

Toss that with about 3 cups of Rice Krispies, then let that cool for 15 minutes. Stir it occasionally to make sure it will cool off a little faster and more evenly.

When it’s cooled off considerably, take 1 cup of Jet-Puffed mini marshmallows and stir those in along with a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. Lightly press that into a foil-lined 9×9 pan, then press in another Tablespoon of mini chocolate chips into the top as a garnish.

Once the bars are totally cooled, cut them. I cut mine into thin strips because I thought it would be a fun way to get just a taste… it goes along with one of my favorite ideas. “If you have a piece of cake, and you cut that piece in half, it’s half the calories. And, since that’s half the calories, you can eat twice as much.” With this, I cut them into smaller pieces for them to be smaller amounts of calories, and if it’s fewer calories, you can eat far more, right?

 

Don’t forget, tomorrow is the last day to enter for my Rice Krispies prize pack, so if you still have not entered to win, go here: http://digitaleramom.com/2012/11/02/snap-crackle-and-pop-a-rice-krispie-event-plus-bonus-prize-pack-giveaway/

If you want more awesome Rice Krispie Treat ideas, head over to my Pinterest board for more inspiration: http://pinterest.com/jengerbread88/a-rice-krispie-affair/

While you’re there, be sure to follow all of my boards for the latest in yummy food, kids crafts, and homeschooling help, plus home decor and plenty more!