Pumpkin Spice Rice Treats

Tis the season of pumpkin flavored everything, and I'm here with one more pumpkin recipe to add to the list!  I've had these pumpkin rice krispy treats pinned on Pinterest for a long time, but they use regular marshmallows and food coloring to make the orange pumpkin color.  I've been wanting to make them, but I also wanted more than the pumpkin color.  I wanted the pumpkin flavor too!

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Insert Pumpkin Marshmallows!!!!  My very wonderful and amazing twin sister found this bag of Baker's Corner Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows and gave them to me for an early Halloween present.  Did I mention how awesome she is?  Now all I needed to do was make the rice krispy treats.

I was a little disappointed to see that the original Rice Krispies Treats recipe was no longer on the back of the box of cereal!  But I've made these enough times to know there are only three ingredients in the original recipe:  butter, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies.  And since I like to play with recipes, I'm of course adding a couple ingredients of my own.

First melt the butter.

Next add the marshmallows.

Stir slowly until they've completely dissolved.

Almost there.  Keep stirring.

When it's smooth, turn off the heat.  Add in the vanilla and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Add the Rice Krispies.

Just pour them all in at once.

Gently stir until they are fully coated with the marshmallow mix.

Form into balls, err pumpkins!  I used a sheet of wax paper over a muffin tin so I had a guide for the size of each one.

For the stems, I used a Tootsie Roll cut in half.  Press one into the top of each pumpkin.  They stick pretty easily as long as you work quickly.

I used green "writing icing" to make the little leaf beside each stem.

Here's the link to the inspiration pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/98305204336956989/.

Pumpkin Spice Rice Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 bag of Pumpkin Spice marshmallows
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 10 Tootsie Rolls, unwrapped and cut in half
• green icing

Directions:

Melt butter in large saucepan.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla extract and cinnamon.  Add cereal and stir until fully coated.  Form into balls and set out on wax paper to cool.  Add a Tootsie Roll piece for the stem.  Use icing to make a leaf.  Makes 20 pumpkins treats.

Pineapple Cherry Cobbler

This Sunday, October 14, is National Dessert Day.  If you are looking for a quick and delicious, and oh..did I mention easy?, dessert that will impress anyone, look no further!  This pineapple cherry cobbler recipe is the dessert for you!

My mother-in-law gave me the recipe years ago.  We usually make it around the holidays, but it's a really easy dessert to whip up any time of the year.  This is one of those treats where everyone asks for the recipe, and they're always just as surprised as I was to find out just how simple it is!

Start with an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.  I made this cobbler in one of those throw away foil pans you find at the grocery store because we were taking it to someone else's house for a holiday party.  Pour in the pineapple chunks.  I've also used the pineapple "tidbits" for this cobbler, but I like the larger chunks better.

Next spread the cherry pie filling evenly over the pineapple.  I got a little eager here and kept going without snapping another picture.  But it's simple, you can't mess this one up!  Pour the dry cake mix (that's right, no cake batter, you're just pouring straight out of the bag!) over the cherries and pineapple.

Next cover the cake mix evenly with thin slices of butter.  I don't always use the whole stick of butter here, sometimes I have one or two tablespoons leftover.  It just depends on how thick you make your slices.  Also, I've made this with unsalted and salted butter.  I don't notice a big difference in taste, so just use whatever you have one hand or normally buy.

When its ready, pop it in the oven and bake.  It comes together quickly.  You can bake it while you are fixing dinner or while you're eating dinner, and have a delicious dessert fresh from the oven when you've finished!  It's even great warmed up for breakfast the next morning (if there's any left that is)!

Pineapple Cherry Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 large can of cherry pie filling
• 1 large can of pineapple chunks (in juice), drained 
• Note:  Feel free to save the juice for another recipe, perhaps yummy sweet and sour chicken!
• 1 stick of butter
• Pecan halves (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour pineapple chunks into an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.  Spread cherry pie filling evenly over pineapple.  Pour entire package of dry cake mix evenly over the filling.  Cut stick of butter into thin slices and spread out evenly over cake mix.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.  When done push pecan halves into the top of the cobbler and allow to cool slightly before serving by itself, or top with whipped cream or ice cream.

Brownie Heaven

I love to play around with recipes, but every now and then you find a recipe that just knocks your socks off.  No changes required.  This is one of those recipes!  

Photo from Little House Living
http://www.littlehouseliving.com/ooey-gooey-brownies.html

I like to make a lot of things from scratch, but when it comes to brownies I'm normally a go-with-the-box girl.  A box of Betty Crocker fudge brownies is only $1 when you find them on sale, and frankly they are really darn good for that price!  So I never really bothered looking for a good brownie recipe to make from scratch.  It didn't seem worth the trouble.  Until now!

One day I was in a baking mood, but I was out of eggs.  That generally limits baking quite a bit, but I know there are egg free recipes out there so I went looking.  I didn't know what it was I wanted to make, but I just wanted to bake something that day!  Ever get into one of those moods?  As soon as I found this recipe for Ooey Gooey Brownies from Little House Living on Pinterest I had to try it.  It's a simple recipe and very easy because it's egg and dairy free and uses all ingredients I regularly keep on hand.

It's so easy, even the little ones can make it!  I followed the advice at the bottom of the post and doubled the recipe for a 9x13 pan.  The first time making it I was going all out and making a big batch!  And boy, was she right!  They never do last long!

On the outside they might look like any ordinary brownie, but on the inside these are ooey gooey bits of Heaven!  Right out of the oven and still warm they are gooooood, but let them cool a bit and that chocolate flavor develops more and they are great.  On day 2 though, these babies are phenomenal, like lock me in a room with the pan and leave me alone until they're gone!

I discovered this recipe a few months ago and have made it many many times since.  It's quick to whip up when you have surprise guests or anytime you get a chocolate craving.  If you can stand the wait though, make them a day in advance and you will never want boxed brownies again!  Sorry Betty Crocker, but these are my new brownies!

Edible Cigarettes and Ashtrays - Creepy Halloween Food

Last year around Halloween, my husband's work had a creepy food contest.  Here was our entry and also the winner!!

He had read about a large version of this using a giant ashtray, but since we were making this for a work party we wanted something that was in individual servings that people could pick up and take with them.  These aluminum ash trays were found at our local party supply store and really help sell the whole used ashtray look!

I wish I had more pictures to share with you here, but we did do this a year ago and I wasn't thinking about the blog at the time.  Don't worry, the recipe is pretty simple!

Edible Cigarettes and Ashtrays

Ingredients:

• Oreos
• powdered sugar
• pretzel rods
• white chocolate chips
• caramel, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips
• small ashtrays - (Not actually edible!)

Note:  I'm not listing amounts here because you can really make as little or as much as you want.  I did use an entire package of Oreos, and it also took an entire bag of white chocolate chips, but you many want more or less cigarrettes.  We still had quite a few pretzels leftover and also quite a bit of the caramel.  I made two large party trays full of these individual ashtrays.

Directions:

For the "ash" you only need two ingredients.  Oreos and powdered sugar.  I used a whole package of regular Oreos (minus one or two for snacking).  Put them in a food processor and pulse until they are very fine.  Spoon the Oreo "ash" into the individual ash trays.  Sprinkle each ashtray with the powdered sugar and gently swirl it around to get the ashy look.  Some parts will be darker and some will be lighter.  It makes it look authentic!

Found our initial hiding in the bag of pretzel rods.  

I searched everywhere I could for candy cigarettes, but I couldn't find any locally and we didn't have time to wait on them to ship from somewhere.  I get why candy cigarettes aren't common anymore.  I don't condone smoking, and I don't think kids should be tricked into thinking it's cool with a candy either.  But it would have made this treat a lot quicker if I could have found them!  Anyway, I decided my only option was to make my own.  

I love chocolate covered pretzels, so I decided to make my edible cigarettes from pretzel rods.  I broke them into different size pieces (sometimes people just have to put that cigarette out before they can finish it).  I did the white chocolate end first.  Follow the directions on your bag for how to melt the white chocolate and then dip the pretzel rod almost all the way into it.  I laid them out on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper to set.  

Once the white chocolate had cooled and is no longer sticky, you can move on to the "butt" end of the cigarette.  I used Kraft caramel bits, but I think butterscotch or peanut butter chips would also work, anything yummy that also gives it that brown color.  Again follow the directions on the bag for how to melt it, dip just the remaining end of the pretzel rod in and let it cool.  

When it's set (I'd say no longer sticky, but the caramel stays sticky no matter what), place the cigarettes into the ash in the individual trays.  I put two or three into each one.  Don't these just make you go "yum"?!

Have a favorite creepy Halloween food?  Share it in the comments!

Jalapeno Corn Muffins

This is the time of year for those warm comfort foods that are so yummy we can't remember why we wait till fall to have them!  For me, corn muffins are one of those foods.  I have a chicken and vegetable soup cooking in the crock-pot today, and I wanted just the perfect food to go along with it.  Just a hint of sweetness and kick from the jalapenos make these muffins a great accompaniment!

The muffin batter I use is the corn bread recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.  I have a well used 11th edition as well as an incredibly well used 4th edition that was passed down from my great-grandmother.  Although the recipes are very similar I used the recipe from the 11th edition here.

 

I always make corn muffins when I use this cornbread recipe, and as written it's wonderful.  But the soup were having for dinner is pretty simple so I wanted to kick these muffins up a notch with a little something extra.  Corn and jalapenos did the trick!  I used a whole can of yellow corn and about a tablespoon of diced jalapenos.  They turned out great, but next time I don't think I'll use the whole can of corn and I will definitely add more jalapeno!  

I do make one specific change to the cornbread recipe though even when I don't add anything to the muffins.  I prefer to use buttermilk or sour milk if I don't have buttermilk on hand.  I'm not a scientist or a chef so I don't know why it makes them taste better, but it just does!  To make the sour milk all you need to do is add a couple teaspoons of lemon juice (yes I know real lemon juice would be better but it's just so much easier to keep one of these little guys in the fridge) or vinegar to a measuring cup, and then add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Give it a quick stir, and then let it sit for at least 10 minutes before using.

Jalapeno Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup milk or sour milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 - 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 2-3 tablespoons jalapenos, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray muffin tin with non stick spray and set aside.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and then add milk and oil.  Whisk to combine.  Pour wet ingredients into the large bowl and stir just till all is moistened.  Stir in corn and jalepenos.  Spoon batter into muffin cups (they will be very full).  Bake for 12-13 minutes.

*Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 11 ed.

I used a 12 muffin pan here (a very old well used muffin pan!), but a mini muffin pan will also work; you will probably have more batter than you can use in one mini muffin pan though.  When you remove the pan from the oven you may also need to run a knife around the edge of the muffin to loosen (another sign of my very old well used muffin pan!).  

Carefully remove muffins from the pan and allow to cool slightly before eating.  These are delicious served with a bit of butter.  These pair wonderfully with a good soup, stew, beans or chili.  Break apart and put in the bowl or serve on the side!

Maple Oatmeal Apple Crisp

I love apple crisp, and I love maple oatmeal so it definitely wasn't a big stretch to combine the two.  I know many people make fruit crisps with oatmeal in the topping, but this was a first for me.  This particular recipe came about because I was out of brown sugar.  Every apple crisp recipe I could find called for brown sugar.  There was no time for a trip to the store, so I had to improvise.  I've read that you can make brown sugar by adding molasses to granulated sugar, but  I didn't have any molasses either.  So I began thinking what else might make a good substitute and started searching the cabinets.  Even though I didn't have brown sugar or molasses, I did have good old fashioned maple syrup!  So why not give it a try.  And voila, maple oatmeal apple crisp was born! (Well not born, but baked!  You get the picture!)

Using this quick and easy apple-oatmeal crisp recipe as I guide,  I made my own maple oatmeal apple crisp. I knew I'd be using a 9x13 pan and was making this to take to a dinner party so I essentially doubled that recipe and then began tweaking it.

To start, I peeled and cored 8 Granny Smith apples.  Then I sliced them thin and cut the slices in half.  I wanted small pieces that I knew would cook thoroughly.  Gently toss the apple pieces in a bowl with the lemon juice.  Then sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.  Spread evenly in pan.

For the oatmeal crisp, I started by softening two sticks of butter.  Either plan ahead here or carefully soften in the microwave.  Then I pulled out my food processor to do the rest of the work for me.  Add the sugar and maple syrup to the food processor and pulse several times to combine.  You might need to run a spatula around it to make sure it all gets mixed together.  Then add the butter, flour, and cinnamon and pulse again until thoroughly mixed.  Lastly add the oatmeal and give it a few more pulses.

Thanks to the maple syrup this mixture sticks together pretty well, so gently break it up into small pieces and spread out on top of the apples.  Bake and enjoy.  Don't forget the ice cream to go with it!

Maple Oatmeal Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

Apples

• 8 Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Oatmeal Crisp

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter; softened
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss apples in a bowl with lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon.  Spread apples evenly in 9x13 glass baking dish.  In food processor, combine sugar and maple syrup.  Pulse till thoroughly mixed.  Add butter, flour, and cinnamon.  Pulse until combined.  Add oatmeal, and pulse 2 to 3 more times to combine.  Spoon oatmeal crisp on top of apples, and gently break apart and spread evenly across the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes (I went all the way to 40 to get a nice crisp on the top.).  Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

*Recipe adapted from Cooks.com

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

There is almost nothing better than tweaking a recipe and having it turn out perfection!  Last night we had sauteed zucchini with dinner, and I had one large zucchini still waiting to be used up.  I immediately thought about making zucchini bread, but I decided to go with muffins because it's easier for the kids (and inherently portion size).

As I started looking for a good zucchini muffin recipe, I realized most of them adapt a recipe for a couple of loaves of zucchini bread into 2 dozen muffins.  I only wanted to make one batch of muffins, and I didn't want to mess with halving a recipe.  So I kept looking.  Finally I found this recipe for zucchini muffins with carrots.  I love a good carrot muffin, but that wasn't what I was looking for today.  The recipe was workable, but needed a few tweaks. With those tweaks, it turned out amazing!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 large zucchini (unpeeled), grated
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

• Recipe adapted from SouthernFood.About.Com

Directions:

Grease 12 muffin cups and preheat oven to 375°.  Mix oil, applesauce, eggs, sugar and vanilla extra in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.  Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add to wet ingredients, and mix just until combined.  Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.

Spoon into muffin cups, filling at least 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes and then remove.  Enjoy!

These turned out so perfectly moist and incredibly delicious.  The kids go nuts for them because of the chocolate chips.  Neither of them cared much for the sauteed zucchini with dinner, but both of them were jumping up and down for these!  I'm going to have to use this one for a school snack one day.  There are twelve kids in my son's class so this makes just the right amount!

My Milkshake is Better Than Yours

We love making milkshakes at home.  If you've never done it, really all you need is milk, ice cream, and something to blend it with.  Our recipe kicks it up a notch with a childhood favorite, chocolate Nesquik!!

Our blender died a while back and has yet to be replaced.  So to make these milkshakes, I enlist the help of my trusty immersion blender.  This thing gets used for everything including mashing cauliflower and blending curries to making milkshakes!  If you are using an immersion blender like we are, you'll want to make sure to use a wide mouth glass for blending.  Also a glass that is straight all the way down is best.  Some glasses get narrower towards the bottom, and these won't work as well for getting it all mixed together.  For us a large mason jar works great.

Now that you've got the equipment ready, gather up the ingredients.  We love to use a homemade vanilla or French vanilla flavored ice cream for this.  Chocolate flavored Nesquik makes the best chocolate milk so of course it also makes the best chocolate milkshakes!  If you're a fan of strawberry milkshakes, I'm better Nesquik's strawberry flavor would work great here too!  And lastly there's Cool Whip to finish it all off. 

Put a couple scoops of your favorite ice cream in the jar.  Top with Nesquik.  We don't like it to be too chocolaty (if there is such a thing), so we only use about a tablespoon.  Then pour on the milk.  I don't usually measure anything, but I'd guess it's about a cup.  Start blending!

It doesn't take long, but you're not finished yet.  For an extra smooth milkshake, add a tablespoon (or two) of Cool Whip to the jar, and blend it in as well.  It's amazing what it does to the flavor.  Now just add a straw and enjoy!  

It makes enough for two, but really why would you want to share?

Chocolate Nesquik Milkshake

Ingredients:

• 2 large scoops of your favorite ice cream
• 1-2 Tablespoons chocolate flavored Nesquik
• 1 cup of milk
• 1-2 Tablespoons Cool Whip

Directions:

Put ice cream, Nesquik, and milk into a large jar.  Blend approximately 20 seconds.  Add Cool Whip.  Blend about 10 seconds more.  Serve with additional Cool Whip if desired.

Crock-Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

The return of cooler weather also means the return of some fall food favorites.  Time for more soup, chili, and all those other yummy dinners that my Crock-Pot fixes for me!  Although I must confess, this one is a soup we have all the time.  I couldn't wait for fall or winter weather just to enjoy this!

My favorite part about making soup in the Crock-Pot is that everything goes in at once, and it does the work all day with little to no intervention from me.  I've read some so called slow cooker recipes that require so much work in advance or throughout the day that it really isn't an easy or one pot dish at all.  With the exception of chopping some onions and shredding the chicken, that's exactly what this recipe is.  Dump it all in the Crock-Pot and wait till dinner!  

What I also like about easy Crock-Pot recipes is the ability to customize them.  You could easily do turkey breast instead of chicken.  Frozen corn works just as well as canned corn.  Use whatever type of tomatoes you have on hand.  (Rotel would be excellent here!)  Add more or less jalapenos depending on how spicy you like it.  I've even added some of the juice for the extra flavor.  Add some of your favorite salsa or hot sauce.  Try adding other vegetables.  I've even made my own enchilada sauce and used that when I didn't have a can in the pantry.  Add some cumin or garlic or red pepper flake to your liking.  Those touches are what gives this super easy Crock-Pot soup a really hearty homemade taste.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 14-15 oz can diced tomatoes (petite diced or regular), including juices from can
• 1  14-15 oz can whole kernel corn, including juices from can
• 1  14-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp diced jalapenos OR one 4 oz can of diced green chiles
• 1 10 oz can of enchilada sauce
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 6 cups of water (or replace 2-3 cups with chicken stock)

Directions:  

Put all ingredients in the Crock-Pot.  Cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8 hours.  About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, pull out the chicken breasts.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Shred (using 2 forks to pull apart) or dice and return to Crock-Pot.  

Serve topped with sour cream and shredded cheese.  We also love adding Frito's Scoops on the side or into the bowl!!  Enjoy!

Update:  By request I've added the can sizes I typically use for this recipe.  Mostly they are just the normal size cans.  If I happen to only have a large can (28 oz or so) of tomatoes or the enchilada sauce on hand I will go ahead and use the whole thing.  This is one of those recipes you can easily customize to whatever you have on hand.  The flavor will change slightly, but really with these ingredients you just can't go wrong!  

I put this in the crock pot again today.  We literally have this at least once a week!  Sometimes, like today, I use a 7 oz can of green chiles.  I realized the last time I bought them that the 7 oz can is only about 10 cents more than the 4 oz can so that's what I'll be picking up from now on.  I don't find them to be very spicy, but they definitely add plenty of flavor to the soup.  Whichever you use though will work!  Enjoy!