Giant Cocoa Krispie treats

So I decided to make rice krispie treats, but wanted them to be chocolaty. I also remembered that every time I make them and press them into my 9x13 pan, they end up as little tiny1/2 inch thick treats. I love the ones that I can get at the cafeteria where I work that are about 2 inches thick and have non-melted mini marshmallows thrown into the mix, too. SO here's what I came up with:

4 C Cocoa krispies (I actually used the off-brand...just as good)
4 C regular rice krispies
1 package (16 oz) large marshmallows
6 Tbsp butter
1 C mini marshmallows

Place large marshmallows and butter in a large bowl. Melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until you have a smooth, melted mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Dump it all into a greased 9x13 pan. Use a silicon spatula, or a greased spoon to press the mixture down into the pan. Let cool, cut and enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese soup

The other night on the way home I asked my son what he wanted for dinner. He excitedly claimed "Waffles!" So I promised him waffles for dinner. Little did I know, that my lovely husband would be home before me and already cooking dinner. Well, I couldn't bring myself to disappoint my little boy and not give him his waffles, could I? So, we had an interesting combination of dishes for dinner last night....waffles and broccoli cheese soup! Despite my initial lack of excitement, they actually complemented each other rather well. Anyway, here is the recipe for the Broccoli cheese soup.

Broccoli Cheese Soup (feeds 4-6)

1/4 c butter
1/2 medium onion (chopped)
2 carrots (peeled and shredded)
1 c fresh or frozen broccoli (chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 c chicken broth
1 c velveeta (cubed)
2 c cheddar (shredded)
1/4 c cream
salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp cayenne

Melt butter in pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add carrots, broccoli, and garlics and cook for 2 min. Add broth and cover. Boil for 5-10 min or until vegetables are cooked to your liking. Slowly add cheeses until melted. Add cream, salt, and cayenne. If soup is too runny you can add some cornstarch mixed with cold water. Slowly add the small bit of cornstarch and let soup return to boil until soup reaches the desired consistency.

Smothered chicken

When Cody and I were in college, we actually did quite a bit of cooking together, which usually consisted of him cooking and me watching. This was one of the things that he made for me that I loved, but we hadn't had it for several years, until recently. I was looking for some new recipes, and came across this one. I made it for my family, and everyone loved it! My father-in-law ate it and told me that he felt like he was eating at a fancy restaurant the whole time he was visiting. What a compliment! This recipe is from the trusty Betty Crocker cookbook.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 Tbsp butter or stick margarine
1 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced (I like to use red, because Cody doesn't like green peppers)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms (4 oz)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Spray 12-inch non-stick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and red pepper. Cook in skillet 8-10 minutes, turning once, until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Cook bell pepper and onion in butter about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

Place chicken in skillet; spoon vegetables over chicken. Sprinkle cheeses over chicken and vegetables; remove from heat. Cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

Saturday Morning banana nut muffins

So banana breads and muffins are hard, because in my opinion they usually either have too much oil and they turn out greasy, or they are too dry. On Saturday my husband tried a new recipe for banana nut muffins, and they turned out so delicious. They are extremely moist, and have a nice crusty top on them, that makes them the perfect muffin! They are more dense than the typical muffin, but so tasty!

2 1/4 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 large extra ripe bananas (peeled and mashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

In a large bow,l sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the eggs, then add the bananas. Stir in the vanilla.
Combine the liquid mixture with the dry ingredients, stirring together only until mixed. Stir in chopped nuts.
Transfer the batter into greased muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.
Bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a center comes out clean.
Makes 18 to 20 muffins.

Festive Oreo Truffles

More on my obsession with candy canes, and add in an obsession with Oreos! Or maybe you could say I just bought too much of each and am finding ways to use them up. :) These oreo truffles are very easy to make, especially considering how yummy they are. They can be for any time of year, but I added some crushed candy canes on top to make them more festive for the Christmas season.

Festive Oreo Truffles
1 package Oreos
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
2 lbs chocolate or white chocolate candy coating (I like to do some of both!)
3-4 candy canes, crushed

Put Oreos and cream cheese in the food processor, and blend until oreos are completely crushed. Roll into balls, about 3/4" in diameter. If the mixture is too soft, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. After rolling into balls, put them into the freezer until firm. Dip the truffles in the chocolate. Immediately sprinkle the crushed candy canes onto the truffles before the chocolate sets.

Candy Cane Oreos

Lately I've had this obsession with using candy canes in everything. I didn't realize until I was done with a whole batch of cookies and candy that my husband is not too fond of the candy canes, but oh well!. This week I had signed up to bring Christmas cookies for the Christmas party at library story time. Unfortunately, I forgot about my obligation until the day before, and so I was forced to try to figure out something on the fly that would be quick. I saw the candy canes and the oreos in the cupboards, and the idea came to me! I brought these cute, festive cookies to story time, and they were a huge hit! All the kids loved them, but I think the adults loved them even more! Enjoy!

White Chocolate Candy Cane Oreos
1 package Oreo cookies
2 lbs white chocolate candy coating (1 package)
4-5 candycanes, crushed

1. Melt chocolate. I like to use the microwave, stirring about every 15-30 seconds, until smooth.
2. Dip oreos into white chocolate, so half of the oreo is covered in chocolate.
3. Immediately sprinkle some of the crushed candy canes onto the white chocolate.

Cranberry Orange White Chocolate scones

I am very blessed to have a husband who cooks for me. Due to the fact that I only work half time, and am otherwise at home, I typically do most of the cooking. However, my dear husband always cooks breakfast for me on Saturday mornings, and this past weekend he made some wonderful holiday scones. The recipe came from the lovefeast table blog, http://lovefeasttable.com/blog/. I thought I would share the recipe, since it was something we both enjoyed so much.


Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Scones:

1/3 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp grated orange rind
1/3 cup cold butter
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Milk (to brush tops of scones)
Sugar (to sprinkle at the end)

(Another option is to substitute 1/2 Cup pitted and halved fresh cherries for the cranberries and to add 1/2 sliced almonds.)

Combine Cranberries and buttermilk in small bowl. Set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange rind.

As you cut the butter into small shaving, let it drop into flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to work it through the dry ingredients.

Add white chocolate chips, cranberries, and buttermilk.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead and pat into a circle with 3/4 inch thickness. Using a large knife, cut it like a pie into 6 or 8 pie wedges. Place onto a stone or lightly greased baking sheet. Brush scones with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until lightly golden.


Enjoy! I hope everyone enjoys these as much as we did!