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Muddy Buddies

27 Dec

 

Some may know this as another name, Puppy Chow for People, but more recently I’ve seen it as Muddy Buddies.  It is another yummy way to use Chex cereal, or there are a variety of cereals you can use for this.  For the batch my mom made pictured above, she used Rice Chex, Cheerios, pretzels, and peanuts.  You could use just Chex cereals, some cereal with peanuts and pretzels, or another combination you come up with.

 

Muddy Buddies

What you need:

8 cups of a combination of your choice, using Rice or Corn Chex, Crispix, Raisin Squares, Cheerios, pretzels, peanuts
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar

How to make it:

Melt together the butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter.  Stir in the cereal combination until evenly coated.

Place the chocolate covered combination in a large resealable or paper bag.  Add the powdered sugar, and shake until evenly coated.

Spread out onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper to dry.  Store in an airtight container.

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Cheerios Treats

24 Dec

I had wanted to make these before our trip, but didn’t get around to it.  But, of course, my mom made them.  It’s another yummy marshmallow treat!

Cheerios Treats

What you need:

3 Tbsp margarine or butter
1 10-1/2 oz package mini marshmallows (6 cups)
1/2 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
5 cups Cheerios cereal

How to make it:

Grease a 13 x 9 pan.    Melt margarine or butter in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add marshmallows and stir constantly until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Immediately add cereal and mix lightly until well coated.  Using a greased spatula or wax paper, press mixture into the prepared pan.  Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

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7 Layer Bars

24 Dec

 

Actually, the way my mom makes these, they are more like 5 Layer Bars.  She leaves out the coconut and pecans.  With or without those 2 ingredients, they are still a creamy, chocolate-y treat for the holidays.

 

7 Layer Bars

What you need:

1 stick butter, melted
1 cup Baker’s angel flake coconut
1 6 oz. pkg butterscotch chips
1 6 oz. pkg chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups graham cracker crumbs

How to make it:

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, and press into the bottom of an 11 x 7 pan.

Layer the coconut, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and chopped pecans.  Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until just browned on top.  Allow to cool, cut, and serve.

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Easy Cookie Cutter Cookies

24 Dec

Yesterday, I had some shopping to do, so my girls stayed with grandma and grandpa (my parents).  Grandma got a roll of Pillsbury Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough, sprinkled some flour on their working surface, and rolled it out to make shapes with the cookie cutters.  She baked them according to the package directions, then frosted them with a can of frosting from the store, and added sprinkles.  My 5 year old helped with the sprinkles, she likes sprinkles a lot.

They had a lot of fun doing this together, and it went pretty quick for them.   These will be the cookies we leave out for Santa.

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Macaroni and Cheese

23 Dec

 

My sister first had this at a friend’s house for dinner and found the recipe online for it.  She has made it for us every time we come for a visit, and it’s so delicious.  It’s a little different from a traditional cheddar macaroni and cheese; it uses white cheddar and romano cheeses.  Tonight, we had it with peas and Avanti’s bread.  For those of you not familiar with Avanti’s bread, it’s from a restaurant in Central Illinois that is a sweet bread and is very good.  I may see if I can find a recipe for it some day.  Anyway, back to the macaroni and cheese, it’s a recipe from Martha Stewart Living.  It is a little time consuming to make, but well worth it in the end.

 

Martha Stewart Macaroni and Cheese

What you need:

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
  • 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
  • 5 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
  • 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces)
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni

How to make it:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.

While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.

Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer’s directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well.  Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

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Ranch Oyster Crackers

23 Dec

 

Another salty snack I like at the holidays along with Original Chex Party Mix, is Ranch Oyster Crackers.   It’s very addicting like the Chex Mix, plus it’s a nice salty balance to all the sweets we make.  Like the Chex Mix, you may want to make a double batch so you have plenty to eat and maybe some to share.

 

Ranch Oyster Crackers

What you need:

12 oz. plain oyster crackers
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 250 F.

Combine ranch mix and oil.  Add lemon pepper, dill weed, and garlic powder.  Pour over crackers and stir to coat evenly.  Pour onto a large baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.  Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

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Andes Peppermint Crunch Chunkies

23 Dec

 

My mom made these with my kids while I did some shopping today, and they are really yummy, so I thought I would share the recipe.  She made these without the coconut and pecans in the original recipe, and I don’t feel like it’s missing it.  I think they are just fine without them, but would still be good additions.

 

Andes Peppermint Crunch Chunkies

What you need:

2 sticks (1/2 Lb.) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sweetened grated coconut (we left these out)
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted (we left these out)
1 1/2 cups Andes® Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 300° F.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Beat in egg and vanilla extract.  On low speed, add baking soda, salt and then flour. Mix completely.  Stir in oats, coconut, pecans, and Andes® Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips.

Place round balls on lightly greased cookie sheets two inches apart.  Press lightly.  Sprinkle some of the remaining chips on top of each cookie.  Bake for 20 minutes for large cookies or 12-15 mins. for small cookies Do not over bake.

They get crunchy on the outside but remain soft inside. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

Makes: 30 – 3″ or 60 – 1 1/2″ cookies.

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Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie

19 Dec

 

My Papou (Greek for grandfather) first made this for me many years ago, and I enjoyed it so much, I had to make sure I got the recipe for it. When we get zucchini, this is one of the first things I make with it.  It’s like a quiche, but there is not a whole lot of eggs in it like a quiche, but there is plenty of cheese.  The crescent roll crust is perfect and gives it a nice buttery flavor too.

 

Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie
Serves 6

What you need:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled zucchini
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz can Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls
2 tsp dijon mustard, optional

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease or spray a 9″ deep dish pie dish.

In a medium skillet, melt butter or margarine.  Add zucchini and onion, and cook until tender.  Stir in seasonings and remove from heat.  In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and cheese.  Stir in zucchini mixture.

Separate crescent roll dough into the 8 triangles.  Press into the pie dish, covering bottom and sides (see picture below).

 

If using, spread the crust with mustard.  Pour the zucchini/egg mixture evenly pie dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  If crust starts to become too brown while baking, cover the sides with foil.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Cut into 6 wedges.

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S’mores Bars

19 Dec

This is another holiday recipe from my mom.  It’s been a part of her holiday treat baking for a while, but I can’t remember exactly when she first made them for us.  Anyway, I make them now at the holidays and my kids were excited to see these tonight.

S’mores Bars

What you need:

6 Tbsp butter or margarine
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
5 cups miniature marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 cups Golden Grahams cereal
1 cup  miniature marshmallows

How to make it:

Grease a 9×13 pan.

In a large pot, combine butter or margarine, corn syrup, chocolate chips, and the 5 cups marshmallows over low heat.  Stir frequently until smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Immediately stir in cereal and 1 cup marshmallows, and coat evenly. Press into the prepared 9×13 pan using a buttered spoon or a piece of wax paper.  Let it set on counter or in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

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Original Chex Party Mix

18 Dec

 

My mom and I have made this for years, usually for New Year’s Day.  Around this time of year, Chex cereal usually will go on sale and coupons come out around the same time.  Last year, they went on sale for $1.99, and the coupons were $.50 off, which doubled to $1, making them $.99 a box.  Right now, at Fry’s they are $1.99 a box and there were $1 off 2 boxes Chex cereal in a General Mills insert in the 11/13 newspaper, making them $1.49 each.

Now, the recipe that is out on the Chex cereal boxes today is not the same as it used to be, at least not what I remember.  It seemed to change some once they started making the pre-made bagged Chex Mix sold now in stores.  I will eat the pre-made mix, but much prefer the homemade mix.  This recipe here is a mix of the old and new recipes.  This can be done in the microwave, but I really prefer and recommend oven roasting it.  It’s somewhat time-consuming in the oven, but well worth the wait.  I usually end up doubling this recipe because we eat it so fast!

 

Original Chex Party Mix

What you need:

8 cups of Chex cereal (I use 3 cups Rice, 3 cups Corn, 2 cups Wheat)
1 cup peanuts
1 cup pretzels
4 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 250 F.

Combine cereals, peanuts, and pretzels in a large bowl.  In a separate, small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Pour over the cereal mixture and stir to coat evenly.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet.  Bake in oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Spread on paper towels to cool.  Store in an airtight container.

Microwave instructions:
Prepare as above, but instead of baking in oven, put in microwave for 5-6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.  Spread over paper towels to cool.  Store in an airtight container.

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