Candy Corn Krispie Treats

I am so excited…October is finally here!  I try to put off all things Halloween until October, but once it arrives, there are so many new things to try that I have to be busy.  I spied these little treats on Pinterest and knew this would be a nice and easy addition to my Halloween treat arsenal. Candy corn is one of those iconic treats that shouts Halloween, but it isn’t my favorite candy.  Don’t get me wrong…I always buy it and will use it to decorate with, but eating it is a different story.  It is way too sweet for my taste buds, but I love the tri-colored shape, so the possibility of using this as a replacement makes me happy! Candy Corn Krispie Treats You will need to gather the following items before you start: 1 large box of Rice Krispies cereal (at least 9 3/4 cups); 2 -10 oz bags of mini marshmallows; 1 cube (1/2 cup) butter – if you cut up the cube of butter into the portions you will need, there will be an extra tablespoon to use on your hands to press the krispie mixture into the cake pan; spray vegetable oil; yellow and orange gel food coloring (like Americolor or Wilton); 2 large mixing bowls, at least one of them microwave-safe; a wisk, a bowl scraper and a large, sturdy spoon; 2 – 8″ cake pans. For the yellow ring: 5 cups

I’ll Be Seeing You…

Ridiculously Delicious Caramel and Chocolate S’More Bites

I recently did a post about S’More Bites – small, two-bite treats that are really delicious.  But anytime I make something really good, I can’t seem to leave it alone.  I tell myself, “Come on…you can do better!”  While I try not to brag, I can’t let this one escape sharing simply because it is somewhat similar to the previous post.   According to my friend Kent W., these are ridiculous!   And here’s the secret ingredient… ingredients! Megan found these Chocolate & Vanilla and Caramel & Vanilla Marshmallows at the Everything99cents store.  She didn’t buy a bunch because she wanted to try them first.  I thought it would make an interesting deviation on the original S’More Bites. Start with the basic recipe for the graham cracker crust on the S’more Bites page.  Make the crust and press it into the mini muffin pan.  You can turn on your oven now to 350°; set the crusts aside. Prepare the fillings.  Cut the marshmallows in half height-wise.  Unwrap the caramels and cut them in half height-wise.  Kitchen shears work really well to do these steps.  For the candy bars (I used Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is 1.55 oz bars – have 2 or 3 on hand), break into the divided sections and then in half again.  If you are using other chocolate, break into smaller chunks and set aside.  You will want to do this BEFORE you bake the s’more cups, otherwise you won’t be ready when

Woven Baked Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich

Not only is baking bacon great for feeding the whole family, but try this trick to make the bacon not fall off your BLT!

Naylor Family Favorites – Tuna Gravy

Every family has them…favorites recipes handed down from generation to generation that have the opportunity to get incorporated into new family unions…or lost forever!  We have a list of comfort foods that we love dearly.  We like to share, but sometimes have to twist our friends arms to get them to try concoctions that may sound weird to them, things like “Pink Stuff”, “Funeral Potatoes” and one of Tom’s favorites, “Tuna Gravy”. Yes, this is Tom – years and years ago, of course!  But some things never change – like family favorite comfort foods!  I grew up eating Tuna Gravy.  It’s probably one of those recipes that didn’t cost much to make, would feed a bunch of people and could be stretched by it being more white sauce and less tuna…besides, of course, it was delicious!  For me, its more about the protein being an excuse for the butter and half & half because I love a good white sauce. All of a sudden, Tom is away at college and finding himself not so ready to prepare some of those basic foods that he loves so much.  So, in an effort to help Tom bring some of those comfort foods to his college “living away from home” experience, I will be sharing recipes (with photos) designed to keep those traditions going.  The first will be Tom’s favorite, Tuna Gravy. Tuna Gravy 1/2 cup butter (8 Tablespoons or one cube)

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Baked potatoes are one of my favorite quick and easy cold weather meals, but when it's too hot to eat hot food, what's a girl to do

S’More Bites

I can’t believe it!  Summer is almost over and I have yet to make it to the beach.  That’s right – no sandy feet, looking for shells or even much of a sunburn…and I got that at a garage sale!  But there’s a church beach party coming soon and I signed up to bring a dessert.  What to bring, what to bring?  Then I came upon the perfect thing – S’More Bites! I have to admit that I am not much of a traditional S’More lover.  Even though I love the taste of this traditional campfire treat, I have an aversion to so many unwashed hands reaching into the same marshmallow bag and the struggling to assemble them, not to mention the messy hands and faces that result while eating them.  I know…I’m such a old fuddyduddy!   But when I saw these little S’More Bites with the same flavors, pre-assembled and bundled up in one bite (or two), I knew that these would hit the spot, at least for me!  (Adapted from the recipe at Pampered Chef.) S’More Bites 7  whole graham crackers (1 cup, finely crushed) 1/4 cup powdered sugar 6 tablespoons butter, melted 4 bars (1.55 ounces) milk chocolate, divided into sections – I decided to make these late at night and didn’t have  candy bars, so I used a bag of Nestle’s Milk Chocolate Chips 12 large marshmallows, cut in half height-wise – I had Jumbo Kraft marshmallows,

Rhodes Guest Blog Post – Cinnamon Raspberry Crumb Pie

  Summer is a wonderful time for fresh fruits to be incorporated into as many recipes as I possibly can. Raspberries are one of my favorites. When they are on sale I am even happier! I bought several pints of them with the intent of making jam, but when I realized that it was time for another guest blog spot with Rhodes, I knew it would be the perfect time to experiment!  You can hop on over to the Rhodes Bake-N-Serv Blog to get step-by-step directions for this easy and yummy recipe…it is good enough to heat up the oven and bake, even in the summer!  

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Last week, on our trip up to Utah, we stopped for the night at Jake’s house.  As per Tom’s request, Jake treated us to one of his specialties…Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies!  They are soooooo delicious!  Lower in fat than many of our other recipes, the banana adds a delightful flavor that makes it hard to stop eating.  Tom had wanted some for the trip, which Jake kindly obliged us with, but he made enough for us to pick up a few on the trip home to take home and share with Mike.  The cookies are so good that I asked Jake for the recipe.  He didn’t answer me in the affirmative, so I assumed that it was “top secret”…no problem, I didn’t mind.  But I hadn’t gotten my fill of banana cookies, so I determined that I would go with the minor info he had given me and begin my experiment.  You know what?  My first attempt was a winner!  Here’s the recipe. Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (How many bananas?  It depends on size – I used 2 1/2 bananas) 2 large eggs 1 cup light brown sugar 1 cup white granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon salt 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 4 1/2 cups flour 1 – 12oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips  In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

When life (or friends) give you lemons, make lemonade...cupcakes!