Edible Easter Basket

My mom once told me how in her first year of marriage to my father she made him an edible easter basket out of Rice Krispies. My dad, having an insatiable sweet tooth was sure to love it. She then filled it with all the easter goodies giving him 3x the sweetness of the average easter tradition.

I decided to try it for myself....

so technically this isnt my idea but rather,borrowed from my mamacita but,

 Im sure she would love me sharing her genius:)

Instead of making a giant easter basket {using a large mixing bowl as the mold} I made a "my size" individual basket out of a large-ish cereal bowl.

(I say "my size" because my dad would disagree and say the mixing bowl is an individual size treat!)

Feel free to make a large basket, just double the recipe:)

I used the recipe for Rice Krispie treats off the box and added a little extra cereal so it wasn't too sticky to mold in the bowl. I also added some sprinkles for an extra burst of springtime color!

I then sprayed {rather generously} my cereal bowl with cooking spray...as well as my hands!

Taking a handful of the rice krispie mixture, I pressed it into the bowl until I achieved my desired thickness. Repeat this process until the entire bowl is lined.

When finished it looks something like this:

Making the handle was a little tricky. Had I planned on doing this earlier, I would have made sure I had a 'bendy' straw to mold the krispies around. But, I had nothing to use as support for the basket handle so I got inventive.

*side-note: This is where high school pottery class would have come in handy. Too bad I flirted my time away in there! Sorry Mr. Teacher {I cant remember your name.}

If your teen ever complains saying they will never use what they are learning as an adult, this is a prime example of how wrong they are. Haha!

Anywho, pretending your a child using play dough, 'roll' the krispies into a thick snake. If you get it too thin you will notice it starting to fall apart when bending. In that situation ADD MORE KRISPIE!!!

I used the side of that same cereal bowl to form a "C" shape with my rice krispie snake so it would look like a handle and then threw the "C" into the freezer to harden it up a bit.

After a few minutes take the treat out of the freezer and attach it to your basket, pressing the sides of the handle into the bowl.

I put a small childrens cup inside my basket for additional support. (Never having done this before, I was concerned the handle would cave in. It didn't. So this step is optional!)

This is what my "cup-tastrophe" looked like.

Ok, So it wasnt a catastrophe but, getting that cup out wasn't as easy as I thought it would be! That's why I am totally saying OPTIONAL!

After covering it with a dish towel {I didnt want to krispies to be too hard} and letting it sit over-night. I woke up, pulled out the cup and Wal-lah!!!

We have an edible easter basket baby!!!!

Fill her up with cotton candy as grass and some yummy easter candy.

For more edible easter ideas visit this link.

Hope you enjoy your easter!

-Amanda

The Gluten Free Happy Meal

Recently, It was brought to my attention that I have been poisoning my beautiful 3 year old with the very same ingredient that altered my digestion for 23 years...gluten.

I was immediately struck with panic & fear that no one seemed to understand. The general response was "at least you know what your doing" or "so lucky your already gluten free!"

I do not in any way feel lucky! I have been gluten free for 2 years and have learned to cook for myself, an adult.

But, a gluten free child is a WHOLE new ball park. Birthday parties, school treats/lunch, Halloween and the beloved Happy Meal have been snatched from my toddler and it overwhelms me with how to compensate for her genetics.

So I did some searching...and decided I should move to Sweden, or rather move back, since it is where my family is originally from. Yes, it is true....you can walk into any McDonald's {or Burger King} and order your burger on a GLUTEN FREE BUN!!!

 Awesome.

But, since moving isn't really an option, I found a bloggin' mama who has been there, done that and I HAD to share what I WILL be doing for my daughter!

Heidi from Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom loves to confuse the McD's staff by buying all the fixin's for a happy meal...minus all the food. {luckily, I have siblings that work there!} and fills them with her own GF chicken nuggets and french fries.

 Did you know you could go to McDonald's and just buy the toy? People do it all. the. time.

My totally cool Mother posted awhile back a YUMMY chicken nugget recipe that is a MUST inside the chicken nuggets box!

My husband works for the plant that actually makes the french fries that McDonald's serves and can buy them in bulk from his work for a fraction of the price. {Perks of being an employee!} So Miss H gets the real deal at home minus the cross contamination! {although I will say, the french fries at the restaurant have never made me ill, that I'm aware of.}

Throw in a toy and juice box and you have yourself a homemade gluten free happy meal.

It may seem like a bit more work than visiting the drive-through but, its totally worth the smile from your GF child!

-Amanda
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Patty's Day Popcorn Balls

My St. Patrick's Day bribe for my students. Do you think it will work?

I used some cute printable tags from Elizabeth at To Be Charmed. Thank you for sharing. My picture doesn't show off how cute they really are so check them out on her blog.
Here's the easy recipe.

2c. light corn syrup
1c. sugar
1 box (6oz.) lime jello (or the color appropriate for the season)
22 cups air-popped popcorn
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Mix first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until all the sugar is dissolved - don't overcook. Pour over popped corn and stir very well. Rub hands with butter then make into balls and let cool on waxed paper. You will need to use butter repeatedly so the gooey balls don't keep sticking to your hands. Good luck and let me know how yours turn out.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
~jan
Linking to some of THESE parties.
and http://annkroeker.com/

The Best Breakfast Casserole

This is my new favorite recipe for breakfast and brunch. Don't let the cottage cheese fool you. IT and the Swiss cheese make the recipe!! I do make this 'semi-homemade'. I used the package of Real Bacon Bits (not granules of imitation)and all the cheese I bought pre-shredded- it was on sale of course. There is a suggestion for using cold baked potatoes and shredding them, but I semi'ed and bought a frozen bag of shreads. This is more hashbrowns and bacon than eggs - which is why it appeals to me.

I make this the night before and then pop it in the cold oven before preheating so the glass dish warms with the oven and doesn't break. I served this recipe this past Saturday for a brunch celebrating my son's 18th Birthday! It was a hit as always!

Amish Breakfast Casserole
• 1 pound sliced bacon, diced
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese
-In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. glass baking dish.
-Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

I originally found this recipe here...
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amish-Breakfast-Casserole/Detail.aspx where you will find other suggestions to mix it up a bit. I have used variatons of different cheeses, and I always go back to swiss.

My photo didn't turn out too well, so I used one from allrecipes.

Warming up in Winter

After 5 days of respiratory illness I just had to have some homemade soup to warm up my insides. It took a while to energize myself to get all the veggies chopped and shredded but alas, a family favorite! We like this with bread to dip or in a soup bread bowl. I made do with a whole wheat hoagie roll sliced up since I was too contagious to go shopping. I hope you enjoy this on a cold winters day.

Cheesy Potato Soup

1 large carrot shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
5 cups of sliced potatoes
4 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
1/4 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)


Cover with water and simmer until vegetables are tender. Using a fork, mash some of the potatoes against the inside of the pot, it makes a thicker soup.

3/4 cup butter
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 can evaporated milk
12 oz. Cheez Whiz
Salt and pepper to taste

I just toss the butter into the pot with the veggies and let it melt on a boil. In a small bowl mix the evap. milk and cornstarch freeing it from lumps. Pour into the soup pot and stir until thickening begins. Scoop in the Cheez Whiz and continue stirring until melted. Soup will be very hot, so let it cool a bit while you slice the bread or hollow out the bread bowls.

Warm soup is so healing to me! Enjoy :)

*I always thicken with gluten free cornstarch rather than flour, but you could use flour if that is your preference.
~jan

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Easy Pulled Pork

During the winter months I often use the slow cooker to have dinner ready when I get home from work. This recipe is very easy and my kids tell me it is better than the pulled pork from Texas Roadhouse.

1 cup beef broth
1 liter of rootbeer (or a little more if need to cover the meat)
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. coarse ground pepper
3 pounds of pork shoulder

Trim all the fat off the pork and pierce with a large fork. Place in slow cooker and pour liquids over the meat. Add garlic. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Remove from cooker and use 2 forks to pull meat apart into shreds. Dump liquids from the cooker. Return shredded meat to slow cooker and turn up to high. Add 1 small bottle of BBQ sauce (we prefer Sweet Baby Rays). Toss meat until well coated with the sauce and then continue cooking in slow cooker for 30 to 45 minutes.

Serve on toasted hamburger buns or as the main dish with some garlic red potatoes and grilled veggie skewer on the side. Enjoy!!

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Picture courtesty of http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Slow-Cooker/Slow-Cookers-BBQ-Pulled-Pork.aspx

Gluten Free Chocolate Caramel Layers

I saw THIS yummy looking treat and wanted to make them for the holidays. Since Paisley's very own Amanda is not able to intake gluten, I revised this so she could indulge in the yumminess. The revised version is printed below. If you are not worried about gluten, click on the link and follow the recipe from the Purcells.


Crust:
1 1/2 cups gluten free oatmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 stick butter, cut into pieces
1 Tbs ice water
1 egg yolk

Toppings:
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 Tbs butter
2 Tbs corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease a 8 1/2-inch square metal baking pan. Blend oats in the food processor until powdery. Add brown sugar and cornstarch. Add butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add ice water and egg yolk and blend just until moist clumps form. Press dough onto bottom of pan evenly. Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely!

Whisk together condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, butter melts and mixture comes to a boil. Insert a candy thermometer and boil gently until caramel is thick and temperature reaches 225 degrees F. Whisk constantly to prevent from burning. Pour caramel evenly over cooled crust and let set 15 minutes. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Spread melted chocolate evenly over caramel layer. Refrigerate until set, at least one hour. Can be made three days ahead if covered and refrigerated. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Enjoy!
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AND Katie's Cucina - Food on Fridays

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

I try to eat sensibly while celebrating the new year. But sometimes too many treats scream my name. So this is a recipe I made the last 2 years. They are filling, so I eat a couple of them first and then the other treats have muffled voices. They can be made low-fat with turkey sausage, which is what I usually use. Choose low-fat or part-skim cheeses and that will help lessen your guilt (although ridding yourself of guilt altogether might be a great new years resolution). I have found I am not fond of fat free cream cheese in this recipe, however, low-fat works great!

18-20 medium mushrooms, wash and pull out stems(set aside)
1 lb. sausage
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
3 sliced green onions
handful spinach leaves, then chop
1-2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese OR Parmesan cheese.

Brown sausage and drain and rinse off excess fat and oil. Return to skillet, add onions and use mushroom stems (chop these a little first) and spinach, cook till spinach appears slightly wilted then add in cream cheese. Continue cooking until creamy and well mixed. Use a small cookie dough scoop to fill mushroom caps, then place in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove and sprinkle mozzarella OR Parmesan cheese on the tops, return to oven to melt cheese. Serve warm!
fyi: Regular sausage and cream cheese will yield approximately 150 calories per mushroom.

Happy New Year!!

~jan

New Years Day celebration and some Rocky Road

Yesterday Amanda mentioned the New Years Day celebration our family carries out each year. I thought I would share this years menu and a recipe of a family favorite holiday tradition. My mom started making Rocky Road candy when I was in Jr. High School and it has been requested by neighbors every year since.

Rocky Road Candy
1 - 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbls. butter
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 - 10 1/2 oz. pkg. mini-marshmallows
In a large bowl combine nuts and marshmallows. Line a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with waxed paper. In a heavy saucepan on low heat melt choc. chips with sweetened milk and butter. Remove from heat and fold into nut and marshmallow mixture. Pour into prepared pan and spread to fill in the corners. Chill for 2 hours. Remove from pan and peel off wax paper; cut into squares with a large knife.
**To make Double Peanutty**
Omit butter - stir 1/2 cup peanut butter into the choc. mixture then proceed as directed.

So here is the menu:
The serious stuff!
-Stuffed Mushrooms (featured tomorrow here on Paisley)
-Buffalo Dip (featured yesterday here on Paisley)
-7 Layer Dip with Juanita's Tortilla Chips
-Undersized hot dogs - recipe for a future post
-Cheese and Meat platter with Ritz and/or dinner rolls
-Spray cheese -preferably sharp! (each child gets to choose 1 thing on the menu and this is a repeated staple for some reason)
-Veggie Tray with Ranch Dip

The sweet stuff!
-Rocky Road Candy (featured today)
-Big Bowl of M&M's and other leftover Christmas candy
-Sweet Chex Mix
-Rice Krispie Treats

For beverage we have Shasta Cream Soda and bottles of water. I prefer to save my calories for food rather than drink them so I start with 1 Diet Pepsi and then move to water.

I pray your New Year is full of peace and joy!

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New Years Traditions

New years day in our family is one of the most gluttonous days of the year!

Its the last day of the *holiday* season that I gorge myself and then of course renew my goal{s} toward a healthier me.

We make a delightful spread for our table and then feast all afternoon as we watch 3 consecutive movies {new releases of course!}

This year we are watching: Knight & Day, Inception and Eat,Pray,Love. 

Im super excited to FINALLY get some much needed relax time 

and to watch these anticipated films!

There are SO many recipes that I love to make and eat during our movie-fest but, 

for the sake of time I am only including one recipe. 

I crave this recipe insanely but, 

only allow myself to have it on rare occasions for it. is. fattening!!!! 

Bring on the cream cheese!!

 Blazing Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Ingredients:
16 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces hot sauce
1 cup chopped/shredded cooked boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese,
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping
tortilla scoops
celery sticks

 Directions:

 Combine cream cheese and hot sauce. 

Heat in microwave/stove until cream cheese is melted. Stir. 

Add celery, chicken and cheese.

Mix together and transfer to a baking dish. 
Top with more cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips and celery sticks. Enjoy!

Whats your New Years traditions???

-Amanda

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Holiday Goodies

Around this time of year it seems our {newish} neighborhood 

goes all out giving each other yummy baked goods.

I learned last year that waiting to the last minute means being RUSHED so,

I already have my neighbors treats ready to go.

This is one of the treats in our little tin of temptation.

Maple Nut Fudge

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2/3 cup NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 (12 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons maple flavored extract
• 50 walnut halves or pieces

Directions

1. LINE 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil.
2. COMBINE butter, evaporated milk, sugar and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly, over medium heat. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 1/2 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. STIR in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and maple flavoring. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan. On top of fudge, place nut halves in rows spacing about 1/2 inch apart. Press into fudge; refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares with 1 nut half per square. 

Enjoy the holidays with this yummy twist on fudge...one of my favorite flavors!

-Amanda

A Holiday Beverage

This cranberry/pineapple slush is perfect for a holiday brunch or dinner. The pineapple juice gives just the right amount of sweetness, requiring a second glass.

1 gallon cranberry juice
2 lg. cans pineapple juice
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water
7-Up

Dissolve sugar in water. Add juices. Freeze in Ziploc bags. When ready to serve, put in punch bowl or pitcher and pour 7-Up over the frozen juice. Enjoy!



Thanks Stephanie for sharing this with me - years ago ;)

I linked to some of THESE fabulous link parties and also
~jan

Dinner in a pumpkin

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com, I seriously LOVE that site:]

It is the perfect autumn dinner and looks so pretty! Its easy and has the 'WOW' factor when you have guests over. A must try!!!

Pumpkin Stew

Ingredients

* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

* 1 cup water

* 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

* 4 carrots, sliced

* 1 large green bell pepper, chopped

* 4 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 onion, chopped

* 2 teaspoons salt

* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

* 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

* 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

* 1 sugar pumpkin

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place beef in the saucepan and cook until evenly brown. Mix in the water, potatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 2 hours.

2. Dissolve the bouillon into the beef mixture. Stir in the tomatoes.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

4. Cut top off the pumpkin and remove seeds and pulp. Place the pumpkin in a heavy baking pan. Fill the pumpkin with the beef mixture. Brush outside of the pumpkin with remaining oil.

5. Bake in the preheated oven 2 hours, or until tender. Serve the stew from the pumpkin, scraping out some of the pumpkin meat with each serving.

Add some dinner rolls and you have a warm & delicious dinner!!! 

Enjoy:]

Amanda

Marshmallow Play-Dough

My husband was recently telling me one of his memories of elementary school... and was excited to share this activity with our 2 year old daughter. And after a successful project, I thought who better to share it with than all of you mommy's & grannies out there!!!

*Caution: when making this activity with children {of any age!} there WILL be messy hands!

To make Marshmallow Play-Dough you will need:

-Large Marshmallows {I used the giant campfire ones, have you seen them? THEY'RE HUGE!}

-Spoon

-Peanut Butter

-Wet wipes for clean up

Give  your child one large marshmallow topped with a spoonful of peanut butter. {Make one for yourself, its fun & yummy!}

Start kneading the two together {this will work best with FRESH marshmallows.}

Keep mixing the ingredients together, the oil from the peanut butter along with the heat of hands will start to break down the ingredients and bind the marshmallow and peanut butter together into a dough.

You will know your close to being done when your hands are no longer messy but, rather clean!

Be patient, this isn't a 30 second process, it generally takes about 5-10 minutes to make the play-dough....well worth the wait & messy hands to clean up!

Give your child some cookie cutters to make fun shapes out of the dough. Then when finished...EAT IT:]

Enjoy doing this activity & snack with your children.

-Amanda

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