Robin's Egg Nests

I use to make these all the time and decided to start up again with the kids for Easter!  These are cute, yummy and so easy (but messy) to make!  Think cereal treats but without the cereal!

3 cups of mini marshmallows
3 tbs. butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups chow mein noodles
Malt robins egg candies, jelly beans or other candy of your choice.

Butter cupcake tin. In large saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over med heat, stirring frequently. Once melted, stir in vanilla. Add chow mein noodles.   Here comes the fun part!  Get the kids involved, they will love it! Smear butter or crisco all over your hands.  Take a small glob of the mixture and press into one of the cupcake sections, making an indentation in the center. Once you have filled all cupcake sections, fill the centers of your nests with the candy eggs. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the marshmallow to set. This makes approximately 15 nests.

Chewy Granola Squares

Okay, so I have been on a granola kick lately! I love thick, chewy, yummy granola bars and these are SUPER yummy! And they are real easy to make and pretty versatile as far as some of the ingredients.

Not quite cooled, I just couldn't wait!

3 1/3 cups quick oats

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup ground oats (Put 2/3 c. oats in a food processor and grind them up real good)

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 to 4 cups dried fruits and nuts (I used cherries, cranberries, flax seed, pecans and mini chocolate chips in this one)

1/3 cup peanut butter 

4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cups honey

2 tablespoon water

Preheat your oven to 350, line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper in one direction so it hangs over the sides. Spray the paper and exposed pan with cooking spray.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together.  In separate bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients.  Add the wet to the dry.  Make sure you incorporate it well.

Pour the mixture into the baking pan. Press down real good and spread the mixture out evenly filling the whole pan.  This can be done easily with a piece of parchment paper, less mess!

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the edges get a little brown. The top may start to brown also.  The middle of the mixture will still look and feel a little "un-done" but that is okay. It will set up once it is cooled.

Cool for 15-20 minutes in pan on cooling rack. Then lift out of pan using parchment paper and cool on rack until completely to speed up the process! Once cool, use a serrated knife and cut into squares. Wrap individually in plastic wrap. I usually store mine in the frig so the humidity doesn't take its toll on them!

Homemade Granola

This stuff is so good!  Try not to eat it all while it is cooling!  We love it mixed with plain vanilla yogurt or with milk for breakfast or just by the handful!  The great thing is, this recipe is very versatile. You can use any combo of nuts and fruit you want!  In this recipe I used grape seed oil but you can use regular vegetable oil if you like!

Let me know if you try this and how you like it! Any changes or additions? Let me know!



4 cups oats

1/2 c coconut flakes

1/4 c packed brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbs flax seed

1/2 c pecans

1/2 c pumpkin seeds

1/2 c sunflower seeds

2 tbs grape seed oil

1/4 c honey

2 tbs maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 c dried cherries

1 c dried cranberries

Mix all dry ingredients except the dried fruit together. Add in wet and combine well.  Spread in large sheet pan sprayed with non stick spray. Cook 1 hour on 250 stirring every 15 minutes to ensure even color. Once cooled, add dried fruit and store in airtight container.

Whoopie Pies - Valentine's Day Edition

Well 2 things are certain, the Yankee's that are reading this will know what I'm talking about and the Hoosier's will have no clue! Well, most won't!  You see, whoopie pies are non existent here in the Midwest. Every time I talk about them, people ask me what I am referring to. I explain, they say yummy! Then I have to make them some. If you have never had a whoopie pie, you must make them now! Yummy! Yummy! That's all I have to say!  While there are many varieties, this is the standard version.

Anyways, Hubby will be home tomorrow! Yay!  Super excited about that! We are having Sunday dinner at my house.  Baked Ziti  = Yummy!  Hubby likes whoopie pies and I just so happen to have a a cute little heart shaped pan.  Dessert for Sunday dinner solved!

Before I give you the recipe, please make sure you have a good  mixer as mine is, well was, a hunk of junk and mid-way through mixing the filling it caught on fire. Yes, CAUGHT ON FIRE! I had a minor heart attack and my filling was ruined!  Thankfully Hubby has a super cool grandma who lives not that far from me and was on her way to church! She brought me her hand mixer so I could finish the job!

Okay so back to the task at hand...the recipe...

Whoopie Pies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed. When combined, add buttermilk and continue to mix on low speed until all ingredients mixed together.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray pan with non-stick spray. Bake for 10-12  minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. To assemble pies spread filling on one cake and sandwich with another cake. I then rolled in Valentine non-perils.

Filling

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup marshmallow cream such as Marshmallow Fluff

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat together butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Strawberry Valentine's Day Cereal Treats

I made these a few weeks ago as a trial.  They went over wonderfully!  So, I decided to make them again for my son's snack day at preschool. These are not hard to make, can get a little messy if you aren't careful but they wonderful to eat!

(sorry for the crappy cell phone picture quality)



Strawberry Cereal Treats

1 bag of strawberry marshmallows

3 tbs butter

6 cups of rice cereal

Melt butter in pot. Add marshmallows and stir on med-low heat until melted. Stir constantly to prevent burning. Once melted, remove from heat and add cereal. Stir until well combined. Dump into a buttered 13x9 pan. Allow to cool. Spray a heart shaped cookie cutter with non stick spray and cut out treats.  Melt candy melts in a candy making squeeze bottle, disposable icing bag or ziploc baggie. Drizzle over the treats, allow candy to harden.

And there you have it! Delicious and addictive treats!