Strawberry Cheesecake Chex Mix

At work, we celebrate birthdays by bringing in treats to share. Earlier this week, we were celebrating a young woman's birthday. I had some Chex, so I decided that I would make a Chex mix to share with the group. She is a girly girl, so when I came across the Pink Powder Puff Crunch, it sounded like the perfect Chex mix for her birthday. Only, I seemed to be short on the ingredients. So, I did what I do...I improvised. I had only a small pack of strawberry gelatin, but I also had a small pack of cheesecake pudding - I decided that strawberry and cheesecake are flavors that work together, so off I went to make some dessert Chex mix. I also didn't want it to be just Chex, so I added in some white chocolate chips and some red sugar crystals for a little extra pink sparkle.


Strawberry Cheesecake Chex Mix

9 c Rice Chex
1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1 box strawberry-flavored gelatin
1 box cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix
1 c white chocolate chips
2 tbsp red sugar crystals

Measure cereal into large bowl.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butter uncovered on High 1 minute. Stir; microwave 15 to 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

In 2-gallon large food-storage plastic bag, mix powdered sugar, gelatin, pudding and red sugar crystals. Add cereal mixture. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper; cool about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

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Italian Wedding Cake

Several years ago, when I first started at my current company, someone made this cake for a carry in event and it was wonderful. I, of course, asked for the recipe and make it from time to time. The ricotta cheese mixture, as it bakes into the cake, gives it a bit of a cheesecake flavor/texture. I love the whipped topping too.



Italian Wedding Cake

1 Marble Cake (or Yellow Cake and 1/4 cup cocoa) Mix, prepared according to package directions.

I wasn't able to get a marble cake mix in my preferred brand locally, so I used a yellow cake mix and after mixing it pulled out 1 cup of the batter. I placed the remainder of the batter into the prepared pan. Then, to the 1 cup of batter I had reserved, I added 1/4 cup of cocoa. Then, like with a marble cake mix, I added the chocolate batter in spoonfuls and then ran a knife through it to make the batter marbled.



In a bowl, combine the following:
2# Ricotta Cheese
4 eggs
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Blend until well combined. Spoon on top of the cake batter in the pan.


Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Topping:
1 tub Whipped Topping
1 small box Chocolate Pudding
1 c milk

Combine and spread on cooled cake.



Enjoy!


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Chocolate Banana Upside Down Cake

Today was the 50th Birthday of one of my coworkers. When I looked into my pantry to decide what to make this morning, I realized that I had some bananas that I thought would be good to use, as they were starting to reach overripe. I had some butterscotch chips, so I thought that maybe I would make some sort of banana butterscotch bars, but I wasn't well prepared, as I was out of flour. That meant banana bread was out of the question too. I didn't have a 'plain' cake mix that I could mix in the bananas, but I did have a chocolate cake mix that came with a fudge filling. I also had no frosting and wasn't really in the mood to whip any up. So, I decided that I would do a banana upside down cake with what I did have on hand. The mix was for a full cake, so unlike my pineapple upside down cake, I made it in a 9x13 pan.



Chocolate Banana Upside Down Cake

Banana Topping
6 T Butter
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
3 bananas, sliced

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in brown sugar until dissolved, allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Pour the sauce into buttered pan. Distribute banana slices over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Chocolate Cake

Prepare cake mix according to package directions or whip up your favorite homemade chocolate cake. Gently pour over the bananas.

Bake according to package directions. Allow to cool on wire rack for 15 - 20 minutes. Invert onto plate. Slice and serve.

I had a piece this morning when it was still warm, it was so delicious and the banana topping made it so moist. I do recommend a more ripe banana, they tend to be a little sweeter and in my opinion a little less 'starchy'.


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Honey Spice Cereal Mix

When it comes to cereal snack mix, caramel corn and snack bars, I have a tendency to view cereals as interchangeable. So, when I found myself with a box of Corn Pops that someone brought upstairs but no one was choosing for breakfast, it didn't phase me a bit on where to look for a recipe - I simply headed over to the collection of recipes on Chex.com. Now understandably, some recipes will work better with some cereals than others, so I read through several before coming across one that I thought would be just about right. I found this recipe for Hot Buttered Yum Chex Mix and then did a bit of my own thing.

Honey Spice Cereal Mix
6 c cereal (I used Corn Pops)
1/4 c butter or margarine
1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 c miniature marshmallows
1 c white chocolate chips

Place cereal in large microwavable bowl.

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter, brown sugar and honey uncovered on High 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until mixture is bubbly. Stir in spices. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 3 minutes, stirring and scraping bowl after every minute.

Cool about 20 minutes. Stir in marshmallows and chips. Store in airtight container.

It was such a hit that we quickly ran out and I am making a second batch...this time with butterscotch chips - it's what I have on hand!

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Pretzel Chicken with Mustard Cheese Sauce

I am always on the look out for things that are a little different to include in my weekly meal planning. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut, making the same dishes over and over.

At our house, we eat a lot of chicken for dinner, so having variations on preparation is key. The other week on Pinterest, I came across a recipe for Pretzel Chicken on Simply Made with Love. It sounded tasty to me, so I decided to give it a go (with a few tweaks of course!).

The recipe called for frying the chicken, but I prefer to give it a quick pan fry to get the crust and then to finish baking it in the oven. It takes less oil to make it this way, and I have to think that is healthier (but I could be wrong). I made the full recipe for the sauce, but had enough over to use it as the cheese portion of the filling for the chicken enchiladas I made the next night. The sauce below is a half portion, which is what I will make next time.

The meal was a hit with the kids and my husband.

Pretzel Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups salted pretzels (I used mini-twists)
salt and pepper
2 eggs
1/3 c milk
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.

Put the pretzels in a sandwich bag and using a mallet, crush them until you have crumbs. Place the pretzels in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.

Cut each chicken breast in half and pound with a meat mallet to make the pieces an even thickness.

In a shallow dish, beat the eggs and add the milk.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat the oil.

Dip each chicken piece into into the eggs and then into the pretzels. Add to the hot oil in the pan. Cook until the pretzels begin to brown and then flip over.

Remove from pan and place in an oven safe dish and bake for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Mustard Cheese Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon spicy mustard
1 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and the mustard, and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve the chicken with the Mustard Cheese Sauce.

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M&M Pretzel Bark

Pinterest Strikes Again!

I actually found two recipes that sounded good to me and decided to combine them. The first was for Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark and the other was for M&M Bark. I liked that the salted caramel one made it's own caramel and I liked the use of the M&Ms to dress up the pretzel bark. I combined the two recipes and added a few things from my caramel puffcorn recipe and voila! M&M Pretzel Bark was born.

They are not the prettiest of treats, but they make up in taste what they lack in appearance.

It is YUMMY! It is ADDICTIVE!

I used Holiday Mini M&Ms to decorate mine. I think they are the right size, but supposed you could use regular if that is what you had on hand. I threw the bark into the freezer before cutting/breaking it into pieces.

M&M Pretzel Bark

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 (16-ounce) bag mini pretzel twists
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups M & Ms

Line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Fill the pan with a single layer of pretzels.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Bring it to a boil, while stirring. Allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda, stir.

Pour evenly over the top of the pretzels. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes, then use a spatula to spread the chocolate chips over the surface. Sprinkle with M&Ms, pressing gently to secure them into the soft chocolate.

Allow to cool. Break into uneven pieces. Enjoy!

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Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

I love chocolate. I love caramel. I am in love with all of the new sea salt caramels. So, it was only natural when I found this recipe for Salted Caramel Bars from Annie's Eats on Pinterest, I knew that I had to try them.

I was looking for a treat to bring to work to share for our holiday goodie day and I chose this opportunity to try out the new cookie.

I must say that these were quite the hit. There was something so intriguing about the slight bite that the shortbread lent to the cookie combined with the ooey-gooey yumminess of the homemade caramel and the flavor of the chocolate with the touch of salt giving it the final touch.

I left some home for the family and my son, after trying just one told me that I wouldn't have to worry about any of them being wasted.

Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars
Servings 48

Shortbread:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar

Caramel:
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate:
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or baking chocolate, cut into bits
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
Sea salt or Fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Yield: about 96 1" squares

Shortbread: Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended. With the mixer on low speed, blend in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Press the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool completely.
Caramel layer: Combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring constantly. Continue simmering and stirring until the mixture is just below soft ball stage, about 230F. Pour the mixture over the shortbread layer and allow to cool completely.
Chocolate: Combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minutes and stir. Continue heating 30s at a time, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour evenly over the caramel layer and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Allow to cool for a minute or two and then sprinkle with Fleur de sel. Chill, covered, until firm enough to slice. Cut into 1" squares.

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