White Candy Fantasy Clusters

12 Days of Christmas Treats: Day 7

White Candy Fantasy Clusters
from Chex.com

Ingredients
4 cups Rice Chex® cereal
2 cups pretzel sticks, coarsely broken
1 cup cashews, coarsely chopped
1/2 package (16-oz size) vanilla-flavored candy coating (almond bark)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1.	Spray with cooking spray or grease 13x9-inch pan. In large bowl, mix cereal, pretzels and cashews.
2.	In 2-quart saucepan, melt candy coating over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Press in pan; cool slightly.
3.	In microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High about 1 minute or until chocolate can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle chocolate over snack. Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Break into clusters. Store in airtight container.

Kris Kringle Snack Mix

12 days of Christmas Treats: Day 1



Kris Kringle Snack Mix
adapted from: worldvillage.com

8 cups Chex cereal
1 7-ounce jar of marshmallow creme
red and green sprinkles

First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

On a large cookie sheet, spray cooking spray to cover. Empty your jar of marshmallow creme into a bowl you can use in the microwave.

Microwave the marshmellow creme uncovered on high for 1 minute, pause, then stir the creme and continue microwaving for another minute or until it is melted.

Gently pour the Chex cereal into the marshmallow creme. Gently stir the cereal until mixed and coated.

Next, spread the Chex out on a cookie sheet. Once you have a fairly even layer, sprinkle the Chex with the red and green candies. All you need to do now is bake it for about 10 minutes, stirring just a little after 5 minutes or until the marshmallow coating is dry.

Cool completely on cookie sheet placed on top of a wire rack. At this point it will all be one mass of coated Chex. Once it is cooled, you can break it up into large pieces and serve. Delicious!

This recipe for serves/makes 8 cups.

Package in a holiday themed plastic pail to make a great gift.

Arizona Heat Snack Mix

The Arizona Cardinals are playing in the Super Bowl next week so this is a perfect snack to honor the occasion.

Arizona Heat Snack Mix

adapted from Chex.com

2 cups Corn Chex® cereal
2 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
2 cups pretzels
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp Koops Arizona Heat Mustard

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp Worchershire sauce
1/2 tsp season salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 250°F. In ungreased large roasting pan, mix cereals, pretzels and almonds. In 1-quart saucepan, heat butter, mustard, honey and seasoned salt over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and mixture is hot. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Bake uncovered about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until mixture begins to brown. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Bruschetta

In the first time in the history of the franchise the Arizona Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl!!! I wasn't planning to have a Super Bowl party this year but since my city's team will be playing I might need to have one. Besides I have some many tried and true snacks to fall back on.

Bruchetta

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

8 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf French bread, toasted and sliced

Directions
In a bowl, toss together the tomatoes, basil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Mix in the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Serve on toasted bread slices.

Puppy Chow, White Trash, Muddy Buddy or Whatever You Want to Call It

This recipe isn't very original and I'm sure just about everyone and their mom has made this before. It seems like everyone has their own name for it too. I just felt like throwing together a quick snack tonight that didn't require too much thinking or too many dirty dishes. So here it is.


Puppy Chow, White Trash, Muddy Buddy or Whatever You Want to Call It

4 cups corn cereal squares such as Chex
1/4 cup melting chocolate
1/4 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth will work)
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Place chocolate and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds until melted. Pour cereal in a gallon size plastic zipper bag. Pour chocolate peanut butter mixture over cereal. Close bag and shake until cereal is evenly coated. Open bag and add powdered sugar. Close bag and shake until cereal is evenly coated with powdered sugar.

Hummus

Hummus
from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

*I followed the advice of some of the reviewers and added 1/2 tsp sesame oil (to compensate for the sesame flavor you would normally get from Tahini) and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. I also roasted the garlic before adding it in to give it a less bitter flavor.

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed, gradually adding reserved bean liquid, until desired consistency is achieved.

This is a delicious alternative to hummus with tahini. You can serve it with carrots, celery, cucumber, pita bread, pita chips, or crackers.

Black-Eyed Pea Dip

My mom says I have to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for good luck. Well I need all the luck I can get this year so I made two black-eyed pea dishes. I saw this one on Homesick Texan. I love the creativity of turning peas into a dip. This dip did not disappoint either. I couldn't stop eating it! Even if you don't like black-eyed peas you should give this a try. This tastes just like bean dip. The lime, cilantro, and jalapeno mask the earthy black-eyed pea flavor. It is perfect served with Fritos. I made some modifications though. The original recipe is a hot dip with bacon and cheese. I decided to lighten it up a bit.


Black-Eyed Pea Dip
adapted from Homesick Texan

1 can black-eyed peas, drained
juice from 1/2 lime
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 jalapeno, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Makes about 1 cup of dip.

Special Cheese & Crackers

I got this idea while shopping at Costco. They were sampling their Raspberry Chipotle Sauce over cheese and crackers. It was so good. Your party guests will think you spent a lot of time preparing these but they are super simple. The flavor combination is delightful.



Raspberry Chipotle Cheese & Crackers

cream cheese
butter crackers such as Keebler Club Crackers
Fischer and Wieser Raspberry Chipotle Sauce *available at Costco

Allow cream cheese to soften at room temperature until it is spreadable. Spread cheese on individual crackers. Top with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce.

Raspberry Chipotle Meatballs

I went to a potluck Christmas party last night. I signed up to bring an appetizer so I could have some material to blog about for Snack Food Sunday this week. These meatballs were a huge hit. I wasn't very happy with the turkey meatballs though. Chase likes them but I thought the consistency was more like bread and they didn't stay together very well in the crockpot. I will go with beef meatballs or a different brand next time.



Raspberry Chipotle Meatballs

1 pkg (3 lbs) fully cooked turkey meatballs
1 jar Fischer & Wieser Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

*I purchased both of these items at Costco

Add meatballs and sauce to crockpot. Cook on high until meatballs and sauce are heated through (about 1 hour). Reduce temperature to low or warm while guests feast on the party buffet.

Little Smokies in Orange Sauce

Little Smokies in Orange Sauce
from Kraftfoods.com

1 pkg. (16 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Little Smokies

1-1/2 cups orange juice

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

HEAT Little Smokies as directed on package.

MIX remaining ingredients in small saucepan. Cook on medium heat 10 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens, stirring frequently.

PLACE Little Smokies in slow cooker or fondue pot set on low heat. Add sauce; stir gently. Cover with lid to keep warm until ready to serve.

Toasted Ravioli

When I was in grade school my parents told me that if I made straight A's then they would take me out to a restaurant of my choice. A little bribing didn't hurt anyone. lol! One of my favorite places to go was a small Italian restaurant in Houston called Pasta Lamonte's. They had the best toasted ravioli appetizer. I haven't been there in years but I still remember the toasted ravioli and I've tried many times to recreate it at home. Usually I am pretty successful.



Toasted Ravioli

12 frozen ravioli (flavor of your choice) *I used spinach and mozzarella this time but beef ravioli is one of my favorites for this method
1 egg, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 Tbsp. red pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
vegetable oil for frying
Parmesan and herb blend for sprinkling
Marinara sauce for dipping

Heat oil in sauce pan over medium-low heat. Mix bread crumbs, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic salt to create a breading mixture. Coat each ravioli in egg and let the excess drip off. Then coat in breading mixture. Place 4 raviolis in the oil at a time and fry until light brown on each side (turning once half way through). Allow to cool on paper towels. Arrange on a plate with marinara sauce in the center.

Turkey Leftovers Part II

Mini Turkey Pot Pies
using Dorie Greenspan's Good For Almost Everything Pie Dough
adapted from Food Network

For Pie Crust:

Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough

- makes enough for a 9- mini pot pies -

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable shortening (non-trans fat), cut into 2 pieces
About 1/4 cup ice water

Procedure

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don't overdo the mixing—what you're aiming for is to have pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, add 3 tablespoons of the water—add a little water and pulse once; add some more water and pulse again; and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. If you've got big pieces of butter, that's fine. The dough is ready and should be scraped out of the work bowl and on to a smooth work surface.

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap it. Refrigerate the dough at least 1 hour before rolling. (If the ingredients were very cold and you worked very quickly, you might be able to roll the dough immediately—you'll know: the dough will be as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge.) The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Roll dough out and cut into 18 4-inch circles about 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For Filling:

1 1/2 cup turkey, chopped
1 1/2 cup frozen veggies (green beans, carrots, corn)
1/2 cup leftover gravy
2/3 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Cook all ingredients in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until heated through (about 15 minutes).

Assemble and Bake:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Take pie dough circles out of refrigerator. Spray 9 muffin cups from a muffin pan with cooking spray. Line the cups with 9 pie dough circles. Fill each cup with 2 tablespoons of filling. Top each cup with the remaining 9 pie dough circles. With a knife, cut the tops of each pie with a small 1/4-inch "x" to vent. Spray the top with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Taco Bake

This is a versatile recipe that can be served as an easy weeknight meal or a fun party food.

Taco Wreath
(Various Sources)

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef and drain fat. Add taco seasoning and water and simmer over low heat until sauce thickens. Add black beans. Separate crescent roll triangles. Arrange evenly in a circle on a baking sheet or baking stone with short side of the triangle facing the center and slightly overlap each triangle. Spoon taco mixture over the dough, one inch from the short end and leave the pointed end uncovered. Cover the taco mixture with shredded cheese. Wrap the pointed dough ends towards the center. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until crescent rolls are light brown.

Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunch

Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunch
http://www.chex.com/recipes/RecipeView.aspx?RecipeId=44440&CategoryId=342

8	cups Chocolate Chex® cereal *I used Corn Chex
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
6	tablespoons butter or margarine
3	tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	cup white vanilla baking chips *I also used 1/4 cup chocolate baking chips

Substitution

Instead of using waxed paper, you can spray the cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with nonstick foil.

1.	Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
2.	In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.
	In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.

White Chocolate Gorp

I made this snack mix for the bunco party and it turned out really well. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture but there is a pretty good one on allrecipes.com.

White Chocolate Gorp
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/White-Chocolate-Gorp/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds white chocolate
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal squares, e.g., Rice Chex ™
• 3 cups toasted oat cereal
• 2 cups thin pretzel sticks
• 2 cups cashews
• 1 (12 ounce) package mini candy-coated chocolate pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt chocolate in a large saucepan over low heat or in microwave until just until soft. Stir until melted. Combine all the other ingredients in big roaster pan or bowl. Stir chocolate into mixture. Turn out on waxed paper. Of course anything you like can be added or substituted-but this recipe is a great combination!
2. Combine the crispy rice cereal squares, toasted oat cereal, pretzels, cashews and candy in big roaster pan or bowl. Stir chocolate into mixture. Turn out on waxed paper and let cool.