Cinnamon Churro Chex Mix Treat

I saw these on pintrest and they sparked my interest as a fun treat. At my house Muddy Buddies or AKA Puppy Chow or many other names are beloved and evil all at the same time.  My favorite is still the original Muddy Buddy flavors, but it didn't take long for these little munchies to disappear either.  

Cinnamon Churro Chex Mix 

http://zitzmanfam.blogspot.com/2012/03/cinnamon-churro-chex-mix.html  adapted from this pin

9 cups rice Chex cereal

3 cups cinnamon chips

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pour Chex cereal into a bowl. Set aside. Combine sugars and cinnamon in another small bowl. Set aside.

In a microwavable bowl, melt the cinnamon chips. Heat for 1 minute then stir. Heat for an additional 30 seconds. Stir. Continue with additional 30 seconds until completely melted. Pour melted cinnamon chips over the cereal. Stir until cereal is well coated.

Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Toss to coat. Pour out the cereal onto a cookie sheet. Continue to sprinkle and toss the cereal with the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Mozzarella and Ham Panini

This is a quick simple and delicious panini. I love that there is no sauces but olive oil and salt and pepper. It comes together and is ready for the table in around 35 minutes. I tore this recipe out of a Martha Stewart Everyday Cooking magazine years ago.

Mozzarella and Ham Panini

1 Large Loaf of Italian Bread (I use hard rolls or sub rolls. A crusty bread works well)

8 oz Fresh Mozzarella thinly sliced (Regular deli Mozzarella is all I have used fresh is hard to come by in these parts!)

4 oz Shaved Deli Ham (My favorite is Black Forest Ham)

2 oz Baby Spinach (2 cups, loosely packed)

Coarse Salt and Ground Pepper

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Split bread horizontally. Layer one side with cheese, ham, and spinach beginning and ending with mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper as you go. Close sandwich (making sure mozzarella is in direct contact with bread on both sides--its what holds the sandwich together as it melts).

Brush a large baking sheet with some of the oil. Place sandwich on sheet; brush top with remaining oil. Place another baking sheet on top (cover bottom of sheet with aluminum foil-makes for easy clean-up!), press down firmly. (I personally like to put my rectangular pizza stone on top of the cookie sheet to add some weight for the "press")

Bake panini, press down top sheet once or twice during baking (unless you have used my pizza stone idea or a brick would work too), until cheese had melted and sandwich is golden, 20-25 minutes.

If using a loaf, cut into four pieces and serve with salad.

South-of-the-Border Sandwiches (Lion House)

Yes, I have fallen of the face of the earth or so it seems. We have moved into our new house now and life is getting a little more settled. My desire to cook more and try new recipes is returning day by day. This recipe was one I served at a luncheon I hosted for one of my friends birthdays this month. Unknown to me she loves avocado so this recipe made the luncheon for her. I promised to get her the recipe so rather than have to type it out twice I am going for a one time deal here. It was so fun to host this gathering at my new house. True the entry way and other areas are still unfinished, but if I waited until everything was just perfect! I may never get to let my friends know how special they are to me. Perfect or not sometimes you just have to do it! Because I was busy enjoying my guest there is no picture of this recipe for now, but I am sure we will get one eventually. :-)

South-of-the-Border Sandwiches (Lion House Entertaining, p.42)

8 Sandwich roll, split open, or a loaf of french bread sliced

1/2 cup Olives, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/3 cup Sour Cream

1/3 cup Green Onions, chopped

3/4 to 1 pound Cooked Turkey, thinly sliced (I bought Peppered Turkey Breast from the Deli)

2 medium Tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 ripe Avocados, sliced

3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

3/4 cup Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I used Monterey Jack)

In a bowl, combine olives, chili powder, cumin, and salt; set aside 2 Tablespoons of this mixture (for garnishing). Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and green onions to the remaining olive mixture.

Place bread on a ungreased baking sheet and spread 1 Tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture on each slice or roll. Top with slices of turkey and tomatoes. Spread with another Tablespoon of mayonnaise mixture. Top with sliced avocados and cheese. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 Tablespoons of olive mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 8 to 10 Servings.

*Note these are an open face sandwich. I used small hard rolls because I was offering more than one type of sandwich for lunch (The other was a quick simple and Mozzarella and Ham Panini from Martha Stewart's magazine I got years ago.) I wanted the guest to feel welcome to try both if they wanted too. So I was trying to keep the portions reasonable.

Served it with a variety of green salads and brownie ice cream sundaes

Fruit-Topped Triple Chocolate Tarts

I made these little treats for our women's organization's annual celebration last week. I got the recipe from my Pampered Chef "All The Best" cookbook. They make it into one large pizza, but I choose to make it into individual tarts for ease of serving on the planned buffet. My taste testers (a.k.a Jack and the kids) loved the strawberry on top but were not all together loving the mandarin orange. So next time I think I will just add a half of a strawberry and call it good.

Fruit-Topped Triple Chocolate Pizza

Make your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough (Or the original recipe calls for 1 package (18 oz) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough)

2 squares (1 oz each) white chocolate for baking (I used white chocolate chips)

2 Tablespoons milk

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup thawed, frozen whipped topping

12-16 strawberries, cut in half

1 can (11 oz) mandarin orange segments, well drained

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you desire to make it the large pizza version place your dough on a large round stone and roll it out into 12-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Bake 12-15 minutes until edges are set. (Cookie will be soft. Don't over bake) Remove from oven and cool about 10 minutes. Loosen from baking sheet and let it cool completely still resting on the sheet.

For the individual tarts. I used a muffin tin and my smallest ice cream scoop so that they would be equal in size. I baked the dough for about 8-9 minutes; let them cool lightly then removed them from the pan to a wire rack to cool. (You could use a cupcake liner too, if it meets your fancy.)

For the topping mix white chocolate and milk in a mixing bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute; stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Microwave an additional 10-20 seconds if necessary. Cool slightly. In a separate bowl combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; beat until mixed well and the mixture is smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie/cookies.

Arrange the fruit on top of the cream cheese mixture. Place chocolate morsels and vegetable oil in a microwave safe bowl and melt until smooth. Drizzle over fruit. (I think this is easiest out of a baggie). Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

A Bon Bon Treat (Cake Balls)

I have a friend who makes these for many special occasions. To me they are her signature treat. When I learned how easy they are to make, I decided to try it. I ended up making these little cake balls for the kids teachers and a few of my friends for Valentines Day. The cake part of it is easy and quick, but it is the dipping of them that takes time.

Cake Balls

1-Box Cake Mix, made according to package instructions (Flavor of Choice)

1-container Frosting (Flavor of Choice)

Vanilla or Chocolate Almond Bark

After the cake is baked and cooled. Crumble the cake and mix in the entire container of frosting. Space mixtures into small balls. Place on waxed paper and freeze. (This step makes it easier for me. The cake stays together better as I dip them, but it does set the chocolate faster which is a factor is your are wanting to add sprinkles.)

Melt your almond bark and dip individual balls into it, remove, and place on wax paper to set.

*I used a chocolate cake mix with a cream cheese frosting.

Easy Pretzel Turtles

Pictures of my cute little elves helping with the Christmas goodies.

They are thrilled whenever I let them help in the kitchen.

Notice the little elf! He must have snitched a treat. He is looking pretty suspicious don't you thing? He L-O-V-E loves treats! He takes after his momma. (This picture makes me LOL!)

I got this recipe from www.ourbestbites.com. I was looking for a simply, fun, and taste Christmas goodie my children could help me make. These were PERFECT! Jack loved them and asked, "You are not planning on giving these away are you?" while a huge grin and a mouthful. He thought they were yummy and could have eaten them all. The kids had a ball helping and I personally loved doing something with them that was a low stress activity--sugar cookie frosting and decorating is a high stress activity for me with my kids, but we always have to give it a whirl to. I keep hoping that maybe just maybe it will be easier the next time around. So if cookie decorating is a little more than you are feeling up for try these. You won't be disappointed. We will be making these again I am certain and I don't think we will be waiting until next Christmas to do it.

Easy Pretzel Turtles

small pretzels

Rolo candies - one bag has about 55 candies

Pecan halves - or optionally peanuts, cashews, and m&m's

Optional: almond bark or white chocolate for drizzling

Get Ready for some simple holiday fun!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet. I like to use parchment paper or my silpat for easy handling, but you can also put them on foil or directly onto the cookie sheet.

Unwrap your Rolo candies and place one on top of each pretzel (a great step to keep the kids busy).

Place pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Any longer is probably too long. You just want the chocolate on the outside to look glossy and melty, but they should still hold their shape.

Remove pan from oven and take a pecan and gently press it right into the center of the chocolate candy.

If you want to get fancy you can give them a little drizzle of almond bark or white chocolate. Just melt some in a plastic baggie and nip the corner off to drizzle. A little goes a long way; used a half a square of almond bark or 1/4 cup white chocolate chips melted.

Spoil yourself and eat a few of these babies warm off the pan. Mmmm-YUM! Wait for the rest to cool and harden before you pack or plate them up.

Mix it Up: For parties, simply for color, or for the non-nut lover in your family do them with all M&M's on top. Kids love how colorful and fun they turn out to be. Try them with cashews and peanuts or those mini Hershey's kissables are cute too.

Chewy Chex Mix Treat

I made this treat to take to girls camp. I have loved this recipe since I was young, but don't make it to often because it is one of those treats I eat and eat and eat once I take my first handful--not such a good thing. This yummy treat is great for camping, traveling, or partying!

Chewy Chex Mix Treat

4 cups Rice Chex

4 cups Corn Chex

1/2 box Golden Grahams

2 cups Coconut

2 cups Sliverd Almonds (I have also used peanuts)

Syrup:

1 cup white Karo Syrup

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup margarine

Boil syrup, sugar and margarine for 2 minutes. Stir. Pour over mixture. Spread out on cookie sheets to cool if desired (I think this helps it not become one solid mass as the syrup cools.)

Fudge Nut Bars-Family Favorite

These wonderfully rich bar cookies have been made in my home for as long as I can remember. They always seem to show up on special gatherings and disappear as quickly as they arrive. They are what we always took to missionaries-homecomings and farewells of family and friends a like. They have been a cookie that Jack has fallen in love with! When you marry into my family you marry into a sweet tooth group and are bound to catch the bug after too long! So I made some of these famous bars to take to friends who have been so generous in helping us with their time or resources with the construction of our new home. It is the only safe way for me to make this recipe or I would end up eating the entire jelly-roll sized cookie sheet by myself. (Not exactly the best thing for weight gaining during pregnancy! ;-0)

Fudge Nut Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups quick oatmeal

Cream butters and sugars together. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Cover a prepared cookie sheet with dough-saving some dough to crumble over the top of the chocolate filling.

Filling:

1 (12 oz) package chocolate chips (my family loves milk chocolate, but I've made it with semi-sweet because Jack likes those best in his choco-chip cookies so that's what I keep on hand. The semi-sweet seems to make them richer because the chocolate is darker.)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Chopped pecans (optional)

Put all ingredients together in a sauce pan and stir until chocolate is melted. Spread over the top of the prepared dough in cookie sheet. Crumble reserved dough on top. Bake at 350 degrees until edges are lightly browned about 20-25 minutes. ***Do not over bake or the oatmeal crust will be and taste dry.***

Spring has Brought Me such a Nice Surprise-Popcorn Popping!

This is a new found recipe for baked carmel corn that is taking the top slot for the wedding favor. It is good and the white chocolate chips makes it different. Our family loves carmel corn no matter which method is used. If you like the simpleness of using a microwave for making the carmel and baking like we use with our Jell-O popcorn you may want to check out our Brown Paper Bag Popcorn too.

Spring Time Popcorn

6 oz Popcorn (my mom thinks that white puts off less kernel husks)

This is equivalent to about 1 cup of kernels.

Popcorn and then top with the carmel.

1 cup of white chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popped popcorn in a large stainless steel bowl or roasting pan. Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. (I have also used foil lined cookie sheets-which isn't as easy for the stirring)

In heavy sauce pan place white chips, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook on medium. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a light boil. Place a small drop of coloring into saucepan if you desire a color; mix until combined. Remove from heat and pour carmel evenly over popcorn. Gently stir to coat popcorn . Bake in oven for 10 minutes stirring every couple of minutes. Remove from oven and pour popcorn out on waxed/parchment paper to cool. Break into pieces and serve.

Spring has Brought Me such a Nice Surprise-Popcorn Popping!

We have had fun this week at our house trying different popcorn treats. My little sister is getting married in a mid-May and she wants to give a carmel corn treat away to the guest as her wedding favor. We have lots of favorite family carmel corn recipes, but we went searching for more and tried a few out of our family cookbook as well as some new ones from the web.

For Family Night treat we tried a recipe that one of my co-workers gave me over 10 years ago! The kids loved it. You make it with Jell-O and cook it all in the microwave so this was a great recipe that allowed the boys to help me in the kitchen--Which they LOVE!

Jell-O Popcorn

1 Large Brown Paper Bag

Non-Stick Vegetable Spray

10 cups unsalted popped popcorn (we used closer to 12 or 14)

1/2 cup margarine

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 3-oz package of Jell-O any flavor

1/4 teaspoon soda

Spray bag with non-stick spray. Put popped corn in bag. Set aside. Microwave butter in a glass dish 45 to 60 seconds. Add sugar, syrup, and Jell-O and stir. Microwave on high for 3 minutes or till full boil is reached. Remove from microwave stir in Soda. Immediately pour over popped corn. Close the bag by rolling the top down until it will fit inside your microwave. Microwave bag of goodies for 1 minute on high. Remove SHAKE, return to microwave for 30 more seconds. Shake bag. Microwave for 30 more seconds. Pour out of bag onto wax paper to cool.

Enjoy a fruity fun treat one kernel at a time.

We have tried, Strawberry, Raspberry, Peach. The kids favorite is the Strawberry. The Raspberry is tart, the Peach is sweet and has a little tang to it.

This is our first batch-strawberry flavored. Turned out nice and PINK

Clubhouse Chicken Squares

I got this recipe from one of my Pampered Chef Cookbooks. This a tasty appetizer that we actually had for a dinner on one of our warm spring days-not like the snow today! The kids liked it and it was tasty, but loaded with calories and fat! Because of its high fat and calorie content it is probably best served as an appetizer (Each square if you get 12 servings out of your creation according to the book has upwards of 300 calories and 20 g of fat. Now if you used reduced fat products like I always like to do I can't tell you what the counts are, but I bet it doesn't change them all that much!---DARN!). This would be a fun party or shower finger food.

Clubhouse Chicken Squares

2 packages (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese softened ( I personally think you could go less here!)

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 small garlic clove, pressed

1 teaspoon Dill mix (I used McCormick's "It's a Dilly mix)

1 can (10 oz) Chunk white chicken, drained and flaked (I cooked and diced chicken tenders)

1/2 small cucumber, seeded, sliced, and quartered

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced (I used slicing tomatoes I had on hand)

1/2 cup (2 oz) Shredded Cheddar cheese

6 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll one package of crescent rolls across one end of stoneware pan with longest sides of dough across width of pan. Repeat with remaining package of dough, filling pan. Roll dough to seal perforations and press up sides to form crust. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.

In a bowl combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, pressed garlic and dill mix; mix well. Spread mixture evenly over crust; top with chicken.

Thinly slice cucumber and cut into quarters. Dice tomatoes and grate cheese. Sprinkle cucumber, tomatoes, cheese and bacon over chicken. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Cut into squares.

Serves 12.

We didn't wait for it to cool. We just ate it up the way it was and were content that dinner was accomplished! :-)

Lion House Cinnamon Rolls

This was my first attempt at making cinnamon rolls and I was pleased with the outcome on the taste. I have some learning to do on how to roll them out and roll them up so that they look pretty when all is said and done! We were invited to a friends house for dinner so we took half of the for dessert and saved the other half for our Sunday Conference Brunch. They are definitely best hot from the oven. But the boys loved them either way--No Complaints here!

Cinnamon Rolls

2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
7 cups all-purpose flour (All the Lion House recipes I've tried have always taken more flour than called for, to make it work)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Recipe of Powdered Sugar Icing (see below)

Place water, oil, eggs, vanilla, and dry powdered milk in a large bowl of an electric stand mixer and stir vigorously until milk is dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over liquid mixture, then add the 1 cup sugar, salt, and flour.

Put dough hood on mixer and ix for 10 to 15 minutes at low speed. The dough will be very sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll out into a rectangle shape (I think I rolled mine to big). Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up rectangle lengthwise and cut into 1-inch slices. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Place rolls on cookie sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in size 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. After baking, let rolls cool slightly before frosting. Frost with Powdered Sugar Icing or Buttercream frosting. Makes about 18 rolls. (I got two jelly-roll pans full around 24+Rolls)

**Note: If you want to make the dough a day ahead, mix dough according to directions. Instead of allowing dough to rise, place it in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. When ready to use, remove dough from refrigerator and follow directions for rolling out, rising, and baking. It will take longer for the shaped rolls to rise because dough will be cold.
{Lion House Bakery cookbook, P 9}


Powdered Sugar Icing

2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup half and half or evaporated milk (I used regular 1% milk)

Mix all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl and beat until light and well mixed.

{Lion House Bakery cookbook, P 9}

Indoor S'mores

This is a RICH chocolaty recipe that you definitely have to make indoors. If you attempted to take them on a camp out you would have a major mess. So when you are looking for something fun to treat your family and friends with this summer and can't go camping give theses a whirl.

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

5 cups miniature marshmallows

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup light corn syrup

5 Tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup miniature marshmallows, if desired

In large bowl, measure cereal. Butter 13 x 9-inch pan (I personally think that this is so rich that I spread mine out on a cookie sheet and spread the love a little thinner! More to go around right.). In a large sauce pan melt the marshmallows, chocolate chips, corn syrup an butter. Stir in vanilla.

Pour over cereal; quickly toss until completely coated. Stir in 1 cup marshmallows

Press mixture evenly into pan, using buttered back of spoon. Let stand uncovered at least 1 hour, or refrigerate if you prefer a firmer bar. For squares, cut into 6 rows by  4 rows. Store loosely covered at room temperature up to 2 days.

Brown Bag Carmel Corn

This Carmel Corn is so IRRESISTIBLE!!! Diane Paxton gave us a bag of this for Christmas and we fell in love! I finally got around to asking her for her recipe. Growing up my family was known for their Carmel Corn and it was a party regular. So FAM--you are going to love this one. It's not soft and chewy like the family tradition, but has more the texture of Crunch-a-Munch. Tonight was a Friday night slumber party at our house. A single batch of this disappeared quickly amongst the 2 adults and 6 kids. I dare you to try to just eat one handful, near impossible for me!! When something is this yummy why miss out! I hope you enjoy it!! (Thank you Diane!)

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon soda

15 cups of popped corn (or more depending on how much carmel you like on your popcorn)

Put butter/margarine in a 2-qt microwave dish; melt. Then add the brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil; boil for 1-2 minutes. (Mine boils at 2 minutes, but each microwave is different so watch it and make note the first time). Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove dish from microwave add the soda and vanilla. Drizzle Carmel over popcorn in a large brown paper bag. Stir it or shake it, to coat the popcorn with Carmel. (I personally drizzled it over the popcorn in the large bag, then dumped it into the bag for the shaking step--worked great!) Cook in bag for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and shake again. Dump out onto a large cookie sheet/ jelly-roll pan to cool. (I used two pans-single layered).

If you would like to make popcorn balls out of this recipe, simply skip the brown paper bag step and form into balls.

Jack and Jill's Tuna Salad on Crackers

Jack, the kids, and I love this quick meal for lunch.  It is relatively healthy if you don't go wild with the mayonnaise or over do it with crackers. We always eat a lot of crackers when we make it. It would be a good party food.

2 cans Tuna

1 avocado diced

1 tomato diced

2-4 Tbsp minced onion

A few drops Lemon juice

2 Tbsp Mayonnaise or to your liking 

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of Garlic salt (optional) or Salad Supreme seasoning --to taste

Combine the tuna, mayonnaise, onions, and lemon juice. Add the avocado and tomato and stir gently.

Serve on top of your favorite cracker or bread. Our favorite is crackers!