A simple twist to your basic marshmallow crispie treats will have the kids chirping in a matter of minutes. Perfect for spring or easter treats. They’re even made with whole grains (and some fat and sugar 
). (more…)
From your favorite cake-decorating fanatic (at least fanatic for being as crappy as I am with an icing-bag): here’s a great trick for your next batch of frosting. (more…)
I made this recipe up for the Pillsbury Bakeoff. I didn’t win anything, but they ARE good. You can add chopped Jalapeno too, if you like it spicier.
1 8oz package softened Neufchatel or cream cheese
1 4oz can Old El Paso® Chopped Green Chiles
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 16.3 oz can Pillsbury® Grands! Biscuits Flaky Butter Tastin’ refrigerated flaky layers biscuits
2 tablespoons Corn meal
Cooking spray
1 cup Old El Paso® Salsa Thick N Chunky Make Mine Medium or flavor of choice
1. Blend the cheese, chiles, garlic, lime, and salt. Chill this mixture in the freezer while completing the next two steps, or for make-ahead preparations, cover and refrigerate for up to two days before continuing.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a 13×18 inch jellyroll pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with corn meal.
3. Separate each biscuit into two pieces along the layers and flatten them slightly to make 16 rounds.
4. Form each empanadita by placing 1 rounded tablespoon of the chilled cheese mixture in the center of a round, folding the dough around the filling to create a semi-circle pocket, and crimping the edges closed with a fork.
5. Bake for 10-14 minutes until golden-brown and crispy.
6. Arrange on a serving platter around a small bowl of salsa. Serve warm. Makes 16.
This is a great treat for Valentines Day. It’s really easy to make and inexpensive for large batches.
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Almond Slices (or Slivers) – You can also do this with Pecans!
1 cup butter (2 sticks – not margarine)
1 cup chocolate chips
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper and give it a quick rub down with a little butter. Then throw the rest of the butter, the sugar, and the almonds into a sauce pan on medium to medium high heat. Cook, stirring now and then, until it’s a rich caramel color and the ingredients are well blended — “soft crack” stage if you’ve got a candy thermometer, but I didn’t and it turned out fine. Pour it in the jelly roll pan, spreading it out quickly (dont’ worry if it doesn’t go edge-to-edge) and cutting score marks with a knife to form 1-1.5″ pieces. It hardens quickly so dont’ worry if you can’t cut all the way through. Then, while it’s still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips over it all. Give them a minute to begin to melt, then spread them into a thin layer.
Throw the whole pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes (just to speed the cooling process) then you can lift it neatly from the parchment and break it along the score lines into about 70-90 pieces, depending on how thin you spread it and how big the pieces are.
Here’s the kicker. Each of the 90 pieces of candy has about 60 calories in it. It’ll store nicely in an airtight container, as long as you put that container in a place cool enough to keep your chocolate from melting, assuming you hide it well. Oh, and if you’ve got several pieces that didn’t turn out quite right (broken edges or whatever) instead of gobbling them like I did, you can break them into bits and keep them for ice cream toppping… mmmmmmm!
Got any left over easter eggs? Let’s hope not. But if you make a fresh batch you can try this fun recipe; complete the experience by reading the book with your kids. (more…)