Out of this World Rice Krispie Treats

I think I've died and gone to Heaven. I could seriously be sitting here as I type eating a whole pan of these, but like the saint that I am, I will dutifully send them to a Soccer Party as promised. Good thing too because I really don't know if I could restrain myself . These are that good! Loaded with gooey marshmallows, peanut butter, toffee chips and a thick, gooey layer of chocolate on top. Believe me, they won't last long.

Toffee Rice Krispie Treats

adapted from recipezaar

1/2 c. butter

80 large marshmallows

1/3 cup peanut butter

10 cups Rice Krispie's Cereal

1 1/3 bag toffee pieces

12 oz. chocolate chips, milk or semi-sweet

butter for pan

1. Place butter in a very large mixing bowl.

2. Microwave on high for 1-1 1/2 minutes or until melted.

3. Add marshmallows and stir to coat with butter.

4. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, stirring after each minute.

5. Stir in peanut butter until smooth.

6. Stir in cereal and toffee chips until well coated

7. Transfer mixture to a foil-lined and buttered 9 x 13 pan.

8. With buttered spatula, press mixture evenly into pan.

9. Melt chocolate chips in microwave stirring every 30 seconds. Spread evenly on top of Rice Krispie Treats.

Makes 20 bars

Posted by: Sallie

French Dip Sandwiches

Up until now there has been a household debate when it comes to French Dip Sandwiches. My husbands idea of a perfect French Dip- buy sliced roast beef lunch meat, warm it up, get some cheese, slap it all on a roll and open a can of beef broth and there you go. I on the other hand, prefer a real roast, simmered in the crock pot with lots of flavors. Thankfully, I found this recipe that we both love. Just as an added note this meal is GREAT for leftovers. I've included a few ideas below.

Beef Taquitos- Remember the chicken taquitos we loved? Apparently so did everyone else so they created a beef version. Just make sure to cook a large roast so you'll have enough leftovers

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

Barbequed Beef Sandwiches- Just add your favorite BBQ sauce to the shredded meat and there you go.

French Dip Sandwiches

From our best bites

2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix

2 c. water

2 cans beef broth

6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)

Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy! 8 servings.

Baked Manicotti

I love eating pasta but sometimes want something a little different. I saw this recipe made on America's Test Kitchen and knew I wanted to try it. I loved their great idea of soaking no boil lasagna noodles instead of using the manicotti shells. It made it so much easier and looked really pretty. The tomato sauce came together really quickly and all the different layers of cheese were so yummy. This dish does take a little extra time but it was well worth it. My favorite part was the top layer of sauce and the broiled parmesan cheese. This dish is definately worthy of company. (I promise it looks a lot better than the picture. I really need to take a photography class.)

Baked Manicotti

America's Test Kitchen

Tomato Sauce
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes (in juice)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes , optional (I used these and it wasn't hot at all)
Table Salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Cheese Filling and Pasta
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 No-boil lasagna noodles (they recommend Barilla which is what I used)

Instructions
1. For the Sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining can tomatoes.
2. Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil; adjust seasoning with salt.
3. For the cheese filling: Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs in medium bowl; set aside.
4. To assemble: Pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch broilersafe baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.
5. Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.
6. Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Remove baking dish, adjust oven rack to uppermost position (about 6 inches from heating element), and heat broiler. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Broil until cheese is spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then serve. Serves 8.

Toffee Apple Dip

A friend just called and requested the recipe and it is too yummy not to post. I make this a lot in the fall but really it's perfect for anytime of year. It's the perfect mix of sweet,creamy and crunchy. Just like eating a yummy caramel apple. Really easy too.

Toffee Apple Dip


8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 bag of skor candy bits


Mix together cream cheese, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in toffee bits. Serve with red and green apple slices.

Posted by: Sallie

Sweet and Salty Turtle Cookie Bars

My friend Christy made these a couple of days ago and they were so delicious, I put them on the menu for Sunday dessert. They start with a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough on the bottom , followed by drizzled caramel ice cream topping, crushed pretzels, pecans andthen to finish it off, another layer of cookie dough on top. Pure heaven. Even better with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. My pictures turned out really bad, so I used the one from Jenny's website. (Just FYI mine did not look a lot like hers. Instead of scooping the extra dough out of a cookie scoop, I just pressed it down over all the toppings so the finished look was a lot like a normal chocolate chip cookie bar. I might try it the other way next time because hers do look really pretty.)

Sweet and Salty Turtle Cookie Bars

slightly adapted from Picky Palate

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 Cup sugar

3/4 Cup brown sugar

2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanillla

2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 Cups chocolate chips

3/4 Cup caramel ice cream topping

1/2 Cup chopped pretzel sticks

1/2 Cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and slowly add to wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. 2. Spray a 11x7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Press 1/2 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the dish. Drizzle caramel sauce over dough then sprinkle with pretzels and nuts . With a cookie scoop, scoop the remaining cookie dough evenly over top of pretzels and nuts. Press down slightly, should look uneven. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until cookies just start to turn golden on the edges. Remove and let cool completely before cutting into squares. 12 bars

Posted by: Sallie

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

This was a major hit at my house. Seriously. My son, who was on his way to soccer practice after dinner, made me promise repeatedly that I would save him more taquitos for when he got home and that was the first thing he asked about when he got picked up. My husband, after finishing dinner said, I'm ready to have those again soon! In fact, EVERYONE in my house loved them and that's a winner in my book. The filling is super easy, especially if you use your crockpot to cook the chicken, and is so creamy and flavorful. The taquitos baked up nice and crunchy and the kosher salt was the perfect finishing touch. Plus, another great thing is that these are baked, not fried. They would also make a great appetizer.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

OurBestBites.com

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese

1/4 C green salsa

1T fresh lime juice

1/2 t cumin

1 t chili powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/4 t granulated garlic or garlic powder

3 T chopped cilantro

2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken

1 C grated pepperjack cheese (I used monterey jack)

small corn tortillas

kosher salt

cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream or guacamole. Makes about 16.

Thick and Chewy M & M Cookies

This is the Cook's Illustrated version of Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I was making them for kids so I decided to swap out half the chocolate chips for M & M's. I've made them before and was happy to be reminded of how much I like them. They make a thick, chewy cookie, just like you'd get at the bakery and they are delicious. To keep them nice and chewy make sure you let them cool completely on the cookie sheet.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cook's Illustrated

Printable Version
2 1/8 cups bleached all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark), 7 ounces
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 - 2 cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi or bittersweet. Or use 1 c. chocolate chips and 1 cup M & M's.

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Stir in chips.
3. Form scant 1/4 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball using fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halves ninety degrees and, with jagged surfaces exposed, join halves together at their base, again forming a single cookie, being careful not to smooth dough’s uneven surface. Place formed dough onto one of two parchment paper-lined 20-by-14-inch lipless cookie sheets, about nine dough balls per sheet. Smaller cookie sheets can be used, but fewer cookies can be baked at one time and baking time may need to be adjusted. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month—shaped or not.)
4. Bake, reversing cookie sheets’ positions halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes (start checking at 13 minutes). (Frozen dough requires an extra 1 to 2 minutes baking time.) Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container. Makes 18 cookies.

*I just baked one batch at a time and left them in the same position the whole time.*