Treats for Football Games

I made some cute treats for the football game tonight, one is for the football players and the other for the cheerleaders. Go Rams!

For the boys

Oreo stuffed brownies for the girls

(there are half the number of girls than boys 

so that's why the girls are getting a "bigger" treat this week)

Enjoy!

Chocolate and Carmel Dipped Pretzel Rods

I've been making treats for both the football players and cheerleaders at my daughter's school. She is currently on the JV cheer squad and I love having goodies for the girls each week, and I've started making a few things for the football players as well. These chocolate covered pretzel rods are super quick and easy to make, and you are able to personalize them with your favorite teams color. I purchased some long skinny plastic bags at Wal-Mart to place them in.

Ingredients
1 Bag Pretzel Rods
1 Package Chocolate Almond Bark, melted
1 Package Kraft Caramel Bits
Various Colors Candy Melts
Sprinkles

Melt the Kraft Caramel Bits by following the packages directions. I placed mine in a small glass canning jar and it was perfect. Prepare a table top with either wax paper or parchment paper. Dip each pretzel rod into melted caramel, shake off excess and carefully place on paper.  Repeat. Let cool completely.

Melt Almond Bark by following the packages directions. Take "dried" caramel dipped pretzel rod and dip into melted almond bark, shake off excess and place on paper to dry. Repeat.

This is where you can individualize yours by taking your favorite team's color. I used red candy melts and squiggled bright red over the top of the pretzels and then placed some black sprinkles on top while the candy melts was still wet.  Let cool completely then store in an air tight container.

Melt Caramel Bits in a tallish container for easier dipping

Once caramel has set you can dip them into the chocolate

Let completely dry

Decorate anyway you'd like

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

It's that time of year again, where we all start cooking and baking with pumpkin. Why is it that we only break out the pumpkin recipes once a year? If it were up to me I'd declare pumpkin eating/baking/cooking year round! I have a pumpkin recipe that I absolutely love, and I will share it here later on, but I decided to try a different recipe for pumpkin bread this week. The taste is a little bit milder than my bread recipe, so if you aren't totally sold on major pumpkin flavor, this recipe is for you. The bread is also lighter and less dense than most recipes. My favorite way of eating pumpkin bread is with a thin layer of butter on top of it. Yumm, welcome Fall!! (now if it would only get out of the 90's here in Orlando)

Ingredients
3 c Flour
1 tsp Ground Cloves
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3 c Sugar
1 c Butter, really soft
3 Large Eggs
1 16 oz can Pumpkin
1 1/2 cSweet Chocolate Chips

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 350 and spray 2 medium loaf pans with Pam. (I used one medium pan and three mini's)

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder and set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer with the wire whisk attached, add sugar. Take the butter and microwave it for about 30 seconds, just enough to melt it a little bit. Add it to sugar/ Add eggs and cream these ingredients together on medium speed until fluffy. Add the pumpkin and chocolate chips and combine well.

In three batches add the dry ingredients and mix gently until each batch is just incorporated. Scrape the sides between each batch. Pour batter evenly into 2 bread pans.

 Bake side by side for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes before removing, cool completely before cutting.

Mix wet ingredients

Combine dry ingredients

I love chocolate

Combine wet and dry ingredients and add chocolate chips

Pour into prepared pans

Enjoy!

Source: Steaming Gourmet

Popcorn to Cheer About

Another Wednesday another fun cheer treat! I got this idea from Our Best Bites and tweaked it a bit, I wasn't sure if the kids would like nuts in theirs, so I left them out and subbed Reeces Pieces instead.  This is a super fun and easy treat to make, the cheerleaders loved it and so did I. The yummy sweetness of the white almond bark mixed with the salty bite from the popcorn, so ying and yang! ( if I was making this for adults I'd add either peanuts or cashews and some pretzels)
I absolutely love candy corn and I'm sure you'll start noticing a trend here for the next month or so...candy corn used in lots of different ways! I only buy them this time of year, they are super fresh and tasty. I also love to use them as fillers in glass vases for some of my Halloween centerpieces.

Ingredients
1 pkg White Almond Bark ( I buy mine at WalMart)
3 pkgs Popped Microwave Popcorn
2 c Candy Corn
1 c M&M's
1/2 c Reeces Pieces

Prepare your work space by laying out 2 large sheets of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pop the popcorn in your microwave and place in a large bowl. Add candies. Melt almond bark in microwave for approx a 90 seconds. Stir until smooth. Pour melted chocolate over the top of the popcorn and candy mixture and dig in with your hands and mix mix mix. Dump covered popcorn out onto parchment sheets and let cool. Once cooled break into pieces and enjoy. Store in a airtight container.  I was able to get approx 15 goodie bags out of this recipe.

Break up Almond Bark and place in a microwave bowl

Pop popcorn and place in large bowl

Candy, mmmm

Put candy into same bowl as popcorn

Pour chocolate over the top of the mixture

Combine and lay on parchment paper to dry

I bagged mine in plastic bags with curling ribbon

Enjoy!

Cuban Sandwiches with Sriracha Mayo

Living here in Florida has helped introduce me to many new foods, one of which is the Cuban Sandwich.
I tried to avoid the Cuban for years,  (not a huge sandwich fan) but recently on a visit up to UF I had one and FELL IN LOVE! Of course me being me I had to change it up a bit. I'm not into swiss cheese so I substitute mozzarella and for me the pickles are a personal choice. The sriracha mayo adds a super kick and you've gotta give this sandwich a try!
Cuban bread is super easy to find here in Florida, every grocery store carries it, but if you can't find it, (it looks like a baguette) try french bread or an italian baguette.

Ingredients
Shredded Pork
 ( my hubby smoked some pork but you can cook your own or even use two different kinds of ham)
Sliced Ham
Mozzarella cheese, sliced
Pickles
Mustard
2 TBSP Sriracha Sauce
1/2 c Mayo
1 Loaf Cuban Bread


Heat sandwich press (skillet if you don't have a press). In a small bowl mix mayo and sriracha sauce and set aside. Take loaf of bread and cut into 4 large pieces, slice lengthwise.  Spread sriracha mayo on one side of bread, and mustard on the other. Place cheese, shredded pork, ham slices and pickles on sandwich.  Shut the sandwich and grease sandwich press with butter, place sandwich on press and close lid. Let cook until insides are melted and bread is crunchy, about 5-10 minutes. Slice cooked sandwich on the angle and serve with more sriracha mayo.
Makes 4

Ingredients

My sandwich press

Mayo and Sriracha

Mix

Slice bread lengthwise

Spread Sriracha Mayo on one side, mustard on the other

(my personal preference is no mustard)

Add ham and cheese

Spread shredded pork on top

Place sandwiches on buttered gill

Cook

Ready to take off

So delicious!

Enjoy!

Cake Batter Rice Crispy Squares

First of all I need to apologize for being AWOL for so long, I'm having internet issues on my personal computer...so today I hijacked my hubbys :)  I know it's a little strange to post 2 rice crispy recipes so close to one another, but I stumbled across this recipe and had to share it with you. It has just enough cake batter flavor to make it standout from regular rice crispy treats. You've got to give it a whirl, I know you'll love them.

Ingredients
1 16 ounce bag Marshmallows
1/2 c Yellow Cake Mix
1 Box Rice Crispy Cereal
1 stick Butter ( I like more butter in my rice crispy's)
Sprinkles

In a large sauce pan melt butter and marshmallows until melted, slowly stir in cake mix until completely incorporated. Take off heat and add rice cereal and sprinkles, mix together. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Wet your hands to push down cereal mixture into pan. Let cool completely before cutting.

Ingredients

Cake Mix

Add cake mix once butter and marshmallows are melted

So cute ands tasty!

Enjoy!

Rice Crispy Cheer Treats

I am the official treat maker for my daughter's cheer team, and every week I try and come up with something creative and yummy. This week I made regular old rice crispy treats, but then drizzled them with red melting pieces and then sprinkled them with black sprinkles. (can you tell our colors are red and black?) These are darling and were super easy to make! I made two huge batches and was able to cut 16 large squares per pan.

Ingredients
1 1/2 bags of 16 ounce bag Marshmallows
1 1/2 boxes24 ounce Rice Crispy Cereal
1 1/2 Sticks Butter
Red Candy Melts (color is your choice)
Sprinkles

For a regular sized batch follow this link 

In a large pan slowly melt butter and marshmallows over medium heat until smooth. Cover large cookie pan with parchment paper. Pour cereal into melted marshmallow mixture and stir until incorporated. Pour into cookie sheet and then with wet fingers press down on cereal to compact. Let sit until firm.

Lift parchment paper out of cookie sheet and I used a pizza cutter to cut my pieces. I wanted big ones so I only cut 16. Spread them out a little bit so they aren't touching each other. Place candy melts into a microwave proof squeeze bottle ( I bought mine at Joanne's) and heat for 30 seconds. Stir with knife then place cap on top of bottle. Slowly drizzle melted candy on to tops of rice crispy squares then quickly dust with sprinkles.

Let completely dry before bagging the treats. I bought some clear bags in the cake baking section at Wal-Mart and used curing ribbon to secure them. I then printed out a sheet of 30 return address labels with my saying on them. They turned out so cute, I can't wait to see the cheerleaders reactions!

I made 2 large pans of treats, I doubled the recipe

A pizza cutter works great for cutting

Look at this cute squeeze bottle!

Drizzle candy melts over top of treats then sprinkle jimmies over wet candy

I bagged them up while watching tv

Enjoy!