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!