Christmas Wreaths? Mmmmmmm

wreath

I’m not talking about the kind of wreath you hang on your door, but rather the kind that you eat! Christmas wreaths are my kids’ all-time favorite thing to eat during the holiday; well, that and fudge! These are very similar to the Rice Krispie treats that we all love, but for some reason, we think these are even better! I’m not sure why we only make them at Christmas.

First of all, there’s no point making one batch because they will be gone quickly. I always double the recipe and we’re good. That gives you some to eat and some to include with your holiday cookie plates.

Recipe (single batch):

  • 30 big marshmallows
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp. green food coloring
  • 3 cups Corn Flakes (or similar)
  • Red hots, sprinkles, decorations

Melt the butter and marshmallows in a double boiler (or in pot over very low heat) until melted. Add food coloring until you get to the desired shade of green. Either add the cereal to the pot or pour the marshmallow mixture over cereal in a bowl. Stir to cover. If too thin, add more cereal (I usually add more anyway because I want it to make more). Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet or wax paper.

Shape into wreaths and decorate with red hot candies, red sprinkles, or anything else that you like!

Couple of things here: I have found that shaping them into wreaths is a skill that requires extreme patience (which apparently nobody in my family has). We basically just drop them by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and leave them or scrape into a ball. We will throw some sprinkles on top but definitely don’t shape them into wreaths. If you can do it, I’m sure they’ll be beautiful! They taste just fine either way.

Also, you will find that your fingers will get very sticky very quickly. When they get real sticky and you can’t do anything anymore, if you wash your hands and get the marshmallows all off, you can start over and get through a bunch more.

On a complaining note, I can no longer enjoy these as I’m gluten-free and Corn Flakes and similar cereals are not. I refuse to pay the going price for small boxes of gluten-free cereals and almost all of them have sugar on them, which don’t taste the same. I have discovered that my regular Rice Krispie treat recipe works perfectly with my Rice Chex cereal. In fact, I made three batches of these within a month. Thank you, Chex cereal!

Oh, one more note! When you add your green food coloring, make sure you move your recipe out of the way or it will look like this.

wreath_recipe

Enjoy your holiday and your Christmas wreaths!

 

Fall Recipe!

apples

One of my very favorite things to do this time of year is to bake! The smells of fall and the chill in the air make me go searching for my favorite recipes that include apples or pumpkin. One of my very favorites includes apples and butterscotch. How can you go wrong?

If you go apple-picking this weekend (or to the grocery store), be sure to give this recipe a try!

Butterscotch Apple Squares

  • 1/4 cup margarine or butter
  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 small apples, pared & chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 1 (6-oz.) pkg. butterscotch chips
  • 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
  • flaked coconut (approx. 1 1/3 cups), as desired
  • 1 cup chopped nuts, as desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass dish). In a 13×9 dish, melt the margarine in the oven. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over melted margarine and top with the apples.

In a heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt the chips with the sweetened condensed milk. Pour the butterscotch mixture evenly over the apples. Top with coconut and nuts (as desired); press down firmly.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and chill thoroughly. Refrigerate leftovers.

Super easy and really, really good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me & My Coffeepot

rip_mr_coffee
RIP, Mr. Coffee

Serious coffee drinkers will appreciate this. I will admit it; I still have a coffeepot instead of a Keurig (or I did). I killed it. I got up as usual this morning and blindly fumbled my way into the kitchen. I filled it with water, took a nice big sniff of my Dunkin’ Donuts ground coffee as I filled it, and turned it on. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. I unplugged it, plugged it back in and it beeped at me and then just sat there. That woke me up!

Let me explain a little bit. I have a very healthy (from my perspective) relationship with my coffee. Throughout the years, it’s gotten me through a whole lot from babies up all night (where’s my coffee?) to dealing with my chronic illness (need coffee to function) and now, simply, to manage my life. It’s become more than just something to wake me up or make me more alert. Now, as it turns out, it’s more along the lines of a security blanket for me. It’s dependable. It’s there every single morning to cheer me on, to let me know that I can get started and make it through the day. It’s like an old friend that you can count on. I know that sounds crazy to those of you that either don’t drink coffee or view it as a treat or an occasional indulgence. For those of us that depend on it, though, there’s nothing worse than waking up expecting that first cup of coffee and getting nothing…zip…zilch. Continue reading “Me & My Coffeepot”

What IS Comfort Food, Anyway?

comfort_food
comfort food

Who doesn’t love comfort food?  Comfort food is simply the food (or foods) that make you feel better when you think about them; it comforts you.  They are particularly handy to make when you’re stressed, sad, or anxious because it makes you feel better.  If you’re happy, they make you even happier!  It makes me nostalgic.

I said something about comfort food one day when my kids were younger and they didn’t believe there was such a thing.  They insisted that I made it up.  I had to prove that the phrase “comfort food” was a real thing and that other people knew about it too.  They’re convinced that we make things up to tell them; I’m not sure why.  It’s something to do with me telling them about the eyes in the back of my head when they were little. Continue reading “What IS Comfort Food, Anyway?”

Egg-ceptional Deviled Eggs!

easter_eggs
Easter Eggs

I’m sure that a lot of us have our standby deviled egg recipe.  Deviled eggs are always welcomed and perfect for parties, picnics, and buffets as well as an amazing use for our Easter eggs.  It seems like every family has their favorite way to make them.­   Some of you, though, are just starting to make your own “signature” deviled egg recipe.  I’m going to give you a basic recipe here and then you can decide how you want to dress it up.

First: how to hard-boil those eggs:  to make one dozen deviled eggs, use six eggs. Continue reading “Egg-ceptional Deviled Eggs!”

National Homemade Soup Day

chicken_soup
chicken soup

Guess what?  I had no idea there was a national homemade soup day, but I’m really happy that there is.  Not only is the best comfort food in the world, but there are also proven health benefits to eating it.  Personally, I think there are also health benefits to making it!  I love the tradition of it, the feeling of comfort that is attached to it, and the memories associated with it.

I love a bowl of chicken soup, whether I’m sick or not.  It’s easy to freeze into individual portions; just the right size for a great light lunch or dinner.  It’s nutritious and good for you, too!  No matter whether or not you believe the old folk remedy of healing a cold with hot chicken soup, there are actually several proven facts to support it.  Moms and grandmothers have, for years, touted the health benefits of homemade chicken soup while the medical field took longer to get on board.  Now, however, after several studies to test the theory, it’s widely agreed that the benefits are genuine.  Studies have shown some of the following benefits: Continue reading “National Homemade Soup Day”