Adm enjoyed a Rice Crispy Treat while on the boat in Seward
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Cooking With Kids - How to Make Chocolate Covered Rice Crispy Treats
How would you like an idea for a fun activity to do with your children? How about something that will give your kids a sense of accomplishment that will make them feel like a grown up? Baking is just that activity. It gives kids practice to improve their invaluable skills in the kitchen, which they'll need later in life. The best choices for recipes should be easy to make and allow for some creativity such as shapes, colors or toppings, and of course, the most important "ingredient", they should taste great! So what's something that your kids will love to make and eat?
You got it- rice crispy treats. There are 3 different approaches that we'll take in this article, but with some twists. We will make normal rice crispy treats, mixed ones and chocolate covered. You've all made rice crispy treats before so let's have some fun with the normal kind and discuss shapes. You can do the traditional squares by filling the rice crispy treat mix in a square or rectangular pan and cutting out the pieces, but you could also have some extra fun. Get some cake pans with different shapes. You can find a variety of many different shapes, anything from their favorite characters, seasonal shapes, for example, Halloween or Christmas, as well as various small normal shapes like stars or mini bundt cakes. The cake pans come big or small and can be found at any store that sells baking supplies or online.
Before you finish up all the mix take half of it and blend in your favorite hard candies to add flavor and a contrast of texture, whether they're M&Ms, Reese's Pieces or cinnamon candies. Have some more fun, why not try soft candies too? Try some multi-colored chocolate chips or your favorite gummy candies, maybe Sour Patch Kids.
Want some more unique ideas? Mix in chocolate flavored rice crisped cereal with the mix to create multi-flavored treats. Just have the kids help with stirring the mix after it's removed from the heat (microwave or stove top), mixing in the candies and pressing the mix into your choice of pan. Your kids will love their rice crispy creations and can take them to school to share with their classmates and they also make great teachers gifts. But the fun is just beginning. You could combine all these elements for the "grand finale".
Now we are going to create chocolate covered rice crispy treats!
I prefer to use a double boiler to melt my chocolate which is one pan sitting inside a bigger pan. You heat up the water on medium heat in the bottom pan and place grated milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips in the top one. You can also use the microwave by melting chips in a small microwavable bowl. First, heat up the chips for one minute and 10 seconds stir and then again in 10-second intervals. The chips will not melt to a liquid form just by heating the chips up. You must stir them with a metal spoon once they show signs of melting. No matter the shape of treat, dip it into the chocolate at least half way over the treat and place on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Add some sprinkles or colored sugar or even use white chocolate!
Your kids will love all the different varieties. Let their creativity run wild and make sure to take their works of art as gifts to their teachers, friends, grandparents or relatives. Let your "little chefs" boast how good their treats look and taste!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Halloween Treats
Dirt Cake
20 ounce package of Oreo cookies
8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 packages (3 ounces) chocolate pudding
12 ounce package of whipped topping
Crush the cookies in a food processor. You can also put the cookies in a couple of large bags and crush them with a rolling pin or a meat mallet. Prepare the pudding according to the package directions. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, margarine, and sugar together. Add in the pudding and mix well. Add in the whipped topping. In a square 8 x 8-inch pan, layer the cookie crumbs and the pudding mixture, making sure to end with the cookie crumbs on top. Push some gummy worms into the cake mixture partway and put others on top of the cake. For added Halloween fun, you can put small plastic black spiders and other plastic bugs on the cake. If you do this, just make sure to warn your guests that the bugs are not edible! If you want to make it into a Halloween graveyard cake, break a graham cracker into fourths and frost the pieces with white or gray icing. With black icing, write "RIP", the names of some of your party guests, etc onto the frosted graham crackers. Push the finished "gravestones" partway into the cake. Candy pumpkins can also make easy and fun decorative accents for this Halloween cake. (Be sure to store this cake in the refrigerator.)
Black Cat Cookies
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
2 eggs
1 package chocolate cake mix
M & M's or candy corn
Red hots
In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, eggs, and water together. Slowly add in the cake mix and mix well. Roll the dough into1-inch balls and flatten them. Pinch two ears into the top of each cookie. Add the M&M's or the candy corn for the eyes and use a red hot for the nose. Press a fork into the dough on each side of the cat's "face" to form the whiskers. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. A tasty, fun, and easy Halloween treat.
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