Gluten Free Cocoa Crispy Treats

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Others' Recipes, THS Recipes
Nov 072011
 

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Earlier this fall, I invited some friends to the apartment for a Badger Game Day get together.  The Badgers may have blasted Nebraska on game day, but it is possible that two other attractions were the stars of the Game Day show at THS Headquarters.

1. Benson.  Everyone loves snuggling with the little kitten.  Just ask Emily and Alicia.  

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2. The food. [Shocking, I know.]
Somehow, both Nicholas and myself failed to get a photo of the entire spread, but our cameras are filled with the photos we took testing the kitchen lighting moments before I finished putting the dishes on the table.  Oops. Here’s a photo of some of the delicious food we served at the party.

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The menu consisted of many blogstar recipes, all of which come highly recommended.

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I spent the majority of the morning preparing for the party, cleaning and cooking up a storm and was very thankful to have Nicholas over to help.  He even managed to make a specialized gluten free treat for our Gluten Free friend, April.

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 Explosion of Flavor
Gluten Free Cocoa Crispy Treats
Makes approx 12 2-inch squares

 Ingredients:

  • 1 box gluten free Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice cereal (we used Erewhon – one of my favorite GF brands!)
  • 1 stick margarine
  • 5 oz plain flavored marshmallows
  • 5 oz fancy caramel & vanilla flavored marshmallows, (we used Kraft Jet-Puffed SwirlMallows Carmel & Vanilla – a guilty pleasure treat I’ve been crazy about all year!)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract

 

Instructions:

  • Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch dish.
  • Melt margarine in a large sauce pan on the stove top, over medium high heat.
  • When margarine is melted, turn heat to low and add plain mallows.  Stir until melted.
  • Repeat with the caramel vanilla mallows.
  • Remove pan from heat and stir in extracts.
  • Gently stir in rice cereal, coating with marshmallow mixture.
  • Pour mixture into prepared dish.  Use a buttered spatula or fingers to press rice cereal down into pan as evenly as possible. 
  • Allow to cool and cut into 12 pieces.

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Easy Oatmeal Bread

 Posted by at 4:00 am  101 in 1001, Others' Recipes, SGIKS
Oct 102011
 

Remember that time I turned 28 and made a list?
A list of 28 goals of 28 things to get done during this golden 28th year?

I’ve been work on it.  Want proof? Check out the 28 in 28 pages, which is sort-of-kind-of-updated on a “regular” basis.  If by regular, you mean “whenever I remember to update them,” then yes.

One goal that I’ve barely touched the base of? Make 28 recipes from cookbooks I own.
I own A LOT of cookbooks. This is great, right?  Well, there is a little problem here.
I rarely make anything from the cookbooks. Usually I am either throwing things together on the fly, testing a recipe I or a friend wrote, or following the steps in an “OMG-I-MUST-MAKE-THIS-STAT!” blog recipe.

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I finally decided it was time to put this cookbook procrastination to an end.  I got out a semi-new cookbook and did some flipping. I received the Better Homes and Gardens Eat Healthy Lose Weight cookbook as a Christmas gift last year and have yet to make any of the recipes.  The Easy Oatmeal Bread caught my eye pretty quickly.

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It may have been the key word “easy” right there in the title.  Plus, I’ve used yeast in pizza dough and soft pretzels, but I’d yet to face the bread loaf making.  May as well jump into that pool now, right? Get all the procrastination out of the way at once – that seems like a pretty great plan.

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Can someone please explain to me why I have been cooking cookbook-free? This bread was AMAZING! Super easy to make, and pretty darn healthy, to boot.  [Plus, when friends came over that night, they seemed uber impressed and loved eating it up with some delicious jam I got from Kelly in August!] This bread was a total win.

Now excuse me while I go sit cross-legged on the kitchen floor flipping through each and every one of my cookbooks adding post-it notes to recipes to make STAT.  

Lately: Food & Drinks

 Posted by at 4:00 am  Others' Recipes, SGIKS
Jul 072011
 

Since the loss of my beloved camera, I’ve been holding on to Tina’s advice that the best camera you have is the one you have on you, and doing what I can with what I DO have- in this case my blackberry, to capture moments in my day to day life and special occasions.

A few scenes of the food and drink nature I’ve managed to capture as of late:

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Finally celebrated summer with some Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat that Nicholas picked up.  Unfortunately, I was not in the mood for drinking, and only enjoyed about half a bottle before handing it off to our buddy Kirk to finish.  Still, though – this beer tastes like the sweetness that is a warm summer evening surrounded by friends.

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Getting spicy in the kitchen! Soon I’ll be presenting you with recipes I’ve created lately using only blackberry photos. I know you are excited.

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Breakfast [almond milk French toast and a scrambled egg, real maple syrup, and a pot of black tea] at the kitchen table with Tina Fey to accompany me.

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Bagels. I love bagels.  Sometimes, we get bagels at work for breakfast, and all-times it is splendid.  This is how much I love bagels: when I was a sophomore in college, Joseph bought me gift certificates for seven dozen bagels from Bagels Forever.  Yes, I’m serious.  That boy knows how to gift.

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Recently snacked on carrot sticks and peanut butter while reading in my friend Kristine’s office.  There was too much noise in the break room and I needed to find a refuge of peace and quite to crunch and such.  She loved having me, I just know it.

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Kitchen success!! Made Jess’s Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, with M&Ms replacing the chocolate chips. Also used light margarine instead of real butter. Please don’t tell her about that last part. 
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Dipped the most adorable, patriotic strawberries thanks to Anne P’s recent post.

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Gifted a bowl of said strawberries, some white chocolate bark, and a jar of homemade Sweet Southwestern Apple Barbeque Sauce to my good friend Jason.  [more details on the barbeque sauce coming soon eventually!]

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He returned the favor by making me this epic smoothie in a pimp glass.  Pineapple, blackberry, and cherries with orange juice garnished with pineapple, strawberries and raspberries.  It was like a bloody mary’s younger [non-alcoholic], sweeter [like woah] cousin. DELICIOUS! 
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Espresso. Straight.  When did that start happening?

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