TheKitchenCookie

    Because of the high traffic I've noticed the last few days on these babies I decided that I would post them again for those of you who joined me after November of 2010. They are super easy and always a treat that is well received wherever they are served. Click here for the original post. Ingredients: ¼ cup butter 10½ oz. Mini Marshmallows 5½ cups Rice Krispies 1½ cups chocolate chips ½ creamy peanut butter In a large kettle melt butter and marshies over low heat until completely smooth. Add the Rice Krispies and stir well. Spread evenly into a greased 10½ X 15½ inch baking sheet. (I suppose parchment paper would make this easier) Melt chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl, stir until smooth. Spread evenly over top of the Rice Krispies and set in a cool place till chocolate sets up. (not hard, it won't roll right if it's hard) Loosen all edges with a metal spatula and roll from long side. excuse the gha...

Last weekend our oldest son was playing in a basketball tournament and the lunch stand there had some pretzel wraps on their menu. I decided to give them a try tonight because we all enjoy the soft pretzel dough wrapped around a good quality hot dog (click here for the Pretzel Dog recipe) and I figured the kids would enjoy something fun for supper. They are easy to make and turned out well. There are lots of flavor options. I chose Ham and Cheese and Pepperoni and Cheese tonight.   I discovered that it's necessary to roll it thin because once you start folding it bulks up and I like to be able to taste the filling and not just the dough. I found an Auntie Anne's Soft Pretzel Copycat recipe on Pinterest from Cooking Classy  and decided to use that one instead of the one I usually use. I liked it a lot! I would like to make some in a smaller size sometime but because we have mostly boys who would eat two small ones instead of one big one I figured the bigg...

  Balmy weather with swaying palm trees appeal to me towards the middle of winter, but really, I would hate to miss out on the snow beauty of the North!   I glanced out the window this afternoon and was delighted to see snow flurries! The birds flocked, literally, to the 3 feeders on the deck. They seem to enjoy this simple homemade one the best.  Four boards, some wire and screen, and of course the nails and the staples. I think they like it because it is on the floor of the deck.   It's been cold enough for the last week so that the ponds are frozen. Which means the kids won't be home much in the evening if they can help it. The boys went to play hockey on a friends farm pond and even took Serena along tonight. I was proud of them, but a little concerned about what happens when she gets cold and they're not ready to leave, but I guess I'll let them figure it out. She's pretty independent and sturdy for a girl of 8 years old and not about to miss o...

Creamy Chewy Peanut Buttery Chocolaty Goodness I asked Anthony a while ago what kind of cake he wants for his birthday. Like usual he said a round chocolate one.   Okaaayy, but that's what it was last year... and the year before that.   Sooo, I used my persuasive powers :) and when I mentioned an ice cream cake he sounded enthused about that so I decided to make this one. You know, play it safe with peanut butter and chocolate. It turned out really yummy and didn't have an over-powering peanut butter flavor, which I liked.      I usually take a birthday lunch or some kind of treat to school on the day of the children's birthdays. Anthony's class usually enjoys the pizza that I make so they usually get a Homemade Pizza party. (For a chewy delicious crust click here ) I served a tossed salad and chips and lemonade as well.   Ice cream always goes well with pizza so this cake came in handy, and the ki...

  The sunset tonight was fabulous!     The pink was so beautiful!                                                                                                   I took a break from painting in the basement today. My shoulders were protesting loudly so I thought I would listen to them. Instead of doing that I prepared some food for a birthday party for Anthony tomorrow. He will be 14 tomorrow! I made a Peanut Butter Snickers Ice Cream Cake. Adding what I thought it should have as I...

Things have been kind of quiet on here for a few weeks, but we are working hard to finish our big basement remodel project in time to host our youth group Valentine Supper in a few weeks. Hopefully by next weekend we will have it finished! We are super excited about this! For that reason and because hubby and I are avoiding (95% of the time) sugar, white flour, and dairy for a while, cooking has been a bit different here lately. Lots of salads, lean meat, and fresh fruits and veggies. It has been affecting the way I prepare food for the children too. We all feel much better and I find the only thing I really miss is chocolate. ha The 90% lean ground beef was on sale at the local grocery store so I decided to work ahead a bit and get a 10lb. bag and mix it right away for cheeseburgers or mini meat loaves and put them in the freezer. I used fresh shredded zucchini and was very pleased that the burgers were quite moist and juicy. 10 lbs. 90% Ground Beef 3 cups Zucchini, ...

      This pretty much sums up our weather since the weekend. While we miss the sunshine, a part of me finds this very peaceful and relaxing. And a strong mind knows the sun is shining somewhere not far away. :)     One of the boys remarked that it's been so long since the sun shone! And for him to even mention the fact you have to know it's been a while because he is not a complainer and takes everything in stride.     This morning we added ice. But thankfully just to the trees and bushes and not the roads. At least not right around here.   Pretty though, isn't it?   I spent part of the morning with Mom's In Prayer at the boys High School. I enjoy the connection this gives me to the kids and staff there and it's a great way to let them all know that we care about them and what happens at school. I peeked into the gym before I left to say "Hi" to my two handsome boys. :)     ...

  The weather has been sunny and not cold enough to say we are in the middle of winter, so I decided to give them what they like best. Something fresh from the grill. MMM, it was delicious and they gobbled it right up! I think they wished there would have been more but there was plenty of salad and I let them have some bread and jelly to 'fill in the cracks'. :) They were happy and satisfied.   My husband and I are on a 24 Day Challenge and are in the 10 day cleanse phase of this so that means lots of salad, veggies, fruit and lean meat. Notice the absence of sugar? haha  The honey in this recipe is a bit of a stretch for that phase but I dislike cooking two different suppers for our family for the same evening so I decided to make my own rules. I only ate a little bit and ate plenty of salad and steamed broccoli. Good Girl! I know! :)   Anyway I got some chicken out of the freezer this morning thinking of a different recipe but somewhere between t...

This week has turned out to be full and super busy! How does that happen so quickly? But it's okay we will just do what we can and roll with it. I was on the schedule to serve hot lunch at the High School where our two oldest boys attend . This is done twice a month and all of the Moms take turns. There are usually 4 Moms per meal but it only worked for two of us to serve today and one of the other Moms made all the salads so that helped a lot. We had a simple lunch of Angel Hair Lasagna and Garlic Bread with Salads (BLT, Caesar, and Olive Garden) and an Ice Cream Dessert. The hot lunches are always appreciated and for me it's always fun to go and see the other kids the boys are with 9 months out of the year.   To keep my sanity and some balance to my life, in my few spare moments today I did a few experiments in the kitchen. Believe it or not it helps me to relax.   Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes   Just hearing the words Red Velvet makes my body have a r...

My husband's family was together for Christmas this weekend and I had volunteered to do the desserts. Because of some family members being on a Gluten/Grain Free diet I thought it would be a good idea to make something they can enjoy too. Knowing that lemon is a favorite for one of them I decided to try my hand at preparing this Tart from the Deliciously Organic . And I had a brand new Tart pan I was looking forward to using :). It turned out very well. It had an intense lemon flavor but the berries on top did a really good job of taming it down. My pan was slightly bigger than the one called for so I increased the crust recipe and I wanted the filling to reach the top so I increased it also. The Toasted Honeyed Coconut that goes into the crust and that I sprinkled over the top is better than candy! Honey Sweet Toasted Coconut: ½ cup finely shredded unsweetened Coconut 3 Tablespoons Clover Honey Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the honey (I used the microwave) ti...

   The Children love a good cup or two of hot chocolate when it's cold outside and I was out of mix so I decided to concoct my own with, ahem, less sugar. I say less sugar because I left out the powdered sugar these recipes typically call for but one would never know that the sugar is reduced. The instant vanilla pudding, dry creamer, and Nestles Quik make sure of that. And while I'm aware that this doesn't have health benefits like, say, spinach and kale, it IS really good and dark chocolate has health benefits, right? :) I know, grasping at straws here. I love the thickness that the pudding adds and makes it seem less like you're drinking flavored water and I love the full bodied chocolate flavor that the dark cocoa powder gives it. And it DOES have less sugar. Remember that! haha   5 (3.2 oz. each) pouches Carnation Dry Milk Powder 10.9 ounces Nestles Quik 2 large boxes Instant Vanilla Pudding ½ cup Dark Cocoa Powder 15 ounces Powdered Creamer (...

  Serena has been on a "I want to help you do everything" kick lately. Who am I to argue?! She makes her bed, albeit after she gets home from school at times, but at least it gets made! :) She helps fold laundry, she cleans up her room, and dusts the house. She loves to help in the kitchen and thinks it's fun to wash dishes. I'm pretty sure when I was her age I groaned when I had to wash dishes but then... I had 4 sisters before me and I didn't actually have to work much of anything until I was 13 because that's when my sisters started getting married or moving out. Let me assure you that I quickly learned about management! And hard work! :)     In the end what I had really learned was that jobs, and jobs well done, are wonderful for building character and confidence and and a sense of self worth that are priceless! So for now I'll bask in her willingness and encourage her and exercise patience. Because things don't always get done the ...