Fritos Candy Bars

This was an interesting recipe to try.  My husband loves Fritos chips so I figured I would be fabulous and make the bars for him, I'm a good wife like that. These are a good combination of the salty-sweet treats that are always popular.

FRITO CANDY BARS

1 (10.25 oz.) bag original Fritos chips

1 c. sugar

1 c. corn syrup

1 c. peanut butter

Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  
Pour the bag of Fritos into the dish and spread out evenly.  
In a large sauce pan combine the corn syrup and sugar; heat over medium until the sugar is dissolved; add peanut butter and stir until the peanut butter is melted and everything is well incorporated. 
Pour the sauce over the chips, try to get all of the coated, you may need to do a bit of spreading, but it's kind of difficult because the sauce is sticky.  
Allow to cool to room temperature, place in fridge and chill for several hours. Cut into pieces and enjoy.  
Store in an airtight container.

As you can see in a couple of the photos, I (almost always) think a treat or dessert can be even better with chocolate, so I tossed some chocolate chips to one end of the baking dish.  My husband preferred the bars without the chocolate, but I thought they were better with. Go figure.

NOTE: I think the bars would be a little better by crunching the chips up a bit and these bars are pretty sticky when served at room temperature, so if you keep them in the fridge they are easier to handle.

5 Ingredient Ramen Noodle Bake

This was a recipe that caught my eye on Pinterest. 
Finding 5 ingredient recipes makes me happy, and since the title suggested a simple pasta casserole, I knew I would give it a try. 

Ramen Noodle Bake

4 pkg Beef flavor Ramen Noodles

1 (26 oz.) bottle spaghetti sauce

1 lb. cooked ground beef 

2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided

3 1/2 c. water.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Setting aside the seasoning packets, break up the 4 packages of ramen noodles and spread them over the bottom of the dish.

Sprinkle the cooked beef over the top of the noodles.
Pour the bottle of spaghetti sauce over the top, and then sprinkle 1 of the beef seasoning packets over the top of the sauce.  Save the remaining packets for another use.

Next sprinkle 1 c. of cheese over the top, and then pour the water over everything. 

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake 40-50 min, until the water is absorbed.
Remove the foil, sprinkle with remaining 1 c. shredded mozzarella and return to the oven for 7-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

My family ended up giving this recipe a B+ grade.  We all agreed it would be better with  cooked sausage rather than the beef, and we thought it would be lovely with Parmesan cheese baked on top.
The noodles were very soft, and not as "dense" as I thought they would be, but I did like this dish.

1 tip:  I found the dish to be a little salty for my taste because I used ground beef that I had cooked and pre-seasoned in a large batch earlier in the week.
I will not add salt to my ground beef while cooking it the next time I make this, and I will definitely add diced onions to the meat while frying it.

Recipe adapted from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary

Quick and Simple Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse

I love this recipe.  It's delicious layered in parfait glasses with fresh sliced strawberries or banana's.  Try freezing it in small cups with a Popsicle stick for a fabulous frozen treat!

The simplicity of this dish is one of my favorite things, and with only 4 ingredients you just can't lose.  This is also a great go to recipe for last minute guests.

Quick and Simple Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse 

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 (3.4 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 c. cold milk

1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

In a medium mixing bowl beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
In a second mixing bowl combine the pudding mix and milk. Mix until powder is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.  Set aside for 3-4 minutes.
Add the pudding mix to the beaten cream cheese and again mix everything until it is well incorporated.  
Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.
Pour into glasses, ramekins, or other serving dishes and chill until the mousse is set (2-3 hours).
Divide the remaining whipped topping among each serving and enjoy!

If you are making frozen treats, omit the remaining whipped topping and save for another use.

Try making this recipe with vanilla pudding mix, cheesecake pudding mix, Oreo pudding or whatever flavor you think will be delish!

Cheesy Ham Roll-up Appetizers

This is a quick and simple recipe for your "in a pinch" recipe collection. You can't go wrong with these and they are fun to change up just by adding different seasonings!

CHEESY HAM ROLL-UP APPETIZERS

1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened

8 slices packaged ham (rectangular shape)

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

In a medium size mixing bowl beat the cream cheese until it's smooth and creamy.  Add the salt and garlic powder and mix in.  Stir in the shredded cheese.

On a a sheet of aluminum wrap, lay out 1 piece of ham.  Spread some of the cheese filling on it, almost to the edges, but leaving about 1/2 inch of ham on one end without any mix.
Starting from the end of the ham that has cheese spread on it, roll the ham up.  As you roll, the cheese mix slides toward the end, so by the end of rolling there will be a thin layer of cheese to finish off the roll and "seal" the end and that will keep it from unraveling when you cut the roll into pieces. 

Chill for several hours until the cream cheese has firmed back up, slice into equal size portions and enjoy!

I like to serve a mustard dip with these appetizers, and I have the perfect recipe on the blog.  Check it out. Sweet Mustard Dip and Sauce.

I like to add some zing to the mustard when I serve these ham appetizers, so I usually add about 1/4 tsp.-1/3 tsp. minced horseradish.

I also trim the ends off on the rolls so that each slice is pretty.

Cookie Dough Truffle Bites and Perfect Dipping Chocolate Recipe

Every person I know has a small guilty pleasure-eating chocolate chip cookie dough...it's just so good! 
This recipe is one of those marvelous Pinterest finds, is  quick to put together, and has just 5 ingredients!  You gotta love that!
It's a great treat for a girls night out, a get well basket, bridal shower, or a thank you for that special friend!
These truffles taste just like chocolate chip cookie dough but are safe to eat without worry of food poisoning from raw eggs.  They freeze really well, so you can make a batch and enjoy a few every day! Just let them sit out for 10-15 minutes before inhaling them!

COOKIE DOUGH TRUFFLE BITES

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. flour

1 c. miniature chocolate chips

1 1/2 c. Perfect dipping chocolate (optional)

(see the recipe below)

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until light brown and fluffy.
Add remaining ingredients and mix very well.
Roll the dough into 1" balls (about the size of an un-shelled walnut). I started out rolling the bites by hand, but with time pressures, I switched to a cookie dough scoop to speed up the process.

Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes or longer (I left mine overnight because my schedule got too tight to finish all at once, and they were absolutely perfect).
At this point they are ready to eat, but you can also drizzle melted chocolate over them, or dip them in a delicious chocolate coating..  I've made these a couple of different times, and I like them all three ways-plain, drizzled, and dipped!
I've added my recipe for homemade dipping chocolate (that tastes so much better than chocolate candy coating) below.

PERFECT DIPPING CHOCOLATE

1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips (use pure chocolate chips)

2 Tbsp. Crisco shortening (no substitution)

Directions:
Remove the chilled candy from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before coating (dipping cold centers can result in cracked coating).
Place the chocolate chips and shortening in a 2-cup measuring bowl.

Place in the microwave and on 50% power, heat for 30 seconds, stir gently, and repeat the process until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Stir and stir between heating times because the chocolate may appear un-melted, but it will surprise you how quickly it smooths out (do not use butter, margarine or oil).

If you are unsure of using this method, here are the original directions for this recipe I've had for years.

~Place the bowl into a larger bowl which contains very warm water (about 100-110 degrees) the water should reach only halfway up the 2-cup bowl with the chocolate (DO NOT LET EVEN 1 DROP WATER MIX WITH CHOCOLATE!).

Stir mixture constantly with a small spatula until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth (this should take about 16-18 minutes).
If the chocolate becomes too thick for dipping, place the bowl containing the chocolate over the top of a bowl that has very hot water in it.  Stir until the chocolate has thinned back to the consistency you want.~

This method is obviously a pain, so you can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler, which is far easier-lol.
TIPS ON HOW TO WORK WITH DIPPING CHOCOLATE.
Avoid all types of moisture when melting the chocolate, any steam or drops of moisture can cause the mixture to "seize" or become very firm, crumbly and grainy.   If this occurs it can be corrected by stirring in 1 tsp. shortening for each 2 ounces of melted chocolate.Store the chocolate tightly wrapped in a cool dry place, do not refrigerate.

Recipe source for the cookie dough bites: DisneyFamily.com

Almost Guilt Free Cake Batter Dip

Of course I found this recipe on Pinterest, and the title of the pin {Skinny Cake Batter Dip} immediately caught my eye.  I love a treat that doesn't make me feel guilty for consuming extra calories and fat, but then, in truth that has never stopped me from eating up all the goodness.  This recipe excited me because I could see real possibilities with it, and HELLO~3 ingredients!

ALMOST GUILT FREE CAKE BATTER DIP

1 box (10.5 oz.) Funfetti Cake mix

2 c. fat free vanilla yogurt

1 c fat free frozen whipped topping, thawed

Graham Crackers, Nilla Wafers for dipping

(just pick whatever you like most!)

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and yogurt.  Use an electric mixer to combine well.  Add in the thawed whipped topping, mix until everything is well incorporated.  Cover and chill for 2 or more hours.

That's it!  Serve with your choice of dipping items.

Note:  as this dip sat out, the little 'confetti' pieces in the cake mix started to "melt". Each time it was stirred, the colors seemed to streak through the dip.  I think kids would be over~the~moon happy with this dip! 

I served this dip at a Bunco game night with all my fun girlfriends to see what their opinions would be.  It was a thumbs up. It's addicting.  The more you eat, the more you seem to want (notice the Scooby Treats we used as our dippers, there were no graham cracker sticks at the store that day but it made for great commenting and laughter!).

I used a recipe calculator to figure the basic nutritional information for the recipe:
If you would like to check out the recipe calculator, you can find the link here: SPARKPEOPLE.COM

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 30
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 70.2

• Total Fat: 1.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0.5 mg
• Sodium: 103.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 13.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
• Protein: 1.2 g

The serving size was calculated at 4-5 Tbsp.

Think of the fun possibilities with this recipe-simply mix it up by using other cake mix flavors.  How about spice cake with gingersnap dippers?  Chocolate fudge cake with Nilla wafer cookies?  Strawberry cake mix with graham crackers?  Oh the idea's people will come up with...

Recipe source: The Pursuit of Happiness Blog

5 ingredient Crock-pot chicken & Stuffing

I love a recipe that takes about 5 minutes to prepare, cooks in the Crock-pot, and is ready and waiting by dinner time.  then the fact that this recipe only has 5 ingredients is SUPERB, and then the extra awesome thing about this dish is the cooking time-in the crock-pot, READY IN 4 HOURS!

I discovered this recipe on Pinterest (where all good recipes have been coming from the last few months).  The original post can be found at The Pursuit of Happiness Blog, also known as teamtadventures.blogspot.com which is cool, because Lisa has an alias.

This is a great recipe for all busy households, and pretty dang economical too.

5 INGREDIENT CROCK-POT CHICKEN & STUFFING

4 fresh or frozen (thawed) chicken breasts

1 (6 oz.) box of Stove Top Stuffing Mix, unprepared

1/2 c. sour cream

1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 c. water

In a medium size mixing bowl combine the sour cream, soup and water.  Mix well.
Place the chicken breasts side by side in the bottom of the crock-pot.  Season the chicken breasts with pepper & garlic powder. 
Spread the box of stuffing mix over the chicken breasts, then pour the soup mix over the top.

Cook on LOW for 4 hours*.
*Check your chicken with an instant read thermometer, it should read 165 degrees or higher -the short cooking time is a bit unusual for a main dish meal cooked on low*

That's it! 
One of the added bonuses of this recipe dish is the shorter cooking time.  If you've ever forgotten to prepare and start your crock-pot dish, you will appreciate this recipe. You will still have time to make it when you realize you remember! LOL~