Jif Almond and Cashew Butters

I recently received a shipment of New Jif Almond and Cashew Butters. Next to pecans, almonds are my favorite nut so I was super excited to get to try these. I was never a big fan of cashews until about a year ago when a friend gave me some salted cashew brittle, that was simply amazing, and now I can't get enough of the elbow shaped nut! Both flavors come in creamy and crunchy and are simply tasty. 

For snacks, we've had the spreads in sandwiches as well as in smoothies, on raisin toast with banana slices and with Fuji apple wedges. Of course, Hayden licked the almond and cashew butters off the apples and toast and discarded the rest of his snack, he's just in it for the good stuff!

I also used the creamy Jif almond butter and made a creamy, dreamy pie, that I will share with you tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a couple ways to get that delicious spread into your belly. For something different, I highly recommend you grab a jar or two and give them a try. 

Because Sometimes You Just Need Pie

Pie is just one of those comforting desserts that warms your heart and soothes your soul. It doesn't matter if it's warm from the oven crumb topped apple pie or pucker up cool and tangy key lime pie eaten al fresco in the middle of Summer. Pie is just a comfort food, for me at least. So last month when we (The Cake Slice Bakers) were faced with the challenge to make a peanut butter and chocolate mousse "cake" I knew I'd be turning it into a pie. I use the term "cake" loosely, because there's not one part of this recipe that goes into the oven. You start with a cookie crust, layer in some fluffy peanut butter and chocolate mousse and glaze it with a healthy dose of deep, dark and rich ganache. Sounds good, right?

Peanut butter and chocolate go hand in hand. Most people love that combination, I've just never been a huge fan of it. I know you're all looking at me like I'm crazy, but it's true. I love peanut butter and I love chocolate, separately, on their own, not together. My brother LOVES it though so I made this pie for him. Lately we've all been dealing with some financial stuff. It seems everywhere I turn someone is. This economy is just rough and you do what you have to do to get by. If you're not struggling in some way, kudos to you! For my brother, he had to sell his beloved truck. He is a car "collector"- his favorites being old Cadillacs. He needed some cash flow and this truck needed to find a new home. He was kind down in the dumps about it so this pie was made for him. It was a "I'm sorry this economy sucks and you had to sell your truck, but I still love you" kind of pie. And sometimes we all need that. 

In fact right now, I could use about a dozen of these kinds of pies. If you're in the same situation, consider this pie for you! There are several steps to make this pie and several dishes to wash! There's a bowl for the crust, one for the whipped cream, another two for the mousse layers and another for the glaze, plus a food processor a saucepan and any measuring tools and spatulas. But is it worth it? heck yes! It seems rather lengthy and involved but each step is fairly simple and straightforward. It just takes time and patience but in the end you'll be rewarded with a creamy and decadent pie sure to warm your heart even if you never turn the oven on. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

Printer Friendly Version 

For The Chocolate Wafer Crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I used Oreos, with the filling scraped out)
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For The Peanut Butter Mousse: 

• 2.5 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

For The Chocolate Mousse: 

• 2.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 oz. milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbsp whole milk 
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For The Chocolate Glaze: 

• 3 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

To Make The Chocolate Crust: In a medium bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and the melted butter. Stir until well combined. Pat the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Refrigerate the crust while you make the peanut butter mousse. 

To Make The Peanut Butter Mousse: In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and mix until well blended. Add the peanut butter and salt and mix until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Set bowl aside while whipping the cream. 

In a large clean bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until almost blended. Fold in another 3/4 cup of the whipped cream until completely blended and no white streaks appear. 

Scrape the peanut butter mousse into the prepared pie pan and spread it into an even layer. Refrigerate while you make the chocolate mousse. Cover the remaining whipped cream and refrigerate ready to use. 

To Make The Chocolate Mousse: Place both chocolates in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Leave the chocolate in the food processor. 

In a small saucepan, combine the milk and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. With the food processor running, pour the hot milk through the feed tube, and process until the chocolate is completely melted. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla extract, and process until well blended. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. 

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold 1/4 of the reserved whipped cream into the mousse. Fold in the remaining cream until completely blended. Scrape the mousse onto the peanut butter mousse layer and smooth the top using an offset spatula. Refrigerate the pie while making the chocolate glaze. 

To Make The Chocolate Glaze: Place finely chopped chocolate into a medium bowl. 

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil.  Pour cream over the chocolate and let sit for a few minutes. Add the vanilla, then gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the glaze is smooth. Do not over mix or you'll incorporate air bubbles. Let the mixture cool at room temperature for 10 minutes before using. 

Pour the cooled glaze over the chocolate mousse layer. Using a small metal spatula, spread the glaze evenly over the top of the pie. Sprinkle the top with peanuts if desired, for garnish, before the glaze sets. 

Chill the pie for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Loosely cover pie and store any leftovers for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. 

My Brother Joe

Today my older brother, Joe, turns 31. Happy Birthday Bro! He likes to call me "sis" so today on this blog (even though he doesn't read it) I get to call him Bro. :-) My brother drives me crazy. He's loud, talks too much, asks waaay too many questions (especially while watching movies) and is very opinionated, even about stuff he has no experience in. Here's an example of that: He gives me baby advice left and right though he has no kids nor has he ever raised any. He says babies have sunken in skulls because their mommas pull the pacifier out of their babies mouths too fast, creating a suction that in turn sucks that "soft spot" in and they only way to push it back out is to press on the roof of the babies' mouth with your thumb. One night he was inspecting Hayden's head, looked it up and down from different angles, then said, while nodding, "he's got a good head". I don't know where he gets his information but he means well and it makes us laugh because he's so serious about it. He's a pain in my rear but I wouldn't trade him in for any other. He's a giver, a lover, very protective of his loved ones and will give anyone the shirt off his back, or in this case, the hat off his head.

My brother Joe playing with Hayden. They're pals for life.

My brother was held back in school in the first grade, so even though he's a year older we have always been in the same grade together. We had the same teachers, the same friends, the same homework- you get the picture. We've always been close because we couldn't get away from eachother. haha! When we walked home from school, he would walk behind me and light matches and throw them at my feet. It used to scare me, but he thought it was funny. That was just him being an older brother. We also used to play with sling shots in the back yard and play "classic" Nintendo together conquering level after level. Our game of choice was "Contra" and one of the codes to boost your super power was "up, up, down , down, left, right, left, right, B, A". I don't know why I still remember that, but I do.

Another brother/sister moment, I remember was when we made the neighborhood go dark. My brother had a pellet gun and my grandparents lived three houses in from the corner. On the corner and across the street was a street lamp. He and I parked out on the front porch, pumping up his Wal-Mart purchase and aiming at the street lamp. Peering together through the scope, we decided on a particular spot we would aim at. He took several shots, then it was my turn, then back to him. I don't think we actually knew what we were doing, we were just shooting because we had nothing else to do and it was rebellious. Then all of a sudden, "POP", out went the light! We both looked at eachother in shock then ran inside playing innocent. Yeah, we were careless, but we were kids and the light was fixed a couple days later.

These days, I don't get to see my brother as often. He's a trucker and lives across the state, but when he makes a run into town he makes time to spend time with his family. He was in town this past weekend. He spent most of his time eating gummy candy and Pop Rocks and watching cartoons on the Internet. That's his thing. He can eat sugar straight out of the jar, and eats candy and chugs sodas ALL day long, but he doesn't like glaze or frosting on cakes, because they're "too sweet". He's a contradiction, but that's who he is. And he loves peanut butter. For his birthday treat, I decided to make him peanut butter marbled brownies even though he requested rock candy. I'm not a big fan of PB and chocolate but he loves it. As I went to cut them into squares, they fell apart and onto the counter. I was bummed with their appearance because they weren't as perfect as I wanted them to be, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I kept one to take pictures of and sent the rest home with him. Mr. H and I shared it together with a scoop of Tin Roof Ice Cream and chocolate sauce. It was fudgy and amazing!

Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies adapted from Allrecipes

Printer Friendly Version

For The Peanut Butter Layer:

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk

For The Chocolate Layer:

• 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used a 1/2 cup peanut butter chips and 1/2 cup chocolate chips)
• 1 Tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 egg, and milk until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, 2 cups white sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the remaining 3 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; mix into the batter.

Remove 1/2 cup of the chocolate batter and stir 1 Tablespoon of milk into it to thin it out slightly; set aside. Stir the chocolate/peanut butter chips into the remaining batter.

Spread the chocolate chip batter into the prepared pan. Spread the peanut butter filling over the top. Drop the reserved chocolate batter by teaspoonful over the filling. Using a knife, gently swirl through the top layers for a marbled effect.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out almost clean. Cool completely, then cut into bars.

We love you!

Cake Ladies Book Review and Giveaway (CLOSED)

I have another baking book up for review today! This time it's Cake Ladies by Jodi Rhoden. This book appealed to me immediately because I consider myself to be somewhat of a cake lady. "What is a cake lady?", you may be asking yourself. Everyone may have a different definition, but to me a cake lady is a woman who bakes cakes to make people happy. Sometimes they bake to make ends meet, sometimes it's a creative outlet, and sometimes it's to feel a part of a community. All the ladies in this book come from different backgrounds and have their own story, but they all believe in the healing powers of cake. They all love cake. I love cake. Do you?

Are there really healing powers in cake? In a way, I believe there is. A homebaked cake sitting on the counter makes an ordinary day better, they put smiles on faces. There's a reason they're always present at birthdays, weddings and showers. It's like a gift wrapped up in sweet buttercream and piped rosettes. Okay, enough about cake and more about the ladies who make them. This book shares the stories of 17 women- from bakery owners in Georgia to a midwife in North Carolina who bakes for the new babies she delivers to sisters in New Orleans baking vegan and sugar-free cupcakes for the community.

I read this book while soaking in a hot tub. I got so wrapped up in it that I had to rewarm the water an hour and a half later. The cakes that are shared in this book are all the prized recipes from these ladies. I chose to bake the peanut butter banana cupcakes, because I adore that combination. I really enjoy a PB and banana with honey sandwich and these cupcakes were very similar in flavor. The cupcake itself was dense and moist and the peanut butter cream cheese frosting was so light and fluffy. I also plan to make the chocolate cake on the cover- a request from Mr. H and a white layer cake slathered in lemon curd. That one is for me. Yum!

The only downside I saw in this book is that the author, Jodi Rhoden, who is a cake lady in her own right didn't share a recipe of her own. That would have been the perfect addition to this book. Otherwise it was a great read, informative and all the recipes are accompanied with full size color photos.

Peanut Butter & Banana Cupcakes from Cake Ladies

Printer Friendly Version

For the Cupcakes:

• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk

For the Icing:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup dried banana chips (for garnish)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

For the Cupcakes: Beat the eggs and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, stopping the mixer twice during mixing to scrape down the paddle, bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream while beating on medium low speed. Add the vanilla and beat. Add the bananas and peanut butter, mix, scrape down the bowl and beat.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a separate bowl and set aside.

With the blender on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the creamed mixture in three parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Blend just until the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Add batter into each cupcake liner until two-thirds full. depending on the size of your cupcake pans, this recipe should make about 2 dozen cupcakes.

Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the Icing: Cream the butter, peanut butter and the cream cheese together in a bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed. Beat until the mixture is smooth and cream and no lumps remain. Add and combine the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, blending on low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the paddle, sides, and the bottom of the bowl using a rubber spatula. Beat the mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Icing the Cupcakes: When the cupcakes are completely cool, spread or pipe about 2 heaping tablespoons on the peanut butter icing on each cupcake, then garnish each one with a banana chip.

Cupcakes will keep several days covered in the refrigerator.

Want to win your very own copy of Cake Ladies?

Leave a comment on this post telling about a cake lady that you may know of, or simply tell me about your love of cake. It's that simple. One winner will be chose and the publishers will send a book out to that person. Giveaway valid in the USA only. Please leave contact info when leaving a comment.

The giveaway is closed, the winner is announced HERE.

Summer and Autumn

I'm still in that Summer Is Still Here You Can't Talk Me Into Baking With Pumpkin Until Fall Is Here Mode. You're either with me or you're throwing gourds at me :-) According to my calendar, Autumn officially starts on September 23, but I've heard others say it's the 22nd, and most recently someone said it was the 21st. So I decided to do a little search and this is what I came up with: According to Suite 101, the first day of Fall is September 22, 2010 at precisely 11:09 pm EDT (for the Northern Hemisphere). There, it's settled.

That being said, I do have to admit to picking up two cans of Organic pumpkin puree at the grocery store this evening. Why? Am left me a comment asking if I had heard of a pumpkin shortage. I had not, but I also heard the same thing last year and I didn't have any problems finding any. That being said, I was going to stock up on a few cans for my Fall baking and I had a hard time finding it. When I found it (next to the canned pie filling) there were only two small cans on the shelf, so I snagged them up. I'm not sure if there really is a shortage or if it's still early in the season and it's not quite delivered to the stores yet. After all it is still Summer, have I mentioned that yet? :-) If you're worried about not having enough, just be sure to grab a can or two whenever you see some, where ever you see it. Am, I hope you find some!

Speaking of Fall, My sweet girl, Autumn, turned 6 years old yesterday.

While there are a few days left of this season, I thought I'd share with you a no-bake cookie recipe. I remember having these as a kid, though I am certain no one in my family made them, so I'm not sure where that memory comes from. You know when you taste something it just transports you back? Well that's how these cookies were for me. They're not really cookies, they're kinda fudgey and sweet, have great chocolate taste and they're loaded with oatmeal. When you first make them, they're somewhat soft and after a couple days they get harder and sandier, almost like a sugary praline. They were delicious and required very little effort. They'd also be great tucked into your kids lunch box.

No Bake Cookies- Favorite Recipes For Our Friends

Printer Friendly Version

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 stick oleo, margarine or butter (I used butter)
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups oatmeal (old fashioned rolled oats, not instant)

Mix the sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk in a medium saucepan.* Boil for 1 minute.

Add the peanut butter and vanilla. Mix quickly until peanut butter melts, then add the oatmeal and mix til well blended.

Drop spoonfuls on tin foil, wax paper or parchment. Allow to set and cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen 3 inch cookies.

NOTE: *I opted to pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl before adding the oatmeal.

P.S. I love old cookbooks. This recipe comes from the bank in our (former) hometown, published in 1975. It has some of the best recipes. And I love that it calls for Oleo, instead of butter. Seriously, LOVE that.

A Recipe With A Story

As with most great recipes, this one comes with a story. When I was a kid, I lived with my grandma. We were poor, though I didn't know it then-- it was just how we were. It wasn't often, but I do remember going in the early cool mornings to stand in line at the bull barn with my grandma to collect our welfare staples. We'd grab a box, then go down the long buffet tables collecting our family sized cans of fruit cocktail and green beans, processed cheese and tubs of creamy peanut butter.

The peanut butter came in giant white containers with black lettering that said 'Peanut Butter' - it was as generic as could be and took a family of 8 about a year to get through it all. I liked the idea of baking but my grandma didn't have cookbooks, she just cooked by taste. If we had dessert, it was usually a boxed cake mix or red jello. And the internet was non-existent, so there was no googling recipes. If I wanted to bake, I had to make due with what I had. And what I had was a tub of peanut butter with a recipe on the back.

This was one of the first recipes from scratch that I ever made, if not the first. I made a full recipe and stacked them high on a plate for my dad. He was picking me up for the weekend and I could not wait for him to try the fresh from the oven cookies. They were nutty, buttery, crispy on the edges, chewy in the center and had the identifying fork marks indented in the tops of them. They were perfect and I was so proud of myself. I beamed in anticipation of my dad trying them. When he did, he said "I don't like peanut butter" and I instantly deflated. I don't know if he ever ate them but all these years later I still remember those cookies and how good they were. I've tried other recipes and none have ever compared. It was not until I did a Google search for "welfare peanut butter cookies" (read this, it's funny!) that I found this recipe again and I'm so glad I did because it took me back to when I was a kidlet in my grandma's kitchen mixing up dough at her kitchen table.

Welfare Peanut Butter Cookies

Printer Friendly Version

• 2-1/2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup fat (margarine, butter, or shortening)*(see note)
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs

Mix flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Mix fat and peanut butter. Add both kinds of sugar. Mix well. Add eggs and beat well.

Stir flour mixture into peanut butter mixture.

Drop dough from a teaspoon on baking pan. Flatten with a fork.

Bake at 375 ° (moderate oven) 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies.

NOTE: This recipe calls for "fat". I used half amounts of butter (for crispness) and shortening (for chew).

Aye, Aye Cap'n! A Father's Day Two-fer

A couple weeks ago a reader named Katherine from Pennsylvania left me a comment with a request for a recipe containing Cap'n Crunch Cereal. This is what she said "I'm a regular reader and always looks forward to your unique recipes and posts. Therefore, I come to you with a recipe void I am in need of filling, and I hope you can help me out. My father loves Cap'n Crunch cereal, I mean LOVES it. So with father's day coming up, I would love to bake him something special...something with Cap'n Crunch cereal in it! Aside from just having the cereal as an ingredient, I want this item to truly TASTE like the cereal - that's key here :) So, I hope you can use your special baking skills and think up something yummy for the most important man in my life, my father. Thank you for your time!" How could I not come up with something for her?

I've never really gotten a request like this before. Sure I've had people email me and ask if I have certain types of recipes but no one has ever asked for such a unique recipe. So off to the Google Gods I went, then I asked Mr. H if he'd help eat the remaining cereal if I were to buy a box and luckily he agreed. Katherine was originally thinking of a cake or cookie recipe to make for her father but today I have two recipes for you and her but neither are cake or cookies. I wanted to make something that I would want to eat so that I didn't waste any ingredients and I came up with Cap'n Crunch French Toast and Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Cereal Bars. yum!

I want to be honest and say that I did not create either of these recipes. The French Toast recipe comes from Blue Moon Cafe in Maryland that was featured on Diners, Drive-In and Dives. I love french toast so I was excited about this one. And the second recipe is a kicked up marshmallow cereal bar. It has the addition of peanut butter and M&M's to make them extra sweet and fun. I wasn't sure how well I'd like these because I thought they'd be too sweet but these were very good. I ate most of them myself :-P The only thing I'd change next time is to use the mini M&M's. They had a nice crunch to them from the cereal but they were gooey and buttery and had a nice contrasting flavor from the creamy peanut butter and chocolate.

The toast was awesome! I used day old French bread that I cut about an inch thick and dipped it into the custard. The trick to getting fluffy french toast is to not soak the bread completely, otherwise you'll end up with wet and dense toast- that took me a few years to figure out :-) I omitted the extra sugar in the custard because the cereal is so sweet already. It was sweet and crispy on the outside but light and soft on the inside. It tasted like Cap'n Crunch but it wasn't overly sweet. The original recipe calls for sweetened whipped cream but we opted for syrup and fresh fruit. This was a winner!

Cap'n Crunch French Toast from Blue Moon Cafe via Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Cookbook

Printer Friendly Version

French Toast:

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons sugar (I omitted this)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups cap’n crunch cereal
• 8 to 10 slices bread, such as Texas toast or French bread
• Butter for cooking

Topping: (optional)

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups assorted fresh seasonal berries

Mix the cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until combined.

Put the cereal in a storage bag and use a rolling pin to crush cereal until it resembles cracker meal. Transfer the cereal to a shallow dish.

Dip a couple slices of the bread into the cream mixture until soft but not completely soaked. Let excess liquid drip from the bread, then press into the cereal crumbs to coat evenly. Place on a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining slices.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, add butter as needed, and cook the bread until caramelized on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total.

For the whipped cream topping: Beat the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with a hand mixer to soft peaks. Dollop on top of the French toast and serve with the berries.

NOTE: I cut this recipe in half and made 4 slices of toast and omitted the whipped cream topping.

__________________________________________________

Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Bars adapted from Spark Recipes

Printer Friendly Version

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 30 large marshmallows
• 6 cups Cap'n Crunch Cereal
• 1 1/2 cups M&M's

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large pot on the stove melt butter, peanut butter and marshmallows on medium low heat, stirring occasionally (I did this in the microwave in a glass bowl).

Once mixture is melted and all combined, remove from heat. Add cereal and M&M's quickly and stir quickly to well coat. As the marshmallow mixture cools will become harder to mix.

Pour into prepared pan. Coat your hands with a little extra butter and press down the mixture into the pan to get it as even as possible. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares.

Makes 24 bars.

NOTE: I only made 1/3 of this recipe.

Katherine I hope these recipes will make your father happy this Father's Day!

Sweet and Salty

Here's another quick treat for anytime of year but also really simple and good enough for a Halloween party. My MIL used to make these all the time- Chocolate covered peanut butter crackers. mmm!

There's no recipe, just an idea. And even at that it's nothing new. But I think it's a cute idea to make for the holidays because you can use different colored chocolate and sprinkles for any occasion. Just think white chocolate with red and green sprinkles or crushed peppermint candies for Christmas, milk chocolate with pink heart sprinkles for Valentine's Day or semi sweet chocolate with Autumn leaves and pumpkins like these for Fall.

I used packaged toasty crackers with the peanut butter already in them but you could easily buy some Ritz crackers and fill them with your favorite PB. My neighbor makes these every year to put on her Christmas trays. They provide the perfect balance of salty and sweet. If you've been reading long then you know that I'm not generally a fan of chocolate and peanut butter together unless it's Chex Mummy Mix, but these I love- lots of chocolate, the salty crunch of the crackers and the nuttiness of the peanut butter. Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

• peanut butter filled crackers
• chocolate chips
• sprinkles (optional)

Melt chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time til smooth and lump free. Stir gently as to not incorporate any air bubbles.

Dip crackers in the chocolate and coat then on all sides. Pick up chocolate coated cracker with a fork. Shake off excess chocolate by gently tapping on the side of the bowl.

Place on wax paper and top with sprinkles of choice. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container or in the freezer up to 3 months.

NOTE: I was able to cover 54 sandwich crackers with a bag and a half of chocolate chips- about 18 ounces.

I used Lance crackers, Guittard semi sweet chocolate chips and Wilton sprinkles and pumpkins.

These 3 crackers for especially made for the little boy I nanny for. He has a thing for sprinkles!

Stay tuned for one more Halloween treat coming up Saturday morning!