Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

Wonderfully sweet and gooey rice krispie treats that are bursting with strawberry flavor.

Summer is still going strong and I want to get every last bit of anything strawberry that I can.  Last week I brought an excellent creamy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream which was bursting with strawberry flavor.  Today we have a wonderful treat for you that quick and easy to make but still brings that fresh strawberry flavor.

STRAWBERRY RICE KRISPIE TREATS

The other day I was in the cereal aisle of the grocery store when I spotted strawberry flavored rice krispies...what???  Yes sirree, they now have strawberry flavored Rice Krispies that are flavored with natural flavors.  How great is that?  So I new I had to make some treat with these and grabbed a box without hesitation.  

These treats are just as easy to make as the originals, but I made them a little extra gooey by mixing in some whole mini marshmallows in with the cereal so when you bite into them you get that little extra something.  I've seen fancy bakery made treats prepared this way and I've been doing this for years.  Along with any other mix in you may add this takes the treats up a notch!

MGG just gobbled them down and I must say that I really, really liked the flavor of these treats.  Needless to say they didn't last very long in our house.  Hmmm, think I'll go make another batch now!

Enjoy!



More Strawberry Dishes
Lighter Strawberry Crisp
Strawberry Cinnamon Smoothie

Quick and Easy Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry Vanilla Waffles with Yogurt

Strawberry Sour Cream Muffins

Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats


6 tablespoons butter
6 cups Strawberry Rice Krispies
1 16oz bag mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon almond extract

In a medium pan over medium add butter to melt.  

Place cereal in a large bowl and add 1 1/2 cups of loose marshmallows.  Once the butter is melted, add the rest of the bag of marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add almond extract. Using a rubber spatula, pour the marshmallows into the cereal.  Stir until everything is coated and transfer to an 8x8 pan.  Coat hands with a little water or cooking spray and pat down mixture lightly in the pan. 

Cut into squares and serve.

Lighter Strawberry Crisp

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They've been saying that we've had so much rain here in Southern California that the strawberries have taken a hit this year, but I'm here to tell you "nuh uh!, this year's strawberries are super juicy and sweet!"

This leads me to pick up a pound of strawberries each time I go to the store, and I go to the store quite often, so the strawberries are starting to pile up!

Not to worry.  I have the perfect solution for that...

LIGHTER STRAWBERRY CRISP

Oh yes, please!  Let's make a Strawberry Crisp that is bursting with juicy strawberries topped with a light crunchy topping.  It all but screams summer!  This dish is one of my go to desserts.  It will feed a crowd or a family (depending on how much you eat!).  We actually served this at out 4th of July party and it was the first item go.

Fruit is a wonderful item to create dessert from.  I've made this a little healthier by keeping the sugar content down as well as the butter.  It still has that homey, comforting feeling but is a much lighter and lower carb/calorie version.  Desserts don't have to be laden with fats and empty calories to taste good.  Just try this version for yourself and you'll definitely want 2nds or 3rds.  Go ahead...I won't tell!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Crisp

serves 6

6 c (about 1-1/2 pounds) strawberries, hulled and quartered

1 Tbls fresh lemon juice

2 Tbls all-purpose flour

3 Tbls light brown sugar, divided

1/3 c all purpose flour

1/3 c rolled oats

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

3 Tbls cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Vanilla Ice Cream (optional topping)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Lightly grease an oval baking dish with cooking spray.

Add the strawberries to the bottom of the dish and toss with lemon juice. In a small bowl, combine the flour and 1 Tbls of brown sugar and mix until combined. Add this to the strawberries and mix to combine. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and remaining brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or by rubbing with your fingers until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the strawberries. 

Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden brown and fruit is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Serve with ice cream if desired. 

adapted from:  https://diethood.com/strawberry-crumble/

Effortless Apple Coffee Cake

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My love of apples is calling me.

With the different varieties of apples I've been eating lately I'm on an apple kick.  I wanted to make something comforting and yummy, but I wanted something simple.  

This dish has all the flavors of my mom's homemade coffee cake without all the effort!  

The batter is quick to pull together and in no time you will have a house smelling delectable and a coffee cake just waiting to snack on!

This is so good that you'll want to make this incredibly delicious dish for your next brunch.  

EFFORTLESS APPLE COFFEE CAKE

An old-time coffee cake filled with cinnamonly tart apples and topped of with a delightful crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or a snack with coffee.  This cake will remind you of your mom's and grandmothers coffee cakes, bring back the nostalgia of long ago!

A dish the whole family will love.  You'll want to make this over and over again!

Effortless Apple Coffee Cake

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 to 3/4 can of a 14oz can apple pie filling

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, Add topping ingredients. Cut in butter with flour, sugar, and cinnamon until crumbly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a stand or hand mixer. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix until blended. Add milk and eggs one at a time and mix until well combined.

Pour 1/2 of the batter in to a greased 9x9" pan.  Top the batter with the apple pie filling.  Pour the remainder of the batter over the apple pie filling trying to cover as best as you can.  Sprinkle with the topping mixture.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Valentine's Day Dessert: Chocolat en Croute (Product Review)

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Today I wanted to share with you a product that I found that would make the most perfect dessert for Valentine's Day!

Trader Joe's  has a wonderful product that I found in the freezer section.  It's a Chocolat en Croute dessert that you can take home and bake in your own oven.   It's filled with the most decadent almond crème and chocolate and is enveloped in a heavenly braid and topped with slice almonds.  A quick bake in the oven produces a decadent dessert.

Oh man!  What's better than a hot gooey chocolate filled pastry straight from the oven?  Nothing!  And for Valentine's Day, chocolate is our go to treat and this dessert totally takes this special occasion over the top.  Everyone will be amazed with this dessert, and it is so easy to make!  

This is one great product find, and it's at Trader Joes.  The perfect way to impress your loved ones with a hot and fresh from the oven dessert!  Run to Trader Joe's today and get yourself a treat!  It's so worth it.

Enjoy!

11 Best Dishes of 2018

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Happy New Year!

2018 was a year full of highs and lows but it seems that it went so fast that it was a blur.  The food we made was a full of variety.  The most popular dishes seem to have a comfort food theme with a little bit of restaurant flair thrown in.   

I've gathered the eleven most popular dishes (there was a tie for 10th place that I couldn't break) from 2018 in one spot for you to reference and enjoy!

Enjoy all the precious moments that 2019 will bring.  We only live once!

11 TOP RECIPES OF 2018

In no particular order...

Cajun Roasted Potatoes

Chili Lime Salmon with Roasted Vegetables

Baked Honey Soy Chicken Legs

Spicy Turkey Chili 

Garlic and Parmesan Crispy Oven Fried Chicken

Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Stew

Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Easy Cinnamon Peach Cobbler - Family Sized

Sheet Pan Beef Fajitas

There are plenty of dishes to come in 2019.  Lots of comfort food, weeknight meals, stir frys, southern dishes, and easy restaurant style meals.  Enjoy a prosperous holiday and I am so grateful for all of my followers.  I wish you the best to come in 2019 and will be talking to you in the new year!

Whole-Grain Harvest Nut Banana Bread - King Arthur Flour's Bake the Bag!

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I started a new baking challenge from King Arthur Flour to bake items using their White Whole Wheat Flour. The challenge is called Bake the Bag and they send you a recipe each week where you bake bread, cookies, etc from the flour bag until you've used the entire bag.

What a great way to find some new recipes while gaining experience in baking with white whole wheat flour!  You can join this challenge as well by signing up on their site here.  

First up is this Whole-Grain Banana Bread.

This bread is fabulous!  Very moist and tender with a nutty, earthy flavor profile that screams Fall! 

What is Banana Bread?

Banana bread is a form of quick bread (no yeast involved) that is of cake like texture...or like a large muffin, that is baked in a loaf pan.  You use really ripe bananas to moisten the bread and give it great flavor as well.  I know people that buy bananas just to make banana bread rather than eating them!  Do you do that?

Can banana bread be customized?
Once you have the basic recipe down, banana bread can be made a million different ways.  You accomplish this by adding in "add-ins" like cinnamon, chocolate chips, cranberries, or any dried fruit.  You can also change the fat used in the recipe by substituting sour cream, yogurt, applesauce...etc.  This recipe calls for nuts as optional ingredient and I like a good nut in my banana bread.  Since I didn't have a whole lot of walnut I decided to put a mix of nuts in my bread.  Pecans, walnuts, and sunflower seeds made for a wonderful harvest mix and give this bread a great nutty, earthy flavor!

Whole-Grain Harvest Nut Banana Bread

Banana bread is typically served as a breakfast bread but can also be served warm with ice cream for dessert.  Oh yum!  I totally suggest that you try it toasted with a little spread on top for a nice change as well. 

What equipment do I need?

Need a good loaf pan?  This one is the one I use all the time.  For a more economical version, this one is really nice to have.  You will also need a good rubber spatula such as this one or this one.  Plus, a wonder mixing bowl is a must!  Options such as this one, and this one are perfect.  

Banana bread is the bomb!  You must have a good recipe in your recipe box!  You're gonna love this banana bread and this recipe will become a favorite in your house like it did mine.

Enjoy!

Whole-Grain Harvest Nut Banana Bread

source:  King Arthur Flour

2 cups thoroughly mashed banana; about 4 or 5 medium bananas
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour or Premium Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nut, a mix of pecans, walnuts and sunflower seeds 
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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan; if your pan is glass or stoneware, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
3. Weigh your flours; you’ll find their weight by toggling to “ounces” at the top of the ingredient section above. Or measure them by gently spooning them into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and chopped nuts into the banana mixture. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
4. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter.
5. Bake the bread for about 60 to 75 minutes, until the bread feels set on the top, and a paring knife (or other thin knife) inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs (but no wet batter). If you have a digital thermometer, the bread's temperature at the center should register about 205°F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 15 to 20 minutes of baking. Note: If baking in a glass or stoneware pan, increase the baking time by 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Remove the bread from the oven. Cool it in the pan for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely.
7. Store leftover bread, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.