Thursday, September 27, 2012

Puppy Chow







Cleaning out the back of the pantry and came across 1/2 a box of Chex cereal.
Perfect for a batch of Puppy Chow for my guys. 
It's quick, easy and a real treat for kids and adults alike. 
Enjoy!


1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
9 cups Chex cereal (I used Corn Chex)
3 cups powdered sugar

In a LARGE mixing bowl, measure out the cereal, set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips, about 1 minute.

Remove from microwave and stir till smooth, add vanilla.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and using a plastic spatula, gently stir to coat cereal. 

In a large brown paper grocery bag, add powdered sugar and  chocolate covered cereal.

Close top of bag and gently shake to distribute powdered sugar over all the cereal.

When covered, pour into a large resealable plastic, or glass, container. 

Puppies would probably like this, too! :)


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Apple Dumpliings





Fall has officially arrived and certainly my cooking is starting to reflect the season. This is a simple little recipe with a surprise ingredient...Mountain Dew! Who knew it could be so wonderful in a dessert?

1  Apple (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or whatever you have on hand)
1 tube Crescent Rolls
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Ground Cinnamon (I used a cinnamon/sugar combo that I use when making cinnamon toast)
1/2 cup  Mountain Dew 
Peel apple and cut into 8 wedges, removing core.
Roll up each apple wedge in a crescent roll.
Place rolls in a buttered, 8X8 inch baking pan.
Melt butter, add sugar and vanilla, pour over crescent rolls. 

Pour Mountain Dew all around the rolls, not over the rolls. 

Sprinkle with cinnamon (or cinnamon/sugar combo)

Bake at 350* for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Ice cream with a drizzle of the sauce over the top would be 
out of this world good!


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

BBQ Brisket Loaded Baked Potatoes





A friend recently told me about a local bbq place where you can order a baked potato stuffed with bbq brisket. I have been thinking  about it ever since! Yesterday I picked up a small brisket and cooked it using my mother-in-law's recipe...you must try this...it NEVER fails!




Next I baked "the perfect baked potatoes" in the oven.

Perfect Baked Potatoes:
Large baking potatoes, as many as you need
Canola oil
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350*.

Scrub potatoes well.

Peirce each potato several times with a fork.

Place potatoes is bowl and drizzle with canola oil, a little goes a long way!

Using your hands, rub the oil all over the potatoes.

Sprinkle kosher salt over potatoes.

Place on a rack in the middle of oven.

Place a pan or piece of foil under the potatoes on a lower rack to catch any drippings.

Bake anywhere from an hour, to and hour and a half, depending on the size of your potatoes and how many you are cooking.

Potatoes are done when they feel crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. Stick a fork in them if you aren't sure.

Split potato lengthwise along the top and using both thumbs and forefingers, squeeze to open it up.

Place a dollop of butter in potato and fluff it together with the potato flesh, salt and pepper to taste.

Now you're ready to top your potato with the brisket.

I sliced several slices across the grain, then took those slices and chopped them into small bits. Honestly this brisket is so tender, it practically falls apart on it's own.

Add as much or as little bbq sauce as you would like.  I added enough to make it moist, then added some of the juice drippings from cooking the brisket to make it really moist. (hint: I did place the drippings in the freezer for a few minutes to separate the fat and skim it off...every little bit helps, right?)

Place a big heaping mound of meat on top of your hot and ready baked potato. Load it up good so you'll have a bite of meat with each bite of potato.

Sprinkle a little cheddar on top if that floats your boat...it floats mine!

Doug added extra sauce....he can drink that stuff!!

Dig in!

We all enjoyed this dinner. Jonah was home right after school to eat since he had a game later, so I just baked his potato in the microwave and topped it like ours.  He loved it! So if you are short on time, or don't want to go to extra effort to make "perfect baked potatoes" you can still enjoy this meal. And there is enough brisket left for another meal, can't beat that! Hope you try it and like it!