Candy Corn Rice Krispies

Delicious childhood treat--for the holidays! Modified from The Original Rice Krispies Treats Squares.

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
3 tablespoons real butter
1 (10 ounce) package marshmellow creme
vanilla
pumpkin candy corn

1. Melt 3 tbsp butter in a large pot over low heat.
2. Stir in 10 ounces marshmellow cream until completely melted.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Remove from heat and quickly stir in 6 cups cereal until well coated.
5. Press mixture firmly and evenly into a greased 13x9x2 pan using a buttered spatula.
6. Press down pumkin candies firmly into the center of each imaginary rice krispie.
6. Let cool and cut into squares.

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry

This tastes just like Chinese food - the way you've always wanted it! Serves 2-4.

1 bag teriyaki stir fry
1/2 bag frozen chicken thighs
Mahatman white rice
real butter
oil
garlic
salt

1. Cook rice in a pot, stir fry (without sauce) in a skillet, and chicken in another skillet, all over medium high heat. Add oil to stir fry, and butter to rice.
2. When chicken has cooked a bit, use a fork to dip each piece in a mixture of melted butter, garlic, and salt, and return to pan.
3. Add teriyaki sauce to stir fry and stir.
4. When chicken has just seared, add to stir fry. Let the flavors mix, then serve with rice.

Chipotle Chicken & Rice

This lightly seasoned meal offers succulent seared chicken and sweet corn rice with a hint of spicy chipotle. This was my first try at something like this, and it's nothing spectacular, but it turned out good, a 6-7 out of 10. (Looks nothing like the picture, lol.)

3 chicken breasts, frozen
2 cups Mahatman white rice
1 can corn
Mrs. Dash Chipotle Seasoning
Garlic Salt
1 stick butter, real

1. In a large pot mix 4 cups water, 2 cups rice, 2 tbsp butter, many hard dashes of garlic salt, and several dashes of chipotle seasoning. Put on high heat until it reaches a boil. Then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Cook 3 frozen chicken breasts in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once they can be cut, turn heat on low. Cut chicken into strips. Mix 1/2 stick of melted butter, chipotle seasoning, and garlic salt in a bowl. Dip each strip into the butter mixture and coat well, then return it to the skillet. When done, turn skillet back onto medium high heat and let the chicken finish cooking. It should be seared with reddish brown color seared onto all sides.

3. Add any final seasonings and serve the chicken with the rice while hot. Enjoy.

Suggestions: Serve with a fresh garden salad. Add extra seasonings. Instead of Chipotle, try it bourbon, barbecue, or chinese style with soy sauce and stir fry.

My New Favorite Egg

Okay, so eggs are not awesome. I love a good fried egg (broken and over hard) any old day. But sometimes I just can't stomach an egg. This recipe is my solution to stomaching an egg every time. A little garlic, salt, and butter makes the medicine go down, as I always say. (I bet this would taste great on a sandwich!)

1 large egg or 2 small eggs
Salt
Shredded cheese
Garlic salt
1/2 tbsp Butter (real)

1. Break the yolk in the pan and spread it until it is evenly distributed with the white/clear part. Sprinkle a very small amount of salt over the egg.
2. When the egg is fully white spread cheese over it. It should soon be ready to flip, if not already. Flip the egg.
3. When the egg is just cooked (fully firm and not at all runny, not browned, although slightly browned will suffice, having a fluffy, sturdy texture) take it off the pan and turn off the burner. Sprinkle the egg with garlic salt. While the pan is still hot, melt about 1/2 tbsp real butter in the pan and then put the egg in it and cover it with butter. Eat while still hot. Enjoy.

Suggestions: Try on a sandwich!

Mesquite Texas Toast

A flavorful Texas-hardy treat.

keiser rolls or texas toast
real butter
mesquite seasoning*

* Best is Weber (R) Grill Creations (R) Smokey Mesquite Seasoning. Substitute salt, sugar, garlic, onion, chili pepper, red pepper, paprika, and mesquite seasoning.

1. Slice open the middle of a keiser roll and put in two slices of butter and season with mesquite seasoning. Or spread the butter and seasoning on top of texas toast.
2. Toast until just crispy, optionally, on broil in the oven for a few minutes.

Sweet Potato Brownies

Be sweet to your body with these amazingly moist, chewy, and chocolaty brownies. Tastes nothing like sweet potatoes. ^_^ Similar to Tana Begley's famous brownies. Modified from Sweet Potato Brownies.

50 min / 20 min prep - 16 servings

1/2 cup butter, softened (about 1 stick of butter)
1 1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweet potatoes, mashed*

* Easiest way to make this is to peel and microwave a sweet potato about 6 minutes.

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.
2. Mix the butter and sugar.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl and mixing after each addition.
4. Fold in the rest of the ingredients.
5. Spread batter in pan.
6. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean.

Suggestions: Cover finished brownies with Texas Sheet Cake sauce, 1/4 cup pecans, or 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Serve with whipped cream or icecream.

Baklava Muffins

A delightful treat that brings the same flavors with less fat and sugar. From Baklava Muffins.

35 min / 20 min prep - 6 servings, 12 muffins

FILLING
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, melted

MUFFINS
1 cup flour
7 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons buttermilk

TOPPING
1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Mix all the filling ingredients together in a small bowl, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar.
4. Mix the egg, melted butter and buttermilk.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add gently mix in the wet ingredients.
6. Fill 12 miffin cups 1/3 full, add a scant tablespoon of filling, cover with more muffin mixture until 2/3 full.
7. Sprinkle any remaining filling on top of the muffins.
8. Bake for 15 minutes.
9. Put the muffins onto a rack to cool and drizzle with honey (it may be easier to drizzle the honey if it has been warmed first).