Muddy Buddies

Some people call these Muddy Buddies and some call them People Puppy Chow. Either way, they are delicious (and quite dangerous. If I don't give them away, I'll eat them constantly until they're gone). Here's the recipe:

9 cups Corn Chex
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Into large bowl measure cereal; set aside.
In medium size sauce pan, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter on medium heat until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.









Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag (I used a paper grocery bag).
Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake well until coated.

Spread on wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Banana Chocolate Chips Muffins

These are pretty standard banana muffins that I added chocolate chips to but they're always a hit. Here's the recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• I added about 2 cups of chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture (and chocolate chips), and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Apple Crisp

This dessert always takes me back to college. My roommates and I always made it on Sunday's. The recipe comes from Kari and it is just classic comfort food. I made it when Lizzy was here so that we could reminisce about the good ol' days.

Here's what you need:

-lots of apples; peeled
-1 1/2 cups brown sugar
-1 cup flour
-1/2 cup oats
-2/3 cup melted butter
-cinnamon (to taste, about 1/2 tbsp?)

Peel apples


and then cut them into bite-sized pieces


and put into a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan or really whatever pan you have. I just keep peeling and chopping apples until I have enough to cover the pan plus a little more.
Mix all dry ingredients and then add butter a bit at a time.

Easy on the butter...with this batch I added too much butter and it was a bit too gooey and not enough crispy. The batter should be a little crumbly when all is said and done and not totally sticky and gooey.
Crumble mixture over apples

and bake for 25 minutes or until apples are soft and crisp is bubbly.
I served with ice-cream...like I do everything else!

Chocolate Fudge Cake

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Amy. It reminds me of a Texas sheet cake but thicker. It is delicious and everyone that I make it for loves it. It's also super easy to make with almost all the ingredients found in most peoples pantry.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch pan.
Heat in a saucepan until melted:
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

Pour over:
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa

Mix, then add:
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix well and pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Batter will seem pretty liquid-y and that's ok.
When cake is almost done start making icing:

Heat in saucepan until melted:
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup milk

Pour over:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix well and pour over hot cake.

Icing will be pretty liquid-y too but once it is poured over cake and sits for a few minutes it will set. You could add chocolate chips or any other kind of chip for a different twist.

I served with ice-cream.

Happy Birthday Kate!

So, I don't have any recipes to post (that's not true....I actually do but just don't have the time to do it right now), but I wanted to say Happy Birthday to Katie (even though it's already tomorrow in Ireland)! Easton has been telling her that he wants to make her a birthday cake all day, so I can't wait to see how that turned out. Hopefully he'll blog about it. Anyway....Kate, I hope that you had a great day and I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Happy Birthday Lex!

Today is my friend Alexis' birthday and since chocolate chip cookies are her favorite, I decided to make a giant chocolate chip cookie cake. Here is the recipe from Emeril:

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 14-inch pizza pan.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, beating well after the addition of each.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a whisk. Add to the butter mixture, mixing to incorporate, and add the vanilla extract. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spread across the bottom of the prepared pan

and bake until the edges are golden and the cookie is set but the center is still slightly soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookie spilled over the edge a bit but it was salvageable. Then I decided to decorate it and thought it would be nice to sprinkle it with powdered sugar and cocoa. Turns out it just looks like dirt on a giant cookie. Oops. Happy birthday anyway, Lex!