Holiday Treats Thanks to Pinterest

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I enjoyed the time with my family and am still coming down from all the food consumed over the weekend.

I was such a slacker when it has come to this blog over the last couple of months.

I was an even bigger slacker when it came to my holiday baking.

I only made a few treats and helped my mom and sister make a few more. On top of that, I didn't even take photos of the goodies I DID make!

However, most of the treats I made came from Pinterest so I thought I would feature them on here in case you are looking for a quick, sweet treat for any upcoming holiday gatherings.

Here we go...

These Rolo cookies are super easy (4 ingredients) and are quite yummy. I'm wondering what they would taste like with Reese's Cups instead of Rolos...I do have a cake mix in the pantry!

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

I even used Pinterest to find my OWN recipes, like these Sweet and Saltines candies! My sister and I made two trays of these treats - one with saltines and one with graham crackers. The saltine variety is the perfect combo of sweet and salty!

Source: galinthemiddle.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

This white chocolate-coated candy mix is my FAVORITE holiday treat EVER. It is super simple and delicious.

Source: galinthemiddle.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

I blame a co-worker for this next treat. We were sitting at our office holiday pitch-in lunch enjoying some of my white chocolate-coated candy mix when she mentioned that while she enjoyed the treat, puppy chow was her favorite snack mix.

So for days after that conversation, I had puppy chow on my mind. I also had a box of Rice Chex in my pantry so I poked around on Pinterest for different variations on the classic treat. I found this...

Source: redbuddynotes.blogspot.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

It looks like an ordinary bowl of puppy chow, right?

Wrong! It is made with Nutella...the world's best spread!

Better than that? It only had 6 ingredients and can be done in the microwave. There were other recipes on Pinterest for this mix but they were much more complicated and had ingredients that I didn't have on hand.

I took the batch into work and shared. I took what was left to my family Christmas celebrations. I had to get it out of the house!

Unfortunately, I had Rice Chex cereal leftover and just enough Nutella to make a half batch today.

I may or may not be typing this post with powdered sugar on my fingers and a container of the stuff beside me on the couch. I'll never tell!

Holiday Baking, Take 2: Sweet & Saltines Candy

The Great Cookie Exchange of 2010 is supposed to happen later today at my mom's house. Unfortunately, it rained all day yesterday, temperatures dropped and snow is moving in. So, we'll see who shows up!

Party or not, I am prepared. Yesterday, Baby Sister and I finished up our contributions at my mom's house while she and my dad went to the Purdue men's basketball game (Go Boilers!). Kind of funny that two of her grown children were in her kitchen baking without her!

I love baking at my mom's house. She has good counter space and a big table to work on. It also brings back lots of memories from my childhood...lots of cookies (and rolls and bread and cakes) have been made in that kitchen over the years.

As I noted in my first holiday baking post, I decided on candy instead of cookies as my contribution to the exchange. I wanted to try Trisha Yearwood's Crockpot Candy after seeing it in a magazine but it takes three hours in the crockpot and that's time I just didn't have this week!

While researching the crockpot recipe, I stumbled upon another recipe from her Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood: Stories and Recipes to Share with Family and Friends cookbook that got good reviews on several sites - Sweet and Saltines. So that became my second candy offering!

First, start by lining a large jellyroll pan with foil and lining up your saltines. The recipe also said you could substitute graham crackers for a sweeter treat, so I made a pan of each!

Next I melted one cup (2 sticks) of butter and a cup of light brown sugar.

And brought it to a boil for 5 minutes.

Then pour it over the crackers and spread evenly.

Pop it in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes or until it just bubbles. Take out of the oven and sprinkle one 12-oz. bag of chocolate chips evenly over the pan (the recipe said 8 ounces of chips but go crazy).

Once the chips start to melt, spread them evenly.

Pop the pan in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes until completely cool and chocolate has set. Break apart and enjoy! I cut mine in smaller pieces because I had small containers to put them in...and they are rich so a small bite is just right, in my opinion!

I do have one more treat to share with you tomorrow, but here's a sneak peek at part of my contribution to the cookie exchange! I will also share the other goodies I received.

Sweet and Saltines

Serves 20

40 saltine crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1¹⁄3 cups)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large jellyroll pan with alumi¬num foil and the saltine crackers.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly. Put the jellyroll pan into the oven and watch closely. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Substitute graham crackers for the saltines for a sweeter snack. Use 1 stick of butter instead of 2 for a crunchier, saltier cracker.

Use anywhere from 35 to 45 saltine crackers, depending on the size of your pan.

Recipe found at: http://blog.al.com/bn/2010/04/recipes_some_of_trisha_yearwoo.html