Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

AKA "Scotcheroos"

 Logan loves my recipe for these tasty treats.  It is a common request for a birthday treat. I got the recipe from a friend who would bring these treats to all the scouting events when Logan was younger.  I'll include her suggestions for making it, which is the way I try to do it.

2 cups light corn syrup
2 cups sugar
2 cups peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
8-12 cups rice crispy cereal.
1 bag each milk chocolate chips & butterscotch chips

Measure the cereal into a large bowl (Jolyn recommends starting with 10 cups).  In a saucepan, melt together the corn syrup and sugar.  Barely bring the mixture to a boil and then remove it from the heat.  Stir in the peanut butter.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour this mixture over the cereal.  Stir well.  You can add more cereal, if you would like.  (I don't think I ever do.)  Dump the cereal mixture onto a cookie sheet and gently spread and press into an even layer (don't press too hard).

Melt milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together. (I usually do this in the microwave using a 4-cup glass measuring cup.)  Stir well and then spread over the crispies in the pan.  You can chill the treats to help the chocolate set up (if you are in a rush).

Crispy Marshmallow Bars

 Once again, I'm posting a favorite recipe so I always have a back-up in case I lose the tiny cut-out that has this recipe.  Eons ago, I cut it off a bag of Malt-o-Meal Crispy Rice cereal and it has become my favorite rice crispy treat recipe.  I almost always double the recipe and put it in a cookie sheet.  I don't know if it is my favorite because of the vanilla or the ratio or marshmallow to cereal, but here it is:

1/4 cup butter or margarine
10 ounces marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal

Measure cereal into a large bowl.  In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over low heat, stirring occasionally until marshmallows are melted.  Remove from heat; blend in vanilla.  Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal and stir to coat.  Spread into a buttered 9x13-inch pan.  Cool completely.  Cut into bars.  Yield:  24 bars.

Mom's Chow Mein

 Here is another recipe I have written down from when I went to college.  I thought I had better put it on here so it doesn't get lost.  I honestly don't know where to find the original recipe.  So it better be recorded somewhere.  :)

2 cups chicken stock or water (can use bouillon cubes)
3 cups thinly sliced celery
4 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup soy sauce (mom uses half the soy sauce)
No. 303 can bean sprouts, drained (I use a 14 ounce can)
2 cups sliced cooked chicken, cut into thin slivers

In chicken stock, cook the celery until fork tender.  Add the water chestnuts.  When I have them on hand, I also put in a can of bamboo shoots.

Blend together cornstarch, 1/4 cup water, and soy sauce.  Add this mixture to the vegetable mixture and stir until it thickens.

Add bean sprouts and cooked chicken.  Heat through.  Serve with warm steamed rice and chow mein noodles.

Makes about 4 servings.

Kendra's Minestrone

 I made this the other day and it was a hit.  Everyone enjoyed it after it cooled down a bit.  We burnt a few tongues with those who wanted to take a bite quickly.  :)  I tried using my big cast iron pot, but had to transition to the huge soup pot Mom and Dad gave me years ago.  It makes a lot of soup!  I served it with homemade French bread (made with about 50% whole wheat flour).  The bread was well-liked, also.

¼ cup olive oil
3 cups chopped onions
3 cups chopped carrots
2 cups sliced celery
2 cups diced canned tomatoes
1 can green beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
2 cups chopped cabbage
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons beef bouillon
2 Tablespoons chicken bouillon
1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
8 cups water
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
½ cup pearl barley
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
 

In a very big soup pot, saute onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil.  Add the remaining ingredients (except garbanzo beans and elbow macaroni).  I used 2 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes and figured a few extra tomatoes were just fine.  I also like to puree the tomatoes so the soup doesn’t have chunks of tomatoes.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  Add the garbanzo beans and elbow macaroni and simmer 7-8 minutes more, until macaroni is cooked.

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

When I make creamy chicken noodle soup, the is the recipe I look for.  I've misplaced my hand-written recipe, but found the recipe in a file on my computer.  So, now I'm putting it here so it will hopefully be easier to find next time I want it.  :)

2 teaspoons chicken soup base

3 cups chicken soup stock

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup evaporated milk or 1/2 cup whole milk

Roux

2 cups cooked diced chicken

2 1/2 ounces (about 4 cups) egg noodles, cooked

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat soup base and stock together.  (I usually use 3 cups water and 5 teaspoons Better than Bouillon Soup Base.)  Add veggies and cook until tender.  Add cream soups and milk.  Thicken with roux as desired.  (I rarely use the roux.)  Add cooked chicken and noodles.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Roux:

Mix 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup butter or margarine together until well blended.  Sore in refrigerator.  When ready to use add to hot liquid a little at a time.  Stir constantly until the preferred consistency is reached.

Yield:  10 1-cup servings 

Apple Crisp (2 recipes)

 Bryn told me we didn't have apple crisp on the yummy yoo-hoo yet.  So here are the two recipes that are my go-to recipes.  One from Mary Hunter is the one in the AF 1st Ward cookbook.  The other is from a very old pampered chef cookbook.  I love the oats from Sister Hunter, but love the amount of cinnamon in the Pampered Chef recipe.  Some day, I'll write down my experiments to combine these two recipes into one new favorite.  :)

Mary Hunter's recipe:

Put in 9x13" pan:
    8 cups apples, sliced
    2 Tbsp. flour
    1/2 cup sugar

Mix and combine for topping:

    1 1/2 cups brown sugar

    2/3 cup margarine
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    1 1/2 cups flour
    1 cup quick oats
    1 teaspoon salt (which I never put in)
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkle topping over apples.  Bake at 350 degrees until apples are tender, about 45 minutes.

Pampered Chef's Quick Apple Crisp 

(My notes are in parenthesis because I never purchase 9 ounce cake mixes. 😊  I also haven't made it in a while, so my measurements are estimates of what I think I would be using.)

5 Granny Smith apples (More apples, enough apples to fill a 13x9" pan nicely.  I rarely use Granny Smith but use whatever I've got in the fridge.)

1 package (9 oz) yellow cake mix (I purchase the regular size cake mixes=13.25 oz. Betty Crocker or 15.25 Pillsbury)

2 Tbsp sugar (3 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp cinnamon (5 tsp)

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (7 Tbsp)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (1 cup)

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Peel, core and slice apples.  Place apples in "Deep Dish Baker" (which is an 11" round pan).  (I use a 13x9" pan and make more topping using the cake mixes mentioned above.)  Combine remaining ingredients.  Mix until crumbly.  Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender.  Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Iced Pumpkin Cookes

I was looking through some old recipes and found this one that Mom sent to us at Christmas years and years ago.  She said she got it from the Albertson's website.  I decided to post the recipe here so I don't have to rely on keeping a piece of paper from getting lost.  I've been cleaning out my freezer to make room for wedding refreshment treats, so I made this with my frozen sweetmeat squash puree.  It is tasty and a pumpkin cookie recipe that doesn't take a lot of eggs.  :)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheet or use parchment paper or silicone mat.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup butter and white sugar.  Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.  Mix in dry ingredients.  drop on bookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.  (Mom flattened with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.  I used cinnamon sugar.)

Bake for 12 minutes.  Let sit on cookie sheet 2 minutes.  Remove to cooling racks.  Cool cookies, and drizzle glaze with a fork.

To make glaze:  combine confectioners' sugar, melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add milk as needed to achieve drizzle consistency.  (Mom says you may need more than 3 tablespoons.)

When Mom made these, she used the frozen pumpkin and butternut squash that she had in the freezer.  She let the squash drain in a strainer with 3 thicknesses of cheesecloth and used this instead of canned pumpkin puree.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.