Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispies

this is a recipe for rice krispie treats with a kick... it's like reeces and rice krispie treats all rolled into one. these are great to make if you want something easy for a bake sale, a mixer, or even a grill-out at the fraternity house (boys love these)!!

my way of making rice krispie treats is the same as the classic recipe, so i can't take credit for it! i am just showing you how to jazz them up a bit ;-)

ingredients:

6 cups rice krispies (or store brand equivalent)

4 cups mini marshmallows

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter (this is half of one stick)


steps:

1) on medium/high heat, melt the butter on the stove in a tall pot
2) add marshmallows, chocolate chips, and peanut butter to the butter and stir until the mixture is melted together
3) when everything is melted,turn the head OFF, add the rice krispies cereal and stir until contents are completely blended
4) pour the mixture out into a greased baking pan (13 x 9)
5) pat the top of the rice krispie mixture until it is flat in the pan
6) let the treats cool and then cut into squares


time breakdown:
butter melting: 2 minutes
marshmallow/chocolate/peanut butter melting: 3-4 minutes
rice krispie stirring: less than 1 minute
putting treats in the pan/flattening the treats: 2-3 minutes
waiting for the krispie treats to cool: 20-30 minutes

girls night in :-)

if there is one thing i love, it's a girls' night complete with pasta and a rom-com movie! but if there is one thing i do not love, it is having to be in the kitchen during the whole girls' night. not gonna happen. not with this recipe anyways!

ingredients

1 box penne pasta (16 oz or about that amount)

1 jar of pasta sauce (i like to use prego brand mini meatball, but you can use any sauce you like. if you use a tomato sauce then this will be one tasty vegetarian dish!)

2 tablespoons (T) of butter, melted

1 small (2 cup) bag mozzarella cheese

steps:

1) pour the whole box of penne pasta (uncooked) in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish
2) pour the entire jar of pasta sauce over the noodles
3) fill the pasta jar up with water and pour over the noodles.
4) stir the mixture together in the pan.
5) add the 2T melted butter; stir again
6) cover the top tightly with aluminum foil
7) bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees. (You should open the oven and stir this about once every ten minutes. Also, REMOVE the aluminum foil when the timer has 10-15 minutes left to let it finish cooking uncovered).
8) top with 1-2 cups of mozzarella cheese (depending on how cheesy you like it!)
9) bake it in the oven again for 10 minutes or until cheese is nice and melty.
10) enjoy!


Note: enjoy this meal with a nice caesar salad and crusty french bread. you can easily get bagged lettuce and caesar dressing, and the bakery section of the grocery store always has french bread or some type of garlic bread.


time breakdown:
mixing up the pasta: 2 minutes
baking time (total): 40-45 minutes (use this time to get ready for the girls to come over! or make a fizzy cocktail, that's always a great option!)
cheese-ing time: 1 minute

sweet apple cinnamon tart

ok, so this is about as easy as cinnamon toast, but its cruchier, munchier, and all around better! and there are apples on it! yummm. clearly, this is great brainfood.

ingredients

1 burrito-sized tortilla shell (these should be a staple for making quesadillas anyways! i always keep these!)

1 large apple or 2 smaller apples

cinnamon- sugar mix (equal parts cinnamon and sugar; for this recipe i usually use 2 Tablespoons of each)

butter


steps:

1) spread a thin layer of butter on the tortilla shell
2) peel the apple and core it (you can just cut the sides off of it close to the core so you end up with 4 chunks of apple)
3) thinly slice the apple chunks (so that you make pieces that will lie flat on the tortilla)
4) lay the apple slices on the tortilla so that they cover the entire shell (they can overlap some, it's ok)
5) sprinkle liberally with the cinnamon sugar mixture
6) put a few little pieces of butter scattered on top of the cinnamon (you only need about 6 or so, just make sure they're evenly dispersed-- this will keep the apples from drying out)
7) bake in the oven at 400° for 10-12 minutes
8) cut into slices (like a pizza) and enjoy!


time breakdown
apple preparation: 3-5 minutes
buttering/apple-ing the tortilla: 1-2 minutes
baking: 10 minutes

i love making this to eat while i study; it is great comfort food!!

chinese take out... without the drive!

you know it, we all love chinese. it's the best and easiest thing to take out. so what would be even better than the convenience of yummy take-out?? making it, of course!

so, here is a nice and easy chinese takeout-esque dish that eliminates the need for driving to get it! awesome.

Ingredients:

1 pkg oriental style ramen noodles

3 medium-to-large sized raw chicken tenders (i buy a huge bag of chicken tenders-- not breaded-- in the freezer section; they don't take long to cook at all and they're always there when i want them for pasta or on top of a salad or anything random!)

1 small pkg frozen peas

1 pkg shredded carrots

soy sauce (optional)


Steps:
1) cook up the ramen noodles according to the directions on the package (including stirring in the package of oriental seasoning). set aside. **Note: you can make these in the microwave! i recommend it because it is less dishes to clean!**
2) drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a saute pan. cook the chicken tenders (about 3 minutes on each side) until they are cooked through.
3) cut up the tenders into bite sized pieces (you can do this step while they are still in the pan)
4) get 1/2 cup of the oriental flavored soup from the ramen noodles (do not get the noodles from the pot yet) and pour it into the saute pan with the chicken
5) add in 1/2 package of frozen peas to the chicken
6) add in 1/2 package (about 2 big handfuls) of shredded carrots
7) allow the chicken, peas, carrots and soup to cook together for about 5 minutes (if it looks like the mixture is getting too dry, you can add the ramen noodle soup to the mixture-- 1/4 cup at a time. you do not want this to get too soupy though!!)
8) add in the noodles into the chicken and veggies mixture (do not pour in the noodles AND the soup, grab the noodles out with a fork or tongs)
9) if you would like to add extra soy sauce (some like it saucier than others!), then do so here
10) let this saute together for about 3-4 minutes, to let the noodles get hot again and incorporate with the veggies


time breakdown:
ramen noodle cooking: 2-3 minutes (if in microwave)-- do this during the chicken cooking time, it's more efficient!!
chicken cooking: 6-8 minutes
veggies & chicken cooking together: 5 minutes
final saute with chicken, veggies, and noodles: 3 minutes


if you would like to add to the effect, eat it with chopsticks. i, however, do not possess the finger coordination to use such utensils. so i will use my fork. either way you choose, enjoy!

there's always time for pizza

it's my immediate go-to dinner when i have a huge test the next day. it's easy, quick, and i always have the ingredients on hand because you can make pizza on anything! seriously.

i know you probably know how to make pizza, but i will give you the instructions anyways! first, some ideas that you can use for the crust of the pizza:
soft tortilla shells (the best for crispy pizza!)
bagel halves (regular or mini-- white, wheat, and garlic herb bagels are all really good options!)
hoagie/sub sandwich halves
pita bread rounds
flat sandwich rounds

other ingredients
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pkg pepperoni slices
1 jar pizza sauce (or if you have a leftover jar of marinara sauce, you can use that too!)
olive oil
garlic salt (optional)
**any combination of veggies will work as toppings: peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives, etc**

steps:
1) preheat oven to 400°
2) drizzle olive oil onto the bread
3) lightly sprinkle the bread with garlic salt, if desired. (it just adds extra flavor!)
4) spoon sauce onto your bread (if you're using a round bread like the tortilla shell, leave a little room at the edges for a crust
5) if you do leave a crust, brush some olive oil on the edges so that they won't burn
6) top with cheese, pepperonis and veggies (if desired)
7) cook on a cookie sheet for 5-7 minutes, until the cheese melts


** Note: if you would like to add sausage to these pizzas, brown the sausage first before you add it to the pizza to cook. Sage sausage is the most flavorful, so to brown it, turn the stove on medium high, drizzle olive oil into a saute pan, and add the sausage. sprinkle in some onion powder and garlic salt. when the sausage is browned, drain it and add it on top of your pizza before you put it in the oven.**

finding comfort in a classic...

i don't know where you are, but if you're in the south, you are experiencing a very cold and very rainy march day. i don't know about you, but come march i am at least ready for warm air with my rain!

however, because i unfortunately don't deal the weather, i can at least come up with something simple yet comforting to eat while i study on this cold, icky rainy day!

are you ready?

chicken noodle soup

1 box of low sodium chicken broth (the larger size-- i like swanson brand)

1 pkg of dried noodles (i like to use egg noodles but you can use any type: fettucini, spaghetti, angel hair and linguine all work too)

1 bag of baby cut carrots (i get them already peeled)

1 cooked rotisserie chicken (i like to get these from publix in the deli section, they have a great "regular" seasoned chicken, and i can use the leftovers to make chicken salad!)

** Note: don't get annoyed with me, but i dont measure anything for this recipe. mainly because the quantities really don't matter, it just depends on how much soup you want to make. for this recipe, i am making the full quantity so that i can heat up leftovers in the microwave later. so you can use less if you like.

steps:
1. bring the chicken broth to a boil (on high) in a tall pot. because you are using low sodium, add about a tablespoon of salt.
2. while you are waiting, cut up your baby carrots (i cut the little baby ones in half or thirds so they are good sized chunks).
3. when the broth is boiling, add in your box of noodles. if you are using egg noodles like me, about 2/3 of those big bags is the equivalent.
4. while you wait for the noodles to cook (about 8-10 minutes, depending on the noodle. the box will tell you recommended cooking times), cut up pieces of the rotisserie chicken. you want this small enough to eat with a spoon. (there isn't much rocket science to this, i take the skin off of the chicken and then just start tearing and cutting up the pieces i tear off. no biggie!)
5. add the carrots before the noodles are cooked (you want them to have about 4-5 of cook time with the noodles.) i loooove the carrots so i use about half of the bag, but you can use less or even more if you like.
6. as the noodles are finished cooking, add in your chicken pieces. again, you can make this as chicken-y or as non chicken-y as you like.
7. lower the heat to a about medium high and let the soup cook with everything in it for about 2 minutes. (the chicken doesn't need time to actually cook, just to incorporate with the broth)


time breakdown:
bringing the broth to a boil: 3-5 minutes
cutting up carrots (while it's boiling): 2 minutes
noodle cooking: 8-10 minutes
cutting up the chicken: 5-6 minutes (while the noodles are cooking)
final incorporative cooking: 2 minutes


so curl up with your nice hot bowl of soup and stay warm and dry!! enjoy!