If your kids love rice krispy treats, try these yummy recipes for a delicious variation!

Cake Batter Rice Krispy Treats

6 cups Rice Krispies
4 1/2 cups (1 10 oz. bag) marshmallows
1/4 cup margarine
1/3 cup yellow cake mix
sprinkles

Melt the marshmallows and margarine. Mix in the cake mix one spoonful at a time. Add Rice Krispies and half of the sprinkles. Press into a greased pan and add the rest of sprinkles.

Here’s another rice krispy treat recipe for the chocolate lover in your family! The Oreos replace the Rice Krispies.

Oreo Rice Krispy Treats

1 pkg. ( about 6 cups) Oreos, coarsely crushed
5 cups of marshmallows
4 Tbsp. margarine

Melt marshmallows and margarine. Add Oreos and press into a greased 9×13 pan.

Photo By: Karl Baron

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This is a recipe from the new crockpot menus cookbook I am working on. It’s one of those recipes that can be used in the dead of winter or on a hot summer’s day because barbecue and your crockpot are both perfect for summer.

Tips:

• Lay the ingredients that will take longer to cook on the bottom of the crockpot. For example, put things like carrots, potatoes and turnips in first. Then place the meat on top of that.
• Even though this is a crockpot recipe, like most crockpot recipes, it can be cooked on the stove. Just set it on simmer or your lowest setting and let it cook all day. Some things that are more casserole-like can be baked in the oven at about 250 degrees for a couple of hours, too.
• Crush a large amount of graham cracker crumbs and store them in an airtight container. This will make future baking easier because all you need to do is scoop out what you need for a recipe.

There is nothing like a piping hot bowl of stew on a cold winter’s day. We love the favorite standbys but here is a different twist on regular beef stew.

Menu:

Barbecue Beef Stew*
Rice or Noodles
Coleslaw
Hello Dolly Cookies*

Barbecue Beef Stew

1-2 lbs. stew meat
1 cup onion, sliced
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups beef stock
1 can (8 oz.) tomatoes
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms
1/3 cup barbecue sauce

Saute onion, pepper and garlic in oil. Add salt, pepper, beef stock,tomatoes, mushrooms and barbecue sauce. Cook meat and all of the other ingredients in a crockpot on low heat for 8-10 hours. To thicken, mix 2 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water and add to stew before serving.

Hello Dolly Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup nuts
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and graham cracker crumbs and press into an 8 inch pan. Add coconut, chocolate chips and nuts in layers. Drizzle with condensed milk. Bake 30 minutes. Cutting is easier if you chill for 30 minutes or more.

photo by: jetalone

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Quick and Easy Cake Recipe

These individual little cakes are amazing and ready to eat in one minute! They are perfect for whenever you feel like a treat without all the fat and calories that cake can have. Genius idea!

3, 2, 1 CAKE

1 box 1-step Angel Food Cake Mix
1 box Cake Mix – Any Flavor
2 Tbsp Water

In a Ziploc bag, combine the two cake mixes together and mix well. For each individual cake serving, take out 3 Tablespoons of the cake mix combination and mix it with 2 Tablespoons of water in a small microwave-safe container. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and you have your own instant individual little cake!

KEEP remaining cake mixture stored in the Ziploc bag. You can top each cake with a dollop of fat free whipped topping and/or some fresh fruit.

Helpful Tips:
This recipe is called 3, 2, 1 Cake because all you need to remember is
“3 tablespoons mix,
2 tablespoons water,
1 minute in the microwave!”

TRY various flavors of cake mix like carrot cake, red velvet cake, pineapple, lemon, orange, etc. Just remember that one of the cake mixes has to be the angel food mix. The other is your choice. The flavor possibilities are endless!

NOTES:
The best thing is, you open both cake mixes into a gallon storage bag, one that ‘zip locks’ or ‘self-seals’, or a container that seals tightly, shake the two cake mixes to blend and then make the recipe. Storage of the mix is simple. Put it on a shelf. There is no need to refrigerate, since the mix is dry.

Angel food cake has egg whites so if you are allergic to eggs you can’t use this.

Thanks for sharing Gayla!!!

Photo By: victoriafee

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I think we are all trying to recover from heavy holiday meals and all the cooking many of us have been doing non-stop so I tried to make this week’s menu simple and easy.

Tips:

• When using canned soup or any soup for that matter, go the extra mile and add a simple garnish to it. It doesn’t take much. A few fresh herbs, cheese, sour cream, green onions or croutons sprinkled on top really can add to it.
• If you need to stretch your croutons or for something slightly different, try crushing them a bit. Cracker crumbs can look pretty and taste good too.
• When cutting bar cookies or desserts you can use a pizza cutter but what I like the best is to use my pastry cutter. Some people call it a bench knife. It’s that flat square metal tool. Just press it down on to the cookies to cut. Don’t pull or drag it like you do a knife. Just go up and down.
• Try something different for grilled cheese sandwiches. Use chicken or ham for meats or try Swiss or Colby cheese. If you usually eat your grilled cheese with ketchup, try spreading it with mayonnaise before you grill it instead.

Menu:

Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwiches*
Tomato Soup
Cereal Yogurt Fruit Dessert*

Recipes:

Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Italian Dressing
Bread
Tomato
Basil Leaves
Provolone Cheese

Spread bread with dressing (in place of the normal butter). Place dressing side down on a pan that you have sprayed with non stick spray. Layer with basil leaves, cheese, tomato and 2nd slice of bread. Grill on both sides.

Yogurt Dessert

5 cups cornflakes, crushed
1 cup pecans or nuts, finely chopped
4 Tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
6 Tbsp. maple syrup
16 oz. plain yogurt
16 oz. vanilla yogurt
2 – 3 cups fresh fruit

In a 9×13 pan, mix cornflakes, nuts, margarine and syrup. Press flat. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Mix yogurts together and spread on cooled crust. Top with fruit. You may halve this recipe and bake in an 8×8 pan. Serve immediately.

Photo By: FotoosVanRobin

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Quick, Easy And Yummy Pretzel Snacks

Here are a couple recipes for some easy and yummy pretzel snacks!

Rolo Pretzel

1 bag small pretzel shaped pretzels (not sticks)*
Rolo candies
Pecan halves or M&M’s

On baking sheet place pretzels with 1 Rolo candy on top of each pretzel. Bake at 200 degrees for 9 minutes. Remove from oven and press a nut half or M&M in center.

*If you can find the small square pretzels these work even better.

Sweet Pretzel Nuggets

1 pkg. (15-18 oz) sourdough pretzel nuggets
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
1-2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine oil, sugar and cinnamon and pour over pretzels. Microwave, uncovered on high for 2 minutes, stir. Microwave 3-4 minutes longer stirring after each minute until oil is absorbed.

Photo By: cursedthing

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Marshmallow Bonbons

38-40 large marshmallows
1 (12 oz.) package chocolate chips
Coconut
Sprinkles
Nuts, chopped

Place marshmallows on a pan that is covered with wax paper and place in the freezer. They will be ready by the time you need to dip them.

Pour coconut, sprinkles, and nuts on squares of wax paper. You could use a bowl but wax paper saves in clean up.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave for a couple of minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.

Place frozen marshmallows on skewer or tooth pick and dip in chocolate and then in roll in your choice of ingredients (below).

Use a fork to slide them back on the wax paper. Chill.

Tasty topping ingredients that work well for Marshmallow Bonbons:

Coconut, toasted
Sprinkles
Nuts, crushed
Graham cracker crumbs (like s’mores)
Peppermint sticks, crushed
Candy, crushed
Candy bars, chopped
Dried fruit, chopped
Sweetened cereal, crushed

Once chilled, you can package in clear cellophane bags.

photo by: anniehp

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This is a fun candy to make anytime. Try having a taffy pull at your next older kids party, adult party, fall or Christmas party.

Delicious Homemade Vinegar Taffy

2 cups dark corn syrup
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
food coloring
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine first five ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking to 260°. Remove from heat and stir in soda, vanilla and a few drops of food coloring. Beat until smooth and creamy. Pour into a buttered pan. When cool enough to handle butter hands and pull until light in color. Pull into long strips and cut into 1 inch pieces. Makes 8 dozen.

From Dining on a Dime

Photo By: little blue hen

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Easy Casserole Meal – Homemade Fudge Recipes

Today’s Tips – Fudge:

• Line your pan with greased foil, plastic wrap or, better yet, parchment paper, making sure the foil comes up over the edge of the pan. Then, you can just lift it out of the pan for easier cutting.
• I have used almost every method known to man to find an easy way to cut fudge. After 40 plus years of fudge making ( I started when I was in the womb, because I’m not that old I’m sure I had almost given up until last year when I made a discovery that changed my life. I used a square metal scraper, sometimes called a dough cutter, with a rocking motion to cut my fudge. It works so well that I can hardly wait to make my fudge this year so I can cut it.
• You don’t always have to put fudge in pans. When slightly cooled, pour onto plastic wrap that has been sprayed with Pam and roll into logs. Chill and then slice.
• To add an elegant twist to homemade candy and cookies that you give as gifts, place them in cellophane bags and tie with a pretty ribbon. The fact that no wrapping is needed is an added bonus. You can place several bags of different things into a decorated box or basket for a larger gift.

Today’s Menu:

Back to Basics Casserole*
French Bread, warmed, spread with butter and garlic powder.
Cinnamon Apples*

Today’s Recipes:

*Cinnamon Apples

4 apples, peeled and cored
Water
1/4 – 1/2 cup cinnamon candies

Place apples and candies in sauce pan and add enough water to cover. Cook until apples become tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir every once in awhile to help the candies dissolve. Apples will be a beautiful bright red.

(This is a great way to use your leftover turkey. You can use chicken too. If you don’t have much time, use frozen veggies. Just cut down on the cooking time and, if not using frozen potatoes, cook them first.)

*Back to Basics Casserole

3 cups turkey or chicken, cubed and cooked
3 medium carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
3 celery stalks, cut into bite sized pieces
3 red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 – 3/4 soup can of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the turkey in a well greased 2 quart baking dish. Layer the rest of the veggies on top of that. Mix soup, water, salt and pepper. Then pour over everything. Bake at 350° for 60 to 75 minutes until tender. If using frozen veggies, cut time in half. Makes 4-5 servings.

Even though this is a pretty common fudge, it is still my all time favorite. I could do without every other candy or cookie at Christmas, if necessary, but please, please don’t take away my fudge! One of the highlights of my life was the first year after my kids had left home and I made fudge. I got to lick the whole pan by myself! I thought I had died and gone to heaven! You see, empty nesters, there is a bright side to being home alone!

Millionaire Fudge

4 1/2 cups sugar
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 Tbsp. butter

Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add:

2 1/2 large (8 oz. each) Hershey’s candy bars, slightly crushed*
1 (12 oz.) bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Nuts, chopped

Beat until well blended. Pour into 2 greased 9×13 pans for thicker pieces and for thinner pieces add another 8×8 pan. Before you start, be sure to have your pans all ready, your candy bars crushed, nuts chopped and every package opened and ready to dump in as soon as it is done boiling.

*I use milk chocolate candy bars, but my son-in-law and grandson love dark chocolate so I sometimes use dark chocolate and milk chocolate together. You can even substitute milk chocolate for the semi sweet chips. You can easily tailor it to your own personal preferences.

Last year after Halloween, my daughter found a good deal on Hershey’s Kisses for 50 cents a bag, so I used those in place of my candy bars. That is why I say stock up after Halloween!

Speedy Fudge

1 1/2 lbs. white candy coating
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
Pinch of salt
1tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups gum drops, chopped*

Line a 9×9 inch pan with foil. In a sauce pan, melt candy coating, milk and salt over low heat (or use a double boiler). Remove from heat and add the vanilla and gum drops. Spread into the 9 inch pan, cover and chill. Use the foil to lift the fudge from the pan and cut.

You can experiment with this recipe by using different kinds of candies or substituting chocolate candy for the white and 2 Tbsp. peanut butter or peanut butter chips instead of the gum drops.

*To make chopping easier, use a pair of kitchen shears dipped in warm water. This works great for cutting anything sticky like marshmallows and candy.

You can use just red and green gum drops or multi colored.

For more helpful tips and easy recipes like these, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook!

Photo By: rfduck

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Using Leftover Cookies

I was looking at pie crust in my Betty Crocker cookbook and I found cookie crust. I had one of those aha moments… This would be a perfect way to use hard or overcooked cookies! From: DD

Good idea. I recently had a similar aha moment for cookies too. I have several "rejects" of my gingerbread men. They taste fine– They’re just missing a head or a leg so I can’t use them for gifts. I think I am going to use them to top my apple crisps. I will crush them, add some melted margarine or butter and sprinkle on top of my apple crisp instead of its usual topping. I thought all the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in the cookies would be really yummy on top of an apple or peach crisp.

       -Jill

Photo By: Manchester City Library

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