Jello No Bake Cheese Cake Cups

This one feels a little bit like cheating, but in my defense, I did not go out and buy this just for this project.  This was a box of dessert that was in storage for a while, and I used an adaptation recipe instead of just the plain no bake cheesecake.

I prepared the recipe as written on the box, and added a half strawberry garnish.  I loved how easy this was, and I especially liked that there was an option for individual little cheesecakes.  It makes for cute little treat that I'm sure the kids will enjoy when they see it tomorrow.

How did it turn out?

These are very good.  They are tasty, and great for a small sweet snack.  Because they were so easy to make, they tasted even better!  :0)

What about the kids?

Both kids enjoyed these a lot.  They've both had a couple of different desserts of the cheese cakes and have made yummy noises each time.

Rating: 5 out of 5 (strongly influenced by ease of preparation!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I was looking for a sandwich recipe, and this came up on the side bar.  I stopped searching immediately.  This looked too yummy to pass up, plus I know my boys would love it!

Ingredients

• 1 (11.5 ounce) package milk chocolate chips, divided
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Trim 12 paper muffin cup liners to half of their height.
2. Place 1/2 chocolate chips in a microwave safe container. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spoon melted chocolate into muffin cups, filling halfway. With a spoon, draw the chocolate up the sides of the cups until evenly coated. Cool in the refrigerator until firm.
3. In a small bowl, mix together peanut butter, confectioners' sugar and salt. divide into the chocolate cups. Melt the remaining chocolate, and spoon over peanut butter. Spread chocolate to edges of cups.

All Recipes

I mixed the bottoms of two jars of peanut butter, one smooth and one crunchy. The rest of the recipe I followed as written.

How did it turn out?
These.Were.Delicious!  They tasted just like bought peanut butter cups.  They would definitely rival the Reese's brand cups, but Josh claims that Wal-Mart brand is the best and hard to beat.  You'll have to weigh if the cost of the materials plus the time making them is worth the effort.  Since I got such a great deal on both chocolate chips and peanut butter, I say, definitely worth it!  My boys (+girl) loved them as expected. :0)


What about the kids?
Both enjoyed and asked for seconds.  They are pretty messy because the chocolate melts pretty quickly in little hands.  They'll get their seconds tomorrow after lunch.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Orange Julius

Josh took the lead on this recipe today.  We got home late, and I had no creativity left.  He quickly flipped through the Immanuel Lutheran, Canton, KS cookbook, and came up with this lovely treat.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Orange Juice Concentrate

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 cup Water

1/4 cup Sugar

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

5-6  Ice Cubes

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Serve.  Enjoy.

How did it turn out?

This drink is delicious!  It tastes just like the drink you'd buy at the mall.  Fabulous and easy, just the way I like it!

What about the kids?

I'll have to get back to you.  They went to bed early, but we'll make it again for them soon.

Rating: 5 out of 5



Spicy Crab Dip

sI found a can of crab meat cheap at my dented can store, so I searched for a recipe to use it in.  This one sounded yummy.

Ingredients

8 oz fat free cream cheese

1/4 cup nonfat milk

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 can crab meat (6.5 oz)

 Cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

Mix cream cheese, milk, and garlic together.
Stir in crab meat.
Stir in cayenne pepper to taste.
Chill before serving.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user TRIDELT1076.

This recipe was found at Sparkpeople. com

I followed this recipe as written.  I added about 3 dashes of cayenne pepper.  I drained the crab meat before mixing it in.

How did it turn out?

This is a great dip, and I will definitely make it again.  I had a coupon for these Ritz cracker chips too, so that is an added bonus.  It turned out a little runnier than I would prefer.  I could have drained the crab meat more, so that is a change I would make.  I probably would also add a little less milk when mixing cream cheese to thicken it a bit.

What about the kids?

They ate seconds of the mousse from last night. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Fruit in Jello

This recipe was inspired by two of my sisters-in-law.  Heather, who recommended several varieties, and Christine, who served this exact dish when we visited earlier this summer.  Believe it or not, I myself have never made the fruit in Jello combo.  I felt it was time!

Ingredients:

1 or more packages of Jello
Any variety of fruit
Optional: Cool Whip

Instructions:

Cut up fruit.  Make Jello according to package directions, then pour over the fruit.  Let it cool for several hours covered.  Top with cool whip.  Serve.  Yummy!

I used peach jello with fresh peaches.  I did not even know there was such a thing as peach jello until Christine served it to us.  I enjoyed it quite a lot.  Probably my favorite Jello flavor.

How did it turn out?

Delicious and easy!  Not a bit of it left over.

What about the kids?

They both ate large portions of peas and carrots in anticipation of receiving this dessert after summer.  Then it was promptly eaten in about 2 minutes.  They loved it!

Rating: 5 out of 5 
Thanks ladies!

One Pot Dinner

I set out today to find a recipe that would use a lot of beans because we have a lot of them for some reason.  I remembered my mom making something like this when I was younger, so I headed to the trusty AAL cookbook and came across this recipe.

I did not have liquid smoke or white vinegar, so I put in some thick Worcester sauce in place of them.  The rest of the recipe I followed as written.

How did it turn out?

Fabulous!  This is a great recipe.  It was tangy, sort of like sloppy joes.  Josh called it a sweet chili.  We all loved it.  It also smelled really good throughout the day as it simmered in the crock pot.

What about the kids?

Mara gobbled hers up right away.  Walter took a little more coaxing, but ate all of his too.  Later, when they asked for a snack, I got it out again.  Mara ate a ton!  Walter said that we should have this again sometime.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Snicker Doodle Chex Mix

I found this recipe on the side of a box of cinnamon Chex.  It sounded great, and I thought it would make a good snack to bring to fireworks.

General Mills Chex

Ingredients 

1/4	cup sugar
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
2	cups Cinnamon Chex® cereal
2	cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
4	cups popped popcorn
1/4	cup butter or margarine

Preparations 

	In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals and popcorn.
	In 1-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.
	Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture evenly over cereal mixture; stir. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer. Spread on waxed paper or paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

None of the stores in my area had the chocolate Chex, so I went on a search for a substitute chocolate cereal to put in the mix.  I came up with the new Cocoa Puffs Brownie Crunch.  I followed the rest of the recipe as written.

How did it turn out?

I think it is delicious.  I don't usually go for sweet snacks, and I also don't tend to enjoy sweet and salty mixed together, but something about this mix made was more enjoyable to me than other similar snacks.  This recipe is a keeper!

What about the kids?

The kids enjoyed it during fireworks when they were hungry for a snack again.  They didn't go extra crazy for it, though, as I had expected.

Rating: 5 out of 5