Rice Krispy Bundt Cake and looking forward to a great 2012!

My husband's birthday is on December 23rd and mine is the next day, so our birthdays are usually a busy, fun celebration that involve many Christmas festivities thrown in with the birthday stuff. Neither of us mind this at all.

Last year I spent way too much time in the kitchen on Matt's birthday making these totally decadent, divine Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. This year I wanted to keep it simple and so when I saw Mary post this fun idea for a Rice Krispy Bundt Cake a couple of months ago, I knew it would be the perfect birthday treat for my hubby. One of his fave treats happen to be rice krispy treats, so he was very excited. The preparation was easy. The celebration was simple and there was absolutely nothing fussy about this fun birthday treat. We decorated the top with Christmas shaped marshmallows and each enjoyed a slice after going to a basketball game.

I am excited about 2012. I think it is going to be a great year. I am looking forward to fun, challenges, growth, excitement, laughter, hard work and much more. I'm not sure what exactly that means for my blog, but I have made some changes to my diet over the past 2 1/2 months and I don't know for sure how that is going to translate to what goes on over here.

On another note, I saw this Food Lover's Cleanse on Bon Appetit last year and really wanted to try it. I am thinking about starting it within the next day or two, but I'm pretty sure the only part I will include my family in is the dinner portion. Maybe I will choose the best 7 days of it and do it for only a week. I hope you all had a great holiday and are as excited about the new year as I am!


Here is the post about the Rice Krispy Bundt Cake from the Food Librarian
* I made a double batch of rice krispy treats so they would fill a normal sized bundt pan and
made sure to use lots of baking spray so the cake would come out easily

Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies and Graham PB Bon Bons

I haven't found out the results of the pizza contest yet, but I did get around to making that pot pie. Look for it on Sunday with some fab twists. Now for some treats!

Last week my husband asked me to bake some goodies for a team meeting at work. I had a couple of things I wanted to try, but then the day before he told me he wanted me to make a pony cake instead. You see, my daughter is turning 4 tomorrow and she is obsessed with horses. She wanted a horse cake, so I looked online to see if Wilton had a cute pony pan. They do. Only problem is that they haven't made it since 1986. Back when I used to play with My Little Pony. Luckily, I found one on E-bay and with a little help from my bro (Thanks Jake!), secured the pan. My husband told me I could practice and make his co-worker a b-day cake. It was a joke, of course. What 30+year old man actually wants a pink pony cake for his birthday? Everyone got a good laugh and my hand was hurting from piping all those stars. I get to do it again today!
I also made these delicious sandwich cookies from Martha Stewart. The cookies are great by themselves but even better with the Raspberry-White Chocolate Cream Filling. I used another vanilla bean (can I say expensive?) and then threw together some Peanut Butter Bon Bons. They may sound simple, but they are a crowd pleaser!

Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies from Martha Stewart Cookies
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. plus 2 tsp. sugar
1 lg. egg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
6 oz. (1 cup) fresh raspberries
7 1/2 oz. best-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 c. heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Mix butter and 1 1/2 c. sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 min.
Add egg, extract and vanilla seeds; mix until smooth.
Reduce speed to low.
Gradually mix in flour mixture.
Scoop batter using a 1-inch ice cream scoop; space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake cookies 4 minutes.
Remove from oven; gently tap baking sheets on counter to flatten cookies.
Return to oven, switching positions of sheets; bake until cookies are just set, 4 to 6 minutes more.
Let cool on parchment paper on wire racks.
Puree raspberries and remaining 2 tsp. sugar in a food processor.
Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing to extract juice; discard seeds.
Set mixture aside.
Melt white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Remove from heat; whisk in cream in a slow stream.
Whisk in reserved raspberry mixture.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Spread 1 heaping teaspoon raspberry cream on the undersides of half the cookies.
Sandwich with remaining cookies.
Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Graham and Peanut Butter Bon Bons 1 1/2 cups rice krispies
1 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar
12 oz white or dark chocolate candy coating (I used Bakers milk chocolate dipping chocolate)

In a large bowl, stir together cereal, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Shape crumb mixture into balls, using 1 level Tbls for each.
Melt candy coating or dipping chocolate and dip each ball in coating, letting the excess drip off. Place on wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container

Coming Tomorrow- Minestone and Easy Breadsticks!

Graham and Peanut Butter Bon Bons

Who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate? I had exactly 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs left and found this recipe on the back of the box. It was a cinch to throw together and very good for a bite-size snack.


Graham and Peanut Butter Bon Bons
1 1/2 cups rice krispies

1 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup powdered sugar

12 oz white or dark chocolate candy coating (I used Bakers milk chocolate dipping chocolate)

In a large bowl, stir together cereal, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Shape crumb mixture into balls, using 1 level Tbls for each.

Melt candy coating or dipping chocolate and dip each ball in coating, letting the excess drip off. Place on wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container.

Neopolitan Rice Krispy Treats

A Triple Threat of Rice Krispy Treats


I don't usually keep marshmallows in the house, but something came over me when I saw all these really fun flavors. I got a bag of Toasted Coconut, Chocolate, and Strawberry. I decided to add a couple more things to each one and make them all at once! Fun and a little messy!

Strawberry Sensation Rice Krispy Treats
1 10-oz bag strawberry flavored, jet-puffed marshmallows
2 Tbls butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup dried strawberries, chopped

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium or medium-low heat. Add marshmallows. Stir occasionally until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in Rice Krispies and chopped strawberries. In a pan, coated with cooking spray, pour out mixture and pat with hands (I spray mine with cooking spray, so the marshmallows don't stick). Let sit for at least an hour. Cut and enjoy!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter M&M Rice Krispy Treats
1 10-oz bag chocolate flavored, jet-puffed marshmallows
2 Tbls butter
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini m&m baking pieces

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Add peanut butter and stir until combined. Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies and m&m pieces. Pour mixture into a pan coated with cooking spray. Pat down with hands and let set up. Cut and eat!

Toasted Coconut Rice Krispy Treats
1 10-oz bag Toasted Coconut flavor, jet-puffed marshmallows
2 Tbls butter
6 cups Rice Krispies

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies. Pour into a pan, coated with cooking spray and pat down with hands. Let set for 1 hour or more. Cut and eat! Yummy!