Make a Candy Treasure Chest. “X” marks the spot on treasure maps, but you won’t have to search far for this trove. Enjoy your own stash of riches by making a candy treasure chest! Crisp wafer candy bars are used to build this entirely edible crate, then it’s filled with all kinds of sweet treasures, like gold chocolate coins, sugar pearls and candy gemstones. It makes a cute centerpiece for a beach-themed party, or it can be used as a cake topper for pirate-themed birthdays. If you can’t find the crispy wafer bars used in this recipe, you may use other break-apart candy bars or chocolate tablets trimmed to 4 x 4 1/2 inches. Chocolate coins can be found at bulk candy shops and online, and several Etsy shops carry edible jewels. Cover the 10-inch display with 1 cup of light brown sugar. Unwrap the candy bars and set aside. Press a candy bar turned horizontal and standing upright into the brown sugar to one side of the display board. Paint chocolate on the short ends of another chocolate bar using the artists’ brush.
Homemade Ice Cream Cake. For Ben’s birthday this year he requested an ice cream cake. Since the nearest sore that sells them is a long drive away and since they are expensive to boot, I decided to try and make a cake for Ben. I was hoping he would ask for chocolate cake with mint ice cream… but he had other ideas. He recently had cherry chip cupcakes from a box and thought they were awesome. His choice was cherry chip cake with vanilla. Okay! After reading through a few recipes online, I was excited to find that homemade ice cream cake SUPER easy. Here is how I made Ben’s cake: You can make a sheet cake or a round caked, whatever you fancy.
Take the pan size pan you prefer and line it with plastic wrap. Allow a 1/2 gallon of ice cream (your flavor of choice) to soften enough to be spreadable. I used a Cherry Chip cake mix to make 1 round cake and the rest into cupcakes. I placed the cake layer on an upside down pie plate to make it easier to work with. The best part about the cake was how much Ben loved it. Baked Oatmeal. First of all, if you haven’t entered the giveaway for one of our cookbooks yet, click HERE to do it! So let me tell you a tragic little tale about this friend I had in college. This friend of mine once needed a lot of help from one of her professors on a paper and he very graciously spent about 2 hours of time that he could have been doing whatever college professors do during their office hours helping my friend gather some information. Feeling indebted to her professor and also a little peckish, my friend made a batch of the most delicious oatmeal raisin cookies in the universe.
The next day, she took the batch of cookies to school with her so she could take them to her professor as a thank you. So yeah…this friend of mine kind of has a thing for warm, sweet, cinnamon-y oatmeal-raisin-y goodness and even though she’s tried to figure out what she did so right that one time (it was the recipe on the Quaker oatmeal container. You’ll need oats (duh, right?! Anyway. See? 3/4 c. brown sugar. Classic Cocoa Recipe. Mix things up! Yeehaaa… yum yum… it’s Cowboy Cookies. Or, in this case, Cowgirl Cookies. A friend introduced these to me and I love them. Especially the name. Cowboy Cookies. Cowboy Cookies. Cowboy Cookies. But why stop there. They’re smooth Ball jars made especially for crafts. But which one should I give her? Oh and note to self: Use a ruler when attaching labels next time. Luckily, the first test batch I made, worked.
So, here’s the recipe: Cowgirl Cookies 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup cooking oats3/4 cup m&ms3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips1/2 cup brown sugar, packed1/2 cup white sugar1/3 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans Stir all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 slightly beaten egg1/2 cup butter (melted slightly in the microwave)1 teaspoon vanilla Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
Here’s how they came out. Pretty and tasty. Want to make some cute cookie mix gifts, too? See. Enjoy! Easy Zucchini Parmesan Recipe. Microwave Potato Chips Recipe. Peanutty Somen Noodles with Shrimp Recipe : Robin Miller. Salmon Buckwheat Noodle Bowl. Spicy Soba Noodles with Chicken in Peanut Sauce Recipe. Garlic Soba Noodles Recipe. Dried pasta, garlic powder, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese - the ingredients that made up the backbone of my sister's college pantry. Toss hot, cooked noodles with a glug of olive oil, a big shake from the green can, a dusting of garlic powder - this was lunch.
Not the most nutritious lunch mind you, but lunch none the less. I woke up the other morning craving these garlicky noodles and started to think about what an updated version might look like - preferably one that stepped up the game on the nutrition front. I opted for buckwheat soba noodles in place of spaghetti noodles, threw in some greens for color, kept the Parmesan (now freshly grated), and served the noodles along side Parmesan-crusted tofu. That being said, you could certainly opt for another favorite protein source to balance out the plate. I seek out (and tend to stockpile) Organic Planet soba noodles - they are thinner than many of the other brands on the market and made from a buckwheat / wheat flour blend.
Serves 4-6. Homemade Big Mac. “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” After this blog post, I will have the Big Mac jingle stuck in your head. It’s all in my master plan. Big Macs are probably the most widely known fast food item. They’re everywhere. I can hear Daddy now while he’s reading this. It sure did, Daddy! Naturally, cloning a Big Mac was at the top of my life goals. Heck, I think it may even be better than the original. Ingredients: For the Special Sauce: 1/2 cup mayonnaise2 heaping tablespoons French dressing3 heaping teaspoons sweet pickle relish1 tablespoon finely minced onion1 teaspoon white vinegar1 teaspoon sugar1/8 teaspoon salt For the Big Mac Components: Hamburger Buns (sesame seed is what the golden arches uses – but I just used regular ol’ buns)Hamburger pattiesShredded LettuceMinced onionsPicklesSliced American cheese Instructions:Combine all the ingredients together.
Assemble the burger as desired. Like what you see here on the Mrs? Equal Exchange - Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream. Skip to main content Equal Exchange Main menu Search form Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Ingredients 1 cup half-n-half1 cup heavy whipping cream1/4 cup Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa1/2 cup sugar + 3 Tbsp sugarPinch of salt1 cup creamy peanut butter #Chocolate & Cocoa #Dessert #Vegetarian Directions Whisk together the half-n-half, cocoa, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Chill mixture completely (I put it in an ice bath in the fridge) then get out your ice cream maker!
While the base is mixing in the mixer, take another 1/2 cup peanut butter and about 3 tablespoons of sugar and blend thoroughly. Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz And Dinner and Desert, a blog by Erin Busch. Cilantro Cream Sauce. Apple Crisp Recipe. Super Meals for Big Batch Cooking. The Secret to Perfect (Faux) Frying. You might not find discussions of pan frying or deep fat frying in most cookbooks geared to healthy cooking for obvious reasons. I guess that means that if we want to live a healthy lifestyle we will no longer enjoy the golden breading color on pieces of cooked Dover sole or the crunch we hear when we bite into a chicken leg coated in a crispy breading. Guess again! If you've said goodbye to those crispy cooked foods--say hello again! Faux frying creates a lighter version of the pan- or deep-fried foods that we all crave. It's simple, quick, and easy.
Best of all, your home (and your hair) won't smell of a deep fat fryer for days after the meal. First you need to understand the basic breading procedure that produces the golden brown crispy crust on fried or faux fried foods. Next comes the wet layer. The last step before the heat arrives is the crumb crust. Cook the breaded item on a cooling rack. Whole Wheat Couscous with Spinach and Squash Recipe. 39 Meat-Free Recipes for World Vegetarian Day. Slow Cooker Lasagna Recipe. 1. In a skillet over moderate heat, brown theground beef and drain any excess fat. Stir in redpepper flakes, thyme, tomato sauce, eggplant,and 1 1⁄4 cup water.2. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, shreddedcheese blend, egg substitute, and parsley.3. Coat the inside of the slow cooker with nonstickcooking spray. Makes 8 servings; roughly one cup. Equal Exchange - Co-op Coffee Custard. Mock Wendy's Frosty Recipe. Go Nuts for Nut Butters!
Peanut butter may be a household staple, but spreads made from other nuts and seeds can add nutrients and variety to your diet. Peanut butter has that ideal balance between sweet and salty, making it the perfect companion for everything from whole grain toast to celery sticks. And it's an inexpensive source of protein and good-for-you monounsaturated fats. Generations of kids have gotten through the school day fueled by peanut-butter sandwiches and a carton of milk—you were probably one of them! But did you know that there's more to nut butters than just plain peanut butter?
Meals That Serve A Crowd. I recently came across my great grandmother's focaccia pizza recipe and was surprised that it served 100 people. Apparently, cooking for a crowd was the norm in my family. One thing my family has taught me is that cooking a big meal doesn't have to be complicated or unhealthy. My guests often mention how surprised they are how tasty a healthy dish can be and how inspired they are to try simple substitutes in their recipes. Here are seven SparkRecipes that can easily be doubled when cooking for a crowd. 7 Meals To Serve A Crowd Healthy Chicken Vegetable Casserole Try this inexpensive and fresh version of a chicken casserole--no need for processed soups or sauces!
CALORIES: 320.6 | FAT: 8.9g | PROTEIN: 27.9g | CARBS: 36.1g | FIBER: 8.8g Stepfanie's Quinoa-Black Bean Casserole (Vegetarian and Gluten Free) Beans and quinoa seasoned with onions, garlic, chiles and spices. CALORIES: 257.4 | FAT: 4.3g | PROTEIN: 15.4g | CARBS: 40.9g | FIBER: 9.6g Slow Cooker Moroccan Beef Stew Low Fat Spinach Lasagna. Try This 42-Calorie Spaghetti Swap. Fall and winter squash varieties, including acorn, butternut and spaghetti, are now showing up in farmers’ markets. You’ll be delighted by how delicious, easy to prepare and versatile spaghetti squash can be. Spaghetti squash is named for its uncanny resemblance to pasta once cooked.
The squash is tasty yet neutral enough to pair with anything you would normally eat atop pasta. And, if you're watching your carb intake, spaghetti squash should go in your cart. Preparation: MicrowaveCut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds. Pesto Spaghetti SquashFor simple side dish, mix a spoonful of your favorite pesto into a serving of squash. Spaghetti Squash with CornCut the kernels from 4 ears of farm-fresh corn; saute in olive oil with chopped garlic.
Bryn Mooth is extending her 20-year career in publishing as an independent journalist and copywriter. Want more healthy recipes from me and fellow SparkPeople members? Hearty Veggie-Filled Beef Stew Recipe. 15 minute Black Bean and Corn Salsa Recipe. Low-Fat Hummus Recipe. Stepf's Veggie-licious Guacamole Recipe. Easy Cucumber Cups Recipe. Equal Exchange - Iced Espresso Mocha.
Equal Exchange - Elegant Chocolate Cake. Equal Exchange - Black Magic Brownies.