Sunday, September 29, 2019

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

We've been experimenting lately on our Rice Krispie treats folks! Besides dyeing the marshmallows fun colors, we've also tried adding chocolate chips, fruity pebbles, cake mix, you name it. My youngest loves anything peanut butter and chocolate together. She love Reese's peanut butter cups, Reese's Pieces, hey if it's got peanut butter and chocolate in it, she's all over it.  Well I was thinking about making a Reese's Peanut butter flavored rice Krispie treat.  

Now there are a ton of recipes out there, like Scotcheroos that have peanut butter and butterscotch in the treats and a thick layer of chocolate on the top, or peanut butter rice krispies with chocolate drizzled over the top, but BOTH of those are messy.  What I wanted was the peanut butter and chocolate INSIDE the Rice Krispie treat together... living in harmony... sharing the marshmallow-y goodness and easy to transport if necessary.

Chocolate Peanut butter Rice Krispie Treats!
You will need the following:

1 bag of Marshmallows (I used 21 oz campfire square marshmallows)
9 cups of Rice Krispie cereal
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 bag of chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
9x13 pan (grease with butter or cooking spray) 

Start by spraying your large bowl with a bit of cooking spray.  Add in 9 cups of Rice Krispie cereal.

I use my biggest bowl to hold all the Krispie goodness.
Here's the deal with the original Krispie recipe. If you do the recipe on the box (with the 6 cups of Krispies and a 9x13 pan) you get these thin, measly treats.  I like a Krispie treat you can hold onto and keeps it shape in a big ol' square - hence the 9 cups of Krispies.

In a pot on the stove, melt 1/2 stick of butter, 3/4 cup peanut butter, and the 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Melt the good stuff with the butter!
Slowly while stirring until they are all combined.

If heaven had a smell, it might be this...
Add in marshmallows and stir until melted together.

These are the 21 oz square campfire marshmallows (minus a few my kids ate)
If you are using a regular 12 0z bag of marshmallows I'd do a bag and a half of those.  

Bring the chocolate peanut butter mixture from the bottom and fold over the marshmallows.

Ooo  yum.
Stir on medium heat until an ooey gooey mess.


Eventually you will get a pretty smooth chocolate lava concoction.

These are a few of my favorite things...
Add this molten mixture carefully in to waiting bowl of 9 cups of Krispies

Spraying this bowl with a little cooking spray before you add the Krispies will save you a ton of clean up time later
Stir quickly until combined.

Soon you will have a beautiful sticky mess of cereal and yummy-ness.
Pour this mixture in to prepared (greased) 9x13 pan

Nothing is more satisfying the globing this big hunk of deliciousness and thunking it down in a pan.
I used to get my hands greasy with a little butter on them to pat down the Krispie treats, but I've learned if you run your hand under cold water, shake them off, then press down the treats with your cool hands it works just the same, and you're less greasy afterwards (easier to clean up on you) 


Chocolate Peanut butter Krispie Treats for dayz!
Let cool (probably the toughest part of this recipe).

Cut into thick squares and be prepared to be taken away to Peanut butter chocolate Krispie heaven!

Delicious, chewy, peanut butter chocolate Reese's flavored Rice Krispie Treats
These were so good the first time, we made them for a gathering of friends shortly after and they were gone within minutes.

Reach through the screen and grab this one for yourself!
 These travel great, and all also awesome for school lunches, pot lucks, you name it. 


Chewy, ooey, gooey... totally hits the spot!

This were a fabulous twist on a well-loved classic. Try them and let me know what you think.

Yes please!


Enjoy!!




Sunday, September 08, 2019

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole - (5 ingredients)

Well it feels like everyone is heading back to school and getting adjusted to their new fall schedules. If you are anything like me, you are always on the lookout for a few new recipes you that can throw in the crock pot (last minute) in the morning and come back to a home-cooked meal at the end of a busy day. Well look no further because I found an easy, 5-ingredient winner! Behold the slow cooker (crock pot) Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

Easy chicken enchiladas in the crock pot
 
Printable recipe found on my site here

You will only need 5 ingredients:

3-4 Chicken breasts (thawed, or frozen)
1 large (28 oz) can of red enchilada sauce (we did mild)
3 cups of shredded cheese divided in half
1 can sliced olives or buy a regular can and cut up your own
10 corn tortillas cut into strips 

(by the way I found this recipe here) and will be testing more recipes for you very soon.


Plop your chicken breasts into the crock pot sprayed with a little cooking spray. You can have them thawed, or like me plunk them in completely frozen.

You only need about 3 Costco breasts, because they are so big.
Dump in the entire can of red enchilada sauce.

So nice and easy when you are in a rush in the morning getting out the door
That's it for now!  The rest you will add an hour before serving.  Set on slow cook for 4-8 hours (I would recommend closer to 8 hours for the frozen breasts). 

Now you're back home from a busy day of running around.  Your house will smell amazing by the way, and you'll want to shred the chicken with two forks right in the sauce.  Also I tend to scoop out each breast, remove any fat that bubbled up during the cooking process and sort of skim the sauce for any fat chunks.

This slow cooked chicken is super tender and shreds so easily
You just want a nice sauce and lovely shredded chicken before proceeding.

Yummy!
Cut the 10 corn tortillas (we did white corn, but you can also do yellow corn).  

 
These are the 5 inch corn tortillas.


Add the strips to the pot with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese (we did a cheddar/jack mix) and half the sliced olives.

The tortilla strips save you the time of rolling individual enchiladas the old fashioned way
Stir around gently until fully combined. Add a little seasoning salt here to taste if you wish, then pat the mixture down until it resembles an oval casserole in the bottom of the crock pot. 

Press down slightly to make a casserole shape in the bottom of the pot
Top with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese and the rest of the sliced olives.



Cover with the lid and cook for 1 more hour until cheese is all golden and melty, and the enchilada sauce is bubbling up from underneath.


Crock pot enchiladas, I think I love you!
Gratuitous close up shot of bubbling sauce through the cheese.

Somebody grab a fork
All that's left to now is scoop it up on a plate!  

Cheesy, awesome, get in my belly!
Serve with chips, lettuce, olives, sour cream, salsa, and some fruit.

This was an instant family favorite!
Delicious, hot and gooey, and tons of flavor and a real crowd pleaser.


I say crowd pleaser because i made three extra containers for the leftovers (they make great lunches for work or school the next day) but alas, I went back and they were arleady all gone!  Apparently I need to make this again really soon.. and so should YOU!

Enjoy.






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