Rice Krispie Treat Master Class

I've had a long-standing love affair with rice krispie treats. I used to love this old commercial that was on when I was a kid (I remember it was on our taped copy of Neverending Story so I saw it all the time- "Come for me, Mork- I am Atreyu!") where the Mom is in the kitchen reading a book and her family is calling out to her from the other room: "Are they ready yet, Mom?" She calls back, exasperated, "In just a second!" Then she grabs some flour, throws it in her face and walks out with the tray of rice krispie treats. I remember one time when Bobby and I were first married, we ate a big batch of rice krispie treats in lieu of dinner. That's it. Just rice krispie treats.

What other dessert can you prepare in five minutes with a baby on your hip?

But I don't follow the recipe. I'm about to share the secret to really amazing rice krispie treats with you.
Start with one bag of marshmallows- large, mini, it doesn't matter which. Now here come's the secret. Add 1 cube of butter instead of the 1/4 cup the recipe suggests. Trust me.

Melt in microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Mix marshmallows and butter until butter melts and mixture is smooth. (If the butter doesn't melt, microwave for an extra 15 seconds or so.)
Now this part I'm afraid I can't teach you. I just pour the rice krispies into the bowl without messing with measuring cups. I can tell you that it's nearly a whole 15 oz. box of cereal.

Mix away. What we're trying to avoid here is big gloppy amounts of white marshmallow. That is how all the recipes on the backs of marshmallow bags and on the side of rice krispie boxes try and lead you astray. You see, what I'm proposing is not actually doubling the butter (although that's not always a bad idea), but reducing the marshmallows by half. Once the marshmallow-butter mixture is evenly mixed in, pour into a pan and allow to set. Enjoy, and come back and tell me about it.

Raising Hell!

The other night I had a Relief Society Presidency meeting here at my house. One of the ladies was having car trouble after she left, so she came in to use the phone. She couldn't track down her husband (he was at the church working with the Young Men's group), so I offered to drive her to him. She lives a good ways out of town- 20 minutes or so. We're on our way to the church in the minivan and Anna starts to get kind of nervous that we're not going to make it there in time to catch him. As we get closer, she starts looking very closely at every car we pass, checking to see if it's his car. We pull in the first of two driveways to the church and notice the headlights for several different cars in each driveway. She's frantically trying to pick out her husband's car and all of the sudden she spots it- in the other driveway, turning right. Well, by the time we got around the church and out the other driveway, he was long gone. I waited for direction from Anna who said we should take Baltimore and try and cut him off before he gets on the highway. Now things start to get exciting. Half of the 1st ward Relief Society on a late night joy ride. Driving very fast, I start making my way to the main drag through town. I start to accelerate when I see that the light is green at the intersection of Baltimore and Normal, but I'm not fast enough and the light turns red. I think ah what the heck, and with a rebel yell I run that red light! I speed down Baltimore and as we approach the last stop light before the highway starts, we keep an eye out for her husband's car. Our light turns green and just when I start to turn, we see his tan-colored sedan pull up to the light. We pull up to the side of his car, give a brief explanation, shout out some directions, and then we're heading back to my house. It was the smoothest operation I've ever had a hand in. Beautifully executed- couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Very Dukes of Hazard.

Gouda and Nutella Panini

I know that about 63% of you think this is a wacky food combination, but trust me, this was very tasty. I used sourdough bread from Panera.

Last week was rough. Early mornings, potty-training failure, three- year-old banshee screams, husband working late, blah blah blah... and all of it augmented by missing my mother. Just a rough week- the kind when you eat two batches of rice pudding by yourself in four days. You know what I mean.

Well, Bobby came to my rescue in a big way on Thursday. He was on call Wednesday night and up all night working at the hospital after working all day Wednesday and gave up hours of much needed and deserved sleep so that Sophie and I could spend the day in Columbia. It was just what I needed and I was so grateful. We went out to lunch together, went to Target and the mall (where I was sure to stop at Panera and pick up shortbread cookies and sourdough bread), Sam's Club, and Hobby Lobby. I stopped in there to find some supplies for a Thanksgiving centerpiece and I was shocked and overwhelmed by its size. It is HUGE. Like, picture a Robert's and multiply it by 2 or 3, depending on which one you're at. I never wanted to go in there before on account of their name being so lame, but it is a treat to visit! The aisles are not marked, though, and it's impossible to find anything without the help of an employee. Luckily the store wasn't busy and it was easy to find some guidance.

Before we headed back, I stopped at Red Lobster to pick up Bobby's favorite restaurant dinner as a thank you. Before we moved here we went there for his birthday dinner every year as a tradition. He doesn't care for seafood but he LOVES their cajun chicken pasta. I'm going to have to agree with him- it is very good. My man was happy.

Way to go, Grandma!

This is my Grandma (isn't she pretty?) and she just started a blog. How cool is that? She always says she was born 50 years too early. I'm so impressed because so many people her age don't want to bother with figuring out stuff like this!

This picture was taken at my brother Richard's wedding in March. Sophie was sleepy.

To all you haters out there...

People hate rice pudding. I hear it all the time. I never make it for company because I'm afraid my guests are going to be disappointed. My Dad has been making this rice pudding since I was a little girl and I would never think of using another recipe. I've recently decided that you can't be an official rice pudding hater until you've tried this recipe and can honestly say that you don't love every last bite of it! I'm about to rock your rice pudding world. It tastes best warm with whipped cream.

This recipe comes from the Lion House Dessert Cookbook.

Rice Pudding

2 cups milk
1 small can (5 1/2 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 c plus 2 Tbs sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup raisins
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Place 1 1/2 cups of the milk plus the can of evaporated milk and 6 Tbs sugar in the top of a double boiler. Heat together until milk is scalded. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs together until they are broken apart. Add salt and the remaining 4 Tbs sugar to the eggs and whisk again. Slowly pour egg mixture into scalded milk, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Allow to cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl mix reserved 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch together and slowly pour into nmilk mixture, stirring constantly until pudding begins to thicken. (Be careful to stir constantly or lumps will form.) Stir thoroughly and allow to cook 10-15 more minutes or until cornstarch flavor is gone. Add cooked rice, then allow pudding to cook 7 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Serves 8. (Or 1 if you're me.)

Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Apples

This recipe is one of Ina Garten's, from Barefoot Contessa Family Style I think. It's my favorite yam recipe I've found so far. I think it tastes best when the apples are caramelized. I've only been able to achieve this once! Usually they end up all soft and mushy. I'm sure I'm using the wrong apples. I'm going to try my new favorite apple: Honeycrisp. I will probably split these into two casserole dishes and top one with the apples and one with mini-marshmallows, to appease my family members whose Thanksgiving tastes are not as... sophisticated as mine. :)

INGREDIENTS

	8 pounds (about 12 large) sweet potatoes
	1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
	1 cup heavy cream
	8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
	1/2 cup light brown sugar
	2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
	1 teaspoon cinnamon
	4 teaspoons salt
	2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
	6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
	6 McIntosh or Macoun apples, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths
	6 tablespoons light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375°. Scrub potatoes, then prick several times with a knife or fork. Bake 1 hour, or until very soft when pierced with a knife. Combine orange juice, cream, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

Remove potatoes from oven. Once cooled, scoop out the insides with a spoon. Place 1/2 of sweet potato meat into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 1/2 of juice-and-cream mixture, blend until combined but not smooth, and pour into a large baking dish. Repeat with remaining potatoes and juice-and-cream mixture, and add to baking dish.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple wedges and brown sugar; cook about 10 minutes, turning apples occasionally, until lightly browned on both sides. Place on top of sweet potatoes and bake 30 minutes, until heated through. (Note: If refrigerating before baking, cook 45 minutes, or until heated through.)