Two weekends - same snack

I found this yummy recipe for Crispy Smore Treats in my Pampered Chef Casual Cooking cookbook (there's lots of good stuff in here - I totally recommend it!) They flew off the plate at our adoption group and a double batch flew off the plate at a Super Bowl party. I'd like to say that I had no part in consuming them, but in truth I think I sort of lost count . . .

I'm going to write the directions to reflect how I prepared them because it worked just great and made it easy, easy, easy!

Crispy Smore Treats
Prep Time: 10 min Cook time: 5 min Cool Time: 30 min

2 1/2 cups cocoa-flavored sweetened rice cereal
6 whole (about 5 x 2-inch) graham crackers, coarsely chopped
3 T butter or margarine
2 T packed brown sugar
3 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows, divided
3/4 cup milk chocolate morsels

1. Place lid on bottom of Scalloped Bread Tube; spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place graham crackers in a gallon-sized ziploc bag and crush into course chunks. Add cereal to bag.

2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt butter with brown sugar - stirring occasionally. Add 2 1/2 cups marshmallows and return to microwave for approximately 1 minute until marshmallows are swelled and melting. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.

3. Add cereal to marshmallow mixture and stir until well coated. Stir in remaining 1 cup marshmallows.

4. Using a large ice cream scoop (with trigger action) or spoon coated with non-stick cooking spray, immediately place a few scoops of mixture into bread tube. As you fill tube, make sure to pack the mixture. Cool completely.

5. Push mixture out of tube onto cutting board. Using a serrated bread knife, but crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.

6. Microwave chocolate morsels in a small bowl, uncovered, on HIGH one minute, stirring every 15 seconds, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour into a small resealable food storage bag. Twist top of bag and secure. Cut a small tip off corner of bag. Decorate treats with chocolate, let stand until set.

Yields 16 treats

If you don't have the Pampered Chef bread tube, I think you could also press this mixture into a 9 x 9 pan and then drizzle chocolate on top before or after cutting. But the bread tube is just so fun!!! I need to get another one though because I don't often bake one loaf or batch of goodies. Enjoy!

Crispy-Topped Herbed Fish Fillets

Tonight, the adventure is Crispy-Topped Herbed Fish Fillets and I have chosen tilapia because it's one of my favorites. It's a mild-flavored, white fish that holds up to what I throw at it and tends to work well with all sorts of toppings and cooking methods. Since cooking fish is intimidating in the first place, that's no small feat!

I have to admit that I wasn't impressed with the breading of the final product, but perhaps it was because I was in a hurry and didn't much follow the recipe! (Hmmmm) I did not make fresh bread crumbs and instead used seasoned ones I had in the cabinet. I would follow the recipe in the future and make sure the crumbs weren't as finely ground as the ones I had.

I also didn't do step 2, which I would guess now is crucial to the finished product. I simply mixed the ingredients together and pressed on top of the fish. Let's just say it didn't yield the photo finish I was hoping for . . . .

Recipe link from Cooking Club of America (Yes, I am an offical card holding member!)

In the beginning, there was tilapia

I've found that so many of my Facebook friends have found both interest and humor in my occasional culinary posts and I've decided to try out a blog devoted to one of my great passions. Cooking.

But really for me it's not just about cooking - it's about how to create art on a plate; about establishing a reputation as a "good cook"; trying new things; saving our family money while we eat well; and so much more. (As well as how to do all this and maintain my lifetime membership status at Weight Watchers!)

If I can post a link to the recipe and give the author their dues I will do so. Otherwise, I will try to share mine with you. Then I will tell you how I didn't do what they said to do and even try to provide a nice picture of what the finished product looked like without the help of a food stylist. So here we go! I'll see if I can update enough that someone will read this thing!!!