Puppy Chow

What can I say about this snack? I haven't made this since I was a Camp Fire girl and hadn't heard of it for just about as long. That is until this last Christmas. I had planned on making some to take as gifts for the girls at work but I just didn't have the time. So I made it for my husband to take to his work on Christmas Eve. He said everyone loved it and he couldn't stop eating it either. This is a quick, easy snack and keeps very well in an air tight container.

Puppy Chow

9 cups rice Chex cereal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Pour cereal into large bowl

Melt peanut butter and chocolate chips over low heat. Mix till smooth.

Add peanut butter/ chocolate mixture to cereal. Stir until cereal is well coated.

Pour powdered sugar and coated cereal into a plastic bag. Shake well until cereal is coated with sugar. Store in air tight container.

Yummy Cupcakes

My grandma used to make these really yummy chocolate cupcakes with a cheesecake type filling. I thought about these one day and decided I wanted to give them try myself. I did a search on all recipes to see what I could come up with. This seemed pretty close to what I could remember my Grandma making except she didn't put chocolate chips in the filling. But what isn't better with a little more chocolate.


Self Filled Cupcakes
courtesy allrecipes.com

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), or to the temperature recommended on the cake mix package.

Prepare chocolate cake mix according to package directions, but do not bake. In separate bowl cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg until well blended, then stir in chocolate chips.

Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers. Fill 2/3 full with chocolate cake batter. Add 1 teaspoon cream cheese mixture to the center, and top with more cake batter.

Bake according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool and frost with chocolate or cream cheese frosting. (After taste testing one, I decided that they would be just too sweet if I frosted them. So I didn't)

Crack Dessert

A friend of mine had this dessert at a candle party that she hosted and let me tell you...I instantly became addicted. Hence the name "crack dessert". This is truly a women's dessert especially when your least favorite aunt is in town (if you get what I mean). It's got the salt, the sweet, the crunchy. It really is the perfect dessert. This is a really good dessert to take to potlucks because it does make a lot.

Strawberry Pretzel Dessert aka "Crack Dessert"

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1 cup powdered sugar plus an additional 3 tbsp powdered sugar for pretzel mixture
1 8oz package cream cheese
3/4 cup melted margarine
1 8oz tub of cool whip
1 16oz package frozen strawberries
1 6oz package strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together pretzels, butter, and 3 tbsp powdered sugar. Press into bottom of 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool completely. (This is very important in order for the dessert to set properly).

Beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in cool whip. Spread over pretzel mixture. Refrigerate till set. Approx 30 minutes.

In medium bowl, stir together jell-o with boiling water. Add frozen strawberries. Stir till berries are thaw. Let mixture begin to solidify (similar to the consistency of egg whites). You can speed this process up by putting it in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Then pour over the cream cheese mixture.

Refrigerate mixture till completely chilled. Approx. 1 hour.