Do you like Muddy Buddies®? Who am I kidding, you're human. Of course you do.
Well, true to our foodie gumshoe ways, Dish and Spoon decided to use up some Cinnamon Toast Crunch® in a twist on the chocolate-peanut butter classic. The result is a bit like churros–another duh-yes-you-love-those treat.
5 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup almond butter
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Measure out cereal in bowl big enough to contain the cereal as you do some aggressive stirring later.
In microwave-safe small bowl, combine chocolate, almond butter, and butter. Microwave on high 30 seconds then stir well. Microwave 15 more seconds and that should be enough to get everything melted when stirred well once more.
Depending on the white chocolate you use, it can melt at various times. The mixture will be a bit thick; another thing white chocolate loves to vary on–when it will over cook. But almond butter is probably the main thickener here. Might try a bit more butter next time to help it be a bit more runny.
Adding the vanilla once mixture is melted helps smooth it a bit. Scrape buttery goodness into the cereal bowl and start stirring. It's almost more of a pressing motion to spread the paste around. Just keep at it; it will spread in time.
Dump all the coated cereal into a gallon zip-top bag. Pour the 1/3 cup powdered sugar into the bag and seal. Shake and massage those goodies. :) Serve and delight.
Carrots' best friend, that's what this is. Also it's your new favorite soup you've probably never tried. Unless you hate carrots and milk, then move along, traveler.
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. butter (6 Tbsp.)
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. flour (6 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules or powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. dry parsley
1 tsp. dry basil
3 cups milk
2 to 4 cups sliced carrots (6-10 large carrots; doesn't have to be precise. Add depending on how carroty you like it. I like more carrot flavor to the cream base and a titch more spices accordingly)
First thing to start is the carrots boiling (it's much preferred to make the carrots wait to go into the roux than for the roux to wait for carrots to be ready). In 2-quart pot, cover the carrot slices with about an inch of water and put on high heat. Let boil until carrots are soft. Don't let the water boil out, it's okay to add more as needed. Then dump the carrots in a blender, water included (or use an immersion blender right in the pot) and puree or pulse the carrots to desired texture. Sometimes I like a few whole-ish carrot slices in the soup, so I ladle some carrots out before the blending. When the roux/cream base is ready, pour carrots in. If soup seems to thick to your liking (it also gets thicker as it sets), add water.
Roux Cream Base
While carrots are boiling, melt butter in soup pot over medium heat. Combine flour, bouillon, and spices. Whisk dry ingredients into butter and turn heat to low. If you get the chance to use fresh parsley and basil, that's delicious! Just use about three times the fresh versions and add those along with the milk. Once roux is bubbly remove from heat.
While whisking, pour milk into soup pot. Return to medium heat and stir constantly until cream base comes to boil. Boil for one minute and remove from heat. Combine with carrot puree and stir well. Serve hot with your favorite bread item.
This is just the perfect fall soup. It's mild, delicious, warming, and orange! Enjoy!
Saw a video floating around social media recently promoting the Clever Cutter. Just a day or two before I was cutting Brussels sprouts and wished up in my mind something between scissors and a knife. Upon seeing the Clever Cutter, I hoped my wish was coming true! But was it too good to be true?
Since it was soon thereafter my mom's birthday, I made that an excuse to buy a Clever Cutter from Bed, Bath & Beyond. It was about $15, but I used a coupon mailer BB&B sent me, so I got 20% off. Sweeeet.
I cut to intermission since the packaging was a bit of a beast to open, as these sorts of clear, hard-plastic casings tend to be, but it was eased by the presence of some perforated lines. The materials inside include some instructions and tips and customary fine print. Helpful stuff.
Oddly, my gadget was dusted in some sort of white, sandy substance...no idea what that was about. It's generally wise to wash all new kitchen items anyway! Overall it's lightweight and yet sturdy, the grip is solid, and the resistance is firm for a smooth slice 'n snap. The blade is sharp and thicker than I imagined it would be, and it makes complete contact with the cutting-board strip. The safety latch holds tight when locked into place. To me it seems a well-designed device from quality materials.
Now watch below for the oh-so-entertaining test-drive.
I was actually pretty pleased with the device. I cut some more mushrooms right after making the video, and while I started out with a bit slower of a slice, if I snapped quickly at the end, the cut finished clean. That's the trick, is to snap. Be confident and be prepared for non-uniform chunks of food until you're practiced. :) You can see I quickly improvised several holding positions depending on the food about to go under the knife. Maybe using tongs or something would be safer. Sometimes unwisely I live on the edge.
A couple days later I sliced some more carrots and I noticed that no matter what angle I held the carrot at, the blade sliced at a bit of an angle itself, plus the sliced edge was kinda rough, as though microscopically torn from the rest rather than sliced away smooth as seen with a knife. So I swapped hands (put the cutter in my left hand), and I was surprised how differently the food sliced! The blade angle was much more pronounced on the food as it entered under the blade from the right, but the food slices came off smoother too. So that's something to consider if you're left-handed or want smoother slices of food. It still does the job, it was just recognizably a different experience. My right hand was starting to fatigue from the unfamiliar motion, so that was another reason I swapped hands. I need to get one of those grip strengthening-resistance majigs. :)
Another thing I started noticing was that if I placed the carrot closer to the hinge of the scissors, the slices dropped a bit more calmly into my pot. Closer to the open end and the carrots practiced their Olympic dives much more flamboyantly, often to missing the steaming pool entirely (a lonesome dusty grave between the fridge and oven to greet them). Of course the swiftness with which I snipped also made a difference in flight, but a steadier slice came out of the area with the tighter pinch.
But anyway, pretty cool kitchen gadget! Experiment and discover how it can help you. I'm definitely stoked to have it for my Brussels sprouts. So now I'll just wait for next month's BB&B coupon and go get my own. :)
Note: On Amazon where these are also being sold, there seem to be two models or blade options. I honestly don't know which blade this one from BB&B is, but it seems solid. I sure love Amazon for some things, but sometimes I am reluctant to have uncertain options like that and feel relieved when a store has it where I can see it, buy it, test it, and not have to deal with shipping!
