Golden Graham S'mores Bars

My, oh my... these are divine!  So simple and easy to make - barely more complex than Rice Krispie treats and 10x more delicious!  Think about this... Golden Grahams are a breakfast cereal, made with whole grains and fortified with vitamins and minerals... so this treat is actually good for you, too!  ;)  I've made these twice now, and they will definitely be a part of my regular repertoire.  (As seen on Macaroni & Cheesecake.)


Golden Graham S’mores Bars

1 12oz. package chocolate chips (chilled)

5 Tbsp. butter

1 10oz. bag mini marshmallows (approximately 6 c.)
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
8 c. Golden Graham cereal (one 12oz. box)


Place package of chocolate chips in the freezer to chill.  (The colder they are the better).
Spray grease a 9x13 baking pan, set aside. 

Measure out your 5 (+1) c. of marshmallows, 5 Tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 8 c. cereal (doing so will make it all easier and come together smoothly, I promise).

Meanwhile, melt butter in a pot over medium heat.
Once butter is melted, add in 5 cups of marshmallows and stir until almost completely melted. Stir in vanilla if desired.

Remove from heat and transfer butter mixture to a large mixing bowl and add cereal, stirring to coat.
Once cereal is coated, remove chocolate chips from freezer and add to cereal mixture.
Also add in the remaining 1 c. of marshmallows.
Gently stir until evenly distributed.

Press cereal mixture into prepared baking pan.
Cover and refrigerate until set.

Turn out onto cutting board and cut into squares. (Optional - we just cut them from the pan as we eat them.)
Keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes approximately 20-24 bars depending on how big you cut them.

{Make-Ahead} Unstuffed Shells

I made this for the family a few weeks ago... it was a total HIT!  Super-easy, and made great leftovers, too.  Will definitely be revisiting this recipe again right after the holidays.  :)  (As seen on Kraft.)

{Make-Ahead} Unstuffed Shells

total time: 1 hr 15 min
prep time: 30 min
servings: 6

4 c. medium pasta shells, uncooked
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 jar (24 oz.) marinara sauce
1 tub (10 oz.) Philadelphia Original Cooking Creme
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1.5 c. Kraft shredded mozzarella cheese with a touch of Philadelphia

Cook pasta as directed on package, without salt.

Brown meat in large skillet; drain. 

Stir in marinara sauce; simmer on medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Drain pasta. 

Mix cooking creme, basil and Parmesan in large bowl; stir in pasta.

Spray 13x9 baking dish with non-stick spray. 

Spread half the meat sauce onto bottom of the dish; cover with layers of pasta mixture and remaining meat sauce. 

Sprinkle with mozzarella; cover with foil. 

2 options:

1. Bake NOW - Heat oven to 375ºF.  Cover dish - bake 20 minutes.  Uncover dish - bake another 10 minutes.
2. Bake LATER - {Refrigerate up to 24 hours.} Heat oven to 375ºF.  Cover dish - bake 30 minutes.  Uncover dish - bake another 15-20 minutes.

Pomegranate Salsa

Here's the yummy salsa Mom made at Thanksgiving and at the Rogers Birthday/Christmas Party! 

Pomegranate Salsa

2 pomegranates (peel under water to prevent staining clothes)
2 avocadoes, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 tomatoes (I use 4-5 Roma tomatoes--they're not as juicy)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground coriander (I used less than 1 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (I used less than 1/4 tsp.)

Mix all together and serve with scooped tortilla or corn chips.

Margene's Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

The classic, perfect recipe for your ham leftovers!

Margene's Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (1 Tbsp. dried)
1 qt. cubed, cooked potatoes (4 c.)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (I use medium cheddar)
1.5-2 c. ham, cubed

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cook onion in butter until golden and translucent.

Blend in flour. 

Take off heat, so as not to burn. Then put back on stove when adding the milk. 

Gradually add milk to make a white sauce. Heat until it thickens, stirring constantly.  (Make sure it thickens here in the pot, because it won't in the oven later.) 

Add salt, pepper, cheese & parsley. 

Put 2-3 spoonfuls of sauce in a 2-qt casserole dish, then layer 1/2 of the potatoes and 1/2 the ham.  Pour in 1/2 of the remaining sauce, the remaining potatoes and ham, then finish with the rest of the sauce.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  (You may want to protect your oven, it often will boil over.)

Peppermint Bark Popcorn

A friend (that's you, Hayley!) pointed me to this little recipe... and it is beyond delicious!  I made it as part of our Christmas goodies this year, and I'm having to use some serious willpower to stay out of it.  That is, until I'm done typing this post!  One batch makes quite a bit, and it packs and keeps really well... if I wasn't so greedy this year, I'd send some over to the neighbors!  ;)  This yummy treat will definitely be included in our Christmas goodie-making each year to come!  (As seen on Our Best Bites.)

Peppermint Bark Popcorn

16 c. popped popcorn (fresh, or about 2 bags microwave unbuttered, natural/salted popcorn)
1 lb. almond bark
1 6-oz. box candy canes (12-ct.), crushed (about 1 generous c., Bob’s brand are best!)
1/4 tsp. peppermint oil or 2 tsp. peppermint extract*
3/4 c. semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

* Flavored oils (for candy making) will combine best with the almond bark, if you can find them.  Otherwise, if using extract, the almond bark will seize or go lumpy - just stir quickly and pour quickly on the popcorn.  Once mixed in it will be fine.

Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.

Melt almond bark according to package instructions.  (I melted mine on the stove in just a few minutes.)

When completely melted, add extract or peppermint oil. 

Pour the bark mixture over the popcorn and pour crushed candy canes on top.  Stir to evenly coat. 

Spread popcorn mix onto waxed paper to cool.

Melt chocolate chips slowly in the microwave (follow the bag instructions).

Drizzle over popcorn mixture. 

Let mixture dry completely until chocolate and almond bark are hardened. (Close to the end of this process, I packed mine up and put it in the refrigerator to help it solidify faster.)

Once mixture is solid, break it apart into chunks, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Fluff Dip

A friend (thanks, Gena!) told me about this recipe... and it sounded so delicious, I couldn't wait to try it!  While Mom was in town, we whipped it up - it sure didn't disappoint!

Pumpkin Fluff Dip

1 5-oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 15-oz. (small) can solid pack pumpkin
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 16-oz. container Cool Whip

In a large bowl, mix together pudding mix, pumpkin, and spice.
Fold in Cool Whip.
Chill in the refrigerator until serving.

For serving, you can dish it up in a bowl, or for a more festive display, clean out a pie pumpkin and serve it inside the pumpkin.
Serve with graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, apple slices, gingersnaps, etc. for dipping.
Yum, yum!