Homemade Peeps

With Easter around the corner, I thought I would do something a little festive today.   As Jacob mentioned here, I have been on a low-glycemic diet lately, which essentially means my sweet-tooth has been getting the shaft.  Fortunately, I have found some online sources that feature scrumptious desserts for dieters, diabetics, and celiacs alike.   Here's one I thought would be appropriate to make this weekend for kids and even adults:

Image via

Homemade Marshmallow Chicks 

(Note - you can always make these in the shape of bunnies or nest eggs.)  

Ingredients

1 cup of water, split into 2 half cups

3 tablespoons of gelatin

1 cup of honey

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions

1) Cover with parchment paper a 9 by 13 inch pan, or jelly roll pan (if not using a stand mixer, you will probably only need a 9 by 9 inch pan). Then grease the parchment paper.

2) Put 1/2 cup of water in a medium bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with attached whisk), and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Set aside to soften.

3) In a small pot, place the honey, salt and the other 1/2 cup of water. Heat on medium heat. Using a candy thermometer, bring the mixture to 240 degrees. (You can also test it by carefully dribbling a little of the liquid into a bowl of ice cold water. It should be in the soft candy stage — which will form little soft balls when cooled in the water and taken out. It takes about 7-8 minutes to reach this temperature.) Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches the right temperature.

4) With the mixer on low, very carefully mix in the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture by pouring the hot syrup in a drizzle down the side of the bowl. Once it’s all combined, add the vanilla and increase speed slowly to high. Beat for 7-15 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and fluffy and holds its shape when you lift the beaters out of the mixture. (It will look like marshmallow fluff.) Scrape into the prepared pan. I think it works best if the mixture is about 1/2 inch thick. How much the mixture fluffs up will make a difference in how thick the mixture is and how big of a pan you need to use. Adjust pan size at will.

5) Leave uncovered for 4-12 hours to dry.  Use greased cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes. Roll in sugar immediately. If desired, make a mixture of cocoa powder and water to make eyes. Dab on with toothpick or chopstick. Keep covered in an airtight container for up to one week.

* Recipe adapted from the Nourishing Gourmet here

It's Football Season...

And that means its time for good food, good brews, and good times! Today's post will feature the Hubby's and my favorite tailgating recipes. It was so difficult to narrow it down, but here are our top five dishes in no particular order:

1) Texas Caviar -

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can black beans rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

3/4 cup fresh salsa or pico de gallo

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

Hot Sauce to taste

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a large glass or plastic mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Yields 6 servings.

2) Bacon-Hugged Lil Smokies -

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) package of lil smokies sausages

1 lb. bacon

3/4 cup brown sugar

Toothpicks

Directions:

Cut each bacon strip into thirds and wrap each third around a smokie. Secure the bacon with a toothpick. Place two inches apart on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 325 degrees.

3) Spicy Sausage Cheese Dip, courtesy of my friend Heather Locklar -

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) box of Velveeta

1 (10 oz.) can hot Rotel, undrained

1 (16 oz.) jar of mild chunky salsa

1 lb. mild sausage

1 lb. hot sausage

Directions:

Crumble and cook sausage until browned and drain. Then, mix the sausage and remaining ingredients in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. Serve with tortilla chips. THANK YOU, HEATHER!

4) Hot Ham Sammies -

Ingredients:

1 12-count package of King Hawaiian Rolls

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp onion flakes

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 package Swiss cheese

12-16 oz. thinly sliced ham

Directions:

Slice the dinner rolls in half, and make a sandwich with the ham, cheese, and rolls. Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl, and drizzle the mixture over the sandwiches. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is gooey (usually 15 minutes). Yields a dozen sammies.

5) Buffalo Chicken Dip -

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1 bottle of hot sauce (such as Tobasco)

1 block of cream cheese

1 jar of Naturally Fresh Ranch Dressing or Bleu Cheese Dressing

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Frito Scoops

Directions:

Combine the chicken and hot sauce. Place in a casserole dish. Combine cream cheese and dressing, and pour over the chicken mixture. Top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with Frito Scoops.


Hope you enjoy these yummy dishes as much as I do! Also, if anyone has a guacamole recipe, please send it my way. I haven't been able to find one I love quite yet.

Thanks and Happy Friday!

Images courtesy of: Just a Taste, Simple Comfort Food, Crock Pot of Gold, Haute Apple Pie, and Eat, Live, Run