Incredible Indoor S'mores [Recipe]

Dreams of summer and camping have been prevalent around here during this extremely cold winter. To crave our appetite for the great outdoors, we made some Indoor S'mores--a favorite treat from my childhood. And we've both concurred that we like these WAY better than actual s'mores.

Indoor S'mores

Ingredients

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

5 cups mini marshmallows

1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup light corn syrup

5 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions

Grease a 9x13 pan (if you do bars) or line a cookie sheet with wax paper (if you want individual servings). Put marshmallows, chocolate chips, corn syrup, and butter in a large microwaveable dish. Melt on high for 2 minutes. Stir well. Then microwave in additional 30 second increments until mixture is completely smooth. (Or, you can melt everything in a medium sauce pan on the stove.) Then add vanilla. Pour over cereal and mix well. Stir in additional cup of marshmallows. Pour in pan or scoop individual servings. Let cool 20 minutes before eating. 

rainbow jello [recipe]

Rainbow Jello (or 12-layer Jello) is a favorite around our house. My mom was famous for this jello. We only make it for special occasions like Thanksgiving, family parties, or when someone requests it. However, I think it would also be perfect for a summer party, color party, or rainbow party. I'm always in charge of making it when we have Thanksgiving dinner with my husband's family. So, I thought I would share the recipe since Thanksgiving is this week. I can't believe it's already here.

I'll tell you up front, this is not a quick recipe to make. It will be worth every minute you spend, but you'll want to plan on it taking a good chunk of the day to make. It takes a few hours because you have to wait for each layer to set up before adding the next one. The good news is that you can do other things while you are waiting for the layers to set up.

Rainbow Jello
3 oz box of jello in the following flavors: lemon, lime, orange, cherry or raspberry, blueberry, and grape.
1 cup boiling water for each flavor
2 cups sour cream
12 Tbsp cold water
whipped cream or cool whip topping

 Spray 9x13 pan and set aside. To make, just do one layer at a time. Start with lemon. Boil 1 cup water and add it to the lemon jello powder. Stir will.  Then, divide that in half. To one half, add 2 Tbsp. cold water. To the other half, add 1/3 cup sour cream and mix. Pour the lemon with cold water into the pan. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Then pour the lemon jello with sour cream onto the first lemon layer.*Then, you will just repeat for all the layers. You can do them in any order, but I prefer lemon, lime, orange, red, blue, and grape.

To recap:       1st layer: lemon jello with water; refrigerate 20 minutes
                     2nd layer: lemon jello with sour cream; refrigerate 20 minutes
                     3rd layer: lime jello with water; refrigerate 20 minutes
                     4th layer: lime jello with sour cream; refrigerate 20 minutes
                     Repeat for all layers.

Right before serving, top with cool whip or whipped cream.
*Make sure the jello you are adding is cool so that it won't melt the previous layer. To speed up the process, you can make two flavors at a time and let the other one cool while the first one is setting up.

Serve this at your Thanksgiving dinner and I promise it will be a hit!
 

The Great Soup Search Recipe #2

Another soup recipe has made the cut! Thanks Amanda for your wonderful Beef & Barley soup recipe. 

It was different, hearty, flavorful, and easy to make. 

Beef and Barley Soup

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 Tbsp. butter

4 cups beef broth

4 cups water

2 cups chopped roast beef

1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes

1 cup quick cooking barley

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup frozen peas (or one small zucchini, chopped)

Directions

Saute carrots and onion in butter for about 5 minutes. Then add broth, water, beef, tomatoes, barley, and spices. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and let simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add peas (or zucchini) and let simmer five more minutes uncovered. 

halloween surprise cupcakes [recipe]

At a recent family Halloween party, there was a giant platter of cupcakes*. 

They had festive toppers and looked delicious.

But it wasn't until I took a bite, that I realized actually how delicious they were.
They had a perfect cream cheese center that added just the right pop of flavor to a chocolate cupcake.
And, simply put, the orange just made them even more festive, which made them taste better, too!

And the great news is that they are rather simple to make. Here is the recipe: 

Halloween Surprise Cupcakes (aka Birthday Cake Surprise Cupcakes)
1 devil's food cake mix
8 oz. milk chocolate chips
8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
food coloring, optional

Mix cream cheese, sugar, and egg together. (If you want to add a color, now is the time to add in food coloring.) Set aside. In a separate bowl, make cake according to box directions. Fold in chocolate chips.

Line muffin tins with liners. Put a few spoonfuls of cake mix batter in bottom of cupcake paper. Then put one spoonful of cream cheese mixture on top of cake mix. Finish the layering by putting enough batter in each tin to cover the cream cheese mixture.

Bake according to package directions. It may require a few extra minutes of bake time, but they are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Top with frosting or whipped cream.

*Idea and recipe from my sister Kristin Martha

The Great Soup Search Recipe #1

Hello there! A BIG thank you to all of you who sent in your best soup recipes. We were pleased with the plethora of new recipes to try out. It is going to take a little while to get through all of them, so please be patient with us. However, once a recipe becomes a favorite, we will post it so you can enjoy it as well. Prizes will be mailed out after The Great Soup Search has ended.

The first soup we made was Quick Chicken Corn Chowder, submitted by Ann. For years, we have made a similar soup. However, it calls for cream soup, which we are trying to get away from. So we were pleased that this one is nearly just as easy and the ingredients are a bit healthier. Needless to say, my husband deemed it as a new favorite. Here is the recipe:

(*And just for the record. I had intentions of posting photos of all the favorite soups. But, I'm afraid that trying to get a perfect photo of all the best soups will take away from the nature of the contest. So, don't be mad, okay? Plus, I wouldn't want you to pass up any great recipes just in case my photo skills aren't up to par.)

Quick Chicken-Corn Chowder


Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breast halves)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

Directions 
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and jalapeño; cook for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook until thick (about 5 minutes).

*Variation: We used just a little jalepeno so it wouldn't be too hot. Also, I forgot that I didn't have any cream-style corn in the house, but it was still yummy! It took less than 30 minutes to make. We served it with french bread.

announcing: THE GREAT SOUP SEARCH!

Remember when we did the Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest?
It was a huge success and we got lots of requests to hold another contest. So here we are.

Now that Fall is in the air, we're in the mood to eat soup for dinner. 

The only problem is, our collection of soup recipes is very limited. 

And in my husband's opinion, soup has to be hearty to count it as a meal.
So we are on a quest. To find the best soup recipes out there.
We are hoping you will help us!

To Participate:
1. Email your favorite soup recipe to sofestive@gmail.com
2. Be sure to include any special directions.

We will be making the recipes we receive
and ALL of the recipes that become a favorite* will receive a prize.

A favorite soup is described as:
1. One that we want to make again
2. One that is added to our list of favorite meals
3. One that is not based on cream of ___ condensed soup
4. One that is fairly simple and quick to make

Of course, we will try and keep this as unbiased as possible.
My husband will be the ultimate judge (since he won't know who's recipe it is),
but it will need to pass my approval as well.

Now get busy and send in those souper recipes. 
The deadline is this Sunday, September 30th.
You can email them to sofestive@gmail.com.

pear & apple crisp [recipe]

There are lots of signs that fall is coming. Having a bucket full of pears is one of them! We can't eat them fast enough, so I whipped up a pear and apple crisp. It was delightful and tasted of fall. Want to make one? Follow this easy recipe:

Pear + Apple Crisp
9-10 pears, peeled and chopped
1 apple, chopped
2 spoonfuls of sugar and a dash of salt
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
dash of cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions: Grease a 9x13 pan. Spread apples and pears on the bottom. Sprinkle sugar and salt over the fruit, then stir to coat. In a separate bowl, combine oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Pour melted butter over this crumb mixture and stir until it is a crumble-like texture. Put crumb mixture on top of fruit. Add more pieces of butter on top if you desire. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Cool and eat plain or with ice cream.

mini chocolate trifles [recipe]

I've been loving mini things lately. Maybe it's because I hang out with a baby all day and I can't get enough of his mini fingers and toes and clothes. Anyways, I made these mini chocolate trifles for a baby shower and they were a big hit! They looked fancy, but were actually quite simple. Aren't we all about simple?

I used a recipe called Chocolate Divan that I got from my festive cousin. My contribution was making it into mini trifle.

Mini Chocolate Trifles
1 Devil's Food cake mix
3 cups milk
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 large box chocolate instant pudding
1 container cool whip
chocolate grated and/or chocolate kisses or fresh berries for the top

Prepare cake mix as directed on box. Bake cake in cupcake pans. Let the cupcakes cool. Blend softened cream cheese and 1 cup milk together. Once that is mixed well, add 2 cups milk and chocolate pudding mix. Mix with a whisk until it starts to set up.

To prepare mini trifles, cut each cupcake in half horizontally. Take the bottom and place it in small clear plastic cup. Spoon chocolate mixture on top. Then place top of cupcake on chocolate layer. (You could also add cool whip layer before top of cupcake to make it look prettier.) Then add another chocolate layer and finally a cool whip layer. Garnish with grated chocolate, chocolate kiss or berries. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve. Refrigerating them overnight is preferred.

*You could make any trifle using this method.  A berry one would be fun for summer!

raspberry brownie tarts [recipe]

When I first saw these raspberry brownie tarts at a party, I thought they had come from a bakery because they looked so perfect. When I asked for the recipe and learned of how simple they are to make, I was shocked. I stored this recipe away until the perfect occasion came. This past weekend, we blessed our little baby. We planned to have a luncheon afterwards. I thought these would be a perfect, fancy, and easy treat. I made the tarts and filling the morning of. Yet, with all the craziness of the event, I totally spaced finishing them off and putting them out. Needless to say, I have a whole batch of these still around. I guess I'll just have to finish them off one-by-one. There could be worse things, I guess. 

If you need an easy and fancy treat for a gathering, shower, or party, these are them. 

Raspberry Brownie Tarts

1 pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix
1/2 cup butter melted (no margarine)
1 egg

filling: (1/2 this for only one batch of tarts)
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
1 cup half and half
1 8 oz container cool whip, thawed


combine and mix together all tart ingredients. spray mini muffin pan with pam. fill tins 2/3 of the way full with tart mixture. bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes. remove tarts from oven. let stand for 1 minute to cool. use a tart shaper (or water bottle lid) to press down center of tarts to form a small bowl.
leave in muffin pan until completely cooled to room temperature.

for the filling, mix chocolate pudding with half and half for about 30 seconds. then fold into thawed cool whip. use cake decorator tip or a gallon size ziploc bag with corner clipped off to fill the tarts with filling. top each one with a fresh raspberry.

originally from: laurie gustafson

Carmelitas [recipe]

Yum. Yum. We made these Carmelitas to celebrate my mom's birthday. She is the inspiration

behind this blog. See The So Festive Story for more details. She loved making desserts and baking.

We nearly ate the entire pan because they are so good. And so easy. 

Carmelitas

2 cups flour

2 cups oatmeal

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups butter, melted

12 oz. milk chocolate chips

1/2 jar Mrs. Richarrdson's Butterscotch carmel (or just carmel sauce)

Combine dry ingredients. Add in melted butter and stir until it becomes a dough. Press half the dough into a 9x13 greased pan. Bake at 325 for 17 minutes. Take out of the oven and pour chocolate chips on the crust. Then pour caramel sauce on top of the chocolate chips. (You can melt the carmel in the microwave to make it more runny. Just don't burn it!) Then put the remaining 1/2 batter on top of the caramel. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 17 minutes. Take out and let it cool for 2-3 hours (or put it in the fridge to speed it up if you want to eat them quicker.)

mini pies

I had seen an idea for mini pies floating around and have had some jars sitting in my house waiting for the perfect occasion to be used. When some of the ladies I work with threw me a baby shower, I knew instantly that these mini pies would be the perfect thank yous! They were really easy to make and so fun to give. 

All you  need: store-bought crust (unless you want to make you are really ambitious and want to make your own), mini jars with lids, and pie filling (again, you can just buy a can!)

I followed these directions.

I gave them unbaked so they could eat them when they wanted. 

I added some scrapbook paper and ribbon just to spruce them up a bit. 

And voila! Mini pies in a jar. 

Heart Molasses Crinkles

Today is...Umbrella Day.
Put on your rain boots and use an umbrella!

And...

My husband LOVES molasses cookies. I don't. 

But I try to make them at least once a year for him. 

I made him some for Valentine's day and cut them into heart shapes after they baked.

I use this recipe:

Molasses Crinkles

3/4 c. soft margarine
1 egg
1/4 c molasses
1 c.  brown sugar
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp soda

Directions:
Cream margarine, egg, molasses, and brown sugar together. Sift together all the dry ingredients and then add to the egg mixture. Chill dough. Roll in 1" balls. Dip in sugar and place on greased cookie sheet. bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

festive nachos

If you want a quick and festive snack, make some festive nachos.


All you need:

red and green tortilla chips
cheese

Melt in the microwave for 30 seconds or for crispy nachos, use a toaster oven.

holiday muddy buddies

The dollar aisle at Target always has some great little treat bags. For a quick gift, consider snatching some up and filling them with chex muddy buddies.

Chex Muddy Buddies

9 cups corn or rice chex cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal into large bowl and set aside. Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter or melt on stove. Add soon as it is melted, stir in vanilla. Pour this mixture over the cereal. Stir until evenly coated.

Pour into large ziploc bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag and shake until cereal is all coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Spudnuts [recipe]

I have had a few people ask for our Spudnut recipe. I posted it last year, but here it is again in case you are wanting to make some of your own! I have also included more detailed instructions this time around so it is not confusing! Enjoy! This is one of my favorite things about Fall!

Spudnuts
1 quart (4 cups) milk, scalded
1 Tbsp. yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1 cup sugar
8 Tbsp. shortening
4 eggs, beaten
12-13 cups flour
2 Tbsp. salt

Glaze
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar

Mix together.

Directions: 
Make 2 cups of mashed potatoes. (I like to do this the day before to cut down on dough time)
Scald milk and let it cool enough so that it doesn't kill the yeast. While the milk is cooling, put yeast and sugar into the hot water to let rise. (Make sure the water isn't too hot that it kills the yeast.) Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

Meanwhile, cream sugar and shortening together. Add in beaten eggs and mix. Then add yeast mixture and milk. Slowly add in flour and salt. (You will probably need a few extra cups of flour so it isn't sticky). Once it is mixed well and smooth, let it rise in a large bowl with a clean towel over top. Let rise for 1-3 hours.

To roll out and cut, flour a surface well. Roll out dough into 1/2 inch thick. Use a donut cutter or a cup with water bottle lid to make donut shapes. Let them rise again another 1/2 hour to 1 hour before frying. Fry in vegetable oil.

After they have been fried, let them sit on a paper towel to let some of the grease drain. Then dip them in glaze and eat warm!

Sugar Cookies [recipe]

We love decorating sugar cookies for holidays. This is my mom's sugar cookie recipe and it's a winner! Enjoy!

Sugar Cookies
1 lb. margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix eggs, butter, and sugar first. Add remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Frozen Fruit Salad [recipe]

My final fruit recipe is a favorite from my childhood. I have such vivid memories of eating frozen fruit salad in white china bowls for Sunday dinner. I love this stuff. I recently made it with all the peaches we had. I am so excited to have a nice stash of it to last us through the winter.

This is what you'll need: 

And this is what you will end up with...

Frozen Fruit Salad
6 cups fresh peaches, chopped
6 cups fresh pears, chopped
1 2/3 cup crushed pineapple
1 lb. grapes
up to 2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cup orange juice

Mix all the fruit together and then pour sugar over top. Mix well, let sit for about 20 minutes until sugar is dissolved. Then add juices and stir well. Freeze in ziploc bags or freezer containers. Makes 16 cups.

To eat, defrost for just a few minutes. You still want it chunky and frozen.

fruit pizza

Next up...fruit pizza!

Before summer is officially over, I've got to share this fruity treat with you. It's called fruit pizza and it's delightful. It's not just for summer, but since fruit is always better in the summer, I suggest you making it before fruit is out of season.

Fruit Pizza (makes 2 cookie sheets)
1 lb. margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
6 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cream margarine, sugar, and eggs together. Then add the rest of the ingredients. (This recipe makes a lot--2 cookie sheets worth. If you don't want that much, divide the recipe in half). Spread the dough on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350. Let cool and then spread the cream cheese topping.

Fruit Pizza Frosting
2, 8 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix together. Top with different fruits like kiwi, strawberries, purple grapes, bananas, mandarin oranges, pineapple.

*If you want it to look like a real pizza, just bake it in a round pan.

peach torte

(don't forget to enter the giveaway here)

 Before summer is too far past, I'm going to share with you some of my favorite festive 

ways to use up that fruit. First up... Peach Torte.

I first tried peach torte back when I was dating my husband. My future sister-in-law made it for us and ever since that day, I have been endlessly waiting to make it myself. I've been waiting for the perfect reason to make it, but I finally just decided that the fact the summer is practically over is a good enough reason. And, we had fresh peaches to use. I'm salivating just thinking about it. And confession, my husband actually made it. So it is a recipe that is easy enough a man can make it!

Peach Torte
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups oats
10 fresh peaches, sliced
1 1/2 cup milk
1 large box  instant vanilla pudding
8 oz whipped cream or cool whip


Melt butter. Add brown sugar and oats. Mix and put in a greased 9x13 pan. (Do not bake). Put sliced peaches on top of crust. Mix milk and pudding together until smooth. Then add cool whip to pudding. Mix well and then spread on top of peaches. Refrigerate until you eat it.

BYU Brownies

It's a shame that BYU had such an embarrassing performance last week against the U. Perhaps the only sweet thing of the evening were the Y brownies I made.

My mom always made brownies from scratch. It wasn't until college that I realized they could be made from a box. But now I know why she made them homemade. This recipe is a winner. And it's easy to make them festive.



Marilyn's Brownies
1 cup melted margarine
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
dash of salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (if desired)

Cream melted margarine, sugar, and eggs together. Add dry ingredients one at a time. Mix well. Pour in greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Top with frosting or powdered sugar.

Brownie Frosting
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup milk
3/4 lb. powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients until creamy. Spread on brownies once they are cool.

*To cut into shapes, use a cookie cutter before the brownies are cool all the way.