Whew - I am so sorry for the long break between my posts. March got a little crazy, and next thing you know the month is over. You'll notice that I did manage to get a much needed layout change in the past few weeks thanks to the lovely folks at Yellow&Savvy. I'm also going to step up my blog game a bit in the coming months (I say that now..) and make a Facebook page, start regularly posting, add in some other features and restaurant reviews, etc. I've been out of town half of the weekends in March, so that always takes away my weekends for picture taking. March is not a sign of what's to come, I promise you that!

Now to the recipe. I love Rice Krispie Treats, but I am super picky about my marshmallow to cereal ratio. I like my treats to be gooey when you pull them apart, not actually 'krispie' at all. There are a few keys to this, one of which is upping the amount of marshmallows in the recipe (shocking!). I also know a lot of people who use marshmallow fluff instead of marshmallows. I'm sure this helps as well. Unfortunately another issue is that Rice Krispie treats don't keep well. I'm not a big fan of desserts with only 1-2 days of shelf life, but if you make a dessert that is both cute and perfect for individual portions, you will have zero issue finding a way to use these all up in that time. These fit the bill.

I may have to make another batch this weekend because I saw another variation where the eggs were filled with candy (kind of like a Kinder Surprise... aka coolest candy ever). Can you have too much of a good thing? Not when it comes to these. Start to finish in under an hour. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Easter Egg Rice Krispies
Recipe Adapted from Kellogg's

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package miniature or regular marshmallows
• 6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal
• Multi-colored sprinkles
• 16 oz white chocolate melting discs*
• Food coloring (if desired)

*I used the Wilton Candy Dip cup this time because it was 50% off at the store. SO easy! I bought two and used about one and a half.

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

Using 1/4-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into 2 1/2- x 1 1/2-inch egg shapes. Or, coat insides of plastic snap-apart Easter eggs with cooking spray. Press cereal mixture into eggs. Remove cereal mixture from plastic eggs.* Cool.

Place chocolate discs in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent for 60 seconds. Stir chocolate and then microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Add food coloring if desired.

Dip the bottoms of the chocolate eggs in the chocolate and add sprinkles immediately. Place standing up on parchment lined cookie sheet. Allow chocolate to harden and enjoy!
Best if served the same day. 

*I used plastic eggs as molds which was fast and much easier than shaping them. I sprayed the inside with butter spray and rubbed it around to make sure it was covering all surfaces. I also didn't measure the amount of mixture I put into them, I just crammed in whatever fit and popped the top on to seal the shape. The same thing goes about buttered hands for either of these methods. Yes, you may find rubbing butter on your hands slightly off-putting, but it's either this or gooey marshmallow and cereal hands.

 

I make cheesy bread fairly often. It's one of my many healthy habits. What to do with the pizza dough in the freezer and that bag of cheese you bought because it was on sale? Cheesy bread, obviously. It seems every pizza spot is now trying to outdo the others with their new and improved cheesy bread recipe these days. Truth is, you don't need much to make amazing cheesy bread. It's not rocket science. Extra cheese + extra garlic butter = better cheesy bread. However, I find the garlicy grease that covers your hands after eating said cheesy bread is enough to make you feel guilty for the next few days. I don't like feeling guilty after eating something I enjoy, so I make my own cheesy bread. Sure, I still load it up with cheese and butter, but at least I know how much I use.

I saw this method for making garlic butter on Sweet Anna's the other day, and I knew I needed to give it a try. I usually brush with melted butter and spread garlic over the top when I make cheesy bread. Garlic infused butter--yes please. I don't have a pizza stone (who knows why not considering how much pizza I make) and I wanted to use up some frozen dough, so I did this the easy way. You can change it up however you'd like with spices, different types of cheese, dipping sauces, etc. And if you prefer your cheesy bread thicker, just don't roll the dough out as much. This is a game-changer here, people. Enjoy!

Homemade Cheesy Bread

1 ball of pizza dough*

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese**

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne or crushed red pepper

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3-4 tablespoons butter

*You can make your own or buy the premade version from your local grocery store's bakery. White or wheat both work fine.

**I usually use some sort of Italian blend 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and remove the pizza dough from fridge ~30 minutes before you start. Combine smashed garlic cloves and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or until melted. Leave garlic in butter for 20-30 minutes. Mix spices together in small bowl.

When ready, roll pizza dough out to your desired thickness. If you have a pizza stone, by all means use it, otherwise place rolled out dough onto pizza pan or other sheet pan that has been lightly brushed with olive oil. 

Remove garlic from butter, and brush butter over entire surface of dough. Make sure to cover the crust portion as well. Spread cheese across dough (again, don't leave the edges out!), and sprinkle spices over cheese.

Place in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese has slightly bubbled and some spots have browned, and dough has turned golden. Remove and slice however you'd like! I prefer cheese sticks because they're great for dipping. Serve immediately with marinara sauce or ranch...or both.