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Thursday, July 31, 2014

In A Real Pickle...Dill Pickle Dip

The other night we were having a scrappy thrown together meal of re-formed Chinese leftovers.  I had about a half of a carton of moo shu pork and an equal amount of rice as a start.  I sauteed a sliced onion, a summer squash, some sugar snap peas and grated ginger.  ( I would have added more veggies but I still haven't been to the grocery store.)  I added the leftovers and heated it through. It was still a little flat tasting so I tossed in a couple of splashes of tamari and some plum sauce and stirred it through.  It was tasty but there was not quite enough for four.

I remembered seeing this at Copy Cat Recipes a while back and figured it was a good time to try a new filler recipe.  OK I will be the first to admit that dill pickle dip and chinese food do not exactly go together, but I had everything needed to make it in the fridge and it would go together quickly, and sometimes that is good enough.

                                                           Dill Pickle Dip
                                                   


1  8 ounce package of cream cheese softened
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
minced dill pickles ( I used 4 spears, minced finely)
1 teaspoon dill pickle juice
1 dash of Worcestershire sauce

Mix the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise until it is very smooth.  Add the minced onion and the seasonings.  Stir well.  Add in the minced pickles then the pickle juice and Worcestershire.  Try it with about half the called for amount and add the additional to taste.

Serve with crackers or chips.  We used crackers and liked it quite well, but we are spoiled with the taste of Golden Flake Dill Pickle Chips.  They are a delicious stand alone chip and satisfy our desires for chips with dill.  If you live somewhere and can't get them you might want to serve it with chips just for the experience.

I will not say whether we liked it or not,  I will just say that after the meal the bowl was completely empty and someone had taken a cracker and used it as a spatula to get the last remnants of the dip out.
Not pointing fingers, just sayin'.

If you have the hankering for a dip that is just a little different, try this!




Monday, July 28, 2014

Depression Era Brown Sugar Cookies

You all have heard the old saying "Everything old is new again".  I understand that phrase when it comes to fashion and fads, but you usually don't think about it when you are thinking of food.  It seems there is always another cutting edge, molecular, deconstructed, revisionist food created with the most oddly paired ingredients known to man.  For example, heard about the candied bacon chocolate chip cookies?

Or there are the "experts" who will try and convince you to purchase only vanilla from Madagascar  made from orchids harvested under the third full moon of the year by natives wearing true rubber soled shoes while carrying silk gathering bags.  They will then tell us that there is a static buildup that occurs with anything but natural rubber and that the silk protects the delicate flower buds resulting in much finer vanilla flavoring.

Or you can look in my grandmother's cookbook printed in 1931 that had little room for anything other than plain recipes easily made by almost any home cook.  Amazingly most of them have stood the test of time, plus you can still find all the ingredients because everything was made from scratch then.

I was cookie hungry the other day, but had very few ingredients on hand because I had not been to the store in a couple of weeks.  I grabbed Grandmother's book since I knew it required only staples and started searching for something that might be tasty, yet easy. ( Oh and it could not require any butter since I had none and only 1 egg 'cause that was all I had)  So using those parameters I started looking.  It did not take long to find a recipe that met all my needs.

                                                           Brown Sugar Cookies




1/2 cup shortening*
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 375 **degrees

Mix shortening and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Stir to blend well.  Add the vanilla and egg and mix until creamy.  Mix all the dry ingredients together then add to the sugar mixture.  Stir until well mixed.  On a sheet of waxed paper roll the dough into a log.  Wrap it with the waxed paper** and put it in the refrigerator ** until it is firm.  Slice in 1/8th inch slices ( I could not get mine sliced that thin so mine were a tad less than 1/4 inch)  Place about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for about 8 minutes, but I suggest watching them closely after 6 minutes.

These came out perfectly delicious.  They were crisp and  sweet with an intense brown sugar taste. The recipe made about 40 medium sized cookies ( 2 inches in diameter) and there were equally tasty warm from the oven or cooled.

I tried a second batch to see if the dough behaved well after freezing.  After rolling it I cut the roll in half, wrapped them in freezer paper and stuck them in to freeze.  I baked one half a couple of days later and the other half a week later.  I could tell no difference in the taste or texture so I would guess you can freeze the dough for about 3 months. ( Seems to be standard raw cookie dough freezing length)
You do need to let the frozen dough sit out for about 10 minutes before slicing the cookie rounds.

And what is new again about this old recipe?  This is my new go-to in a hurry cookie.  It really was that good.

* I confess, I do not use Crisco shortening. Ever.  I found a product at my local health food store called Spectrum shortening.  It is an organic non-hydrogenated product.  I use it mainly for pie crusts, but it worked really well in these cookies.

**
These are places I updated the recipe.  It called for a medium oven and after several tests I found 375 was the best temp.  It also suggested rolling the dough in a floured tea towel and storing it in the icebox.
I actually used parchment paper, but more people have waxed paper than parchment so I suggested that instead.  But if you had rather, feel free to use that floured tea towel!



Friday, July 25, 2014

E.Z. Chicken and Dumplings

Over the years I have learned how critical it is to have the "fixings" for quick meals in the freezer.  I  always have packs of pre-browned ground beef, ham slices, and cooked and shredded chicken.  I also have chicken broth and vegetable broth in both quart and pint size bags. Using these, on those days when time gets the best of me, I can make something really fast.

About two times a year one of our local grocery stores has chicken leg quarters for  59 cents per pound. They are sold in 10 pound packages.   When it happens I buy 40 pounds and process them for the freezer that same day.

I cut the thighs off of about half of them, bone them and freeze in packages of 8 thighs each.  I put the rest into a gigantic soup pot, seasoned with a tad of salt, a sprig of thyme and a quartered onion to simmer until they are tender.  They are removed from the cooking liquid until cool enough to touch.  I remove all the meat from the bones and package  2 cups into each freezer bag.  All the bones and scrappy pieces are returned to the cooking liquid with enough added water to cover the top by 2 inches.  This cooks on low for several  hours, with water added as needed.  I generally strain the broth through a colander about 3 times, then finish the final straining through a large sieve.  I pour the finished broth in a large pot and set it in the fridge until it cools and the fat solidifies. After removing the fat I package the broth into quart  and pint bags for the freezer. ( This broth is super concentrated).

Last night Son3 asked for chicken and dumplings.  It is one of his favorite meals and he rarely asks for anything specific to eat.  Since I had my packages in the freezer it was an easy request to fill.

Years ago his  kindergarten teacher told me this trick for "cheating" when making dumplings. This is my take on her amazingly simple meal.  Thanks Ann!

                                                       E.Z. Chicken and Dumplings


2 cups cooked chicken
1 quart rich chicken broth ( might need a bit more if using store broth)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
2 teaspoons dried parsley
8 large flour tortillas (fewer of you like a soupier dumpling meal)

In a medium size pot put the chicken broth and the seasonings, stir then add the chicken.  Bring to a hard boil adding water as the liquid reduces. Place the stacked tortillas on a cutting board.  Cut them into 1 1/2 inch strips,  Turn the cutting board 1/2 turn and cut them across in 1 1/2 inch cuts. ( You will wind up with 1 1/2 inch squares except for the rounded edge cuts.)  Separate them and put them into the boiling liquid one at a time.  Stir often while putting the tortillas into the pot.  Add additional liquid as needed ( Since my broth is so rich I use water, but if using Swanson or something similar more broth might be needed.  Continue placing tortilla squares and stirring until all the pieces are used.   When they are all incorporated cook a few minutes more until the "dumplings"  are soft.  This will make a  very thick stew-like dumpling meal.

Since I found how to do this I have never made traditional dumplings again.  This is one of those "cheats" everyone needs to know!



We have this about  once a month.   Add a couple of vegetable sides and you have a complete meal. If you like chicken and dumplings this will make a quick and delicious meal.  

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Easy Make Ahead Appetizer, Marinated Cheese



Several years ago my friend, Jeannie, served this as an appetizer at a book club meeting.  It was so good and she was kind enough to share the recipe with us.  I took the recipe card she gave us and promptly stuck it in the middle of a random cookbook.  That would have been fine, but I have a way too many cookbooks. Years passed and I thought about it but had no idea what I had done with the recipe card.  A few weeks ago as I was culling cookbooks and giving them one last look to see if I had put anything in them before I gave them away.  With a good shake out floated the recipe.  Eureka! My 4th of July appetizer was in the bag.

                                                              Marinated Cheese


1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons minced green onions
2 ounces diced pimento
8 ounces new york sharp cheese, cubed
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
8 ounces white cheddar cheese, cubed
Assorted crackers or baguette slices

Put cheese cubes in a shallow dish that has an airtight lid.  Try to keep the cheese cubes from being stacked directly over each other.  I try and make a checkerboard pattern with the 2nd level of cubes.

In a medium bowl add the oil, vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt.  Whisk well to blend.  Stir in the basil, garlic, parsley. green onions, and pimento.  Mix thoroughly. Pour over the cheese cubes, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (Overnight is fine)

Remove the cheeses with a slotted spoon to a shallow bowl or small platter to serve. (Reserve the marinade in case you have leftover cheese)  A few cocktail forks make spearing the cubes easy work. Serve with your choice of crackers, toast points or baguette slices.  I can't even find the words to tell you what kind of deliciousness will happen in your mouth, unless you just don't like cheese. ( I have never tried this with non-dairy cheese so I have no idea how it would work)

This makes quite a bit, so have it for a large party or do what we did with the leftovers.  The day after we had cheese and crackers with salad for lunch, but there was still a lot left.  On day 3 I drained all the marinade from the cheese and made mac and cheese with it.  There was not a morsel remaining!

This is going to become one of my go to dishes.  I can do it ahead of time and it looks and tastes like it took much more effort than it did.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Thai Inspired Grilled Chicken

Tonight I was wondering what to have for dinner.  My only requirement was not going to the grocery store, which is kind of hard since I have not been grocery shopping in about two weeks.  I'm sorry but it's summer and I just do not like to plan meals, or shopping trips, or cooking during the summer.  If everyone here would agree to it, we would have nothing but salad every night.  Since they don't really cotton to rabbit food each night I try to come up with something simple and grill-able.  If it is going on the grill we have a battle of testosterone to see who is actually going to do the cooking.  Win!   The bad thing is it requires either buying something that can be cooked or remembering to take something out of the freezer.  Today I did think far enough in advance to remove 6 chicken breasts  to thaw. 

I have been swimming laps nearly daily and try to have it done by mid to late afternoon, but today I started my "Do Ten Remarkable Things Daily" challenge.  These things can be something as blase'  as cleaning out all the kitchen cabinets or as remote as beginning an unlikely Pulitzer Prize novel.  The only restriction is that is has to be something I do not do on a regular daily basis. ( Today one of my remarkable things was getting a composition book and organizing notations for my remarkable doings.  See how flexible I am with what constitutes remarkable.  Though I tried I could not count folding laundry as remarkable)  So while I was busy with remarkable things and everyday chores my day disappeared and laps became an early evening activity.  Still no thought about dinner.

  While I was swimming laps I began to mentally construct supper.  I knew I had the chicken, some washed lettuce, and a few straggling salad fixings, and some rice.  BORING!  Then I remembered my love affair with my new found Goya Cilantro Base.  

After dripping dry (mostly) I came in to begin the meal before I even showered.  I pulled out the cilantro base, threw a few things in with is, did several taste tests until it actually tasted like something good, then tossed the chicken breasts in to marinate.  I started the rice, with instructions to all within hearing to cover and turn it down to low as soon as it boiled, then disappeared to wash the residual pool water off. 

I came out cleaned and dressed and ready to finish the supper details.  Son3 declared he would man the grill which left me to just make the salad and set the  table.  Win again!  15 minutes later we were eating!  I have no idea what to call this so I am going to name it Thai Inspired Grilled Chicken. (continual lack of creativity = unlikely Pulitzer Prize) 





1/3 cup Goya Cilantro Base
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce*
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger ( would have preferred fresh but had none)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
couple of grinds of the pepper mill ( maybe 1/8 teaspoon?)
1/3 cup olive oil
6  boneless skinless chicken breasts ( there was enough marinade for 8)

Mix  all the ingredients except for the chicken into a shallow glass bowl.  Whisk together to blend well. Place the breasts in one at a time making sure each surface is well coated.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Heat the grill to medium (or build a medium hot fire).  Place on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Discard all marinating liquid.  Turn and cook until done, about 4 minutes.   

 Enjoy!  We did! And for the record Son2, the cilantro hater, ate 2 chicken breasts. (Of course I did not mention using the cilantro base until everyone had eaten.) 

* You can purchase Thai sweet chili sauce in Asian markets or you can make it easily. This is the recipe I use.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Gluten Free PB Cookies

What do you do when it is late at night and you have nothing around to snack on?  One of my favorite things to do is late night baking, but I am not a fan of the time it takes or the clean up afterward.  These peanut butter cookies fit the bill perfectly.  They are a quick one bowl and a spoon type of treat, they all fit on one large cookie sheet and with our family there are none left  to tempt anyone the next day ( I did mention I am the sole female here, right?)

I found this recipe in an old worn out cookbook.  They called them Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies, but I am going for the current hip food genre and renaming them.

 The original recipe was from one of those fundraising favorite recipe books.  I remember buying it when I worked at my second ever job.  The cover is long gone and I have no idea what the group was.  Sorry I can't give your group credit.  Sorrier that I can still see the woman's face who sold it to me but I have no idea what her name was. And since I am already in apology mode I apologize in advance to my friend, Peggy. These are about as easy as the 6 minute microwave brownies and about as addictive.

                                                                 G.F. Peanut Butter Cookies




3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium sized bowl mix the brown sugar and peanut butter.  You want to stir it until it is grainy and thick.  Regular Jif or Peter Pan type peanut butters works much better than a natural one, unless you happen to have just made it or bought it freshly ground. ( Sorry, but that is just how it is.)
Add the egg and beat it in well.  Next add the baking soda and salt.  Blend well.
Roll the dough into balls about the size of a small walnut.  Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Make the traditional criss cross design with a fork.  Bake at 350 degrees until the outside edges begin to brown. It takes about 10 minutes in my oven, but it seems all ovens have their own peculiarities so watch your first batch.  There is a very fine line here between done and burned.

These are delicious and will make you wonder why you ever made traditional peanut butter cookies.  I will never bother with them again now that I have found these goodies!  Try them, and if you'd like add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips before you roll them into balls.  We tried it but did not like it as well as the plain peanut butter, however, we dipped 1/2 the cookie ( like a half moon)  of some  plain ones  in melted chocolate and really liked them that way.

So pour a glass of cold milk and dig in.


Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Southwestern Stew

I understand that the rest of the world is far more organized and "together" than I am.  In addition to swimming daily ( these are laps, people, not joy swimming) I have been reading the Fire and Ice series and am currently on book 5. 

Each morning I breeze through daily chores, hitting everything with a spit and promise to do better next week, swim for about 45 minutes, then read and read and read.  I have been totally lost in the Westeros world and rarely think about eating until it is finally time to eat. 

Obviously, in addition to not thinking about cooking, I am not thinking about what I bought that might possibly need to be cooked.  This evening TheHub played 9 holes of golf after work which gave me an additional 2 hours of reading time before I had to cook supper.  Fortunately, when he called to tell me he would be late I did look in the refrigerator to see what might magically appear for dinner.  When I opened the meat drawer I found 6 pounds of ground chuck I bought several days ago for the freezer.  Oops, I didn't get it frozen and it had to be cooked immediately.  All 6 pounds were browned and everything was put away in freezer bags with the exception of about 1 cup of browned ground, which I left out for the meal.   I pulled out a few cans and a few spices and declared it done.  I am calling it Southwestern Stew because I am feeling terribly uninventive plus I only have a few chapters of the book left and I really want to get back to my reading.

                                                           Southwestern Stew 



1 pound ground chuck ( I used less but more would taste better)
1 small onion, julienned or chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can beans (black, pinto, or kidney) undrained ( I wanted to use black beans but had none)
1 can niblet corn, drained
1 small can chopped chiles undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained ( save that juice for spaghetti sauce)
3 tablespoons Goya Cilantro base*
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
salt to taste
1 slice cheese per person ( I used deli sliced sharp cheddar cheese. Real cheese will melt, the stuff wrapped individually in plastic not so much.)

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.  About midway through add the onions and the garlic.  Continue cooking until the beef is cooked through, but the vegetables are just wilted, not browned.  Add the canned vegetables and stir everything together to mix well.  Stir in the cilantro base. chile powder. red pepper flakes and let the mixture cook on medium low for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste and see if you need to add salt.  Since each can had salt already we needed very little added.  I used about 1/4 teaspoon but we like just a hint of it.  Continue cooking and turn the heat up until it is bubbling throughout.  Ladle into bowls and top with a thin slice of cheese. ( I would have preferred to sprinkle with grated cheese, but  I had none to grate and as of tonight I am completely out of all cheese.

Everyone liked this.  Son2 ate with us tonight and he kept wondering what the underlying flavor was.    Fortunately his bowl was empty when I told him it was cilantro base so he could tell me how much he dislikes cilantro.  I am glad he had finished his entire HUGE bowlful before he realized he hated it

I plan on making this again in the future when it is not a punt situation. I wonder if Son3 hates cilantro also.  Maybe I will not tell him until he eats 2 bowls of something he dislikes.


* I don't know if any of you have tried Goya Cilantro Base before or not.  I discovered it at Publix in the ethnic food aisle and bought it just because I had never seen it before. ( I am probably the only one late to the cilantro base party).  I have used a tablespoon in 1/4 cup mayonnaise for a quick fake aioli for turkey sandwiches.  I put  the same amount in 1/4 cup of sour cream to alter the flavor of baked potatoes.  You get a tamed version of cilantro (fyi, I love cilantro) along with a citrusy under flavor  .  This is going to be a product I keep all the time.

For the record I receive nothing for anything I say on this blog.  The opinions are either mine or those of the people who eat what I cook.  So, come eat with me and I'll quote you.  Unless you say my cooking stinks and then I will artfully craft a sentence that will make you sound ambiguous.


Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Cleaning The Fridge Remnant Dinner (Ham & Savory Grits)

When you read this know in advance this happened on July 2.  We have had blissful sunny days and instead of writing about food, I have been out in the sun swimming and enjoying holidays and birthdays with my family.  I began writing this post the night we ate this but I got a phone call or saw something shiny and I left blog world.  I am continuing right now but am not going to rewrite what I had started. ( Sun and swimming makes me lazy)  I ask that you suspend belief and just pretend this actually happened this evening.

I was procrastinating waiting for inspiration for the monthly cleaning of the refrigerator.  This time it needed a complete thorough take everything out, swab the decks, toss dubious containers and put everything back in its place type cleaning.  Did I do that?  Well no, but at least I did go through everything and sorted all that needed to be tossed.  Right now it is presentable, but that is all it is

It was late and I had nothing ready for dinner.  Not only did I have nothing ready, I hadn't even given a thought to what we were having.  Fortunately I found some sliced ham that had been pushed to the back of the meat drawer and it needed to be eaten right away. I also had  a few small peppers and 3/4 of an onion waiting to be used. I had just picked a few cherry tomatoes from the yard too. There was also an opened carton of whipping cream with just a tad over 1 tablespoon in it. ( Who saves 1 tablespoon of cream? Oh, yeah! I do.)

Ingredients were found so all I needed was inspiration or desperation to form them into something edible and somewhat satisfying. I knew there needed to be something of substance for the soon to be creation to sit on, but I had not the time nor patience for rice and I was completely out of potatoes. Jim Dandy to the rescue!

                                                                     Ham over Savory Grits


Cooked quick cooking grits ( I am not going to tell you how many to use. Look on the package and cook the amount you need for your family.  But please, for the love of all that is Holy, DO NOT USE INSTANT GRITS )  Make grits according to package directions.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter per 1 cooked cup of grits  ( 2 actual servings) .  Add 1 teaspoon dried savory ( thyme will work as well)  and 1 tablespoon of dried parsley along with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt.  (Remember these measurements are for 2 servings only. Adjust upwards if you are making larger servings) Stir to blend.  If you like a little heat add a couple of drops of tabasco sauce and stir more.  Pour the grits into a small greased loaf pan* and let sit while you cook the rest of the food.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion julienned
3 small sweet peppers sliced ( These were slightly larger than a ping pong ball)
6 cherry tomatoes ( because that is how many were ripe)
5 slices deli cut in strips
1 tablespoon whipping cream
2 tablespoons of chicken broth (if you have it , if not 2 tablespoons water or white wine)

Saute' the vegetables in olive oil until they are nicely wilted but not browned.  Add the ham strips and stir to mix with the vegetables. Remove from the heat but leave in the pan

Turn the small loaf pan upside down.  The grits should slide out in 1 whole piece. Slice the grits cross ways into 4 pieces.  Place 2 pieces in the center of a 2 plates.  If they are not still warm, pop them in the microwave on the plates for about 30 seconds.

Put the saute' pan back on the heat and add the cream and broth.  Stir to mix well and cook until the liquid reduces by half.  Pour half on each plate on top of the sliced grits.  Set it on the table and have a tasty dinner from reclaimed foods.

This was quick and good and pretty tasty.  I will make it again on my next clean out the fridge day. Never be afraid to throw something together.  If it isn't great, it's just one meal and ,if you're lucky, you might find a new family favorite.

And this is why I save 1 tablespoon of cream and always have homemade chicken broth ice cubes in the freezer.



*I have a 1 1/2 cup porcelain loaf pan so I used it.  This was just for my personal aesthetics.  It would have worked perfectly well by just spooning half of the grits mixture on each plate and spooning the ham mix over it



Tuesday, July 1, 2014

No Bake Cereal Cookies

I don't know about the rest of you but summertime leaves me uninspired (or maybe just unwilling) to do any serious cooking or baking. A few days ago I was thinking about a sweet snack I made for Son1 and Son2 when they were young. Though the old recipe calls it a cereal cookie, it is more like cereal nuggets held together with a sweet peanut butter syrup cooked to a soft caramel consistency.  Since it is cooked on the stove top it meets my no oven preference.  I dug out the old cookbook " More with Less" and searched for the old often used recipe.

 I remembered it was simple, but I guess I had forgotten exactly how easy it really is. The equipment you need for the recipe consists of a cookie sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper, a medium sized pot, a wooden spoon,  a 1cup and 1/4 cup measure, and a pot holder.  See I told you it is simple.

                                               No Bake Cereal Cookies/Candy

1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ( don't measure, just use a capful)
6 cups cornflakes or whatever your favorite cereal is, but flaky stuff looks best

Measure the cereal and set aside
 Put the brown sugar and corn syrup in a pot and stir to blend.   Turn heat on medium and continue stirring until the mixture comes to a full boil.  Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla.  Stir it quickly then add the cereal stirring gently to keep the flakes as unbroken as possible.  Drop by spoonfuls onto the parchment paper.  Let set until cool, then enjoy.

I have to admit I cut the recipe in half because I did not want too many of these treats hanging around the next day.  No problem there!  They were scarfed down with drooling people even trying to get the pieces I had plated for a quick picture.  This is one of the easiest goodies I have ever made.  There was about a 5 minute cook time, another 3 minutes to drop them on the parchment and 5 minutes cooling time.  Then, one by one, they disappeared.

They tasted better than I remembered and seem to have unaminous family approval. If you want something quick and easy and relatively inexpensive* try these.  You just might really like them.

*Relatively inexpensive requires store brand peanut butter and no name cornflakes.