Recipe: Mint-Chocolate Chip Frosting

The other day, I was scheduled to bring a dessert to church.  Any dessert.

Trying to save a trip out the door in the cold, I checked my pantry shelves first to see what I could come up with.  The first thing that caught my eye was a devil's food cake mix.  Since all of our "chocolate birthdays" have been covered for a while, I decided to use the mix, but realized that I didn't have any frosting. [Yes, I am a canned frosting girl.  Don't judge.  I haven't made "my own" frosting since using a boxed frosting mix sometime in the 70's or 80's in my mom's kitchen.]  I also noticed that my mint-chocolate chip lover had stocked up on his hard-to-find favorite.  Hmmmm.  It got me wondering what kind of frosting I could make with chocolate chips... in this case MINT-chocolate.

Adding the chocolate chips to the boiling mixture...

After a little searching, I came across this recipe on cooks.com for Never Fail Chocolate Chip Frosting, and the fun began.  This recipe is as easy as in sounds, and is very straightforward with no fancy cooking techniques or specific temperatures to worry about (like in candy-making).

And...I highly recommend using MINT-chocolate chips!

TIP:  Don't have MINT chocolate chips?  Try adding peppermint extract in place of vanilla for this recipe!

Did You Know? Rice Krispie Treats

One of our sweet nieces is allergic to many foods.  There is a long list of things she cannot eat.  When I visited for a week last November, I had to pack lunches every day for the girls.  My sister-in-law told me the best rule of thumb was meat, fruit, and veggies.  And... just to be on the safe side, her lunch should be packed before everyone elses, just to make sure there was no cross-contamination of ingredients.  Wow.  That's a lot to think about that early in the morning.  But... we made it through the week without incident [read: no epi-pen or trip to the ER!].  Praise God.

I had received good instructions from my sister-in-law, PLUS, my niece knows her stuff.  In addition, her three sisters really look out for her.  They all know, for the most part, what is acceptable, and what's in the danger zone.

Marshmallows are a regular snack item in their home -- something that is on the "safe" list.  And, if you're like OUR family, that would naturally lead you to think of Rice Krispie Treats.  Of the three ingredients, margarine (or butter if you prefer) was in the danger zone.  BUT, did you know you could substitute the same amount of CANOLA OIL?  I imagine other oils would work as well, but canola oil was what I had on hand -- and I knew it was on the "safe" list for my niece.

So the recipe goes:

1/4 cup margarine (or substitute the same amount of canola oil)

1 pkg. (10 oz.) mini marshmallows

6 cups Rice Krispie cereal

I couldn't resist making these for my niece the day of our daughter's party.  I wanted her to be able to enjoy a sweet treat just like everyone else.  While I wanted all of the kids to have access to the treats, I didn't want to "advertise" them too boldly, making sure that the niece in question got some before they completely disappeared.

I remembered some cute Valentine bags that I bought on clearance last year.  Cutting the treats into uniform squares, I filled the bags and added them to a cute Valentine bowl.  They looked cute, but what was inside was subtle enough that there were actually LEFTOVERS.

My plan was a success.  We knew that our niece had gotten some treats -- and I loved it when, after the party, my daughter mentioned to me that one of the other kids had asked about having a Rice Krispie treat, and my daughter said, "Well, let's make sure that Laura got some before we eat any."  Well done, Sweetie.

Have you learned to adjust a favorite recipe for someone in your life who has allergies?

One More Party...

So you have one more holiday party or family gathering, and you need a cute hostess gift?  No worries.  I've gotcha covered!  This is a super-easy last-minute idea!

In fact, I thought I was done sharing all things holiday -- but my daughter and I made these luscious chocolate Peppermint Marshmallows and I just had to share our success.  Inspired by this recipe at Barns & Noodles, I adjusted our recipe a little according to what we had on-hand.

What we used:

large marshmallows

semi-sweet chocolate chips melted over a double-boiler

crushed candy canes

The process is as easy as it looks.  Dip top half of marshmallow in melted chocolate, then in the crushed candy. Tip right side up, and allow to set.  I placed ours in the refrigerator for a little bit before placing in gift bags.

Come to think of it... maybe YOU'RE the one having the party?  These would be so cute in a pretty little bowl at a cocoa bar!  Decadent.

We made them as a last-minute project so that we could bag them up fresh for family and friends.  I thought I'd brag a bit about them, since they were such a simple and low-key project amidst the last-minute wrapping and baking.  Known for getting ahead of ourselves and messing things up, we were rather pleased with how these turned out.  Though they'd be delicious added to a steaming cup of hot cocoa, I will admit that we sneaked a few right off the tray after we made them, and we loved them!  If you are a lover of all things peppermint, I know you'll love them too!

Don't forget to check out Barns & Noodles for the original recipe!