Everyone makes Rice Krispy treats, sure. But I like to change it up sometimes and the colors of the “berries” (yeah, right) in the Cap’n Crunch make this treat pretty festive.

ingredients:
1 bag of large marshmallows
2 Tablespoons butter
pinch of salt
6 cups Cap’n Crunch Crunch Berries Cereal

Grease a 9″x13″ pan with melted butter. Set aside.

In a large pot heat the marshmallows and the butter. Once it starts to break down and melt, add the pinch of salt. Stir up this sticky mess and once it is all combined fold in the cereal, careful not to crush it.

Once the cereal is coated in the marshmallow mixture, pour it into the prepared pan. Push down to even it out flat, and let sit to cool. Cover with plastic wrap until you are ready to serve. Then cut into squares.

These are definitely sweeter than your traditional rice cereal treats, but they are a yummy colorful alternative!

You don’t really need a how-to for this, I just wanted to show you how easy it is to set up a snack bar. They are great for parties because it gives the guests the opportunity to ‘graze’ and socialize as they please.

I am partial to glass jars, which are fairly cheap at Target. Like in an old time candy store , glass allows you to see all the colors and textures which makes the idea of ’snacking’ that much more desirable. But you don’t need fancy jars – vases, bowls, those all work too.

Salty and Sweet snack bar
A nice combination of salty and sweet makes for great party snacks. It will make your guests keep coming back for more. I did these for The Baby’s Batman themed party and the kids loved it, but their parents loved it even more!

Cookies and Milk bar
Who doesn’t love cookies with a nice cold glass of milk?? Again, I just like to get a bunch of different flavors – I baked three different kinds, hoping that there would be something at appealed to everyone.

Chips bar
Chips are great because they come in a variety of textures and are fairly inexpensive. I chose these based on trying to get different flavors and how the colors would look next to each other too.

Cereal bar
A cereal bar is a unique fun thing to have at a party. You can get a variety of different flavors and colors and they look GREAT in glass jars. It makes people nostalgic for their youth and there’s something comforting about eating a small bowl of cereal for dessert!

themed snack bar
This was for a Hawaiian themed 1st birthday party so I tried to get all ‘local’ snacks: Kakimochi, Kimi Boro balls, Pocky, Li Hing candy, Diamond Animal Crackers, Green apple candies. Whatever your theme may be, stick to it and your guests will get a big kick out of it.

For all these ideas I made signs to go with each snack. It makes it easier on the guests and by themeing with your color scheme or party theme it will tie your whole party together!

If you need a quick and easy treat for a party, I’ve got ‘em. I made these for a Snack Bar at a kid’s birthday party. No one can resist chocolate covered marshmallows. NO ONE.

ingredients:
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (I prefer Callebaut)
1 bag regular sized marshmallows
sprinkles, nuts, etc

Poke the stick into the end of the marshmallows. I use extra long lollipop sticks so that I can get TWO marshmallows on one stick. Set aside.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate down to a nice runny consistency. I like to use bittersweet chocolate, just because the marshmallow itself is so sweet, there’s no need to go into a total sugar coma overload. The bittersweet is a nice contrast.

Dip the marshmallows into the chocolate to coat. I like to leave the bottom ‘white’ of the marshmallow showing, just to give people an idea of what they are eating.

Then coat with sprinkles. Nuts, candies, whatever you like. Color coordinating with the party’s theme is always a winner.

Place the dipped sticks on a silpat lined baking tray. Place these in the fridge to set.

I like to bag them up with a ribbon for a nice presentation. The kids love these because….well, let’s face it – pure sugar. These make great favors for a party!

Inari is so versatile, you can fill it the traditional sushi way with rice or you can fill it with pork or stir fry, but I like it this way – with noodles!

ingredients:
1 bundle somen noodles
1/2 cup char siu sliced in thins strips
1 egg, fried crepe style & sliced in thin strips
1/2 cup kamaboko sliced in strips
1 stalk green onion, chopped
2 T sugar
2 T sesame oil
2 T vegetable oil
1 T rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp mirin
1 package aburage aka tofu pouches

Boil somen for according to package for just two minutes, rinse and drain. Set aside.

You can get canned aburage, but I like these in the refrigerated section the best. Boil the aburage package according to directions, set aside.

In a small bowl combine the sugar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and mirin.

In a large bowl toss the somen noodles with the cut char siu, eggs, kamaboko and green onion. Pour the sauce on top.

Stuff the aburage pouches with the noodle mixture. Chill and serve!

The kids love this, both as a main dish and a side. It’s a great cool recipe for the summer!

I made this to go with Red Roasted Chicken Tacos, the fresh corn adds the perfect bite to the soft tacos. Or you can just eat it straight out of the bowl while you are watching The Amazing Race…I certainly won’t judge you.

ingredients:
2 avocados, quartered, seeded and peeled
2 ears of fresh roasted corn (recipe, here)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of one lime
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Fresh roasted corn off the cob is the best – sweet and creamy, it not only tastes great on it’s own but adds so much to recipes. Take the cob and simply cut down the sides, not going too deep, just far enough to get all that corn-y goodness.

Add the corn to the avocados, tomatoes, onions, garlic and lime juice. Mash it together to your liking. Some people like it chunky, others totally mashed. I’m sure there’s a psych eval in there somewhere about what you like better.

Add the cayenne, salt and pepper. You need to taste it once you add the seasonings to get it just how you like it. Stir it up a bit more and you’re ready to roll!

Over the weekend Darlene (of My Burning Kitchen) and I went to a California Avocado event at Ciudad, hosted by two of my favorite chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, the Too Hot Tamales. I remember watching them on tv back before there was even a Food Network!

At the event they made us do a Top Chef style Quick-Fire challenge, sort of an homage to the fact that Susan is on the current season of Top Chef Masters. Darlene and I and other pairs had to come up with our ’signature’ guacamole in exactly FIVE minutes using a large buffet of ingredients…

Squid ink, anyone? Darlene and I quickly scanned the foods and decided to come up with a guacamole using fresh fruit focusing on pomegrante.

I am now even MORE of a fan of Top Chef, because developing a recipe on the fly AND making it in just under 5 minutes is ridiculous! We were chopping ingredients, running around like crazy – it was insanity. Cooking under pressure is no fun.

We were judged on the best guacamole and the best named guacamole and believe it or not…we won!…best name. Ha! Good enough for me. Our guac incorporated fresh fruit with a sprinkling of pomegrantes so we named it POM-OCADO…MOLE! Catchy, right? Hey, whatever, we won.

So here’s our recipe…

ingredients:
2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 banana
zest of half an orange
juice of half a lime
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced tomato
1 cup pomegrante seeds
salt
pepper

In a large bowl mash together the avocados and the banana. The banana will mix together nicely and the the guac a bit of subtle texture.

Add the orange zest, lime juice, red onion and tomato. Stir to combine.

Add in the pomegrante seeds, season generously with salt and pepper.

It was a fantastic event and I hope Susan wins it ALL on Top Chef Masters – go Susan!!

Bacon? Yes. Hot sauce? Yes, please. What SoCal family doesn’t have a stash of Tapatio in their fridge? Well, you should. It’s not as hot as Tabasco, and adds just the right kick. Feel the burn indeed.

ingredients:
6 eggs
2 slices of bacon
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon pickle relish
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons Tapatio hot sauce

First cook the bacon (I use the oven – recipe here) until crispy. Let drain, then crumble and set aside for later.

On to the eggs! Carefully place your eggs in a pan. 6 will fit in a saucepan, you are going to slice them in half eventually to get 12 to serve. Gently cover the eggs with about 1-2 inches of water.

Bring the pot to a boil – obviously watch it, don’t go far it will be boiling before you know it. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat OFF. Cover with a lid, and let it sit there for 12 minutes.

Prep a bowl filled halfway with ice water, set aside. When the 12mins are up, drain the eggs and place them in the ice water to cool. Keep them in the fridge til you are ready to use them.

Once the eggs are cooled crack and shell them. If there are little pieces of shell stuck I like to run the egg under water and then dab it with a paper towel.

Cut the boiled eggs in half. Pop out the yolks into a small bowl, set the whites aside.

In the yolk bowl add the mayo, relish, onion powder, paprika, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Using a small spoon scoop the yolk filling back into the egg white pockets. Top with the crumbled bacon, then add a few drops or five – of Tapatio sauce.

These are deviled eggs with a little something extra, your party will never be the same.

Last year I threw my mom an ‘Ina Garten Dinner Party‘ for her birthday. This year I went cajun style and served up some very creole treats…

On the menu:
Muffaletta sandwiches
Sweet Cornbread muffins
Crab salad stuffed tomatoes
Red beans & rice
Sweet Potater Tots
Jambalaya
Pecan Praline cupcakes

When I started planning the lunch I drew up some thumbnail sketches of what I thought would go well together. Turns out I made ALL of the dishes. Yikes. I can’t help myself. But I planned everything out so there was no panic and everything was ready right on time.

I have to say the sweet potater tots were a HIT. They were amazing and creamier than the regular tots I had made recently, not to mention I used a fryer this time which made a big difference.

I’ll start posting the recipes over the next few days. For now, I’m takin’ a break from the kitchen…and eating. Whew, I’m stuffed!

**Sorry for the horrible pics. It was really rainy and dark that day. Bad for picture taking, good for eating!

First birthdays are the best – over the top fun! I made 100 cupcakes for the Sweets Table and what a sweet table it was – look at that candy!

Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting dipped in lavender and soft green sanding sugars – to match the birthday colors of course – and some in lovely folded parchment cups with just a few lavender sugar pearls on top. Divine.

Can you believe it was storming torrential rain as I drove up with these? Poor little cupcakes. They survived though!

Happiness to the birthday girl!

I received a few emails about what to make for a party since it seems ya’ll are doing something on Sunday…football..what? So I thought I’d put together a list of really tasty, fun and EASY party food. These are tried and true that I’ve made over and over. What are you making for your Superbowl party on Sunday? Have fun!

Bacon Wrapped Smokies
Brown Sugar Meatballs
Easy chicken chili
Spam Musubi
Brownie cupcakes
Ice cream Jello (in team colors!)
Watermelon Ice Cream bombe