The woman who gave me this recipe claims these are "healthy" cookies. Personally, I don't see it...but they sure are TASTY! Very addictive! I store them in the freezer. Follows the recipe just as it was given to me:

Boil together for 3 minutes:

1 c. white sugar (cane preferably)
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter/margerine
1/2 c. cocoa

Remove from heat and add:

1 tsp. vanilla
4 c. oats
1/2 c. oatmeal bran

OR

3 c. oats
1 c. oatmeal bran
1 c. walnuts

Moving quickly:

-Stir in vanilla and oak mix
-Use two spoons to drop onto cookie sheets
-Put in fridge to cool
-Seal in container
-Store in fridge or freezer for freshness

PUPPY CHOW!!

1 13 oz box Crispix Cereal
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. chocolate chips
1 stick butter
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Melt above ingredients together (minus the cereal) in a pan until smooth. Pour mixture over a 13 ounce box of Crispix cereal. I usually break this down into two batches because I don't have a bowl big enough to hold it all...Stir until coated. Put 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar into a paper bag. Pour in coated cereal and shake well. Take "Puppy Chow" out of the bag and it's ready to serve.

This stuff is pretty dang good...

And my sister makes the spicy chex mix all the time. I'll get with her and post the recipe later today. Enjoy!!

Speaking of "trash"... does anyone have a recipe for that traditional "trash" recipe? I think there are 2 variations. One is the sweet kind with some sort of peanut butter (??) and powdered sugar. I think they call this doggy chow? Am I right?

The other kind is the other trash where it's a spicy kind with rice chex & worchestershire (how DOES one pronounce that dang word?!) & some other spices. I haven't been able to find a decent recipe online that has the perfect blend of tang.

Does anyone have a decent one of either of these? Sure would appreciate it!

~Marianna

Snack time!! This stuff is tasty!! And addictive!!

White Trash

Two 11oz bags of White Chocolate Chips ( I like Ghiradelli)
3.5 cups of Cheerios
3 cups of Rice Chex (small box)
3 cups of Corn Chex (ditto)
1 pound plain M&M's
2.5 cups mixed nuts (salted, no peanuts) Optional, I leave them out.
2 cups small pretzels (Eagle Snacks work well)

Get a really big metal bowl and place it over a large saucepan/pot containing one inch of water.
Put this over medium heat.

Dump the chips in the bowl and stir every now and then with a rubber spatula till melted smooth.
You can walk away from time to time, but be careful not to let the water get to hot or the chocolate will bog.
Dump everything else in the bowl and fold into chocolate until the hunks and chunks are well coated.

Spread the mess out onto parchment paper or freezer paper and set in a cool place until in cools and
sets solid. Break into pieces.

Dole out carefully, highly habit forming!!!

This is the yogurt sauce that goes on yummy gyros, but you can also serve this as a dip with some warmed up pita bread. Ohhhh soooo good!

2 large size tubs (32 oz) PLAIN yogurt
minced garlic to taste - you can either use fresh cloves or out of a jar (if you use a jar, I'd say use 1 Tablespoon)
1 cucumber, peeled & sliced lengthwise. Take out seeds out the middle & grate using large holed-grater & place onto paper towel & squeeze out all of cucumber juice.
1/2 teaspoon dry dillweed (can be found in the herb section)
salt/pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil
cheese cloth
strainer

Take cheese cloth & lay a couple layers over strainer. Drain yogurt into strainer & put strainer in mixing bowl to catch water & place in fridge for a few hours or overnight. This process will take out all the fat out of the yogurt. Make sure your strainer does not sit in the bowl because the fat needs to drain off of the yogurt.

Add garlic - this is where you can go wild. If you are a garlic fiend, add a bunch. If you like it milder, don't add so much. Add cucumber that has been strained of all juices & salt & pepper & dillweed. Finally, add a few tablespoons of olive oil. The tzatziki will need the olive oil to help re-saturate the mixture & give it some texture.

~Marianna

These are such a yummy treat, but I can handle eating 1 of them before my cheeks start to ache... lol. Sooo incredibly sweet!

Ingredients:

1 bag of butterscotch chips
1 container of lo mein noodles (you'll find these in the oriental section of your grocery store in a can container)

In a bowl melt butterscotch chips for 1 minute. No lie. No more than that or you'll melt thru your bowl. Believe me, I did it & caught my plastic bowl on fire. hehe It will look like the chips aren't melted, but they will be, I promise.

Mix in lo mein noodles (they should be a hard noodle) & then drop onto waxed paper on your counter by the teaspoon & let dry for at least 1/2 an hour.

Enjoy!

I posted this on my blog already, but wanted to post this here too. My husband makes the best cabbage I've EVER had. I never was a fan before. Enjoy & let me know what you think!

Darn Good Southern Cabbage

5-6 slices of bacon
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped fine
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
1 can chicken broth
1 head cabbage sliced
salt/pepper

1. Dice bacon and fry in large pan
2. Add chopped onion and garlic to bacon and bacon grease. Sautee till tender
3. Add chicken broth, vinegar, salt, pepper and mix well
4. Add cabbage, reduce heat, cover, cook till crisp & tender (usually about 30-45 minutes).

I was not going to make this because it has ~mint~ in it and quite frankly, I was thinking mint=chewing gum, not mint=yummy pasta dish, but...

holy, holy was I WRONG. I could've eaten the whole thing myself. Unassisted. Growling at the rest of my family like a hungry wolf hovering over a rib-eye steak. The mint really added a fresh, summery feel to this dish.

~Fettuccine with Zucchini and Mint~
1 TBSP butter
8 cups cubed zucchini (about 2lbs). Make 'em bite sized cubes...
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 9oz packages fresh fettuccine (I used angel hair and it was still great...)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

*Note: If you are one of those people who purchase your Parmesan in a green tube-like container with a shaker thing, STOP IT. Go. Buy yourself a hunk of fresh Parmesan or Asiago or Romano. Get a cheap-o grater with the teeny tiny holes and prepare to be astounded at what you have been missing your whole life when it comes to Italian food. The fresh cheese is wonderful!!!

Ok..on with the preparation.

1. Melt butter in nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add zucchini and garlic. Saute for 4 minutes our until tender. YOU DON'T WANT SOGGY..JUST TENDER. Remove from heat, stir in chopped mint, salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine zucchini mixture, pasta and oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and 1/2 tsp pepper. Yield 6 servings about 1 1/2 cups apiece.

Calories 258 (20% from fat); Fat 5.7g (sat 1.3g, mono 2.9g, poly 0.9g); Protein 9.2g; Carb 42.4g; Fiber 7.1g; Chol 45mg; Iron 2.4mg; Sodium 312mg; Calc 64mg;




Photo and recipe from ~Cooking Light~, June 2002.

Quick, easy and delish! These sandwiches ROCK.

~Turkey Pesto Sandwiches~

1/4 cup fat free mayo
1 Tbsp commercial pesto
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 2oz French bread rolls (I had a big loaf of fresh Italian bread so I sliced it up and used that)
2 cups trimmed arugula
8 oz thinly sliced, cooked turkey breast
8 (1/4") tomato slices
4 (1oz) slices part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat broiler
2. Combine first five ingredients
3. Cut rolls in half horizontally, spread mayo mixture evenly over cut sides of rolls. Divide arugula, turkey and tomato slices evenly among bottom half of rolls and top each with a slice of cheese. Place bottom half of rolls on a baking sheet. Broil two minutes or until cheese melts. Cover with top halves of rolls. Yields 4 servings.

Calories 358 (26% from fat); Fat 10.5 g (sat 4.8g, mono 4g, poly 0.8g); Protein 31.2g; Carb 34.1g; Fiber 0.8g; Chol 65mg; Iron 2.9mg; Sodium 705mg; Calcium 309mg.

And here's what it is supposed to look like when you are done...


Photo and recipe were taken from ~Cooking Light~ , June 2002.

I make this salad often at get-togethers for my office or at my friend Andy's house. Keep in mind that this makes a LOT of salad, so if you only want a little bit of salad, cut the recipe down for the number of people you need. If I had to judge, I'd say this makes enough salad for at least 5-6 people as a side dish to a meal.


***4 big sized tomatoes, not too ripe - they need to have some hardness to them, sliced into pieces
***1 cucumber, peeled, halved down the middle & sliced into small slices
***1/2 a purple onion, finely sliced into long slices
***1 jar of pepperocini peppers, drained, whole
***1 jar of Greek kalamata olives, with seeds, drained
***1 cube of feta cheese, crumbled by hand
***salt, pepper to taste
***extra virgin olive oil & salad vinegar - don't be shy on these!

In a LARGE mixing bowl, add tomatoes, cucumber, onion, peppers, olives, salt, pepper & mix all together. Then add oil & vinegar & re-mix again. After you feel you have mixed it well enough, then break apart feta cheese and mix briefly one final time. Feta cheese will fall apart easily, so that's why I wait til the end to add.

Refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors will marry together & then ENJOY! It's sooo good, especially now in the spring! mmmmm Served with a loaf of warm bread.... mmmmm dip into the "sauce".... mmmmm!

P.S. ~ Yes, there is NO lettuce in a true Greek salad!

~Marianna