Vanilla Rum Balls

        I have made these rum balls for Christmas the last 3 years, and I have to admit, they have quite the fan base going at my day job! My fellow employees can't wait to dive into the cookie platter I bring every year for Christmas Eve, and these are probably the first thing to disappear. I have made the smart move to double this recipe when I make them, so there's plenty for everyone.  What's good about these? Well, they are recommended to make 1 week in advance, so no last-minute preparations here. You like rum? Fantastic! You'll love 'em! Don't like rum? Well, you can substitute a liquor of your choice, no problem. There is also no baking required and these are even great to serve for New Years!  Enjoy!!!




3 cups vanilla wafers, grounded fine  ( I use 1/2 and 1/2 of the vanilla wafers pictured below, the ones with the cream filling help bind the ingredients together, and the round ones absorb the rum nicely)

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons of corn syrup (any color)

1/3-1/2 cup of rum ( I use a 1/2 cup), or another liquor of you choice

                   These are the type of vanilla wafers I used,  50/50.

1. Ground up your round vanilla wafers in a food processor, or crush them in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.

2. Do the same to you cream-filled wafers and add them in with the other crumbs.

           3. Sift in the powdered sugar into the cookie crumb mix.

                           4. Add the syrup, then the alcohol.

5. Now at this point, especially if you used the 1/2 cup of alcohol, you will need to chill this to form any balls at all with it.  Put it in your refrigerator for about an hour or two and check the consistency. It should look something like that pictured above.  When formed into balls, they should hold shape on their own, but will feel soft, and not very firm.

6. When the mix has reached the desired consistency, form into 1" balls and roll into powdered sugar.

                7. Store in an airtight container and enjoy eating them in 1 week. Enjoy! And Happy Holidays!!!

Recipe- Pumpkin Cupcakes w/ Cinnamon-Ginger Frosting

                In all honesty, I can safely say I never have to search for another pumpkin cupcake recipe ever again.  I found "the one". The frosting I just made up myself, a variation of buttercream frostings I've made in the past.  Enjoy, and have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

For cupcakes:

3/4 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon


For frosting:

8 tbs butter (softened)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
7 cups powdered sugar
8-10 tbs milk (depends on how thick you want your frosting)

                 1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F and line 24 muffin tins.

 
               2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil, pumpkin, sugar and vanilla together.  Mix well.

3. Add in the baking soda and powder, cinnamon and flour. Thoroughly combine.

4. Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 full.  Bake 18-22 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting.

5. In a large bowl, beat softened butter until it's creamy- add vanilla and the spices.

6. Then add in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, alternating with the cups of sugar until you reach a consistency you like.

7. Frost the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Recipe- Pumpkin Brownies

These pumpkin "brownies" make a great snack to bring to work, or a great alternative to pie this holiday.  It's like eating squares of pumpkin cake,  really.  I could indeed frost this and call it a cake. But I didn't.  I cut them up and called them brownies.  They're high in vitamin A, very easy to make, and there's only 79 calories per bar.



1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed firmly
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs




1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

2. Mix all ingredients together.

3. Spread into your pan and bake for 30 minutes.

4. Cut into squares and enjoy!!!!







Makes 24 bars
79 calories
2.8 grams fat
6.4 grams sugar

Review - The Little Rendezvous Meriden, CT

      Anybody from Meriden, CT will tell you this is hands-down, the best pizza you can find in the whole state!  I found that to be a bit exaggerated, considering Connecticut is home to a place called Wooster Street, New Haven.

Ah, what the hell, I thought to myself. Let me try this place. I'm sick of the mean waitresses and hour-long waits in New Haven, anyways... and The Little Rendezvous has a 124 year old brick oven!!

I think the first night I wanted to try it was a Tuesday. Closed Tuesdays. Strange day for a pizza place to be closed. Not off to a good start. So I waited until Friday came.  It was a 45 minute wait for a mozzarella pizza pick-up (did I mention they don't deliver?).  On the weekends you can wait even longer for pizza- I was lucky! The staff gets as big as three people, so it's hard for them to keep up with the weekend demand.  And you can certainly hear it in their voices when they're overworked and stressed, though they are typically friendly.  Once I called and got the "it'll be a 2 hour wait", said with a bit of an attitude. Seriously? It's like they didn't want me to order their pizza! Hire an extra person for the weekends, already! Needless to say, I wasn't going to wait 2 hours for a pizza when I live in a state filled with great pizza everywhere!  Among other things - it's cash only, located in the ghetto with on-street parking only, and they only sell whole pizzas, no slices, no calzones, no antipasto, just....entire pizza pies.

So let me tell you about this pizza. Now, since my first time eating this, I have eaten quite a few of Rendezvous pizzas. They're not always consistent, but the pizza goes down nicely. The toppings are delicious- they typically are the same, I find- not too overdone, the cheese is lightly sprinkled on, seasonings aren't overbearing, they are just right. But the crust.... many times I have eaten pizza from here, the crust has been tough and way too chewy, to the point where it is hard to cut with a dinner knife. They tell you on their website that their pizza is crispy and "singed on the edges", which sounds to me like you could break it with your bare hands like bark from a tree, no?

This particular pizza that I recently ate ( as pictured) was nicely crisp, one of their best pizzas I've had in a while. As I said, they're inconsistent, as most pizza places are. But are they just as good as all those famous New Haven pizza restaurants? Yeah, I'd say so. Just make sure you can drive and get the pizza yourself. And have cash. And it's not Monday or Tuesday.

PROS :

-Pizza from a very old brick oven!!! Yum!!
-They offer wheat crust as well as gluten-free crust 
-They sell beer
-You don't have to deal with the New Haven pizza nonsense!
-They have seating if you'd like to eat it there.


CONS :

-Cash only (not good for a credit lover such as myself)
-Located in a bad neighborhood
-Funky hours
-Long waits on the weekends
-Pizza crust can be tough/chewy at times
-The only food they sell here is whole pizzas!


Due to a decent amount of "cons", despite it being a tasty pizza I have to give them:


3 out of 5 stars

Count Chocula Peanut Bars

Another recipe brought to you, made with Count Chocula!!!   Have a Happy Halloween!!!!!


5 cups Count Chocula cereal
1 - 1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup mini semi-sweet morsels
1 bag marshmallows (mini or large)
4 tbs butter
4 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter ( I used the chunky kind, but creamy will also do)


 1. Grease a 9x9 or an 8x8 pan with butter or cooking spray.

2.  Thoroughly combine the Count Chocula cereal, mini morsels, and peanuts in a large bowl. You really want to make sure this is all mixed well, because once the marshmallow sauce is heated you have to move quickly.

3. In another large microwave-safe bowl, add in the entire bag of marshmallows, butter and peanut butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Take out, stir, and put back in for another 45 seconds on high or until everything has melted into liquid form. (Now, while you're waiting for this to heat up, if you choose to mix everything together with your hands, I would suggest rubbing a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil on your palms so the ingredients don't stick to you as easily.)

4. Once the marshmallow mix is melted, quickly pour evenly over the Count Chocula mix. The marshmallow will get stringy and harder to work with, so the faster the better.

5. Press mix into your greased pan until it is even and flat.  Let it cool completely.

6. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boo Berry Cupcakes

I didn't want to leave Boo Berry out! So here's a cupcake recipe with the blue guy :)



1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup half & half cream ( milk or cream may also be substituted)
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups Boo Berry cereal, crushed  (sift out the marshmallows and put them aside to decorate later)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, oil, sugar, cream, and vanilla all together until well blended.

         

                                              
                          Then add in the baking powder and flour.

                                                  
                             Mix in the crushed Boo Berry cereal.

                         Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Batter will be a strange zombie color :P

Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the cupcakes feel slightly firm to the touch.  They should look like this.
Let them cool completely, then frost.



                        Boo Berry Frosting

6 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter, room temperature
10-12 tbs milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla
blue food coloring (optional)


   Beat butter well until smooth. Add vanilla, then sugar, alternating with the milk until it's the desired consistency. Beat high for 2 minutes.

 Then, if desired, add a few drops of blue food coloring. I frosted half of my cupcakes when the frosting was still white, then I frosted the other half blue.

  Decorate as you wish, I used the marshmallows that came with the cereal to decorate, as well as some Halloween sprinkles that I had.

                                                      Enjoy!!!!!

Halloween Party Mix !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I told you I'd bring you recipes made from monster cereals! Here's another!! This is great to have for your annual Halloween bash, or just to snack on after work or school.  I left the measuring for you guys to do, given you may need a lot for a party, or just a little for a snack. I just used 1 cup measurements when I made it, which gave me about 8 servings. You can sub chocolate morsels for the peanut butter ones, and leave out the peanuts and Reeses Pieces for those who may have nut allergies. In which case, add extra M&M's and even chocolate Chex mix if you think it needs beefing up :)  Enjoy!!



2 parts Count Chocula cereal
1 part salted shelled peanuts
1 part M&M's or Reeses Pieces  ( I used a mix of both)
1 part peanut butter morsels



Mix in bowl. Eat!!

Even kids enjoy it!

Franken Berry Bars

I was browsing the internet last week looking for recipes using Franken Berry, Boo Berry or Count Chocula cereal. I was very disappointed to find that there is practically nothing!  No good recipes, anyways. So I decided it was my mission this month to create my own. Enjoy!!!




4 tbs  butter
30 large marshmallows
5 cups Franken Berry cereal  ( or you can sub in Boo Berry or Count Chocula)




In a microwave-safe bowl,  throw in marshmallows and butter.  Heat on high for 1 minute. Stir. Heat an additional minute and stir again.  Pour over the cereal and mix. (At some point if you're having difficulty, you may want cover your hands in non-stick spray or butter and work the cereal with your fingers.)

Press mix into an 8x8 or 9x9 glass pan. Let cool.



Makes 12 bars

They're ba-aaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this time of year.  Pumpkins on the doorsteps, trips to the apple orchards.... a bowl of Franken Berry cereal for breakfast....

These three tasty General Mills cereals debuted in the early 70's - Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Franken Berry.  They all have delicious marshmallow bits in them and were the first flavored cereals of their kind.

I remember enjoying these in my youth in the 80's. I think they came with stickers or something. Those were the good old days when you'd get a prize in your cereal box. These Halloween themed cereals are very difficult to find any other time of the year, so now that I'm older I know better and stock up!

Looking at the nutrition labels,  I was surprised to see that there's no more than 10 grams of sugar a serving. You mean to tell me there's more sugar in my strawberry greek yogurt than there is in a serving of Franken Berry?  Goodbye,  Chobani!!!   ( Just kidding,  Chobani. You know I'm gonna pick you up again once my box of Boo Berry is all gone. )

Count Chocula is available year-round in most supermarkets. But to celebrate the return of the other two,  I will be posting recipes this month that include these nostalgic delights :)

Product Review- Blue Diamond Almond Coconut Milk

      This past year I was more than determined to shed the extra 12 lbs I still carried around since the birth of my daughter.  After all, she is 3 years old now....

So, I decided to count calories, since nothing else seemed to be working. And that is how I came across the wonder that is almond milk.

This Blue Diamond Almond-Coconut blend alone is 1/2 the calories of your average skim milk. Do I recommend putting this in your coffee? Nah, wouldn't taste right. As far as cereal goes, I found it to be worth it. And I haven't looked at a cow since.

The taste is definitely dominated by the coconut milk. The texture too, I find, is thin like that of coconut or cows' milk. Although,  there is a hint of almond at the end - an after-taste, if you will.

Now I started off with plain ol' almond milk first. Which I must say, certainly takes some adjusting to when you first make the switch. If you do try any of these, definitely get the sweetened first, then ween yourself off and get the unsweetened if you're looking to save calories. This product is great for those who are lactose-intolerant or allergic to soy or cow's milk.  I may drink it with some Oreos, sure... but of course my taste buds are still use to cow's milk.  It's not the same, but a great substitute still.  I wish we had this when I was a youngster.  I was allergic to cow's milk as a toddler,  and then allergic to soy as a teen. My options were very limited back then, and I'm not even old! Now on top of soy and cow milk, there's goat's milk, rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, Lactaid (lactose-free cow's milk!)... I'm sure I'm forgetting more...but it's unreal how many there are to choose from now!

This is great for cereal, even baking.... I recently made a banana protein shake with this and it was great.  I like the unsweetened ones now, and I find that the coconut milk adds extra sweetness that wouldn't be there if it were just unsweetened almond milk.

There is a lot of talk among fitness communities about the added vitamins in this product. There's Vitamin A palmitate, D2, and calcium carbonate for starters. These are synthetic vitamins added to "enrich" products,  but can be harmful if consumed in excessive amounts. Am I worried about having this in my bowl of cereal that i have maybe 4, 5 times a week? No, I'm not.  But let's just say my kid still gets cow's milk.


                         Pros                                                                            

  - 1/2 the calories of cow's milk                                     
  - no sugar                                                                      
  - no cholesterol                                                            
  - great for those w/ allergies to other milk varieties    
  - high in Omega 3 fatty acids                                              

                        Cons

   - not as tasty as cow milk
   -  added synthetic vitamins
   - not safe for those w/ tree nut allergies
   - low protein content

 3 out of 5 stars

Recipe - 10-Can Healthy Crock Pot Chili

Nothing better than coming home from work and smelling a delicious dinner that's already made. That's what I love about crock pots. Throw everything in the pot in the morning, come home, and eat! This recipe is high in protein and fiber.  You can add hot sauce or more jalapeno if you want to clear those sinuses out. Also, you can sub ground beef for the ground turkey, but I prefer the turkey because it's better for you ( and cheaper too!).

Servings- 15



1 lb ground turkey

1 green pepper, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1 can (14 oz) corn

2 cans (14 oz) kidney beans

2 cans (14 oz) black beans

1 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans
 
4 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes

3 tbs diced garlic

5 tbs chili powder

4 tsp cumin

3 tsp black pepper

Shredded cheese

hot sauce, to taste


Add 1 tablespoon  of olive oil to a frying pan.  Add turkey, green pepper and onion. Cook until turkey is just no longer pink and veggies are semi-soft. Do not overcook, as these will be cooking in a crock pot for hours. You can do this step the night before and refrigerate these 3 ingredients until you are ready to add them to the pot.

Add all the ingredients to your largest pot and set on low for about 8 hours. You can speed it up if you wish by setting it on high for 4 hours.

Finish it off by adding hot sauce if you like it spicier ( I enjoy Cholula), and sprinkling shredded cheddar or Mexican blend on top. Enjoy!!!

Recipe - Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These cookies are gluten-free, high fiber, and high protein! But don't let that scare you, they are still delicious! And they make a great breakfast snack, too. Bon Appetit!

Makes 36 cookies


1 1/2 cups oat flour

1/2 cup nut flour        (I grind together unsalted peanuts, pistachios and raw almonds together for this)

1/2 cup ground flaxseeds      (whole is fine too, if you like a bit more crunch)

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 egg whites

2/3 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal

2/3 cup raisins



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix brown sugar and vanilla.  Add the egg whites and applesauce.  Stir in baking soda and spices. Mix in the flours and flaxseeds then add in oatmeal and raisins.

Drop spoonfuls onto baking sheets covered in parchment paper ( or use cooking spray, if you prefer).
Flatten them with a fork.

Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Review - Mambo Ristorante, Little Italy, NYC

      So while I had the pleasure of visiting New York City with a friend one Monday, I decided it would be great to have dinner in the Little Italy section of New York.  I planned on finding gelato afterwards, so yes, convenience was certainly one good reason to be there!

Now, this was a spontaneous trip, mind you, and we hadn't planned exactly where we would be going for anything. Well, to say the least, I wish we had read some reviews on Mambo Ristorante before we decided to eat there.

The restaurant was inviting. It was open to the streets, you could eat by candlelight and hear the piano all while walking by.  There were a decent amount of people eating there, but plenty of tables for us to sit at as well.  It was about 8:30pm, so there was no charming Italian man trying to get you inside like there typically is around lunch time in Little Italy.  Which I certainly prefer, I don't like being pressured into any business. The decision should be entirely up to me, and me alone.

When we got seated I found it to be odd that we were not given any menus.  And there were two glasses on the table.  One was empty, and one was half full, looking like someone drank a bit then decided to leave. I wish I had made that decision!

I was starving, so luckily we received some bread to keep us content temporarily, and the waiter/busboy (whatever he was) gave us new glasses and a pitcher of water. We asked for menus, but I don't think he understood us, for it was a bit loud there with the live music. It would've been nice to get some butter with the bread, but i decided to dip it in some oil and vinegar that was already on the table. I'm unsure if that bread was stale or not, it was unlike any bread I ever received at a restaurant before. Not crispy, but not soft either. Wasn't garlic-y. Just...different. But nothing tastes horrible when you're really hungry.

The staff seems unsure of what they're suppose to be like as well. One man was the host, waiter and busboy. He asked us if anyone took our order, and we said we didn't even receive menus! He apologized, and handed us menus. So about 15 minutes after we walk in the place we were handed menus. Two regular ones, 3 pizza menus, and one beer menu that read "small, medium or large" with no different beers listed on it! Um, do you serve wine here? Because it looks like I'll need some. Actually, just bring me a damn bottle!

They were all courteous, but very disorganized. I don't know who the manager is there, but he should seriously consider appointing the staff specific duties and assigning them tables, because this was avoidable chaos.

I ordered the lobster ravioli, and my friend ordered some grilled tenderloin strips that came with potatoes and broccoli.

I was surprised to find that i only got 5 raviolis in my dinner. And that was it! No soup or salad comes with it- no vegetable, not even a sprig of parsley. Thank heavens one of the busboys brought me more of that strange bread over.  At least the ravioli tasted good. But for $19? Not worth it at all. No big chunks of lobster as described in the menu.

My friend's dish was significantly larger than mine, but disappointing in a different way. The meat was not good quality at all. It was too chewy and sinewy.  And it was a warm meal for about 1 whole minute.  It appears they overcharge here for food that is not top quality, and for service that is lacking.

And on top of this, they have the nerve to include a 20% tip into the bill. Let me tell you, if the tip were up to me (which it should have been) , they'd be lucky if they got 15%. But I played nice.  I'm just happy I didn't drink anything but their tap water nor eat any of their appetizers.

Would I come here again? Absolutely not! The only reason this place is still in business is because tourists come in hungry and don't read any reviews on it before entering! I will not make that mistake ever again.

0 stars



P.S.-  Since I was still hungry when we left, we got that gelato I was looking forward to at a place called Ferrara's. It claims to be America's oldest Pasticceria, and in it are sweets galore. I got a large cup of gelato in 3 flavors- Nutella, chocolate, and stracciatella.  All were delicious. A good ending to my night in NYC.