Red Velvet Puppy Chow

Happy Valentine's Day!  I like to give out little treats for the holidays to my close friends.  I usually make cupcakes, but I wanted to do something a little different for Valentine's Day, so I made Red Velvet Puppy Chow.

Here's your ingredients:5 C. Rice Chex cereal, 3/4 C. white chocolate melts or chips, 1/4 C. chocolate melts or chips, 2 oz cream cheese, room temp, 1 1/2 Tbsp. milk, 1 C. Red Velvet Cake mix, 1/2 C. powdered sugar, Valentines colored M&M's or other candies and heart sprinkles for extra decoration and cuteness

Measure out Rice Chex cereal and place into a large bowl.

Place cake mix and powdered sugar into a large plastic bag or tupperware with a lid.

Melt chocolates together in the microwave or on the stove top.

Stir in cream cheese and milk (the chocolate will get thicker, but it's okay)

Pour chocolate over Rice Chex cereal and stir until coated.

Dump cereal into the bag or tupperware with powdered sugar and cake mix. Shake, shake, shake until coated.

Dump onto a cookie sheet and let cool.

Mix with extra colorful candies and serve!

For my friends, I put the mix in cute Valentine's Day bags with a little note: I don't know "ruff" I'd do without you. 

Close  up of the note, starring my dog Jackson!

Red Velvet Puppy Chow

5 C. Rice Chex cereal

3/4 C. white chocolate melts or chips

1/4 C. chocolate melts or chips

2 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 1/2 Tbsp. milk

1 C. Red Velvet Cake mix

1/2 C. powdered sugar

Valentines colored M&M's or other candies

Heart sprinkles for extra decoration and cuteness

1. Measure out Rice Chex cereal and place into a large bowl.

2. Place cake mix and powdered sugar into a large plastic bag or tupperware with a lid.

3. Melt chocolates together in the microwave or on the stove top. Careful not to burn and stir until smooth.

4. Stir in cream cheese and milk (the chocolate will get thicker, but it's okay)

5. Pour chocolate over Rice Chex cereal and stir until coated.

6. Dump cereal into the bag or tupperware with powdered sugar and cake mix. Shake, shake, shake until coated.

7. Dump onto a cookie sheet and let cool.

8. Mix with extra colorful candies and serve!

NOTE: Because of the cream cheese, keep in the fridge if you won't be eating them that day. You can also omit the cream cheese all together if you wish...if you do that, you don't need the milk either!

Cheesy Taco Soup

Since, it's been rainy and cold lately, I decided it was time to try a new soup, Cheesy Taco Soup.  I usually make Paula Deen's Taco Soup, but I was looking for something different and I didn't want to make that big of a batch.  I'm not that big on leftovers!

Brown ground beef in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, seasoning with salt and pepper (I add Tony's to mine), until no longer pink. Drain and return to pot.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat then whisk in flour and cook for one minute.

Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk, season with salt and pepper, then switch to a wooden spoon and stir mixture until thickened, about 3-4 minutes.

 Remove from heat then stir in shredded cheese until smooth.

Add taco seasoning, rotel, black beans, cheese sauce, and remaining 1-1/2 cups milk into cooked ground beef then stir well to combine. Bring to a heavy simmer then turn heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cheesy Taco Soup

 Serves 4-6

Adapted from The Recipe Critic via Pillsbury

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground beef

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

2-1/2 cups milk, divided

salt & pepper (and Tony's)

1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

1 package taco seasoning

10oz can Rotel, undrained

15oz can black beans, drained & rinsed

Crushed tortilla chips or cornbread

Directions:

Brown ground beef in a large soup pot over medium-high heat,seasoning with salt and pepper, until no longer pink. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heatthen whisk in flour and cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk, seasonwith salt and pepper, then switch to a wooden spoon and stir mixture untilthickened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat then stir in shredded cheeseuntil smooth. Set aside.

Add taco seasoning, rotel, black beans, cheese sauce, andremaining 1-1/2 cups milk into cooked ground beef then stir well to combine.Bring to a heavy simmer then turn heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes,stirring occasionally. Serve with crushed tortilla chips and more shreddedcheese, if desired.

Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats

It's Bachelor Monday!!! Tonight, since Valentine's Day is this week, I made Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats!  This is my first time to make this recipe.  I've made Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats in the past, so I'd figure these would be just as good and they were!

The ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter, 6 cups rice kripie cereal, one bag of mini marshmallows, 1/2 cup red velvet cake mix, 1 teaspoon vanilla, sprinkles and white chocolate morsels.

Melt the butter over low heat, then add marshmallows.

Once marshmallows have melted, remove from heat and add vanilla and cake mix.

Stir until smooth.

Add rice krispie cereal.

Hearts for our Bachelor

Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats

3 tablespoons butter

1 (10.5 ounce) bag mini marshmallows

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup red velvet cake mix

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

1 tablespoon sprinkles

4 ounces white chocolate chips

Line a 9x13-inch pan with wax paper; coat well with cookingspray. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Addmarshmallows, stirring frequently, until melted. Stir in vanilla and cake mixuntil fully combined and no lumps remain. Stir in cereal, making sure it iswell-coated with marshmallow mixture. Transfer Rice Krispie mixture to theprepared pan, pressing down until the top is level. 

Super Bowl 2013

I had a few friends over last night for the Super Bowl.  It was a great night full of friends, food, football and my new favorite thing photo booth.

On the menu we had: chili, cheddar chili cornbread, rotel velvetta dip, peanut butter dip and king cake.

What Louisiana party in February doesn't need a king cake?

Homemade cheddar chili cornbread....so good!

Football peanut butter dip

Who are you routing for?

Photo Booth Time

Alex and his ladies

Lori and Jonathan

The girls:me, Monica, Lori, Lyndsey and Meredith

Monica and Nick

Watch out Drew Brees!

Valentine decorations

I love decorating for the holidays, I'm pretty certain I got this from my mom.  My mom has always decorated their house according to what holiday is on the horizon and when I got my first place I started to do the same.  

Here's what I did for Valentine's Day.

I got this sign while in college and I still love it.  I was a phi mu in school and lions were our mascot, so this sign is special to me :) 

Just a random photo of Jackson relaxing by the fire.