Maple and Toffee Autumn Muddy Buddies Recipe

Hola Amigos! I know summer is not quite over yet, but the minute September hits, forget it! I'm in fall mood! Thinking about fall menus, Halloween decorations, which I'm already working on , hay rides, cider, doughnuts, you name it! But this year is a little different though,  my little one is going to school and I have a lot of time on my hands to create, cook and craft (you will think) well guess what? the back to school blues are hitting me pretty hard right now and I got nothing! lol...yup.. can't think of one original recipe, one ingenious craft or decorating  tip to offer, so I'm just going to sit still for a few days and munch on these guys: Muddy Buddies, Puppy Chow or Kitty Kaboodles call them what you wish, they are good! I've  never had them before, this was my first batch and won't be the last, that's for sure.

Super easy recipe! They're usually made with Chex Mix which I don't like,  I made mine with my favorite cereal ever, Quaker Oatmeal Squares and since this one here is  my fall batch I used the Golden Maple!

You won't find just regular butter on my Muddy Buddies...but how about cookie butter (aka Biscoff spread) and Maple Syrup! oh yeah, the maple syrup alone screams Fall

I needed some fall colors and what's the best way of bringing color and flavor on, that with Reese's Peanut Butter Pieces! yummm

And just in case you are not getting enough of an Autumn yet feast your taste buds on these little morsels, Butter Toffee Peanuts, Oh My!!!

Finally in addition to the powder sugar bath you give them, I finished mine with Cinnamon Sugar!

There you have it my friends, this is the way I give myself a pity party, lol! I know you've seen dozen of Muddy Buddy recipes but I'm pretty sure you haven't had one quite like this! make yourself a batch and tell me what you think! Thank You for stopping by and remember everything tastes better with a Pinch Of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Maple and Toffee Autumn Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups Quaker Oatmeal Squares Golden Maple

1/2 Cup Cookie Butter (Biscoff Spread)

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup ( I used butter flavored)

2 TBSP Butter

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Large Zip Lock Bag

3.5 oz Reese's Pieces

4 oz Butter Toffee Peanuts

Directions:

Place your cereal in a large mixing bowl. On a separate microwave proof bowl melt in 45 sec intervals, the cookie butter, maple syrup and butter. Depending on your microwave you might have to do this just once or maybe add a couple more seconds until everything is melted. Careful, the maple syrup gets super hot fast. Mix, Pour this mix over the cereal and mix until every square is coated. I started with a rubber spatula but ended up using my clean hands. 

Put powder sugar inside a Zip Lock bag. Add the cereal and shake to coat every square with powder sugar. You could use 2 bags with powder sugar if you want more coating or if you are making a larger batch.

Once every bite is coated, place the Muddy Buddies in a cookie sheet to cool and dry a little bit. 

Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar. Place in a large serving bowl and mix in the Reese's pieces and toffee peanuts. Mix all together one last time and enjoy

Prep time 5 minutes                          Cooling time 5 minutes                    Serves 2 1/2 Cups

Bringing my Sweet Munchies to these Fabulous Parties:

Twelve O Eight, Under the Table and Dreaming, The Chicken Chick, Lines Across, Huckleberry Love, Crat-O-Maniac, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Say Not Sweet Anne, Flour Me with Love, DIY Home Sweet Home, Alderberry Hill, Boogieboard Cottage, Sew Can Do, This Gal Cooks, Jembellish, A Pinch of Joy, Hun..what's for Dinner?, Adventures of a DIY Mom, The Shady Porch, Lady Behind the Curtain, I Gotta Try That, Table for Seven,Memories by the Mile, Whit a Blast, Not Just a Housewife, All She Cooks, Kitchen Meets Girl, Thank You Honey, Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, The Everyday Home, My Girlish Whims, Cozy Little House, Clean and Scentsible, Shaffer Sisters, White Lights on Wednesday, The 36th Avenue, Fluster Bluster, Handy Man Crafty Woman, This Silly Girl's Life, Polkadots on Parade, 733 Blog, SNAP, What's cooking Love, The Real Housewives of Riverton, The Mandatory Mooch, Real Coake, Made to be a Momma, I Gotta Create, Live Laugh Rowe, Lamberts Lately, Creative Geekery, The Brambleberry Cottage, 52 Mantels, Saving 4 Six, Food Done Light, The Crafty Blogstalker, Considered Me Inspired, Glitz and Gold, Jennifer Rizzo, Simply Dream and Create, House of Hepworths, The Best Blog Recipes, Craftionary, The Girl Creative, Tidy Mom, Cindy's Recipes and Writings, My Turn (for Us), My Sweet Mission, The Pin Junkie, Sparkles and a Stove, Living Better Together, The Jenny Evolution, Happy and Blessed Home, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Simply Sweet Home, The Answer is Chocolate, Becoming Martha, Simply Designing, Rattlebridge Farm, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, 504 Main, A Simple Five, One Tough Mother, Homa Maid Simple, My Romantic Home, Happy Hour Projects, Liz Marie Blog, Love and Laundry, The Wondering Brain, Sara Howe, Cooking with Curls, Five Days Five Ways, Just us Four, Cheerios and Lattes, What's Cooking with Ruthie, It's Overflowing, Six Sister's Stuff, Too Much Time,Classy Clutter, Sew Licious Home Decor, Twigg Studios, Bowdabra, WCFS, Summer Scraps, Flamingo Toes, Spatulas on Parade, Made from Pinterest, Suburbs Mama, VMG 206, Titi Crafty, Cupcake-n-Bake, Coastal Charm, The Blackberry Vine, Chef in Training, Homemade Ginger, Maid in a Day, Glitter, Glue and Paint, I heart Nap Time, My Mixing Spoons, The Inspiration Network

Other Seasonal Snacks you might enjoy

Green M&M's Coconut Squares

Caribbean Sloppy Joes Recipe

Hola Amigos! This recipe is a twist on your classic Sloppy Joe Sandwich in the sense that the sauce it's not coming from your typical can. Nothing wrong with that though, but when you have the extra time, why not make something special for the family.
I'm choosing these sandwiches as my Afternoon Snack for older kids. I have a teenager and when there are some days when just chicken nuggets will make him happy (like 20 of them) others days he wants something a bit more substantial to carry him all the way to dinner. This is that snack.

Keep in mind that there would be plenty left over for the next day or it you want to make this recipe for dinner, just serve it with your usual side of greens and you will be all set in about 30 minutes or less. Do you add cheese to your Sloppy Joes? My kids add cheese to everything! Pepper Jack is the choice for this one here!

I hope you enjoy this summery treat on a classic. My kids have heat on their veins so even the little one enjoys some zing once in a while. Feel free to adjust the heat factor to your family's needs. It won't change the overall taste of this Caribbean Sloppy Joe! Everything you cook for your family and friends tastes better with your imagination and a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Caribbean Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Small Yellow Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Small Orange Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Small Onion, Chopped
1 1/2 Teaspoons of the following: Minced Onion, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Hot Sauce (optional)
2-3 TableSpoons Hoisin Sauce
1/2 Cup Jerk Marinade or 3 Tablespoons of Jerk Seasoning (more if you really like it spicy)
1 1/2  Cup Orange Juice
Oil for skillet
Buns
Pepper Jack Cheese Slices
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat up some oil and saute chopped vegetables and beef. Add spices. 
Mix in Hoisin sauce and Jerk Marinade. Coat everything and stir so it won't stick to the bottom and burn. 
Add orange juice, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and  simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring once or twice until done.
Toast your buns and serve! Enjoy

Prep Time: 10 minutes                                Cooking time 25-30 minutes              Serves 4-6

Bringing some Sugar and Spice to these Fabulous Parties:

Our Table for Seven, Memories by the Mile, Not Just a Housewife, Bebetsy, Clean and Scentsible, Mom's Test Kitchen, The Lady Behind the Curtain, The Everyday Home, Smart School House, Kitchen meets Girl, Ducks'n a Row, The Shaddy Porch, Crystal and Co., Made to be a Momma, Sew Much Ado, Thank You Honey, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, This Silly Girl's Life, Someday Crafts, Polkadots on Parade, The Real Housewives of Riverton, We Like to Learn as We Go, 733 Blog, Real Coake, 52 Mantels, The 36th Avenue, The Brambleberry Cottage, What's Cooking, Love?, A Handufl of Everything, Katherine's Corner, CrazyLou, House of Hepworths, The Mandatory Mooch, I Gotta Create, Lamberts Lately, Chocolate, chocolate and more, The Crafty Blog Stalker, The Best Blog Recipes, Jennifer Rizzo, Do Small Things with Love, Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, The Answer is Chocolate, My Turn (for Us), Simple Living and Eating, The Pin Junkie, Simply Designing, 504 Main, Craftionary, Tidy Mom, The Shabby Nest, A Simple Five, A Peek Into My Paradise, Living Better Together, One Tough Mother, Happy and Blessed Home, Five Days Five Ways, Shaken Together, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Four Little Fergusons, Just Us Four, Made from Pinterest, The Wondering Brain, Cheerios and Lattes, Six Sister's Stuff, Classy Clutter, A Little Claireification, Spatulas on Parade, Too Much Time on my Hands, Angels Homestead, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Serenity You, Under the Table and Dreaming, Frugal Foodie Mama, Claire Justine oxox, Huckleberry Love, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Say Not Sweet Anne, Flour Me With Love, Jembellish, Jam Hands, Sew Can Do, Keeping it Simple, Boogieboard Cottage, Who Needs a Cape, Alderberry Hill, Ms. enPlace, Between Naps on the Porch, The Tumbleweed Contessa, Joyful Healthy Eats, Cozy Little House, The Blackberry Vine, Pint Sized Baker, A Southern Fairytale, Coastal Charm, The Gunny Sack, Hun...What's for Dinner?, Chef in Trainning, The Princess and her Cowboys, Home Stories A-Z, Nap-Time Creations, Mandy's Recipe Box, Ladybug Blessings, Setting for Four, Dessert Now, Dinner Later, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Pretty Life in the Suburbs, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Ducks n' a Row, SNAP, Tatertots and Jello, EMM, My Sweet Mission, Under the Table and Dreaming, Call Me PMc

Other Sandwiches You might like:

Philly CheeseSteak Sandwich on Pita

Alfredo and Pesto Chicken Bruschetta Recipe

Hola Amigos! With the weekend approaching I have the perfect appetizer for you or even a light meal with a bowl of soup instead of a sandwich. And the best thing of all is that you can make this with leftovers from a classic Italian dinner like Chicken Alfredo. That's what I did!

I had made some Fettuccine Alfredo a few days ago, you can find the recipe here and had some chicken and Italian bread leftover. My husband had to go on a last minute business trip and it was only me and the kids. No point of cooking a big meal, right, then and idea came to mind, how about bruschetta, Alfredo and Pesto, crazy but it might work.

I just added store bought Alfredo sauce, crisp bacon, tomatoes, basil and made a delicious pesto butter with butter and store bought pesto.

My semi-home made Alfredo and Pesto Bruschetta was a hit and a  "you have to make these again mom"! AKA Seal of Approval from the kiddos!

I even made a couple Vegetarian! I was thinking on a Vegetarian bloggy friend of mine (you know who you are, lol  don't worry I won't Out You) and thought she could have these anytime!
Just a few sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms sauteed in a little bit of olive oil and white wine, salt and pepper and you are all set!

I love when  last minute fixins' turns this good.

Thank you so much for your visit today! I hope your coming weekend goes as planned and if you are having friends over always consider this recipe to share with them. Keep in mind my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Alfredo and Pesto Chicken Bruschetta

Ingredients

1 Loaf Italian Bread

2 TBSP Pesto Sauce

4 TBSP Unsalted Butter

2 Cups Shredded Chicken

4 Slices of Bacon Crisp and Crumbled

1 Jar Alfredo Sauce

1 Large Tomato

Basil Leaves

1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese Shredded

For vegetarian:

8 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms Sliced

Olive Oil

1/2 White Wine 

Directions:

Heat oven at 400F.

In a heavy sauce pan, mix shredded chicken with Alfredo Sauce heat up until warm. Set aside. Dice your tomato finely and julienne your basil leaves. 

In a microwave safe container, melt the butter. Remove and add 2 tablespoons of your pesto sauce. Spread this mix or "Pesto Butter" over your bread slices, front and back. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove form oven.

Top each slice of bread with the Chicken mixture, chopped tomato, basil, crumble bacon and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle a little bit of "pesto butter" if desired. Serve hot and enjoy!

To make the vegetarian version. 

In a large skillet with olive oil saute the sliced mushrooms, once soft add white wine and let simmer for 5 minutes. Mix with 3/4 Cup Alfredo Sauce. Take your toasted bread, spread the mushroom mix on the bread and top with tomato, basil and cheese, Serve hot and enjoy!

Prep Time 5 minutes     Cooking Time 10 minutes      Serves 6-8

Sharing my leftover magic meal at these Fabulous Parties:

Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, My Turn (for Us), Home Maid Simple, Rattlebride Farm, Blissful and Domestic, Do Small Things with Love, 504 Main, the Pin Junkie, Jennifer Rizzo, My Romantic Home, This and That, The Best Blog Recipes, Love and Laundry, Chic on a Shoestring, The Shabby Nest, The Answer is Chocolate, Tidy Mom, One Tough Mother, A Simple Five, Craftionary, Liz Marie, Simply Designing, Becoming Martha, Simply Sweet Home, Living Better Together, The Jenny Evolution, My Personal Accent, Krafty Card Set, 4 Little Fergusons, Tartertots and Jello, Cooking with Curls, Happy and Blessed Home, Five Days 5 Ways, Just Us Four, Whiperberry, Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen, The Wondering Brain, Lovely Crafty Home,Dear Creatives, Dessert Now, Dinner Later, Angel Homestead, Serenity You, Cheerios and Lattes, Too Much Time, Classy Clutter, The Taylor House, Flamingo Toes, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Suburbs Mama, Twigg studios, Spatulas on Parade, VMG206, Nifty Thrifty Things, Rain on a Tin Roof, Huckleberry Love, Still Being Molly, Cupcake-n-Bake, The Princess and her Cowboys, The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen, A Southern Fairytale, Mad in Crafts, The Chicken Chick, Say Not Sweet Anne, Ms.enPlace, BoggieBoard Cottage, I Gotta Try That, Who Needs a Cape, The Blacberry Vine, Ladybug Blessings, Mama Dish, hun...what's for dinner?, Our Home Away from Home, Pint Sized Baker, Kathe with an E, Mandy's Recipe Box, Chef in Training, Love Grows Wild, Home Stories A to Z Nap- Time Creations, Sugar Bee Crafts, Adventures of a DIY Mom, Feeding Big, Homemade Ginger, Memories by the Mile, Not Just a Housewife, Powerful Mothering, Smart School House, Made to be a Mama, Ginger Snap Craft, Clean and Scentsible, Fluster Buster, The Shaddy Porch, Lady Behind the Curtain, My Girlish Whims, Adorned from Above, Kitchen Meets Girl, All She Cooks, DIY Craft Projects, Thank You Honey, Worthing Court, The 36th Avenue, Life with the Crust Cut Off,  Fine Craft Guild, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, The Real Housewives of Riverton, SNAP!, The Crafty Blog Stalker, What's Cooking Love?, Saving 4 Six, Live, Laugh, Rowe, 52 Mantels, The Mandatory Mooch, The Brambleberry Cottage, Polkadots on Parade, Southern Lovely, Katherines Corner, House of Hepworths, Lamberts Lately, The Style Sisters, My Joy Filled Life, Food Done Light, Sew Much Crafting,
Six Sister's Stuff, Ducks n' a Row, My Mixing Spoons, Glitter, Glue and Paint, 

Other Appetizers that you might enjoy:

Pepper Boats and Dips

Yuca Frita-Yuca Fries

Hola Amigos! Happy Weekend...this is a make up post for the absence of Quicky Friday yesterday, so I worked really hard trying to find something fun and different for you to enjoy.

I found what I was looking for in a very odd looking root, Yuca! yes,,,if you are tired of your usual french fries or  even sweet potato fries...keep reading, you are going to love these.
Yuca, also known as cassava, manioc or mandioca is a shrub from South America, Africa, Asia and any other tropical weather region. It's root is rich in starch which makes it a main source of carbohydrates. When it's dry and powdery is called Tapioca (I'm sure you have heard and tried this before).

I was happily surprised that one of my favorite restaurants, Bahama Breeze serves them as appetizers under Crisp Yuka Fries (this spelling is actually the name of a Mammoth from Yukatia, a whole different thing, but it sell I guess, lol). So if you happen to be at a Bahama Breeze, after reading this post perhaps you'll feel more comfortable ordering them.

This is a Pic of Crisp Yuka Fries from Bahama Breeze

The location of the restaurant is quite far from where I live, so since I like them so much I made my own batch as I'm showing you here so you can also make them at home if  you see this funny looking root at your local market.

Yuca Frita- Yuca Fries

1-2 Yuca Roots

oil for frying 

salt, pepper or lemon pepper to taste.

First you need to take a good look at your yuca so you can assess  where to cut it in chunks, you know, 3 or 4 chunks out of one, pretty much the same thing you do when you have to cut a potato or a squash.

Once they are cut, peel the thick skin until they are all white, again, just as you would do with a potato.

(I went and cleaned these chunks a bit more after this pic)

Drop them in a large pot with salt and boil them until they are soft but still somewhat firm (imagine you are making a potato salad and not mashed) about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain them, let them dry on paper towel for a minute or 2, cut them in little chunks while your heating up the oil in your fryer.

  Fry them until they are crisp and golden brown.Sprinkle them with salt, or if you want a little bit of pepper or lemon pepper to kick them up a notch.

Listo! 

They are so good! As a snack by themselves with some ketchup if you want.

As a side dish with your hamburgers

or instead of hash browns for breakfast

They are addictive I tell you...if my picky 4 yo loves them you would too!

Hope you enjoyed this post and give my Yuca Fries a try this weekend. Remember, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Sharing a tropical snack at these Fabulous Parties:
Spatulas on Parade

Life on Lakeshore Drive
Flamingo Toes
Chatting over Chocolate
Under the Table and Dreaming
Couponing and Cooking
The Chicken Chick
Top This by Leanne
A Humble Creation
Judy H-J's Thoughts
Sugar Bee Crafts
Nap-time Creations
Pint Sized Baker
Clippie Dips
The Home Girl
My Turn (for Us)
Rattlebridge Farm
Happy Hour Projects
Not Your Ordinary Recipes
Crumbs and Chaos
Your Homebased Mom
i Heart Naptime
Feeding Big and More
With a Blast

Pepper Boats and Dips

Para Chuparse Los Dedos=Eat It Like You Mean It

Hola Amigos! Late post today. I had planned a completely different post but as it turns out, errands, traffic and weather got the best of me and I almost went post less today! The saving grace...I ate the last bit of my hubs horseradish dip!!! This is not good when the first thing my poor hubs looks for when he gets home after a hard day at work is a couple of chips, dip and a cold one!...So...manos a la obra, like we say in Spanish or Let's get down to it!

I got to think that these dips would be perfect for super bowl sunday! The last thing I want to do on the weekend is cook and do dishes. With these dips I kill to birds with one stone.

Nothing sophisticated here. I want to keep it simple, easy to prepare and tasty for the football watching crowd. For my first "boat" I made a Classic Vegetable Dip. Use your favorite Ranch Dip/Salad Dressing Mix (1 packet), 4 oz cream cheese, 8 oz sour cream, chopped orange, yellow and red peppers ( like 1/2 cup all together) and add to the mix. Chopped olives and smoked paprika for that earthy flavor. Refrigerate a couple of hours and ready. Garnish with some green onions and more paprika. Serve it it's own pepper boat and pepper slices. Listo!

Next I made and Zesty Italian Dip. Again, use your favorite Italian Salad Dressing Mix. 4 oz cream cheese, 8 oz sour cream, 1/8 tsp. basil and my favorite ingredient fine cubed Prosciutto! Now tell me your guy is not going to love anything with bacon on! Serve with with some Ritz Vegetable crackers and listo.

Last but not least, a South of the Border Dip. You will need 4 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa, 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 tsp chilli powder and another favorite of mine, Chorizo. Cook your chorizo thoroughly. Once is done, put it on paper towel to absorb some of the grease and add it to your salsa, cheese mix. Refrigerate, garnish it with some Pimentos and Queso Quesadilla and  serve with blue corn tortilla chips in its own pepper boat! This particular one is my teen's favorite!

Not only they are colorful but everybody could be watching the game with their own bowl of dip at hand!..no dishes to do at the end of the game and everybody happy.

I hope you liked my last minute dips, easy to do but full of flavor!

Remember my friends...everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy,

Joining these Fabulous Parties
Beyond The Picket Fence
The Growing Patch
Confessions of an ADD Housewife
Embracing Change
Turnips 2 Tangerines
Food Done Light
Frieflies and Jellybeans
Designed Decor
Rattlebridge Farm
Miss Information
Chic on a Shoestring
Debbiedoo's
Dear Creative
Consider Me Inspired
USS Crafty
A Pinch of Joy
This and That