Chocolate Haystacks

With Autumn fast upon us I have been looking for some fun cooking activities that I can share with my daughter on those cold rainy fall days. I came upon this recipe on KRAFT's website and although it could be messy, it does look delicious and fun, especially if you have a child (or children) in the home... or are a child at heart. I've yet to try it, but wanted to post it anyway.

Chocolate Haystacks
by KRAFT
prep time: 10 min
total time: 1 hr 10 min
makes: 3-1/2 doz. or 21 servings, 2 haystacks each

Ingredients:
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 cup Butterscotch chips
2 cups Chow mein noodles
2 cups JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows
1/2 cup PLANTERS COCKTAIL Peanuts

Directions:
MICROWAVE chocolate and butterscotch chips in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 to 3 min. or until almost melted, stirring after 1-1/2 min. Stir until completely melted.

ADD remaining ingredients; stir until evenly coated.

DROP tablespoonfuls of chocolate mixture onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Substitutes:
Substitute1 cup BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks for the chocolate squares.

How to Store:
Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Cooking with Orzo

Orzo is one of my favorite things to keep on hand. It comes in handy for so many things. I make myself a quick lunch of orzo, a little cheese (feta or goat is my favorite), tomatoes, parsley (fresh or dried), a dab of olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice (if I have a lemon).

This month I made these two quick and easy recipes and used a small amount of orzo. They both serve our family of four with enough leftovers for a lunch the next day.

Red Pepper Frittata

Cook a small amount or orzo following package directions. You want about 1 Cup cooked orzo. Preheat oven to 350.
Then combine in a medium bowl:
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 4 large egg whites
* 3 large eggs
Stir with a whisk. Prepare a baking dish (8 X 8 works well) by coating with cooking spray.

Heat a larger skillet (on medium) coated with cooking spray and add in:
* 1-1/2 cups diced red bell pepper
* 1 cup sliced onion
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
Saute for 5 minutes. Stir in orzo and egg mixture and stir for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer everything to the baking dish and sprinkle about 1/3 cup cheese (I like cheddar or jack or a combination) and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. The dish will look set to you. It is best if you let it stand for 3-4 minutes before serving.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

My kids love this soup and it has a really unique flavor.

* 6 cups broth (chicken is best but I have substituted vegetable and even used part water before)
* 1/4 teaspoon dill
* 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
* 4 large eggs
* 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (1 good sized juicy lemon squeezed is about the right amount)
* 1 cup shredded carrot
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

Bring broth and dill to a boil in a large saucepan. Add orzo. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until orzo is slightly tender. Remove from heat.

Place eggs and juice in a blender; process until smooth. Remove 1 cup broth from pan with a ladle, making sure to leave out orzo. With blender on, slowly add broth; process until smooth.

Add carrot, salt, pepper, and chicken to pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, and cook 5 minutes or until chicken and orzo are done. Reduce heat to low. Slowly stir in egg mixture; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly (do not boil).

Kids Cooking

• Thanks so much for keeping this site alive (if barely). I love y'all's ideas!
  
  First off, let me say that I think the whole idea of making warm memories by letting your kids cook with you is highly overrated. I'm a fairly low-key person, but Addie and Stuart can have me chewing on my Pampered Chef rubber spatula within five minutes.
  
  BUT, they enjoy it. As long as I view it as Good Training instead of a Good Time, we do fine.
  
  Here are two things they enjoy making:
  
  Parfaits
  
  
  
  This is an old kid-friendly standby: fruit and yogurt. I have a safety knife that they can use to cut up the fruit, which makes it even more fun for them. But the real deal with these parfaits is that we add chocolate graham crackers or, on occasion, crumbled cookies. Forget the granola. Put in a little bit of junk, and they'll love the whole thing!
  
  We layer:
  
  * Vanilla yogurt
  
  * Strawberries, blueberries, or bananas
  
  * Chocolate graham crackers or some other yummy crunchy sweet
  
  

It makes a good breakfast or a side dish at supper. If Stuart will eat it, you know it's kid-friendly.


Chicken Smorgasbord

Take two chicken breasts and cut them into four pieces. Make a "bowl" of aluminum foil for each piece. Season each one differently: barbecue sauce, Italian dressing, basil and oregano, cinnamon and ginger, dill, etc. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep it moist. Put the "bowls" into a casserole dish and bake at 350 or 375 for, oh, half an hour (until the chicken is at 180). When it's done, you have four different flavors of chicken to choose from, plus really yummy broth.

Addie and Stuart love choosing their seasonings. My job is mostly to say things like, "Um, that's enough dill!" or "No, no, don't put basil with cinnamon. Probably won't taste good." This dish is especially good with couscous.

-- SJ