Happy (almost) Halloween!! With the holiday only being a couple weeks away, I thought I'd post a fun and festive treat for you all to try. I first found this recipe on pinterest but I altered it a little to make it my own. You can mix up the ingredients however you like but I thought this version tasted good and also looked pretty (or scary, depending on your perspective!) This would be a great treat for a Halloween party or office snack.
What you need to make the bark:
1-1lb package of white almond bark (add 1 tablespoon of Crisco)
1 cup stick pretzels, broken up into pieces (but not crumbs)
1 cup salted peanuts
12-14 Halloween Oreo's, crushed and broken into small pieces
1 1/2 cup candy corns
2-4 tablespoons Halloween sprinkles (eyeballs or other fun Halloween shapes)
To make the bark:
1. First, break up your pretzels and cookies. I put the pretzels into a ziploc bag and used a rolling pin to break them up. I also put the Oreo's in a baggie but used my hands to break them up so they were more chunky (as opposed to cookie crumbs).
2. Next, I chopped up the almond bark and started melting it with the Crisco in a sauce pan over low heat.
3. Line a large jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper. I layered all the pretzels, peanuts and then half the candy corns and half the Oreo chunks on the parchment paper. The next time I do this, I would probably pour the melted chocolate down first and then push the toppings into it.
4. When the chocolate is melted, pour it on top of the parchment paper (with or without the toppings) and spread it around. Push remaining toppings into the chocolate so that when it sets you can break it apart without them popping out or falling off. Use the Halloween sprinkles sporadically around the bark.
5. Let cool outside or in the fridge for about an hour or two and then use your hands to break the bark into smaller pieces.
TRICK OR TREAT!
Hi Everyone! Hope you're all well and enjoying fall. It's been so great to light some pumpkin candles, turn on the oven to bake and make some good old comfort foods! Today I've got a macaroni salad for you. We made this as a side to a grilled meal but you could use it any time. It's really easy to whip together and goes with just about any protein. Feel free to use whatever veggies you like...this was just my rendition for today and I'll probably switch it up often!
What you need for the macaroni salad:
1 1pound box of elbow macaroni
6 green onions, sliced thin
3 stalks of celery, cut into small chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1/2 of a seedless cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
**One thing Danny suggested after the fact was that cubed up pepperjack cheese would have been a good addition...I may go ahead and add this later today as I have a block in the fridge!
For the sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
To make the macaroni salad:
1. I started by bringing a large pot of water to a boil with a little oil and salt. Cook the box of macaroni until al dente- about 12 minutes.
2. While the pasta is cooking, chop up your veggies. This is easy but time consuming so just bear with it. I put all the veggies in a very large mixing bowl that I could easily add the macaroni and sauce too when it's ready.
3. Next, I mixed up the sauce by combining all the ingredients listed above.
4. Drain your pasta when ready and rinse with cold water while in a colander.
5. Mix the macaroni in with your veggies and then add the mayonnaise sauce. Stir to combine and place in the fridge for an hour or so to get it nice and cold.
ENJOY!!
