I made this popcorn snack mix for a family game night and it was too yummy not to share. It’s a bit like Chex mix but lighter and healthier because of the popcorn (at least that’s what I told myself). And who doesn’t like shoestring potatoes?

Savory Popcorn Snack Mix
Adapted from Belly Bytes

12 cups unsalted popped popcorn
1 9oz can of shoestring potatoes
1 16oz can of dry roasted peanuts (or mixed nuts)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tsp dill weed
2 tsp worcestshire sauce
1 tsp lemon peppper seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Combine popcorn, shoestring potatoes and nuts in a large roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the popcorn mixture and stir to coat.

Bake 8-10 minutes at 325 degrees, stirring once. Cool completely before serving.

What are your favorite game night snacks?

This salad is my go-to potluck offering. In certain circles, I’m not even allowed in unless I bring this salad. The recipe is purposefully vague. Use whatever you have on hand and in whatever amount you like. In the past, I’ve added celery, onions, pepperocinis, garbanzo beans, and more to this salad.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

Orzo
Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Cucumbers
Kalamata Olives
Greek Dressing
Crumbled Feta Cheese

Cook the orzo until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.

While the orzo is cooking, chop all the vegetables and olives into small pieces.

Add the cooled orzo, dressing and feta cheese. Chill at least an hour, but longer is better. I usually make this the day before.

Yum! Orzo is perfect for a pasta salad because you get the taste of pasta without the heaviness of using of bigger noodles.

What are you favorite potluck recipes?

My son loves to have cocoa in the morning. He calls it cocoa-majoko (cute, huh?). We were out of packets, so I was going to pick some up at the store. Then I made the mistake of looking at the ingredients….corn syrup solids, vegetable oil, sodium aluminosilicate.

Ummm….no thanks!

I figured there had to be a way to make it myself without all those extras. I found this recipe and set to work. I found the powdered milk at Grocery Outlet for just $1.99 and had all the other ingredients on hand. This recipe is so easy even a 2 1/2 year old can make it!

Make Your Own Cocoa Mix

2 cups powdered milk
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Stir. I used a whisk to make sure I broke up any clumps.

Put the mix into an airtight container.

To serve, add 2-3 TBSP of mix to hot water or milk and stir. Marsh-pillows (another one of my son’s words) are optional!

I’m not huge on bananas, so I always figured that I didn’t like banana bread. Then I made some. De.light.ful! Clearly, I have been missing out.

My key to making banana bread is frozen bananas. I always seem to have 2 or 3 bananas that get too ripe before I can eat them. Not enough to make banana bread, so I just throw them into the freezer. When I have about 10 in the freezer, it’s time to start baking. Let the frozen bananas thaw on the counter for about an hour and they will be perfect for mashing.

Banana Bread
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (5 medium)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Let your frozen bananas defrost on the counter for about an hour. Peel and place in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher.

Add eggs, sugar and melted butter. Stir to combine.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to the banana mixture. Stir to combine. (The BHG instructions say to mixture the dry ingredients in a separate bowl first, but let’s be honest…I’m all about avoiding extra dishes!).

Fold in the chopped nuts.

Grease the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7-1/2×3-1/2×2-inch loaf pans. Pour batter in the pans. Tap the pans lightly on the counter to even out the batter. I generally make a double batch which is the perfect amount for 4 disposable loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes. Timing will depend on your oven and the size pan you use. Insert a toothpick into the middle of the bread to determine if it is done. Toothpick will come out clean when the bread is finished.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan. Enjoy immediately or cool completely, wrap loaves in foil and freeze.

 Oh how I love Girl Scout cookies. Thin Mints, Tagalogs, Samoas…..I love them all.

I’m easy prey for those eager cookies seller outside my local grocery store. I remember my years of standing out there with my mom close by prodding me to ask someone (anyone!) if they want to buy some cookies. I was a very shy kid and talking to people was way outside my comfort zone. But there’s nothing like Girl Scout cookies to bring a smile to a strangers face.

I was beyond excited when I learned about the recipe contest being hosted by Girl Scouts of Western Washington. Girl Scouts of Western Washington generously provided bloggers with 5 boxes of cookies to develop a recipe. Beyond needing to include Girl Scout cookies, the sky was the limit.

Now, I have zero experience with recipe development or contests but I knew that I wanted to give this contest a shot. The staff at Girl Scouts of Western Washington will be narrowing down the entries to the top 5 and then YOU will have a chance to vote. Voting will take place here from 2/16-3/1. Fingers crossed that I make the Top 5!

Dulce de Leche Chocolate Tart

9oz Girl Scout Dulce de Leche cookes (1 1/2 boxes)
1/3 cup salted butter, melted
1/4 cup dulce de leche (you can buy canned or check out my tutorial for making your own)
12oz chocolate, finley chopped (bittersweet or dark)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBSP all purpose flour

 Ignore the sweetened condensed milk in this picture. You need that to make the dulce de leche, not for the tart.

Using a food processor, finely chop the cookies. These cookies have yummy caramel chips that won’t chop finely but those bigger chunks are a good thing. Pour the melted butter into cookie crumbs and mix. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9″ tart pan.

* If you only have one box of the Dulce de Leche cookies, decrease the butter to 1/4 cup and press just into the bottom of the tart pan.

Use a small spoon to dallop the dulce de leche over the crust. In theory I was planning on spreading the dulce de leche over the crust in an even layer, but sticky caramel and cookie crumbs don’t play nicely together. Luckily, the dallops create a lovely surprise in each piece of the tart.

In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped chocolate and heavy whipping cream. Whisk over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks. egg, sugar and flour. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly until smooth.

Pour the chocolate filling into the crust.

Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes until the filling is a little puffy and the center is softly set. Cool tart completely before slicing and serving. Add a bit more dulce de leche to the top if you are feeling really indulgent.

Oh.my.goodness

This tart is delicious. The Dulce de Leche cookies are perfect for this crust. They add just the right amount of crunch to the smooth filling.

And oh, that filling! I used bittersweet chocolate which is a great balance with the sweetness of the dulce de leche. My husband is not huge on sweets but I caught him licking his fork clean with this one! I would make this again (and again and again and again!).

If you want to make your own Dulce de Leche Chocolate Tart (or any of the other recipes in the Girl Scouts of Western Washington contest), you can buy Girl Scout cookies from March 2nd-18th.

I’ll let you know how the first round of judging goes and hopefully you will have a chance to vote for my recipe.

I was working on a recipe for a contest (details coming later this week) and needed dulce de leche. Dulce de leche means “sweet of milk” in Spanish. It is made by caramelizing sweetened milk. You can start with regular milk and sugar, but it’s much easier to start with canned sweetened condensed milk.

I had seen a tutorial on Pinterest for making dulce de leche in the slow cooker that looked like a yummy treat. The initial recipe called for putting the can of sweetened condensed milk directly into the slow cooker. But I read a bit more and found some concerns about BPA leaking into the food if you use this method. So I found this tutorial for transferring the sweetened condensed milk to canning jars first.

You will need:

2 14oz cans of sweetened condensed milk
3 half-pint canning jars
Slow cooker

Pour the contents of the cans into the canning jars. Top with lids and rings that are just tightened.

Add jars to slow cooker and fill with hot (from the tap, not boiling) water. I used the taller half-pint jars and they were covered by about a half-inch of water. They remained covered during the whole process, but you may need to add more water if the jars don’t stay full submerged.

Cook on Low for 9-11 hours. I cooked mine for 11 hours and it made a very firm dulce de leche. I think it I had removed it earlier, it would have been a bit creamier. Remove from the slow cooker and cool.

Yum! This would make great topping for ice cream or a dip for apples or animal crackers (my favorite way!).