I've just created the best, most unhealthy popcorn mix anyone will eat in their whole life.

So. I was doing my daily pintrest rounds, and what to my wandering eyes should appear, a picture of popcorn, m&m's and pretzels covered in white chocolate and drizzled in milk chocolate, OH DEAR!  So, I said to myself, "Do I need this? INDEED!"  So, I went to my kitchen and grabbed all these things:

1.  Stick Pretzels
2.  1 bag of microwave popcorn (normal sized)
3.  Peanut butter m&m's but you can use your favorite
4.  White chocolate, about half a bag
5.  Milk chocolate, about 1/4 cup

FIRST pop the popcorn, take all the old maids out and throw those suckers away, so you're only left with the fluffy popcorn. Then, put it in a large mixing bow. :]  SECOND take the m&m's and the STICK pretzels and put them in a large mixing bowl.  THIRD, melt your white chocolate.  No particular way, just make sure its melty.  FOURTH, pour into bowl with pretzels and m&m's, mix until fully coated. FIFTH, dump the mouth watering mix into the bowl with the popcorn, mix.  SIXTH, take out a cookie sheet and put a layer of tin foil or wax paper down and dump the heavenly mixture onto it, and try to flatten it out (may need more than one cookie sheet.  SEVENTH, take your milk chocolate, melt it.  EIGHTH, delicately drizzle the milk chocolate over the WHOLEEEEE thing.  NINTH, pop in freezer, wait ten painstaking minutes, remove, crunch up, put in a new big bowl, and enjoy, devour, inhale, whatever!  Perfect for a party!  Or perfect as a gift! Tell me what you think!

Tye-Dye Cupcakes

This morning I woke up early, so, naturally I would eat breakfast, catch up on my favorite tv shows and relax until later in the day. Nope, today I though, I'm going to make cupcakes.  Tye-dye cupcakes at that.  So, you will need:
1.  White cake mix
2.  3 Egg whites
3.  Veggie oil 
4.  Water
5.  Classic food coloring

Pre-heat your oven.  Take the cake box and follow the instructions on the box and get everything mixed together.  Then, get five cereal bowls and split the batter evenly between all of the bowls.  Take your food coloring put a different color into each bowl. Line your cupcake pan and then start to add about a table spoon of each color into each liner until it's about 2/3 of the way full.  Then pop those babies into the oven and wait.  When they are done, cool, frost and enjoy ;]

Cake Pops

Well, they were really good, but the devil to make...  So you're going to need:
1.  Cake Pop mix. 2.78 (Walmart)
2.  Veggie oil
3.  Water
4.  Eggs

Well, just follow the instructions on the box, and hopefully you have more luck than I did during the rolling in chocolate part.  I don't know how, but I burned the chocolate that came with it, so, I used white chocolate mixed with milk chocolate, and they still turned out pretty good.

So, here is what the finished product looks like. There are supposed to be 12... clearly that didn't happen. So, cake pops 1: Stephanie 0... Needless to say, not tackling cake pops ever again... Ever.

Easy Cookie in a Bowl

I've tried to make this 2 times.  The first time it was EXTREMELY over cooked and the second time it was really good. So, hopefully if you try this it will turn out decently the first time you make it.  The key is to get it out of the microwave before it over bakes. You're going to need:

1.  2.5 tbsp unsalted butter (Schnucks 1.50/4)
2.  1 1.2 tbsp granulated sugar (Schnucks 1.25)
3.  1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (Schnucks 1.25)
4.  2.5 tbsp beaten egg (Schnucks 1.75)
5.  1/4 tsp baking soda (Schnucks 1.00)
6.  1/4 tsp salt (Schnucks 1.50)
7.  1/3 cup of flour (Schnucks 1.75)
8.  1/4 tsp vanilla (Schnucks 1.25)
9.  as many chocolate chips as you want! (Schnucks 2.00)

Your grand total will range around 12.25 for the ingredients. But you'll be using >2.50 dollars worth.

Okay, so first you are going to want to take the butter and sugars and mix them together.  Then add the egg and vanilla, mix.  After, put the flour, baking soda and salt, mix again.  Put in the microwave for about 1 minute 20 seconds take out top with whatever sounds good and enjoy!

Hope it turns out okay!
-Steph

Chocolate Covered Pretzels with Peanut Butter :]

Man, I am just making some killer treats lately.  I made these over Halloween weekend for my 1st Halloween party at my apartment.  They were a big success and everyone loved them! So, for this wonderful little recipe, these are the ingredients you're going to need . . .

1.  Pretzels:  (Schnucks 2.00)
2.  Milk chocolate chips (Schnucks 2.00)
3.  Peanut butter (Meijer 2.00)
4.  Powdered sugar (Schnucks 1.25)
5.  Granulated sugar (Schnucks 1.25)

Your grand total is 8.50.  But, you're going to have a lot left over, so you're using >3$ of it.

First, you're going to make, the stuffing.  Take 1 1/2 cup of the peanut butter, 3/4 cups of powdered sugar, and 3/4 cups of granulated sugar and mix it all together.  If its still sticky, add 1/4 cups of both sugars until you are able to hold it without your fingers getting all gooey.

Then, roll about a 3/4 inch ball and smash it between 2 pretzels. Repeat this action until your peanut butter stuffing is gone.  Place the stuffed pretzels on a pizza pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes, during the last 5 minutes of freezing start melting HALF the bag of chocolate in a microwave safe dish and heat the chocolate in 30 second increments and stir until the chocolate is melted!  Take your stuffed pretzels and dip one side into the chocolate.  Put the pretzels back into the freezer until the chocolate is fully hardened.  When done, take them out and thoroughly enjoy. Just don't eat so many that you get sick!!! Because these babies are rich!

Enjoy the deliciousness 
-Steph

Reese's Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

My latest food recipe tackled was, Reese's cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. May I just say, they were amazing.  

The things you'll need for the cupcakes,
1.  White or Chocolate cake mix, I used white, the mix usually takes eggs, water, and veggie oil. I used about 1/4 cup less water then recommended. (Walmart 1.25)
2.  Cupcake liners (Walmart 0.50)
3.  Reese's Peanut Butter cups mini, buy them the week after a holiday! Usually the holiday candy goes on sale for up to 50% off, in almost every store. (Walmart 2.00 (bought after Halloween)

For the frosting
4.  1 cup butter, softened (1.25/4 Schnucks)
5.  1 cup creamy peanut butter (2.00 Schnucks)
6.  4 cups powdered sugar (1.50 Schnucks)
7.  5 teaspoons milk (price varies)

After all is added up, the total comes to 8.50. You might also be able to find things for cheaper too! BUT, everything can be used for other things except the cake mix!

So, first you're going to pre-heat the oven.  As the oven is heating up get the cake mix ready! Follow the instructions on the cake box, I used a hand mixer to combine all the ingredients together, place cupcake liners and put a 1/4 cup scoop of the cake mix inside of the liner. Unwrap 12 mini Reese's cups and push 1 into the middle of each separate scoop of batter, don't worry about the dent in the cupcake, when the cupcakes bake the gap will close.  Then, place in oven for recommended time.

While you're waiting for your delicious, tempting cupcakes to come out of the oven, start making the frosting! First combine the softened butter and the creamy peanut butter and milk, I used a hand mixer for this part too, so make sure you wash the blender blades.  Once fluffy, add the powdered sugar.  The mix shouldn't be watery, so if it is, add powdered sugar until it is not watery. I put the frosting in the fridge until it was ready to use on the cupcakes.

Once the cupcakes are out of the oven, put them onto a plate or separate dish and pop them in the freezer for a couple minutes or by an open window so they cool down quick so you can plop some frosting on them and devour one!

When applying the frosting, I put a sandwich bag into a coffee mug and put frosting into the bag. Cut a tiny slit at an angle in one of the corners of the bag and pipe it onto the top of the cupcake from the outside in.   And, BAM! These fantastic little cupcakes are like heaven in your mouth!

Until next time, enjoy :]
-Steph