Winter Break Is Over And Food Experiments

   So, my school winter break is officially over back to school I go tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about this on one hand I am happy because means I am closer to getting school done and sad because I didn't miss all the studying, tests and note taking. This semester all my classes are on time which means I have to work hard not to get distracted my other things on the internet which is not always an easy task with me, I am very easily distracted. I am determined though to and ready to face it head on.

     During my break though I have been doing a lot of food experimenting. The first one I tried was garlic, parmesan crusted Edamame which was amazing and so easy to make. I love edamame and adding the extra flavor to it makes an amazing protein filled snack. My next new adventure with food was mashed garlic parmesan Cauliflower. This one is a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes and surprisingly didn't taste much different. They were not as whip like as mashed potatoes but the flavor and taste was all there. Even Kris who is a huge mashed potato fan, she would eat them everyday if I made them, thought that the mashed Cauliflower was good. Finally, my last completely not healthy recipe I tried was Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treats. These were so good and luckily I still have some left. They were fast and easy to make and would be a great recipe to try if you have kids. I will put the recipe for the Rice Krispie below and feel free to message me for the others!


Ingredients 
Rice Krispie Treats 

• 6 tbs margarine* (3/4 of a stick) 
• 3/4 cup yellow cake mix 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 3 cups Rice Krispies 
• 1/2 10oz bag of marshmallows (5oz) 
• 1 tbs sprinkles 

Buttercream Frosting 

• 1/2 cup margarine* (1 stick) - room temperature 
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 
• 2 tsp vanilla 
• 1 tsp almond milk* 

Instructions 

Melt margarine in the microwave (about 45 seconds). Mix in marshmallows and return to microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between, until melted. Mix in cake mix and vanilla until combined. Add in sprinkles and 2 cups of Rice Krispies with a spatula. Add in the third cup of Rice Krispies.

Fill each well-greased muffin holder with the Rice Krispie mixture and press it in gently with the back of a spoon. Cool for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

For frosting, cream margarine in stand mixer with paddle attachment, then slowly add in confectioners’ sugar until well combined. Mix in vanilla, almond milk and food colouring if desired.

Remove Rice Krispie cupcakes from tin with a knife. Frost and top with sprinkles.

*Butter and regular milk could be substituted for their non-dairy counterparts.
**Makes 24 mini cupcakes. For a 9 x 13” pan, double the recipe.
***Note: Also try this out with a marshmallow cream frosting!