Muddy Buddies

Here is the recipe for Chex Muddy Buddies. There was a girl in my Bio class (a looooong time ago) who brought these delicious chocolaty morsels to every "party" that we had--and they were the biggest hit. They're easy to make, and loved by kids and adults alike. Caution: they can be addicting. Exercise proper self-control when consuming this product.

BTW I found the recipe on the back of the cereal box, but it's online as well.

Prep time: 15 min
Start to finish: 15 min
Yield: 18 servings (1/2 cup each)

Ingredients
9 cups Chex cereal (any "flavor")
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
1. Measure cereal into a large bowl, set aside.
2. In a 1-quart microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter uncovered for 1-minute, stir. Microwave 30-seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring evenly until coated. Pour into a 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I just made some of these tonight to pack up in little baggies for school. They make great treats because they're relatively mess-free to eat in the library. ;) And I can exercise portion control by putting just a little bit in each bag.

Better than Cold Stone® Milkshake

I just made the BEST milkshake ever—thanks to my brother-in-law! While down for a visit, he shared with us about his “protein shakes” (a.k.a. glorified milkshakes), and I decided tonight—as odd as the recipe sounded—to give it a try. After all, if it went bad, I could just toss a cup’s worth of milk and ice cream right?

Well, I don’t need to say that the result was astounding! Islands, In-n-out, and Cold Stone, in my humble opinion, have some of the best shakes around (trust me, I was allowed a milkshake every time I got braces on or off, and whenever I had teeth pulled—so I’m a valid authority on milkshakes); but I have never—and I mean NEVER—had a milkshake as good as the one I made tonight.

Basic recipe:
Several scoops ice cream
2 eggs
milk (just enough to make it smooth)

My shake:
Several scoops ice cream
2 eggs
milk (just enough to make it smooth)
+
1-2 spoonfuls chocolate syrup
1-2 scoops peanut butter
Shredded coconut

Blend a couple scoops of ice cream, 2 eggs, and whatever else you want, together until smooth. Add the milk only after you’ve blended everything else—and use it sparingly. I added chocolate syrup, peanut butter, and a scoop of shredded coconut. LR adds a scoop of protein powder to his.

I know: “raw eggs in a milkshake?” I was a bit put off by the recipe too at first, but LK loved the shakes her husband made; and she’s not one to eat raw eggs—except if it involves chocolate-chip cookie dough…but that’s another story. The eggs are responsible for the great texture—not to mention the protein! Did you know that one large egg contains 6.3 grams of protein? So a shake using 2 eggs has 12.6 grams of protein—wow!

I have no idea what the calorie count is on these things, and I really don’t want to. Hey…if it’s got 12.6 grams of protein, who am I to complain?