Im back! It is Snackadium Time!! Pt 1

So, I think it is fitting to make my return to blogging about my most spectacular party spread yet.  First, why I have been gone for so long.  It was my dream to be a special education administrator so that I could help as many students with disabilities and their families as possible.  When I had started this blog I had worked 6+ years in special education and was teaching in a self contained special education high school for students with intellectual disabilities.  There I had taken many leadership positions as a teacher and helped improve the academic and transition programs at my school for 250 students and felt it was time to move to the next level.  I worked on getting my second masters in educational leadership, and that is why I stopped blogging.  There was no way I could write 10+ page papers each week and write for fun.  Then, I got my dream job.  However, district based leadership jobs are completely different than school based.  It was nothing as I imagined.  I won't get into specifics, but even though I was good at my job and made a difference, my heart is completely in the classroom with my kids.

So now I am back to blogging.  My plans have changed and for the first time in 11 years I don't have a career goal. It feels weird.  From when I graduated with my undergraduate degree until I finished my second masters degree I was continuously in school with no more than 2 semesters off.  I got my masters in special education and then was working on my doctorate in curriculum and instruction when I came down with Gastroparesis and had to scale down my dream of having a doctoral degree.  I then got my National Board Certification, and was back into school for the second masters.  I guess this is my time to breathe!

Enough about me... lets talk about the party.  For the Super Bowl our friends decided to have a party and as usual my husband and I started brainstorming what we were going to bring.  I made the mistake of mentioning a snackadium that I had seen earlier in Rachel Ray's magazine.  That small comment turned into the Snackadium madness.  My husband instantly started creating Facebook posts telling everyone about the crazy Snackadium we were going to build and bring.  Guess who was cooking it all?  Here are some of the recipe highlights.  I will share the construction, dessert dome, and final product in another post.

The first parts I created were peanut butter pretzel footballs.  I have to tell you, it took me forever to find these pretzels.  I went to 4 different stores over 2 days and nothing.  My husband finally found them at World Market.

The recipe for these pretzel footballs can be found at plainchicken.

Then I started to think about how I would create the walls of the snackadium.  I did not want to make 5 million sandwiches like other snackadiums, so instead I started to make pans upon pans of krispy treat bars.  I decided to make them using cookie pans so they would be thin enough so I could stand the bars up like walls.

The first type I made were basic krispy treats using Trix cereal.  I got the recipe from Cravingsofalunatic.  If I made them again, I would increase the amount of marshmallows.  They were a bit dry for me.

Since I wanted to do something different with my rice krispy treats, I looked for something using cake mix.  No, I can't eat them being gluten free but my cake mix chex mix went over so well I figured I would try it in another way.  I made cake batter rice crispy treats from Now you Can Pin It!  Since I didn't want to spend money on sprinkles with all of the ingredients I was buying (a small amount of $, but it was the point of it all) I used funfetti cake mix.  

Then I wanted to add some chocolate to the mix, so I chose to make these nutella rice crispy treats.

The last ones I made were my own creation.  Very easy but they were SOO good.  Glad I had some left over to snack on!

Candy Covered Rice Crispy Treats

Ingredients:  

6 cups of rice krispies 

3 Tbs of salted butter

1 10 oz bag of marshmallows 

Wilton candy melts in your favorite colors (took approximately 1.5 bags total)

In a microwave safe bowl combine the butter and marshmallows.  Heat for 1.5 minutes, stir, then go for 1.5 minutes more.  Stir until smooth then add the rice krispies.  Stir until coated.  Spray cookie sheet or pan with cooking spray and push mixture in pan.  Cool in the refrigerator.  Cut the treats into bars.  Heat the Wilton candy melts according to the directions on the bag.  Put the individual treats on parchment paper.  Take a silicone pastry brush and brush the melted candy on one side of the treat, turn, and then the other.  Let cool in fridge.  

Originally the candy was for candy coated Oreos in the Seahawks and Broncos colors, but I definitely think the krispy treats beat them out.  Did I mention how good they are?  Its the winter, I go sugar crazy. Its getting late so I will post more soon.  Glad to be back!

Four Types of Chocolate Bark

This Christmas I wanted to make a treat for the four different homes that I was visiting. My husband loves my fudge but I didn't feel like making it. I had also made my famous pecan bars for a family celebration two weeks ago, so couldn't do a repeat. Then I was thinking about my candy bark. To make it you take every seasonal candy that is out there right now, mix it together, and pour white chocolate over the top. It tastes awesome and makes you feel like you are going to go into a sugar coma, but it takes some guts to try it if you are over the age of 15 and I figured people would look at it without trying. So I decided to make chocolate bark, candy bark's more sophisticated sibling.

The overall process is very similar for each recipe. Each type were scarfed down at each celebration, but my personal favorites are the Roasted Walnuts and Tart Cherries in Dark Chocolate and the Pecans in Salted Chocolate. Each recipe yields a whole cookie sheet of bark so be prepared to take it everywhere! I fed 4 different families and now still have enough to take to our friends for New Years Eve. Thank goodness because I am so tired I cant even make rice right now (recovering from the 24 hour stomach flu).

Roasted Walnuts and Tart Cherry Dark Chocolate Bark

Adapted From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of walnut halves

3 12 oz bags of bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)

1 1/2 cups of dried tart cherries (coarsely chopped)

4 Tbs of crystalized ginger (finely chopped)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the walnut halves on a cookie sheet and toast until golden and fragrant (usually around 8 minutes but keep an eye on them so they do not burn). Let cool then coarsely chop them.

When you have all your other ingredients ready, place the chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir constantly until melted. Take the double boiler off the heat and mix in the rest of your ingredients. Then pour onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, wax paper or foil. Using a spatula, spread out until at desired thickness or until it reaches the sides of the pan.

Let cool by putting in fridge for around an hour (should be completely hard and set before you take it out). Then either with a sharp knife or with your hands (which I usually do) break the bark into pieces.

Pistachio and Cranberry White Chocolate Bark

Adapted From Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients

3 12oz bags of white chocolate chips* (I use Ghirardelli)

3/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachios

3/4 cup of crasins (dried cranberries)

Place the chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir constantly until melted. Take the double boiler off the heat and mix in the rest of your ingredients. Then pour onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, wax paper or foil. Using a spatula, spread out until at desired thickness or until it reaches the sides of the pan.

Let cool by putting in fridge for around an hour (should be completely hard and set before you take it out). Then either with a sharp knife or with your hands (which I usually do) break the bark into pieces.

*I didnt roast the pistachios but other recipes recommended it, so it is up to you whether or not you roast them

Roasted Pecans and Salted Chocolate Bark

Ingredients

2 cups of toasted pecans

2 12 oz bags of semi-sweet chocolate

2 12 oz bags of white chocolate

1 Tbs of coarse salt (I used coarse Kosher salt)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans on a cookie sheet and toast until golden and fragrant (usually around 8 minutes but keep an eye on them so they do not burn). Let cool then coarsely chop them.

When you have all your other ingredients ready, place the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir constantly until melted. Then take the bowl off of the double boiler and put the white chocolate chips on the double boiler and stir constantly until melted.

Pour the white and dark chocolate in a checkerboard pattern onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, wax paper or foil. Then use a fork to swirl the semisweet and white chocolate together. Pour the roasted pecans on top, pushing them gently into the chocolate. Then sprinkle the salt on top of the chocolate.

Let cool by putting in fridge for around an hour (should be completely hard and set before you take it out). Then either with a sharp knife or with your hands (which I usually do) break the bark into pieces.

Candy Cane Bark

From Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients

1 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 12 oz bag of bittersweet chocolate chips

2 12 oz bags of white chocolate chips

12 oz (2 regular packages) of candy canes, crushed

Place the semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir constantly until melted. Pour onto cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, wax paper or foil.

Place into fridge for around 10 - 15 minutes to harden and then take out when ready for white chocolate chips.*

Place the white chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir constantly until melted. Pour onto the dark chocolate layer. Spread carefully so the brown chocolate does not show up in the white. Then pour your crushed candy canes on top and press them into the chocolate.

Let cool by putting in fridge for around an hour (should be completely hard and set before you take it out). Then either with a sharp knife or with your hands (which I usually do) break the bark into pieces.

*Many people have had the two parts of the chocolate separate when breaking the bark into pieces. I felt it was a temperature problem (as the Brown Eyed Baker has you put it in the freezer for 30 minutes) and that pouring the white chocolate on something so cold would not let the dark chocolate melt to create a bond. I still did have a little on the edges separate but not much, so it is up to you on how long you want the dark chocolate to cool