Rice Krispie Treat Nests!

This weekend I not only celebrated Easter, but also my blog's first birthday! Whether my posts are regularly read or not I have enjoyed adding to my blog since last spring. For Easter I made special Rice Krispie treats! Here is how to make my Rice Krispie treat-nests:

Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons of butter

- 4 cups of mini marshmallows

- 6 cups of Rice Krispie Cereal

- Peanut M & M's

- 1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

Melt butter in a pot completely then add marshmallows. When the marshmallows are completely melted take the pot off the heat and add in the Rice Krispies, mix thoroughly. Spray 2 cupcake tins with cooking spray and spoon in mixture. Use parchment paper to press the mixture into the tins. Try to make each treat cave concave so the M & M's will stay put. Melt chocolate chips in a double broiler on the stove then add a little bit to the center of each nest. Last, add 3 M & M's to each nest and place in the fridge for a half hour.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I made chocolate-stout cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream icing. I used a recipe by Dave Lieberman which I found on FoodNetwork.com . I used one bottle of Guinness Extra Stout beer. The recipe does not instruct you to sift the dry ingredients, but I did anyway. I also let the dairy products warm up to room temperature. Make sure the stout is room temperature also. If you don't the cold beer will harden the butter when you add it to the mixture. Next time I attempt this recipe I may also let the beer go flat so the carbonation is not incorporated into the mixture. For the icing I used 3 cups of confectioners sugar and 5 tablespoons of Bailey's Irish Cream Liquor. For a finishing touch I used a vegetable peeler to add shavings of Hersey's chocolate to the cupcakes.