Ooey-Gooey Rice Krispie Treats

Tomorrow is my twin sons' 7th birthday. Every year I make a homemade treat for them to bring to school and share with their classmates. Last year I made these delicious Rice Krispie Treats and they asked me to make them again this year. This is the only recipe I've used so I'm posting it here so I can find it more easily!

For a double recipe, I buy an 18-ounce family size box of Rice Krispies and 4 10-ounce bags of mini marshmallows. I don't measure the marshmallows - I just use 1.5 bags to melt and the remaining .5 bag I keep whole to stir in at the end. I cut 24 large Rice Krispie Treats from a double recipe.

Ooey-Gooey Rice Krispie Treats

Recipe courtesy “Brave Marshmallow” Instagram

 

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt (sea salt preferred!)
10 cups Jet-Puffed Mini Marshmallows (save 1 cup for tossing)
1 teaspoon vanilla
7 cups Rice Krispies cereal

 

Note: you’ll need two 10-ounce bags of mini marshmallows for these treats.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Line a 9x13 casserole dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift the treats out at the end.

Measure out the cereal and mini marshmallows in separate bowls for easy pouring.

Melt butter over low-medium heat in a large pot.

 

Add salt and stir to combine.

 

Remove from heat and pour in mini marshmallows (save 1 cup for later!). Fold those little marshmallows over each other until they’ve nearly finished melting completely. I like to leave my marshmallow goop a little lumpy for a bit of texture!

 

Add in vanilla and stir.

 

Add cereal and use a spatula to coat with the marshmallows; you want to work rather quickly and be sure to scrape down the side of the pot as you go (less mess to clean up later).

 

Pour in the remaining cup of mini marshmallows and stir loosely to combine.

 

Pour mixture into your 9x13 casserole dish; gently push cereal around the dish with fingertips or spatula, being sure to reach all four corners of the dish (otherwise you end up with some pretty funny looking end pieces). Do not press down firmly on the treats, otherwise they lose their ooey-gooey quality, becoming a bit too firm.

 

Let cool at room temp (don’t refrigerate) for about 30 minutes to an hour before slicing and diving in!

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

 

NOTE: Vanilla is key in these sweet treats, so I recommend going for a pure vanilla extract rather than imitation. Vanilla is going to really bring out the marshmallow flavor and add a bit of depth to this otherwise simple treat, so it’s not an ingredient that I like to cut corners with. My preferred vanilla is Nielsen Massey.

Spinach Lasagna

A few years ago my sister Regina made a delicious Spinach Lasagna. She got the recipe from my cousin Gabrielle. I made it once, two summers ago, and wrote down a few changes I made to the recipe, mostly that I tripled the amount of sauce and had to bake it at a higher temperature and for longer. I made it again today, but this time I used homemade lasagna noodles and it was even better! I also used Breakstone's Whole Milk Ricotta, which doesn't have the additives most store-bought ricotta has in it. It's just milk, vinegar and salt, the way ricotta should be. I always prefer homemade ricotta but I don't always have time to make it, so this was a nice alternative without any added junk. I also shredded a block of mozzarella rather than using pre-shredded cheese.

The recipe below is based off the recipe from my cousin Gabrielle, with the changes that I made to mine. This is a delicious meat-less meal, but you can easily serve it with cooked sausage links, bread and salad to make a complete meal.

Since this is a bit of a process and takes a while to make (it took me about 4 hours), this is what I did. I started out by sautéing the spinach. I let it cool while I began to make the sauce. While the sauce cooked, I made my pasta dough. While my dough was covered and resting, I blended the tomato sauce with an immersion blender, chopped the spinach, mixed the ricotta filling, and shredded the mozzarella. I used my new Marcato Atlas 180 roller and went to thickness setting #8. Once all of my dough was rolled out into long sheets, I cut the sheets the same length as my lasagna dish. I let them rest for 10-15 minutes before I started assembling my lasagna. I did not parboil them - there's no need to as long as there is enough sauce covering them. I used 2 lasagna sheets for each of the 3 layers. This was the perfect amount of dough for 1 lasagna plus a long sheet leftover that I cut into pappardelle for my son who doesn't like lasagna. I had enough sauce for 1 lasagna, the pappardelle, extra sauce to serve on top of everyone's pieces of lasagna and about 5 cups left that I froze for a future meal.

I had my sister and her husband over for dinner and between the 5 people eating lasagna, we only had 1.5 pieces left. This lasagna is so good and I'm sure I'll be making it again soon!

Spinach Lasagna

Adapted from Gabrielle Capobianco Feezer

Sauce: 

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 6-ounce cans Tomato Paste

2 6-ounce cans water

Red wine, to taste

3 28-ounce cans Whole Tomatoes

Salt and Pepper, to taste

 

Ricotta Mixture:

1 bag of frozen Spinach OR 11 ounces fresh Spinach, chopped

2 pounds Ricotta Cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Salt and Pepper, to taste

 

Lasagna:

1 box Oven-Ready Lasagna Noodles or 1 recipe homemade lasagna noodles

1 pound Mozzarella cheese, grated

Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated - to taste

 

To start, make the sauce in a 6-quart pot. Heat the olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic - be careful not to burn it. Cook for a minute or two and then add the tomato paste and water. Add red wine. Stir to combine and then add the whole tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, partly cover and turn the heat to medium low and let it simmer.

 

Before using the sauce in the assembly of the lasagna, using a potato hand masher, squish the whole tomatoes. This is more easily done when the tomatoes have been cooking for a little while. This will give a chunky sauce. If you prefer a smooth sauce, use an immersion blender at this point. Alternately, blend the whole tomatoes, tomato paste and water in a blender first before cooking it with the garlic. You can also use crushed tomatoes that don’t need to be blended at all, if you prefer.

 

If using frozen spinach for the ricotta mixture, defrost with warm water and set aside. Drain and squeeze out most of the water before adding it to the ricotta mixture. For fresh spinach, heat a little oil in a pan and sauté the spinach until cooked. Let it cool and then chop up the cooked spinach.

 

In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs and spinach. Stir to combine completely and then season with salt and pepper.

 

Using a 9x13 baking dish, add a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan, then place a single row of noodles. Spoon half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Spoon a layer of sauce and then sprinkle with grated parmesan or Romano cheese. Repeat this entire layer order one more time and then finish with another layer of noodles, topped with sauce and then finished with grated parmesan or Romano cheese.

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Place a sheet pan on the bottom rack of the oven in case any sauce spills over. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes and then continue cooking uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. (Note: depending on your oven, you may have to cook at a higher temperature or for a longer time. I cooked mine at 375° but it took over an hour).

Fresh Homemade Lasagna Noodles

I've been wanting to make homemade lasagna sheets for a while and finally took the plunge today to use in this Spinach Lasagna recipe.. It was so easy! I did a quick search last night and this was the first recipe that came up so it's the one I tried. It's similar to the pasta dough I usually make except it calls for 1 egg yolk in addition to 3 whole eggs, rather than all whole eggs. This small change made the dough even easier to work with. As always, I measured the eggs to get to the correct weight of 185 grams. I was pressed for time so I mixed the dough in my KitchenAid mixer before turning it onto my wooden dough board, and then finished kneading it by hand.

While my dough was covered and resting, I blended the tomato sauce (which had been cooking for a while), mixed the ricotta filling, and shredded the mozzarella.

I used my new Marcato Atlas 180 roller and went to thickness setting #8. Once all of my dough was rolled out into long sheets, I cut the sheets the same length as my lasagna dish. I let them rest for 10-15 minutes before I started assembling my lasagna. I did not parboil them - there's no need to as long as there is enough sauce covering them. I used 2 sheets for each of the 3 layers. This was the perfect amount of dough for 1 lasagna plus a long sheet leftover that I cut into pappardelle for my son who doesn't like lasagna. I'm so glad I finally took the time to make these myself. It was very easy and tasted so good!

This was also my first time using my Marcato Atlas 180. This machine produces 180mm (about 7") sheets, compared to the Atlas 150 (150mm or 6"). The wider sheets are very helpful when making dishes likes lasagna, filled pasta like ravioli or hand cutting pasta.

Fresh Homemade Lasagna Noodles

Adapted from Emilie Raffa

 

Soft, silky, homemade lasagna noodles are at your fingertips! My recipe and method yields enough lasagna noodles to fit a standard 9×13-inch pan (or something similar) which feeds up to 6 people. You’ll end up with approximately 10-12 lasagna noodles. I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the roller attachment in the instructions below. However, a hand-crank pasta machine can be used to roll the pasta dough.

 

300 grams Tipo 00 Flour (Molino Grassi or Caputo recommended)

185 grams eggs, room temperature (about 3 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk)

Make Pasta Dough: Add the flour and eggs to a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process to form dough, about 15-20 seconds. Remove to your work surface and cover with an upturned bowl for 5 minutes. Then, knead the dough into a ball, about 1-2 minutes (don’t worry about technique here, the food processor does most of the kneading for you). Cover again, and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour to relax the gluten. Use this downtime to set up your work station in the next step.

Set up your work station: Choose a large, clutter-free work surface to spread out (I like the kitchen table). Dust your work surface and the pasta machine/roller with semolina flour to prevent sticking. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, no overhang. Cut 4 additional pieces to layer in between the lasagna sheets as you roll them out; set aside.

Roll Pasta Dough Into Sheets: Cut the pasta dough into 4 equal pieces. Flatten one piece into a 5×8-inch long disc (re-wrap or cover the remaining pieces so they don’t dry out). A rolling pin helps with this step.

Send the disc through the roller on the widest/lowest setting. This is “#1” on the Kitchen Aid attachment, but it might be a “#0” on other machines. Send it through a second time. Note: remember, if using a hand-crank pasta machine, refer to their specific instructions for rolling pasta sheets for lasagna. The process is the same, but the settings are different.

Continue to roll the dough through settings #2-4 (2x on each setting), dusting with semolina flour in between if the pasta gets sticky. You can also cut the sheet in half if it gets too long. The pasta sheet is ready when it’s slightly translucent and you can see your hand underneath, about .60 mm thick. For thinner noodles, go up to setting #5 (again, refer to the instructions for the machine you are using – I go up to #8 on my Marcato Atlas 180). Now, you’re ready to make lasagna noodles.

Cut Lasagna Noodles: Trim the pasta sheet to fit the dimensions of your 9×13-inch baking pan. For reference, I can get about (3) 5×12-inch long lasagna noodles from one rolled out pasta sheet, approximately 38 inches long. Your measurements will differ slightly from mine which is normal. The goal is to end up with 10-12 lasagna noodles.

Place lasagna noodles onto your parchment-lined sheet pan in a single layer. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper so they don’t dry out.

Repeat to roll and cut the remaining 3 pieces of pasta dough, 1 piece at a time so they don’t dry out. Layer the additional lasagna noodles between the remaining pre-cut sheets of parchment paper. When finished, select a storage option below.

How to Store Lasagna Noodles

At Room Temperature (1 hour): arrange lasagna noodles on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a single layer. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper so they don’t dry out. Layer and repeat, ending with parchment paper on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store at a moderate room temperature for up to 1 hour. Alternatively, use an airtight container.

To Refrigerate (12 hours): arrange lasagna noodles in between layers of parchment paper as indicated above. Chill up to 12 hours. Fresh pasta tends to oxidize and discolor after this timeframe. However, this will not effect the taste.

To Freeze (1 month): arrange lasagna noodles in between layers of parchment paper in an air-tight container. Freeze up to 1 month. Defrost before using; they are easier to handle without breaking.

How to Dry Lasagna Noodles

Line (2) wire cooling racks with kitchen towels. Arrange semolina-dusted lasagna noodles on top in a single layer. It’s important for the air to circulate underneath the lasagna noodles. Let air-dry, at room temperature, for up to 24 hours. The exact drying time will vary according to season (i.e. faster in winter, slower in summer). The lasagna noodles are fully dry when they snap in half with a clean break. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Yield: 10-12 lasagna noodles.

Ricotta Gnocchi

A few months ago I came across this reel for Ricotta Gnocchi and I've been wanting to try them out ever since. Tonight I finally did and they were delicious!

I drained my ricotta for a few hours before making the dough and barely any liquid came out. My dough was pretty wet and difficult to work with initially. I added more flour, a little at a time, until it seemed right. Next time I will try this using homemade ricotta and see if that helps. Since the dough was hard to handle, I was not able to roll smooth looking "ropes". The end product didn't look nearly as nice as I would have liked, but they get covered in sauce anyway so it doesn't really matter. The important thing is how they taste and these did not disappoint!

The "sauce" I used for these was actually Butternut Squash Soup mixed with a little bit of pasta water. The combination was insanely good!

Ricotta Gnocchi

Recipe courtesy Meryl Feinstein

 

454 grams (16 ounces) best-quality full-fat ricotta, drained and/or blotted dry if needed
55 grams (2 ounces) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
70 grams eggs (about 1 large egg plus 1 yolk), lightly beaten
3 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
150 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs and salt and mix thoroughly until smooth. Fold in the flour with a spatula until well combined. The mixture should hold together but still be a bit tacky. If needed, add another tablespoon of flour.

 

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for a few moments, with a light touch, until the mixture is homogeneous and there are no visible streaks of flour. You do not need to rest the dough before shaping.

 

Dust work surface and dough with flour. Cut dough into thick slices (roughly the width of two fingers) using a bench scraper or sharp knife.

 

Dust a piece of dough with flour and gently roll it back and forth to create a smooth exterior. Continue rolling dough outward into a thick rope, about ¾-inch diameter. If dough gets sticky, dust with more flour. Continue with remaining dough slices.

 

Cut each rope into bite-size pillows, roughly 1 inch in length.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour. Closely arrange gnocchi in a single layer on the prepared sheet without touching. (Finished gnocchi can sit at room temperature or uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.)

 

Fill a large pot roughly two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil. Season generously with salt.

 

Using a spider sieve or slotted spoon, carefully lower gnocchi into water and cook until they float to the surface, about a couple of minutes, plus an extra 30 seconds. Transfer gnocchi to a large skillet filled with sauce of choice.

 

Yield: 2-4 servings.

 

NOTES:

Tips for Perfect Ricotta Gnocchi:

If you have the time and a food thermometer, try making your own ricotta! It’s simple, and you’re in control of the cheese’s texture.

 

If using store-bought ricotta, make sure it’s a high-quality, full-fat variety.

 

The thicker (and drier) the ricotta, the easier it will be to work with. To remove excess moisture from store-bought ricotta, line a baking sheet with paper towels, spread the ricotta across the sheet, top with more paper towels, and blot dry. Repeat if needed. Alternatively, strain the ricotta in a cheesecloth-lined colander for several hours (overnight is even better!).

 

Keep flour to a minimum to ensure light and fluffy gnocchi.

 

For extra smooth ricotta, briefly whip in a food processor or blender. A quick blitz removes some of the grainy texture, resulting in creamier ricotta and smoother dough.

 

Butternut squash soup thinned out with pasta water for the sauce!

Butternut Squash Soup

I had a big butternut squash in my fridge that I needed to use and wasn't sure what to make with it. Usually I would cut it up and roast it in the oven and serve with pork, but this squash was pretty big. I also had some ricotta in my fridge and wanted to try a ricotta gnocchi recipe, so I decided I would make that with the butternut squash. At first I thought I would roast the squash to serve with the gnocchi but I knew that would not use up much of it. Then I thought of making this butternut squash soup and using it as a "sauce" on the gnocchi, serving the rest as soup or freezing it.

The soup was rather thick since my butternut squash yielded about 10 cups of cup up squash, so I used a little bit of pasta water to thin out the portion of the soup that I was using as sauce for the gnocchi, which worked really well. My gnocchi sauce turned out delicious! I had some left over Dutch oven bread that I made last night, and dipping that in the soup was delicious as well!

My mom and my sister Maria make this soup recipe so I've had it before and knew it was good but this was my first time making it. It's very simple and straightforward. Since I'm lactose intolerant, I omit the butter, and I appreciate that this recipe doesn't use cream in it like some others. I used my immersion blender, which made the last step very easy. If you love butternut squash, give this recipe a try!

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe Courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

 

2 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

3½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls.

 

Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.

Some soup thinned out with pasta water and mixed with homemade gnocchi!

Maple Pecan Pie (Without Corn Syrup)

I recently came across this Pecan Pie recipe that uses pure maple syrup instead of corn syrup and really wanted to try it. I didn't end up making it for Thanksgiving so I made it today to take to my parents' house tonight. I used my go-to pie crust recipe, but I only made half a recipe since I only needed a bottom crust. I didn't measure the ice water like I usually do and used too much, so my dough was a little wet. I also forgot to poke holes in it.

I happened to have Crown Maple Syrup, which Costco sells around the holidays, so I used that for my pecan pie. I did not use cinnamon or nutmeg in my pie and I don't think the recipe needs them. Mixing the pie filling is super easy and only requires a whisk, but be careful not to over mix the filling, which can cause it to puff up and crack while baking.

I always find it hard to tell when pecan pie is finished. If you remove it from the oven too soon, it will be soupy in the middle, and if you bake it too long it will be too hard. Remove it from the oven when you insert a toothpick in the center and just a little bit of gooey filling is on the toothpick. I tried to tell if it was done just by how jiggly the pie filling was. I'm pretty sure mine took longer to bake than 40 minutes, but my son turned the oven timer off at some point while my pie was baking, so I have no idea how long it was actually in the oven, but it was definitely longer than the recipe calls for.

I read a review on this recipe that said to avoid a soggy crust, you can blind bake the crust (with pie weights) at 400° for 10-15 minutes, then pour in the mixed ingredients and finish baking the pie. You may need to bake 10 minutes longer than the recipe says.

This pie was pretty delicious! I served it with homemade whipped cream to my husband (it's his favorite kind of pie and he loved this recipe!), mom and siblings and they all enjoyed it too. If you're looking for a good pecan pie recipe and don't have or don't want to use corn syrup, give this one a try!

Maple Pecan Pie Recipe (Without Corn Syrup)

Recipe from Cucina by Elena

 

If you are looking for the BEST pecan pie without corn syrup, you’ve landed on the right recipe! This delicious pie has a beautifully rich maple syrup flavor and warm spices that enhance the pecan flavor. The buttery, flaky pie crust nestles it together, making it irresistible.  

 

Homemade 9” pie crust

2 cups (8 ounces) pecan halves

3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

¾ cup real maple syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

 

 

Preheat the oven to 400°.

 

Prepare the pecans:

Spread the pecan halves evenly inside the unbaked pie crust. Place the crust in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.

 

Make the filling:

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy.

 

Whisk in the melted butter until smooth.

 

Add the dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and flour, whisking just until everything is well combined, but don’t over mix.

 

Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg (if using). Whisk just until smooth and fully combined, but don’t over mix.

 

Assemble the pie:

Take the chilled pie crust with pecans out from the fridge.

 

Carefully pour the filling mixture over the pecans, ensuring they are evenly coated.

 

Bake the pie:

Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400°.

 

After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350° and continue baking for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is set and only slightly jiggles in the center.

 

Check halfway through and cover the pie with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

 

Cool and serve:

Once baked, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. The filling will firm up as it cools.

 

If desired, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top before serving for a balanced sweet and salty flavor. You can also serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream. 

 

NOTES:

Use real maple syrup: Pure maple syrup (not imitation) gives the pie a rich, natural sweetness. It’s the star of the show, so go for quality!

 

Chill the crust: After placing the pecans in the pie crust, chill the crust in the fridge while preparing the filling. This helps the butter firm up, creating a flakier, crisper crust when baked.

 

Don’t over mix the filling: When whisking the eggs and other ingredients, mix until just combined to avoid a tough filling texture. Over mixing can cause the filling to puff up too much and crack.