CHOCOLATE CARAMEL RICE KRISPIE SQUARES

 I have one kid that loves caramel and the other that could do without it but will still eat it if it's there. To me these looked awesome and I couldn't wait to give them a try.

The bottom layer is a traditional rice krispie which to be honest you can't go wrong with it. 

The next layer was good but to be honest I was shocked with the peanut butter as I really wasn't expecting that by the description of the recipe. This layer was still super easy to make a really good!

I was surprised again by the addition of peanut butter into the top layer as well. It was still really good but a small surprise!

These were really good but I definitely would have added Peanut Butter into the name!

You can find the recipe here: https://www.artandthekitchen.com/chocolate-caramel-rice-krispie-squares/

CARAMELIZED ONION BURGER WITH BALSAMIC MAYO

 There's something about having a really good burger at home that makes life seem a little bit better. We seem to rarely go out anymore for really good food but we've been finding that we really haven't been missing it too much since we've been making a lot of really good food at home. 

This was a burger I was looking forward to trying as I am really liking provolone cheese. That being said I struggled to actually find provolone slices and should have went to a deli but instead I cut it off a very thin block of cheese and I think each burger ended up with about 6 slices each in order to cover the whole thing.

Another thing I liked about this burger was really the simplicity of it. It had awesome caramelized onions and then was only topped with the balsamic mayo and the cheese. It was a burger with very few toppings but was full of taste.  

Now I personally probably should have been watching the onions a bit more as Mik was in charge and they were a little overdone but I had no complaints as she was watching. I also cooked the burgers inside on my cast iron pan due to the weather.

These are really a great burger that made me very happy!

You can find the link here: https://www.foxvalleyfoodie.com/caramelized-onion-burger-with-balsamic-mayo/ 

Sunday Dinner

 It was just Mik and I for dinner but I still wanted to try and get something healthy made and make it look good. I have decided to make homemade bread on Sunday's when I can so we can have some fresh bread for the week and of course I need to try making new kinds.

For dinner we went with Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Chicken. Now I ended up making it in the house due to the snow in my backyard so this wouldn't be exactly how yours may turn out if you used your grill instead. I also used large chicken breasts and maybe next time I would have made smaller pieces so that it cooked faster. I also ended up using white balsamic so that would have affected the color of the chicken as well.

For the bread we made a parmesan garlic bread which was awesome and full of flavour. I loved snacking on this one through the week and definitely would make it again! I am seriously loving the bread machine again and it makes me so happy! 

You can find the recipes here:

Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Chicken: https://www.rockrecipes.com/brown-sugar-balsamic-glazed-chicken/

Parmesan Garlic Bread: https://sumofyum.com/recipe/bread-machine-garlic-bread/

Fudgy Mint Chocolate Brownies

 So I made these because I thought Bren was really into mint but he seems to have an off and on relationship with it these days. Luckily he did eat some of them but I won't be making much with mint soon as he keeps referring to mint as toothpaste.

Anyhow, I still do really like mint and won't complain that I got to eat more of these than I definitely should have. I know I really have to be good but I love baking so much and it really relaxes me through difficult times.

The brownies were super easy to make and very straightforward. I love how easy delicious brownies are to make and that they don't require a lot of dishes!

The mint frosting was easy to follow and my main recommendation is just to make sure that the butter is soft so that it easily mixes in with the icing sugar. Also remember that the peppermint extract is little but mighty so follow the recommendation for how much to use. 

The ganache was an awesome touch as it was soft and totally good! Such a great alternative to plain a chocolate frosting. Just be very careful with the microwaving as you don't want to burn or overcook it!

You can find the recipe here: https://thefoodcharlatan.com/mint-chocolate-brownies/

Eggs Benedict Casserole

 This was a great way to use up those ham leftovers from Christmas dinner!

This recipe was super easy to follow and it is a make the night before and bake in the morning! I was glad that I double checked the recipe as I almost missed making it before hand.

Everything is super straightforward and I admit that I winged the ham and just put in what looked good as I was using up the leftovers. So I did use our ham leftovers from Christmas dinner and did not use Canadian Bacon. It still tasted awesome and I got rid of some leftovers from the fridge.

I followed everything as directed and it turned out awesome. I only made one package of hollandaise sauce as I knew that the three of us wouldn't be eating all of the casserole at one time. 

This was such a great recipe and I highly recommend giving it a try!

You can find the recipe here: https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/eggs-benedict-casserole/