When Melanie invited me to participate in this Rice Krispies challenge I got very excited and I immediately started to brainstorm what would I create?? The challenge was to create a Holiday Show-Stopper. Just the name sounds pretty ambitious!

I haven’t made Rice Krispies treats before this, so I was nervous just of the fact that I didn’t know how to make them! But I soon found out that they are so easy to make. That helped. The basic recipe lends itself for many variations and additions, that’s why these challenges are here; with creativity and Rice Krispies there are a million options!!

I think I took it as a design project (I’m a graphic designer), I got really excited with all my ideas and kept thinking of more but there was a point that I had to stop and decide. Once I decided, I wrote my list of supplies and went shopping. It’s been a long time since I do anything this crafty, so I was so happy to go and start it. Then, during the assembly, my favorite part was deciding which icing color each set of balls gets and which sprinkles. Also, matching the colors to each tree, arranging the decorations plus taking the pictures, I think I loved every step! This is something that took me out of my usual computer design work and made me use my creativity in a different way, I love it! Click on the Rice Krispies badge and it will take you to a page were there is a link to all the other posts with the challenge, it’s really fun to see them all!

In my mind there are so many variations of this, you can make 1 tree only, you can paint the trees and balls in other colors (Even if they aren’t Christmas colors, it will look Holiday because of the cones and arrangement plus kids would love some rainbow color sprinkles, for example!), you can make other shapes as ornaments (candy canes, bells, stars, etc), you can add sparkle to make it shiny, add flowers and so on… I could keep going and going here!

I did get my 4 year old, Adrian, to help me with it and we had lots of fun. He helped me get the mix together, make the balls, paint the trees and when he ate them he said: it’s like a lollipop!! But I have to confess there were many moments that I wanted the project all to myself and the designer instinct kicked in more than the mami instinct; I had to balance it!

Without further ado, here is the recipe so you can make this Show-Stopper too if you wish:

Holiday Rice Krispies Trees

Ingredients for the ball ornaments:

• 9 tbsp of butter
• 3 regular bags (10 oz) of marshmallows
• 18 cups of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies (About 2 boxes)
• Bag of 100 Lollipop sticks (cut in 3 pieces each)

Directions for the ornaments:

1. In a saucepan melt the 3 tbsp of butter over low heat.
2. Once its melted add 1 bag of marshmallows and stir until completely melted.
3. Remove from heat and add 6 cups of Rice Krispies, stir until its all mixed. Let it cool for a couple of minutes.
4. Butter a baking sheet and butter your hands, start making the balls and place them on the tray. Try to make them no bigger than 3/4″ and the smallest you can will be probably about 1/2″. The different sizes will work well on the the different cone sizes.
5. Attach a stick to each ball.
6. Repeat step 1 to 5 for 2 times more. So in total you will make 3 ornament batches. The mix has to be molded warm so that’s why you have to work in separate batches.

Ingredients for the decorations:

• 2 tubes of white decorating incing (4.25 oz each)
• 1 tube of red decorating incing (4.25 oz)
• 1 tube of green decorating incing (4.25 oz)
• Assorted Sprinkles and icing to decorate
• 3 Styrofoam cones in different sizes (The biggest one is about 13″ tall)

Directions for assembly and decorations:

1. With a brush, paint the cones with the icing (If it is too thick add a hint of water) in 3 different colors, one white, one red and one green. Let it dry.
2. Meanwhile place each icing color on a little container (Again, if it’s too thick add 1 or 2 tsp of water) and dip the balls 3/4 of the way in the icing.
3. Top each ball with your favorite holiday sprinkle combination. Let them dry. You can use a Styrofoam base to stick them to dry and maybe place them in the fridge or let them dry overnight.
4. After they are all very dry, stick them to each tree in an imaginary ribbon of balls from top to bottom until you fill all the tree. You will need about 55 balls for each tree!
5. Have fun arranging the trees in a circular base with real or imitation pine!

Thanks so much Melanie and ModernMami readers for having me here and now there is a great giveaway for you readers!

Reader Giveaway

One of you will win a $100 Visa Gift card!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this contest, simply leave a comment below letting me know if you have made other Rice Krispies treats recipes and which one is your favorite.

The rules of this giveaway only allow 1 entry per person, so just by leaving a comment answering the question above you’ll be entered.

All entries must be in by Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Abbreviated Rules: No Purchase Necessary. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. Subject to complete Official Rules. Void where prohibited. Sponsor: TheMotherhood.com

Disclosure: As a Rice Krispies Brand Ambassador for TheMotherhood.com, I was compensated for participating in this challenge.

This post is part of a paid campaign.

When I was little, my mami taught me how to cook as soon as I could reach the back-burner of the stove. I helped make rice, beans, soup, and any other dish she thought I could handle. As I got older and into my tween/teenage years, I no longer helped her cook, but instead would often cook half of the meal when I got home from school by myself.

My daughter has shown an interest in helping to cook since she was about 2 years old. At first, we’d let her “stir” things or have her play with a bowl and spoon as either one of us did the real cooking. But, now that she’s 4 and becoming (a little) more coordinated and can reach better, she actually helps quite a bit. She still stirs, but she can also put ingredients together, layer, and “cut” with some help. She loves to help and I love to see her be so proud of helping the family. Plus, I love that she has an interest in cooking. It makes for some fun times in the kitchen.

Of course, one of the very first things she “cooked” was Rice Krispies Treats with her dad. How easy is it for her to throw the marshmallows into the pot and help stir? So, when I was contacted by The Motherhood about participating in the Rice Krispies Summer Recipe Challenge, I happily accepted knowing it would give my baby girl and I a chance to have some fun creating a Rice Krispies recipe.

The challenge included working with 9 other bloggers and figuring out the clues we each received in a mystery box. After putting the clues together, we realized our challenge was Fourth of July’s “cooler” when kids help create Rice Krispies Treats recipes. This meant that our recipes needed to include a “cooler” (i.e., frozen or cold) ingredient. Here’s what we made.

Cheesecake Rice Krispies Treats Squares

Instead of using a traditional honey graham crust for your cheesecake, I used the Rice Krispies Treats as the “crust.” Here’s what you’ll need.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 package (10 oz.) regular marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 box No-Bake Cheesecake dessert (minus crust)

To make the rice krispies treats, melt the butter and add the marshmallows. Once the marshmallows are fully melted, remove from heat and add in the cereal. Stir to coat well and press into a 9 in. pie pan to make the “crust.” This is the really tricky part, since it can be quite messy and the rice krispies treats are a little sticky to work with. But, after much laughter and work, my baby girl and I were able to get it pressed into the bottom of the pan to make our “crust.”

While the rice krispies treats cool and settle, prepare the cheesecake according to the box instructions. Remember you won’t need the crust included in the box, just the filling. Pour the filling into your pie pan over the rice krispies treats and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Once you take it out of the fridge, cut into square pieces, serve and enjoy!

Oreo Rice Krispies Treats Squares

This is a variation of the above recipe, using Oreo No-Bake dessert, for the chocolate lovers out there.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 package (10 oz.) regular marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 box Oreo No-Bake dessert (minus crust)

Prepare this dish, the same way as the cheesecake squares, except that you’ll use a 8 in. square pan instead of a pie pan (though you really could use a pie pan, if you wanted to). Again, remember you won’t need the crust that comes with the box, since your rice krispies treats will be the “crust.”

If you want to see what the other bloggers participating in this challenge created, visit their blogs for some yummy recipes:

• Mommy Mandy: http://www.mommymandy.com
• Naptime Chef: http://www.thenaptimechef.com/
• Mom’s Favorite Stuff: http://www.momsfavoritestuff.com
• The Plus Size Mommy: http://www.theplussizemommy.com
• GirlyMama: http://www.girlymama.typepad.com/
• Zen Mama Ventures: http://zenforyou.dalefg.net
• The Mommy Insider: http://www.themommyinsider.com
• Mommin’ It Up: http://momminitup.com/
• Pretty Pink Momma: http://prettypinkmomma.blogspot.com

I also have a quick 24-hour giveaway in conjunction with this challenge. One of you can win a Rice Krispies Treats Cookbook. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and let me know what fun Rice Krispies Treats recipes you’ve tried in the past, or if you stick to the traditional treats. Contest ends at 5 pm EST on June 24th. I’ll choose a winner using random.org and contact him/her via e-mail. Note: View official giveaway rules here.

Disclosure: As a Rice Krispies Brand Ambassador for TheMotherhood.com, I was compensated for participating in this challenge.

Photos by Melanie Edwards (apologies for the blurriness – I am no good at food photography apparently). Badge provided by The Motherhood.

I CAN.NOT believe Christmas is just 2 days away. And for us, really, the celebrations begin tomorrow. Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) is the day that we all get together and have our family get-together and big dinner. Good food, sharing memories from when my brothers and I were young, and creating new memories for my baby girl. I get to spend this time with my husband, daughter, and my parents. I love it.

I’ve never really taken count as to how much money goes into creating a meal for so many people. Even when I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house last year, I didn’t keep track; I just bought what I needed. But, I know that it can quickly add up. This year, I’m watching our money more closely and plan to do this even more so as 2010 comes around. One thing I’m doing to save money this year is buying presents for only the children in our family. The adults have agreed to this and it works out great for everyone, since it can be hard to find presents for grown-ups who already have a lot of things, anyway.

How can you save money with your holiday cooking? Well, Walmart is providing tips for cooking a Christmas Dinner for Eight for $30 as well as a New Year’s Party for Ten under $40. The Walmart Holiday Meals site has recipes from Food Network chef Aarón Sánchez with tips on how to create an affordable meal. The $30 Christmas meal for eight starts with the following ingredients:

• One 10-pound spiral cut half-ham
• Three 8-ounce cans Del Monte Green Beans
• One 10-pound bag of Russet potatoes
• One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
• One 10 inch Pumpkin Pie

Aarón then takes these ingredients and spices them up to create dishes like Ham with Mango Jalapeño Glaze, Chipotle Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Green Bean & Mushroom Picadillo. He does the same for the $40 New Year’s Party meal and even spices up Egg Nog to create a Coquito-like drink.

Want your chance to shop Walmart and create an affordable meal? Even if not in time for the holidays, you can always appreciate saving money when cooking.

Giveaway

We’re going to do a super-quick giveaway due to the time crunch. Two of you will win a $30 Walmart gift card.

How to Enter

If you’d like to enter this contest for a $30 Walmart gift card, leave a comment below sharing your own favorite holiday memory or your money-saving tips. (mandatory entry)

For extra entries:

1. Tweet about this contest with a link back to this post and include @modernmami in your tweet. You must leave a separate comment with a link to your tweet for your entry to count.
2. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
3. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog and link back to this contest page. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Saturday, December 26 at 11:59 pm EST. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winners will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart. In addition, I received a Walmart gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate and two to offer as a giveaway.

Photos from Walmart Holiday Meals site

This month’s Potato Tastemaker 2K10 challenge was Nutrition on a Budget. I had to create a nutritious dish for 4 with only $10 – using potatoes of course!

First, a few facts about potatoes:

• one medium-size potato has just 110 calories and is absolutely fat free
• one potato provides 45% of your daily value of vitamin C
• when eaten with the skin, a potato has more potassium than a banana
• potatoes are often one of the best values in the produce department, costing (on average), just $.25 per pound

For more potato goodness, tips, and recipes, check out Mom’s Dinner Helper from the US Potato Board.

Now, watch and see what I created:

Make sure you click over to the ModernMami.com YouTube channel and rank the video. You’ll have to sign in, but it’s super easy and free to create a YouTube account if you don’t already have one.

Here’s how to rank the video:

• View the ModernMami #tastemaker challenge 2 video at YouTube. Just click that link to go there.
• Sign in with your YouTube account or Google account; either works.
• Click the stars under the video to rank it.

That’s it!

Make sure to spread the word to your friends!

Rank the video. Pretty please?

Thanks!!!

Don’t remember what I made for part 1 of the challenge? I showed you how to make rellenos de papa…with a salmon twist.

Disclosure: As a Potato Tastemaker challenger, for round 2 of the challenge, I was provided with $10 for creating my dish. Additionally, I received a few kitchen gadgets and a recipe book. No other compensation received.

You saw me open the box. Then, it was on to cooking.

This month’s Potato Tastemaker 2K10 challenge was honoring National Seafood Month. My task was to create a dish using potatoes and salmon.

Watch and see what I created:

I’ll probably post a full recipe in the future. For now, make sure you click over to the ModernMami.com YouTube channel and rank the video. Yes you have to sign in, but it’s super easy and free to create an account if you don’t already have one. And why don’t you, anyway?

Here’s how to rank the video:

• View the ModernMami #tastemaker challenge 1 video at YouTube. Just click that link to go there.
• Sign in with your YouTube account or Google account; either works.
• Click the stars under the video to rank it.

That’s it! Simple enough right?

Make sure to spread the word to your friends!

Now.go.rank.the.video.

There are some very essential ingredients when it comes to cooking Puerto Rican food. They make up what’s called sofrito.

Now…the term sofrito is used a bit interchangeably because it refers to both the overall mixture of these ingredients as well as a specific item.

Either way, we use sofrito (the overall mixture) for just about everything we cook. It’s used in yellow rice, beans, stews, soups, and pretty much anything that is cooked in a sauce.

It’s a staple.

5 Ingredients for Cooking Puerto Rican Style

Sofrito or Recaito

Like I said, sofrito can also be a specific item. Many people make their own sofrito by blending various peppers and herbs in a food processor. However, us modern mamis buy the bottled or frozen version. Goya sofrito comes in both. At least in the supermarket.

Sometimes I buy recaito instead of sofrito. It’s basically the same thing and many of the ingredients overlap. They serve the same purpose. Again, Goya recaito comes both in a bottle and frozen.

Sazon

Sazon is a blend of different seasonings and spices and also has achiote in it. Achiote (or annatto) is what gives our food the orange-y color. Sometimes half a packet is all you need.

Adobo

Adobo replaces the salt and pepper combo in a Puerto Rican kitchen. We do not season our meats with salt and pepper. Instead, we use adobo. And, please for the love of all that is right, DO season BOTH sides of the meat. I can’t for the life of me understand why you would want to eat meat that tastes good on one side only.

Tomato Sauce & Tomato Paste

Tomato sauce adds some more coloring and gives a great flavoring to the gravy/sauce. It also helps to give texture, along with…

Tomato paste goes right along with tomato sauce. You can’t really have one without the other (which is why together they count as one item). The tomato paste definitely adds a thicker consistency to the sauce.

Green Olives

I was told by a former co-worker once that she loves to eat olives, but would have never thought to cook with them. Just a couple of olives in the rice or beans adds a great flavor.

And there you have it. Five ingredients that are used in everyday Puerto Rican cooking and make-up our base seasoning for nearly all dishes.

*Please note that you don’t have to get Goya; there are other brands out there. I just couldn’t find them to showcase.*

Have you ever had or cooked any Puerto Rican dishes? Which are your favorite(s)?

P.S. Don’t forget today is also Family Eden Wednesday! Help me figure out how to use my slow cooker!

All images from Amazon.com.