Chocolate Shoes!

My friend Molly Swoboda gave me this AMAZING chocolate shoe (well, she gave me two, but I only took a picture of this one so far...so I could EAT it! LOL). Anyway, these come from Peterbrooke Chocolatier, which I think is now my favorite place ;-)

Seriously, what could be yummier than chocolate SHOES? Clearly, Molly knows me (and my obsession with shoes!) WAY too well!

The shoe was delicious, BTW :-)

Shirley

Easy Chocolate Peanut Clusters

These are the easiest desserts in the entire world. I make these almost every year for the school's cookie walk, and can make a gazillion dozen in no time at all. Last year, I was making them when the cable guy came and gave him a half dozen and made a new friend, LOL.

They are made in a crock-pot. No lie, a crock-pot. I have doubled this in a big crock-pot very successfully.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Clusters

2 pounds white almond bark (it comes in this big block at Wal-Mart)
4 1-oz squares German's bittersweet chocolate
12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
24 oz jar roasted honey peanuts (you can use other kinds but I love the honey kind)

Put all ingredients in crock pot; cook 1 hour on high. Stir once in a great while just to prevent burning on the edges. Turn crock pot to low and stir every 15 minutes for 1 hour, or until thoroughly melted and combined. Drop onto waxed paper in clumps that fit in your mouth. Leave to cool, remove and either freeze or put in covered containers and store for up to a week.

These freeze great, they store great...I can't think of anything they aren't good for. I've made little ones, big ones (which just take longer to cool). If you want to make tons and tons, just cool them fast in the freezer so you can take them off the waxed paper. The waxed paper is pretty essential to protecting your countertops and making your life easy :-). I also recommend checking the crock-pot and stirring from time to time so it doesn't burn along the sides. But truly, these are as easy as it gets! They're like turtles, but without the caramel.

Hey...there's a variation I haven't tried. Hmmm...might be some experimenting in my future! Voting is still going on the bear, so take a chance to win a Shirley Jump travel mug!

Shirley

First Sorta Cookie Recipe: Fudge Krispies with Candy

Here's my first recipe of the season, which is my Mom's recipe for Fudge Krispies. If it's my Mom's, it's good. :-) But, I had to add my own touch.

FUDGE KRISPIES (with a Shirley touch)

2 cups milk chocolate morsels
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 cups rice crispy cereal
M&Ms

Combine morsels, margarine and corn syrup in a saucepan. Stir, over low heat, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat (scorching this is so not cool). Stir in vanilla and sugar. Then add the rice crispies and M&Ms, mixing until well coated. Spread evenly in a 9 by 13-inch pan.

Chill until firm (yeah, yeah, I know, but you can wait). Cut into squares. My mom said 1 1/2-inch squares but I was in Border's the other day and they had these Whoa-Momma four-inch square Rice-Krispie treats and let me tell you that is MY idea of a treat. So cut 'em as big as you want and only share with people you like.

And if you don't like M&Ms, by all means, put any old kind of candy you like in there. I don't think there's a candy in the world that doesn't go with chocolate :-) [Okay, Sour Apple Jolly Ranchers...not cool for this treat].

There you have it. And don't forget to vote on the bear and try to win a Shirley Jump coffee mug!

Shirley