A pioneer Woman recipe

Pita Chip Crunch, by Pioneer Woman
Chocolate Pecan:
6 ounces Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips (can also use Stacy’s Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips)
6 ounces milk chocolate bark
1/2 cup fine chopped pecans
Line baking sheet with waxed paper.
In a small skillet, lightly toast pecans over medium low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until flavor deepens. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
To assemble, spread pita chips in a single layer on top of waxed paper.
Pour half the melted chocolate over the top, distributing as evenly as possible. Sprinkle half the toasted pecans over the top.
Repeat with the rest of the chocolate an the rest of the pecans. Allow to sit at room temperature to harden, or place in the freezer for ten minutes to speed the process along.
Crack apart with a fork and place on a serving platter.
Chocolate/Peanut Butter:
6 ounces Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips (can also use Stacy’s Cinnamn Sugar Pita Chips)
6 ounces white chocolate bark
2 ounces peanut butter chips (can also use milk chocolate for contrasting color)
Line baking sheet with waxed paper.
Melt white chocolate and peanut butter chips in separate bowls. Place melted peanut butter candy in a squeeze bottle or Ziploc bag (with tiny hole cut in corner.)
Spread pita chips in a single layer on top of waxed paper.
Pour melted white chocolate all over the top of the chips, spreading lightly if necessary to cover evenly. Place into the freezer for ten minutes to harden. Immediately drizzle melted peanut butter candy over the top in a pretty design. (Make sure it isn’t too hot or it will melt the white chocolate.)
Place back into the freezer once more, to harden again.
Crack apart with a fork and serve. Yummy!
VARIATIONS:

Crunchy Sesame Candy

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Brown sugar and honey make these Asian candies an irresistibly sweet gift, especially when they're tucked into small, colorful boxes (sold in most craft stores) or paper jewelry boxes. RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sesame seeds (about 6 ounces)
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1. Generously coat two large sheets of waxed paper with cooking spray. In a medium skillet, toast the sesame seeds over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they're fragrant and golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and honey. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes (because melted sugar can get quite hot, this is a step best left to parents). Add the sesame seeds to the sugar and stir well with a wooden spoon.

3. Place one sheet of the waxed paper on a work surface, greased-side up. Scrape the mixture onto the paper and top it with the remaining sheet of waxed paper, greased-side down. Using a rolling pin, roll the mixture into a square about 1/4 inch thick (a great job for kids).

4. Remove the top sheet of paper and cut the candy into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife. Let the candy cool completely. Break apart the pieces and store them in an airtight container at room temperature until you're ready to package them. Makes about twenty-four 1-inch squares.

Snow Treasure Island Game

Snow Treasure Island Hunt
Hide a chest full of loot in the snow, then watch young castaways track it down clue by clue.


WHAT YOU NEED:
Cooler
Treats
Magazines (optional)
Paper
Markers
Plastic bags


HOW TO PLAY:
1. Pack a cooler full of treats and then hide the "treasure chest."

2. Create a series of clues leading to the chest. Use either pictures from magazines or create your own with markers and paper.

3. Place each clue in a plastic bag and hide it in the snow.

4. Begin the hunt by handing the players their first clue.

VARIATIONS:
For more sophisticated castaways, give them their clues in riddles or use rebuses.

TIPS:
Look around the yard for good clue hiding places and plot them on paper. Then create the picture clues for each spot and hide them in order (keep the master list just in case a clue gets lost).







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PopCorn Snowman

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
15 cups popped popcorn
1 stick of butter or margarine
Two 10 oz. packages marshmallows
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
Pretzel sticks
Raisins
Candy corn
Mini jawbreakers
Gumdrops or red hots
Fruit leather
1. Put the popcorn in your largest mixing bowl and set aside. Melt the butter or margarine in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat. Add all the marshmallows to the pan, stirring continually with a wooden spoon until they're completely melted. Pour the mixture over the popcorn and stir to coat evenly. As soon as the marshmallow is cool enough to touch, rub a little butter or margarine in your hands and make popcorn balls (about 1 cup of popcorn per ball).

2. Build and decorate your snowmen on sheets of waxed paper. For each one, stack three popcorn balls atop each other. Push pretzel-stick arms into the sides of the middle popcorn ball. Add raisins for eyes and a candy corn for a nose. Arrange a row of mini jawbreakers into a broad grin. For buttons on the snowman's chest, use gumdrops or red hots.

3. If your popcorn balls aren't sticky enough to hold the decorations, mix up a small batch of stiff white icing by adding water, a few drops at a time, to 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and stirring until smooth. Use this to glue the candy in place. For snowmen's scarves, cut rectangles out of fruit leather and fringe the ends. Makes 5 snowmen.

Ice Light

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This crystal lantern may be as cold as ice, but it's guaranteed to cast a warm, welcoming light on a winter night. CRAFT MATERIALS:
Large metal bowl
Plastic yogurt container
Cupful of small stones or coins

Time needed: Afternoon or Evening
1. Start by pouring a couple inches of water into the mixing bowl. Place it outdoors to freeze.

2. Fill the yogurt container with the stones or pennies, then center it on the ice in the bowl. Slowly pour more water into the bowl, so that it nearly reaches the rim of the smaller container, and let it freeze solid.

3. To remove the lantern from its mold, run warm water on the outside of the bowl and the ice should slip out. Next, dump out the contents of the inner container and pour in warm water to loosen it. Remove the container and place a votive candle in the opening.

Present Scramble!

Present Scramble


This game requires a bit of prep but is well worth the effort. Put a small prize (such as a $10 bill) in a small box, tape it well, and gift wrap it. Put the box in a bigger box, wrap that box and put it in another, and so on, wrapping it as many times as you have the boxes and the patience for.


With everyone sitting in a circle, the youngest chooses a number from 1 through 6 and rolls a die, then passes the die to the next player. The first person to roll the chosen number puts on two oven mitts and tears into the present. The other players continue rolling the die. The next player who rolls the chosen number grabs the mitts and takes over the unwrapping. The person who unwraps the actual box with the prize gets to keep it.

You can even say it glows!

You Could Even Say It Glows
Forget about joining in any reindeer games! With our pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey-style contest, Rudolph gets to star in his very own--the perfect party game for one foggy Christmas Eve. Those red dot stickers from the office supply store make superb reindeer noses, although Rudolph is likely to get a terrible case of the measles on his way to schnozzdom.


WHAT YOU NEED:
Pencil or marker
Construction paper
Scissors
Glue stick
Poster board
Blindfold
Red dot stickers


HOW TO PLAY:
1. Sketch a simple outline of a reindeer on construction paper, cut it out, and glue it to the poster board (or your kids can simply use a marker to draw Rudolph directly on the poster board). Remember to leave Rudolph noseless!

2. To play, hang the picture on a wall, blindfold the kids one at a time, hand each a red sticker, and let them try to restore Rudy's shiny proboscis.