Lindsay, Author at Laughing Lindsay

Halloween Cereal Treats: Monster Mash-mallow Fun

October 10, 2013 By Lindsay 3 Comments

I’m sure by now that you realize that I love to eat cereal. So, imagine my delight when I received a package of the old favorite cereals that are making a re-apperance to stores after 20 years? I’m talking about the Monster Cereals from General Mills. Just in time for a certain spooky holiday, the cereals can be found in stores to add a little more fun to the season. With that in mind, I present to you these easy Halloween cereal treats. Disclosure: I received a free Monster Cereals package with cereal and recipes, including this one.

Halloween Cereal Treats

The recipe cards I received with these Halloween Cereal Treats actually referred to them as Monster “Mash”mallow Cereal Treats. I think that’s a cute title, but I adapted the recipe a bit and so I renamed it. The card has you making all three types at once. We decided to split the butter and marshmallow to make the types separately. It seemed easier as we weren’t trying to make them all at once. Plus, it allowed us to use a smaller pan and fewer bowls as we rinsed it out to be reused. However, you can totally make them all at once. Additionally, we forgot the sprinkles. So, we left those out.

Halloween Cereal Treats

Celebrate the return of the Monster General Mills cereals with these Halloween treats.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Total Time 30

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Ingredients

3 cups Count Chocula Cereal
3 cups Frankenberry Cereal
3 cups Booberry Cereal
3 oz butter
15 oz marshmallows
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
sprinkles for garnish if desired

Instructions

Grease two cookie sheets or muffin tins.
Heat 1/3 of the marshmallows and butter in a saucepan over low heat. When the mixture is melted, smooth, and glossy, add 1 of the cereals to it. Mix well and add 1/4 cup chips (chocolate chips for Chocula cereal and white chocolate for Frankenberry and Booberry).
Allow the cereal to cool very briefly and then work the cereal into balls with hands. It's at this point you may roll the balls into sprinkles and then place them onto a cookie sheet or in a muffin tin to cool.
Repeat the process with the remaining two cereals and serve.

Keyword Easy

So, are those not some of the easiest Halloween cereal treats ever? Were you a fan of the Monster Cereals as a child? Let me know if you end up making them in the comments.

Caramel Pancake Mix Scones Recipe: Easy and Tasty for Fall

October 2, 2013 By Lindsay 1 Comment

Last week, I posted about the easy autumn pumpkin apple butter dip (which was tasty). In that picture, you may have noticed the delicious looking pastries accompanying the dip. So, today I wanted to share this super easy caramel pancake mix scones recipe with you.

Caramel Pancake Mix Scones Recipe

This pancake mix scones recipe can be adapted with 1-2 cups of other ingredients. Just substitute the caramel with an ingredient of your choosing. I want to try chocolate chip or blueberries some day as I think that would be delightful. Honestly, any other baking chips or pieces of fruit would probably be good. Since they are so easy to make, I’m sure we’ll make some variation of them again.

I will admit that my boyfriend and I selected caramel just because it seemed like a good idea to go with the apple butter pumpkin dip. However, we didn’t think about the possible big mess the caramel bits would create when they baked. So, here’s a personal tip if you make these with caramel: remove them from the pan asap or they will stick to the pan. Then, they will break apart as you remove them. Plus, they are even better when they are warm.

Caramel Pancake Mix Scones Recipe

An easy pancake mix scones recipe that can be adapted to make other varieties.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 4

Cook Time 13

Total Time 17

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups pancake mix
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1-2 cups caramel pieces or other add-in of your choice
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 egg

Instructions

Heat oven to 425.
Mix the pancake mix and sugar in a large bowl.
Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
Stir in the caramel pieces.
In a separate bowl, beat together the whipping cream and egg with a whisk.
Stir the two mixtures together with a wooden spoon and a dough should form.
Sprinkle a work surface with extra pancake mix and place dough onto it. Knead the dough about 5-6 times.
Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and shape into circles. Cut the circles into 6 wedges.
Place the wedges onto a cookie sheet and bake for 11-15 minutes.
Serve warm.

Keyword Caramel

So, what do you think of this super easy caramel pancake mix scones recipe? They are perfect for fall weather and go well with Musselman’s apple butter. What kind of scones are you going to make?

Easy Autumn Pumpkin Apple Butter Dip Recipe is Perfect for Fall

September 26, 2013 By Lindsay 29 Comments

Earlier this year, I posted the spiced apple cake with orange glaze recipe that used Musselman’s apple butter. Recently, I received another jar of it to post about it and I made some autumn pumpkin apple butter dip using it. It’s so easy that I had to share.

Pumpkin Apple Butter

Like I said, this little pumpkin apple butter dip recipe is so simple, I’m not sure how I didn’t think of it before now. However, the people over at Musselman’s did, so that’s what matters. It’s a delicious dip that is great for multiple baked goods. We made some scones (stay tuned for that recipe) for them, but I could definitely see it going well with some honey pretzel sticks. They suggest serving it with gingersnaps or graham crackers, which could also be good. Additional serving suggestions from them include pancakes, waffles, french toast sticks, and spreading it on bagels. Yum! Just thinking about the possibilities makes my mouth water.

So, let’s get to this ridiculously easy pumpkin apple butter dip recipe!

Easy Autumn Pumpkin Apple Butter Dip

A delicious yet super quick dip that tastes great.

4.63 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 3

Total Time 5

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

2 cups MUSSELMAN’S® Apple Butter
1 cup solid pumpkin

Instructions

Measure out ingredients.
Put them into a bowl.
Mix together well.
Enjoy with your baked good of choice.

Keyword Easy, Pumpkin

Was I right? Is that not the easiest and simplest recipe I’ve ever posted? My boyfriend was actually surprised that I would do this recipe to feature on here because it is so simple. However, I think simple is usually good. So, I hope at least one of my readers is able to try this pumpkin apple butter recipe and enjoy it. It’s certainly the perfect dip for fall. Just smelling it reminds me of cooler days and sweet treats.

A Letter to My Mom on Her Birthday

September 15, 2013 By Lindsay 2 Comments

I swear that time just keeps on flying by me. Today, September 15th, is my mother’s birthday. So, to celebrate it, I thought I’d write a letter to my mom on her birthday.

Letter to My Mom on Her Birthday

Dear Mom,

I know that we often have a difficult time communicating with one another. In many ways, we are the exact opposite. We have very different perspectives on how things should be done. We even disagree on which way the toilet paper should be facing on the roll (I’m totally with dad on this one). We’ve managed to embarrass the other one countless times over the past 23 years. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you are my mother and I love you.

Even though you really do annoy me sometimes, I couldn’t imagine having a different mother. You have always been and will continue to be my biggest cheerleader. You taught me from an early age that I was expected to be a strong, independent female. You admitted your mistakes, in hopes that I could learn from them and not repeat them (I like to think that I have managed to do just that). You’ve always managed to make me feel loved (even in the middle of a fight, I never doubted it).

I don’t think that you will ever read this. However, I hope you know that I truly appreciate everything you have done for me. The past few years years have been terribly difficult for us and I still worry about you without dad now. I just hope that you are able to find some fulfilling hobbies in the near future and to live a happy, healthy life.

So, happy birthday mom! I hope today is filled with nothing but good things… good food, good laughs, and even a good movie. You deserve it.

<3 Lindsay

Easy Pumpkin Plate Craft Fall Activity for Kids

September 11, 2013 By Lindsay 1 Comment

You might not know it, but I love pumpkins. I love the way they look (they are so cute and round) and everything with it tastes delicious. To share my love of pumpkins this year, I decided to do a post that was out of the ordinary for me. I’m going to share my very easy pumpkin plate craft fall activity for kids (of any age). Take a look at how cute it is!

Pumpkin Plate Craft

A pumpkin plate craft is great for a cool, fall day because it’s so easy to make. I like this craft because most of us have a spare paper plate or two laying around (the house or the classroom). So, this activity uses things that you won’t have to go out to purchase (those are always my favorite types).

Materials Needed

Paper Plate
Orange Crayon or Colored Pencil
Scissors
Black Construction Paper
Glue
Ink pen or pencil
Jack-o-lantern printable or stencil

Steps

Color a plate orange.
Print out the jack-o-lantern face.
The one I used is below and you are welcome to print it out and cut as you see fit. Alternatively, you could just have the kids color the paper orange. I made it on PicMonkey, which has some other options.
Cut it out and trace around it onto a piece of black construction paper. Then, cut it out and glue it onto the plate. Viola! A super easy pumpkin plate craft for fall.
Optional: Cut out a piece of green construction paper to make a stem or handle for it.

So, what do you think of my pumpkin craft plate? Will you be making one with your kids or do you prefer to do it old school by decorating on or carving a real pumpkin? Interested in another easy Halloween idea? Check out my Halloween Cereal Treats!