Thanks for the recipe (but, I think you mean sunflower seeds...not sesame seeds)!

that I do! Thanks, Rhonda!
xoxo steph

Recipe looks great and you are right... that is a really cute dress from Old Navy. Thanks for both tips :)

I love that dress. I bought it in both colors---I'm not sure why the website says it's not available in so many sizes, my box store had tons yesterday in all sizes.

xox
steph

I've made this on the stove before, but without the almonds, cranberries & sunflower seeds.. but those make it sound even better. Luckily I was taking mine to a party too, otherwise it would have been puppy chow for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner :)

Kids love this stuff, I haven't seen it done in the crock-pot though - thanks for experimenting for us again.

And the dress is TOTALLY cute. Do you have to iron it?

Holly, the cranberries, almonds and sunflowers turn it into HEALTH food! ;-)

Mindee, I sure hope not. I hate ironing. It's so funny how in love I am with these dresses---I like that you can wear it with flip flops and no jewelry, or nice shoes and jewelry and you all of a sudden have a new look. lol. I'm getting all Susan Wagner over here...
:-)

xox
steph

Silly you, cooking what looks like a really yummy snack with your new finery on! My kids are grown and gone, but I think I might be making a batch of this for the two grownups left living in our house.

I have a Michigan State University Spartan Football Tailgate to go to this saturday where I was asked to bring boring old chips and dip. I'm thinking I'll be adding this to my list as well!!!!! thanks again for a home run...

and again- who do i have to bribe to get you a cookbook publishing deal????

Hello,
I'm an avid reader and I have a problem. I'm wondering if you do crock-pot consults? If so check out my blog and read the last two posts!
Cheers,
www.poltzie.blogspot.com

Well I just found your blog a few days ago thanks to someone on one of the Disney planning websites I visit. I enjoy reading you so much. (I've read the most recent 30 or so posts plus all of January and printed out a bbq chicken with cornbread recipe that I now have all the ingredients for) I personally made pea soup in it my crock pot overnight last night. I LOVE pea soup! I've seen a 'John and Kate' reference here before, is this the same Monkey Munch she makes? I might have to give this a shot.

MMmmm! I bet this one will be popular in our house! Which size freezer bags works best?

Oh! I'm going to HAVE to find that dress! It's totally cute!

By the way, I made one of your Indian chicken recipes the other day in the crockpot and it was AWESOME! Dh said I could make it anytime. :)

Hi Steph, I'm Glenn, a 19 y/o University student in New Zealand and just saw you on Rachael Ray. I'd just like to say I think that your resolution has to be one of the best I've ever heard and I look forward to signing up to Blogspot.com and reading all of your recipes so when I move out from home this year - I can follow in your foot steps :)

Keep it up!

I've not tried this in the crockpot. Am waiting for Christmas to get a really big one. Smart one! Anyway... I've made this with Rice Chex and chashew/macadamia nut butter. Daughter is allergic to peanuts.

Wow, this is so fantastic! I love your blog! I'm a working wife so crockpots are such a great solution for me when cooking dinner because it's already done by the time I get home! I'm totally going to try some of these.

Here's a question for you...I've got a TON of zucchini around the house (those things grow like weeds!). Any ideas for a crockpot zucchini recipe???

Thanks!

Hi Stef
Please put in "instead of" comments as I am in Oz (Australia) and we do not have, in no way, shape or form, Peanut Butter Panda Puffs Cereal, I wouldn't even know what you were talking about
I enjoy reading your posts. Loved the hagis recipe, had hubby and a Scottish friend in stitches reading it out to them, I would agree, don't get the casing even again
Also I am getting this at lunch time Friday

Can you buy the cereal in your grocery store or do you need to go somewhere like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's?

Annalisa, you can make zucchini bread! mmm. I've made banana bread in the crock, so I would imagine zucchini would work wonderfully. I've also roasted veggies successfully by tossing the chunks in some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Donna, any crunchy cereal would do--Cheerios, Chex, etc. and then you can add 1/2 cup of peanut butter to the choc and butter while it's melting to get the PB flavor.

Ilana, Panda Puffs are always at Trader Joe's, but our regular grocery stores stock it pretty often too---sometimes in the Natural Foods aisle. Veronica mentioned Reese's PB Puffs, and I imagine they are the same (although not gluten free)

Cherylbct, I think this is the same Monkey Munch Kate cooked, but she might not have added the cranberries, almonds, and sunflower seeds. The "original" Chex version doesn't call for that. I throw it in because we always have those things on hand and I like the idea of a bit of protein.

xoxox
steph

This sounds yummy!

I have enjoyed cooking in the crock-pot for years and just came across your blog a few days ago. I have never seen so many different and unique ideas. I can't wait to read through all the previous ones.

I'll have to give this Puppy Chow a try. My daughter would probably love it as she loves all things sweet and chocolate. Don't we all!

When I discovered this site I was trying to find a recipe for TRI TIP Steak but didn’t feel like using the grill. I came across the following recipe. Sundried Tomatoes and Feta Tri-Tip CrockPot Recipe. I added Mushrooms, and crushed red pepper, green onions, and some Piri Piri Pepper Sauce with garlic. I think it gave it some zing to the sweet of the sundried tomato and Feta. I am a throw it in there and see what happens type :^)

It sounded so different that I thought I would give it a try. We really enjoyed it, but the texture was a bit different than I was use to with TRI Tip. I like tri tip to be more of a medium Rare. Maybe I cooked it too long and cooking it less would work better for me.

Anyway, now I am searching for a pulled pork recipe. I am going to try the one found called Sweet and Smokey Pulled Pork. I am liable to throw crushed red pepper and some hot sauce in this as well. Since we all like spicy except my 7 year old daughter. :^)

The one question I have is that I don't have the time to marinate overnight or for very long. Does that really make a difference? More tender? More juicy? How long
would be the minimum?

Thanks for any tips...

I’ll let you know how it goes ...

knjgarcia,

yes. unfortunately, the meat will always be very cooked in a crockpot---but it won't be tough the way well-done meat on a grill would end up.

for marinating---if you are going to cook the meat for a really long time, and want it to be shreddy (as in a pulled-pork)--I don't think marinating is necessary at all, and would be a waste of time.

I marinated the tri tip because it was going to not fall apart, and wanted the meat infused with flavor. I'd think 4 hrs in the fridge would be plenty of time to marinate. You are still cooking the meat in the yummy juice.

xox
steph

i keep coming back to this post because i love the picture. puppy chow is really, really good! and let me put an emphasis on the really. haha if i have one handful, it's over.

That is a cute new dress from Old Navy! I might have to get me one to after I make this yummy treat!!

I had to tell you that I have used quite a number of your recipes and my family has l-o-v-e-d them! I think you are my new best friend...

That looks awesome! Your blog inspires me daily and I've tried lots of new recipes because of it.

I've nominated you for a blog award because you're awesome! Check it out at http://www.eclecticwahm.net/2008/09/blog-award.html :-)

Have a great weekend!

I wish I could find Panda Puffs around here!! I think they would be a hit in our house!!

VERY cute dress! :0)
I'll have to try this one!
Thanks for sharing.

This recipe is great. I made this during lunch today. We were unable to find Panda Puffs, so we used Captain Crunch. My husband was eating the chocolate covered cereal right out of the crock pot. I had to slap his hands out of the way in order to put what was left in the baggies to shake in powdered sugar! Thank you. We will go to Disney World in November and have already nicknamed this snack as - Pluto's Puppy Chow. We will be able to cook this in our vacation home. Oh, being from Louisiana, we used pecan halves instead of the almonds. They were great!

I could not believe how easy this was to make. I made some to take on vacation and it was a big hit! Thanks sooooooooo much. It was terrific.

Rice Chex are not gluten free! Just thought some might want to know.

hi anon, thank you for the warning, but General Mills has re-formulated Rice Chex to be gluten free. The box now clearly states that it is gluten free. My kids are eating bowls of it right now!
xoox
steph

hey steph!
after you asked about the dress tonight, i started thinking...maybe i did end up buying the dress you had. i remembered your dress having short sleeves but i was starting to doubt myself so i had to check your post. and i was wrong about the short sleeves--i bought the same dress. twins day! :)
*karen*

Fabulous! I used Captain Crunch Peanut Butter cereal for us and it was PERFECT!

thank you so much!

A bit late but...

I am soooooooooo happy to see someone else besides me, in another part of the world, use the term "Puppy Chow"!!!

I have been making this for years. My mom got the recipe from someone when I was in my preteens, and I made it as a kid with her, and I still make it to this day (I'm 30 now)!

The first time I made it to take to work, my co-workers were a bit concerned. I told them it may also be known as Chex Muddy Buddies, and I convinced them to try it, and now every time there's a pitch-in, it's always a choice between this (a double batch), and Dirt Pudding.

My recipe is a little different than yours however - not quite so much stuff. This is mine:

1/2 c butter
1/2 c peanut butter
1 c chocolate chips
6 c Crispix cereal
2 c powdered sugar

Melt together butter, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Stir in cereal to coat. Shake powdered sugar over all to coat.

Eat and be happy.

There are days I bring this to work and I've considered just grabbing a jug of milk and eating it as the cereal it is...