Sidewinding Christmas Crazy through the Kitchen

Last year, she didn't much care for the stuff. This year, Alexis is a lean, mean Puppy Chow eating machine. In less than 24 hours, the kid has joined forces with her dad to consume an entire batch of the stuff. That would be NINE CUPS.

If that doesn't define Christmas Crazy, I don't know what does. So, without further ado, the recipe for Puppy Chow. I suggest you hide it from my kid.

Puppy Chow
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (the real stuff--that imitation crud is for sissies)
9 cups Crispix cereal
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Place the powdered sugar in a large paper bag and set aside.

Combine the peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips in a large pot and melt over medium/low heat. Stir constantly. Once fully melted, remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir. Pour the cereal in the pot and use a rubber spatula to gently stir the mixture until the cereal is fully coated with the chocolate mixture.

Pour the cereal mixture into the paper bag with the powdered sugar, close the bag tightly, and shake. Shake some more. And shake some more. You're done when the cereal is fully coated and looks a little bit like Purina Puppy Chow.

Now guard the stuff under lock and key. Really.

Psst . . . Go visit Rachel's place for more fantastic recipes.

The Christmas Crazy Tour Heads to Hartwood

And So It Begins . . . The Christmas Crazy Tour

I have warned Mr. Husband repeatedly that if I don't get to see a ton of Christmas lights this year, things are going to get ugly. Apparently he turned off his Wife Filter long enough to actually hear at least some of those words. Yesterday he took Alexis and I on a grand tour of Christmas Crazy.

I took as many photos as I could along the way, which is to say I didn't take very many photos. Try as I might, I can't seem to find a way to get the phrase, "Please slow down," past the Wife Filter. Just in case the Wife Filter doesn't detect the written word . . . Dear Mr. Husband, It's really hard to enjoy Christmas lights when you drive past the lit-up houses at 90mph. Please slow down. Thank you. OK, so slow down some more. No, really. You're driving way too fast. Thank you again.

That is one of three really decorated houses in West Mifflin, just a little East of the intersection of 51 and 885. I would have photos of the other houses, but I think Mr. Husband was trying to cause a sonic boom as we drove through the neighborhood.

From there we headed to Beryl Drive to see the Steel City Christmas house. I only have one photo that isn't blurry, and it SUCKS. There's much better photos and videos at their website.

Just down the street right off Prospect, we ran into this house:

Not a ton of lights, but still nicely done.

After that, we headed to Hartwood Acres, but I'll post those photos separately.

Your turn! Show off a little Christmas Crazy. Show me excess you find around your 'hood, something that caught your eye, a little sign of your own neurosis, or something that just plain makes you happy. There are no rules; I just want to see some Christmas stuff. Sign Mr. Linky with the url that goes straight to the post. I'll keeping Mr. Linky hanging around all week as I post more stuff myself.