No Bake Cranberry Almond Bars

It is a well known fact amongst my friends and family that I love hot dogs.

I do. They’re delicious.

We don’t really eat hot dogs for dinner at my house because my son and husband aren’t crazy about them, so I actually look forward to  birthday parties and cookouts where I know that hot dogs will be served.

However.

Even a hot dog lover like myself has their limits, and there are some occasions where hot dogs are not really a viable menu option for me.

Such as Thanksgiving.

But obviously everyone does not share that opinion, because this one time I had a boyfriend whose family put sliced hot dogs in their Thanksgiving stuffing.

Seriously. They just like, sliced them up and put them in the stuffing.

Weirdness.


As if that wasn’t bad enough, they were really passionate about this hot dog stuffing.


It was….A. BIG. DEAL.
 
Pretty much all I heard about in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, was the hot dog stuffing.

Incidentally, that was also the first Thanksgiving I was going to be spending with my boyfriend’s family. I was nervous, I wanted to make a good impression, and I had a sneaking suspicion that snubbing their highly anticipated stuffing would not exactly work in my favor.

So, I ate the hot dog stuffing. 


Sort of.

A few bites, anyways.


Thankfully, my boyfriend’s extremely conservative mom had a few  glasses of wine too many, and she ended up doing a very animated imitation of Henry the VIII with two turkey drumsticks at the Thanksgiving table.


Table pounding and a deep voice were involved.


While the family was trying to settle Mrs. King Henry down so they could go back to obsessing over the hot dog stuffing, I took the opportunity to scrape mine into the kitchen trash can.


Which was kind of a shame, because it would have been more fun to sit and watch the madness unfold. 


Needless to say, that relationship didn’t work out. Which was great all the way around because I met my wonderful, adoring husband, who just likes his stuffing the plain normal way.

Plus, that guy’s mom never thought I was good enough for her son anyways.

Little did she know that 10 years later I would be writing a blog about her pretending to be Henry the VIII with two turkey drumsticks.


Which, by the way, were a bit dry.


Just sayin’.

Anyways, I came across these treats in a little booklet I picked up by the Walmart cash register, and I thought they’d be perfect for Thanksgiving. They are yummy, easy, and no bake, which is a major bonus for those of you whose ovens are working overtime. 

**recipe from Nestle 


(click here to print)

INGREDIENTS

4 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 oz bag) Nestle Toll House White Morsels, divided 
4 cups toasted wheat cereal squares
3/4 cups sweetened dried cranberries
3/4 cups sliced almonds

Line a 13×9 inch pan with foil, leaving an overhang on both sides. Spray with nonstick spray.

Heat marshmallows, butter, and salt in a large heavy duty saucepan over medium low heat, stirring frequently, for 5-10 minutes, until smooth. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup morsels and stir until melted.

Working quickly, stir in cereal, cranberries, almonds, and remaining 1 cup morsels. Spread mixture into prepared baking pan with a greased spatula, pressing down lightly. Cool for 2 hours or until set.

For best results, measure out your ingredients ahead of time, that way you can pour everything in and get it mixed up quickly once the marshmallows are melted.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I am truly, truly greatful for all of my friends and readers, and you will all be on my list of things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving. 

Have a very safe and happy holiday!!