Adding some style to a classic treat...

Rice Krispie squares are always a favorite classic treat, but sometimes adding just a little something else takes them to a whole new level.

Green Pumpkinseed and Cranberry Crispy Bars add a sweet and salty twist to the plain ol' bars. To enhance the flavors of the seeds, the pepitas are toasted in a dry skillet until they begin to pop and turn a light brown. You continue on as you normally would with the melting of butter and then the squishy marshmallows. When ready, the cereal, toasted pepitas and dried cranberries are mixed together with the melted marshmallows. Then you press the mixture into a baking dish, but be sure not to press too hard as you want an element of airy-ness to them. Coat your hands with cooking spray or a bit of soft butter to keep the sticky mass under control. Crunchy, chewy, sweet and a hint of salt make these excellent for such a simple combination of commonly on-hand pantry ingredients.

While the combination of ingredients for tonight's dinner is something we would have probably not done before, we were both surprised with how much we enjoyed it. Especially since we just recently came to the conclusion that we both actually like beans (even though *someone* still "says" he does not like them...)

Chilaquiles Casserole is also the first time we have made anything with enchilada sauce! Quartered corn tortillas are layered with a jam-packed vegetable mixture of grated zucchini, onion, fresh sweet corn, black beans and fire roasted tomatoes. Since we tend to like things on the fiery side, I mixed hot enchilada sauce with a mild and Jeff rated it still quite high on the heat scale. If you want to forgo the heat altogether, use some tomato sauce instead. Sharp white cheddar cheese can also be found in the middle layer as well as being the final topping. After it is baked, the mixture is allowed to rest and then can be easily cut into squares. Cumin added a subtle smokey flavor to the vegetable mixture, which brought such a fresh taste to the spicy sauce. I can't wait to see how the flavors marry overnight when we have this for lunch tomorrow!

Recipes
Chilaquiles Casserole
Green Pumpkinseed and Cranberry Crispy Bars