By Amy Barton

Rice Krispies Treats are old and busted.  These Cranberry Twisted Peanut Butter Cereal Treats?  You got it - they're the new hotness.  This recipe was inspired by SavorTheThyme.com and the original is here.  

The original is a nod to Rice Krispies Treats with the addition of a few flavors and the deletion of gluten.  I wanted to keep with the gluten-free theme since I'm on that kind of kick this week, but I wanted to amp it up even more.

Man, I always forget how much I love cereal.  I'm a huge breakfast eater.  Huge.  But I really just never think of cereal.  When I do, it's heavy, hearty, fatty goodness like peanut butter or pumpkin seed granola or eggs and avocados (holy yum, Batman).  But there are so many great alternatives out there.  I'm more prone to eating cereal dry, by the handful, for a snack.  Like, instead of potato chips.

Anyway, you can use any cereal you want in this recipe.  I chose gluten free Vanilla Chex.  They are so freaking good.  You'll see in the photos that I did crush them up a bit (not into a powder, but just so they'd be a bit smaller and compact) before I measured them out.  The other sorta odd thing I did?  I froze these.  I don't know why, but I love them just out of the freezer, just barely thawed a little.  Read on for the recipe and pics.

By Amy Barton

Peanut butter has long been one of my favorite food groups.  It's not a food group, you say?  Shut your trap!  In my world, it's most certainly a food group - an important one, at that.  Ice cream and sushi are other important food groups here in Amyland, but I digress.

It's also no secret that I'm not a big chocolate fan.  I know, it's weird.  But put down your pitchforks for a moment!  While I don't love chocolate in and of itself, I do like it in certain instances.  I like it with and in things.  I like it in chocolate chip cookies.  I like it in chocolate milk.  I love it with marshmallow, caramel, mint, or peanut butter.  BINGO!  PEANUT BUTTER!  That's why these truffles are great.  They're also great because they're 'raw', which the paleo and vegan crowds tend to be a big fan of.

This recipe comes from Raia's Recipes - a great resource for anyone seeking simpler eats, allergy-friendly treats, and less refined foods.  You can view the original recipe here.  Click "Read More" to see the recipe and pics.  You won't be disappointed with this super simple treat.

By Amy Barton

It's confession time.  I love hot sauce - always have.  But I have not always loved Tabasco.  According to some hot sauce aficionados, this is basically sacrilegious.  There are certainly much better (and worse) hot sauces out there, but Tobasco is (apparently) a benchmark for your "basic, good" hot sauce.  Who knew?

While I may have recently converted from Tabasco Hater to Tobasco Fan (in limited instances, which I'll get into shortly), the elusive title of "Favorite Hot Sauce" still goes go Cajun Chef.

So, what happened?  I'm a sucker for retail, that's what happened.  During a 2013 trip to New Orleans (Happy 30th Birthday, Amy!), I got sucked into the Tabasco store.  To be fair, a friend recommended that I try Tabasco's "Family Reserve" if I did nothing else.  Okay, he didn't recommend.  He threatened my life.  So, off I went.  And what did I find?

A lineup!  It was like being in Tabasco jail.  Or heaven.  Whichever.

While I did end up trying the Family Reserve (it's awesome!), my first foray was directly into Tobasco Soy Sauce.  It sounds weird.  It looks weird.  It's fantastic.  If you can find it, try it.  Slightly spicy soy sauce?  You don't know what you're missing.

Speaking of slightly spicy, that's what you get with the Family Reserve.  They're all slightly spicy I guess - they're hot sauces - but that one had more of a kick than I was expecting.  Delightfully, it also still has some flavor.  That's my beef with so many hot sauces out there - they're just HOT, with little to no actual flavor.  Family Reserve, you're okay with me.

Super honorable mention goes out to Cholula.  Cholula is the bee's knees.  It's not overly spicy, and the ones that are "flavored" definitely have flavor to them.  Chili lime, chipotle, chili garlic, regular... you've got all kinds of options.  If you're easing into the hot sauce world, Cholula is a great first choice.

What's your favorite hot sauce?  I'm open to suggestions and ready to try 'em all.  Post the best you've got in the comments below.