tingaling trio
We play cards at church occasionally and tonight is the night. The game is 500, and Ken and I aren’t very good at it. Truthfully, we almost always lose, but somehow I still consider it all good. Each couple brings a snack to share, so that’s fun, right? And we change tables now and then so that other people have a chance to beat us. We’re equal opportunity losers!
So what am I bringing? Rocky Road Tingalings! You already read that, didn’t you? Well, they’re finger food, which is important. And the chocolate keeps my seratonin up so I don’t feel the pain of losing over and over, hand after hand.
1 lonely tingaling
tray of treats
3 tingalings
mix until coated
plop, drop and set up
a tingaling
Tingalings translated means “random food mixed into melted chocolate.” Today people sometimes call them “Haystacks.” But one important difference is that haystacks often use Fiber 1 cereal instead of the traditional chow mein noodles.
I toyed with using the Fiber 1 cereal, but then I thought it would slow down the card playing, with people running back and forth to the bathroom all night. And someone might say I was being “passive-agressive” putting high fiber into the treats as punishment for always beating us. So, I stuck with the chow mein noodles left over from all those lenten tuna-rice casseroles and used the traditional name Tingalings.
Note: if you need gluten-free treats, skip the noodles and toss in some GF chex cereal. You GF folks will figure that out, right?
Ingredients
2 cups (12 oz) chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 cups chow mein noodles
1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts (or whatever nuts you like)
2 cups mini marshmallows
Directions
Melt the chocolate in the microwave 30 seconds at a time.
After about a minute, you can start to stir the chocolate. Continue heating until it’s all melted.
Add the other ingredients and hand mix well until all is coated with chocolate.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
Let it set up or pop into the fridge if you need a chocolate fix.
Variations
Experiment with peanut butter in addition to the chocolate.
Use butterscotch chips instead of or in addition to the chocolate chips.
Add dried fruits and/or other nuts.
Add quick oats or coconut.
Tingalings are a versatile and easy snack to make. Search your cupboards to see what’s available and have fun with combinations. But if you see me playing cards with chocolate on my face, be gentle.
