Indoor S'mores Bars

Now that I'm a mom - it's opens a whole new world of food and food prep for me.  When looking to make something Munchkin can help me with, there are different things to think about - what can she help me make that won't make her sick if she eats a little before it's done?  What can we make that can have some margin of error for the amount that will end up on the floor?  What doesn't need a lot of knife work, heat or patience (on both our parts)?

Now, Munchkin is just turning ONE this month (OMG!!).  She isn't really helping me yet, but I came across this recipe as something to make as a give away for her birthday party.  It's a beautiful layered jar mix.  As I was testing it for yummy-ness (as not all jar mixes are as awesome in taste and they are in look in the jar) I found it was the perfect kid recipe!  Simple ingredients - check!  Nothing raw - check!  Easy for little hands - check (she can even use her hands to mix when she is dexterous enough)!  Nothing really hot (except a little time in the oven) and no real knife work - check check!!

...AND it's super yummy to boot!

I made 4 batches of this in one night for an event at work (I got 60+ bars) and hardly broke a sweat.  Even better - you probably already have everything in your pantry.

Indoor S'mores Bars

as adapted from Cookies and Cups recipe for Campfire Bars (visit here)

1½ cups graham crackers cut into 1" pieces (I used teddy grahams to look festive and avoid chopping)

1½ cups mini marshmallows

¾ cup chocolate chips

½ cup plain granola (I've used vanilla bean and honey so far)

½ cup packed light brown sugar

8 Tbsp butter - melted and cooled a little

 

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. 

 

Mix all ingredients with a bowl until all pieces are gleaming with buttery goodness.  Spread in an 8x8 baking pan, making sure to pat down the graham crackers that are sticking up a bit.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.

 

Cool completely before cutting.

 

One batch makes 16 bars.

To make as a give away - layer all ingredients except butter in order listed (graham cracker on bottom and brown sugar on top) into a quart size mason jar.  Print directions and attach to jar.

 

Almost all packaged for party goodies -
just need to add tags and directions!

 

Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness Cake for St. Patrick's Day

My husband is Irish-American. 100% Irish on both sides, so as you can imagine, Saint Patrick's Day is an official holiday in our house. Now, we aren't the green beer and pot of gold Irish, we are the corned beef and shepherd's pie dinner at home type. There must be good beer, of course, but we make sure it's Guinness and Smithwicks with a round of Irish Coffee and Bushmills for an aperitif.

Since I first picked up Nigella Lawson's Feast in 2004, I have been making the Chocolate Guinness Cake religiously in celebration of the Irish Saint’s holiday. My husband and I starting dating again in 2005 (a story for another time), but I have been an avid Guinness drinker since 1997. The glorious elixir which a friend of mine dubbed "steak in a can" has been my beer of choice since I first tasted it when I studied in London for a summer. Chocolate Guinness cake is the perfect combination of chocolate and malt without being too sweet. The addition of a tangy sour cream icing balances cake and stout.

Now, I could have left out the fact that I have made this before (If you were to pick up my copy of Feast, it would open itself to the Chocolate Guinness Cake page) and make this a cookbook challenge post, but I just couldn't lie to you. Try it and you will want to add this recipe to your annual to do list!

Chocolate Guinness Cake
Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson

2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup Guinness stout beer
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 batch Cream Cheese Icing (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9" springform pan or grease and line the bottom of two 8" round pans with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl sift flour and baking soda together. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, mix butter and Guinness. Once butter is melted, whisk in sugar and cocoa powder. Turn off heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl whisk together sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Whisk in cooled Guinness mixture. Slowly mix in flour mixture until everything is incorporated.

Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake for 45-60 minutes for the springform pan or 35-45 minutes for the two 8" pans or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not over bake.

Cool completely. Ice with cream cheese icing (below) to look like a foaming stout pint of Guinness, pun intended.

Serves 10-12

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a mixer, cream the cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add 1/2 powdered sugar then half the heavy cream. Mix until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar and then heavy cream and continue to mix until smooth and spreadable.

As a side note, I have adapted the Guinness Cake recipe in more recent years by using Jameson Buttercream Icing and Bailey's Ganache instead of the cream-cheese icing to become what I have come to call St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes (also known as the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes). But... I have to save something for St. Patrick's Day next year! 

#52cupcakes

Cookbook Challenge #5 - Cakes Winning Recipes

This past weekend I hosted Ladies Night for the first time in my apartment. Ladies Night is a night once a month that the local ladies in my husbands family get together (sans kids and husbands) to eat appetizers, munch on desserts and chew on good conversation. Sometimes the cards come out or the quarters are pulled out for a fun game of Left, Right, Center.

We have been holding Ladies Nights as regularly as schedules allow for over 3 years. I previously lived just a little too far away to host at my house, but since I moved back to Queens, I've been close enough to host, but of course, it's taken me a year to do it.

Though I haven't hosted at my home to date, I am pretty regular in bringing a goodie or two. A the host for this month that doubled the pressure to make something yummy to share. With the help of my niece, who, much to her chagrin, is not old enough to be part yet, I made a few simple homemade goodies. We made fruit salsa with cinnamon chips my sister in law found on Pinterest (link) and, this week's cookbook challenge recipe, Blueberry Crumb Cake.

 Blueberry Crumb Cake

Adapted from Cakes Winning Recipes by Favorite Brand Name Recipe

2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder (yes, Tablespoon)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons lemon juice*
2 cups fresh blueberries**
Crumb topping (see recipe below)

* to use fresh juice, use the juice of 1 lemon.
** 2 cups frozen blueberries (thawed and drained) can also be used.

Prepare crumb topping and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Grease 13" X 9" baking dish.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, milk, eggs and lemon juice. Pour wet mixture into the dry and mix until combined, being careful not to over mix it.

Pour batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle blueberries over the batter then sprinkle crumb topping over blueberries.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. If there is still a little giggle to the batter, no worries. As long as the toothpick comes out clean the cake will set as it cools, making a nice sponge. Do not overbake.

Serves 12-16

I mixed my blueberries in, DON'T do that - they all fall to the bottom.  

 

 

Crumb Topping Recipe

1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, chopped (pecans can be used too)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients until mixture resembles coarse sand.

Excuse the blue color - that's my light in my kitchen.

#52cookbooks

Snack Works Recipe Rumble

It was another crazy Thursday in NYC. If you follow me on Instagram, you can see that I spent the day at a recipe contest.

The contest, called the Snack Works Recipe Rumble, was held at the Digitas, advertising agency that handles the account for the Mondelēz International Corporate (Snack Works parent company) and was open to agency employees and their friends. Thanks to my good friend, Cat, I was able to participate.

The rules of the contest were that you had to use at least two of the Snack Work products for an original recipe.  They would be judged and winners would walk away with a variety of prizes.  It sounded like so much fun, I just had to be part!

My recipe was for Premium Chocolate Toffee.  I didn't win, but I had a great time trying.  All the recipes were amazing and incredibly creative!  I'm so glad I got to be part of it.

I'm not going to share the recipe here (I'm going to link to it once it's on their website), but I would like to share some photos from yesterdays festivities.

I used four Snack Works products - Premium Saltine Crackers, Toberlone White, Green & Black's Organic Milk, and Milka Dark Chocolate Confections.

So, from this...

 ... to this!

 Simple, but this was my presentation for judging.

 This was Cat's submission - a wonderful orange, ginger, and chocolate biscuit. She served each judge a cup of STRONG coffee to complement the dense treat.

 All the recipe contestants were whittled down to 6 finalists.  During a final judging ceremony, Digitas set up a bar with three special drinks, each of which had to include a Snack Works product.

This was a Swedish Fish Martini - sweet & pretty much ALL Vodka.

 

This was a Whiskey Sour Patch Kid - sweet and tart with a bit of a burn, but in a good way.

 And the dessert of the drink world, a Chocolate Martini - cool and creamy with a kick.

Though we didn't win and prizes, after the party, there was nothing left but the porcelain.

#reciperumble

Week off the Challenge for a Craft Fair

I don't want to disappoint and I know it's early to be taking a "break" but I swear I have a good reason.

My friend, Cat and I will be sharing a table at the Astoria Craft Fair at the Beer Garden this Sunday, February 10 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.. We will be selling cookies, beautiful handmade toys and tea cozies and handmade earrings. 

For more information on the Astoria Market Craft Fair visit the event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/466477993414803/

To see Cat's beautiful homemade goodies, please visit her Etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop/catpenfold

Here is what my oven (and my friend's Sarah's oven) has spent the week doing - 

I Love M&M Cookies - chewy and crunchy at the same time.

Sweet Southern Tea Cookies - sweet and tart and perfect for a cuppa

Sugar Love Cookies - sugar rolled in sugar - um... yum!

Lavender Valentine Cookies - sweet with a touch of relaxing herbal perfume

Choco-Cherry Passion Cookies - rich and almost crumbly dark chocolate with cherry buttons

My week also included a new addition to my cookbook wall.  Talk about feeding an obsession - I know - but I couldn't help myself.

The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo

I have seen the show on Food Channel and want to try one of everything on every show.   There is a snow storm heading to NYC and this will be my snowy Sunday retreat!  It's going to be Challenge Cookbook #3.  Details next week!

The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo - my Nemo project

#52cookbooks
#nemo