S'more S'mores Please!

S'Mores Cupcakes
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 "Family Size" box Fudge Brownies
20 graham crackers
1 stick unsalted butter,melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 bag unsweetened mini chocolate chips
2 cans Marshmallow creme
2 Hershey Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for "cake like" brownies (3 eggs instead of 2). Set aside batter.Combine graham crackers and sugar in a food processor or blender and pulse until the crackers are crushed into small, even crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse again until mixture is crumbly but becomes firm when pressed.Drop 1 Tablespoon of graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup and use a small glass to press them down until evenly spread and firm. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips on top of graham crust in each cupcake. Place cupcake pans in the oven for about 5 minutes to firm graham crusts and begin melting the chocolate.Remove pans from oven and fill each muffin cup with brownie batter until 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle each cupcake with another teaspoon of chocolate chips and a Tablespoon of graham mixture. Place tins in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.Place muffin tins on a rack until the cupcakes are cooled. Meanwhile, fill a pastry bag or quart-sized zipper bag with marshmallow fluff. When cupcakes have cooled, pipe a small amount of frosting on top of each cake. Do not overfrost, as the fluff will ooze as it settles onto the cakes.Turn oven to broil setting and place muffin tins, one at a time, under broiler approximately 1 inch from the flame. Watch the cakes closely to make sure they puff and brown but do not burn. This may only take a few seconds! Shift tin as needed to make sure the marshmallow browns evenly. Repeat with the second tin. If desired, once cupcakes are completely cooled, top each with a piece of Hershey's chocolate.Serve with lots of napkins....or a hose.

Okay Kristen, I'm not TRYING to turn this blog into a diabetic's worst nightmare! These decadent little beasties are for a once a year special occasion--my daughter's 9th birthday. She's having a camping party in our backyard and serving s'mores at the party. But you can't stick a candle in a s'more--so I scoured the Internet for this recipe. They turned out every bit as yummy as they look, but I had lots of leftover graham cracker crumbs so maybe the recipe meant 20 SQUARES, not full crackers...

Mini Taco Bowls

For those of you who don't know, my neighbor and I take turns teaching a weekly cooking class to our collective 5 kids. This is what I taught today and since it goes along so nicely with Kristen's last post, I thought I would share. For dinner I made slightly bigger versions, using glass bowls on a cookie sheet. The muffin tins produced a crispier shell, so maybe I'll line the bowls with foil next time, Anyway, they were a big hit and super easy.

Now I need to buy some vanilla bean ice cream and combine this recipe with Kristen's and make yummy cinnamon-sugar ice cream bowls...maybe topped with fruit salsa!

Mini Taco Bowls

8 small flour tortillas

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups chopped lettuce

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup Ranch Dressing

Heat oven to 350°F. Microwave tortillas on HIGH 30 sec. Press 1 tortilla into each of eight 2-1/2-inch muffin cups. Carefully fold back edges of tortillas, leaving opening in center of each for filling. Bake 10 min.

Meanwhile, brown meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in salsa; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 min. Spoon into tortilla bowls; top with remaining ingredients.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

So I am following up on my promise--here is the appetizer I'm going to make for my dinner party. This is so yummy and perfect for summer! I am omitting the white sugar it asks for because it is plenty sweet after using the brown sugar, fruit preserves, and then the chips being sugary as well. (You could even omit the brown sugar, but leave the preserves, it gives it great taste!) Also, you can use any fruit you want--last time I made this I used nectarines instead of raspberries, and I've used blueberries in it before and it's yummy too.

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
*1-2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray. (I like use a pastry brush and put butter on both sides instead of the cooking spray, cut into wedges with a pizza cutter and then put them in a zip top bag with the cinnamon/sugar mix and shake. Then I spread them out on the baking sheet).
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

*You can buy this at the store, but it's ridiculously expensive, and it's very easy to make at home. For every 1/4 cup sugar I use 1 Tablespoon cinnamon... so for 1 cup sugar = 4 Tablespoons, 2 cups = 8 tablespoons, etc.

well hello there blog!

Ok, so I see I haven't posted on this blog for oh....6 or 7 months, sad! I have decided to start up again and have 2 things to help me: I have invited my mom and 2 sister-in-laws so that they can post some of their favorite recipes, and also I have a group of friends that we get together once a month for a dinner party and we all make something to bring--I will be posting that recipe. So, if nothing else you will at least see one post a month--I think I can handle it! Our next party is next week and my assignment is: Appetizer! Stay tuned! (I know, you can't wait, right?!)

Butternut squash-a Fall Season staple!

Here's how to peel and cut one-from here

Keep squash pieces as stable as possible while cutting. A rubber mallet can help, if you have one, to gently push the knife through difficult thick spots.

Ingredients

• One butternut squash, 1 1/2 to 3 pounds
• A sharp, heavy, chef's knife

Method

1 Using a heavy, sharpened chef's knife, cut off about 1/4-inch from the bottom of the squash in an even slice. Then cut off 1/4-inch from the stem end.

2 Holding the squash in one hand, use a sharp vegetable peeler in the other hand to peel off the outer layer of the squash. You can also secure the squash standing upright and peel it in downward strokes with the peeler. Stand the peeled squash upright on a cutting board. It shouldn't wobble, you want the squash to be stable. (If it is wobbly, make another cut at the bottom to even it out.) Make one long cut, down the middle from the top to bottom, with a heavy chef's knife. Some squashes can be pretty hard; to help with the cutting you can use a rubber mallet to gently tap on the ends of the knife to help push the knife down through the squash.

3 Use a metal spoon to scrape out the seeds and the stringy pulp from the squash cavity. (If you want, you can prepare the seeds like toasted pumpkin seeds.)

4 Lay the squash halves, cut side down on the cutting board for stability. Working section at a time, cut the squash into slices, lengthwise, the desired width of your squash pieces. Some recipes call for 1/2-inch slices or cubes, some for 1-inch or greater.

5 If you are cubing the squash, lay the slices down (you can stack a few at a time) and make another set of lengthwise cuts. Then make crosswise cuts to make cubes.

One 1 1/2 pound butternut squash will yield approximately 4 cups of 1/2-inch cubed squash.

Fall fruit salad

I made this salad last night for a dinner party I went to. I wanted it to be kind of festive, and I have to admit I wasn't sure if I would like it... but it's actually pretty good, and since you don't put the vinegar all over the salad (just everything but the greens) it keeps pretty well in the fridge and doesn't wilt.

Fall Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I didn't peel it-I used Granny Smith)
  
• 1 Ripe Pear, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries (I used about a half cup)
  
• 1/4 Cup Walnuts
• 4 Ounces Firm Blue Cheese, crumbled (I used feta)
  
• 1/2 Red Onion, sliced thin (I used a little less)
  
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• Mixed greens-optional (I used baby spinach + red leaf lettuce)
  

Preparation:

Place the walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove, let cool, and roughly chop. In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients. Serve plain or on a bed of mixed greens.

Food Tag

Let's face it.. who wouldn't want to know more about me?!

1. Jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade, fruit butter or butter. What’s on your toast or bread? Jam and/or butter.
2. What’s your favorite Kellogg’s product? Definitely pop-tarts-I used to eat them for breakfast all the time during high school and college since I would never wake up early enough to sit down and eat.
   
3. Egg salad or deviled eggs. How do you prepare? I like both, but only once in a while--like at Easter.
   
4. French fries. Do you make homemade or frozen? Neither - I only get them when I eat out.
5. Gravy. What do you use - homemade, jar, can or from a package? The only times I have ever made gravy have been from a package, which aren't bad...but I'm not a huge gravy person anyway.
   
6. Artichokes. Love em or leave em? Eh, they're ok.
   
7. What’s your favorite kind of bean? Green beans, black beans, pinto beans, refried beans. And I guess I like hummus, so garbanzo beans.
   
8. Potato Chips. What kind of chips are your favorite? I love Doritos! The ranch or cheese flavor.
   
9. What’s your favorite thing to dip chips in? Salsa or queso dip, but the tortilla chips, not above mentioned.
   
10. How do you make mashed potatoes? Usually from scratch, but occasionally use the good ol' food storage potato pearls in a pinch.
    
11. What do you drink to rehydrate in the heat or after working out? Water usually unless I'm going on a hike or on an extended outside trip and then I like gatorade too...
    
12. What’s the healthiest snack you eat? Fresh veggies and fruit from the garden--tomatoes, cucumbers, corn--and all fruit!
    
13. What is your favorite appetizer? Nachos, or fresh baked bread, or chips & salsa.
    
14. If you could travel anywhere to have a meal, where would you want to go and what would you want to eat.
    
15. What is your favorite candy? junior mints, butterfinger, swedish fish.
    
16. Cake. Buttercream, whipped cream or ice cream? Buttercream
17. Favorite kind of pizza. chicken alfredo or canadian bacon and pineapple
    
18. Weirdest food you've ever eaten. I tried escargot on a cruise i went on, and it was disgusting.
    
19. What food do you hate the most? mushrooms-any kind.
    
20. What meal do you prepare most often for guests? Big pot of soup and bread/rolls.

I tag: anyone who reads this!

Fresh Salsa

This is my absolute favorite salsa recipe, and even better that you don't have to cook it! All of the ingredients in it are somewhat mild so they don't completely overpower when you take a bite.

4 large tomatoes and
1 serrano pepper (add another if you want more heat)
together blended VERY WELL in the blender--no one wants a huge bite of one of these peppers, they are HOT!

4 large tomatoes, chopped
2 bunches green onions, finely chopped
1 small can diced green chili's
juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
garlic salt, salt, and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients; chill.

This recipe is also very versatile--sometimes I like to add black beans and corn, and sometimes I add some chopped mango for a little sweetness. You can play with the amounts if you want as well-I don't always add the whole amount of onion and cilantro. If you want to be extra-fancy you can use orange and yellow tomatoes along with red....makes it very pretty!

Do make sure that you use garlic salt and not fresh minced garlic-the raw garlic taste would be too much! And last but not least, don't worry if when you first taste it that it doesn't seem hot enough because the longer it sits, the hotter it gets!

Rosemary chicken skewers with berry sauce

It seems I like food on sticks. I also like mixing sweet with savory....so when I saw this recipe it definitely got my attention. And like my other skewer recipe I have on here; it could be used as either an appetizer or paired with something else for a main dish.

A while ago I was making something using fresh rosemary and got a little carried away; which resulted in the whole dish tasting like a sprig of rosemary. So when using this herb fresh I am a little careful and did not use the full 2 tablespoons. It still tasted great so I will probably do the same when I make this in the future.

For the chicken:

• 4-6 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped, fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup of dry white wine or vermouth
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

For the sauce:

• 1 3/4 cup of fresh or frozen blackberries or boysenberries
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of red currant jelly (or berry jam or jelly)
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Method

1 Cut the chicken into 1 1/2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Mix with the wine, oil, rosemary, and pepper. Cover and set aside to marinate in the refrigerator for one hour.

2 Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Thread the chicken onto skewers and season generously with salt.

3a Grilling Preheat the grill for direct high heat. Brush the grill grates with olive oil. Place chicken skewers on grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Place on a platter and cover with foil to allow the chicken to rest.

3b Broiling Preheat the broiler. Place skewers on an oiled broiling pan, 5 to 6 inches away from the burner. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Place on a platter and cover with foil to allow the chicken to rest.

4To make the sauce, place the marinade and the berries in a sauce pan and simmer gently until the berries are soft. Press through a strainer and discard the pulp.

5 Return the juice and marinade mixture to the pan. Add the vinegar, jelly, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered until it has reduced by about 1/3 to a light syrup-like consistency.

Plate the skewers and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Announcement

So it's been a really long time since I have posted! I will try to be better in the future. In the meantime, the lack of posts probably have lost all my readers. However, if you do still read this, then you will be the first to know that I am pregnant! ...and sick :( So this post is dedicated to all those who suffer from morning sickness and I am giving you the foods that make me less sick and ones to stay away from and hopefully keep your head out of the toilet!

#1 Blueberry eggo waffles (unless you drink to much milk with them). I have eaten them about 4-5 days a week for breakfast for the last month and a half..

#2 Grilled cheese sandwiches. I'd say I eat one of these for lunch about 4-5 days a week.

#3. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I usually end up eating these after I have thrown up because they seem to settle my stomach. Maybe I should try eating them before.

#4 Popsicle twin pops. I can't seem to get enough of these-I eat at least 1 a day, if not 2 or 3 a day. Cold things make my tummy feel better.

#5 Superpretzel frozen pretzels. These are good-they are like the big fat fluffy pretzels that you get at like fairs or whatever. They even come with their own salt packets. Just enough blandness to keep your stomach calm, but still taste good.

#6 Fresh fruit. Nectarines, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries are the best in my opinion.

#7 Plain toast with butter. On the days I don't eat waffles, this is what I have...pretty boring huh.

Things NOT to eat:

#1 Anything fried

#2 Ranch dressing

#3 Mexican food

#4 Tomato sauce, v-8, or anything tomato-too acidic

#5 Milk or ice cream. I know, sad, but milk products don't work well in my tummy right now.

#6 Chocolate..even sadder

#7 Diet coke or any diet drink. The fake sugar after taste seems to be heightened and makes me sick.

So, there ya go, hope it helps!