s'mores bars

I can't recall the last time I made a s'mores. I've had every intention of creating a makeshift bonfire over my grill the past few summers, but I never got around to it. Not a huge surprise.

S'mores were always a staple in my summer diet when I was growing up. Our neighbors had a fire pit that we would meet at to make a bonfire for roasting s'mores. I remember getting eaten alive by mosquitos and wreaking of smoke afterwards, but there's not much I wouldn't put myself through for food. Except waiting for it. I hate waiting to be seated at restaurants. A general lack of patience is a theme in my life, but it's particularly poor when it comes to eating.

These bars were an experiment with a delicious outcome. I have seen so many recipes for different variations of s'mores bars. I liked certain aspects of a few of the recipes I reviewed, so I took my favorite parts of those recipes and fused them together.

The base is a graham cracker chocolate chip cookie. I added graham cracker crumbs to a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe which I enjoyed better than a traditional graham cracker crust (crushed graham crackers and butter). I then spread marshmallow fluff over half of this cookie dough layer then topped with the remaining dough. I baked mine for about 30 minutes, but I think next time, I would bake slightly less. I rather have a slightly under baked cookie, so keep a close eye on your s'mores bars as they bake. And just look at the results. Easy and delicious. I know you want one! 

S'mores Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 3 sheets)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup marshmallow creme fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt; set aside

Add egg and vanilla extract to sugar mixture and beat until combined

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined

Stir in chocolate chips

Divide dough in half and press half of dough in an even layer on bottom of prepared pan

Spread marshmallow fluff over the dough

Press remaining dough over the marshmallow layer (flatten large pieces and lay on top)

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned (careful not to over bake)

Let cool completely before cutting into bars

Enjoy!

Adapted from Lovin' From The Oven

Linked up at What’s Cookin’ Wednesday, Tuesday Talent Show

friday favorites

Hello Friday! I finally broke out my flip flops this week, so I declare this week to be a success. I hope you all experienced a little spring weather yourselves. The seven day forecast shows consecutive highs in the 60's, so I think we can finally close the door on this year's long winter. I even saw a 70 degrees on Wednesday. My heart skipped a beat.

I'm flying solo this weekend as Kent is off to visit friends in Philadelphia. I have a lot of errands to run, but I expect the agenda to also include baking and physical activity of some sort.

Here are some of my favorite finds from this week (click on gray link for source):

Favorite indulgence: Chocolate Chip Cookie Peanut Butter S'mores. I'm a big proponent of new twists on old classics. I'm not sure if this should be considered a new take on the s'mores or cookie sandwich, but it's a wonderfully decadent collaboration of the two desserts. I love the addition of peanut butter.

Favorite look: Mix & Match. I think this layered look makes a great spring outfit. I love the pop of color underneath the loose striped blouse.

Favorite DIY: Color Dipped Utensils. Such an easy way to transform cheap basic utensils into fun cooking and baking tools.

Favorite funny: "32" Taylor Swift Parody. Whether or not you like Taylor Swift, I know you can't deny the catchiness of Taylor Swift's "22" off of her new album. Unfortunately, I can't quite relate to either version of this jam, but I love it. Watch this video.

Favorite video: Prince William Denied Kiss by Four Year Old. While we're watching videos, take a look at this short one.  It's very sweet.

Favorite meal: Loaded Mini Taco Pizzas. Yum. I make chicken quesadillas nearly every week, so I think this would be a great Mexican dish to add into our dinner rotation.

Favorite read: Essay Grading Software Offers Professors a Break. Did anyone else hear about this? A company has rolled out a new software program that uses artificial intelligence to grade students essays and short answers. It "frees professors for other tasks." What other tasks take priority over grading your students' work? Isn't evaluating a student's understanding of the material the second piece of the puzzle? You teach, then you grade. I think today's cost of tuition entitles students to have the instructor, or at least a teaching assistant, review your work.

Favorite bite: Carrot Fries. I'll throw in chopped carrots when I'm roasting sweet potatoes from time to time, but I've never thought to make the carrots the focus of a side dish. Roasted carrots are really delicious, so I know that these will be a satisfying addition to a chicken or fish recipe.

Favorite pup: Feed Me Pup. How sweet is that face?

Favorite quote: Be a Beginner. It was particularly timely for me to see this quote today as I am starting a new job on Monday. Transitioning into a new role is always hard because no one likes to be the new kid. I'm going to try to be easy on myself as I learn this new role.

Have a great weekend everyone!

almond joy cookies

It's well agreed upon that food elicits specific memories for people. I think that's why I enjoy food so much. I can think of any food and it reminds me of a particular moment.

Almond Joys remind me of visiting my grade school best friend's house. Her mom always carried the best snacks, but I specifically recall a particular stash of Almond Joys during Halloween. I remember sneaking into her kitchen to snag a handful of Almond Joys to take home with me. I'm not sure why I didn't just ask my mom to add this candy to our Halloween supply, but I loved visiting her house and helping myself to this special treat. I actually have a history of sneaking candy, but who doesn't?

I bookmarked these cookies a while ago, so I'm surprised that it took me so long to finally bake them. It's easy for recipes to be forgotten when your pinterest boards are hemorrhaging recipes. I was rummaging through my pantry last weekend when I found leftover coconut from the samoas cookies I made last month. I hate wasting ingredients, so these cookies were an excellent vehicle to use up the remaining coconut.

I was so pleased with the results of this recipe. They're soft and chewy with delicious texture and flavor contrasts. The almond slices offer a nice crunch that pairs so well the coconut flakes and chocolate chips. I know that some people have aversions to coconut and nuts in their cookies, but these were so good! I feel like those who don't like Almond Joys would even like these cookies. They would be a great cookie to share at any occasion. Like most cookies, we ate these up quick.

Almond Joy Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium size bowl, whisk together dry ingredients; set aside
In bowl of standing mixer, cream together butter and sugar
Beat in egg until combined
Slowly add dry ingredients to sugar mixture until just combined
Gently stir in coconut, chips, and almonds
Drop tablespoon size balls of dough onto cookie sheets
Bake for 10 minutes

Enjoy!


Adapted from Heather Christo

chocolate chip muffins

 

Did anyone get fooled yesterday? I don't enjoy doing the pranking nor being the prankee, so I'm happy to report that I got through unscathed. Sharon Osbourne announced in the first segment of her talk show yesterday that she had been on a two week hiatus because she's pregnant. That seems to be the default April Fools joke for women, so I was on to her, but she awkwardly didn't tell us she was joking until well into the second segment. Joke fail. If I were to participate in April Fools, I think I would give someone a highly salty cookie or something. The joke begins and ends in a timely fashion. 

Anyway, chocolate chip muffin anyone? One of my favorite parts of our road trips down to Florida when I was a kid was our initial stop at Dunkin Donuts. I would always get one of their jumbo blueberry muffin with a coarse sugar coating. So good. I've rarely been tempted by muffins in recent years, but my interest has been revived now that I follow food blogs. 

I'm not sure why muffins are considered an acceptable breakfast food because they're really cupcakes without frosting. This isn't a problem in my eyes, and I plan to make muffins more often because they're easy portion control and a delicious snack.

These muffins are made with buttermilk, which yield a light texture and tangy flavor. I was very surprised by how much I like these muffins. I was considering a blueberry muffin recipe, but Kent requested chocolate chip so that's how these muffins came to be and I'm happy with the outcome.

These muffins are soft, fluffy, and not overly sweet. They're a great go-to muffin. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line muffin tin with paper liners or grease with cooking spray

Whisk together dry ingredients in medium bowl; set aside

Whisk together sugar, buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract in large bowl

Fold dry ingredients into your wet ingredients until just combined

Gently stir in chocolate chips (make sure not to over mix)

Divide batter between 12 muffin cups so that cups are about 3/4 full (you may have some extra batter)

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean

Let cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack

Source: Stylish Cuisine

weekend review

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. As expected, ours was super low key.

Kent had Good Friday off work, so I had another another person to contend with the daytime tv schedule, but I still appreciated his company. We ate out on Friday evening at a restaurant called Langermann's. It's located in the Canton neighborhood, which is on the opposite side of the harbor from where we live. I frequently drove by this restaurant during the apartment search, so it came to mind when I decided that we should dine in a new neighborhood.

Since we were already in the area, we stopped by the new Under Armour store before dinner. I needed new running socks, but Kent also demanded that I get an extra pair of running shorts because he thinks that I wear out the fabric by doing laundry everyday. I'm not too sure about that theory; however, I do love my new neon yellow shorts.

Very cool store. It's located right on the water.

I had perused the menu prior to dinner, but somehow I overlooked the southern flare because I was surprised when we were greeted with cornbread and biscuits upon being seated. Overall, the meal was good. I don't think we'll be visiting again any time soon, but here's the visual rundown of our dinner:

The offering of a bread basket is so important to my dining experience.

Low Country Louie (lobster, crayfish, crabmeat, corn, and creole mayonnaise)

 Kent's Braised Lamb Shank w/ Goat Cheese Orzo

My Grilled Salmon w/ Goat Cheese Orzo and Red Pepper Sauce

After dinner, we stopped by a food truck rally that was taking place in front of our apartment complex. I wasn't impressed with the dessert menu at the restaurant, so I needed a dessert fix. I located a cupcake truck, but I knew that it wouldn't satiate my sweet tooth, so see solution below.

I don't know how so many people found out about this event, but the turnout was impressive. The unlimited beer for $10 probably contributed in some way

Nutella Cupcake adorned w/ an Easter rabbit

Chocolate Decadence Cake from Harris Teeter

I ran errands for the majority of Saturday morning, then gave myself a good workout on the elliptical. It was a struggle because I'm still regaining my energy from last week's sickness, but I was happy with my total mileage. I intended to make pizza for dinner, but Kent wasn't feeling so well, so we each did our own thing for dinner- soup for him and "brinner" for me. I've been tempted all week by the grocery store's Easter desserts, but I couldn't justify spending $10 on a buttercream egg cake, so I  made my own cake for $3 and it was just as delicious. We ate it all last night. The Buckeyes lost after an extremely frustrating game, so at least we had cake. 

I was in a funk for the majority of today for no particular reason, but a good run snapped me out of it. I bought some snazzy UA running shoes a few weeks ago that finally feel broken in. I ran 8 miles to the Real Housewives of Atlanta and it felt great. 

My fancy footwear

Tonight I made turkey burgers that were really good. I used this recipe and paired it with a salad. Kent and I are going to go pick up some Ben & Jerry's now to round out the meal. Game of Thrones returns tonight. I don't actively watch, but I'll passively tune in. 

Have a great week everyone!

friday favorites

Hello Friday! I've finally regained my appetite after recovering from a stomach bug for most of the week. As someone who is constantly hungry, it was a strange concept to have to tell myself to eat. Kent and I are going out to celebrate my new job this evening, so I'm looking forward to indulging in real food. I'll try to moderate my intake as I don't want to relapse, but I'm excited for our date night.

The remainder of the weekend should be low key as usual. I've missed my workouts so much, so I need to get my sweat on at some point. Not much else on the schedule as of now. We lead thrilling lives.

Here are some of my favorite things from the week (click on the gray link for source):

Favorite indulgence: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes w/ Cookie Dough Frosting. Sally has done it again with creating another insanely decadent dessert. Here we have my favorite chocolate chip cookie in cupcake form with eggless cookie dough frosting. Sometimes I think my sugar obsession is a tad extreme, but then I see ideas like this and it almost validates that time I ate my own personal dessert buffet at a friend's wedding*(see end of post). Not the same thing? Oh well. I like my sweets. 

Favorite decor: Moroccan Inspired Backsplash. I love the colors and patterns of this backsplash against the butcher block countertop. I'm not sure that it's very practical for an everyday space like the kitchen, but I love how it elevates an ordinary room into a special place.

Favorite twist: Waffle Wedding Cake. I'm not even a waffle fan, and I love this idea. Morning weddings are a bit odd to me, but if you're going to have a brunch reception then this is a great idea to incorporate into your special day. I shared birthday pancakes with you a few weeks ago, and I think this is another cute idea to celebrate a birthday.

Favorite look: Back to Black. I'm still undecided on the peplum top, but I think this outfit is very well put together. The top is definitely the focal point, yet the color makes its shape not as distracting. From the sunglasses to the necklace, I love it all. The top is from H&M, so it's an affordable look.

Favorite funny: Supreme Court on Gay Marriage. I don't follow the Onion as much as I did in college, but someone shared this article on Facebook the other day. I can't even believe we're still debating this issue. What effect does it have on any of our lives if gay marriage is legal? It's pathetic that people are so vitriolic about the idea of two human beings in love marrying each other. Lets embrace change, America. 

Favorite meal: Italian Drunken Noodles. Oh my goodness, this is comfort food. Pass me a bowl of these noodles and allow me to devour them until I'm drunk with fullness.

Favorite concept: Travel Keepsake Kits. I love this idea! Travel souvenirs like maps and ticket stubs can be difficult to put into a scrapbook, so this allows you to preserve your mementos in a safe and fun way. And lets be honest, who has time to scrapbook? Throw yo' stuff in a box! I'm looking at you Mrs. Kratz!

Favorite read: New York Times: Your Phone vs. Your Heart. This was a great article written by a UNC professor. She argues that human interaction is now so limited by technological distractions that we are losing our capacity for connection, friendship and empathy. The less we exercise our ability to connect face to face, the less biological capacity we will have to do so. It's so awful how often Kent talks to me while I'm on my computer with the TV on in the background and I nod without any idea of what he just said. This article motivated me to really try to work on disconnecting from technology more often. 

Favorite bite: Bacon Cheese Fries. Hmm, maybe several bites. 

Favorite dog: Trojan pup. This is my sister's dog Benny and he is the cutest dog I've ever seen since my sweet Buffy passed. I may have to feature him more often because he is so photogenic. He melts my heart!

Favorite quote: A Party Without Cake is Just a Meeting. I saw this earlier in the week, and it's gone viral on Pinterest since then. This is my life manta, seriously. I cannot tell you how much it disappoints me to attend a party that doesn't include cake. Is this part of being an adult? I assure you any event that I invite you to will feature cake. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

*This was just the first helping of dessert I enjoyed at a friend's wedding last month. They had a dessert room, where they offered every flavor of cake imaginable, a chocolate fondue fountain, and countless dessert creations. It was dessert heaven, really. Kent rolled me out of the venue that evening. 

flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

I'm still not fully recovered from my sickness earlier this week, but I couldn't go a week without baking so I made some super easy cookies for you guys.

These cookies are made without flour and butter. I know that this appeals to a lot of folks who like to find ways to eat dessert while still feeling good about themselves, but these cookies are not that kind of treat. A liberal amount of sugar is still baked into these treats, so only grab this cookie if you want a delicious peanut buttery sweet fix. 

This is literally one of the easiest cookie recipes out there, excluding the kind you buy in a bag from the baking aisle, but that can't qualify as homemade, right? All of your ingredients are dumped into a large mixing bowl and mixed until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and voila, your dough comes together in one quick mix. 

Scoop tablespoon size balls and roll in sugar. Press your palm down on each ball to slightly flatten before baking for 10 minutes at 350. They're best enjoyed right out of the oven when they're gooey and warm, but you should let them cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes to allow them to firm up.

I love peanut butter cookies because they maintain their chewiness even days after baking. Cookies don't often last long in our house anyhow, but there's nothing worse than reaching for a cookie only to discover that it's dry and crumbly. Bleh. These cookies are soft and tender on the inside with a crisp exterior. Combine this texture with the best flavor combination ever (chocolate and peanut butter, of course) and you have a most delectable cookie that's a snap to whip up!

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks
Extra sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Measure peanut butter, sugars, egg, baking soda, salt, and vanilla into large mixing bowl and mix until well combined
Gently stir in chocolate chips
Scoop 1 tbsp size balls and roll into sugar
Bake for 10 minutes
Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5-10 minutes before removing to cooling rack


Adapted from How Crazy Cooks