FANCY INDOOR S'MORES

FANCY INDOOR S'MORES

This recipe came with a shipment I got from zulily.  We had it New Year's Eve 2014.  Yum!  Would be a great special after school snack or a FHE treat.  Made it in our individual little cookie pan.  I lined the bottom of each pan with parchment paper (tin foil would work too).  We had a huge (bigger than king size) Hershey bar.  We put two squares that were broken up and about 1/8-1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Then about 1-2T nutella on top of that.  Then we cut up 4 big marshmallows (into 4 sections) per pan.  Could have put more marshmallows.  Could either dip with graham crackers or Ritz crackers.  Abagail didn't like it with the crackers - she ate it with a spoon.  Only cooked about 4 minutes - so watch it.

1 bag of chocolate chips
8 large marshmallows
a jar of Nutella
a box of graham crackers - Ritz crackers good too


Here is the original recipe.

Preheat oven to 450.

Cover the bottom of a 6" skillet with chocolate chips and drop spoonfuls of Nutella on top of the chocolate chips.

Cut marshmallows in half and place over chocolate chips until mixture is completely covered.

Bake for 6-8 minutes until marshmallows are golden brown on top.

Scoop out gooey s'mores with graham crackers.

PERFECT POTATOES AU GRATIN

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/perfect-potatoes-au-gratin/

These are super yummy!  Would probably use less garlic (used 4 fresh) next time.  Went perfect with ham, cranberry bread, pumelos and homemade creamed corn.  Perfect Christmas 2014 dinner. 

Perfect Potatoes au Gratin

Prep Time:

 10 Minutes

 

Cook Time:

 1 Hour

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 8

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
•  Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths. (sliced about 1/4"-1/2")

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful. Delicious!

APPLE DIP (HEALTHY)

APPLE DIP

I was subbing at River Bend and the kindergarten teacher (Mrs. Page) was eating this.  It looked so yummy.  The kids didn't really like it, but I did.

2 T greek yogurt
1 T peanut butter
little bit maple syrup
cinnamon or nutmeg or other spices

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE PIE

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE PIE

This was Scott's request for Thanksgiving 2014. It was so yummy! Everyone liked it.  It was very easy to make.  Didn't add the nuts.

http://ourbestbites.com/2011/02/chocolate-chip-cookie-pie/

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Recipe from Nestle

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, homemade or store-bought.
2 large eggs
1/2 C flour
1/2 C white granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
3/4 C real butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 C chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark works best, you might find milk too sweet)
1 C chopped pecans (you are welcome to make it without nuts)

Vanilla ice cream, or sweetened whipped cream for serving (a must!  I prefer ice cream)

optional: chocolate sauce (honestly, doesn’t really need chocolate sauce, but it looks pretty!)

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack or serve slightly warmed.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE PANCAKES WITH HOMEMADE SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes with Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Chocolate and caramel is a match made in heaven and makes for a special breakfast treat. The soft, light, fluffy, moist buttermilk pancakes are the perfect sponges for the sweet and lightly salted caramel sauce. Recipe may be doubled and extra pancakes can be frozen and reheated for busy mornings. Chocolate, it's what's for breakfast.

http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/06/chocolate-buttermilk-pancakes-with-homemade-salted-caramel-sauce.html

We liked these.  Used caramel sauce from Trader Joe's.  Yum!  Make a double batch!  Leftovers makes great PB sandwiches.

UPDATE: I have made the caramel sauce, but we actually like the other caramel syrup (http://lncookbook.blogspot.com/2010/11/syrup.html). 

YIELD: 10-12 small pancakes or 6 larger

PREP TIME: 5 mins for pancakes

COOK TIME: 5 mins for pancakes, 10 mins for caramel

TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional
1 cup buttermilk , plus a splash more only if necessary
1 large egg
2 heaping tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Salted Caramel Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

Note - If you don't want to make your own salted caramel sauce, Trader Joe's sells Fleur de Sel Salted Caramel Sauce, which I swear by. Williams-Sonoma has a Salted Caramel Sauce for four times the price of the Trader Joe's sauce.

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup heavy cream or half and half (I use half and half)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons rum, optional

1/4 cup butter (half of 1 stick, salted or unsalted may be used)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste (or omit salt for regular caramel sauce)

DIRECTIONS:

1. For the Pancakes - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together first 8 dry ingredients (through optional salt); set aside.
2. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together final 4 wet ingredients.
3. Add wet to dry, and fold gently to combine. Don't overmix; batter will be lumpy. It's a thick batter, but if it's too thick for your liking, add a splash of additional buttermilk to thin it.
4. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat.
5. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon that's been sprayed with cooking spray (helps batter to slide right off), place heaping 2-tablespoon mounds of batter in skillet. Cook pancakes on first side for about 3 minutes, flip and cook on second side for about 2 minutes, or until done. Repeat until all batter is gone, respraying both skillet and scoop with cooking spray as necessary.
6. Serve pancakes immediately with butter, syrup, or your favorite topping. If making the salted caramel sauce, place pancakes on a baking sheet and keep them in a preheated 250F oven while making the sauce so they stay warm. Pancakes can be wrapped or kept airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
7. For the Salted Caramel Sauce - In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan with tall enough sides to accommodate the mixture when it starts bubbling, combine the sugar and water. Heat over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.
8. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil without stirring. Using caution, use a wet pastry brush or damp paper towel to wipe down any crystals that are clinging to the sides of the saucepan. Failure to remove them could result in a grainy sauce. Boil until the mixture is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.
9. Remove the pan from the heat, and using caution, whisk in the cream. The mixture will bubble up vigorously.
10. Add the vanilla and optional rum. It will bubble again.
11. Stir in the butter and salt to taste; or omit salt for regular caramel sauce. If using table salt rather than Kosher salt, add less because it’s finer-grained and 1 teaspoon of table salt is much saltier tasting than 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt.
12. Transfer caramel to a glass or heatproof jar with a lid. Caramel sauce will keep airtight for many months in the refrigerator.

MICROWAVE SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN

MICROWAVE SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN

http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2014/10/microwave-salted-caramel-popcorn/

Love, love, love this popcorn.  It was so easy.  Next time I would just my air popper to pop it (a lot of kernels didn't pop or do 6 min).  I added 1/4-1/2 cup (just poured didn't measure) peanuts.

Ingredients

• 1 c. popcorn kernels (don't pop more than 1 cup)
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. corn syrup
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• peanuts

Instructions

• Place popcorn kernels in large paper grocery bag.
• Microwave on high for about 4 minutes (microwave times may vary). Set aside.
• Place butter, sugar and corn syrup in a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl.
• Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute, until butter is melted and mixture is bubbly.
• Add baking soda, vanilla and kosher salt. Stir until foamy.
• Pour caramel mixture over popped popcorn in bag.
• Stir to combine.
• Microwave for 1 minute.
• Remove from microwave and eat up!