i'm back....

well, I took a looooooong break and am back and ready to cook! luckily, just in time for the annual 4th of july picnic. my new obsession is Pinterest so this recipe is courtesy of one of my pins and this fantastic website...

 

it was really easy. you need:

 

 

2 bags light blue candy melts (found in the baking aisle of craft stores/wal-mart)

1 – 10.5 ounce bag large marshmallows

1 box graham cracker crumbs (I used Teddy Grahams)

1 – 6.6 ounce bag cheddar goldfish

Large white pearl nonpareils

20 lollipop sticks

 

- Melt blue candy melts according to package. I recommend placing chocolate candy in a microwavable bowl and melting in 30 second increments, mixing in between. Do not over-melt or the chocolate will be difficult to work with. Start with one package and see if you need more.

- Place lollipop sticks in marshmallows. Dip marshmallows into the chocolate candy. Use a knife to get excess chocolate off the marshmallow bottom.

- Dip the bottom in graham cracker crumbs. Add a goldfish and 2 white pearl non pareils.

- Allow to cool and then enjoy! If you are making this a day in advance, make sure to place your pops in an air tight container or cover with saran wrap so they don’t go stale.

 

 

Feedback was pretty good. The candy melts are sweet but everyone

really liked them. They went really fast too!

day 34 (part II) = biscuit like cookies



sarah:

i got hungry and needed something sweet. i have Jamie Oliver's "Jamie's Food Revolution" cookbook and so i grabbed that and attempted his cookies. i think i did something slightly incorrect because mine didn't brown around the edges even though i put it in the oven for more time then required. oh well, i tweaked the recipe a bit so maybe that was it. i still liked them. they are not buttery sweet cookies (even though there is a TON of butter in them), they are more like biscuit cookies.

here's what i did:

step 1: gather your ingredients

• 9 tbsp butter, softened (let sit out about 15 mins)
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar (bakers sugar)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 quick cook oatmeal (not instant)
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2oz semi-sweet chocolate

step 2: whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, and salt

step 3: beat egg with a fork

step 4: mix butter and sugar together. add egg. stir in oatmeal by hand

step 5: chop chocolate and hand stir into batter

step 6: preheat oven to 375 degrees and freeze batter for 15 mins to harden

step 7: roll into balls and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. cook for 10 mins. transfer to wire rack to cool completely and crisp up!

enjoy!

day 19 = espresso caramel bars

sarah:
last night i made pasta out of the "Giada at Home" cookbook and started her espresso caramel bars. i finished it up today because they take a while (not hands-on time, but allowing it to cool) to bring over to a friends house for dinner.

your can view the recipe at foodtv.com. i just have a few recommendations:

 - i found the crust had way too much butter so i poured the excess out and blotted the crust with paper so it wasn't so saturated.

 - i used coffee instead of espresso, but it still had a great flavor.

 - the chocolate is really rich. i might cut it down or use milk chocolate (just my preference). everyone else really liked it this way!

charley now asked me to make this his "favorite" over the oreo bliss from day 4 so this must be really good! check it out...

charley:
another great dessert that i will need to request she takes to the office.  this one is probably not on the healthier side, but anything in moderation is never too bad.  the problem is that i have no will power when it comes to dessert and she will need to take them away from me so that i don't eat them all!!!!

enjoy!

day 8 = 1952 banana chocolate chip bread

tonight's banana bread is special. my grandmother received the "Antoinette Pope School" (Macmillan)cookbook after she was married. she had a 1952 edition and gave it to me a few years ago when she stopped cooking. flipping through it today, i found a handwritten "Triple Recipe Chop Suey" note in the book. how fun!

sarah:

this smelled amazing when i was making it. the dough was so fluffy i really couldn't wait to bake it. my bananas were not ripe enough yet (but i was eager to make this) so i think that's the one downfall in how it came out. otherwise, i highly recommend this if you want a traditional banana bread. click on the picture of the recipe above and you should be able to read it.  if you want a really moist and vibrant banana bread, check out the recipe in my cookbook. that has to be the best banana bread i've ever had.

i did a few things to this recipe that were new tricks. if you are in a pinch, try these:

1) buttermilk substitute = put 1 tsp lemon juice in a 1/3 cup measuring cup.   pour enough milk to get to the top and let sit 5 mins. (use 1 tbsp for 1 cup).

2) salted butter substitute = substitue unsalted butter and add 1/4 tsp salt per 1 stick of butter to your flour mixture. sift the flour mixture with other dry ingredients before using.

3) for a moist bread = the recipe calls for putting another pan on top of the the one you are using for a moist bread. i've never heard that before, but tried it and the bread is super moist!

4) who needs nuts when you can add chocolate chips!

charley:

i see we are on day eight and I am doing all that i can to keep from putting on weight.  to be honest i have put on about 1.5 lbs since the start of this and that is with a normal work-out regiment.  the food is just too good and i am loving it all.  i will just need to work out harder because i am so happy with what she makes.  i knew i found a keeper!!!!!  anyway for this evening's treat i was a little surprised as it was not as strong of a banana flavor as i would have expected.  it was good as it was not dry, but the strongest flavor to it was the  chocolate chips.  i am not sure if i would recommend removing the chocolate, but i think i would prefer more banana.  the cake itself was moist and tasty and i hope it has more banana taste the next day!

enjoy!

day 4 = oreo bliss

alright... time to change it up a little. since tonight's was soooo good, i'm going to put my comments in and then charley is going let you know what he thought of the food. here it goes...

sarah:
you've got to try this one! i got the recipe from a co-worker today and stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up the ingredients. it cost a total of $11.97, but i have an extra bag of chocolate chips (about $3) leftover that i never used. not bad, but you could do better if you hone in on some extreme couponing techniques.

anyway, these really are great. all you do is take a 16.6oz package of oreo cookies (i used reduced fat) and crush them up in a food processor until fine. add an 8oz bar of cream cheese (i used 1/3 less fat) and process until smooth. roll into balls and stick in the freezer to harden. you'll get about 30 pieces.

about 30 mins later, melt one 11.5oz pkg of milk chocolate chips in a microwave bowl on 50% power for 1 min stopping after 30 seconds to stir. after the 1 min is up, stir for a little. put back in microwave for another 15 seconds and stir. if it needs more time, put it in for another 10 seconds and stir again. repeat if needed, but you should still have some chips that have not fully melted. you want this so your last few stirs melt them together (this ensures you have smooth and not clumpy chocolate).

take the balls out of the freezer and use a toothpick or skewer to dip each ball into the chocolate. i dipped them most the way, but you can roll them around so they are completely covered (this may require another bag of chocolate to melt so you may want to buy 2 just in case). after i dipped all of them, i went back over the tops and spread a little chocolate in the space that was open and topped with M&M's and chocolate chips. freeze about 20 mins till firm. this is great because you can do all chocolate or experiment with any topping you like!! 

charley:
Sarah has now asked me to type up my thoughts on each of these meals and I believe this is the start of me getting really fat!!!!  I thought that I wasn't supposed to get fat until we were married, but it seems she wants to start early.  I must say this is the second dessert she has made this week (and for those who know me, that is my weakness, huge sweet tooth).  Both of these desserts, brownies and oreo bliss, will need to make their way to Sarah's office because I will sit down and eat them all in one sitting.  Very tasty and when she first handed me one I didn't know what to expect, but they are deceptively excellent.  Highly recommended and I have requested they be added to the list for her second cookbook!!!

enjoy!

day 1 = brownies

ok... so i love cooking, and i love cookbooks, but i never cook anything from them! it's like this stack of glossy pages that just sit there waiting for someone to give them the time of day. i have a few hundred (i'm that obsessed) and i need to start using them!! hence, this blog...

i just got done putting brownies in the oven. if you know me, you know i either cut myself, burn myself, bruise myself, or just outright sacrifice my body each time i cook. for some reason, i need to add that extra pinch of tenderness for the food to come out right. my father (who is a terrific cook) always says cooking is about patience and love (yes, my dad says that), but i can't seem to find that patience. for me, it's all about shortcuts. so today, i really tried to follow directions and give it some love, but i didn't hurt myself in any way. sorry, charley, i don't think it's going to taste very good :(