S'mores Bars

I saw this idea on a friend's blog and I thought it sounded great. This recipe is really a rice-krispy-treats-meets-s'mores, and rice krispy treats and s'mores are two of my simple favorites!

Originally I made these to these to my friend, Lora, who was in the hospital after having her baby girl. Before I left for the hospital, I sampled one to make sure they were as tasty as I thought they should be and then sent all the other bars to Lora. Afterwards, I kept thinking about how good they were and wondering why I hadn't saved at least a couple for our house. So I did what anyone else would have done - I ran to the store and made another batch! And I'm not the only one who loved them. Another friend visited Lora in the hospital and emailed me for the recipe as soon as she got home! Yes, they are that good!

S'mores bars

as seen on Tiny Tidbits and recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

4 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 (10.5-oz) bag of mini marshmallows, divided

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

6 Hershey's chocolate bars

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and add 2/3 bag of marshmallows. Stir frequently until marshmallows are melted. Take pot off heat and stir in cereal, coating cereal completely. Pour cereal into a greased 9-inch-x-13-inch pan and push down slightly on the cereal to compact it in the pan.

Preheat broiler. Place Hershey's bars on top of cereal. You may need to break them to get even coverage. Sprinkle the remaining marshmallows on top. Pop pan under the broiler, watching closely. Broil until the marshmallows are slightly charred on top.

Let cool completely and cut into bars.

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Sloppy Cubano Sandwiches

I'm not sure why I am so enamored by Sloppy Joes, but I am! While I love the original, I also like to spice things up a bit. This recipe popped up on my blog feed this weekend, and I immediately knew I had to try it. I've already professed my love for Sloppy Joes, but I also love a good Cuban sandwich - pork, ham, cheese, mustard and pickles sandwiched between some good, crusty bread. Yum! This recipe is a happy marriage between two great sandwich staples and I could not have been happier with how this turned out. A delicious revision to the Sloppy Joe!

I altered the recipe to have the slow cooker do most of the work for me. With a two-year-old, I always try to do as much work ahead of time (usually while Finley is in preschool or taking her nap) so that I don't have to be slaving over dinner when she's awake and wanting to play. But if you'd like make the recipe on the stovetop, then be sure and look at the original recipes here and here.

Sloppy Cubano Sandwiches

adapted from Taste and Tell and Rachael Ray

6 oz chorizo, casings removed and finely chopped

1 lb ground pork

1/2 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon allspice

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 lime, juice and zest

1 cup chicken broth

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

2-3 tablespoons tomato paste

4 rolls or buns, split in half

4 slices Swiss cheese

dill pickle slices

yellow mustard

In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook chorizo until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the pork and onions and continue to cook another 4-6 minutes or until browned. If there is a lot of grease, drain the fat. (Mine didn't render much fat so I skipped this step.)

Meanwhile, in the pot of your slow cooker, stir together garlic, paprika, ground coriander, allspice, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, lime zest, chicken broth, tomato sauce and salt and pepper (to taste). Add the meat and onion mixture and stir to combine. Cook on low 3-4 hours. Stir in tomato paste just before serving.

When you're ready to eat, preheat your oven's broiler. Toast the split buns. Divide the meat mixture between the buns and place a slice of cheese on each. Broil until the cheese melts, about 30 seconds. Top with lots of pickles, spread a liberal dollop of mustard on the top half of the bun and enjoy!

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Maple-Bacon Biscuit Bake

I absolutely love sweet and salty combinations, but alas the Hubby Bubby isn't the fan that I am. Usually I try to sneak them in at dinner time but I always feel guilty making dishes that Andrew may not like. But when I saw this recipe, I knew I had a winner. Andrew loves sweet breakfasts (cinnamon rolls are a fave around here) so I knew he'd be game for a glorified monkey bread with some bacon thrown in for good measure.

I fiddled with the recipe just a bit to make it easier for me. I substituted store-bought biscuit dough for homemade and I assembled the maple-bacon syrup the night before to cut down on my cooking time in the morning. This was a delicious treat to wake up to! But really what's not to love - maple syrup, bacon and biscuit dough baked into sticky, gooey, caramel-y perfection!

Maple-Bacon Biscuit Bake

adapted from Pink Parsley who adapted it from King Arthur Flour

8 oz hickory smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup maple syrup (don't use the fake stuff!)

3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat

1 tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough

The night before, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it is browned and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat and discard the rest.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, flour, syrup and bacon fat. Stir in the bacon. Liberally spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with nonstick spray. Pour the bacon mixture into the bottom of the pan. Allow to cool and then refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Nestle the biscuit pieces atop the maple-bacon mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pan in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown.

Remove from oven and immediately invert the dish onto the serving plate. Lift off the pie plate and serve!

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Smoky Sweet Potato Soup

This amazing soup made an appearance on our Thanksgiving table (courtesy of my mother!) and I think it earned a place on our annual menu. The soup has a wonderful depth of flavor from the apple, leeks and the chipotle pepper and I loved the little bit of crunch that the pepitas add. Another thing to love about this warm and hearty soup is that it gets it's creamy texture from the veggies - not heavy cream or whole milk! Overall, this is a great simple soup for the fall and perfect for a holiday menu!

Smoky Sweet Potato Soup

recipe from Martha Stewart

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and rinsed well

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

6 cups chicken broth

1 medium chipotle chile in adobo sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup salted pepitas

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook garlic and leek until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add apple, celery and ginger and cook another 3 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and stock and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add chipotle chile.

Using an immersion blender (or working in batches, use a blender*) to puree the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with pepitas before serving.

*For your safety, if using a blender, remove cap from hole in lid and cover with a dish towel to prevent splattering.

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Fauxstess Cupcakes

I've been following Annie's Eats for a long while and I always love her recipes. Often she convinces me to branch out and attempt new recipes when I read her reviews and see her beautiful pictures. When I think of Annie's Eats, I always think of cupcakes. She has so many wonderful and fun cupcake recipes! Recently I made her Butterfinger Cupcakes and they were delicious - I remember being so surprised at how closely the frosting tasted like a Butterfinger! But I digress...

While I don't know Annie in reality, I feel like I do. She has invited me into her kitchen and her life just by reading her blog. Every morning, I look forward to drinking my cup of coffee and reading my cooking blogs, especially hers. But on Thanksgiving, Annie posted that her father died unexpectedly and that she would be taking a break from blogging to mourn and cope with the loss. She offered a gentle reminder to be extra thankful for the ones you love because you never know how long you'll have them. I can't tell you how many times since then that I have squeezed my daughter or my husband tight, consciously being thankful that they are here with me.

I didn't realize how much I would miss Annie's posts until there weren't any new ones popping up in my blogger feed each morning. To fulfill my needed dose of Annie's Eats, I combed through her archives, and of course found tons of great looking cupcake recipes. Inspired by an earlier blog movement, Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey, I decided to whip up a batch of cupcakes in honor of Annie's dad. I was stumped about which recipe to choose since I don't actually know Annie or her family, so I finally decided just to pick one that looked good to me. Hopefully her dad would have liked it too!

Fauxstess Cupcakes

recipe from Annie's Eats

for the cupcakes

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated and at room temp

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

for the filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup marshmallow fluff (store-bought or homemade)

1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

for the frosting

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat wells of a muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside..

In another bowl, beat together egg yolks, canola oil, 1/2 cup sugar and water until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy. Add 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the batter and mix to combine. Add remaining egg white mixture and gently fold together until no streaks remain.

Evenly divide the mixture into 8 or 9 cupcake wells. Bake until the cupcakes spring back (i.e. do not leave an indention) when lightly touched in the center, about 13-16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, marshmallow fluff and heavy cream. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling and transfer the rest to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip.

Gently insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1/2-inch deep into the top of each cupcake and lightly squeeze in some filling.

For the frosting, heat cream over medium heat in a small saucepan until steaming (not boiling!), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake in the frosting to thoroughly coat. Spoon reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe curlicues across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

And then share them with the ones you love!

Big Bite!

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Weekly Meal Plan - December 4th thru December 10th

Here is the menu that I have planned for the week!

Creamy Lemon Tortellini Bake with Spinach, Roasted Broccoli, Garlic Bread

Chicken Enchilada Soup, Guacamole, Tortilla Chips

Sloppy Cubano Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Fries, Fresh Fruit

Crispy Tofu with Veggies and Noodles in a Sweet & Spicy Sauce, Egg Rolls

Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Arugula, Artichoke Hearts & Lemon, Red Wine Spaghetti

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Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Originally I had planned to make these taquitos and make a few changes to the recipe. But the more I thought about it, I realized how ambivalent I was feeling about them. While I love bacon, I was a little on the fence about whether or not I wanted bacon in my taquitos...So I decided to use the taquito recipe that I've used several times in the past and always enjoyed. Why mess with a good thing, right?

These taquitos are nothing like the fried-minuscule-virtually-tasteless-things-that-more-closely-resemble-cardboard-than-food you can find in the frozen foods section of your grocery store. These are creamy, crunchy, tasty bites of deliciousness that everyone - including Finley - loves!

It's also important to note that unbaked these freeze really well!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

adapted from Our Best Bites

3 oz cream cheese, softened

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated

4 oz sour cream

1/4 cup chipotle salsa (feel free to substitute your favorite salsa)

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

2 green onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

12 flour tortillas

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, green onions, garlic,cumin, onion powder, oregano and chili powder. Stir until well combined and then stir in chicken.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on each tortilla and roll up as tightly as you can. Place seam side down on a cookie sheet and repeat with remaining tortillas. Lightly spray each tortilla with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the ends of the tortillas turn golden brown.

Serve with extra salsa, guacamole or this dipping sauce. (I made a simple sauce of equal parts guacamole and sour cream plus a squeeze of lime juice, a dash of chili powder, and a dash of cumin.)

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