Indoor S'mores

I had some graham crackers that I wanted to use up and found this recipe for Simple S'mores. I stuck pretty close to the recipe but skipped spreading the melted chocolate across the crackers since I thought it was unnecessary and would make them more s'more-like to leave the chips whole but soft. I also broiled the marshmallows until they were very puffy and brown.

I tried them both open-faced and smooshed together like a sandwich and would recommend the sandwich. Also, I lined a jellyroll pan with nonstick aluminum foil to make clean-up easier and to catch the marshmallows that fell off the s'mores. I love caramelized marshmallows!

Rice Krispies Treats

Everyone and their mother can make Rice Krispies Treats. But since I've been complimented more than once on mine, I thought I'd do a post about them.

I always use mini-marshmallows since they melt faster than regular ones. It's very important to completely melt the marshmallows - make sure there are no lumps!

I add the Rice Krispies to the melted marshmallows slowly - by the cupful if possible. It's easier if you can have someone else add them while you stir the marshmallow mixture. You should stir the mixture very well - there shouldn't be blobs of marshmallows left before you pour it into the pan.

Instead of cooking spray, I butter the pan with A LOT of butter. Once I pour the mixture into the pan, I lightly butter my hands and press the mixture into the pan with bare hands. Once it's pressed,into shape, I flip the entire thing and press it again. This makes them both more buttery and prettier.

Sorry if these "tips" seem obvious, but I've found that small details in preparation can make a huge difference in the final product.

Candy!

I used my candy thermometer for the first time and added a new sweet to my repertoire. As usual, I was inspired to make this particular thing because I happened to have peanuts lying around. And what's a better treat made with peanuts than peanut brittle?




For a first attempt it was damn near perfect. I think the only thing I might do differently is use raw peanuts or add the peanuts later in the cooking. The taste was great and the texture was crunchy that melted into sticky-smooth. It also didn't linger on your teeth like candy likes to do, which was an unexpected bonus.

I found so many recipes that equated peanut brittle with Christmas. It's not part of my holiday memories, but it might be this year.

Coconut Macaroons

From the Baker's coconut recipe. On the bag of coconut the chocolate dip was optional. I dipped one (in milk chocolate, the only kind I had on hand) and wasn't impressed with the results so I didn't dip the others. But I used the leftover melted chocolate to make chocolate covered raisins so it wasn't a total waste.

It's kind of hard to discern the chocolate covered raisin blobs on the black plate. I don't have a picture of the chocolate dipped macaroon since I ate it before I took these shots.

I had been thinking about making macaroons since I watched the "No Pork, No Pressure" episode of Dinner: Impossible. The episode was shot around Cleveland and has Chef Michael Symon making a Passover dinner for the congregation of a synagogue that's right down the street from me. I wish I was invited to the Seder because everything he made looked really delicious.

The episode also made be hungry for brisket. Luckily, Jack's Deli and Restaurant (14490 Cedar Road, University Heights, Ohio 44121) has a great brisket, and I had it for dinner last Friday. I'll have to do a proper review of that place sometime.

If you missed the show last Wednesday, it'll be on again September 13 at 3:00pm and September 14 at 11:00pm. Of course it's bound to be shown at other times too since the Food Network plays a lot of repeats.