No-bake S'mores Bars

The big girl wanted to make something with the mini-marshmallows she begged me to buy a while back (until I caved). We went with S'mores bars. I found a recipe here, which was so easy, she could almost do it herself.

The bottom is just graham (or digestive) cracker crumbs and butter, topped with a mixture of condensed milk and chocolate, garnished with mini-marshmallows and graham cracker pieces. Just about as easy as actual S'mores, with no fire necessary.

S'mores Bars

3 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup mini marshmallows
2 whole graham crackers

Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil.  Lightly butter the foil.  Place the butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave until melted.  Mix in the graham cracker crumbs and stir with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened.  Pour the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and press firmly into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the condensed milk and chocolate chips.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.  Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and salt.  Pour the chocolate mixture over the graham cracker base.  Working quickly, spread the chocolate into an even layer and smooth with a spatula.  Sprinkle the marshmallows over the top of the chocolate.  Gently press down so that the marshmallows become partly embedded in the chocolate.  Break the whole graham crackers into small pieces and stick into the chocolate mixture between the marshmallows.

Cover and refrigerate the bars until firm, about 4 hours.  Use the foil to lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board.  Use a large sharp knife to cut into squares or rectangles.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

These were very sweet and chocolatey. Therefore, the children would gladly have eaten all of them if allowed. Even the finicky Swedish cousin liked them. The big girl did a very good job of baking, but I had to spread the chocolate mixture since it was very thick and gooey - some tricky spatula work involved. 

Root Beer Chocolate Bundt Cake

Stirring root beer, butter, and chocolate

eggs

Dry ingredients

Cocoa and butter paste to prepare pan

Brushed and ready for the batter

In the oven

If I had powdered sugar for glaze, it would have been even more lovely. 

Root Beer Bundt Cake

from here.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 C). Prepare a bundt pan as follows:

To prepare pan: 

Melt 1 T butter and combine with 1-2 T cocoa powder to make a paste. Brush the inside of the bundt pan all over. 

This is the best way to keep your chocolate cake from sticking. You get a cake that releases the pan easily, without the discoloration you get when you flour the pan. 

For cake batter:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 cups flour

2 1/2 cups root beer

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp salt

3 large eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 tsp ground vanilla)

In a large saucepan, heat 2 c. root beer, the cocoa powder, chocolate, and butter over medium heat until butter has melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. 

In a bowl, combine 2 c. flour, baking soda, allspice, and salt. Whisk the eggs into root beer mixture once it has cooled and then fold in the dry ingredients. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake about 55 min to 1 hour until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer to rack. Gently poke the cake (still in pan) all over with a skewer and pour 1/4 c. root beer on the cake. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then invert cake onto a serving plate and let cool completely. 

To make glaze, whisk remaining 1/4 c. root beer, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cake. 

Once the cake has cooled, cover it in a cake carrier and wait until the next day to serve. It is just ho-hum the first day, but really good on day two. That is when the root beer flavor comes out. 

Both kids like it a lot, especially the toddler.

The fish burgers of doom with a very delightful salad

Fish burgers with cabbage noodle salad and papaya

 About two weeks ago, I was in the mood to try something new. Considering we mostly eat chicken at our house, I thought I would try something with fish. Our fish repertoire is usually limited to salmon. I tried to find ready-made salmon burgers at the grocery store, but was a victim of the law of fishburgers. When you want to buy them, there are none. When you don't want to buy them, there they are. So I had to improvise, and bought some cod fillets and figured I could make my own. My plan was to pair the burgers with a tried and true salad that we have made a few times.

Making salad dressing in the blender with soy sauce

A tablespoon of peanut butter

Cabbage

We have never bought fresh papaya, so I thought I would give it a try and see if the kids would eat it. 

Cubed papaya with a squeeze of lime 

Shredded cabbage, carrots, and cooked asian noodles

Cucumbers on the side so they wouldn't be soggy in the leftovers. Dressing tends to do that to cucumbers.

Frying fishburgers. My liquid to fish ratio was off a bit, so they fell apart at first. Then I added some panko (japanese version of bread crumbs) and they held together better.

The fish paste

The end product, topped with a little dab of wasabi

The fishburgers had potential, but were a let-down. The consensus was that we will not use that recipe ever again, and therefore I will not share it. I will have to keep looking. My main objection was that they were overly salty. Since my husband made the fishburger paste, I am not quite sure what happened to make them such a flop. All I know is that since he did it, he bears the blame for the culinary catastrophe.

The papaya with lime was very good, in my opinion; the toddler spat it out and said "Blah" and the big girl refused to try. The toddler also refused to eat the salad. She does not really like noodles, and cries when they stick to her hands. She ended up eating something else. Big girl liked the salad but ultimately finished dinner with a sandwich.

The dressing is delicious, and the salad is crunchy and good. At least where adults are concerned.

Here is where the recipe for the salad comes from. Ideally, I would have just used the veggies and topped with chow mein noodles for crunch, which we unfortunately don't have in Sweden. I also like cashews instead of peanuts. This time, I added sunflower seeds for a little crunch. I would also cut down on the garlic. Four cloves is a lot - I think two would do.

Asian style salad dressing

4 large garlic cloves

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)*

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine all but the oil in a blender, mixing until smooth. Stream in the oil while mixing. Serve with a nice crunchy salad like tossed cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onions or scallions, roasted cashews, and chow mein noodles. Top with chicken or fish. Just not the fishburgers of doom.

Lazy cooking

I have been slacking off in the kitchen, spending less time baking and more time slacking off on the couch or going out for a jog. After a summer of hard work, it would seem that my oomph ran out of mph. Summer is at its end, and in an attempt to make the best out of any remaining non-winter weather, I have been jogging a few times a week for the past 3 weeks. Its amazing how fast the results come, as far as lung-capacity is concerned. I have also been feeling really stressed and down about work, and not in the mood for much of anything in the evenings. I am hoping some good exercise endorphines will help. I would really like to buy an elliptical machine to be able to squeeze more exercise into my week on a regular basis, but not sure how to fit it into the budget right now, with home improvements and 2 vacations on the horizon. Plus the fact that the big girl wants lizards and that isn't cheap. I find myself wishing we had planted a money tree instead of a cherry tree last weekend. Wonder if the greenhouse stocks any.

The sun is setting earlier and earlier, and winter is on its way. The only plus is that we have been awake to see the sun set.

Lazy cooking has included some pre-fabs and half-fabs. The past week's theme was using up stuff in the fridge, freezer and pantry. I was able to scrounge up 5 full meals out of stuff we already had. Plus a bunch of days where I just didn't have the energy, hence smoothie and sandwich night. Some glimpses from the past week:

Crackers with Chevré, honey and figs

Pork tenderloin stuffed with mozzarella, fresh herbs, and wrapped in prosciutto. 

Served with a side of store-bought sous vide potatoes au gratin

Sautéeing onions and garlic in olive oil

A splash of white wine to use up the bag in box taking up space in the fridge

Crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and herbs from the garden. Voilá, spaghetti and pizza sauce for 2 dinners. 

Homemade pizza on a store-bought crust. Pepperoni, pineapple, and mushroom.

Mozzarella, Chevré, sundried tomato, cherry tomato, and bell pepper 

Whew, blogging was a lot of work. Maybe I need a nap now. [-_-]zzz 

Braised Rosemary-Garlic chicken with Ginger-balsamic peach sauce

Today was Sunday, and we got our act together, regarding the weekly grocery list, early enough in the day to make something that could take a little longer. The funny thing was that this dish actually didn't end up taking that long, other than marinating. The actual cooking portion of the meal didn't take much over a half hour. This dish falls in the "I have no idea what I am doing but I am just going to throw some stuff together and hope it turns out" category. It did. There were complex layers of flavor, and the mixture of sweet and savory was delicious. The big girl won't eat peaches, so I was a little nervous about how it would be received, but she thought the chicken and sauce were really, really good. The toddler kept yelling "more" and "mine" at the sauce. 

I started out by brushing and marinating chicken breast filets in a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and garlic. They got to marinate for about 5 hours. 

Then, come time for dinner, I cut sweet potatoes into french-fry sized pieces, tossed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I baked these at 200C/400F for 25 minutes. In retrospect, I would have done 50/50 with sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. Parsnips would also be good.

I sautéed the chicken in some olive oil, browning well on both sides.  

I puréed a can of peaches in the blender, to use in the sauce

I always have a little ginger on hand in the freezer, ready to grate for soup or sauces.

Grated ginger

A little wine to deglaze the pan

Some chopped onion for flavor

Some water and chicken bouillion

A sliced, fresh peach as garnish

Sweet potatoes out of the oven

The chicken topped with peach slices

I strained the sauce, removing the onion and other remnants, leaving a smooth and delicious sauce behind. 

Braised Rosemary-Garlic chicken with Balsamic peach sauce

For marinade:

3 T. finely chopped rosemary

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinagrette

3-4 chicken breast filets

Mix together first four ingredients and brush chicken with them. Marinate in airtight container several hours or overnight. 

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

1 onion, chopped

1/2 c. white wine

1 can peach halves

1 chicken bouillion cube or equivalent

1 c. water

1 T grated ginger

salt and pepper

1 ripe peach, peeled and sliced

In a large, deep pan, heat 1 T olive oil and butter over medium heat. Sauté chicken until well-browned on both sides. While chicken is browning, purée 1 can of peaches and liquid in blender and set aside. Remove chicken to plate, tent with foil to keep warm. Spoon out any burnt garlic and rosemary, and sauté onion about 2 minutes until soft. Spoon out and add to plate with chicken.

Turn up the heat a little, and add wine, scraping up from the bottom to deglaze the pan. Reduce to 1/4 cup and then turn down the heat to medium again. Add puréed peaches, bouillion cube, water, ginger, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir, scraping up from bottom to combine well, and bring to a boil. Add chicken, onion, peach slices, and any drippings from the plate. Stir to combine, and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is reduced, about 15 minutes. 

Remove chicken to serving platter with a slotted spoon, and top with peach slices. 

Strain the sauce with a mesh strainer to remove any solids. Serve chicken with sauce and oven-roasted veggies on the side. The veggies take about the same amount of time as the chicken and sauce.

Serves 4.