S'mores Bars

Sometimes you cannot have a campfire at your campsite, but it is possible to bring s'mores with you anyway on your next camping trip!  Don't leave home without them!

1 cup melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups crushed graham crackers
4 Hershey chocolate bars
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Mix together butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs and press into a greased 13X9 in. baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Break Hershey bars into small chunks and place onto of baked graham cracker crust.  Sprinkle marshmallows on top of chocolate.

Move oven rack to the highest possible rack and turn broil oven on high temperature.
Place baking dish onto rack broil for approximately 3 minutes or until marshmallows have the desired golden brown color.  Watch them carefully!  Some people like them darker than others, but they truly will resemble roasting over an open campfire flame.

Cool pan and then refrigerate for several hours.  It will be hard not to try to eat them, but they will be hard to cut into squares if they are not complete chilled.

Cut into squares and keep in cooler for your next camping adventure!

Campsite Breakfast

Tips for an easy campsite breakfast:

• Store eggs in a plastic egg container to avoid breakage.
• Keep sausage links in an airtight Ziplock baggie or container to avoid contact with melting ice.
• Bring chopped bell peppers and onions for the potatoes in Ziplock baggie so you don't need to do any chopping.

For some reason, breakfast tastes more amazing outdoors!

Savory Slow Cooker Beef Stew

What a way to come home after a hectic day at work on a cold night!

1 lb beef stew meat, cut into chunks
5 red potatoes, cut into  bite size chunks
3 carrots, cut into coins
3 celery stalks, cut into bite size pieces
1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
28 oz crushed tomatoes in puree
12 oz jar of beef gravy
1/4 cup red wine
1 packet Lipton's onion soup mix
1 beef bouillon cube diluted in 1/4 cup boiling water
2 t. oregano
1 t. sugar
ground pepper to taste

Layer the following in order in Crock Pot: beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic.  In large bowl, stir together remaining ingredients and pour over vegetables.  

Cover and cook on low heat for 10-11 hours.

Bite of Bend Food Festival

The 10th annual Bite of Bend was June 23 and 24 located in downtown Bend, Oregon.   This year did not disappoint as everyone in our family found what they were craving.  It takes a couple trips down each street to figure out which choice to make and we ended up taking bites of each other's so we didn't miss out. 

Sunday Morning Glazed Doughnuts

These really are quicker to make than you might think and oh, so worth it! 

They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

The Dough:

1 T. active rise yeast

1/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup warm milk

1 egg

2 T. granulated sugar

1/4 cup softened real butter

2 cups all purpose white flour

4 cups Peanut oil for frying

The Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 T. softened real butter

1 t. almond extract

2-3 T. hot water

Mix the yeast, warm water and milk in a bowl and stir until yeast is dissolved.  Add the egg, sugar, butter and flour until well mixed.  Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. 

Roll out dough onto floured board and cut in circles with either doughnut cutter with a hole insert or use a drinking glass and small round cookie cutter for the center. 

Let rise again for 1/2 hour.

Heat oil in a large, deep stock pot (or deep fryer if you have one) to medium heat.

Add three doughnuts at a time and fry for one minute, flip and fry one more minute.

Place on paper towel to dry.  Mix all glazed ingredients together and place in a shallow baking dish.  Deep each doughnut generously in the glaze and let dry.



Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Banana bread is yummy every month of the year and makes a sweet gift for a new neighbor or any occasion where you need to bring a treat.

3 soft, overripe bananas

2 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cooking oil

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix together bananas, eggs, sugar and oil until smooth, but a bit lumpy.  Add all dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips and pour into a greased bread loaf baking dish.  Sprinkle with a little granulated sugar on top and bake for 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Bell Pepper Bruschetta

Brush slices of fresh baguette with olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, saute 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper, 1/2 cup red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped onion,  1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1 t. salt, 1 t. pepper, 1 T. minced garlic in saucepan until tender.  Spread 1 T. mascarpone cheese spread on each toasted slice of bread and top with heaping spoonful of bell pepper mixture.  Garnish with fresh sprig of basil.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Classic Cream Cheese Frosting

Frost your favorite cupcake or carrot cake with this

homemade classic.

Whip together with mixer until no lumps:

8 oz soft cream cheese

1/4 cup softened butter

Add:

1 t. pure vanilla

3 cups confectioners powedered sugar

1 T. milk

Greek Chicken Gyros

Traditionally made with lamb, these chicken gyros are easy and as quick as taco night!

Stir fry the following in a wok or skillet that has been heated up with 2 T. olive oil:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chopped in bite size pieces

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried basil

1/2 t. ground sea salt

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1 T. minced garlic

Prepare the condiments:

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped lettuce

Chopped red onion

Crumbled feta cheese

Tzatziki Sauce

Hummus

This is recipe for tzatziki, but many grocers now carry ready made tzatziki sauce.

Combine:

2 cups plain, Greek yogurt

1 cucumber, thinly sliced and quartered

 1 T. lemon juice

1 T. fresh dill, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Use purchased naan bread, a soft flat bread, to fill your gyros.  I warm each naan bread in a dry, hot skillet on each side to make a tiny bit crisp on outside and warm and soft on the inside.  Fill bread like a taco with all the yummy condiments listed above and enjoy!

Cinnamon Muffins

Our family's favorite breakfast muffin

I've made these so many times, you would think my kids would be tired of them by now.  Not in the least!

Blend together:

2/3 cup shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

In separate bowl, stir together:

3 cups cake flour

3 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. nutmeg

You will also need to have 1 cup milk ready to pour into batter alternatively with the flour mixture. 

Add half of flour mixture to butter mixture and blend.  Pour half of milk and blend.  Pour remaining half of flour mixture.  Pour remaining half of milk.

Pour into greased muffin tins.  Do not use cupcake liners!

Bake muffins at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Get the following ready:

1 1/4 cups melted butter, set aside

1 cup sugar mixed with 4 t. cinnamon, set aside.

Once muffins are cooled, dip and roll them in butter and then dip and roll them in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Makes about 16 muffins.

Broiled Grapefruit

One of my favorite brunch treats!  The grapfruit slices are warm and a little bit crispy on the top with the brown sugar topping.

Peel a grapefruit just like you would an orange.

Cut into thick slices and remove all seeds as you see them.

Lay grapefruits slices on a foil lined cooke sheet and sprinkle each with brown sugar.

Place under broiled that is set for 500 degrees and broil for about 3 minutes.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

We must begin this recipe with the best dark chocolate.

Melt 1 lb. of Belgium chocolate with

1 cup butter

Whisk in:

6 egg yolks

2/3 cup granualted sugar

1 t. pure vanilla

Beat the following until stiff peaks:

6 egg whites

1 T. sugar

Fold into the chocolate and stir until well distributed.

Butter and sugar 8 oven-safe ramekins that are about 6 oz in size.

Pour batter evenly among all ramekins (approx 1/2 cup of batter in each ramekin and bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes.  Don't over bake!  They will be a bit jiggle in the center.  Turn out onto individual serving plates and serve immediately.

The center will be pudding like and will ooze out like lava!

Makes 8 chocolate lava cakes.

Nutella Cookies

These buttery, chewy cookies are made with the deliciousness of Nutella, oats and whole wheat flour.

1 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/2 cup Nutella

1 cup all purpose white flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 cup oats

Blend butter with sugars until smooth.  Add eggs, vanilla and Nutella and mix until creamy.  Add all dry ingredients and drop on greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.  These cookies can be frozen for a quick, crisp treat with tea or coffee.

Champagne Grapes

Champagne grapes are also known as Black Corinth grapes, named for the Greek city where they originated.  Despite their name; however, these delicate, miniature grapes are not used for making champagne or wine.  They were labeled as the “champagne grape” when featured in a magazine photo alongside a champagne flute.   They are more commonly dried and transformed into raisins known as Zante currants.  Many specialty grocers and farmer’s markets carry champagne grapes.  They are deliciously sweet right off the stem, but they would also be lovely as a table decoration draped around French cheeses and crackers, now wouldn’t they?  Look for them in your local markets.

Creamy Swiss Bow Tie Pasta with Edamame

This creamy sauce is comforting on any weeknight.

You could replace edamame with steamed asparagus spears if you like.

4 T. butter

1 T. minced garlic

1/4 cup flour

1 3/4 cups skim milk

1/4 cup white wine

1 t. worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 t. ground pepper

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 lb bow tie pasta, cooked, drained

1 cup edamame, steamed, shelled

Heat butter in saucepan with garlic on med-low heat until butter is melted and bubbly.  Add in flour and whisk constantly while pouring in milk and wine a little bit at a time and whisk until completely smooth and thick.  Stir in worceshire, mustard, salt, pepper and cheese.  Stir and keep on low heat for 5 minutes.  Toss cheese sauce with bow tie pasta and stir in edamame. 

Hawaiian Potato Mac Salad

Traditional potato salad with a twist!

5 med potatoes, peeled, cubed, boiled

8 oz macaroni pasta, cooked, drained

4 pickles, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 cup mayonnaise

1 T yellow mustard

1 T honey mustard

1 t. sugar

1 t. pepper

1/2 t. salt

Once potatoes and macaroni are cooled, add rest of ingredients and toss until completely mixed.  Refrigerate.

Donut Holes

What a way to wake up on a snowy, winter morning!

These bite-sized morsels are made using a cake donut recipe.

3 cups cake flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. each cinnamon and nutmeg

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

Peanut oil for frying

Combine all dry ingredients and add wet ingredients to flour mixture.  Cover dough and let chill for 1 hour.  Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness and use a shot glass to cut out little circles.  Roll circles gently in hand, forming more of a round ball.  Fry in peanut oil that has been heating up in saucepan (should be at least 4-inch deep)  6-8 balls at a time until they are light golden brown.  Drain on paper towels and shake in either cinnamon/sugar mixture or powdered sugar while still warm.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cupcakes

Cupcake idea for your next brunch!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Keep these simple by dipping cleaned, but dry strawberries in melted semi-sweet chocolates and drizzle with melted white chocolate.  Refrigerate to harden.  The stems make for easy handling.  What a romantic dessert!

Frosted Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies with cream cheese frosting

Yum!

Happy Heart Day!

Margarita Pizza

What could be easier and more satisfying than homemade pizza?

You are in control of the type of crust, the amount of cheese and assurance of fresh ingredients.

This pizza was made with Trader's Joe's ready to roll out whole wheat crust.  Sprinkle with olive oil once rolled out to the shape you like and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and a dash of oregano.  Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes and then add fresh basil.

Shitake Pesto Pasta

Toss pasta with sauteed shitake mushrooms and garlic with fresh pesto, sprinkle with shaved parmesan and you have a quick, delicious meal!