Give me s'more(s bars)!

Happy Fourth of July! 

My friend Beth gave me an awesome recipe for s'mores bars last week so I could make it for Jeremy's family over the weekend, and they were a real hit. This is the perfect solution to your summer hankering for s'mores without having to go camping :) Or without having the mess in your microwave--have you ever blown up a marshmallow in your microwave trying to make homemade s'mores??? Not a pretty sight. Not that I would personally know...

So here are the goods, adapted from a recipe (and photo) you can find HERE. That recipe makes an 8x8, but I tweaked it for a 9x13 and the results are below. I just thought a 9x13 would be more handy for taking to a picnic or summer get-together... Let us know what you think!

Give Me S'mores Bars
1 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (abt 2 pkgs of crackers)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 king-size Hershey bars
2 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff (NOT melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at low speed until combined; it will have a similar consistency to that of cookie dough.

Divide the dough in half and press half into an even layer on the bottom of the 9x13 pan (I didn't even use half of the dough--I didn't want it to be too thick, so I only used enough to be about 1/4-inch thick.) Layer chocolate bars on top of pressed dough to cover completely; you might have to break it up to fit in just right, but don't double up on the layer--just trust me on this, it will be too much. Spread marshmallow fluff (my first time using the stuff) on top of the chocolate bars, spreading it evenly--again, don't be tempted by the idea that more is better, just use 2 1/2 cups :) And just FYI, you don't want to use regular marshmallows because they will harden up as they cool, and that defeats the purpose of this ooey-gooey deliciousness...

For the top layer of graham cracker crust, take the remaining dough and flatten it into pancakes; lay on top of the marshmallow fluff until covered. Again, keep these relatively thin or it will disrupt the delicate ratio of graham/chocolate/marshmallowey goodness :) I ended up with quite a bit of leftover dough, so don't be surprised if you do, too. I also left a few areas of marshmallow fluff uncovered by the dough, and as it cooked the marshmallow kind of rose through the dough and got toasted. OH SO GOOD!!! So my suggestion? Leave a few spots open... I think it looks prettier too when all is said and done.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until dough is lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting or it will be a gooey nightmare :)

Enjoy!

Penzeys Peanut Butter Bars

So fast and easy, yet always a crowd-pleaser... and literally straight out of the catalog!

Penzeys Peanut Butter Bars
1/3 box of graham crackers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (preferably CHINA Cinnamon from Penzeys :o)
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peanut butter, creamy or chunky
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 12-oz. bag chocolate chips

Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs (1/3 of a box is usually one cellophane-wrapped package). Mix in the cinnamon and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and peanut butter; mix well. Add the powdered sugar and graham crackers. Stir until well-combined; it will be a stiff dough. Pat the mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan (I do a thin layer on a large cookie sheet with high sides). Melt the chocolate chips on very low heat in a heavy saucepan, or spread evenly in a glass pie plate and microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 seconds, until melted. Spread the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting.

Chocolate Fondue

The third and final course: everyone else's favorite part. Don't get me wrong--I love chocolate too, but usually by this point I'm busting at the seams...







Chocolate Fondue
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1 lb. desired chocolate (milk, semi-sweet, or dark)
1/2 cup caramel topping
Chopped pecans, optional

Add all ingredients to fondue pot; stir constantly on low heat until melted and smooth. Do NOT allow to bubble. Dip in!

Dippers (any or all): 
Strawberries
Bananas, sliced
Fresh pineapple, cubed
Pound cake, cubed
Brownie bites
Cheesecake bites
Pretzels
Marshmallows

Gingerbread Trifle

Disclaimer: We have not made this recipe yet. I will report back when we do...

I was reading my Family Fun magazine for this month and happened upon this page--and I didn't get any further. Can you believe this thing? Doesn't it look AMAZING? I think I am just going to have to make it next week. Twist my arm...

Here's the link if you can't resist either: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/gingerbread-trifle-953181/

Taste of Home's Pumpkin Sheet Cake

My mom made this recipe for my brother's wedding, complete with gold sprinkles on top for their wedding colors (and without the candy pumpkin on top). They were a huge hit at the wedding! We also know they freeze well, because we've been enjoying them this past week as well :o) Click here for the original recipe, or see below with a few alterations... BTW, I love this magazine.

Taste of Home's Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 15x10x1 baking pan (or large cookie sheet with high sides). Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Cream cheese frosting:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Graduall beat in powdered sugar. Spread over cake; garnish with sprinkles or candy pumpkins if desired. Cover and refrigerate until serving. (Or freeze until needed!) Makes 24 servings.

Lion House Chocolate Sheet Cake

I know, it's really Texas Sheet Cake, but we got the recipe from The Lion House Cookbook, so we have to call it what they call it :o)

This is a Rich Family staple--the Rich family Jeremy grew up in. It is such a staple, in fact, that when the oven went out on the houseboat at Lake Powell, we couldn't just NOT have it for dessert--we actually fired up the BBQ grill and cooked it that way. Not my preferred choice of baking, but it worked! Love you, Riches...

Lion House Chocolate Sheet Cake

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening, softened
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk**
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
Dash salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease and flour a 10X15-inch jelly-roll pan (we just use a large cookie sheet with high sides). Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour and sugar. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, mix together butter, shortening, cocoa, and water and bring to boil. Pour over flour and sugar mixture; mix well. Add buttermilk, soda, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, and salt; mix well. Pour into jelly-roll pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Five minutes before cake is done, prepare frosting. In a medium saucepan melt butter; add cocoa, vanilla, and milk, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and nuts. Mix well. Frost cake while hot.

**A tip on buttermilk: You don't have to buy it! Just add a tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then use the desired amount in any recipe!

Molten Lava Cakes

Jeremy has become famous for these ones in the last few months... They're "easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy", as Ethan would say, and they taste "divine", as Bennett would say. Here's the link to FoodNetwork for Paula Deen's best recipe ever, in our family's opinion!

Paula Deen's Molten Lava Cakes

• 6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
• 2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 6-oz. custard cups (we use jumbo muffin tins instead). Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes (I think Jer only cooks them for about 11-12 minutes). The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

***Jer's note: make sure you don't cook these too long. They really should be runny in the middle--it's the lava! And they MUST be eaten with a hefty serving of vanilla ice cream on the side; they're really rich. Enjoy!

Toll House Pie

Our friends brought this to Thanksgiving dinner last year, and it was so popular that we have decided to make it a permanent fixture on our holiday menu :o) Thanks, Janelle! It's a very simple recipe, so it's nice for Thanksgiving Day--and it's amazing right out of the oven! So just throw it in while you're eating dinner...

Janelle's Toll House Pie

2 eggs

1/2 C flour

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

3/4 C butter, softened (not melted!)

1 C chocolate chips (semi-sweet; milk is too sweet!)

1 C walnuts, pecans or almonds (optional)

*pre-made 9-inch pie shell

Preheat oven to 325. Beat eggs, add flour and sugars. Add butter and blend well. Stir in chips (and nuts if you want) and pour into pie shell. Bake for 1 hour; let sit for 15-30 minutes to settle. Serve hot with ice cream.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is one of my very favorites at Thanksgiving...

FlyLady's Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 1/4 C gingersnap cookie crumbs (crush about 20 cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin)

1/4 C butter, melted

3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temp

1 C sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 16-oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and butter. Press evenly into the bottom of a 9" spring form pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300.

In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon and ginger on medium speed until smooth. Add pumpkin puree. Then add in the eggs, one at a time, on low speed. Pour into the cookie crumb pie shell.

Bake cheesecake until center is firm, about 1 hour and 15 minutes (perhaps longer, just watch it). Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours. To loosen cheesecake from the sides of the spring form pan, unbuckle the side and carefully remove.

Serve with a dollop of whip cream on top!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

One of Jeremy's favorite co-workers brought this in last month--his wife had made it and set some aside for us :o) Thanks, Stacy! We loved it so much, we asked for the recipe, and I've made it a few times already. Bad, bad idea... But it's soooo good!

Stacy's Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls

2 8-oz. blocks cream cheese (room temp)

1 1/2 C sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 stick butter, melted

1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan with 1 can crescent rolls, pinching seams together so it's all one piece. Blend cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla till creamy; spread on top of crescent rolls. Put other can of crescent rolls on top, pinching seams together again. Combine melted butter and remaining 1/2 C sugar; pour over crescent rolls. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes (till top is brown and bubbly), then take out and let cool entirely. Best when served chilled, so if you have time to put it in the refrigerator for a while, do it!

Brooke's Banana Bread

Our senior year, my friend Brooke compiled a book of recipes from women in the ward for her Laurel project. She gave one to each of us who were graduating, and I still have mine... It has been much-used and well-loved! I don't know who gave Brooke the recipe for this really yummy, no-fail banana bread, so she's been getting the credit all these years :o) Love you, Brookie!

Brooke's Banana Bread

1/2 C butter or margarine

1 C granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 C mashed bananas (abt. 2 whole)

1/4 C milk

1 tsp lemon juice

2 C flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 C nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and beat. Add bananas, milk, and lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients, add all at once, and mix till thoroughly combined. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips, if desired. Bake in well-greased and floured loaf pan for 1 hour.

**My favorite thing to do with this bread is to sprinkle brown sugar on top just before baking. It gives the top a sweet, crispy edge (see the picture above)--YUM!

Easy Lemon Cake

I was trying to think of something to make for a get-together at my house recently, and my mom said, "You should make Grandma's lemon jello cake!" All of a sudden, the memory of this cake came flooding back and I knew she was right. Mom couldn't find her recipe, so I looked online and found that lots of grandmas used to make this yummy dessert :o) I found one just like my Grandma Gege's at pinchmysalt.com. Click here for the link, or look below for a couple variations... It's especially festive in the spring, but you can find a good excuse to make it anytime!

Easy Lemon Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (or use white for a different look)

1 small pkg. lemon jello

3/4 C water

4 eggs, well-beaten

3/4 C oil

Glaze:

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

2 C powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a jelly roll pan (I just use my cookie sheet with high sides). Combine cake mix and jello powder and mix to remove lumps. Add eggs, oil and water. Mix together till combined--but don't overmix. There will still be lumps. Pour batter onto pan (or sheet) and smooth it out evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes till toothpick comes out clean.

While cake is baking, mix juice and zest with powdered sugar till it's smooth--try not to have lumps. When cake comes out and is still warm, pierce all over with fork and pour glaze on top. When cake is cooled, cut into squares and serve with dollop of whip cream. Enjoy!

Apple Pie in a Paper Bag

Just trust me on this one, OK? It's so so so easy to make, you can make it into a family affair, and once you try it you'll never go back... Just make sure the paper bag doesn't touch the coils on top of the oven! Seriously, make sure...

Apple Pie in a Paper Bag

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. cold milk

1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients. Mix until well-blended. Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. DO NOT ROLL OUT.

Filling:

4 cups pared, cored, diced apples (for best results, use a tart baking apple)

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 rounded tsp. cinnamon

1 rounded tsp. ground nutmeg

Combine dry ingredients and then toss lightly with apples. Pour into unbaked pie shell.

Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sugar

Combine ingredients and mix together till crumbly. Sprinkle generously over top of pie.

Carefully place pie in a brown paper bag (i.e. a paper grocery bag) and staple it closed--do not tape; it will melt). Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Don't peek, but have plenty of vanilla ice cream ready...