I’m not suggesting that this is a healthy alternative, understand.

I mean, really, just look at them.  They must be evil on many levels.

But when you make it yourself , you don’t include ingredients you can’t vouch for or pronounce.  Or at least I don’t.

And actually, I’m going to give you my new and improved rendition of these bars, because the first ones I made following a recipe, they were too rich and thick and full of the dreaded corn syrup.

and marshmallows.

They are still rich, and they have some corn syrup, but I cut down on the amount and also on the marshmallows and made them in a much larger pan, so there is less cake bar bottom.

Here is the recipe- they are really quite good- especially if you are sending them in a bag lunch or to a gathering with a lot of young people.

Base layer:

Yellow cake mix

1/3 cup butter

1 large egg

3 cups mini marshmallows

Mix together and press into the base of a jelly roll pan (at least 11×15) or into a 13×9 and an8x8 inch pans.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 to 15 minutes- pull out of oven cover surface area with marshmallows and put back into oven for another 3 minutes.

Topping:

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp. vanilla

12 oz package of peanut butter or butterscotch morsels

2 cups Rice Krispy cereal

2 cups salted nuts

Put corn syrup, honey, butter and vanilla in saucepan and cook over low heat until melted, add morsels (peanut butter or butterscotch), and stir until this is all melted and just starts to bubble (low boil).

Add rice cereal and coat it with mixture, then carefully spoon it on top of marshmallow layer on the cake base. The marshmallows will be all melty and it takes a little care to keep it from becoming a gooey mess.  Now shake the peanuts or whatever nuts you decided to use – evenly over the top and push them into the rice krispy layer with the back of a spoon.

Cool, and cut into bars.

They are really delicious.

These long and thin bars are the healthier of the two pictured above.

I cut down the amount of yellow cake base, and the amount of corn syrup in half.

I made saffron bread with a sourdough base today.

It was a beautiful dough- silky and easily managed- just right for shaping- the sun face came out just right- I love the almonds in his eyes.

The turtle- well,  I forgot to put in currants for his eyes, so he is blind- but cute.

And small- he fits right into the palm of my hand- a perfect size for my grandson.

And following Joanna’s example @ Zeb Bakes , I stenciled a loaf, just to look pretty.

And it does look pretty-

and the texture is light and the crust chewy and the flavor is just plain yummy!

I started this bread last night-

here as best as I can remember is the recipe, if you are interested.

1 cup of sourdough starter

2 cups plain flour

2 pinches of instant yeast

1 cup hot water

This is for the sponge or poulish as Joanna calls it.  Stir well with wooden spoon and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in draft free area and allow to raise overnight.

The next morning add:

3 cups flour

2 scant tsp sea salt

1 cup milk, scalded

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

2 pinches of saffron

Method:

While milk is still hot, melt butter in it, add two pinches of saffron and stir well, set aside, beat egg and add to milk when cooled.

Add dry ingredients to 1 cup of flour and mix into sponge alternatively with liquid.  Mix well, adding additional flour until dough is quite stiff ( you may need more flour than listed).  Dump out of bowl and start to knead.

Knead dough for at least 8-10 minutes.   If is is too stiff at first, allow to rest on the cupboard, covered, for at least 20 minutes to relax and then try again.

When dough feels smooth and pliable, place into greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let raise until doubled- this could take up to 3 hours depending on the warmth, humidity,age of starter and many other factors.

When risen, dump from bowl and divide dough for your shaping purposes.

I used a little less than half to form the sun.

about 6 1/2 ounces for the turtle,

And the last half for the loaf.

I used a stencil and olive oil spray to design the stenciled loaf.

I used a precut stencil and lightly sprayed top loaf of the bread with olive oil.

Sprinkle flour into stencil cut outs and remove carefully.

Allow to raise again, about  1 1/2  hours

Bake at 350F for at 30 minutes, until golden brown.

I think it turned out quite well.

Talk about death by chocolate…or decadent chocolate recipes….

here is one that I put together for a picnic dessert.  There was nothing left by the end of the day!

This was actually a result of forgotten brownies.  I had baked quite a few desserts in one day last week- and I set aside the pan of brownies and totally forgot about them until I needed a quick dessert for the 4th of July. 

So- start off with slightly stale brownies!

Use your favorite brownie recipe- or mix-

I used one my friend Mary Jo gave me years ago-

2 cups sugar

1 cup flour

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 cup margarine or butter, melted

Grease and flour 9×13 pan.  melt unsweetened chocolate and margarine in saucepan, watch carefully so that is doesn’t burn.  Cool slightly.

Beat eggs and sugar together until thick and light colored and sugar is dissolved.

Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture- beat until fully incorporated.

Mix in flour , salt and vanilla.

Bake  at 350 degree F until tester comes out clean ( about 35 minutes).

Cut while warm- remove from pan when cooled.

3 or 4 days later…

Cut circle for bottom of glass/trifle bowl.

(I have a nut chopper that worked perfectly.)

Then cut the rest into pieces to fit around the sides of the bowl and press into place with fingers. 

Using pastry baster apply Baileys to brownie surfaces.  It will soak in rather quickly- I used about 1/2 cup.

Set aside and make chocolate pudding.

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces 62% semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used good quality semisweet chocolate chips; use 70% bittersweet if you want more of a dark chocolate kick)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, and the coffee essence.

Place plastic wrap on top of the pudding and smooth it gently against the surface before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days (ahem, good luck with that).

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

This is the recipe I use- it is good and chocolatey but not too rich!

At the end I stirred in 2 generous TBS. of Coffee and Chicory essence- you could just use strong cold black coffee.

Pour the pudding over the brownie layer and allow to set up for 1 hour in the refrigerator. 

When slightly set, cover this layer with thin chocolate cookie /wafers (the kind you use to make ice cream sandwiches)

And set aside whilst you make up the next creamy layer.

Using handheld mixer, whip 3/4  cup of mascarpone cheese with 1/4 cup of whipping cream, 2 TBS sugar and 1/4 cup coffee essence.

Spread on top of cookie layer and sprinkle with chopped nuts – I used finely chopped macadamia nuts, but almond or pecan would be equally good.  Use what you prefer.

Whip up the rest of the pint of whipping cream that you opened to get the 1/4 cup for the last mixture.  Add 3 TBS of white sugar and whip until firm.

Spread on top of nut layer, place one last cookie in the middle of the bowl on top and refrigerate.  After several hours, the wafers on the side will be quite soft and you can carefully bend them down over the top of the cream topping, the edges will almost meet the center cookie and look quite well put together.

Refrigerate until serving time.  I added a dollop of whipped cream to each serving plate and shook a little chocolate/sugar powder over the top for garnish.

This made 1 medium and 1 small bowls of trifle.

I have gotten so many hits on my last beesting cake recipe.  But quite a few of them move on quickly so they are looking for something different than a yeast based recipe.  I found a recipe in Mennonite Girls Can Cook that I modified and made yesterday.  It is a really good coffee cake with NO sugar and a broiled topping.

Here’s the recipe-  both Jordan and I recommend it- and it has gotten even better the second day- I love it when food improves overnight!

Ingredients:
1/2 c soft butter
3/4 c honey
1 egg (optional)
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
¼ tsp cloves
1 ½ cups applesauce
1 cup currants

Method:

1. Cream butter and add honey gradually, then beat in the egg.
2. Combine dry ingredients and add to first mixture alternately with applesauce.
3. Stir in currants.
4. Spread into 9X9 greased pan.
5. Bake at 350F for about 45 min. Test with toothpick.
6. Spread hot cake with broiled icing

Broiled Icing:

1/4 c soft butter
1/3 c liquid honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon
½ cup unsweetened coconut
½ cup chopped fresh walnuts

Method:

1. Melt butter, add honey and cinnamon. Stir in coconut and walnuts.
2. Spread on cake and put in oven on broil setting for about 2 minutes, until topping bubbles and browns lightly. (stay by the oven and watch)

I put the cake pan into an iron skillet for the broiling time- it was easier to pull it out of the oven and it looked so good!

All the recipes that I found on Google were very sweet and fruity.  I was a little discouraged – but then I decided to make up my own recipe.

So, I went over to Allyson’s today to get a couple of other opinions.

First, we  cut and pureed the melon in a food processor-

then we put the larger pieces through a food mill.

And then we added our ingredients into small ramekins so that we could pick our favorites.

We mixed and tasted and added a little -then tasted- basically- we tasted a lot!

Our favorite- the best- is the following recipe.

Chilled melon soup with coconut milk, capers and dark cherry salsa in a cloud of Greek yogurt.

(Long title=good soup)

Ingredients-

Basically the title.

1 large cantaloupe melon- processed until smooth

1 can coconut milk- well shaken before opening

1/2 cup pomegranate juice- mainly for the color

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 jar small capers

1 batch of dark cherry salsa

1 small carton of Greek yogurt

Mix the first 5 ingredients together.  Then, according to your taste add the capers by the teaspoon and mash them to release the flavor.  Keep tasting- I liked more of the caper zing than Ally, so I stopped at 4 tsps. and added extra to my bowl at the end as a garnish.

Chill for several hours.  Then serve in small bowls or ramekins and garnish with a teaspoon of Greek yogurt on soup’s surface and sprinkle a tablespoon of cherry salsa over the top.  Add capers if you like a little more sass and vinegar!

Aiden gave it his total approval.  He ate 3 ramekins and wanted more!

The texture of the salsa took him a little longer to eat.  But he was one very happy little taste tester!

I love this soup for an appetizer or a light lunch on a hot summer day.

It has a lovely presentation, a light and cooling texture, and is flavorful and fruity and just downright delicious.

Try it- I think you’ll love it, too!

I have tried commercial ginger dressings- and I dislike them intensely.

And ginger dressing is so good when you get it at a Japanese shop- it must be freshly made.  Or at least that is my opinion.

I don’t know where I got this recipe or I would give credit for it.  But I’ve been making this for at least 20 years and I really can’t remember if this even is the original recipe or if I’ve changed it up over the years.

Try it- trust me- you will love it.  It keeps in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks- I guess- mine never lasts more than 2 weeks at the most.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ginger root- peeled and sliced

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup water

3 TBS vinegar

3 TBS vegetable oil

2 TBS lemon zest

2 TBS tomato puree

1/2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine in food processor for 3 minutes. 

This is a pungent dressing which you will use sparingly.

Enjoy!

I tried to do an update on yesterday’s post- but I couldn’t put up the following picture of the cherry salsa.  It looks so good I couldn’t resist adding it to this post- just so you could see the end result!

This is to go into the chilled melon soup.  I decided the soup would be great with a salsa mixed into a swirl of yogurt just before serving.

So I have to make the salsa first.

Cherry

Salsa

Dark cherries are coming in season.

Serves 6 – from Cooking Light

1/2
pound
dark sweet cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped

1
Tbl
lime juice

1/4
cup
cherry preserves

1
Tbl
red onion, minced

1
tsp
jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped

1
Tbl
cilantro, chopped

METHOD:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend.
• Cover and chill 1 to 2 hours..

Can also be served with chips as an appetizer.

I’ve been baking.

Aside from the sourdough starter that keeps on calling out my name every time I open the refrigerator ( see picture below)

– I have two men who keep looking for goodies for their lunches.  BUT as soon as I make the goodies, they devour them, so there are none left for their lunches. 

Conga bars or brookies or Chocolate -pecan bars- I don’t care what you call them- they taste really yummy and pack well for a lunch box dessert.

The ingredients:

2 2/3 cups flour -All purpose

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Sift these ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

2/3 cup butter or margarine

1 lb. light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Cream the next 3 ingredients together until smooth.

3 eggs

Add, 1 egg at a time, alternatively with the dried ingredients, mixing well after each addition.

Then add 1 package of chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped pecans.

Dough will be quite stiff,  smooth out into a greased 13×9 inch pan and bake in a pre heated oven (350 degrees F) for 30 minutes.

When lightly browned, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before cutting into bars. 

Don’t over bake these- they are so good when still a little tender inside!

Cardamom-cinnamon Owls.

I’ve been all over the blogosphere getting this recipe.

I saw it first here on Celia’s blog, Fig jam and Lime Cordial.

She found it on Joanne’s blog, Zeb Bakes, and she got it from a book by Tessa Kiros, Floating Cloudberries.

ANYWAY- it was in European measurements, grams, ml, etc.- so I had to go to a measurement conversion site- and I’m just so VERY glad they turned out as wonderful as I had hoped!  Because they are delicious- and cute and I’m ever so happy I made them!

Do you see the owl eyes looking at you?

They look so good on a plate- but I took a couple of close ups as well.

The recipe I used ended up being approximate because I have no math skills anymore and the conversion chart kept giving me fractions that were hard to find a common denominator.

THEY taste really good- so I think I did alright.

Ingredients:

1 FULL cup of milk, scalded

1/2 cup sugar

2 TBS instant yeast

1 lightly beaten egg

1 stick of butter- 4 oz

2 tsp. ground cardamom

1 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 lbs flour- about 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl with a sturdy spoon.

Since you are using instant yeast, make sure the milk is still warm/hot so that the yeast will be activated.  Stir together until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and stays together in a lump, then flour your surface and dump dough onto counter and knead – adding flour as necessary- the dough should become silky and easy to work with within a couple of minutes.  Add flour if the dough is too sticky.  Knead for about 10 minutes.

Butter the bowl, form dough into a ball and place into the bowl after inverting it to butter the top.  Cover with plastic wrap and let raise until double.

Interestingly, this dough is a VERY slow raiser- there was some discussion on Celia’s blog about the addition of cardamom retarding the process.  I was glad I read this because otherwise it would have worried me that it took around 3 hours for the dough to raise sufficiently to roll out.  Wait the time the dough needs- you will know it is ready when it leaves an indention when you poke the dough.

Now- divide in half and roll the dough into a large rectangle.  Butter the surface with 2 1/2 TBS of soft butter and sprinkle with a sugar/cinnamon mixture.  If you love cinnamon- put it on thick- and you can decide how much sugar you want to add at this point. 

Roll up the dough from the long side so you have a long thin roll and cut it into triangles.  Go to Celia’s blog to see her instructions- she even drew a picture.

It’s on my blog roll on the side bar, or at the beginning of this recipe.

Allow to raise for 45 minutes, covered with plastic, while your oven preheats to 350 degrees F and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

While they were still warm I coated them with a 10x/water glaze – just because I wanted them to photograph well- but Jordan said he really liked the glaze, so you may want to add it as well. 

Glaze= 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar and 1 or 2 TBSP of warm water mixed together.

I’ve been busy getting ready for another work week in Chincoteague.

We are taking a trailer of furniture, mirrors, pictures, etc. and I have to FIND all the stuff I’ve been squirreling away, plus finish up the projects I started ( like a Sailors Rest sign for the front painted on slate), wash clothes, celebrate Jordan’s birthday- meaning make a cake and figure out a favorite meal- on Thursday.  And I want to get my socks knitted up to a point where I can get further teaching to finish the heels and keep on knitting in the evenings in Chincoteague.  So, I’ve been busy- but not happily so.

Which means I keep taking breaks and wasting time on reading blogs and looking through books and rooting around in closets- delaying techniques- sad little diversions- I’m LOOKING for something. but what it is, I’m not sure.

So when I saw these cookies I determined to make them.

I saw them here at Celia’s blog and she had the recipe set up for American measurements.  They are called Chocolate Sables, perhaps pronounced sa-BLAYS- with a french accent- but they are delicious and I’m glad I got sidetracked into making them.

Celia’s recipe is printer ready- so if you want to make them go here.

But if you just want to think about them and salivate, I have pictures of mine to share.

They are chocolatey and buttery and crisp and chewy and just absolutely DELICIOUS.  It is like making a huge tootsie roll and then slicing it up and baking it and well, YUMMMMM!

So…….I made these yesterday. 

And now it is Wednesday. 

Maybe I will just settle down and do laundry and clean.

BUT- Celia has some very good looking nuts on her blog today!