Simply S'mores

Summertime. Lemonade, grilling out, long walks, and S'mores. Our fire pit is used year round but recently we have made it a bit of a routine to roast bounties of marshmallows and make S'mores. There is something relaxing about holding a stick with a marshmallow close enough to the fire for that perfectly browned finish. Then making that S'more and finding the perfect eating position so not to wear it. Kinda bent over, leaning into the S'more but with it slightly higher than your mouth to catch any dripping chocolate.


Eating these around a fire conjures up stories of yesteryear, maybe a remembrance of one's first S'more.


Do you remember your first S'more? Your last S'more?


The other night, I told of a time I had been around a fire in Poland and while we Americans were making S'mores, the ingredients of which were easily obtained from the commissary, some Poles were roasting kielbasa. Oh those kielbasa giving off that scrumptious aroma while its juices dripped into the fire. We each had something the other wanted and could not get, nor could we speak eachother's language. We all ended up sharing and found that mmm mmming in English is the same as in Polish.


Next time you grill out, make S'mores. It's simple and simply wonderful.


Wipes required.


Thanks to Rob, my brother for the great photos (1,5,6) and the very cute props, his two children, Graham and Mia.

Robin Sue

Sour Cream Muffin Cakes

These muffins are so good; moist, soft, light, rich in flavor. This recipe is from my Ma, it is her Sour Cream Coffee Cake that I simply poured into muffin cups so that each child could have their own "cake." My children love these muffins, since they get one all to themselves. But here is what is making me giddy...


Have you ever seen anything like it or do I just live under a rock? My local Whole Foods uses this product for their cupcakes and I hounded the baker there until she gave me the name of their supplier. After a few calls, I found NOVACART and they said that I should sample the products before purchasing to insure I liked them. They eagerly sent a few samples and I tried and I liked. These are Paper Ovenable Muffin Trays which come in trays of 24 or 12, I sampled the 12. They are perforated in order to be separated once baked or you may even bake as many muffins, cupcakes, or quiches as you want, you will need to place them on a tray for baking though. They are free standing, do not require grease, and are so cute with that little ruffle once separated from the frame.


Just think, no more washing those nasty muffin pans. Mine look so gross from all the years of baking in them. Another product of Novacart's that I like is their Tulip Cups.


They come in three sizes and two colors; white or brown. I like the brown. I think anything made in these is glamorous. These do require muffin pans as they are not stand alone. Boo, back to washing but they are worth it!


Sour Cream Muffin Cakes
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream

In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour 1/3 cup into a standard paper muffin liners in a muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 16 minutes or until toothpick come out clean. I like to sprinkle mine with cinnamon sugar before baking. Makes about 12-14 muffins.

So you do not have to hound your Whole Foods' Baker...
Tulip Cups- Brown 160 x 160 at $57.60 per case of 1440.

Ovenable Muffin Trays-NTS 2 2oz cup- 250 trays/3000 cups at $170.56 per case.

Prices are from 6/24/09. Shipping is by weight.
Call 1-877-896-6682 and ask for Maria.

Peruse Novacart's catalog for other beautiful items.

It would be a good idea to go in with friends and family on these or you will be baking a ton of cupcakes and muffins forever.

Happy Shopping!

Robin Sue

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies and Other Things

Summertime is a perfect time to start trying out some of the recipes on your blogs that I have flagged. Last week I printed off a bunch and I am now here to tell you they were all great. I have always made Toll House's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe but no more! I was on Penny's site Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen and found her new favorite chocolate chip cookie comes from non other than Cook's Illustrated. So it must be good right? Yes, these cookies were fantastic with all that browned butter goodness, chewy in the middle, crispy on the outside, all the professional looking crackles, and a beautiful sheen on top. Pop on over to Penny's for the recipe.

Here are some other great recipes I have tried:

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars
Kristen's Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars from her site Le Petit Pierogi. I found this recipe through ThatGirl's site, Paved With Good Intentions. Funny though, I did not have rhubarb or fresh strawberries so I had to think quick. I came up with using 1 1/4 cups of my Strawberry Freezer Jam in place of the fruit, this made the whole thing come together so fast! Everyone raved over these bars.

Banana Ice Cream
Then on to Ingrid's 3 B's- Baseball, Baking, and Books for her Banana Ice Cream Recipe. What I liked about this recipe is that I did have 2 very ripe bananas waiting to made wonderful again. Also this is a no cook recipe and came together in a snap. This ice ream is very creamy and went perfectly with my Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce.

Grilling


Our gas grill died a few years ago and we have been without a grill since then, other than my cook top grill; not the same though. So I got this UniFlame Charcoal Grill from Walmart for 40 bucks then rebuilt the inside with Weber Parts for another $30, which still brings me below half price of the Weber equivalent. Pretty good. Last night we had our first meal on the grill: Three Day Chicken, Rice Pilaf, and Roasted Cauliflower. Delicious. Love that charcoal flavor. Then we roasted s'mores for dessert! The best.
*Notice My hanging upside down tomato plant- we'll see if this works!

Beer Tasting Dinner


Last week Himself and I went to DC's famous Brasserie Beck for Global Beer's Beer Tasting Dinner. They were highlighting beers from Brasserie de Silly. If you have never been to a beer tasting, you must. It is a great opportunity to meet other beer enthusiasts, foodies, chefs, distributors, as well as eat delicious foods with the most perfect beer pairings.

Summer Reading

I am reading Inkheart to my children.


I am reading Run with the Horsemen.


With one week off of school you can see that the House of BRK has been busy. What have you been up to lately?

Robin Sue

Don't forget the KitchenAid Ice Cream Attachment so that you too can make Ingrid's Banana Ice Cream!

Summertime Menu Planning

Now that my children are home for the summer, 88 days to be exact, I needed to create a specialized menu plan for our meals, specifically lunch and dinner. First, I wanted easy meals that can be made ahead of time or in 30 minutes. Secondly, I wanted meals that incorporate summer fruits and vegetables that I will be picking up at local farmers' markets or the grocery store. Lastly, I needed kid-friendly meals that my children would enjoy helping me cook.

PLANNING A DINNER MENU


1. "NIGHTS" The first step was creating my dinner categories to make meal planning easy and meet my three terms. For dinner I came up with Sandwich, Salad, Seafood, Pizza, Grill, Breakfast, and Pasta Nights.

2. "LISTS" After I came up with these categories or "Nights," I made a list under each category of the dishes we like for that category. For example- for the "Salad Night" category I came up with Cobb, Caesar, Wedge, Chicken Ramen, Chef, and Taco Salads.

Note- Try to come up with 6 dishes for each catergory so that they can be rotated at least twice through the 12 weeks. More dishes means less rotations and more variety of meals. But twice insures the ability to double the recipe the first night and freeze it for the second go around on the calender, if it is freezable of course.

3. "ROTATE" Once the lists are all made, I rotated each dish once or twice through the 12 week calendar of summer vacation. So with the 7 categories, each night was covered. This makes grocery shopping easier and I have a choice of 7 meals that I can jumble around for the week to meet each night's different needs and schedule.

The photos show my Mini Ham and Cheese Rolls for our first "Sandwich Night" with fresh orange slices, tortilla chips and homemade fresh salsa from the Farmer's Market. In the summer I like to serve a big variety of raw fruits and vegetables which makes life so easy and healthy and keeps my kitchen and family cool and COOL!


PLANNING A LUNCH MENU


For my children's lunches (and mine) I came up with 15 different lunch dishes that I will rotate 4 times each, Monday-Friday, for the 12 week summer vacation as well. This way we don't feel like we are eating PBJ everyday! We eat these lunches on blue cafeteria style trays and call them "Home Lunches." Here are the Littles getting ready to eat Dinners for a Year and Beyond's Chicken Nuggets which are out of this world delicious, my Ranch Dip, fresh fruit, veggie stix, and cookies.

Here is a list of my lunches:
Zippy Dogs
Mac and Cheese
Brown Buttered Noodles
English Muffin Pizzas
Chicken Nuggets
My Big Fat Italian Sandwich
PBJ
Grilled Cheese
Chicken Noodle Soup
Mini Ham and Cheese Rolls
Tacos
Quesadillas
Pizza Bites
Chicken Satay
Sliders

Oh by the way, you can plan your menu for an entire year using this method. I personally have done a 6 month Spring/Summer menu April-September and a 6 month Fall/Winter menu October-March. This is a great way to cook seasonal meals, save money, and prepare meals for the freezer.

So how do you menu plan? By sale circulars? Monthly? Weekly? Or weakly?

Robin Sue

Eating a Rainbow- Green: Dandelion Greens

Once upon a time there lived an old lady who could be spotted in the weedy, over-grown medians along the busy American Legion Highway, mostly in the bent-over position picking dandelions. No one knew her name, at least none of my people did, but she was well known in town as the Dandelion Lady and apparently had been harvesting the greens for years.


On each trip to Revere my family made it a game to see who could see her first. Would she be on the corner of Emmanuel St or by Blanchard's? How about further down by Bell Circle? Where ever she was, it was her bottom and never her face, sticking out along the traffic polluted greens. It was thought that maybe she sold them for a living. We don't know. One year our game came to an end when the Dandelion Lady failed to show, she was gone.


I picked a very special green food for Mr. ROY G. BIV's middle initial in my Eating a Rainbow Series. I had been reading "A Girl Of The Limberlost" to my Botany students this year and when the character, Mrs. Comstock, whipped up some fresh dandelion greens in bacon for lunch, my students asked if we could make that dish. So being the wise teacher that I am and knowing full well that students would rather risk eating strange things like Dandelion Greens than study, I complied.


The greens are not strange and all my memories of polluted-from-the-side-of-the-road dandelion greens were lost on the very first taste. We made two simple dishes. One was made by frying five pieces of bacon then adding and sauteing the torn greens until tender. We served those with balsamic vinegar. The other was the Dandelion Greens with Warm Bacon Dressing.


Here are my students enjoying (and clowning around a little with) their edible lesson.

Dandelion Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
1 pound tender dandelion greens- from Whole Foods
5 slices bacon
2 T. finely chopped shallots
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 T. cider vinegar
fresh cracked black pepper

Cut washed greens into 1 1/2 inch lengths, set aside. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp and remove to a paper towel, cool and break into small pieces. Keep bacon grease warm on stove. While the bacon is cooking, whisk together vinegar, Dijon, and shallots in your salad bowl. Pour hot grease from cooked bacon into the vinegar mixture and whisk. Top with greens and bacon pieces and toss well. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Note- I did not remove the "tough" midribs or stems as we found them to be pleasantly tender-crisp and not tough at all.

Related Posts:
Eating a Rainbow- Red: Grape Salad
Eating a Rainbow- Orange: Warm Yam and Chickpea Salad
Eating a Rainbow- Yellow: Platanos Fritos

PS- My students really enjoyed "A Girl of the Limberlost," a tale of struggle, integrity, hard work, pain, and a little innocent romance. They enjoyed hearing about the moths, various plants, and nature surrounding the Limberlost Forest. And of course we all want a lunch box like Elnora's now!

Robin Sue

White Chocolate Famous Wafer Dessert

For a simple dessert with a stunning presentation one should try a Famous Wafer Dessert. The Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers are a top shelf item in your grocery store cookie isle, up there with the Lorna Doones. Sometimes the wafers can be found with the ice cream cones and toppings too.


The dessert recipe on the side of the box is a simple whipped cream spread thinly over each cookie, pressed together, and laid out on a platter like a log. But I was in the mood for raspberries and...


White chocolate, lots of it.


This is a neat dessert to play with as one can come up with any flavor combination desired. But I felt raspberries and white chocolate were in order.

Famous Wafer Dessert
one box Famous Chocolate Wafers
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 T. Chambord raspberry liquor
3-4 ounces grated white chocolate, divided- I use Callebaut
one small container Fresh Raspberries

In a large mixing bowl whip cream until very thick, almost stiff. Fold in 2 ounces grated white chocolate and Chambord. Spread a small amount of cream on each wafer pressing them together forming a long log on a pretty platter. Frost the log with the remaining cream and sprinkle with the remaining grated white chocolate. Decorate with raspberries. Chill 4-6 hours covered. Cut in one inch slices on a 45 degree angle. Serves 8.


Here it is all sliced and ready to be served. This is a lovely dessert.

Related Posts
Cookie Dough Pie

Have a scrumptious Weekend!

Robin Sue

White Castle-like Sliders: A How To

Long before Himself and children, my roommate Sara and I would make the trek to White Castle's for some sliders or Gut Busters as we liked to call them. Piping hot and smelling so good we could down two or three before our brain knew what was happening and made us slow down. Kinda like Krispie Kreme Hot and Nows. Those days are far away and so is the nearest White Castle, therefore I have resorted to making my own. I have tried the frozen kind but I prefer fresh.


Let's start. First evenly cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/2 cup dried onion flakes.


Firmly pat 2 pounds of ground chuck over top of the onion flakes and sprinkle with your favorite seasoned salt. It must be chuck to render juices, a lean ground beef will be too dry. You need an 80/20 combo for good flavor and juices.


Bake for 25 minutes in a 400 degree oven. The beef will shrink and the onions will rehydrate from the meat juices, er, grease. Blot grease from the top of the giant patty, cover with 6 slices cheddar cheese and return to oven for 2 more minutes.


Cut the burger patty into 24 pieces.


Slice open 24 party rolls and separate. Place bottoms of rolls on a platter. Using a small spatula, lift patties with onions and place on each bun bottom.


Top each slider with a dill slice.


Top off with bun lids and enjoy immediately.


Look at the juicy layer of onions, a signature of White Castle Sliders.


White Castle-like Sliders
1/2 cup dried onion flakes
2 pounds ground chuck- 80/20 ground beef
1/2 t. seasoned salt
6 slices cheddar cheese
24 small party rolls- I use Martin's Potato Bread Party Rolls
24 dill pickle slices

Evenly spread the onions on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Gently press the ground beef on top of the onion flakes. Press evenly making one giant pattie. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Using a paper towel, pat the excess grease from the top of the pattie. Top with cheddar cheese, return to oven for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven, let set 5 minutes then cut into 24 patties. Slice open and separate each party roll. Place bottom of rolls on a large platter. Using a spatula lift pattie with onion layer onto each bun bottom. Top each slider with a pickle slice then the bun lid. Serve immediately. Makes 24 Sliders.

Note- I store these upside-down in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will prevent the bottom bun from getting soggy from the onion layer. To reheat, place a few on a microwave safe plate and heat in the mircowave for 20 seconds then 5 second increments after that until warm through.


Our last day of school is this Friday, a bittersweet day actually. I look forward to being off with my children this summer but it also hurts me that another year has passed all too quickly. I wish I could slow down time when it comes to my children growing up so fast.

Related Posts
Teriyaki Turkey Sliders
Bratwurst Sliders

Robin Sue

Mississippi Mud Cake

Making this cake did bring out my inner van Gogh. In all those swirls one might find Starry Night or The Scream. Mississippi Mud is a classic dessert that is supposed to mirror the mud of Mississippi. This is some fine looking mud. I do not care for the cloyingly sweet, thick, ultra gooey Missi Muds I have had in my past but I do go for that topping; marshmallowy, chocolatey good stuff. So I have lightened the load by simply baking a Devil's Food Chocolate Cake and topping it with a super easy, super quick Mississippi Mud-type Frosting. This way you can eat a piece without feeling so sick.


Mississippi Mud Cake
One chocolate cake mix baked in a 9x13 inch baking pan
one jar Jet-puffed Marshmallow Cream
1 stick butter
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup toasted chopped pecans- optional

Top your favorite still hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate cake with Marshmallow Cream. Let sit a few minutes to melt then spread evenly over the entire cake. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and add semi-sweet chocolate chips, stir until smooth. Pour over marshmallow cream and swirl. If you want "rocks" in your mud swirl in pecans. Serves about 12.

Lunch Packing Tip


Before placing a piece of cake in plastic wrap or a small container, cut the bottom off the piece and place it over the frosting, turning your cake into a cake sandwich. All or most of the frosting will stay on the cake and not its wrapper. Will the cake sandwich be the new cupcake?

Related Recipes:
Leftover Ice Cream Cake
Cream Cheese Cookie Bars

Robin Sue

How to Make Edible Cocktails

Or Jell-O shots. Whichever way you call it, Edible Cocktails are quirky. From seeing them wiggle on the platter, tilting your head back and throwing one down, to licking the stickiness from your fingers, you will agree that these gel cocktails will bring smiles to your guests' faces. But don't let these childhood-like treats fool you, they have a bite and will sneak up on you if you have a few too many.


I first saw these on Brilynn's site Jumbo Empanadas and knew that these would be what I would bring to Himself's office party the other night. It would be a warm evening by the pool and some silly food would be fun. After doing some gelatin research I discovered that you could pretty much take any cocktail and turn it into an Edible Cocktail by adding one packet (7 grams) Knox Gelatine to every 8 ounces (240 ml) of fluid. Himself and I experimented a bit and found this to be a good ratio.


Edible Cocktails: Sangria
(adapted from Brilynn's Sangria Bites)
1 3/4 cups Reál Sangria- my favorite Sangria!
1 1/2 cups Limeade
3/4 cup Cointreau
4 packets Knox Gelatine - one whole box
zest of one lime for garnish

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a small sauce pan. Add Knox and let sit 3 minutes until gel softens. Turn on heat to medium and heat for a few minutes until gel is completely dissolved, no need to boil or get very hot. Pour into a 9 inch square pan that has been lined with plastic wrap. Chill covered overnight. To unmold, turn cocktail over onto a cutting board, remove plastic wrap and cut into 36 equal sized pieces. Top each piece with a small bit of lime zest. Place on pretty tray and serve immediately. Makes 36 pieces.

Tips on Making Edible Cocktails
1. Before adding the Gelatine, taste the cocktail first and adjust flavor if needed.
2. Keep chilled at all times! These will dissolve into puddles if not kept cold. Mine got soft on the car ride over to the party, which a quick trip to the freezer fixed them up just fine, but oh the puddle they made in my lap on the warm car ride home!
3. Remember the ratio to turn your favorite cocktail into an Edible Cocktail- one packet (7 grams) Knox Gelatine to every 8 ounces (240 ml) of fluid. More Gelatine will make the cocktails even more firm if necessary.

Be creative and have fun! To see other Edible Cocktails click here. It gets a wee bit scientific with % ratios of gel to alcohol so you may have to experiment a bit. Alcohol. Experimenting. Alcohol. Experimenting. Yup this is a family friendly site.

Have a delicious weekend! Try this menu...
Crab Rangoon
Broccoli Ramen Salad
Chicken Satay
Dulce de Leche Pie
Orange Sherbet Push Pops for the kids!

Robin Sue

Copper River Salmon is Here!

So what is the big deal with Copper River Salmon? This rich red, generously marbled fish highly coveted during mid-May to mid-June is the most delicious of all salmons- at least in my opinion. The Pacific Northwest is a frenzy during this time with restaurants touting to be the first with their bountiful catch. It is big business in Seattle and restaurants spare no expense in being the first to offer this prize of Alaska's Copper River.


You want to season this fish gently to enjoy it's nutty flavor. I simply pat dry with a paper towel, rub with butter, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. I chose to grill the fish skin side down first for about 7 minutes on medium high heat then flipped and grilled on fleshy side for 2 minutes. Do not over cook this fish. I left mine under-cooked with a thin translucent ribbon of red in the center.


Served on a bed of Italian Potatoes and a simple baby spinach salad with sliced sweet apples, Parmesan cheese, and croutons, the Copper River Salmon was a big star. So fresh and delicious. Go to your local fishmonger for some of the best salmon you may ever eat.



Something New


Three weeks ago, Necco and Snickers joined our family. Click on the above picture for a closer look. So cute! They are Sugar Gliders which are tiny marsupials who are nocturnal, cute, and very entertaining to watch. Necco is our male White Face Blonde and Snickers is a female Grey. They are tiny and chatty, belting out little noises that we are still trying to figure out what they are telling us. They bark, crab, hiss, squeak, whimper, and chatter. We are still in the bonding process with them and it will take some time before they get used to their humans but once they do they are bonded for life. I'll keep you posted with Sugar updates.

Robin Sue