Vosges' Mo's Bacon Bar

Chocolate + salt + bacon pieces = Mo's Bacon bar.

I really like the combination of sweet and salty. Chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate chip cookies with a slightly salty hit, and salted caramels are all up my alley.

So I nearly dropped dead when I spotted Mo's Bacon Bar at Parkleigh. Chocolate and Bacon? ("You got chocolate in my bacon!" "Hey, you got bacon in my chocolate!") I was already a fan of Vosges' milk chocolate, a smooth, creamy concoction. I can imagine some might find it too sweet, but I like it very much.

Biting into the Mo's bar, the chocolate has a decent snap. The first flavor that hits you is the chocolate, followed quickly by smoky salt notes. A very tasty combination.

And then you realise you're eating bacon. Once the chocolate melts away, you're left with little chewy bits of bacon and it's a texture I don't care for in the context of chocolate. It puts me off so much that I can't fully enjoy the flavor of the bar.

So, overall: good flavor, weird texture. I think Vosges could achieve a similar flavor profile -- without using pork -- by swapping the bacon for smoked almond bits. The bar would still combine sweet, smoky, and salty elements but the crunch of the almonds would be a nice contrast to the yielding texture of the chocolate.

Then again, "Mo's Smoky Almond Bar" just doesn't have the same impact.

Hawaiian Salad

At the beginning of this summer, Jenny & I headed down to the north end of Canandaigua Lake for a picnic. We'd stopped by Wegmans to grab dinner: a sub with chips and soda for me, and roast turkey sandwich with a side of Hawaiian salad for Jen.

As we sat on our picnic blanket gazing out at the lake, she offered me a taste of the fluffy desert salad on her plate.

I'm not a big fan of ambrosia, so I took only a small forkful. And then, I proceeded to eat the rest of her salad. Fortunately, Jenny didn't mind. I don't think.

At the risk of losing friends, I knew I had to try and recreate it at home.

The pineapple flavor stands out the most, with notes of citrus and coconut poking their way through, but it's all tempered by the mellow undertones of sour cream and marshmallow.

The texture features prominently too -- it's cool and creamy, mildly crunchy and, because the fruits' acids dissolve the marshmallows a tiny bit, soft and springy. The one difference between this version and Wegmans' is that this is a bit more liquidy, probably because I used low fat sour cream. It should be noted, however, that when I first mixed all the ingredients together, the salad was downright soupy but, after an hour in the fridge, the salad thickened up.

Hawaiian Salad

20 oz. can of pineapple chunks, drained

1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 Tbsp. sugar

2/3 c. low fat sour cream

11 oz. can of whole segment mandarin oranges (in juice), drained

In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, coconut, marshmallows and sugar until evenly distributed. Add sour cream; mix to combine. Gently fold in oranges. (Mixture will be soupy.) Cover bowl and chill for at least an hour.

Death By Chocolate

In looking for a dessert recipe to bring to a Fourth of July party, I came across the "Over-the-Top" Chocolate Passion .


The Chocolate Passion calls for a layer of brownies to be topped by a "pudding cake" (made with butter flavored shortening!) and two layers of chocolate cake, in the midst of which are chocolate chip cookies secured with canned frosting. More frosting is used to cover the whole shebang, which is then topped by chocolate chips, and chocolate covered strawberries.

I feel sort of dirty just reading the recipe. And at the same time, I want to make it. And eat it. And that makes me feel dirtier.

It reminds me of The Simpsons' "The Good Morning Burger."

"We take eighteen ounces of sizzling ground beef, and soak it in rich, creamery butter, then we top it off with bacon, ham, and a fried egg. We call it the Good Morning Burger."

-- Homer watches a television advertisement, " Bart's Friend Falls In Love"

Mmm ... fattening.

Dr. Kevorkian

"In My Bar" is a feature on The Webtender. You select the ingredients on hand in your bar and Webtender spits out all the drinks you can make.

One of the drinks it suggested was the Dr. Kevorkian -- probably because you could be dead before you realize you're drunk.

According to the description, the Dr. Kevorkian was invented by a college student. Very, very apt.

Dr. Kevorkian

Icy cold Dr Pepper
1 to 2 shots of icy cold Absolut Vodka

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in vodka, then Dr Pepper, and stir with a hula girl swizzle stick. Serve where the imbiber may pass out comfortably.

Grade: B+ to A-

Tags: recipe, mixed drinks, Dr Pepper

Basil Lemonade

Perhaps I hadn't been paying attention. But it suddenly seems that -- all at once -- every foodie magazine and television show has a Basil Lemonade recipe.

It seems like an odd combination. While I like both, this isn't a "you got chocolate in my peanut butter" home-run fusion.

But the hype got to me. The result is ... meh. Essentially, it tastes like you're drinking lemonade near a frangrant basil plant. The basil flavor isn't really there, just the scent. Other than novelty, I'm not sure I see the point.

My favorite lemonade recipe uses ReaLemon (a splash of vodka doesn't hurt either).

Basil Lemonade (from Slowgrownproduce.com )

(Note: I doubled the amount of sugar and lemon juice in the recipe below; before that, I felt the drink was too bland --LR)

1/2 cup rinsed, lightly packed fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp sugar
4 cups water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a 1 1/2 to 2-quart measure or bowl, combine 1/2 cup rinsed, lightly packed fresh basil leaves and 3 T. sugar. With a wooden spoon, crush leaves with sugar until thoroughly bruised. Add 4 cups water and 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir until sugar is dissolved, l to 2 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Pour through fine strainer into ice-filled glasses. Garnish with springs of fresh basil.

You can make the lemonade up to a day ahead; cover and chill. Makes: 4 1/2 cups, about 4 servings.

Grade: C+

Fruity Pebbles Treats

Photo courtesy of KraftFoods.com

A few weeks ago, an old friend from high school mentioned his experience going on a field trip with his son's class. Normally mild-mannered, in the company of 20 other 8 year olds hepped up on Capri Sun, Chips Ahoy, and sheer I'm-not-at-school excitment, his son was bouncing off the walls. As were all the other kids.

Today it's my turn to go on a field trip; we're headed to the planetarium. Sadie's class is boisterious but at heart, a nice group of kids. (There are always, however, those children who are kind of creepy. I'm pretty sure this kid is the one who always wants to hold my hand.)

It should be intersting as all the second grade classes -- not just Sadie's -- are going. I'm expecting the day to be a cross between Lord of the Flies and Apocolypse Now.

So in honor of field trips and the sugar filled, junk food laden snacks that the accompany them, below you'll find the kid-friendly recipe for Fruity Pebbles Treats. And I do mean kid-friendly, because the average adult will probably find these much too sweet. (But I like them in small doses.)

I made two batches last week for Kian and Sadie's respective school parties and they were very happy kids. (But with all the sugar in these bars, I'm pretty sure their teachers now hate me.)

I thought about making some for today's trip but decided against it. I don't want to be the one bringing the electric Kool Aid to the party.


Fruity Pebbles Treats

1/2 stick butter or margarine
10.5 oz. pkg. mini marshmallows
13 oz. box Fruity Pebbles Cereal (about 8-1/2 cups)

Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan and grease lightly.

In a very large bowl, microwave butter on high for 45 sec. or until melted. Add marshmallows and toss to coat. Microwave 1 1/2 min. or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 sec.

Add cereal; mix well. (Grease your spoon or spatula before mixing.)

Place cereal mixture into pan. Top with parchment paper and press mixture firmly into pan. Remove parchment and allow mixture to cool.

Lift cereal bars from pan using foil handles, and cut into 24 squares. (A pizza wheel works well for this task.)

For "ribbons" as pictured above, cut 9 chewy fruit snack rolls lengthwise in half, then use to wrap around cereal squares and make bows as desired, cutting into shorter lengths as necessary.

Grade: Kids and super-sweet lovers give it an A+

RRC Submission: Marsala Gelee, a.k.a. Retro Jello Shots

I find the 50s fascinating. Not having lived through them, however, my knowledge of the era comes largely through the hazy glow of TV reruns. I love all of it: the dreams of space, the modernization of food, the clothing that was “just so” – it’s surreal.

The 50s emulate that wholesome everything-is-fine-and-dandy ideal, but of course it wasn’t. And the flip side of the happy facade – the neat-as-a-pin housewife who nipped at the sherry too often, the red-and-white-striped-shirt-wearing-tyke who tortured the family hamster, the man in the grey flannel suit – fascinates me even more.

This is why I picked Peggy Knickerbocker’s recipe for Wine Jello. To be honest, I don’t know if it was published in the 50s, but Knickerbocker vividly recalls her mother, Nancy, making it at that time:

My mother kept our icebox stocked with exotic foods by 1950's standards -- jars of capers, a crock of confit, and more often than not, a peculiar bowl of wobbly amber-colored Jello. The Jello was indented with little spoon marks from my mother's constant nibbling. Made with sweet wine, it delivered a gloved punch that soothed her nerves. When she paid bills in the afternoon or tended to other household chores that seemed stressful to her, she felt perfectly deserving of a fortifying bite of that wine-laced Jello […] recipes of hers [were] always cooked with some sort of liquor. While making Welsh Rarebit, bourbon balls, or coq au vin, she'd gleefully proclaim "a little for the pot and a little for me."

I don’t know about you but to me, boozy gelatin embodies the 1950s’ seeming innocence. Everyone sits down to enjoy a modern, respectable dessert … and winds up drunk.


Marsala Gelee (Wine Jello)

2 envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup sugar plus additional for sweetening cream
1-2/3 cups Marsala or sherry
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream beaten to soft peaks with a little sugar, optional

In a large heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the boiling water and sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Stir in the Marsala and lemon juice and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. Spoon into dessert bowls, top each serving with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, and serve. Serves 6.

Note: If you want to calm the kick in this dessert, heat the Marsala for a few minutes first; the flavor will remain but the alcohol will be tempered. Be sure to make this at least 5 hours ahead, as it needs to jell.

Grade: Please. What do you think?

Homemade Marshmallows

Remember Martha’s old show, Martha Stewart Living? One day, she showed the audience how to make marshmallows.

That’s the same day I went, “OK. She’s officially lost her mind.”

Marshmallows never seemed like anything but a vehicle for other flavors to me. Dip them in chocolate: delicious. Mix them with butter and Rice Krispies: tasty. Shape them into little chicks and cover them with neon colored sugar ... well, if not great, then at least visually appealing.

But to make them from scratch seemed asinine. What, and put the Jet Puffed people out of business?

But now, years later, I find that marshmallows are no longer the understudy; they’re the star. Gourmet versions are popping up all over the place and, let’s face it, those damn snowflake ones Martha floats in her hot cocoa are attractive.

So here I am, making marshmallows.

It’s not a hard recipe, just time consuming. Like fudge, you have to cook the sugar over low heat until the crystals dissolve, washing down the sides of the pan with a damp pastry brush from time to time. That took a loooong time, but perhaps that’s because I cooked it over very low heat.

Once dissolved, the heat gets cranked up and you wait for the temp to hit 245-degrees F. Again, time consuming but not hard.

From there, the syrup is poured into the gelatin. Once that happens, a scent, not unlike wet dog, is released. (Hot wet dog. Like when your dog goes in the lake on a really humid day and, on the drive home, that damp musky smell stinks up the whole car.) Fortunately, after 15 minutes of whisking at high speed, the smell dissipates and you’re left with something akin to Marshmallow Fluff. I’m guessing that if you took that mixture and put it into an airtight container, it would remain soft. (I would have set a bit aside to experiment with that idea, but the thought occurred after I was finished.)

The cream poured fairly easily into a (disposable aluminum) pan with the help of a rubber spatula. I didn’t press it down with my hands; the spatula (sprayed with cooking spray) did a fine job smoothing out the top. Then, I sprinkled the top with powdered sugar and waited.

The next day they were ready to cut and eat. I found the cut sides to be a bit sticky, so I threw several in a paper bag with some powdered sugar and shook them. The sugar adhered to the sticky sides.

And the taste? Eh. They’re still marshmallows. They're fresher and less artificial-tasting than those you buy at the store, but in the end, nothing really special. They are good covered in chocolate -- melt in your mouth tender -- but most marshmallows taste good in chocolate anyway.

From a culinary perspective, I don't I see the point in making them from scratch. But as a science experiment, it is kind of neat.


Homemade Marshmallows

2 1/2 Tbsp. unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment. Let stand 30 minutes.

Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small heavy saucepan; place over low heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to dissolve sugar crystals.

Clip on a candy thermometer; raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 244-degrees F. (firm-ball stage). Immediately remove pan from heat.

With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to incorporate.

Generously dust an 8-by-12-inch glass baking pan with confectioners’ sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan. Dust top with confectioners’ sugar; wet your hands, and pat it to smooth. Dust with confectioners’ sugar; let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out. Turn out onto a board; cut marshmallows with a dry hot knife into 1 1/2-inch squares, and dust with more confectioners' sugar. Makes about 40



Grade: C (not really bad but what’s the point?)

This marshmallow was redeemed by chocolate.

Patate Douce Casserole Avec Peeps

Sissy William's recipe for Sweet Potato aux Peeps sparked the idea for both this recipe and its French title* (food sounds so much better in French).

I love the caramel-like sweetness baking releases in sweet potatoes, so to play that up, I added good amounts of brown sugar (3/4 cup) and butter (6 Tbsp.) to the mashed sweet potatoes. I'm also in love with the warmth, complexity, and aroma spices bring to recipes and since cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves complement sweet potatoes so well, I threw them in, too. The result is heady; I know something is good if I have to tear myself away from licking the bowl. (Which is not to say I didn't lick the bowl; I just stopped myself from burying my face in it.)

As for the peeps, the oven changes their consistency; like roasting a marshmallow over a campfire, the dry heat toasts the outside and liquefies the inside. On my plate, I didn't like eating the toasted peeps straight up but I loved mixing them in with the sweet potatoes -- the peeps fluff up the potatoes while adding a hint of sweetness.

These are good; so good. Make them very, very soon.

Patate Douce Casserole Avec Peeps

8 medium sweet potatoes
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
Peeps (about 20)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Wash the outside of the sweet potatoes and pierce all over with a fork. Place on a lined (foil or parchment) baking sheet and bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until soft and the potatoes' natural sugars bubble out of the fork-made holes. Allow potatoes to cool to room temperature (or pop them in the fridge and deal with them when you are ready).

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. Scoop out the sweet potatoes' flesh into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until desired consistency is reached (I like mine relatively smooth but dotted with sweet potato bits). Add melted butter, brown sugar, spices and salt; mix until well combined. Scoop mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the center is hot. Arrange peeps around edge and bake 5 more minutes.


*As I don't know how to speak French, if the title for this recipe is completely nonsensical, please suggest a correction.

Peeps on the Lawn Dessert Salad

A petite Peeps serving.

A plethora of Peeps.

WARNING: If you don't like your sweets super-sweet and neon-colored, don't make this. Instead, have some melba toast and a cup of sugarless tea while looking at some other recipes.

Doug over at Cooking With Peeps suggested his Peeps on the Lawn dessert salad to use up the many, many peeps I've bought (90). He describes the dish as "a Snickers Salad with some Peeps on top."

Excited, yet troubled by a dessert that combines instant pudding, Cool Whip, Snickers, and apples, I did a Google search for Snickers Salad. Apparently, it's very popular and a must for many families' holiday dinners.

Gordon at Everything2 explains:

This dish is a family tradition in my wife's family. I first ran into (away from) it the first time they shared Easter dinner with me. Not being a fan of potato salad (or most creamy salads and side dishes, for that matter), I was hesitant to sample the small dollop that was occupying space on my plate that I thought would have been better suited to ham. Or mashed potatoes. Or more ham. By the time I worked up the courage to try some, and thus realize that it did happy things to my mouth, I was too stuffed to consider eating more. And although I know it tastes wonderful, its appearance and the concept of drowning chocolate bars in pudding and Cool Whip befuddles me.

I found that reassuring.

It is good, in a kitschy Lutheran* pot-luck-dinner-dish sort of way. I liked it, though my husband thought it was so awful ("Bleggh! Are you trying to kill me?" ), he washed it down with a glass of scotch. (Really, any excuse to drink his paint-thinner Laphroaig). To each his own.

Peeps on the Lawn is extremely easy to make; all you have to know is how to chop and mix.

Peeps on the Lawn dessert Salad (adapted; see the original here)

1 3.4 oz package instant French Vanilla Jello Pudding Mix
1 cup milk
1 12-oz container Cool Whip

2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional, but recommended)
Green food coloring
1 pkg. Snickers minis , chilled and diced
5 Granny Smith apples
Small chocolate pastel candies
Peeps

In a large bowl, mix pudding together with milk until combined; fold in Cool Whip and vanilla. Tint green with food coloring. Fold in chilled Snickers bars.

Just before serving, peel, core, and dice apples; fold into pudding mixture.Transfer mixture into serving bowl. Decorate top with Peeps and pastel candy. Enjoy festive Springtime dessert.

Many thanks to Doug and Gordon for their help!

Update: I served this in a large glass bowl today at an Episcopal Church luncheon -- it was well received. Shane thinks that next time, I should cut the peeps in half and line the bowl with them. That would go over big.

*Yes, I know what those Lutheran dinners are like. I was raised Lutheran.

Tags:

cooking, peeps, baking, Marshmallow Peeps, candy, Easter, spring, recipe, Snickers, Snickers Salad, dessert

Dog Biscuits

Apparently, all that fur makes him look slimmer. Maybe I should try that.

My husband and I just came back from taking Flurry, our American Eskimo dog, to the vet. I was quite worried about him as in the past month, he’s had two can’t-stop-running-seizure-like episodes, the second of which happened yesterday morning. They weren’t actually seizures – when we held him gently, he was able to voluntarily stop moving – but they were frightening.

Anyway, the vet thinks the problem is muscle spasms which are a) painful and b) scary for the dog, hence the uncoordinated running. The vet put Flurry on a diet, wrote a prescription for painkillers, and told us to increase his exercise.

I am so relieved that it isn’t anything too serious, I thought I’d celebrate by giving Flurry some extra petting and posting this dog biscuit recipe.

Don’t tell Flurry though; he has to lose weight.

Dog Biscuits
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
½ cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp. dried milk
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
1 to 1-1/4 cups water or broth

Preheat oven to 250-degrees. Stir together dry ingredients, then add egg and water. If the dough is too wet or dry, add more flour or water, respectively.

Knead dough until smooth. Roll dough ¼-inch thick (preferably between two sheets of parchment paper) and cut with cookie cutters. Place cutouts slightly apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet (or lined with parchment) and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly dry inside. Turn off oven and leave biscuits inside overnight. Store in an air-tight container.

Grade: I don't know -- I'm not a dog.