Peanut Butter Balls Revisited

A few months ago I posted about this amazing Peanut Butter Balls recipe. The last time I made them in a 9 x 13 but this time my friend Emma came over and we rolled them into balls and dipped them in chocolate. I did not have dipping chocolate so I made my own with semi-sweet chocolate chips and a little vegetable oil. I was really happy that we took the time to roll out the balls. Everyone who tried them loved them. I think I might buy a small scoop to make the process go faster. This time I took my cookie scoop, scooped up the dough into a ball, cut the ball in half, and then rolled the dough into a smaller ball. A little bit of work but delicious results. I think if I make them one more time, I might have this recipe down.

I sprinkled the end product with some leftover graham cracker crumbs.
They looked and tasted great.

Mix n' Mingle 4

When I was in high school, if someone made-out with someone else, they said, "Oh, you scored." I am sure this was not new terminology and it probably was defined in many different ways and degrees. However, there was always a lingering question that people asked when you started dating someone, "So, did you SCORE??!!!" Needless to say, this is the introduction to one of my high school embarrassing moments and the start of my nickname by a few of my close male friends. Looking back, this story is not that embarrassing but at the time it was to me.

Most Sundays while I was in high school, there was a missionary farewell I could attend. Sometimes I knew the eager missionary well and sometimes I went for moral support for my girlfriends. After the farewell, we would all head back to the missionary's home for cookies, sandwiches, punch, and a social hour. Well, after one particular farewell, I found myself standing across a table full of food looking at one of my male friends who was two years older and who I thought was quite cute. All of a sudden I thought I heard him say, "So, Chris..would you like to score?" I was a bit taken back and I think I went red while I stammered around for the right response to show my shock and disapproval. Apparently, my indignant response of, "Of course not" and the appearance of my red face confused my male friend. He asked, "Chris, what's wrong, what did you think I just asked you?" This is the point where a non-embarrassed person would have just said nothing and moved on. I on the other hand after much pleading from my friend explained what I had heard. He just started roaring with laughter and said, "No, I actually asked if you wanted SOME MORE." I really tried to recover and I tried to come up with a better explanation but it was too late. He had started telling the story and my nickname stuck...S'more (get it? SOME MORE?!). I can't count the times after that that we would be in a huge group and he would yell out, "Hey S'more! Do you want to score?" This embarrassing trend continued even while this friend was on his mission, I would receive letters addressed to S'more. Now you may asked why I would even share this story at all but most people who know me know that I love s'mores and apparently the connection to my embarrassing moment has not deterred me away from a perfectly roasted marshmallow with melted chocolate. Luckily for me, I now found the equivalent of s'mores on speed...S'more Brownies. I found this recipe on the Cast Sugar blog and they are fantastic. Oh, and for the record I was a very good girl in high school and this friend only got a hug or two:)

S'mores Brownies

(adapted from Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook, 2005)

Ingredients:

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

7 Tbsp. salted butter, melted

1 c. salted butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 Tbsp. vanilla

5 large eggs

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

4 oz. milk chocolate, chopped

25-40 mini marshmallows (about half a bag)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Spoon the mixture into a glass 9X13 pan, and pat down evenly to cover the bottom only. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter and sugar, stirring constantly until the sugar and butter are melted. In a large bowl, add the chopped bittersweet chocolate. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the chocolate and stir until it is melted. Add the vanilla and mix. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until they are just combined. Stir in the chopped milk chocolate chunks.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Place the marshmallows evenly over the top.

Bake the brownies for 40-50 minutes, until crackled on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let the brownies cool on a wire rack, and then cut.

I made the brownies for the October Mix n' Mingle and they were a huge success.
Now that's a SCORE!

All good things must come to an end. . .

I can't believe that summer is almost over and I just have one more day. Summers in D.C. are not defined by month or temperature, summers here are defined by traffic and people. The metro area empties out during the summer months and traffic gets lighter and there are just less people on the metro, in the stores, at church- it is fantastic! School starts this coming Tuesday which means that the crowds are back and it is time to move into Fall. So, for my last Sunday before things change I made an amazing summer salad. I found the recipe on Cast Sugar and it was delicious. I hate soggy bread so I kept the bread and the salad separate until I ate it. (If anyone (who lives by me) needs capers, I bought a huge bottle from Costco and I am willing to share.)

Enjoy and I hope the salad reminds you of sunny days with blue skies and no traffic.

Panzanella

(adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis' Everyday Italian, 2005)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. drained capers

12 oz. ciabatta or other country-style white bread, 2 to3 days old

8 ripe tomatoes (about 2 1/4 pounds total), cored and scored on the bottom

2 Tbsp. + 2/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. + 1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c. thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1 c. diced cucumber chunks (salted and drained on paper towel)

1/4 c. pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise

Soak the capers in 2 Tbsp. of vinegar in a small bowl for 10 minutes. Drain.

Cut the crust off of the bread. If it is not quite “stale” enough: Cut into 2-inch slices and toast in a 350 F oven for about 20-30 minutes. Once toasted, cut or tear bread into 1 inch cubes and set aside.

Submerge the tomatoes into a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl of ice water to cool slightly. Using a small sharp paring knife, peel off the tomato skins. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch cubes and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 c. of oil, 1/4 c. of vinegar, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the bread cubes, tomatoes, and basil; toss to combine.

Transfer half of the bread mixture to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish. Arrange half of the cucumbers, drained capers, and olives over the bread mixture. Repeat layering with the remaining bread mixture, then the remaining roasted peppers, capers, and olives.

Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for flavors to blend, at least 1 hour (and up to 8 hours).

"You got peanut butter on my chocolate!"

“You got chocolate in my peanut butter! ... Two great tastes that taste great together, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups." or

Peanut Butter Balls

My sister-in-law Shonna told me about this great blog called Cast Sugar. Nemmie (the owner of the blog) makes all sorts of recipes and then photographs her work. The blog is incredible. I needed something to take with me to the mix n’ mingle and Shonna suggested Nemmie’s Peanut Butter Balls. They taste like Reese Peanut Butter Cups, only so much better. I put the peanut butter mixture into a 9 x13, chill it, and then covered it with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. The bars are very hard to cut and make pretty so if you are concerned about pretty, roll balls. Oh, and I mixed everything in my food processor which made the process quite simple. After it mixed in the food processor it only took a few minutes to form it into dough.

The Peanut Butter Bars were a HUGE success- as Nemmie says, “Try keeping this recipe to yourself.”

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:
2 c. crushed graham crackers*
2 c. powdered sugar
2 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky, your choice)**
1/4 c. butter (barely melted in the microwave)
Dipping chocolate

Mix together the first 4 ingredients as you would a pie crust. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Melt the dipping chocolate. Roll peanut butter mixture into small balls, and dip into the chocolate. Allow to set on wax paper. Chill until served.

My helpful hints.
*I also put the graham crackers in the food processor and made them very fine. You don’t want chunky bits of cracker.
**I used all natural peanut butter-who needs the extra junk they put in peanut butter?