For the past two weeks, every single day I hear, several times, variations on the following. If you have kids, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Them: "Mom, when can we get out the Halloween decorations?"
Me, while I'm making dinner: "Soon."
Them: "Mo-om, how many more days to Halloween?"
Me, while I'm balancing the checkbook: "I don't know. Soon."
Them: "Mommy, you said we'd put up the decorations." This, of course, being said at bedtime. "Let's do it now."
Me, while I'm struggling with getting my 4 year old into pajamas: "Soon. Maybe tomorrow."
And so it goes. There is no way I am going to forget any holiday or event with my constant personal reminders. And they don't even take batteries!
Bu-ut, there is one part of the holiday, or any holiday, I love. The cooking parts. Whether it's the big meals or the once-a-year side dishes or the fantastic desserts, I absolutely love pulling together different ingredients to create something delicious or even amazing. (The amazing parts don't always work, but I try :)
Today, I want to share two recipes I worked on over the weekend that turned out rather well. Especially if you have little ones and don't mind a temporary sugar overload, give these a try:
Chocolate Covered Bugs:
- Caramels, unwrapped and worked into flat disc (or other) shapes
- Red licorice sliced very thin
- Chocolate chips, melted (I used the ready-to-dip chocolate found in the microwavable dishes)
- Candies, nuts, other edible decor for decorations
You do want to work on wax or parchment paper.
- Take one flattened caramel and press the red licorice onto the piece with parts sticking out. This will be the legs.
- Press the second piece of flattened licorice on top.
- Pour or drizzle the melted chocolate over the caramel. Make sure the sides are well covered.
- Press, shake or add your own decorations to make edible bugs.
- I then place the bugs in the fridge to harden.
*You can shape the caramels any way you want. Make them more oval or more rounded for example. I love recipes like this because your own personal options are endless.
The second recipe is for S'More's Cookies. I found this recipe in the magazine Family Fun. A fantastic mag if you have little kids. These cookies are unbelievably delicious! If you want to see a picture, click on the link below the recipe.
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup crushed graham crackers
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 (1.55-ounce) chocolate bars {I used one really large bar and broke into a bazillion pieces}
1 (7-ounce) jar of marshmallow creme {be prepared, this stuff is extremely sticky!}
Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. .
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the crushed graham crackers, flour, salt, and baking powder and beat until well mixed, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Spoon half the dough into the pan and spread evenly with your fingertips {Use a rubber spatula if you can instead. The batter is not very doughy}.
- Break the chocolate into pieces and arrange over the dough.
- Spread a layer of marshmallow creme over the chocolate {Fun but sticky. Take your time putting dollops and then spreading them out}.
- Flatten the remaining dough into pancakes and lay them over the marshmallow. {Okay, my batter did not turn out where I could do this. I simply scoped the remaining dough over the cream and spread out with the rubber spatula.}
- Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let the bars cool before serving. {Slightly warm bars are better, in my opinion. The cookies are, as you can guess, rich, so cut them small. I must have been able to get 25 or 30 little bars from my pan. To serve, I put the individual bars into paper cupcake liners as they are sticky.}
For pic, go to: Family Fun Rockin' S'mores
I hope you enjoy! Let me know how you like them!
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