Please Sir, May I have S’more

I know, I know, s’mores were so last summer. All summer I just kept thinking I should make one of the many s’mores cookies or s’mores bars out there but I never got to it. This was a good one to flex my baking muscle though! They were a shortbread cookie with a layer of chocolate and a layer of marshmallow. They were topped with a little cookie crumble.
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I made these for my bookclub ladies when I also served them calzones and I knew my colleague Ms. K deserved one after breaking some hearts at work for the youth program.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2  cups chocolate chips
3 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degree F. Spray an 8 inch square baking pan.
Beat butter and sugar until well blended in large bowl. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.
Slowly add flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt, beating until blended.
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Press half of dough in prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes.
smores_baked_590_390Sprinkle chocolate chips over baked layer then sprinkle with marshmallows.
Scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallows, forming top layer.
Bake 10 to 15 minutes or just until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. 16 bars.
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I liked that these weren’t overly sweet but the gooeyness of the marshmallows made these a fun treat. They’re also a great cookie bar I think everyone would like.

Pumpkin Pasta Perfection

I’ve made this simplified pumpkin pasta a few times since I first saw Rachael Ray make it but I hadn’t made it for real in awhile. This time I used leftovers and it wasn’t quite right. I made it for real just before moving since it only requires a few ingredients and the leftovers are pretty great too.
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I like the pumpkin puree since it coats like a sauce on pasta on it’s own and with just a few other ingredients this pumpkin pasta is a winner. It’s a nice pre-fall or mid-winter treat. I carefully avoid the overly pumpkin time in mid-November.

Ingredients

8 oz pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 pound pasta (something short)
2 sweet sausage links
1/2 cup chicken stock (or veggie stock)
4 tbs heavy cream

Directions

Boil water for the pasta.
Remove the sausage from the casing and brown in a skillet.
Mix pumpkin puree and stock over medium-low heat until heated through.
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When pasta is almost cooked drain and put it into a flat pan so it is only about one noodle deep
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Add in the sauce, sausage and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until the pasta is cooked al dente.
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Gently mix in heavy cream just before serving.

I chopped some fresh rosemary over the top too. I thought it was woodsy and I had some on hand. Sage would be good too. I sprinkled a little nutmeg in as well.
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I love this dish. It’s rich and flavorful but so simple. I think it’d be a great for guests.

Such a cheap dinner!

Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta

1/2 lb pene pasta: $0.75
1 can pumpkin: $1.79
2 sausage links: $1.42
chicken broth: 4 oz. chicken stock: $0.05 ($2.99 jar/25 cubes=11 cents per cube/cup)
heavy cream: $0.16
total = $4.17 and serves 3-4 ($1.39 per serving)

Grown Up Caramel Corn

A few folks got edible gifts from me this year. Everybody always says they have too much “stuff” so I was hoping they would enjoy a treat that would be gone and they wouldn’t be trying to find a spot for it in their house.

I spotted a caramel corn online and thought it sounded really good and I thought it sounded like a snack with some class. This one featured crazins, orange, and pecans. I improvised a bit. I was impressed with the outcome! I didn’t quite envision the popcorn to come out crunchy without being sticky and soggy but it did!

Cranberry Pecan Caramel Corn (adapted from The Novice Chef)

Ingredients:

2 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
3 tbs jelly (I used apple)
1 teaspoon vanilla1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
In a large bowl mix the popped popcorn, cranberries, and pecans.

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Over medium heat stir the butter, brown sugar, and honey until butter melts. Stir in jelly. Bring to boiling over medium heat. Boil at a moderate, steady rate for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and baking soda (mixture will foam up).
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Pour the syrup mixture over the popcorn mixture in bowl; stir to coat well.
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Transfer to a large baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool. If you want clusters leave it; if you want bite sized pieces then spread it out to cool.
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Bites This Week

Want a preview of what’s to come on The Three Bite Rule this week?

You can see some high-end caramel corn
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you can whip up an unexpected pumpkin dinner
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and who can forget dessert?
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Stay tuned!

Even More Calzones

I hosted bookclub for some super fun ladies and I was racking my brain about what to make. Mr. J and I were on the verge of officially owning the house and I wanted to host despite the boxes all over and Christmas gift wrapping station. There’s a core group each time we get together and a few others come and go so I was looking for a crowd pleaser that would be easy for me to enjoy the crowd while dinner was almost ready. I went to my trusty signature calzones.

I knew I could make these and cook them 75% the night before, which would allow me to visit with them. It also meant most of my cleanup was already done!

I made a broccoli and cheddar one in wheat dough and prosciutto, apple, and brie. I started with carrots and hummus since all other apps were seeming to compete with the calzones and I served some salad and we finished with s’mores bars.
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Ingredients

1 ball of pizza dough
6 slices of prosciutto
1 granny smith apple
6 oz brie

Directions

Spread room temperature dough out.
Core and chop apple into thin slices.
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Roll prosciutto into logs and chop chiffonade.
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Slice brie.
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Layer brie, apple, and proscuitto. Layer and layer until you think there’s too much and keep going.
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Close the dough around the filling and make a few slices across the top.
Brush with egg wash for a shiny outside.
Bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes on a pizza stone or lined baking sheet.
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I freeze the brie to make it easier to slice. 15-25 minutes should be enough to cut through. I chiffonade the prosciutto because it can be tough to bite through when the pieces are too big. Let it sit for 5 minutes before slicing so the filling doesn’t ooze out.

Check out just how crazy the filling looked and then when baked it looks like the right amount. That is my prime suggestion for calzones.
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I usually put sage in, but I forgot it when grocery shopping. I wasn’t sure if it would be everyone’s taste so I thought the broccoli one would be well liked too. Now, How many pennies?

Here’s the costs for the Proscuitto Brie and Apple Calzone:

Pizza dough: $1.50
1 Granny Smith apple: $0.79
1/4 pound Prosciutto: $1.68
6 oz brie: $4.99
total: $8.96 or $2.24 per person for 4 servings