Recipe: Crispy Chocolate-Marshmallow Treats

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan

1 bag (10.5 ounce) mini marshmallows

1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa

6 cups crisp rice cereal

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

Line bottom and two sides with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both sides.

Butter foil; set pan aside.

In a large saucepan, combine butter, marshmallows, and cocoa.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until melted, about 6 minutes; stir in rice cereal.

Press rice mixture into prepared pan; drizzle with melted chocolate.

Let cool to room temperature; cut into 16 bars.

To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 5 days.

Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine

Quote

"Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation."

- Author Unknown

Recipe: Open-Faced Egg Salad Sandwich

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar

8 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and roughly chopped

1 celery stalk, minced

1/4 cup small red onion, minced

course salt and ground pepper

8 slices Italian bread, toasted

green leaf lettuce, for serving

In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar until smooth.

Add eggs, celery, and onion; season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine.

To serve, top toasts with lettuce and egg salad.

Makes 4 servings.

Martha Stewart Everday Food

New Postings Coming in April

I will be posting a daily Cookie of the Day recipe for the month of April. There are lots of yummy cookie recipes just waiting to be made in some kitchens!

Recipe: Grilled Asian Flank Steak

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Thaw flank steak completely, if frozen.

Take a large ziplock bag and place flank steak and all ingredients.

Place in refrigerator and allow steak to marinate for 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat grill or broiler.

Remove steak from marinade; place marinade in a small sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Grill or broil steak until rare (135 degrees) or medium (140 degrees) and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Slice very thin against the grain of the meat.

Drizzle simmered marinade over sliced steak just before serving.

NOTE: This flank steak recipe goes well with the potato casserole posted below.

Recipe: Potato Casserole

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/4 cups finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons minced fresh onion

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (30 ounce) package shredded frozen hash browns, thawed

1 can cream of chicken soup

cooking spray

1 cup coarsely crushed cornflakes

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; spread evenly in a 9x13 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Sprinkle cornflakes over potato mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until bubbly.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Makes about 10 servings.

Recipes Posted on Blog

All recipes I post on Simply Delicious Everyday blog have been tested and tried through my kitchen. Some recipes I have altered. I do the best to cite where the recipes came from, however I have a huge stack of magazine tear outs I have had for years so sometimes it is hard to tell where they came from. Please try any or all recipes that look good to you, and feel free to leave comments. I know I seem to post a lot of dessert recipes, but sweets are my treats! I will be posting more of a variety that consists of dinner recipes, salads and dressings, and much, much more soon.

Bon Appetite!

Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Mallow bars

1 package (2 layer) Devils food cake mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2/3 cup milk, divided

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 jar (7 ounce) marshmallow creme

1/2 cup salted peanuts

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix dry cake mix, butter and 1/3 cup milk until blended.

Spread in a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until center is almost set; cool 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix peanut butter and remaining milk.

Spreak peanut butter mixture onto crust, top with small spoonfuls of marshamllow creme.

Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate chips; press gently into cake mixture.

Bake 18 minutes, or just until center is set.

Cool completely before cutting bars.

Makes about 32 bars.

NOTE: I had a hard time finding the box of 2 layer cake mix, so instead bought two boxes of the single layer cake mix. It worked fine and still tasted yummy!

Kitchen Tip: Cleaning a Coffeemaker

Oily residue from brewing, along with hard-water deposits and other impurities, build up in coffeemakers over time. Your coffee can end up with an unpleasant flavor. A monthly cleaning will help ensure a great-tasting cup of coffee.

To Clean: once a month, fill the water reservoir with a mixture that's half distilled white vinegar and half water. Turn on the coffeemaker. Let several cups run through, then turn it off and let sit for an hour. Start the machine again to complete the cycle, discarding the vinegar mixture afterward. Run plain water through the coffeemaker a few times until the vinegar odor disappears. To clean the carafe and filter basket, place in the top rack of the dishwasher.

Everyday Food Martha Stewart October 2006

Kitchen Tip: Juicing a Lemon

To get the most juice from a lemon, start by rolling it on a work surface under your palm a few times, or can also microwave it for 10 seconds, before cutting it in half. A juicer or handheld reamer will help release more juice than a simple squeeze. A thin-skinned lemon should yield about 3 tablespoons juice.

Thin-skinned lemons have more juice and fewer seeds. Look for round lemons that give slightly when pressed and are heavy for their size.

Martha Stewart Everyday Food April 2009

Recipe: Maple Date Bars

1 3/4 cup finely chopped pitted dates

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon grated lemon grind

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup regular oats

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

cooking spray

Combine dates, water, and maple syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.

Cook 12 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Mixture will look like jam.

Stir in rind; cool completely.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, with stand mixer, beat sugar and butter at medium speed until smooth.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.

Stir in flour mixture into sugar mixture (mixture will be crumbly).

Press 2 cups flour mixture into bottom on a 9x13 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Spread date mixture over flour mixture.

Sprinkle with remaining flour mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Makes about 20 bars.

Cooking Light, November 2005

Recipe: Creamy Italian Dressing

1 (.7 ounce) package Italian dressing mix, Good Seasons

1/4 cup mayonnaise

6 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

In a medium bowl, whisk together dressing mix, mayonnaise, and vinegar. Serve with choice of salad. Dressing can be stored covered, in refrigerator, for up to 1 week.

Semihomemade Magazine, Feb/March 2009

Quote

"Be a coffee-drinking individual - espresso yourself."

-Unknown

Recipe: Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk cookies

These little cookies showcase a perfect pairing of peanut butter and chocolate!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside.

In a large bowl, using a stand mixer, beat peanut butter, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, and vanilla, and beat until smooth.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until combined.

Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two large baking sheet.

Bake until golden, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

Transfter cookies to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Recipe: Parmesan Twists

1 (17.25 ounce) puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) parmesan cheese, grated

1 tablespoon poppy seed or sesame seeds, optional

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut thawed puff pastry into 24 strips.

Brush both sides with lightly beaten egg.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and twist.

Place on 2 baking sheets.

Lightly press ends of puff pastry down on pan.

Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Serve warm. Makes about 24 twists.

Quote

"Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life." -Unknown

Recipe: Chocolate Malted Whopper Drop cookies

These cookies sound like they could come out of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory! They are almost equal parts candy and cookie. The candy part is chunks of chocolate-covered malted milk balls and big chunks of chocolate, while the cocoa cookies are soft and lightly flavored with malted milk powder.

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup malted milk powder, vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 3 tablspoons butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup whole milk

2 cups chocolate-covered malted milk balls, coarsely chopped, Whopper brand

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Sift together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth.

Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition.

Beat in the vanilla; don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. It will even out when the dry ingredients is added.

Mix in the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. The batter will look more like fudge frosting than cookie dough-and that's fine. With the mixer on low, mix in the malted milk balls and chopped chocolate.

Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheet, leave about 2 inches of space between.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, at 375 degrees, rotating sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 6 minutes.

When done, the cookies will be puffed and set but slightly soft to the touch.

Let the cookies rest for 2 minutes before using a wide metal spatula to transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets, between batches.

Caffe Vita coffee shop

I tried a new coffee shop, Caffe Vita, in downtown Olympia. My coffee looked just like the picture. I took one sip of my café mocha and tasted so smooth and creamy. YUM! Definately worth a try.

http://www.caffevita.com/

About Simply Delicious Everyday blog

I thought it would be fun to have something new to do. This blog, Simply Delicous Everyday, will contain anywhere from dinner recipes, dessert recipes, quotes, coffee, baking tips, new restaurant/cafes I try, and some random postings of interest. Please check back anytime to read the latest postings. Mostly, I want to have fun and share some everyday interests of mine.