No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Day 81

Here’s a delicious, fast recipe we can all stand behind. Who doesn’t love peanut butter cups? These bars will remind you of a very decadent and rustic version of  your favorite packaged candy, for sure.

This is the perfect recipe to make as an after school treat for your little ones, or it could offer an opportunity to cook in the kitchen with your kids. Since it’s a no-bake dish, it lends itself nicely to young learners. 

Copyright, Doug Kapustin Photography , 2014

I can’t say enough nice things about this one. Originally, I think I saw someone post it on Facebook, so I gave it a try. Over and over.  For weeks. My family simply can’t say no to these, and I suspect yours will feel the same. Enjoy!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients: 
1 cup salted butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup brown sugar
1¾ cups powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
½ tsp. vanilla extract
11 oz. bag milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a medium sized bowl. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour peanut butter mixture into a 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 20-30 seconds. Spread chocolate over peanut mixture, carefully, with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Cut while cool and serve immediately or store in fridge. 

*Note: For a change, I have substituted 1 cup of the graham cracker crumbs for 1 cup of finely ground quick-cooking oats to give more texture, and it worked nicely. Just use a food processor to grind the oats to the texture you desire. 

Hazelnut Chocolate Covered Toffee

Day 80

I wholeheartedly admire the *real deal* pastry chefs and candy makers out there. I haven’t the patience for the mandatory perfect timing and delicacy of their work, unfortunately. This is a skill and passion I’d like to cultivate, and taking classes for both are on my to-do list, for sure. 

Truth be told, when I read a recipe that calls for any from-scratch dough beyond that of the biscuit or pie crust varieties, I move on. Similarly, when I see a candy recipe that requires a thermometer and constant stirring, I feel tired just reading about it.

Photo by Maggie Kapustin

 In an effort to take a teeny, tiny baby step to begin changing my frame of mind, I tackled an easy chocolate and nut covered toffee from a Southern Living recipe book. If you aren’t familiar with recipes from Southern Living, I urge you to try a few. In my experience, they are consistently test-kitchen approved, home kitchen trustworthy and definitely as tasty as promised. I have this wonderful book, Southern Living: 1001 Ways to Cook Southern that I hope to eventually try, cover to cover, although 1001 recipes are a tall order! 

At any rate, the toffee turned out delicious, despite my ancient and not-so-accurate candy thermometer, purchased second-hand and immediately stored in a drawer until a few weeks ago. When you try this one, make sure you have a working thermometer; they are a cheap investment and are so useful, particularly if you enjoy gifting friends and family with bite-sized holiday treats. 

Give homemade toffee a try and see what you think, and please don’t be timid about it; I promise it’s as easy as the recipe promises! These crunchy candies comply with all of the “regulations for deliciousness” as stated in the Sweet Addicts Handbook (Gosh, I wish such a handbook existed!). That is to say, they are capable of sticking to your teeth for days, and they’re so sweet they’ll make those very same teeth ache, to be sure. I crumbled the last few chunks, as we neared the end of the tin, and used them as brownie sundae toppers, which I highly recommend. 

Enjoy!

Hazelnut Chocolate Covered Toffee

Ingredients: 
1½ cups chopped, toasted hazelnuts, divided
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 tbs. light corn syrup
1½ cups milk chocolate chips

Directions: 
Spread 1 cup of hazelnuts on a 9x9 (approximate) area of a lightly butter-greased baking sheet. 

Bring sugar, butter, corn syrup, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture is golden brown and a candy thermometer reads 290-310 degrees (about 15-20 minutes). 

Pour sugar mixture over hazelnuts on baking sheet.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips; let stand 30 seconds and gently spread melting morsels over top. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts. 

Chill 1 hour. Break into rough pieces. Store in airtight container. 

(Original recipe before modifications: Mildred’s Toffee, courtesy of Southern Living 1001 Ways to Cook Southern cookbook, 2010)

Mini-Molten Brownie Pies

Day 79

This summer, I’ve been looking for easy and quick recipes, especially desserts. I watched a rerun of The Barefoot Contessa recently, where Ina Garten shared that it’s easier to undercook brownies just a bit to make “molten” centers rather than to go to the trouble of making the traditional gooey

Photo by Maggie Kapustin

chocolate lava. I tried her idea—baking brownie mix in mini- graham cracker pie shells, served warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream—and loved it! I think you will too. Sometimes, it’s nice to try recipes that are simply assembling rather than from-scratch creating, especially when we need a quick, no-fail idea.

Mini-Molten Brownie Pies

Ingredients: 
8 individual graham cracker pie shells 
1 box Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix 
1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
2 pints Talenti TahitianVanilla Bean Gelato

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare brownie batter according to box directions. Pour batter evenly into pie shells that have been placed on foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Bake for 25 minutes and cool for 20 minutes before topping each pie with scoops of ice cream. Serve immediately. 

(To make ahead, allow to cool, then store in airtight container. When ready to serve,  simply reheat pies in the microwave for 30 seconds before topping with ice cream and serving!) 

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Here’s a real winner if you love peanut butter and chocolate. In a cake. Honestly, who doesn’t?  This cake is amazing and delicious and rich and creamy and buttery and toothache sweet and just absolutely perfect. But, what else would you expect from Ree Drummond? She’s The Pioneer Woman and she can cook like nobody’s business.

Copyright, Doug Kapustin Photography, 2014

You’ll see. And you’ll agree after this recipe. Although I had watched Drummond’s show on Food Network from time to time, it was my Aunt Bettye who introduced me to her recipes. (Note: I always trust Bettye’s suggestions because, well, this lady can cook “like nobody’s business” too! Thanks Bettye!)

For Mother’s Day, my daughter just bought me the book The Pioneer Woman Cooks which I highly and strongly recommend. You’ll find recipes for everything from salsa to adult coffee to Mountain Dew fruit cobbler. Also for Mother’s Day, my stepdaughter bought me this lovely cake stand and glass lid, specially designed for tall cakes. Naturally, I use it every single day for showcasing family desserts and for tempting all passers-by. It works and I love it. The two combined gifts could not have been better suited to me, and another plus for me is that The Pioneer Woman has Basset Hounds too! Even if you don’t buy her book, you must check out her website http://thepioneerwoman.com .

So, back to the peanut butter cake-- I modified the original recipe slightly, and the information about that can be found after the recipe, with links to the originals. 

Try this one as soon as you can; you’ll be glad you did. 

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing 

Ingredients
Cake:
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
½ cups Buttermilk
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1¾ stick Butter
½ cups Peanut Butter
1 cup Boiling Water

Icing:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
6 tablespoons whole milk
6 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1- 1/3 cups cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside. 

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt 1¾  sticks butter. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Add boiling water, let the mixture bubble up for about 10 seconds, then remove from heat.

Pour the peanut butter mixture over the flour/sugar mixture and stir until halfway combined. Pour in the buttermilk mixture and stir gently until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into 2-9 inch cake round cake pans and smooth the surface. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes clean, then remove it from the oven. Cool cake completely before layering and icing (see icing recipe below). 
Icing: 
In a medium bowl, using a mixer set at medium speed, beat the cream cheese, butter, and milk together until smooth. Add the sugar, cocoa, and salt and continue to beat until blended.
Reduce mixer speed to low, add the vanilla, and beat until smooth. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before using. 

Important Notes: 
Original cake recipe from Ree Drummond’s The Pioneer Woman Cooks and also at the following link:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/11/peanut-butter-cake-with-chocolate-icing/. 

My version of Ree’s recipe was modified only by using two round cake pans instead of a sheet or jelly roll pan, and I changed the icing since it’s a layer cake. It is sooo worth noting that I have tried her original recipe too, with her icing, and it is absolutely scrumptious—perfect for family desserts. I like changing the format and layering the cake for get-togethers just because the transport is easier and presentation is a bit fancier. 

My go-to chocolate cream cheese icing recipe is an old standby from Country Living magazine that can also be accessed below:

http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/fudgy-cream-cheese-frosting-3628

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Day 77

Alright everyone, Maggie’s daughter Taylor here, and it’s my turn to jump into the driver’s seat! I have recently been on a cookie-baking kick, and until now, all of my cookies have been mediocre at best. This one, however, knocked my socks off. Because I was so thrilled about sharing the recipe, my mom passed over the keyboard and decided to let me do the talking! So that being said, stop what you are doing, and go bake this cookie. You won’t regret it!

Photo by Taylor Fowler

 

Now I won’t lie to you, I find those little pre-made squares of chocolate chip cookie dough on aisle seven to be delicious. Just plain delicious. And trust me, I know how tempting it is to pick those up, especially when you have little time, a tight budget, and a sweet tooth begging for a treat. However, these cookies are not only super easy, but you also (most likely) have the majority of the ingredients. Seriously! All I had to pick up was two ingredients. So instead of reaching for those preservative filled “cookies”, run away as fast as you can and pick up the few items you need for this recipe. 

These cookies might sound like a heck of a mouthful—yes, they have more than one add-in, but that is great! They are so rich in texture and flavors, you won’t be able to stop eating them. I would even recommend eating them for breakfast with some coffee or tea. They are perfect for any time of year, but especially summer because of their light, slightly fruity bite. Yum! Now that my mouth, and hopefully yours, is watering, let’s get cooking!  

Note: I will say that I did not make up this cookie, I got the majority of it from Trisha Yearwood, on Food Network’s website, but I revised it. Now here is what you will need for my similar version! 

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients: 
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tbs. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ cup old fashioned oats 
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
¾ cup white chocolate chips

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Using an electric mixer, mix the butter, the brown sugar, and the white sugar together until smooth. Then add the vanilla and egg, and continue to mix. Combine the flour and the baking soda in a separate bowl and sift them together. Then spoon this mixture slowly into the mixing bowl while it is running. When this is creamy, drop in the oats, chopped cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Then drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheet, two inches apart. Cook for around 13 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden brown. I personally prefer these cookies slightly undercooked, so that they are gooey inside, so if you prefer overcooked—add time.  Then let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. 

Here’s the link to the original, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/white-chocolate-cranberry-cookies-recipe.html

Cucumber Watermelon Feta Salad

Day 76

Here’s another recipe for your Independence Day menu! The combination of watermelon, feta, and cucumber with a vinaigrette does not sound very appealing at first, I realize. But, once you give it a try, you’ll see that the flavors blend beautifully and that the taste is absolutely superb. The flavor of the feta changes when combined with the melon, as you’ll notice that it’s softer than usual.  Feta’s trademark saltiness is perfect for the melon.

Copyright, Doug Kapustin Photography, 2014

The cucumber adds a crunch and a bitterness to cut the intense sweetness of the melon too. Somehow, the vinegar-based dressing with garlic and olive oil is the perfect touch. It is now, officially, one of my very favorite summer salads.

I see similar variations of this recipe in magazines and cookbooks almost daily. Most recently, Country Living had a version that is like the one I’m sharing today. I’ve tried several different vinaigrette variations, and I truly prefer the one below. I hope you like it too!

Happy July 4^th to you and yours! May we remember the sacrifices that were made and that continue to be made every day to allow us the freedom to safely gather together and to live the American Dream. Please, let’s all hug and thank a soldier and a veteran this week, and let’s also be humbled and grateful for all they’ve done to keep us safe and free! 

Cucumber-Watermelon-Feta Salad 

Ingredients: 
2 English cucumbers, washed
4 cups seedless watermelon, cut into cubes
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
5 tbs. red wine vinegar
6 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper

Directions: 
In a salad bowl, mix red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, thinly slice cucumbers, leaving peelings on. 

Place cucumbers in vinaigrette and toss to coat thoroughly. Add watermelon and gently mix. Serve within 30 minutes of adding watermelon, and just before presenting, garnish with feta cheese. 

Ranch Picnic Pasta Salad

Day 75

More picnics and barbecue fare! This recipe is a fun twist on the traditional macaroni salad often served at outdoor events. Potato salad and macaroni salad are staples because they are delicious, of course, but also because they are creamy. That smooth texture is a nice contrast to the tastes of alcohol and grilled meats and veggies, and it makes us feel like we had a perfectly balanced meal, taste-wise. 

I love July 4^th picnics. Not only is it a wonderfully patriotic day, it’s also a day to spend time with friends, outside, enjoying pools, fireworks, and grilled food. When we receive July 4^th party invitations, I always try to bring one pasta- or potato-based salad and one fresh and light salad. This year, I’ll definitely be contributing my Ranch Picnic Pasta Salad and maybe a cucumber-watermelon-feta salad (that will be my next blog post, for sure!).

Copyright, Doug Kapustin Photography, 2014

This recipe is one that I created based on the many macaroni and creamy pasta salads I’ve eaten over the years. It’s quick and easy, and it uses a very helpful shortcut that includes bottled ranch dressing rather than homemade. Mind you, I made two pasta salads, one with bottled ranch and one with mayonnaise and seasonings. Honestly, the bottled ranch dressing, although not as healthy, held up much better for picnic presentations, so I’ll be recommending it in today’s recipe. Feel free to make your own, though, if you aren’t comfortable using a prepared variety. 

The first homemade macaroni salad I remember was made by my grandmother on my mom’s side. She added lots of mayonnaise and even diced tomatoes straight from her garden. It had flecks of color from carrots, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers, and I remember that it was very simple but satisfying. Another quite different but absolutely incredible picnic pasta salad was one I remember eating at July 4^th celebrations for my father’s side of the family. Daddy’s brother, Hunt, and Hunt’s wife, Nancy, used to invite the family to their house in town for July 4^th. Everyone would bring a dish, but Nancy would do most of the cooking, much to our delight. Each Independence Day, she would make a different pasta salad that was en vogue that year. Nancy must have scoured cooking magazines constantly in the days before the Internet because her food was always new and exciting with the perfect blend of modern and traditional ingredients. Come to think of it, Nancy might very well be the best cook I’ve ever known. To my knowledge, she has no formal training, but she could have cooked with the likes of Julia Child or any Food Network chef had she been given the opportunity. 

Nancy tackled the extremely complicated recipes in magazines and cookbooks that most of us skip right over; you know the ones I’m referring to—those with directions (and no explanations) like “make a simple roux” or “after blanching” or “braise then thread with saffron”. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to spend an hour Googling words or looking at other recipes to understand directions like that. Nancy is fearless, though. She has always jumped right in, and the results have been consistently incredible. Once, she invited my father and I to dinner, for which she has prepared an herbed beef roulade, oven roasted root vegetables, and broccolini salad, long before anyone really used the hybrid kale/broccoli vegetable. Dessert was her sherry-soaked fruitcake that melted in our mouths. Nancy prepared these dishes with ease, and served them with her standard, humble modesty that is such a classic—and classy— trademark of her character. I miss her delicious food, to be sure. 

Today, Nancy isn’t often in the kitchen, as she is fighting the battle of her life against a dreadful cancer. She continues to exude grace and charm, even on her hardest days, and I’ve never known such a fighter. When we see our friends and loved ones battling a devastating illness, it isn’t easy to understand. Truth be told, it angers us. But, perhaps the most difficult part of the equation is that nagging question of why such lovely people are caused so much pain and suffering. We have to leave those questions and their answers in God’s hands, but it’s not so simple. Although I don’t see Nancy nearly enough these days, in my mind she is still pouring over Bon Appétit and Food and Wine magazines, ear-marking recipes that she’ll try when she feels up to it. I just hope I get an invitation to that meal because there’s no doubt in my mind that it will be smashing! 

So, this recipe, albeit way too easy to compare to any of yours, is dedicated to you, Aunt Nancy. And, as soon as you’re back in the kitchen, I’ll be the first to jockey for the honor of being your sous-chef in training! Maybe I’ll even learn to make your beef roulade. I love you!  

Version with farfalle pasta

Ranch Picnic Pasta Salad

Ingredients: 
1 box rotini or farfalle pasta, cooked al dente and drained
1 jar Marie’s Creamy Ranch dressing (from refrigerated produce section of supermarket)
2 medium cucumbers
20 grape tomatoes
1 red onion, finely diced
½ cup fresh dill, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)*

Directions: 
While pasta is still hot, add ½ jar of the ranch dressing and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until cool. 

Meanwhile, peel cucumbers only in sections using a vegetable peeler, leaving strips of green  for color and texture. Chop cucumber into bite-size pieces. Slice each grape tomato in half, length-wise (it’s just prettier that way).

Once the pasta is cool, add the remaining ranch dressing and all of the other ingredients. Stir gently until well combined. If you prefer an even creamier pasta salad, don’t hesitate to add just a bit more ranch dressing if you have it (or just add a little mayo mixed with garlic and onion powder). Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon just before serving, if desired. 

*Bacon crumbles not pictured.