Henri Cartier -Bresson

S'mores

This recipe has been shared on a couple of other blogs and I was curious to try it out and the result was perfection. What a treat to have gooey s'mores in the dead of winter! It was so easy that I felt I had cheated not waiting for my marshmallow to cook on a toasty fire.

What you will need:
Graham Crackers
Marshmallow Fluff
Candy melts or quick coating chocolate

 Melt the chocolate in a  double boiler or if you don't have one set an oven proof glass bowl in a sauce pan that has a little bit of water, making sure the bowl is a little bigger so its not sitting on the bottom of the pan.

While the chocolate is melting spread a generous layer of the marshmallow creme on half of a graham cracker and the top with the other half. I would recommend splitting the crackers in to fourths if serving for a party (the half was pretty messy to eat).

Once chocolate is melted dip the graham cracker/marshmallow sandwich into the chocolate coating almost all but leaving enough empty so you can still hold on to it. Cool in the fridge to set the chocolate for about 10 minutes or if its the winter you can pop them outside real quick!

Goat Cheese Bruschetta

1 baguette or loaf of crunchy bread
4 tomatoes diced
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon each of basil, black pepper, parsley and salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 package of goat cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375*
Combine all the ingredients except the cheese in an oven safe pan. Roast for approximately 35 t0 40 minutes.
Slice baguette on an angle to make 1/3 of inch thick slices and place on a baking sheet.
Spread a generous layer of goat cheese on each slice. When tomatoes have finished cooking and slightly cooled, top each slice evenly, top with Parmesan cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.

Fruit and Granola Smoothies

1 container of your favorite yogurt ( I love greek yogurt but I find regular yogurt makes for a better smoothie)
1 cup of mixed frozen fruit such as blueberries strawberries bananas and mango
(when fruit is on sale I freeze it all together in baggies so I can just dump the bag right in)
1/2 cup ice
1/2 cup to 1 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of granola

Combine all ingredients except granola in blender. Blend until smooth adding more juice if needed. Depending on how well your blender works you may have to sop a few times and mix it with a spoon.
Serve smoothie topped with granola

Chocolate Banana Faux Ice Cream

This is a quick recipe if you're one of those people like me, who buy bananas and then let them go bad before you eat them...I always just stick mine in the freezer for breads or pancakes but I wanted something different and a bit easier.

Ingredients
4 Frozen Bananas
1/4 cup milk
2 tbs of vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs hot chocolate mix
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 chocolate chips or a couple pieces of a chocolate bar

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth. Freeze for about 2 to 3 hours then serve!

*Add peanut butter for an extra kick!

Pumpkin Cookies

Is it too early to be thinking about pumpkins and cider? Well with the temperature barely hitting 60 today I decided it would be fine. I made this recipe last fall and we couldn't keep our hands off them. This heavenly treat is almost a cross between cake and cookie. 


Ingredients

1 medium egg

             

2 cups flour

1 cup each of: Butter, Sugar, Pumpkin

1 teaspoon each of: Baking powder, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

Cream sugar and butter /Add pumpkin then egg and vanilla/Add dry ingredients

Bake @ 350F for about 10-12 minutes.

Cookies will be soft almost cake like. Can be topped with icing or confectioners sugar!

          

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

I have been craving some spicy style buffalo sauce and thought what's a better way to enjoy them other than just wings? So I decided to make a wrap. Served with all your favorite toppings such as, ranch, blue cheese some celery sticks and a ice cold beer this spicy wrap will surely fix any cravings. 

Ingredients-yields 4 servings

§  1 Package of chicken strips or boneless chicken breast that you cut into strips

§  ¼ cup canola oil

§  ¼ cup buttermilk or any milk

§  1 cup flour

§  1 teaspoon minced garlic

§  1 ½ teaspoon each of cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder and pepper

§  1 cup + teaspoon of Franks RedHot Sauce

§  ¼ cup BBQ sauce

§  ¼ tbs butter

§  Tortillas

§  3 leafs of romaine lettuce

§  shredded cheese of choice or blue cheese

§  Ranch

Directions

Cut chicken in to desired strip size. Mine were about inch to inch and half long. Combine chicken, oil, ½ teaspoon each of the seasonings, garlic and a teaspoon of Franks RedHot.

Refrigerate for 15mins. After 15mins, drain a little of the oil and add buttermilk and refrigerate for another 15 mins.

In the meantime combine flour and rest of seasonings. Then add a little milk to the flour while stirring to create a lumpy but still loose mixture to coat the chicken in. Dredge the strips in the mixture.

Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low to medium You want it to be hot enough to sizzle and cook the chicken strips, careful not too hot or will burn.

Add chicken to oil a few at a time and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, looking for that golden brown color.

Carefully remove strips on to a paper towel lined plate. After all the chicken is fried, I like to get it extra crispy and keep it warm by placing it on a sheet pan in 275* oven.

Combine Franks RedHot Sauce, BBQ sauce and butter in a sauce pan. Simmer until combined and warm. Pour over cooked chicken strips. Fill tortilla with chicken strips, lettuce, cheese and ranch or any other toppings you like. Serve with celery sticks.