Friday, October 30, 2015

Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Bark



Believe it or not, I sometimes make food based upon color. Now, I'm not talking about finding a colorful dish to boost a dinner to which I often refer as a Salute to White - chicken, mashed potatoes, and cauliflower, that can only be saved by a Buick-sized piece of parsley. No, I'm talking about matching a dish to the colors of an event such as red for Christmas or Valentine's Day, pastels for Easter, and harvest colors for Thanksgiving. In my case, I wanted something to reflect the colors of the Missouri Tigers football team to serve at a gaming event. (The apple didn't fall far from the tree. My mother used to buy Jelly Belly® jelly beans in colors to match her room decor. I am not kidding!)

I found those colors while paging through the new book Sally's Candy Addiction (You can see my full review
here.) and as I had a bag of peanut butter chips lurking in the pantry, and always keep a cement-sized sack of chocolate chips on hand, decided to make it. Talk about minimum effort for maximum taste (and cute to boot), everyone loved this delicious candy. Stirring peanut butter into the chips gave them a wonderful peanut butter flavor, creating a bark that was almost addicting. If you're looking for a sweet treat that you can serve in a hurry, give this recipe a try. 
Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Bark
From Sally’s Baking Addiction

8 oz. (227g) semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used chocolate chips)
1 cup (170g) peanut butter chips
1.   T. creamy peanut butter

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat; set aside.

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate (in the microwave at half power, stirring every 20 seconds until smooth, about 2 minutes); set aside.

Combine peanut butter chips and peanut butter in a heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave at 50% power in 15- to 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until completely smooth and melted.

Pour chocolate onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading with a rubber spatula into a smooth layer. Drizzle melted peanut butter mixture in parallel lines on top of the chocolate. Run a toothpick or knife through the two layers to form swirls.

Allow the bark to set completely in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes. Once hardened, break into pieces as large or a small as you want.

Print Recipe

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Thursday, October 29, 2015

Skulls & Bones Tablescape


I am embracing neutrals with a pop of color this Halloween. As you may recall from previous posts, I am often inspired by fabric and this year was no different. This MODA Haunted Gala Halloween fabric was the inspiration for this year’s spooky table for two.
I purchased the skull plates during a summer outing with a posse of neighborhood women that you can read about here.
They pretty much set the tone for the table, so for a centerpiece, I used skull vase filler from Pottery Barn.
Placemats and “Spice Route” dinner plates from Pier One form a nice basis for tasty goodies.
For a pop of color I used deep red wine glasses from Crate and Barrel, hanging a little skeleton off of each one.
The ravens are from Decor Steals (one of my favorite purchases) and are put to use throughout the house all year long. They look perfect here, I think.
I bought the little skeleton hand cupcake toppers to grace cupcakes for the season, but then never got around to making them (sheesh!) so used them on top of the napkins.
The flatware is from Pottery Barn and I let it go for a number of months without polishing to provide a decrepit look for the table (that’s’ my story and I’m sticking to it!).


 
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