S’mores Clusters

 

S’mores were one of my favorite things as a kid. All I have to do is think of them, and I can hear a crackling fire, smell the wood smoke, and taste the singed marshmallows. I was thinking about them the other day, and wondering if I couldn’t treat them in a different type of way, making them easier and less messy, without compromising the taste. These simple clusters did the trick. There’s nothing to putting them together, the kids will certainly enjoy helping, and you can have that wonderful taste of summer at any time of the year.S’mores Clusters

1½ c. semisweet chocolate chips
½ c. white chocolate chips
½ c. broken graham crackers
2/3 c. miniature marshmallows*

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or a Silpat). 

Place both kinds of chips into a microwave safe bowl, and microwave in intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds. I found it took me one minute and 30 seconds to melt them into smooth chocolate.

When chocolate has melted, stir in graham crackers and marshmallows.  Drop onto your parchment paper, and allow a couple of hours to firm. If you’re in a rush, you can place them in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.  

 * If you’re feeling ambitious, you can spread the marshmallows out onto a foil-lined cookie sheet, and singe them with a kitchen torch in the same way in which you would caramelize sugar on top of crème brûlée. This would make them more authentic, but it’s also more work.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Decorating with lamps can be illuminating.

I tend not to be the kind of person who dwells on things, and I’m talking about loss. I tend to be the kind of person to buck up and carry-on, because life is just too short not to. But, during the month of December, I find I am really missing my mom. Mother loved Christmas. She shopped for people all year long, carefully considering their personalities, wants, needs, and senses of style when buying gifts. She was also the person to whom I would turn whenever I had a decorating dilemma. She would shoot from the hip, and tell me if my idea was a good one, or stank on ice.

So, my friends, I turn to you with a query… Is this too much? My builder, Joe, installed an electrical outlet beneath this (mother’s) table today. I was considering a light over the picture, and then remembered this pair of lamps that used to belong to my parents. I love the lamps with their tall bases and leather shades. I would like to use them somewhere, and am wondering if this is the place. It is a dark corner that needs illumination, but am I overdoing things here? What are your thoughts? Here are a couple of views from various angles to give you the lay of the land.

A final note, the table also belonged to my parents, and the silk floral arrangement stays. It was made for my mother by the daughter of a long-time family friend who was killed in an automobile accident the following week. Lots of feeling and sentimentality here, as in most of my house.

 Shine a light on my darkness. (Sorry, cheap shot, but I couldn’t resist.) ;-)

 

Nostalgic Holiday Sparkle

I still, occasionally, run into a box of my parents' things. Not too long ago I found the box of ornaments that my mother had used on her loft tree. Mother would put up a tree in every room of the house; each tree had a different theme and color. The loft tree was nostalgic and sparkled with gold. I decorated this tree with all of my mother's beautiful, long-collected ornaments, and, in doing so, relived those wonderful days of her legendary Christmas brunch, mounds of packages, rooms filled with candlelight and trees, and best of all, friends and family.

What is your favorite Christmas memory?

 

Making Cookies & Memories

It's December, and the holiday cookie baking frenzy has begun! In looking for inspiration, I was paging through my mother's old recipe binder and came across this little cookie book. Seeing this just made my heart swell. How I miss the glut of recipe books that used to be published by various companies by way of promoting their products. When I first set up housekeeping, these small company-produced cookbooks were pretty much all that I had. These, and a subscription to Good Housekeeping.

As I paged through this book, seeing my mother's check marks by certain recipes made me smile. Yes, I recognized the check marks as being hers. Always bold, always in pencil, and written with determination. The thing is, I don't recall her ever making any of the recipes that she had checked. I get that. When it comes to baking cookies, we all pretty much just want to stick with our favorites. Is there any disappointment greater than spending a half a day making cookies only to find them lacking?

Still, my curiosity is piqued, so I am going to make at least one of the recipes that she checked. I'll report back. Meanwhile, enjoy these vintage recipes and holiday baking tips. Despite its dated look, there is a lot of good information here.

 This post is linked to:

Great Idea Thursday

Create It Thursday

Think and Make Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Fridays Flash Blog

Friday Frenzy

Mom's Apple Crisp

Sometimes nostalgic thoughts wash over me like a warm bath. Such was the case last Sunday when I prepared a fruit and cheese tray to enjoy during one of the many football games that plague grace the Sunday lineup. I was thinking of just how well apples complement cheese, cheddar in particular, when I was suddenly back in my mother’s kitchen sneaking bits of topping from a warm apple crisp.

Like James Bond on a mission, I set out to find that recipe. It wasn’t easy. Dad wasn’t sure where it would be, my aunt and cousin hadn’t a clue, and I had looked through her recipe box to no avail. In desperation, I pulled out the recipe box again, and carefully went one-by-one through every recipe, unfolding those that had been folded in half or in quarters, and examined each carefully. There in the “Pork” section was the recipe.

So today, I decided to make it. Oh, how I wish my mother had been here to tell me the type of apples she used (Jonathon were her favorites, so I have to presume those), and just how thinly the apples should have been sliced.

Mine was good, but it wasn’t like my mom used to make. The topping was wonderful, so I was pleased with that, but the apples I’d sliced too thickly and they just didn’t have the same sweet, chewy, caramelisation that hers always did. I used her deep dish pie plate that probably wasn’t the best choice, but, really, who has a 6” x 10” pan? I didn’t even know they made those; as I recall, she made hers in an 8” x 8” pan. Clearly this will be a work in progress, and I’ll munch on the topping while pondering just what to do to improve the taste and texture of the apples. Stay with me, this isn’t over! In the meantime, if you cannot read my mother’s handwriting, here is the recipe if you'd like to give it a try.

Mom’s Apple Crisp

 4 cups sliced apples

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup sifted flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup rolled oats, uncooked

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place apples in greased 6” x 10” pan. Sprinkle with sugar.

For topping combine all ingredients, blend thoroughly, mixing until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of the apple mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve warm or cold with ice cream.
 

Print Recipe

Ready for the oven. Note the grated bits of Tillamook cheddar.

This post is linked to:

Great Idea Thursday

Full Plate Thursday

Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else