She's Here!

This past Thursday, Mr. Vittles and I got a little surprise...

'Mini Smalls' came 3 weeks early!

I would like to introduce to you the newest member of our family- Mara Melissa.  She was born at 2:44PM on October 25, 2012, 6 lbs 7 oz and 19 inches.

To sum it up- I'm hopelessly in love.  She is pretty much the sweetest thing I have ever laid eyes on.

So... despite the fact that Hurricane Sandy is upon us and is devastating the coastal areas around us...

Despite the fact that I've hardly slept in days...

Despite the fact that I only ended up with three days off of work to 'rest & prepare' for Mara's arrival...

And despite the fact that and I only cooked two of the freezer meals on my list (ha ha) .. life is extraordinarily good :)

I will post more soon when things calm down.  I also have two really fun guest posts coming up, which I am so excited about!  

Until then... all my fellow east-coasters (especially those of you at the Jersey Shore) - be safe in this storm! 

Countdown to Mini Smalls

Today was my last day of work before maternity leave.

It's so weird to think I won't be going back there for months.  It's also weird to think of all the changes that will take place in our lives during that time.

Mini Smalls is due November 14, and time has been flying.  She will be here before we know it!

I think the nesting phase has officially set in - I can't stop going over my mental list of things I want to do.  I even dream about it at night.  As one of my coworkers put it, "Oh yeah, soon enough you'll be washing the walls in your house."

Aside from apparently wall-washing, one of the bullet points on my list is to prepare some make-ahead meals that I can freeze and reheat later when we're zombies.

I have been perusing other blogs for inspiration, and here are some of my favorite ideas that I can't wait to try.  Do you have any good freezer recipes to suggest?

image from Ring Around the Rosies

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken from Ring Around The Rosies

image from Skinny Taste

Spinach Lasagna Rolls from Skinny Taste

image from Make Ahead Meals

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes from Make Ahead Meals

image from Emma Christensen

Make-Ahead Calzones from The Kitchn

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Bread

So I've been all about the easy stuff lately, at least when it comes to the kitchen.

At the grocery store, I recently found this refrigerated, roll-out pizza crust with whole grains- which I am super excited about!  It's by Pillsbury, called Artisan Pizza Crust.

Ok ok, I know it's still not as good (or good for you) as homemade, but at least it's a slightly healthier, convenient option.

Now somewhere deep in the dusty annals of my brain lay a recollection of this taco ring that we made in Home Ec in high school, where we braided dough around a meat & cheese filling.

Do not ask me how I remembered this, considering I have to write myself notes to remind myself of pretty much everything these days - but I did.

That, in turn, gave me the idea to do a braided stuffed bread.  And what better to stuff bread with than buffalo chicken and cheese (especially when your husband is Mr. Vittles?)

By the way, I apologize for the atrocious photos - it's not that I'm regressing back to the early days of V&B, but rather that I made this for dinner and there was zero natural light available.  And the aforementioned lazy factor prevented me from getting out my special indoor light.

So deal, ok?  You get the idea.

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Bread

• 1 can refrigerated roll-out pizza crust (I recommend Pillsbury Artisan crust)
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked & shredded
• 1 T. butter
• 1 t. garlic, minced
• 1/2 C. Frank's Red Hot sauce (or hot sauce of your choosing)
• 1/4 C. blue cheese dressing
• 3/4 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg white, beaten
• sesame seeds, for garnishing (optional)

Unroll pizza crust onto a cookie sheet that's been greased or lined with nonstick foil.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place shredded chicken in a large bowl.  In a small frying pan, melt butter over medium heat until foaming.  Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds until fragrant.  Pour butter mixture over chicken in bowl, and add hot sauce.  Mix well to coat chicken evenly.

Turn the cookie sheet with the crust so the short side is facing you.  Evenly distribute chicken mixture down the middle of the crust, vertically.  Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, make a horizontal cut in the middle of each side of the crust, to within a 1/2" of the filling.

You will now have 4 squares of crust surrounding the chicken.  In the very middle of each of those squares, make another cut to within a 1/2" of the filling.  You will now have a total of 8 strips surrounding the chicken.

In the center of each of those strips, make another cut to within a 1/2" of the chicken so that you have a total of 16 strips (8 on each side of the chicken).  See diagram below (the tan color is crust, the peach is the chicken, and the dotted lines are the cuts you need to make):

Once you have all the cuts completed, drizzle top of chicken with blue cheese dressing.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Then, using two hands, alternate pulling the strips across filling to cover.  At the ends of the braid, pinch any holes together so none of the filling comes out.

Brush the beaten egg white over the top of your braid, and sprinkle with sesame seeds (if desired).  Bake in preheated oven 12-15 minutes, or until top is browned.  Let sit 5 minutes on sheet before cutting and serving.  Serves 4.

Original Recipe

Coconut Blondies

I'm beginning to think there needs to be at least 4 more hours in the day.

I am still working full-time, and at 34 weeks pregnant I feel like have so many things I want to do to prepare for the baby.

Plus, be social with friends & family.  Maybe relax & watch a TV show.

Blog.  Bake some coconut blondies.

Hmm what else... oh yeah, SLEEP.  That is, if I could get comfortable, which is nearly impossible these days with the raging heartburn and feeling like I can't breathe.  (My father reads this occasionally so allow me to clarify - not in a 'hospitalization required' sort of way, Dad.  It's normal for us preggos to feel a bit winded, things are getting awfully crowded in there so that means the ol' lungs can't expand like they used to.)

But oh well, I guess it's all just preparing me for the ZERO sleep I'll probably be getting in a matter of weeks!

I'm starting to rethink this 4 hours though - maybe we should go with an extra 6 or 8 hours in the day, just to be safe?

Coconut Blondies

1 C. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3/4 C. packed light brown sugar
1/3 C. (5 T.) butter, softened
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 C. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 C. sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter and vanilla extract until creamy.  Beat in egg.  Gradually beat in flour mixture until combined and no flour streaks remain.

Stir in morsels and coconut.  Press into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack, then into bars.  Makes 16 bars.

Recipe Slightly Adapted from Nestle Very Best Baking

Chewy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars

This past week has been amazing and crazy and wonderful.

Between a visit from my best friend Lauren & her family, and my baby shower on Sunday, I got to see (almost) all of my favorite people in the world.

(I don't have any pics from the baby shower yet though, so that is To Be Continued!)

Lauren and her husband are both managers at her mother's restaurant (Fire Island Grille) in Myrtle Beach, so  unfortunately they were only able to stay until Saturday.  But I was SO excited to see them, and their son Holt!

I know I go on and on about him every time I get to see him, but I think Holt might honestly be one of the most low-key toddlers I've ever met.  Mr. Vittles and I were shocked at how "chill" he is for being 22 months old.

On Thursday night, the 5 of us watched the Giants slaughter beat the Panthers.  Holt sat on the edge of the couch, with his arm up on the armrest, and 'talked' to Mr. V for at least 3 minutes straight - mostly gibberish of course, but complete with hand gestures and expressive faces to drive his points home.

Needless to say, he had us all cracking up.

On Saturday morning, we got to have a little high school reunion with our girlfriends Vanessa and Mary, and their husbands.  Mary also has a 22-month old named Bryce (born just a week before Holt) who is adorable, and it was so awesome to see the kids play together!

We ladies also had fun 'playing' together ;)

So anyway... about these granola bars.  Usually when I have house guests, I like to make special food.  But at 32 weeks preggo, I didn't feel much like spending a lot of time in the kitchen!  I did, however, make a loaf of pumpkin bread, and also these granola bars.

The last time Lauren and Tyler visited us, Tyler loved the Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies and ate most of the batch himself.

This time it was the Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars that stole his heart.  Lauren told me that while I was at work, he ate 3 the first morning they were there.  So she ever-so-gently reminded him that I probably "slaved" in the kitchen to make those while he was just devouring half the batch in one sitting.

He shrugged & said "They're really good."

Luckily, I hardly slaved over them ... and I love that he loved them!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars

• 1/4 C. butter
• 1/4 C. honey
• 1/3 C. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 C. creamy peanut butter
• 2 C. quick cooking oats {not to be confused with rolled oats!}
• 1 C. crispy rice cereal
• 1/2 C. coarsely crushed pretzels
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 2 T. mini chocolate chips

Line an 8x8 square pan with foil, and grease foil with nonstick spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir oats, rice cereal, and pretzels together.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, honey, and brown sugar together over medium high heat until mixture comes to a bubble.  Reduce the heat and add the peanut butter; cook 2 more minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, pour in vanilla and stir.

Pour peanut butter mixture over dry ingredients, and mix to coat evenly.  Using a spatula, empty contents of bowl into prepared pan, and pack the mixture into the pan very tightly.  You really want to press them down so they stick together.  Sprinkle top of bars with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly (& quickly before they start to melt!)

Cool to room temperature for two hours, or until the chocolate chips are set.  Lift out of pan using the edges of the foil, and cut into 8 bars.  Stack bars between layers of waxed paper, and store in airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe Adapted from Lauren's Latest (who adapted from Rachael Ray)

Pumpkin Pie Frappe... In The Raw

Is it just me, or is anyone else done with summer?

Maybe it's because I'm currently lugging around a 2 1/2-pound watermelon in my stomach, but I am totally over this season.

It doesn't help that Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, and I probably got a taste of it too early going up to Canada a few weeks ago. I want it to be here NOW!

I want cool, crisp air. I want jeans and sweatshirts. I want fallen leaves and apple-picking.

I want PUMPKIN SPICE!

Who's with me on that?

I recently applied through BlogHer to review In The Raw sugar, and when I was looking at their collection of amazing recipes, I noticed all the fall-themed ones were jumping out at me.

So naturally, I had to make the Pumpkin Pie Frappe ... which totally lives up to its name, and gets me even more excited for the upcoming season change!

Is it wrong that I want to swim in this creamy, pumpkiny goodness?

But in all seriousness - for those of you who are regular readers, hopefully you know by now that I'm very picky about my reviews. Making money off of a hobby is great, but that's not why I blog, and I would never personally endorse a company, product, or recipe I didn't truly like.

So that being said, I highly recommend checking out In The Raw's products. Like me, you've probably seen their sugar and Stevia packets in coffee shops and the like, but did you know that these products are also offered in bulk for baking and cooking?

Check out the lineup of goodies I received from In The Raw, which included their all-natural Turbinado sugar, organic agave nectar, and zero-calorie Stevia. So fun!

In all honesty, I was a strictly-white sugar type of gal until a couple years ago when I was diagnosed with a hormone imbalance; it puts me at a higher risk for diabetes if I'm not mindful about my carb intake. So at that point, I started looking into less-refined sugars and sugar alternatives and was pleasantly surprised to find out there are some really great options available.

For one, Stevia is the only low-calorie sweetener that I actually enjoy - I think it tastes the closest to 'regular' sugar, and I love that it's natural, not made from chemicals.

Agave nectar is great too because it's slightly sweeter than sugar, so you can use less, and it has a lower glycemic index. (In The Raw's Agave is also organic, so that's a bonus!)

But if all that health stuff doesn't tickle your fancy ... I recently discovered that In The Raw has this hilarious Au Natural In The Raw app that will 'censor' your sassy food photos.

Yep you heard me right. You can blur out your goodies', umm ... goodies?

In the age of 'pinning' and 'food porn' sites, one of the most fun things about baking is sharing your creations via photo. And now your hottest desserts can go "au natural" on the internet... without fear of showing too much!

How cute is that?? To view other photos or make your own, just visit hotintherawaction.com (and perhaps warn your significant other first, in case they see the site in your browser history - ha!)

And if that wasn't enough fun for you ... In The Raw is also giving you all a chance to win a $100 Cooking.com gift card! Entering is easy peasy, just visit the recipe section of their website, and leave a comment on this post telling me which recipe you'd most like to make.

Official Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

"b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the

following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post"

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/10/12-9/30/12.

Please also be sure to visit the In The Raw brand page on BlogHer, where you can read other bloggers' posts and get more chances to win.

In the meantime... bring on the pumpkin spice!

Pumpkin Pie Frappe

• 1/3 C. canned pumpkin puree*
• 1/4 C. Sugar In The Raw®
• 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 t. ground allspice
• 1 C. whole milk
• 4 C. vanilla ice cream (slightly softened)
• Grated nutmeg for garnish

Combine all the ingredients in an electric blender and blend until smooth. Serve in frosted glasses and garnish with the nutmeg. Makes 4 servings, about 3 1/2 cups.

*Be aware that there is a difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie canned mix. The pumpkin puree works best for this recipe.

Note: The frappe can be stored in the freezer if not serving immediately. The consistency will be like soft ice cream.

Recipe from In The Raw

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies

This past weekend we celebrated Mr. Vittles' cousin Devon's birthday.

Devon is awesome.  She's incredibly smart (a nurse practitioner), funny, charmingly OCD, and she has the nicest handwriting I've ever seen.

I wish I had a sample to show you.  Then again, maybe that's for the better, because you'd just be super jealous. (Trust me.)

For such a tiny thing though, she loooves food... and wine.  See Exhibit A:

I asked her mom, the hostess of the party, what we could contribute to the celebration- and apparently Devon requested I bake cookies.

Naturally, I was more than happy to comply.

Her mom hinted that she likes dark chocolate, so I knew it was the perfect time to test out these brownie cookies I bookmarked a while back.  I used dark chocolate morsels, threw in some peanut butter chips for good measure, and these bad boys did not disappoint.

They're really chocolaty and chewy like a brownie, but with the portability of a cookie.

Because let's face it - once birthday girls blow out their candles & eat their cake/pie, they need to make the rounds to their adoring fans!  They can't be bogged down with plates and napkins... it's all about the grab & go, baby.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies 

• 1/2 C. (1 stick) butter, cut in 4 pieces
• 4 1-oz. unsweetened chocolate baking squares, chopped
• 1 10-oz. bag dark chocolate morsels, divided
• 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 C. sugar
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 C. peanut butter chips (I like Reese's brand)

Combine butter, unsweetened chocolate, and 1 1/2 cups of the dark chocolate morsels in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter and chocolate melt; cool.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to  350° F.  Line baking sheet(s)* with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until combined; set aside.

In large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, beating well.  Add melted chocolate mixture and beat well.  Stir in remaining dark chocolate morsels (about 1/3 C.) and all of the peanut butter chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake 10 minutes in preheated oven. Cool slightly on baking sheets (2-3 minutes), then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

*Note: You can bake two sheets at once, just be sure to adjust your oven's racks to the top & bottom third and you switch the sheets halfway through baking (move the one on the bottom to the top & vice versa) so they bake evenly.

Recipe Adapted from Southern Living Best Loved Cookies, Oxmoor House 2009

Red Velvet Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Sometimes... things just don't work out the way you want them to in the kitchen.

Especially when you're 26 weeks pregnant, and preggo brain is in full effect.

So this past Friday morning, my stepdad Chris married his beautiful girlfriend of 2 years, Janice.  (This may sound strange to anyone reading for the first time- so just to explain, a) my mom passed away a few years ago and b) I lived with my stepdad since I was about 5, he and I are very close).

Chris & Janice had a really nice, quaint ceremony with some close family & friends on the beach early in the morning, and then invited everyone back to their house for breakfast.

Naturally, I wanted to bring some type of food to share, and I settled on muffins.

I know that one of Janice's favorites is red velvet, so my first thought was red velvet muffins.

However, after a quick search online, I didn't find many recipe choices.  I toyed with the idea of making my own, but I was concerned that creating something totally new had too much potential to backfire on me.

So I eventually decided I better stick with a more traditional recipe, and settled on lemon poppy seed muffins.  Easy peasy, right?

Right.

That is.... until your muffins are busy baking and you realize, OMG I have no recollection of cracking or mixing eggs, and there were definitely supposed to be two in the recipe.

Yep.  Completely forgot the eggs.

The muffins were still edible, and honestly they weren't even that bad without eggs.  But still, I felt like this mistake could not be my only contribution to their celebratory breakfast.

I might have just made another batch of the same thing... if I hadn't used all my poppy seeds in the eggless muffins.

Ahh!

So to sum things up... I picked a tried & true recipe as the "safe bet," only to end up screwing it up and making the red velvet ones anyway.

I was definitely a little nervous putting the red velvet batch in the oven, because the batter is a little more moist than a traditional muffin batter.  I had also envisioned the cream cheese filling staying closer to the top, but I guess since it was heavier than the batter, it sunk to the middle.

But despite my concerns, all in all I would call these a success.  I did have to sacrifice one for Mr. Vittles and me to taste test, just to make sure I wasn't poisoning anyone.  But we enjoyed them, and the guests who tried them seemed to as well.

They're nowhere near as fun (or as sweet) as a cupcake, so don't get your hopes up - this is still breakfast, people!  But if you're looking for something different, these could fit the bill.

Also, don't worry if cream cheese isn't your thing - you can just omit the filling.  I made a few plain ones to see how they'd come out, and to me they tasted just as good.

More importantly... congratulations to Janice and Chris :)  Mr. V and I were so happy to be a part of their special day, and wish them many years of love and laughter together!

Red Velvet Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

Muffins:

• 1 3/4 C. + 2 T. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C. sugar
• 2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C. canola oil
• 1 C. buttermilk
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1 T. red food coloring

Filling:

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1/4 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or coat with non-stick spray; set aside.

Make filling: In medium bowl, add cream cheese, yolk, sugar, and vanilla.  On low speed, mix filling ingredients until well-combined and no lumps remain.  Set bowl aside.

Make muffins: In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to combine. In separate medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring until combined.

Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in liquid mixture. Fold ingredients in with rubber spatula until just combined - do not overmix.

Divide batter evently amongst prepared muffin cups. Place a rounded tablespoon of cream cheese filling in the middle of each cup.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until tops look lightly browned & no longer 'wet.'  Let sit in pans briefly until cool enough to handle, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Makes 12 muffins.

Original Recipe

Gooey S'mores Bars

Sooo... I know I've been MIA again lately and I'm sorry.

Mr. Vittles and I have been super busy.  I just feel like there are not enough hours in the day!

Bad news out of the way first - my grandmother has unfortunately been ill this week, so I've spent a most of my evenings with her and my aunt at the hospital.  Unfortunately they don't know what is causing her issues yet, but she's been a trooper!  Hopefully we will get a resolution to that soon, and she'll be feeling better.

On a lighter note, I finally got my act together and started checking out baby stuff for my registry.

Holy time-consuming.

I have been talking to moms & soon-to-be-moms, poring over websites, reading reviews, and adding & deleting items for hours on end.  

And I'm still... not... done.

Soooo different from doing my wedding registry!  That was incredibly easy.  Mr. V and I had lived together for a while and acquired a lot of stuff, so I was mostly concerned with one thing - what do I want?

This is totally different.  Now I need to think about what I need, what's good, and what's safe.  

Or more like find out what I need, what's good and what's safe because let's face it - I HAVE NO IDEA!  (So feel free to leave me any comments telling me things you couldn't live without with your kids/friends' kids/family member's kids/whatever - I welcome suggestions!)

Aside from that, we also went away for a long weekend to my mother & father in-laws' vacation home on the St. Lawrence River in Canada.  Their place is in the Thousand Islands, and you can only get to it by boat.  

They already had a full house of 8 guests (5 adults & 3 kids), but still welcomed us and two of our friends!  The house (while adorable) is not overly big, but it sleeps a lot of people - so it worked out great.  Never a boring moment, AND we all got a bed - best of both worlds!

I wish I had pictures, but you'll have to take my word for it - the area is just so beautiful and relaxing.  

And we had so much fun!  I was really reveling in the cool air, outside shower, fun conversation, and delicious foods.

One night we sat around a fire and made s'mores.  Well, actually the kids made s'mores, and the adults just mostly ate toasted marshmallows.  

Know why?  

Because as delicious as s'mores may be, they are also very messy.

Enter gooey s'mores bars.  These are actually a little messy too, but not nearly as bad as a real s'more.  Plus you don't need a fire, which is pretty convenient if you're not camping or at your in-laws' awesome river house.

I'll be honest though - Mr. Vittles didn't seem to be a fan of these bars.  He didn't say they were bad or anything, he just wasn't overly impressed.  

I disagree.  Although I'll admit, I thought it would be a good idea to add a layer of 1/2 cup of Nutella between the chocolate bars and fluff, but unfortunately you could barely taste it with everything else.  (This is not in the recipe below since, in my mind, it was not worth it - but feel free to try it for yourself.)

I did also get really worried at one point that I didn't have enough of the graham cracker dough left for the top, to hold the insides together.  But once it was all baked & cooled it was totally fine.  So if this happens to you too, have no fear.  I thought these were great, and I give the original recipe two thumbs up!  

Apparently my co-workers did too, because once I realized Mr. V wasn't eating them I brought a plate of these into work...

...and they were gone by noon.  

Now mind you, I get into work a half hour earlier than most people in my office and I just left the plate in the kitchen without saying a word to anyone.  So people didn't even know what they were or where they came from - and they still ate them all.

Although... not sure if that says a lot for the bars, or just not much for my coworkers?  

Maybe a combination of both :)

Gooey S'mores Bars

• 1/2 C. butter, room temperature
• 1/4 C. brown sugar
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/3 C. whole wheat flour (or you can use all-purpose flour instead)
• 1 C. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C. graham cracker crumbs
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s), trimmed to fit 8x8 pan
• 1 7-oz jar marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, beat butter & brown sugar until light & fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until dough forms.

Press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough - cut or break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer. Then, using the back of a spatula sprayed with non-stick spray, spread marshmallow creme over chocolate bars. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (*see note below).  

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.  Makes 16 bars.

*Note: Easiest way to do this is to flatten pieces of the dough and shape into small rectangles, then lay them on top of marshmallow layer. Pinch the dough pieces together to make a solid top piece).

Recipe Adapted Slightly from Lovin' from the Oven, as seen on Wit & Whistle

Citrus Sherbert

So I've been wanting to share with you all some very special news...

Mr. & Mrs. Vittles have a proverbial bun in the oven!

I'm about to be 23 weeks, and we just found out this past week that it's a baby GIRL!

She was a little shy at my 20-week ultrasound, so we had to go back two weeks later.

(Being difficult already!)

But we are super excited to be having a baby, and are so lucky that everything has been normal and right on track thus far.

Aside from some tiredness (and insane hunger) in my first trimester, I've honestly felt really good this whole time.

And even though I'd of course be thrilled either way, as my pregnancy has gone on I found myself hoping it was a girl.

Mr. Vittles' nickname for me is "Smalls" (like, "You're killin' me, Smalls!" from The Sandlot?)  So early on, he nicknamed our munchkin Mini Smalls.

Now it seems especially appropriate :)

On a more serious note though, I know what kind of special bond I had with my own mom (who passed away almost 3 years ago) and I feel so blessed that I'll have my own daughter to share that with.

My due date is November 14 - which just happens to be two days before her birthday.  Somehow I feel like she has been with me every step of the way!

Like me, my grandmother was also an only child, and I know she had a very special connection to her mother (who passed away just a few weeks after my mom was born, in 1954).

my grandmother, as a little girl, with her parents

I told you last year how I was so honored when Grammy gave me her mother's recipe box, and I found some really neat recipes- like the Easy Chocolate Pudding.

And as I mentioned in that post, I also discovered that my great-grandmother loved the flavor orange... a very high proportion of the total recipes involved oranges in some way!

But the one that intrigued me most was for Orange Sherbert.  

I've made a lot of ice cream, but never sherbert!  However, I thought this recipe perhaps needed a little more... er, instructions.

And since I love grapefruit, I also decided to do a mixture of juices.

What can I say?  I guess I just can't leave well-enough alone!

(A trait Mr. V has no doubt been enjoying for the past 5 years.  Can't wait to bug our child with it too.  Hehe!)

Citrus Sherbert

•  2/3 C. sugar

•  1/2 C. water

•  1/2 C. orange juice, at room temperature

•  1/2 C. grapefruit juice, at room temperature

•  1 T. lemon juice

•  1/2 C. heavy cream

•  3/4 C. lowfat milk 

•  1 t. vanilla

•  2 T. good quality vodka (optional, but it helps a lot with the consistency if you are planning on freezing the mixture)

In medium saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat.  Stir to dissolve sugar, then continue to boil 7-8 minutes longer until mixture thickens.

Add room-temperature orange, grapefruit, and lemon juices and stir well to combine.  (It’s important that the juice is room temperature and not cold, otherwise the sugar syrup will instantly harden.)  

Cool to room temperature, and pour into a large coverable container or bowl.  Add cream, milk, and vanilla, and stir to combine.  Cover and chill at least 30 minutes in refrigerator, then transfer to bowl of an ice cream maker.

Freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.*  If using vodka, add it a few minutes before the mixture is done churning.   Serve from container for soft consistency, or transfer sherbert to a coverable, freezer safe container and freeze.  Makes a little less than a quart. 

*Note: There is also a method if you don’t have an ice cream maker (or you're like me and forgot to freeze the canister) – complete all steps prior to freezing mixture in ice-cream maker.  Instead pour into an 8” square glass pan and freeze about 25 minutes.  Remove from freezer and stir well, scraping up the ice that’s forming and incorporating it into the still-liquid parts.  Continue stirring every 20-30 minutes for the next couple of hours.  Then transfer to coverable, freezer-safe container and freeze until ready to serve.

Recipe Adapted from Family Recipe (Origin Unknown)

Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken

So... originally this post was supposed to be Homemade Ginger Ale.

And then when that tasted like crap, it was supposed to be something else (which I won't tell you, because there's hope for that yet).

However, I will tell you it involved an ice cream maker - which originally I couldn't use because I forgot to put the canister in the freezer.  So I put it in overnight... and then our power went out early this morning.

But then it came back on, and I (mistakenly) thought the canister was ready so I got the ice cream maker going - and it ended up just doing a really thorough job of mixing everything, because the canister wasn't actually frozen.

ARGH.

So... Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken it is!

This is a great recipe for when it's really hot out and you don't want to turn on your oven.  (Like yesterday here in NJ... it's never good when you look at the weather forecast and see "High 103").

I believe you could also set it on low in the morning and it will be ready for dinner when you get home from work.

Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken 

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 1/4 C. ketchup
• 1/4 C. brown sugar 
• 1 T. + 1 t. Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 T. + 1 t. soy sauce
• 2 T. cider vinegar 
• 2 T. chipotle sauce* (see notes below) 
• 1 t. molasses 
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 3/4 t. garlic powder

Place all sauce ingredients in slow cooker - stir to combine.  Add chicken breasts, nestling into sauce to coat.  Cook on high about 3 hours, or until chicken is cooked all the way through and beginning to fall apart.  Remove from chicken pieces from crockpot and shred with forks.  Replace in sauce, stir to coat, and cook an additional ten minutes.  Serve on potato hamburger buns, or other roll of your choosing.  Makes 6-8 sandwiches.

*Note: "Chipotle Crushed Sauce" is available in the Spanish foods section of many grocery stores, in a small squeezable bottle - the brand I have is Goya.  You also can substitute pureed canned chipotles in adobo sauce instead.  You may also adjust the amount of any of the above to your taste for spiciness; 2 T. of chipotle sauce gives this a little kick and adds smokiness. (If you can't find chipotle at all, you can also use red pepper flakes to taste).

Recipe Adapted from About.com

Greek Pasta Salad

Is it seriously the 4th of July in one week?

I'm not sure where summer is going, but I'll tell you one thing - I'm pretty bummed that July 4th is on a Wednesday.

This is not my freshman year of college, people.  I do not want to party in the middle of the week.  

Best-case scenario is when you get a three-day weekend with the holiday.  Second best would be at least a Tuesday or a Thursday, so you can take an extra day off and have a four-day weekend if you choose.

But a Wednesday?

Ugh.  What am I supposed to do with that?

Picnic & eat pasta salad?

Maybe... watch some fireworks?  And then it's basically BED TIME.  

Jeez.  It's difficult to properly celebrate America's independence when I have to get up the next day at 6AM.

But if the highlight of my holiday ends up being pasta salad, this is a good one to choose.

The homemade dressing is awesome, and with this recipe's method it doesn't all end up getting sucked into the pasta.  I also happen to love roasted red peppers, feta, and kalamata olives, so for me this is a no-brainer.  I bet diced cucumber would be great in this too.

Greek Pasta Salad

Dressing

• 6 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 T. red wine vinegar
• 3 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 large shallot clove, minced
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/4 t. ground black pepper

Salad  

• Salt
• 1 pound farfalle (bowtie) pasta
• 1 C. jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
• 8 ounces crumbled feta cheese (about 2 cups)
• 1 C. pitted kalamata olives (about 6 ounces), chopped coarse
• 1/2 C. minced fresh parsley leaves

For the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.

For the salad, bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta, and cook until completely tender. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander. Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl.

Stir the reserved pasta water into the dressing. Pour half of the dressing over the pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the roasted red pepper, feta, olives, and parsley.

To store, cover the pasta salad tightly with plastic wrap and poke several vent holes. Transfer the remaining dressing to an airtight container. Refrigerate the pasta salad and reserved dressing separately for up to 2 days.

To serve, shake the reserved dressing to recombine, then pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add the remaining dressing as needed to keep the salad moist.  Add more salt to taste, if necessary.

Recipe Adapted from Cooks' Illustrated