Reversed Rice Krispie Treats

I've been toying with an idea for a treat for a bit now and decided to give it a shot in honor of  Jessi from To Kiss The Cook's birthday party this weekend. 

For such an occasion, it seemed that a decadent dessert with a bit of crunch but an ultimately sweet and pillow-soft center was in order. For a time now I've had the idea of using my homemade marshmallow recipe to create an inside-out-rice krispies treat of sorts. So that exactly what I did.

I started by whipping up a batch of homemade marshmallows, following the original recipe exactly as written. Except, before I poured the marshmallow cream into the greased pan I sprinkled a thin, even layer of Rice Krispies along the bottom of the pan. After the cream was evenly spread, I sprinkled a second layer of krispies over the top. The the marshmallows are left to set overnight. 

The next day, the marshmallows are cut into squares. But instead of rolling them in powdered sugar, I rolled them in a big bowl of krispies. The sides and bottom of the marshmallows are pretty sticky when first cut, so the rice krispies adhere pretty well, but don't be afraid to get a little rough with the marshmallows to get them evenly coated. 

After their dusting in krispies, these Reversed Rice Krispie treats can be served as-is. And they're quite delicious this way. Very reminiscent of a everyone's favorite childhood treat, but just as you bite through the outer, crunchy layer, expecting a dense crunchy center you instead hit the pillow-soft, delightfully sweet marshmallow middle. Its unexpectedly soft and airy....and wonderful.

Of course, if you're the type of person that doesn't consider something a dessert unless it involves chocolate, a light drizzle of melted milk-chocolate can transform a playful-yet-light treat into something truly decadent. 

The great part about these treats is that they don't require baking. Sure, they need some time to set up (overnight), but otherwise your assembly time is pretty short and you don't have to heat up your whole kitchen by turning on the oven.....a huge advantage during the summer. 

And what a perfect summertime treat! A bite-size childhood favorite with a sweet, soft center. 

Dinner for One: Cold Peanut Noodles

I've been something of a single for the past few weeks. My JiT has been working extremely long hours and late nights (and weekends) on a big project. Although I support his hard work -- and even occasionally help him brainstorm -- I miss his company at night. 

On top of just missing him, this little arrangement has left me rather stumped for dinner ideas. Though he's often not home until after 11pm, he's often hungry when he gets here.  

As someone who considers it her duty to make sure her family is well-fed, I consider it unacceptable to simply shrug my shoulders when my husband walks in the door hungry...no matter what the time of night. So, I've been trying to plan dinners that reheat well or, even better, require no heating at all. Last week it was BLTs with cucumber and avocado slices. Tonight, cold peanut noodles with veggies. 

Made with whole grain pasta, colorful veggies and a sauce made with light peanut butter, this dish actually tastes better cold after its had a chance to sit in the fridge for a few hours (makes a great packed lunch too). Even better, it can be assembled in less than 30 minutes.

My JiT has at least another few late nights ahead, so if you've got any recipes that taste better as leftovers (or as a midnight snack), send them my way. 

Cold Peanut Noodles

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Serves 2

1/4 cup reduced fat creamy peanut butter (I like Jif)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

pinch red pepper flakes

6 ounces whole grain spaghetti

1/2 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced into thin sticks

1 green onion, diced

leaves from 3-4 sprigs fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds (optional)

In a large pot, bring water to a boil to cook pasta. While water is coming to a boil, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Set bowl aside.

Once water comes to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is about 3 minutes shy of being cooked, add in sliced onions and red peppers and cook until pasta is el dente. Drain pasta and veggies in a colander and rinse with cold water to bring to room temperature. 

Add cooked pasta and cooked veggies to the peanut sauce. Add in cucumber, green onions, cilantro and toasted sesame seeds and toss until evenly coated with the sauce. Serve immediately at room temperature or refrigerate and serve chilled. 

The Roving Retiree

My mother is a character. She is a retired former first-grade teacher who drives a yellow bug convertable, has a weakness for pink sunglasses and an almost endless schedule of activities.

As an excellent cook, an expert knitter, amazing party planner and absolutely fearless traveler she has long been my inspiration. And now she can be yours too...with some "technical assistance" from me, she has started a blog.

As The Roving Retiree she plans to share updates and tips from her many adventures...everything from weekly trips to her favorite knitting shop and experiences volunteering at home to her exciting travels. Most recently she spent 2 weeks in Charleston, SC and followed that up almost immedately by roadtripping with two of her friends on a quest to find "the world's greatest fried chicken." I think they went to Kansas?

I hope you'll take some time to visit her blog...or, share with your retired friends and family who might find inspiration in her stories. She'll also be tweeting soon as well and we'll follow up on how to follow her!

Asparagus Revisited

Now that spring in Chicago has (finally) officially started to sprong -- not a word, I know -- I've found myself happiliy recycling some of my favorite recipes using seasonal produce. This past weekend, I made my first farmer's market trip of the season and found myself inspired by the ginormous piles of freshly picked asparagus and bursting bags of spinach. Of course, in quantities that size its nice to have a go-to recipe for using up all those green things.

And while I'm all for trying new things, in some cases, tried and true recipes really are worth revisiting, even if they don't make for the most revolutionary blog fodder. So, today we're taking a trip down memory lane to pay homage to one of my absolute favorite, easy, healthy, yummy, springy recipes -- Asparagus and Spinach Pesto.

This recipe is a great way to use up all that lovely spring produce in a fun, expected way. The pesto sauce is bursting with flavor but it doesn't necessarily scream "Ha! You're Eating SPINACH!" which is nice if you've got a giant bag of the stuff in your fridge and your husband/roommate/children/friends are utterly sick of the stuff. Plus it freezes well which will make your life alot easier on some weeknight in your future. Just thaw and mix with hot pasta.

The original recipe, which is here, is pretty adaptable. You can substitute fresh basil for some or all of the spinach or asparagus if you'd like (and if your supermarket is like mine, they've probably started selling fresh basil in massive plastic tubs that cannot possibly be finished before they go bad unless you use them to make pesto so you'll thank me for that). Similarly, if you're running low on pine nuts, sub in some toasted almonds instead. Basically, just keep shoving stuff in your food processor until it seems "right" (techinical, I know).

I hope you're all enjoying the return of the sun, the farmer's markets and the prospect of summer as much as I am. With that in mind, I've got an action-packed schedule over the next few days with a book club night out and weekend travels, so please accept my early wishes for a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Coconut Banana and Saffron Sorbet

One of my very, very favorite wedding gifts came from my friend Jen Fry. Knowing that I am a sucker for frozen treats and for my Kitchenaid mixer, she gave us a gift that combined these two loves in one amazing package: the ice cream maker attachment for my mixer, along with a copy of The Perfect Scoop, a cookbook of ice cream and sorbet recipes from sweet-treat genius David Lebovitz. 

As soon as I was able to carve a space in the freezer large enough for the ice cream maker, I've been on a kick. First, it was Lebovitz's  Orange Rice Pudding Gelato, then his Blueberry Banana Sorbet. Tonight I'm thinking of tackling his Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet.

As a side note, the sherbet seems like a nice treat for my JiT who is working all weekend. I made my first trip to the farmer's market today and I've planned a menu of baby green salad with lemon vinaigrette, and two kinds of homemade pizza: asparagus, morel mushroom and carmelized onion; and spinach with crimini mushrooms and fresh pesto. The lemon-buttermilk sherbet, served with store-bought caramel sauce, will hopefully be a sweet but slightly refreshing end to his long Saturday at the office. 

But I've digressed. Back to the dessert at hand, which is the only one so far that I've invented all on my own. And boy am I proud of it! Sweet, smooth, refreshing and slightly tropical, my banana, coconut and saffron sorbet was so simple to make, I'm sort of shocked it actually turned out so well! I literally dumped the bananas in a bowl with a can of coconut milk, some sugar and a pinch of saffron threads and fired up the immersion blender. Toss the mixture in your ice cream maker and 20 minutes later you're in heaven. I could almost feel the island breezes and hear the steel drums of our honeymoon as I licked the creamy 'nana coconut goodness from my spoon.

One thing to keep in mind....consider the saffron optional. I happened to have it on-hand and tossed it in. But I suspect the banana coconut mixture would be quite delicious on its own, and since saffron is quite expensive, I don't want you to miss out on this experience just because of that one ingredient. Especially considering that the remaining ingredients are rather budget-friendly.  

Coconut, Banana and Saffron Sorbet

Makes about 4 cups

2 ripe medium bananas, peeled

1 can of unsweetened coconut milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 pinch saffron threads (5 or 6 threads)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend with a "stick" blender until the mixture is smooth, or use a regular blender to do the same thing. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturers instructions. Serve immediately or freeze for later. If freezing for later use, let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften before serving. The taste and texture are best when slightly softened. Enjoy!

Momma's Sugo and Lasagna -- Part 2

Just as I was starting to feel like a terribly hopeless slacker for taking 4 days to post Part 2 of our Spaghetti Sauce/Lasagna series, I recieved this ADORABLE piece of artwork from Rachel of I'm a Mom In Real Life. This might be the BEST endorsement one of my recipes has ever received...and what a great way to round out our lasagna post. Thank you to Diana for the rave review, and to her mom Rachel for sharing this adorable photo.

As the photo clearly illustrates, the sauce recipe is perfectly delicious poured over your favorite pasta, or on a meatball sandwich or a piece of bread...but it really does become something extra magical when baked into a traditional lasagna. And mine is about as traditional as it gets. Combining noodles, sauce and 3 kinds of cheese, this recipe is not for the faint of heart (or diet), but its perfect for a rainy Sunday, or for feeding a crowd (this is my mother's go-to recipe for feeding her ravenous son-in-laws)...and its even better served as leftovers, once the sauce has had a chance to really soak into the noodles.

The lasagna itself is quite simple to assemble and only requires the time it takes to cook the noodles and layer everything into the pan. Then an hour in the oven and its time to eat. If you don't feel like spending the entire day in the kitchen preparing the sauce, consider making the sauce the day before (though that might test your willpower), or...make your sauce in double batches and freeze half for later use. My grandma keeps a stockpile that could feed a village in an emergency. And what a happy village it would be ; )

Momma's Lasanga

Makes one large lasagna or 9x13 pan, which should feed at least 6

(or one JiT, my brother-in-law Mike and my 22 year old cousin Taylor after 3 hours of Wii)

1 cup part-skin ricotta cheese

2 Tbs. fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1 egg

1 lb. lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions and drained

1 recipe for Momma's sugo

6 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated romano cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a small dish, combine ricotta cheese, parsley and egg and mix until well blended. Set aside.

Using cooking spray or a bit of olive oil on a paper towel, lightly grease your baking dish. Then start the assembly by spreading about 1 ladel-ful of spaghettis sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer in 3 lasagna noodles to cover the bottom of the pan. Next add another ladel-ful of sauce and a few tablespoonfuls of ricotta and spread the mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with a handful of mozzarella and a dusting of romano cheese. This makes up your first "layer".

Continue layering the ingredients, starting with the noodles, then sauce, then cheeses until your layers are about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan, or you run out of noodles. Top the last layer of noodles with another coating of spaghetti sauce and cover that with an even layer of mozzarella and romano cheeses.

Place the baking dish in the center of the oven and bake for 1 hour, or until the top layer of cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. If the edges start to become too crisp or brown for your liking, feel free to cover with a sheet of foil during baking and remove during the last 5 minutes. I like my edges crunchy, so I leave it uncovered.

When cooked, remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. This is very important! If you don't let it rest, you'll have a gooey mess on your hands and you'll burn your tongue anyway, so be patient. Once rested, slice into squares and serve with extra sauce and romano cheese to pass.

Try to fight off the crowd and keep some leftovers for lunch the next day. You will thank me.

Momma's Sugo (Spaghetti Sauce) & Lasagna

Though it almost pains me to put up a new post and replace the lovely cupcake photo that received such an amazing outpouring of enthusiasm...its time to move on to other things. And this is a very, very good thing indeed.

Homemade lasagna made from my family's recipe. The picture does not...cannot...do this justice. Frankly, I'm not sure if anything could do this justice. This is the ultimate comfort food for me. It is the smell of home, of Sunday afternoons, of holidays, of my Grandma. Its basically every childhood memory...bathed in homemade sauce and baked under a heavy blanket of cheese.

I honestly have no idea why its taken me so long to get around to making this. I marvelled aloud to JiT that I'd been living in our condo for over a year and in all that time, and despite an arsenal of Mario Batali cookware thats been begging for this, I had yet to make "sugo" (Italian slang for simple spagetti sauce, pronounced "soo-goo"...at least in my family). Perhaps because my mom or my grandma make sugo...and usually lasagna and homemade meatballs virtually every time we go home, or perhaps because good sauce needs the better part of an entire day to simmer and meld flavors. Or maybe its because I went through 3 ENTIRE bags of mozzarella cheese whilst assembling the lasagna.

Or maybe because I knew that writing this post would bring out my sappy, poetic streak because writing about this stuff is like writing about my family. Its how I was raised and its who I am and I'm getting misty-eyed just thinking about it.

Whatever the reason, I finally got around to it and I'm so happy I did. Its a lengthy process but a comforting one. One that fills your entire condo with the smell of garlic and oregano, probably driving your neighbors half crazy, and has you sneaking spoonfuls of sauce all afternoon to "test" it.

Actually, in honor of all that process, I think we'll do this in two parts. Today, we'll talk about the sauce....tomorrow the lasagna. Because really, there is no lasagna without the sauce. The sauce...or sugo if you're my grandma...is everything. What will probably surprise you is how incredibly simple the ingredients in this sauce are. Nothing fancy... not even fresh ingredients. There have been times where I've mulled swapping out the cans for fresh tomatoes or fancy additions but in my heart I just can't. This is a recipe that I cannot mess with. Its not in my nature to do so. And, based on the reviews it gets whenever I make it, there is no reason to change it.

The simplicity of the sauce is what makes it so good. Whether you're using it lasagna, or topping your favorite pasta, or sopping it up with some crusty bread, it will be good. Simple but good.

My Family's Sugo
Makes enough for one batch of lasagna, plus more for serving

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb. ground sirloin
3 small cans tomato paste
32 oz. can of tomato juice
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot or dutch oven, drizzle olive oil and heat pan over medium heat. Add onion & garlic and sautee until translucent but do not brown. Add sirloin and cook, stirring to break it into small piece until the meat is cooked through. If using lean sirloin, you won't need to drain off any fat.

Turn heat to low and add in tomato paste, rinsing each can with a small amount of water. Add tomato juice and mix thoroughly until texture is smooth. Add in sugar, spices, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve immediately over your favorite pasta or use to make lasagna (coming tomorrow). If you're my grandma, you put a small amount in a custard dish and serve it warm off the stove to your grandchildren like a bowl of soup. Mangia!

S'More Cupcakes Please!

My employer, Edelman, is a long-time supporter of Chicago's Off the Street Club, a group that ensures that children ages 4 - 18 from the West side of Chicago have a safe place to go after school and on weekends. In addition to their regular programming, the club also offers a summer camp program that allows up to 500 kids the opportunity to experience sleep-away camp on 30-acres of woodland outside of Chicago, perhaps for the first or only time in their lives.

The club has asked Edelman and other firms in Chicago to raise the money needed to fund the camp this summer, so the office has been hosting bake sales each week this month. In honor of the Camp, I decided to contribute S'Mores Cupcakes.

These cupcakes are something I've been toying with for a couple of years...mainly because I love the idea of using marshmallow fluff as frosting: smear it on your cupcakes, stick them under the broiler and watch as they puff and crisp just like a marshmallow over a fire. Magic!

The cakes start with a layer of graham cracker crust smashed into the bottom of each cupcake, followed by a layer of chocolate chips, cake batter, another layer of chocolate and graham and, finally the frosting. Once the marshmallow icing cools, I add a square of Hershey's chocolate for an authentic campfire feel. These cupcakes are gooey, crunchy, chocolaty and decadent.

For this version, I adapted an amazing recipe from Martha Stewart BUT...since I was baking these up on a Tuesday, at 8pm after a long day at work, I took a few shortcuts. Instead of from-scratch cake, I used a box of Pilsbury Fudge Brownie Mix, which provides the necessary rich-chocolatey taste and fudgey texture. Instead of from-scratch frosting, I used canned marshmallow fluff. It doesn't hold its shape as well as the homemade frosting probably would but its sweet, gooey, sticky, mallowy and fast. Yum.

Make these now for an early taste of summer...no campfire needed. And, while you're thinking about campfires, consider making your own donation to the Off the Street Club...and help a needy kid enjoy camp (and hopefully some S'mores!) this summer.

S'Mores Cupcakes
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Makes 24 cupcakes


1 "Family Size" box Pilsbury Fudge Brownies
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

20 graham crackers
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 bag unsweetened mini chocolate chips

2 cans Marshmallow Fluff
2 Hershey Bars (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for "cake like" brownies (3 eggs instead of 2). Set aside batter.

Combine graham crackers and sugar in a food processor or blender and pulse until the crackers are crushed into small, even crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse again until mixture is crumbly but becomes firm when pressed.

Drop 1 Tablespoon of graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup and use a small glass to press them down until evenly spread and firm. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips on top of graham crust in each cupcake. Place cupcake pans in the oven for about 5 minutes to firm graham crusts and begin melting the chocolate.

Remove pans from oven and fill each muffin cup with brownie batter until 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle each cupcake with another teaspoon of chocolate chips and a Tablespoon of graham mixture. Place tins in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.

Place muffin tins on a rack until the cupcakes are cooled. Meanwhile, fill a pastry bag or quart-sized zipper bag with marshmallow fluff. When cupcakes have cooled, pipe a small amount of frosting on top of each cake. Do not overfrost, as the fluff will ooze as it settles onto the cakes.

Turn oven to broil setting and place muffin tins, one at a time, under broiler approximately 1 inch from the flame. Watch the cakes closely to make sure they puff and brown but do not burn. This may only take a few seconds! Shift tin as needed to make sure the marshmallow browns evenly. Repeat with the second tin. If desired, once cupcakes are completely cooled, top each with a piece of Hershey's chocolate.

Serve with lots of napkins....or a hose.

Kitchen Crush -- An Adorable Gift Alert!

Today I came across a post for these ADORABLE aprons on Hostess with the Mostess (cutest entertaining blog ever), and I absolutely had to share.

This is such a "Why didn't I think of THAT ?!" idea! The company, Smocks, was founded by a mother-daughter team who wanted to develop a line of aprons to compliment your outfit...not just protect it from stains. As someone who tends to compulsively coordinate her outfit to match her apron (yes, I need therapy) this makes such SENSE!

If your mom/favorite coworker/best friend loves to cook and entertain, this could be an amazing gift, especially if you coordinate with her favorite sweater or a cute new dress. Now we just need a pair of supportive-yet-sassy matching heels....maybe these (made with Nike Air technology...how cool is that?!).