Memorial Day and Golden Graham Smore Bars

Today was the unveiling of Dad’s headstone.  It has been a year and a half since he passed away and we finally got it placed.  It turned out so amazing and I think he would have been so pleased.  I did not get a picture of the back of the headstone which is my favorite.  I will get one and add it later.  It has a picture of Dad’s airplane from the war and then missionary tags.  They engraved them on pieces of granite and then inlayed them into the stone.  They look so good. I think it is the prettiest headstone in the cemetary.  It may have taken us awhile to get it picked out and get mom to a place she was ready to order it, but it was well worth the wait.

We had a cookout at Ric’s and it was such a nice evening.  I have the most amazing family.  Everytime we are all gathered, it reminds me just how lucky I have been to have them in my life.  Tonight I looked around and could not contain the love that I have for each of them.  I have always watched my brothers and the lives that they lead and the families that they have raised and I am so grateful.  I am grateful for their example and the wonderful women that they have married and that I can call sisters.  I watch my kids interact with their cousins and I am again so grateful that they can watch them and learn from them.  I also watch my children and am again so grateful for who they are.  Most of all tonight I watched my husband as he talked and laughed with everyone, his love and admiration apparent.  I am again so thankful for the relationship that he has with each one of them.  It is these relationships that to me are the most precious and also so rare.  I am not sure that there is many families these days that can share these types of simple occassions with so much love and joy.  I am blessed and I need to take the time to reflect more on these simple yet so important moments.  Well enough about that, now on to the important things—–food.

Tonight Jordan was in charge of the dessert and made a very simple one that is always a favorite.  I watched the dessert table when she put them out and it was emptied within minutes.  The best was the kids that were walking away with one in each hand.  Well I had one in each hand also, but I did intend to take it to mom if that makes it any better.

Golden Grahams Smores Bars

Ingredients:

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal
5 cups miniature marshmallows
1½ cups chopped Hershey chocolate bars (about two 4.4-oz size bars)
¼ cup light corn syrup
5 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:

1. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper; set aside.

2. Place the cereal in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the 5 cups of marshmallows, 1½ cups of chopped chocolate, light corn syrup and butter. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

4. Pour the melted mixture over the cereal and, using a buttered spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir until all of the cereal is coated. Stir in the additional cup of marshmallows.

5. Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking pan. Butter your hands or spray them with non-stick cooking spray, and press the mixture evenly into the pan, pushing it down into a flat, even layer. Let set at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or pop them into the refrigerator to firm up faster. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Oh the Heavenly Gooeyness!!!!  These are so sinful and addicting but aren’t all sinful things!!!!!

 

Balsalmic Basil Pasta Salad

There is a little restaurant in Bountiful called Plates and Palates.  I can remember a few years back, Kallie being so excited that there was a new exercise place with a cafe in it. She thought it was a Pilates gym. But then again she also thought that Angel Moroni turned on top of the Temple and that you don’t need to put money in the parking meters because you have to wait until you are done for the meter to tell you what you owe.  I think there was also a time that she thought that you cannot get picked up for speeding if you are in the commuter lane.  All things that friends told her and she believed.  She is a salesperson’s greatest dream, as she will believe anything she is told or reads on the internet.  When she goes into a clothing store, the salespeople start salivating.  They assign several to her, just to keep the outfits coming, all of which she is told, she cannot live without.  And then there are always the accessories and shoes that the outfit will not be complete without.

Anyway back to the subject of Plates and Palates.  They serve the best pasta salad. It is a Jordan and my favorite pasta salad..  After driving there numerous times, I thought, “I can make this”  So after several attempts, I think I nailed it.

This is not really a recipe but a process of adding a little bit of each ingredient until you have the taste you want

INGREDIENTS

1 box of whole wheat pasta  ( I like Penne)

olive oil and balsalmic vinager to taste  It does not take a huge amount of either.  Better to start of light and keep adding rather than add to much and have too strong of flavor,  You can always add more later.

Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain and add the oil and vinegar a little bit at a time unitl you have the taste you like.

Add following ingredients to your preference:

Halved grape tomatoes

Shredded parmesan cheese

Pinenuts

Chopped basil

You will love this!!!!

 

Peanut Butter Crunch Balls

These are so good and I think that you can actually say that theya are good for you. These are a great snack as you hurry out the door or if you are walking past the fridge at 2am to take the dogs out.  I like to keep mine in the freezer so they are a little firmer.  I use whatever cereal I have in the pantry and they are a good use of all those cereal boxes with just a little left in the bottom of the box.

Ingredients

• 2 cups honey
• 6 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• 3 cups rice krispies
• 1½ cups grape nuts
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 2 cups coconut
• 3 cups crushed cereal (I use whatever I have on hand)
• 1½ cups mini chocolate chips
• 5-8 tablespoons powdered milk
• 4 cups crushed mini-wheat cereal
• I have also added chopped dates and craisins.

Directions

1. Mix all but last two ingredients and mix until well combined. Add powdered milk, like flour, to make a soft, cookie-like dough.
2. Form into 1” ball and roll in crushed mini-wheats. A scoop works very well for this. Refrigerate or freeze

 

Amazing Magic Chocolate Flan Cake

This cake is beyond amazing.  Who comes up with these thing?  Whoever decided to combine flan ( already wonderful) with a chocolate decadence cake should surely win some sort of medal or Nobel Peace Award!!  I cannot praise this cake enough. The nice thing about this cake is that it looks as wonderful as it tastes.  This would be a great dessert for a special occasion and looks as if you spent hours on it.  It is fairly simple yet looks like something you would eat at a fancy restaurant.

Dave loves flan so I knew this would be a winner at our home.  Hope he doesn’t read this though as the only time I have made it, I took it to work for a party. I always know how good something is by how many emails I get after, requesting the recipe.

I loved this so much, that the next night I made just the flan and cooked it in a casserole dish.  It was wonderful, even without the cake.

Well with all that buildup, here it is.  I hope it is not like that movie that everyone tells you is so amazing and then you go with all this expectation and you are disappointed.  I really don’t think that will happen though.

This recipe is courtesy of Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1/2 cup caramel sauce or topping (store bought or homemade)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce) cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Flan:

• 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup nonstick bundt pan, taking care to get in all the nooks and crannies. Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of the pan (the caramel sauce, if storebought and thick, may need a quick warmup in the microwave to be pourable).
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and butter and microwave at 50% power for 1-minute increments, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and smooth, about 2-4 minutes. Whisk the buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Pour the chocolate batter evenly over the caramel.
3. Add all the flan ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Slowly and carefully pour the flan mixture over the the cake batter. Place the filled cake pan in a large roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour warm water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the bundt pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean and the flan registers 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 75 to 90 minutes (mine took the longer amount of time). Remove the Bundt pan from the roasting pan (the easiest way for cleanup is to leave the roasting pan and water in the oven until it has cooled) and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to 12).
4. To remove the cake from the pan, fill a large bowl with hot water and place the bottom third of the Bundt pan in the water for 1 minute. Carefully invert the cake onto a flat plate or cake platter – I do this by putting the cake platter or plate over the Bundt pan opening and then, holding onto the edges of both platter and cake pan, I gently turn the pan upside down while flipping the cake platter. Slowly remove the pan letting the caramel drizzle over the top of the cake. Serve chilled.