you had me at "mallow"

Okay, so this is not the best picture but I had to quickly take a shot before the dang treat was obliterated!
I am a complete sucker for a good s'more. I will take it in any form I can get: fondue, cookie, cupcake, ice cream...you get it. I do love an original s'more (minus the Hershey's- not a huge fan; I prefer a really yummy dark chocolate, but that's another post) but I sometimes get these wild ideas and have to veer from the norm. I've been daydreaming over the past week about creating the most perfect s'more and I think I have! I had to be real stealthy about it's construction seeing as I did not have the adequate resources to share this perfect s'more with my greedy little children. Oh, don't judge me- I did make them their OWN s'mores with regular ingredients, I just had to make mine in the quiet of my kitchen after they had gone to bed. It was either that or stuffing my face in record time over the bathroom sink until they found my hiding spot. No, I wanted to savor this thing which meant testing my patience and getting those rascals to bed quick!
Here's the low-down: it's a s'more built with a homemade graham cracker and a See's Scotchmallow (in case you aren't familiar, it is a candy concoction of marshmallow resting atop caramel encased in dark chocolate). Your welcome! I have a previous post you can refer to for the graham crackers. Note: I didn't have wheat germ so I substituted rolled oats. I'm sure you could leave them out entirely, but the nutty texture is worth the extra effort.
 After the crackers were cooled, I placed one on a plate, topped it with a Scotchmallow and mircowaved it for 10 seconds, then topped it with another cracker. Pure bliss, I tell you! I guess you could use a store-bought graham cracker, but trust me- the homemade one is far better and worth it!
I have one Scotchmallow left, so tonight I will make another one and attempt to get a better picture!

Del's Lemonade!!!!!

http://www.thekitchn.com/just-like-dels-frosty-frozen-l-93912

Haven't tried to make this yet, but you can rest assured it will be soon! This stuff was my FAVORITE summer treat!

Jamaican Black Bean Stew

Jamaican Black Bean Stew

One of my new favorites! This unusual (unless you eat a lot of Jamaican food) dish has some interesting foods paired together. It is fresh, light, delicious, healthy and easy! What more could you want. I was going to wait to post until I made another batch and could post a picture, but I can't withhold such a fabulous recipe until them.

2 C. uncooked brown rice
2 lbs. sweet potatoes
3 pounds butternut squash
1 can vegetable broth (14 ounces)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground red pepper (I used black)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cans (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup raisins (I used more!)
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 cup diced tomato
1 cup diced peeled cucumber

1. Prepare rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, peel sweet potatoes; cut into 3/4 inch chunks to measure 4 cups. Peel squash; remove seeds. Cut into 3/4 inch cubes to measure 5 cups.
2. Combine sweet potatoes, squash, broth, onion, garlic, curry powder, allspice, red pepper and salt in Dutch oven (or stock pot). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes and squash are tender. Add beans and raisins; simmer 5 minutes or until heated through. Stir in lime juice.
3. Serve stew over brown rice; top with tomato and cucumber.

Lime Curd

This lime curd was SO amazing, I could hardly handle it! Thanks, Judy for sharing! It was so delicious with fresh strawberries and I think even tastier with a little plain yogurt.

chocolate (avacado) mousse

This recipe was recommended by Melissa whom I COMPLETELY trust, so i'll give it a go! Wish me luck!

Aunt Debbie's chocolate pie

This is such a delicious and easy pie to make.  My Aunt Debbie shared the recipe with me some 15 years ago- it's become quite a classic.

1/2 cup softened butter
2 beaten eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour (I add an extra 2 tbsp for high altitude)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts...optional

Cream the butter and eggs.  Add sugars and vanilla.  Add the flour and 1/4 tsp salt, mix until combined.  Add the chocolate chips and nuts (if using).  Pour into a pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.  This is pretty awesome served warm, not super hot, and with some ice cream or whipped cream.

magic

No picture with this one- it was gone and blissfully resting in my belly before I could make it to the computer! As you may know, I am lactose intolerant and can no longer enjoy my old faves. This hasn't stopped me from trying to fake my way through certain baked goods and cheesy delights. Today I was making the boys some fish sticks and noodles when a very strong hankerin' for mac and cheese took over. I attempted a lactose-free version (once again) and was SO pleased with the results. Now I'm documenting the recipe so I can make it again.

1/2 lb rotini pasta

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cube chicken bouillon

rice milk (maybe about 3 Tbsp...I didn't measure)

*Boil noodles according to package instructions.

*Meanwhile, melt butter and bouillon in small, heavy saucepan over medium low heat. When butter bubbles, whisk in flour and stir constantly for one minute.

* Slowly add tiny bits of rice milk, stirring the entire time. Also add a few tablespoons of the boiling pasta water to thin out the sauce. Keep adding the rice milk, constantly whisking, until a nice creamy sauce is formed. Remove from heat and add cooked pasta. Stir to coat. Devour!

*Options: I did sprinkle a little dash of black pepper and 2 Tbsp of yogurt cheese. You could also bake it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until bubbly. This was so delicious!