S'Mores Bars

I'll admit it. I'm an addict. While these will never touch the flavor and consistency of a true S'More, they are still darn yummy. I've made these twice now. The first time I made some mistakes. I crushed the grahams too much, I used large marshmallows (because I didn't have small ones on hand), and I trusted the recipe (the chocolate didn't melt at all). So, now that I've made these the second time, I have some tips to help you achieve success.

For one thing, break the grahams by hand into quarter-sized pieces:

This doesn't take that long and you will have a lot less graham cracker crumbs/dust than if you mash them up in a Ziploc bag like I did the first time. And remember that one graham cracker is considered to be the large rectangle, not one of the four smaller rectangles. Does that make sense?

I tried reducing the sugar (corn syrup) in this recipe and it just doesn't work. But you weren't really expecting these to be healthy, were you?


S'MORES BARS
adapted from Karo Syrup's recipe

18 whole graham crackers, broken into small pieces
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 (12 oz) bag milk chocolate chips
1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, for garnish

Line a 13x9 baking dish with a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil so that the foil extends over the sides. Spray bottom and sides with cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine graham cracker pieces with rice cereal. Cook corn syrup and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat just until edges begin to bubble and boil; remove from heat. Stir in butter, baking soda, and vanilla. Mixture will foam. Pour over grahams and cereal in bowl and stir to coat. Pour into foil-lined baking dish and press firmly to spread and create crust. Tip: I slip my hand into a sandwich-size Ziploc bag sprayed with a little cooking spray when pressing the crust.

Microwave milk chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for one minute, stirring after every 30 seconds. Spread melted chocolate evenly over crust. Sprinkle with marshmallows.

Bake in oven for 5-8 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and starting to brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Let cool 10 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour to firm.

To serve, release bars from pan by lifting the foil. Carefully peel away foil and place bars on a large cutting board. Cut into bars or squares. Tip: spray knife lightly with cooking spray if needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Korean BBQ Beef

Here's another fun one for the grill. Can you tell I'm liking kabobs lately? You could always grill the steak whole and then slice it. Just be sure to let it rest a few minutes before slicing.

I made these tonight using, once again, a London Broil. I sliced it thinly, against the grain (easier to do if your beef is slightly frozen and your knife is really sharp):


I forgot to do it, but you could add some unflavored meat tenderizer to the marinade. If you marinate for more than 3 hours, however, the tenderizer is unnecessary because the vinegar will do the job. I recommend marinating 8 hours if you can - you will get the best flavor that way.

And, again, for kabobs: if you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for an hour before grilling. I got 15 kabobs out of a 2 lb. steak.

KOREAN BBQ BEEF

2+ lbs. flank steak or London Broil
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped

Slice beef into thin strips, against the grain. Combine all ingredients in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Marinate in fridge at least 3 hours, preferably 8, flipping every hour or two.

Thread strips onto skewers, using 2 strips per skewer. Preheat grill to med-high heat. Lay skewers perpendicular to grill grate and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side or until desired done-ness.