Sweet Potato Graham Muffins

Like I mentioned before, when my sister was here for a quick visit, we had huge sweet potatoes that we needed to use, so it was basically sweet potato weekend. I had seen this muffin recipe from Whole Foods and thought it looked great. My sister was excited about it too, so on Sunday morning before church, we whipped them up. I made a few changes, mostly because I've discovered that with muffins, you can exchange most of the butter/oil for low-fat or nonfat buttermilk and still get a nice, moist, delicious muffin. I like muffins that are healthy tasting and not too sweet and that's exactly what these muffins were. Now, if you care about the taste of your graham crackers, I would use a brand that you think tastes great, as they are crushed up in the batter and also on top. This is no time for a cheap store brand (unless they taste amazing).


Here is the original recipe for Sweet Potato Graham Muffins
* I used 1 1/2 Tbls canola oil instead of the butter
* I used 1 cup nonfat buttermilk instead of the yogurt
* I added 1 tsp ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients
* I added 1 tsp vanilla extract to the wet ingredients

S'mores Popcorn

The other day, I thought that S'mores Popcorn sounded like a fun treat and of course, if I thought of it, that definitely means someone else out there has thought of it too. I googled the idea and found a recipe/idea that I wanted to try. I decided to pop my own popcorn on the stove (because that is what I do these days) and buy a box of Golden Grahams, so that we could try this yummy treat.

I decided to make ours kinda like Rice Krispy Treats, but with popcorn instead of rice krispies. I melted the marshmallows with a tiny bit of butter and then mixed in the popcorn and Golden Grahams. I spread that mixture out on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and then spread melted chocolate on top. The result was a very interesting, chewy, chocolate-y, popcorn treat. Fun for kids and adults!

Here is the recipe for S'mores Popcorn
* I popped my own popcorn on the stove
*I melted my marshmallows with 2 Tbls of butter and then mixed in the golden grahams and popcorn

S'mores Ice Cream

My siblings begged me to make this sweet treat while they were visiting. I had mentioned a couple of things that I had been wanting to make and when they heard S'mores Ice Cream- that was it. I like s'mores anything since graham crackers are a serious problem food for me, so I decided it would be better to make this ice cream when I had extra mouths around to eat it.

I had a couple of issues getting my ice cream to the right consistency because my countertop Ice Cream Maker couldn't handle the hot ice cream mixture. I wrote more about it below the recipe.

Once we got a couple of problems worked out and we added more toasted marshmallows, we were in business. This ice cream was delish. A friend who tasted it a couple days after it had churned said it was the best ice cream he had ever tasted. If you like s'mores or any or all of the flavors involved in s'mores, I'm positive you will love this ice cream.

Here is the recipe for S'mores Ice Cream
* I used Jet Puff marshmallows
* I tried to make this recipe the way it said to, but my ice cream maker couldn't handle the hot mixture, so I put it in the freezer to thicken up a little bit and then rechurned it. The marshmallow flavor wasn't very pronounced so I toasted a bunch more jet puffed marshmallows under the broiler and just stirred them into the ice cream. This was fabulous- it left some larger chunks of marshmallow in the ice cream that were soo yummy.

* I added more graham crackers than called for

Homemade Graham Crackers with Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes

I saw the idea of Homemade Graham Crackers a couple of months ago and decided I would give them a try. I have mentioned my unfortunate "problem" with graham crackers here before, just that I like them a lot, so can't have them around.
I guess I was just curious to see if the homemade version had the same effect.
I used a recipe I saw on Smitten Kitchen and the dough came together easily. I realized when I was getting ready to roll out the dough that I had forgotten the +2 Tablespoons of flour and that is probably why my dough was so extremely sticky.
I still managed to get some of it rolled out and cut. My crackers were done in about 15-18 minutes, so watch these.
I didn't bake all the dough. I rolled some up and put it in the freezer for a later date.

Now, about the taste and texture.
Did these remind me of store bought graham crackers? Not really. The texture wasn't the same and the flavor wasn't really that close, in my opinion.
Were they yummy? Yes. Just not really what I would call graham crackers.
I slliced some of the frozen dough into rounds and baked those, which produced a chewy cookie. My kids preferred the round cookies, which I didn't photograph.
So, final answer on these- they don't really taste like graham crackers, but they are tasty.
Bake them yourself and see what you think!

Now, these graham crackers weren't alone. This wierd looking shake was the accompaniment.
Have any of you seen The Best Thing I Ever Ate, on the Food Network?
I don't watch a lot of tv, but this is one show that I really like. Basically it is just chefs and other food personalities talking about the best thing they have ever had in a certain category. It is pretty fun to watch.

On one of the episodes- I think it was about sweets, someone mentioned a Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake and how it was so good, they immediately ordered a second one.

I saw a recipe for this milkshake in Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine and once again, curiosity got the best of me.
It is so simple and broiling jet-puffed marshmallows might just be the best idea ever. (I think you could easily do indoor s'mores using this method).

I used slow churned vanilla ice cream and skim milk, and it turned out really good.
My husband even requested that I make him another one the next night after dinner.

The Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake stole the show!


Recipe for Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes


Recipe for Homemade Graham Crackers from smitten kitchen who adapted from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery and 101 cookbooks

MSC- S'mores Cupcakes

This month's MSC cupcake choice- S'mores Cupcakes, was chosen by yours truly.
It isn't as easy to choose an item to bake for a group like this as it may seem.

I debated for awhile. I really wanted to choose the Rhubarb Cupcakes with Whipped Cream (pg 33), but I haven't seen any fresh rhubarb yet this season and some fruit choices cause more debate than other things. The Bluberries-and-Cream Cupcakes (pg 42) also looked really good and the Iced Pistachio Cupcakes (pg68) made their way into my choice list too. There were others, but in the end, it all came down to the 1 cupcake that caught my eye the first time I flipped through this book.

I have this thing with graham crackers, which I have mentioned before, which is- I cannot have them in my house because I will eat them all. I never buy them, unless I know that I am going to be using all of them in a recipe, or if I am willing to sacrifice an entire meals calorie allotment on a package of graham crackers, dipped in milk. I know I have a problem and therefore I avoid the item which causes a complete lack of self-control.
I was curious about a cupcake that actually tastes like a S'more.
The marshmallow frosting looked billowy and yummy and so, this is my pick.

I made them yesterday for our Valentine's Day dessert. I skipped the frosting called for, simply because it said that it would harden if not used/served immediately and I knew I had to make and assemble these a few hours before we would eat them.
I also made a ganache with milk chocolate, to keep the flavors true to an actual S'more and used chocolate chips, instead of chopped chocolate and cream. No corn syrup. On the first try, the ganache was too thin, so I tried again with less cream, until the consistency was spreadable.

I also used the marshmallow topping that we used for the Sweet Potato Cupcakes a couple of months ago, which is simply broiling little piles of mini marshmallows and transferring them to the top of the cupcakes.

I made half the recipe and ended up with 9 cupcakes and 15 mini cupcakes.
Please ignore the Halloween cupcake liners- I ran out of plain ones and didn't know it until it was too late.

My 3 yr old and I tasted the cupcakes without the chocolate and marshmallows and they were really good.
I am definitely going to make these again when I can serve them immediately and try out the frosting called for. I took them to a family dinner and everyone enjoyed them. I thought that they really tasted like a s'more, which is the whole point. I was pleasantly surprised.

Go to the MSC Blogroll to see everyone else's thoughts on these!

Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake

So what are you serving for Valentine's Day dessert?
This simple cheesecake is a great option.

My daughter was looking through Annabel Karmel's Mom and Me Cookbook and when she got to this recipe she asked me if I could make it.
We were going to be eating dinner at my mother in-law's the next night and I was bringing dessert, so I changed my plans and decided to make this no-bake cheesecake.

This recipe is soo easy. There is no baking involved.
Your kids can help you mix it up.
You just need to plan to make it ahead of time so it can chill for the required amount of hours. I let mine chill overnight.
I apologize for the pictures, but I was hurrying out the door to go to dinner and didn't have time to cut a slice and make it look nice.
Anyway, this cheesecake was a huge hit with everyone.
It is basically just cream cheese and whipped cream folded together and then chilled, with a lovely raspberry sauce swirled through and a graham cracker crust.
This cheesecake tastes really light and luscious. It has a great texture.

The adults loved it and the kids loved it too.
My sister in-law even asked me for the recipe that night and has already made it herself.
Plus, it is has red in it-so it is perfect for Valentine's Day!
Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake from Annabel Karmel's Mom and Me Cookbook
1 stick (8 Tbls) butter
8 oz graham crackers
1 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz cream cheese
1 cup superfine sugar
2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, (I used frozen)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 2/3 cups whipping cream

1. Put the graham crackers in a bag. Use a rolling pin to roll and crush them into crumbs.
2. Melt the butter in a pan. Pour the crushed graham crackers into the butter and stir thoroughly.
3. Line an 8-inch springform pan with plastic wrap. Spoon in the cracker mixture, press flat and refrigerate.
4. Make raspberry puree- bring the raspberries and powdered sugar to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Cool, then press through a sieve.
5. Mix together the cream cheese, superfine sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the cream until stiff, then fold it into the cheese mixture.
6. Spread 3/4 of the cheese topping on the graham cracker base. Then spoon on 3/4 of the puree and swirl it into the cheesecake mixture.
7. Gently spread on the remaining cheesecake mixture. Drizzle on straight lines of raspberry puree. Pull a skewer across the lines for a decorative effect.
8. Leave the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours of overnight.

S'mores Variations

Chocolate graham cracker, crunchy pb,milk chocolate, plain marshmallow

A couple of months ago, I took the kids to the store and we loaded up everything you might need to make S'mores. It had been a dreary week, of cold and snow (keep in mind we were in Utah then) and I thought we would have fun making them inside.
We wanted to do a couple of variations, so we got chocolate, cinnamon and regular graham crackers, strawberry, toasted-coconut and regular marshmallows, different kinds of chocolate and fresh fruit.
Then, we got home and started making combinations. We used the microwave to puff our marshmallows, but at this time of year, doing these around a campfire would be fun.
We went a little crazy. Here are a few of our favorite combinations.
We had neighbor kids over and all the kids really loved these fun treats. Well, the adults loved them too.

Have a fun, safe 4th of July. We are in Washington, D.C. and really looking forward to the festivities!

Chocolate graham cracker, white chocolate, strawberries, toasted coconut marshmallow

Regular graham cracker, creamy pb, strawberries, strawberry marshmallow

Regular graham cracker, white chocolate, fresh pineapple, toasted coconut marshmallow

Cinnamon graham cracker, regular marshmallow, granny smith apple slices

Regular graham cracker, milk chocolate, strawberries, regular marshmallow

Chocolate graham cracker, regular marshmallow, Andes mints

Chocolate graham cracker, toasted coconut marshmallow, milk chocolate, creamy pb

Coming Next Week- Quinoa with Veggies and Pepitas