"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philipians 3:13b,14

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Cherry Pie Larabars! ....and Gourmet S'mores!

So, my friend Karen's birthday was this week, and I wanted to make her something special!

One of her favorite things is S'mores- (and really, who doesn't love them) so I started brainstorming ideas to come up with a good treat....




So, essentially, this is homemade. I made homemade marshmallows, homemade graham crackers, then bought some good chocolate bars.



These marshmallows were not NEARLY as difficult as I imagined they would be, as a matter of fact, they were quite easy to make!! These will definitely be on my Christmas "to make" gift list (and maybe on yours too when you see how easy they are!).... I am planning on trying a few different flavors too- maybe peppermint, or vanilla bean.....




The graham crackers were easy as well!! There was a variation for cinnamon sugar topping, I will make them again with the topping when I'm not making them for S'mores!! I was so pleased with how delicious they tasted!!


So I wrapped up the marshmallows in cellophane and attempted to make a cute tag. I am SO not crafty.


Same with the grahams....


The I bought some milk and dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe's (I personally LOVE milk chocolate, but dark is good too, especially in sweeter desserts)


Added a few skewers, and wrapped it all up with cellophane:



I will be sharing the recipes for the marshmallows and graham crackers later this week!! I am so excited to be able to make marshmallows, I have all sorts of ideas for gifts using the marshmallows.


So, I also made another type of Larabar yesterday!! The Cherry Pie flavor- they turned out GREAT!!!!!


For detailed instructions on how to make the Larabars- (it's EASY don't be afraid!) see this post: Make Your Own Larabars


For these you need:
  • 3/4 cup that's 1/2 full of chopped dates, and 1/2 full of dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup almonds (I got the slivered blanched)
  • I used a pinch of sea salt


Roughly chop the dates. I didn't do anything to the cherries. They were AWESOME just on their own. I know, because I kept eating them as I was making these!


The almonds after their run through the food processor


The cherry/date paste


I chose these cherries because they didn't have any added sugar. Check the labels if you want your Larabars to be natural and no added sugar. A lot of dried fruit has a TON of sugar. (If I'm going to eat sugar, I want it to be Red Vines or Swedish Fish.....)


So excited to have another flavor!! I am going to try another flavor next week!! What is your favorite flavor of Larabar?? Please share!!!!!

Also, if you've completed either of the Spring Cleaning projects, share your progress!! :)

DINNER TONIGHT:
Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup (from the last freezer cooking day)
Homemade Croutons (I will make them large to go on top of the soup)
Strawberries
Salad

9 comments:

  1. YAY! Thanks for the "official" blogged recipe for the Cherry Pie flavor. Because of my stupid nut allergy, I can only eat the cherry pie flavor. But now that I know how EASY they are to make, I can just make whatever flavor with almonds instead of anaphylaxis nuts :) I want to find unflavored protein powder to mix into it for a more balanced meal replacement....do you know of any?
    I made another loaf of wheat bread yesterday, and put it on the very bottom rack...no high altitude ingredient adjustments, and it turned out PERFECT!! I don't think that I am ever going to buy a loaf of bread again...
    Today: making black bean salad with chicken and extra veggies for my BFL meals, and going to attempt whole wheat tortillas...looked for a tortilla press today at Bed Bath and Beyond, but no luck. And making curry chicken, brown rice and broccoli for more BFL freezer meals.

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  2. oh! oh! oh! PICK ME for one of the S'mores packages!!!!!! Those look incredible!!!!i am definitely trying the marshmallows....SOON!
    thank you for always being so...INSPIRING!!!!!

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  3. I know they sell bulk protien powder at Clarks.... could you use almond meal? I tried soy flour once to make protien bars... YUCK!!! Its tastes like baby formula smells. I will ask around because I run with a lot of creative folks who probably have used other stuff. As for the tortilla press, I have discovered that I LOVE the size of hand rolled out tortillas! So go figure...... :)

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  4. Tonya.... when's your birtday?! :)

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  5. Oh, and Erin, these Larabars are GOOD!! I like them better than the Cashew Cookie, which has always been my favorite!

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  6. hahaha!!!! you're so sweet, Shari- i just KNOW you'd deliver them too!!!!! However i love to make scrummy things and it is a great gift just to know HOW to make them....Mary LOVES s'mores....and mud pie!!!!She'll be all over this like fleas on a flat-faced flugelhorn!!!!!
    THANK YOU sweet woman!!!!!

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  7. Now I know why my baking daughter asked me about making homemade marshmellows earlier today....she also loves to bake and loves reading your recipes!

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  8. It must be so fun having daughters!!!!!!

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  9. Can you post or email me the marshmellow and graham cracker recipes please??

    Ruth

    keeweegirl@msn.com

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