S'more Cookie Bars

Anna has already posted a recipe for a cookie version of s'mores...I think I'll add to the stack. Because s'mores are delicious...in any form

S'more Cookie Bars

1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (appx. 14 full-sized graham crackers crushed)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 regular sized Hershey's chocolate bars
2- 7oz packages marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 9x13" baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add dry mixture to butter mixture and mix at low speed until just combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough. You may need to break the chocolate into pieces to spread evenly.

Spread marshmallow creme evenly over the chocolate layer. This is the tricky part. If and when you get frustrated at this point, remember you will have a delicious dish at the end of all this.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This is made easiest by taking small spoonfuls of dough and flattening in your hands then placing on top of the creme.

Bake for 30-35 min, until lightly browned.

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 32 cookie bars.

Enjoy!

{ Herb Dip with Feta and Greek Yogurt }

Yum Yum Yum Yum! I was craving some kind of dip to go with my pita chips, and this absolutely hit the spot. Thank goodness my dear sister in law has inspired me to always have feta in my fridge. I did not however have all the fresh herbs the original recipe asked for so I substituted dried for a few of them and it was still delicious. Here is what I did. The link will take you to the original recipe.

Adapted from Bread and Courage

1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried parsley
6 leaves of fresh basil (I have this in a planter so I had fresh available)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, white and green parts, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 a package of fat free cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together in a bowl and dip dip dip!

Potato Pepperjack Cheese Soup

As a forewarning, this soup can get a little spicy. It's not like 10-peppers-in-my-som-tum kind of spicy (Thailand reference, sorry), but it's got enough kick to get your nose running by the end of your bowl. For some, the spiciness is a turn-on, not so much for others. Just thought I'd warn you.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced potatoes (I used 4 red potatoes-they hold their shape well)
1 green bellpepper, diced
1 red bellpepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 large onion (or 1 medium onion), diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 strips bacon, cooked to crispiness and crumbled (use as much bacon as you want! don't let me limit your bacon use!)
cooking spray
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
4-6 oz. pepperjack cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half&half (this was definitely hearty enough that you don't need cream. You could even split and go half milk and half half&half)
For the roux:
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour

Directions:
Boil potatoes in a pot of water. While potatoes cook, saute other vegetables over medium-high heat in medium sized frying pan, covering pan in cooking spray. Once potatoes are soft, drain the water from the potatoes. Add the sauted vegetables to the potatoes in the pot.

Cook your bacon and crumble it somewhere in all this.

Add to the vegetable pot the chicken broth, half&half, white pepper, salt, thyme, and cheese. Set over medium-low heat to simmer. Try not to burn this mixture. That would not be very delicious.

While the big pot is simmering, get a small pan and melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together. Once mixed well, add directly to the soup pot and stir in to thicken.

Enjoy!

Serves 4-5.

Oh, and best served with some yummy homemade bread or rolls!

My last disclaimer: I love eating healthy, but I do not want to kid anyone into thinking this is a healthy dinner. It's loaded with saturated fat to be sure! But, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it! Just load it with vegetables, limit the bacon, use your half&half and you're good! Well, sort of...