Pecan Squares, Delish!

For a dinner party this weekend I couldn't resist making the Barefoot Contessa Pecan Squares. These squares are so decadent and delicious you'll want to make them over and over. I'm addicted! I halved the recipe and it still called for 5 sticks of butter, so if you're on a diet, these are NOT the squares for you. For the rest of us, easily tempted folk, give these a try. They come together pretty easily and if you have some extra time, dip the ends in melted chocolate for an even grander finish! You can find the recipe HERE.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Just in the nick of time! I finally got the Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup made, and it's not even midnight! Chelle of Brown Eye Baker chose this Barefoot Bloggers recipe and being a big time NON-lover of mushrooms this soup turned out pretty good. I debated making a substitution, but I simply ran out of time so I halved the recipe and made it as is. This recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook, which I received from my husband on my recent birthday, so I was happy to finally crack it open. I will probably not be making this recipe again, as for my strong mushroom dislike, but it was worth the challenge and I'm sure my husband will love a bowl when he gets home tonight.

Barefoot Thursday

A busy few weeks at our house led Thursday to creep up on me...so needless to say we haven't made the cream of mushroom soup. Last week was exterior house painting and this week has been catching our breath week. Keep an eye out this weekend for the soup. I look forward to reading all the other Barefoot Blogs to see how you all did!

BB; Grown Up Mac and Cheese

This week's Barefoot Bloggers challenge was the Barefoot Contessa's Grown Up Mac and Cheese chosen by Heather of Randomosity and the Girl. I am a self professed cheese lover, and this mac and cheese was good (I had to omit the blue cheese) but I don't feel like it really stood out as I was hoping it would. The bacon added a nice touch though. So, don't get me wrong, this is a good recipe, just not a gold medal winner. You can find the complete recipe HERE.
First you start by cooking the bacon in the oven. This is a mess free way to cook bacon--no messy splatter on the stove. While the bacon is cooking, boil the pasta and make the rue.

Add the warm milk, cheeses (cheddar and Gruyere--I omitted the blue cheese due to pregnancy), salt, pepper, nutmeg, crumbled bacon and pasta. Give a good stir.

Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with bread crumbs and fresh basil. This recipe calls for making two individual size dishes, but for the sake of left overs (I can't believe I'm saying this) I doubled the recipe and used a large casserole dish. I also forgot to buy white bread so I used Panko bread crumbs mixed with the basil. They added a nice crunch.

Like I said, this was a good recipe and I would recommend making it, the bacon added a nice smoky depth. All mac and cheese wins in my book. Enjoy.

Yum Yum Yum

With my 30th birthday one day away, I decided to make myself (and family) some of the best looking brownie treats I had seen in a long time. I took this recipe from Peabody and I believe she adapted it from Buttercup Bakes at Home by Jennifer Appel. These are some of the best tasting bars I've had. They start with a layer of brownie, then have a layer of marshmallow, followed by a layer of chocolate, peanut butter and Rice Krispies. Finger Licking Good!

Recipe for Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars:


Brownie Ingredients:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients:
7 ounces mini marshmallows
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup Jif peanut butter
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 ½ cups Rice Krispies

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.


In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate, butter, and ¾ cup of the semisweet chocolate chips on medium heat. Stir occasionally while melting. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set Aside.

In a large bowl, place the eggs and whisk thoroughly. Add in the sugar and vanilla.

Stir the melted ingredients into the egg mixture, mixing well. Stir in the dry sifted ingredients and mix well. Fold in the remaining ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and even with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the corner of the pan comes out with moist crumbs.Remove the brownies from the oven, and immediately sprinkle the marshmallows over them. Return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes.

While the brownies are baking, place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until melted.

Remove from heat, add the cereal,and mix well. Allow this to cool for 3 minutes or so.

Spread the mixture evenly over the marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled before cutting. Makes 12 3×3-inch bars.

These were belly aching good! I highly recommend.