Chocolate Deliciousness

Another great recipe from Nigella. I'm obsessed with these.

Rocky Road Crunch Bars

· 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon soft unsalted butter

· 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

· 3 tablespoons golden syrup or 1/4 cup corn syrup (I used brown rice syrup)

· 8 ounces plain hard and crunchy cookies (I use Biscoff)

· 2 cups mini marshmallows

· 2 teaspoons powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a heavy based saucepan. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of this melted mixture and put aside.

Put the biscuits/cookies into a freezer bag and then bash them with a rolling pin. You are looking for both crumbs and pieces of cookies.

Fold the cookie pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture, and then add the marshmallows.

Pour into a 9-inch square foil tray; flatten as best you can with a spatula. Pour over the reserved 1/2 half cup of melted chocolate mixture and smooth the top.

Refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight.

Cut into 24 fingers and dust with powdered sugar by pushing it gently through a tea strainer or small sieve.

Simple Pea & Pesto Soup

I am loving Nigella Lawson's show on Cooking Channel. Here's a really easy and delicious soup that works for a meal with grilled sandwiches or as a snack.

Pea & Pesto Soup

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups frozen peas
• 2 scallions
• 1 teaspoon Maldon salt or kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) fresh pesto (not jarred)

Directions

The quickest way to proceed is to fill a kettle first and put it on to boil. When it's boiled, measure the amount you need into a pan and put on the stove to come back to a boil.

Add the frozen peas, scallions, salt and lime juice and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes.

Discard the scallions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender.*

Pour into a thermos flask that you've left filled with hot water and then emptied and make sure you screw the top on securely.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

You can find the original recipe here.

Strength Training - Not For Wimps

My fitness goal for this year is to focus on strength training and building muscle. I decided to try this Side Lunge move I saw on The Martha Stewart Show. It seemed easy enough.

I started with 5 pound weights, and didn't feel the burn. So, I switched it up to 8 pounds. I did three sets on each side and didn't count reps. I really didn't feel a thing, so I just kept going.

I FEEL IT TODAY!

Beautifully sore.

Candy Corn Cocktail

Next Halloween, try this special treat for the grown ups. I found the original recipe on the Food Network website, and have made a few modifications.

For the Candy Corn Infused Vodka

1. In a large Mason jar, fill half way with candy corn.

2. Fill the jar to the top wi

th plain vodka. (I used Pearl vodka.)

3. Let sit until most of the candy corn are dissolved and the vodka is a glowing orange color.

For the Cocktail

1. In a cocktail shaker, add 4 oz. candy corn infused vodka, 2 oz. Cointreau, ¾ oz. lemon juice, ice.

2. Shake.

3. Pour into glasses and top off with a bit of sparkling water. (I served these in cordial glasses because they’re very sweet.)

It was a big hit at my after trick-or-treating party. Even those who don’t normally drink cocktails were asking for seconds.

Enjoy!

Simple Recipe – Green Beans and Potatoes with Pesto

With all my gardening this summer, I still do not have any useable basil. (Many seeds sprouted, but they didn’t last. The latest batch is just starting.) So, when I wanted to make pesto I gave dried seasonings a try. It worked fabulously! Here’s how to make a simple side dish with a mix of ingredients from your garden and pantry.

Basil Pesto with Dried Seasonings

2T Dried Basil

1T Garlic Powder

2T Olive Oil

Combine above ingredients and let sit 10-15 minutes to reconstitute.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend with emersion blender. Add more olive oil if necessary to create best texture. Add ¼ cup parmesan. Blend with emersion blender until emulsified to pesto consistency.

Chop potatoes and steam for 5 minutes. Add cut green beans and steam for an additional 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water to cool veggies, then pour into a bowl. Add pesto and combine.

And now you have a tasty treat. Enjoy!

Share Your Milano Moment - Simply Delicious

Love Milano cookes? My favorites are the Double Chocolate and the Enrobed Milano. ;D Yum. What's your favorite?

Now you can connect online with the Milano Moments community and enter to win a case of the new Strawberry Milano cookie! It doesn't get much better. Click the widget below to create your moment.

And don't forget to print the coupon!

Simple Kid's Birthday Party Activity

I was sitting idly by the pool today, half dead in the 95 degree heat, when a great simple idea hit me. As we watched my son play with a deflated beach ball that was half filled with water, my mom and I commented on why we bothered with the new toys for his birthday. A nearby dad replied, we should just get him a box.

DING! Brilliant idea.

So I decided that as an activity at his upcoming birthday party, I'm going to buy a few moving boxes to let the kids decorate and take home! We'll see how it goes over.

If past experience shows me anything, the kids will love it. Parents may also enjoy the new storage. I'll let you know how it goes.

I wonder how many will become cars?