Crispy Chocolate Bars

I am pondering whether to go savory or sweet today.  I want to share a cornbread recipe that is delightfully moist.  And I am not usually a cornbread fan due to that gets-caught-in-my-throat dryness.  Yet I have a crispy-crunchy chocolate bar recipe that requires no baking and bottom line?  Finger-lickin' goodness.  You know where I'm headed, right?  Great!  Let's talk about this sweet treat.

We are all in agreement on the Rice Krispies Treats bars of our pasts.  Conclusion?  Good in a pinch.  Could eat the entire pan.  Pretend that we've grown up and don't 'do' them anymore, but if faced with one? They go down easy, accompanied with memories of our childhood.  Hittin' home?

So how are these any better?  Let me think on that for a seco...okay!  Got those answers!  It's the chocolate (you determine the type).  No marshmallows (bye, bye kid-factor)  You can cut them in a shape that makes you happy (seriously, this makes a difference).  Like the Hershey's Krackel Bar but far more sophisticated-looking and tasting.

You've noticed that summer arrived well before June 21, right?  In the northeast, we have had our share of hot, humid weather lately; but also, we have experienced a bit of rain (hmm... more like a rain forest dose of the moisture).  So, with weather in mind, these bars do best stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Even so, your thumb and index fingers will need to have a tongue-licking after you've eaten your Crispy Chocolate Bar.  So?

Notes

1.  The recipe calls for dark chocolate.  I made do with what I had on hand...some Callebaut, some Lindt, etc.  I tried to use only dark chocolate, but I would be lying if I said it was all dark.  I think I ended up adding an ounce of two of milk chocolate chips.  Don't hate me...still heavenly.

2.  I did not use a double-boiler to melt the chocolate.  Instead, I microwaved in short intervals.  Start with 30 seconds, remove and stir, place back into the microwave and go for 15 seconds.  Repeat until there are small pieces of chocolate that continue to melt as you stir.  You don't want to scorch the chocolate, so stop when there is still chocolate to melt and with extra stirring everything will incorporate.

3.  Except for measuring cups, this is a bowl and spatula event.  Translation:  Easy cleanup :)

Crispy Chocolate Bars
(from the Mast Brothers Chocolate cookbook)

1 and 1/2 lbs. dark chocolate, chopped into small/medium pieces

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (I used salted)

2 T. smooth peanut butter

1 T. honey

4 cups krispy rice cereal

Sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

1.  Prepare a 9" x 9" baking pan with parchment paper cut to fit the bottom with two opposite sides longer to drape over edges.  Or use aluminum foil similarly.  The excess paper/foil will help lift the entire bar from the pan later.

2.  In a large glass bowl, microwave the chopped chocolate and butter in short intervals.  See Notes.

3.  Add peanut butter and honey.  Stir to incorporate.

4.  Mix in krispy rice cereal.

5.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Smooth top if necessary.  Sprinkle with sea salt, if using.

6.  Place into the refrigerator for a few hours to firm.

7.  When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator, use the parchment/foil to lift the whole bar out and place on cutting surface.  

8.  Slice into shapes you like for serving.

9.  Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Memorable Macaroni and Cheese

I thought I'd change it up a bit and share that I can (and do!) prepare more than just the tail-end of meals. However, this entree is decadent in its own right, given its cheesy and buttery profile.  Forgive yourself.  You are permitted to indulge in a mac 'n cheese dinner every now and again.  Balance out this front-end delicious-ness with a piece of fruit for dessert :)

Gravitating away from meat as the primary source of protein in my diet has been a lifelong process towards better long-term health, and after many years (decades?) I feel more in control of what I put into my body in the following ways:

•  I eat far fewer processed foods and more made-from-scratch foods
•  I eat far fewer empty carbs in favor of more long-acting carbs
•  I stop the process of eating sooner so that I don't become over-filled

Bottom line?  I am still tidying up my eating habits...and that's a good thing!  But more than ever, I know that a healthy life starts (and keeps going) in the kitchen.  Yay!

This is my one and only macaroni and cheese dish.  It is rich and cheesy, crispy on the top and soft and gooey underneath.  Out of the oven it is a bit molten, but give it some time to cool and it sets up right nice :)  It is leftover worthy.  It is like a best friend: comforting and there when you call.

Notes

1.  This recipe is Alton Brown's, and about the only modification I made is to cut the recipe in half.  This is enough to fit into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square baking pan.  But here I placed it into a 1.5 quart casserole dish.

2.  Stewed tomatoes go oh.so.well with mac 'n cheese.  Instead, I decided to pre-roast a container of grape tomatoes, an eggplant (skin off and chopped), and a couple garlic cloves.  I used a combination of coconut oil and olive oil on the veggies and roasted at 400ºF for about at hour...until the tomatoes were beginning to char. Out of the oven, the roasted veggies went into a bowl to cool down, and I threw in some chopped herbs from the garden (chives, oregano, basil, thyme) to soften in the heat.

Memorable Macaroni and Cheese
from Alton Brown
yield: 4-6 average-size servings

1/4 pound (4 ounces) elbow macaroni
1 and 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 and 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
1 and 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
6 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (from a bag)
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
Fresh black pepper

For the topping:

1 and 1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (or any bread crumbs)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Spray your baking pan or casserole dish with vegetable oil.

2.  In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente.

3.  While the pasta cooks, prepare the custard.  In a separate pot (I used a non-stick Dutch oven), melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour and mustard powder.  Mix for a few minutes until all lumps are out.

4.  Add in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika.  Simmer for about 10 minutes and then remove the bay leaf.

5.  Temper in the egg.  To do this, crack the egg into a small dish.  Whisk it around the bowl as if you were going to make a scrambled egg.

6.  Then add a spoonful of the simmering milk mixture to the egg and mix.  Add another spoonful of the milk to the egg bowl and mix.

7.  Now you can safely pour the whole egg mix into the warming milk mixture.

8.  Add in 3/4 of the cheese (eyeball it).  Stir to melt.  Add salt (if you're using it) and pepper.

9.  Remember the pasta?  Drain it, and then fold into the cheesy custard.  Pour into your prepared baking pan/casserole dish.

10. Top with the remaining cheese.

11. Prepare the bread crumb topping.  Add the bread crumbs to the melted butter and toss with a fork to coat.  Sprinkle onto the top of the macaroni and cheese.  I sprinkled some extra garden herbs on top of the crumbs.

12. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly around the edges.

13. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

14. Leftovers are...dare I say it?  EVEN BETTER :)