...I heart S'mores!

Who wouldn't like THIS chocolatey marshmallowey graham-crackerey goodness??? A few years back I was on a S'more's kick at work and ate at least one a day for over a month. Last week, I saw a new Hershey's commercial that had people making (and eating) S'mores. The craving came back. Let's just say I might have made these brownies twice already since Thursday.  Heh. (recipe from cookiemadness)

S'mores Brownies

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
  
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
  
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter
  
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 2/3 cup all-purpose white flour
  
• 2 cups marshmallows

**UPDATE** My friend Sarah said she made this with Ghirardelli chocolate brownie mix that called for an 8x8 pan and it worked FABULOUSLY! Yay for recipe shortcuts!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with Release foil or parchment paper.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar and melted butter. Press into bottom of lined pan and bake for 8 minutes.

Prepare browies. Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave, a double boiler or heavy saucepan. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar until light. Whisk in the vanilla, then whisk in the salt and baking powder. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and stir until mixed. Add flour and stir until mixed. Do not overbeat, just stir until it’s absorbed. Pour the brownie mixture over the graham crust. Return to oven and bake for 22-26 minutes or until set.

Remove from oven and sprinkle marshmallows over top in one generous layer. Set oven’s broiler heat to high and return pan to oven. Broil for 1 minute or until golden. Keep a close eye, because marshmallows brown quickly!

Let cool on a rack. When cool, lift from pan and cut into 9 big squares. Spraying non-stick cooking spray on the knife helps keep the marshmallow goo from sticking to it.

Makes 9 large brownies (or 16 small ones).

...Audrey's story

It's hard to describe what the Smith family has gone through the past year with the loss of their precious Audrey. Her 2.5 hour life on earth has impacted thousands and will continue to minister Light to so many families going through their darkest hour. Thanks, sweet little Audrey, for showing us Jesus' love and faithfulness through your life, as well as your family and friends.

The 20-minute interview/video shown at our church this past weekend and Angie's blog (Audrey Caroline Smith link on the left) follows the path she and her family have travelled the past few months. It's one of heartbreak, courage, faith, hope, trust, letting go and sharing a legacy.

Smith Family Story from Matthew Singleton on Vimeo.

...MacGourmet is awesome!

One of my birthday gifts earlier this month was a new computer program called MacGourmet. It's like iTunes for your recipes. You can categorize and re-categorize as much as you want and any time you want simply by dragging and dropping added recipes into whatever folder you see fit. They also have a couple additions that make planning meals simpler.  One fittingly called "meal plan" which you can plan meals for weeks in advance by dragging and dropping recipes into whatever day you want.  Then at the end of it all...it automatically makes a shopping list for you at the click of a button. Another is a nutritional analysis on whatever recipes you choose.

I've LOVED jumping into digitizing all my recipes. And it's so easy to cut and paste recipes from online into my "to try from web" folder rather than writing it out or wasting paper by printing. And if I end up liking it, it gets dragged right over into the "Steffen Favorites" folder! It's a well spent $25 (meal plan and nutrition analysis are an extra cost) for anyone who wants to save time and space in the kitchen.

Check it out at www.macgourmet.com.

PS...You have to have a Mac to use MacGourmet.  No PC's allowed.

...my tomatoes sprouted!

I promise that I have better things to do than watch tomatoes grow. But I didn't expect them to sprout so fast! The only sad thing is that I didn't follow the directions of only putting a couple seeds per pot and have to decide which little sprouts get to be replanted in a couple weeks and which get thrown out.  Oops.

...congratulations!!!!

The past year or so, Lee has spent time working with our friend Jessica Turner (of Lovell Communications) on several different PR project concepts and design. In February of this year, Jessica entered a number of projects in a local competition where she was responsible of FIVE of the six that received honors from her firm! I'm so proud of her! ALSO, she and Lee worked on brand management for Alive Hospice which won BEST IN SHOW!!!!! Jessica has worked so hard with and for Alive Hospice since shortly after beginning with Lovell several years ago. And I've seen Lee pour hours of creative energy this past year into the brand she and Alive Hospice envisioned. It's been an honor for Lee & I to partner with Jessica and such a great organization in making their brand one that's been recognized as award winning. We hope that this encourages and blesses them in the work they do for people in need every day.

Congratulations Jessica, Lee, Alive Hospice and Lovell!

Here's a link to an article written in The Tennessean about the local PRSA Parthenon Awards.

...I planted tomatoes!

The other day while in Target, I let myself wander to the 'dollar spot'. That's bad news for me and good news for Target.  I'm a marketers dream in the fact that I can't stay away from anything little and cute and that sells for less than a package of strawberries. I'm convinced that's the sole reason for the dollar spot at Target, and it's placement RIGHT when you walk in the door. And not only is it cheap...it's seasonally appropriate and they don't carry the items all the time.  JEESH.  If I don't get these one dollar pink tin buckets with yellow chicks on them NOW they won't HAVE them next time I'm here! That's how they getchya.

Now that spring has sprung, so has gardening fun at the dollar spot. They're selling these CUTE little pots INCLUDING the soil and seeds needed to grow anything from garden flowers to herbs. I was about to walk past until *gasp* I saw the red teensy tiny tomato plant pots among the boring terra cotta orange. This made me smile and grab for a few reasons:

1. We can't have a dog, cat or any other pet in our apartment so I fill the caregiver void with a go at a plant here and there (ignore the fact my thumb is NOT green.  My mom can revive a twig to life but it didn't pass down to me). I had decided just last week I wanted to grow tomatoes this summer.

2. They are RED...and CUTE...and LITTLE. Perfect window-sill size and perfect color for our kitchen which has many splashes of bright reds, blues and yellows.

I bought three.  Three dollars for a whole lot of tomato goodness.

...we love smoothies!

So far so good with the green smoothies! Yeeeees. Every morning this week, we've whipped up a nice green concoction and are enjoying it immensely. The typical smoothie this week has consisted of about a cup and a half of pineapple juice, bowlful of strawberries (leaves on), one banana, a few pieces of frozen mango, a bunch of spinach leaves and a squirt of honey. It makes two large glasses of green goodness. One for me and one for my hot husband. Tomorrow we're gonna mix it up...getting crazy...look out...instead of strawberries and mango...pears and kiwi.

...I'm determined to eat more greens

After yesterdays lunch of cinnamon raisin bagels with cream cheese and cinnamon sugar followed with a healthy dose of corn chips and ending in chocolate it's apparent I've fallen off the wagon. The healthy eating wagon left me at the corner, and being the one who prepares most meals in our house, my husband was let off on the next street.  Fortunately, he bought me a BlendTec blender for my birthday!  This baby has 3 horsepower and can smoothify almost anything! We've already used it quite a bit...although not to blend up glow sticks or iPods like the crazy old man in the videos.  The challenge for the next couple of weeks is to have a green smoothie every morning for breakfast. Apparently you can't taste the greens because of all the tasty fruit in the smoothie. We shall see.

...we made some tasty brats

1. Cut one small onion into slices and roughly mince two cloves of garlic.
2. Place brats, onions, garlic in saucepan (deep enough to pour liquid in covering them).
3. Add 2-3 pale ale beers. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. NEXT DAY...gently boil brats, onions, garlic on stove-top, medium-high heat for 25-30 minutes. (rapid boil might burst casing)
5. Bat eyes and ask husband to fire up grill.
6. Husband grills brats over medium flame for 5-10 minutes to get some tasty char marks.
7. Husband toasts hoagie rolls over low flame to crisp up perfect.
8. Cover with whatever you like on brats and eat 'em while they're hot.

PS...use raw brats from the meat section at the store NOT pre-cooked from the weenie isle.

...I had an amazing birthday

*Sleeping in
*Spring Flowers
*Post-it happies covering the walls
*Home-cooked breakfast complete with heart-shaped toast
*Lunch at Provence
*Picking out my very own Framboise cake from Provence
*Dinner at Sole Mio
*Eating Framboise cake from Provence
*More hugs, kisses, gifts & words of adoration than one girl deserves

I have the best husband ever :)