When it comes to dessert, I don’t know that it ever gets much better than s’mores. Not only are they tasty, but they immediately evoke feelings and memories of summer, campfires, and fun.
So when I saw these s’mores bars, I just knew I had to make them… and soon. I knew they would go over really well with my family, so I decided to make them for Mother’s Day.
I have seen several different recipes for these floating around, but I believe that this one is, by far, the easiest. I was originally going to make one of the more “complicated” versions. But when Melissa shared this recipe with me, I decided that since I was already going to be busy preparing other things for our Mother’s Day meal, I’d save myself the extra work and keep it simple.
And as it turns out, in this case, easy = WINNER. In every aspect of the word. These things are amazing. Not only were they delicious straight out of the oven, when they were still warm and ooey and gooey, but they were just as good (but in a different way!) the next day, when they were cold. When cold, they almost reminded me of a really good candy bar. Yummmm.
S’mores Bars
(Source: Betty Crocker)
Ingredients:
– 1 pouch (1 lb., 1.5 oz.) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
– 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
– 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
– 3 cups milk chocolate chips (18 oz.) — I used the candy-making wafers found in the bulk section since they are easier to melt
– 4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
Note: I didn’t measure out the chocolate OR the marshmallows. I just spread them over top of the bars until it looked right to me! So I think I ended up using less than what was called for.
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Press into ungreased 13″ x 9″ pan.
2. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Spread chocolate evenly over crust.
3. Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 4 to 5 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.)
4. Cool 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm. Store any remaining bars tightly covered.
A few weeks ago, I hopped over to Amy’s blog and saw a post about personalized gifts she had been purchasing off of Etsy. The jewelry she posted caught my eye, since I had just started to think about Mother’s Day gifts.
Not only did I want to get something for my mom, but I wanted to get something for my sister-in-law, Kara, as well. She and my brother are expecting their first baby and I wanted to give her a special gift for her first Mother’s Day.
Since Amy had purchased a necklace from a seller called The Pretty Peacock, I started there. I browsed several other Etsy jewelry makers as well, but ended up back where I started. For Kara, I was looking for something simple and affordable that I could personalize with the baby’s name.
I found this “Circle of Love” pendant, and thought it would be perfect. Clearly I’m not the best at taking photos of jewelry, but this is a beautiful sterling silver charm on a sterling silver chain. Ana (the artist behind The Pretty Peacock) hand-stamped Hunter’s name on the charm, and a Swarovski crystal dangle hangs in the middle. It is the emerald color to represent Hunter’s birthstone. (For May. He better be born in May!)
It comes on an adjustable length chain so that the recipient can wear it at whatever length they prefer.
On Saturday, we were over at Trevor and Kara’s place and we were talking about the necklace I got my mom for Mother’s Day. Of course, I kept the fact that I had bought something for Kara a secret. When I told her about the necklace for my mom, she asked about where I bought it, saying she had been looking for a necklace with a really small pendant she could personalize with Hunter’s initial. I was dying inside! Needless to say, when she opened this gift the next day, I think she was pretty surprised. And I’m pretty sure she loves it!
As for my mom’s necklace, I’ll have to post about it at a later time. When it came, it wasn’t exactly what I had been expecting, so Ana is going to fix it for me. It was a small misunderstanding, but big enough that I decided to tell her. She was awesome, offering to redo the pendant portion right away. I still have to mail the necklace back to her, but that’s only because it’s too difficult for me to attach the new pendant myself. She has been great to work with, and I know I’ll end up with a beautiful necklace for my mom.
I highly recommend Ana at The Pretty Peacock! She can also work with you to create custom pieces. Not only is she on Etsy, but she also has a website with an online store of its own.
Happy shopping!
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there. Especially my mom.
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I seem to recall her telling me that this photo was actually taken on Mother’s Day. So that would’ve been 26 years ago! Don’t judge us for our ’80s attire (at least my bonnet is cute).
We went over to my mom’s for an early dinner this afternoon to celebrate. We made three batches of pizza crust and made three homemade pizzas, and brought cards and gifts in appreciation of mom. Now, with all of our significant others, it’s like my mom has six kids! So she had a lot of love coming her way. :) Overall, we had a good time just catching up. We also decided to throw in a couple bucks each for a birth pool for Hunter. We all guessed birth date/time and weight. Not a big pot for the winner(s), but we figured it’d be fun.
I’ll post more about the gifts I bought for my mom and mommy-to-be Kara in the next few days, since I want to show pictures and I’m too lazy to transfer them off of my camera right now. I’ll also have to post the recipe for the dessert we had today, because it was scrumptious!
In the meantime, I hope you’re all enjoying the day with your mothers!
Happy Mom’s Day!
How cute are my nephews?
Answer: So. Damn. Cute.
They were up for a visit at my in-laws’ today. We got together with a bunch of family to, well, just get together. We also “celebrated” Mother’s Day.
Michael’s aunt gave Brendan a baseball set, and since it was such a beautiful day (at first, anyway), we had to go outside and try it out. I think he had a good time.
And I got to enjoy baby snuggles. I loooove when they smush their little faces into your neck when they sleep.
Love. it.
You know what else I love? Baby smiles. Especially when said baby is only 10 weeks old and is already this happy. Little Logan? LOVE HIM.
In related news… our third nephew should be joining us very soon! I am on high alert over here, for we could get the call at any time. He will hopefully be here any day now. His mommy is certainly ready for him to come out and meet us all (I think daddy is pretty anxious, too). So c’monnnn, Hunter! We’ve waited long enough! :)
On Tuesday, Oprah announced that in order to “help people out” in this time of economic suffering, she was going to give everyone in America a free dinner. Or, rather, KFC was going to give everyone in America a free dinner.
All people had to do was go to Oprah’s website, download the coupon for a chicken dinner within 24 hours of the announcement, and drive to the nearest KFC. Next?
Cue pandemonium.
My eyes and ears can’t believe what they’ve been seeing on the news. People waiting in lines for HOURS to get their free KFC dinners. Lines of cars forming down the block. All for a meal that I’m told costs $4.00. And not only that, but it’s f-ing KFC, for crying out loud. It’s not even good.
Are you kidding me, America?
I find myself trying to understand why people are driven to do this. Is the economy so bad that people are that desperate to save four freakin’ dollars? Do people love KFC that much? Is it just because the almighty OPRAH is behind this?
And now, KFC has had to go so far as to cancel the promotion since they couldn’t keep up with the demand.
I like a good deal as much as anybody. I’m a bargain hunter. If I can avoid paying full price for something, I do. But, two things: 1) You will never catch me redeeming a coupon for KFC. I don’t care if it’s free. 2) $4 worth of savings anywhere is not worth the hassle of waiting in a huge line. Time is money, people. Time is money.
Couple all of this with the fact that overall, America is overweight and seemingly addicted to fast food, and this whole story just kind of saddens me. It’s ridiculous, really. I’d even go so far as to call it embarrassing.
Have no idea what I’m talking about? Full story here.
(Photo from ew.com)
About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
