The Perfect Combination

Feeling like I could use a little dessert right now so clearly I can't stop thinking about my perfect pairing:

peanut butter + chocolate!

Mmmmm.

A traditional fave is the perfect peanut butter cookie with the hershey kiss smack dab in the middle. Easy peasy and when just slightly undercooked, destined for success (ask my gram; she's the best at them!).

Wishing I could walk downstairs right now to a plate full of all one of these and a big glass o' milk.
Here's to dreamin'....

peanut butter stuffed chocolate cookies

peanut butter chocolate squares

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing

Would like S'more of this Weekend

How is Easter coming and going without me eating a few dozen Peeps?!

Since I won't be surprised with a few packages of these marshmallow lovelies on Sunday
(not part of our Jewish tradition... though it should be! hmmm), figured I needed to take action. 

Saw these -- dubbed S'MEEPS! -- on Bauble Bar's blog who got them from Serious Eats.

This is definitely a serious eat, seriously delicious eats! I'm drooling on my laptop as we speak.

Are you a peeps fan??
Hope so because I'd really like us to be friends still. Mwuah!

{Ingredients}

4 Peeps (1 package)

4 graham crackers, separated into 8 halves

Four 1-ounce squares semisweet or dark chocolate (depending on preference)

{Directions}

Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350°F.

Place a 1-ounce square of chocolate on 4 of the graham cracker halves.

Top each chocolate with a Peep. Say your goodbyes.

Put your Peep sacrifice laden graham crackers on an aluminum foil covered tray and pop them in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes.

Once the Peeps are toasted to your liking, take them out of the oven and squish them with a graham cracker half. Feast.

Recipe: Chocolate Caramel Matzoh Crunch

Monday night starts the Jewish holiday, Passover, a.k.a. one of my least favorite Jewish food holidays (though I suppose Yom Kippur tops the list since you're required to fast!).

We're having 16 people here for this first night 'seder' where we'll do a brief service

-- very brief -- and dig in to lots of food made without leavened bread.

It's basically going to be a week on a low-carb diet minus the matzoh. 

You can read all about keeping what's called Kosher for Passover here, 

my suggestions for keeping it here, 

and a fam recipe for sweet potato pie topped with marshmallows (yum!) here.

And, here's another recipe coming your way... for Passover dessert... or snacks!!

 I am not a fan of the pre-made desserts so for tomorrow, I'm making this little ditty.

It's mostly appealing because it requires you to make caramel, something I've always wanted to do.

Here's yours truly in action:

This dessert --  a chocolate caramel matzoh crunch ---

actually cooling now in the fridge so I'll update this post with the final photo Monday morning.

 The recipe is taken from one recently in the Palm Beach Post by a local pasty chef,

Marla Bernstein of Marla's Sweet Treats. To Marla: thank you!

{Ingredients}

Approx. 8 pieces of matzoh

2 cups of butter (4 sticks; heart attack, I know!)

2 cups brown sugar, packed firm

2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

foil

parchment paper

{Directions}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line sheet pan with foil; put parchment paper on top. (Ok without foil, I think)

Place matzoh in a single layer on the parchment.

In a sauce pan over medium high heat, melt butter and brown sugar until melted and boiling.

Boil 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly with wooden spoon.

It should look like frothy caramel.

Very carefully remove from heat and pour of matzoh.

(keep reading)

Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, checking to make sure it's not burning. Rotate once.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes and then spread chocolate.

Chill finished matzoh in refrigerator until chocolate sets.

(keep reading)

Break in large chunks.

ENGULF.... err, ENJOY! :)

Quick Bites: Clever Cookies

Want to make the perfect cookies? No stress!

Use the recipe on the Toll House bag (it's a classic for a reason!) and then add your own touches, like dried cherries, peanut butter chips or coconut. Whatever you -- or the peeps you're giving it to -- likes. For reference, I like peanut butter. Just sayin'.

Yum!!

Mmm? McCormick & Schmicks

Date night! The hubs and I headed to McCormick & Schmicks at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Fla. for a belated anniversary celebration. A national chain with nearly 90 locations in more than 20 states, we had pretty high expectations for this popular seafood restaurant. With a $100 gift card to use from my birthday back in March, we were ready for a good meal. And, what we had was...alright. Not spectacular or delish, but just alright. Fortunately, we had such a nice time out, people watching, chatting about who knows what and relishing about our adorable little girl, that the night was just wonderful. But, of course you're here to read about what we ate, so here goes... (and read to the end for a TAGG tip!)

First up was the fried calamari ($7.95). While it was flavorful, it was also slightly soggy, not offering a crispy bite like you'd expect. Can't say we left it over though... we were hun-gry!

We also ordered the flash-fried lobster roll. We love sushi and lobster, so what's not to like? Again, we were slightly disappointed. They should have taken note from Lemongrass in Delray. Now that's a lobster roll! At M&S, the lobster meat was chopped and put side-by-side with julienned vegetables. We decided the lobster could have easily been crab. It didn't have much taste, even when pulled out of the roll to sample. Oh, and random rant: the soy sauce was in a dish smaller than the pieces... pet peeve! What does the chef expect me to do??

Moving on to the main course, the hubs ordered the Chilean sea bass with udon noodles and vegetables. Nice presentation when they poured the sauce at the table. Love that. His dish was really good; fish was soft and buttery yet seared nicely on the outside and the noodles were al dente. We recommend!

I got the corvina (a mild white fish) with a sweet potato shrimp hash and corn chowder that the waitress referred to as "a sleeper hit" on the menu. I went for it! While the fish had a nice, mild flavor some of the sweet potato pieces weren't fully cooked! We couldn't even get our forks in them. Bad news. And, while the corn chowder (which can be ordered separately as a soup) had a nice, bold corn flavor, it was lacking some corn kernel pieces that I enjoy. Personal preference. The leading disappointment though was that two-thirds through I noticed what looked like a few small pieces of bacon under my fish. Eek. I don't eat bacon! (another story: don't ask how I made it through three cities in Italy without eating pork!). While the waitress first tried to convince me it was red onion, she quickly came back, took my plate, apologized and brought us a complimentary dessert. Oops!

I'm glad she did though. While we were too full to order a dessert, who can turn away a complimentary one? Not these two. Mmm. We had a decadent chocolate-constructed cup filled with white chocolate mousse and a few berries. M&S is smart: end the meal well!

While I wouldn't rush back there, I would go back. The fish was fresh and they have great, affordable lunch dishes; there's a 10 for $10 menu. If I lived closer, I'd certainly check them out.

REVIEW
Food: B-/C+
Service: B

TAGG TIP: If you go, it's totally worth getting the M&S preferred member card. It costs $25 but they credit you $25, give you $30 credit on your birthday, plus a whole smorgasbord of other perks that make it totally worthwhile. Right now, I have a $55 credit waiting to be used!

Mmm: Rugulah recipe

Can you handle a lot of praise and adoration? If not, do not try this recipe. It's a crazy crowd pleaser! With the Jewish holidays fast approaching, thought it was fitting to share a rugulah recipe that's not only phenomenally yummy, but is also easy to make.

Rugulah by the way is a pastry made with different fillings, often chocolate or preserves like apricot or raspberry. The recipe included below, which my mother-in-law S has been making this for years and was kind enough to share (ha, like she had a choice!), is a chocolate one. Once you make this once, consider switching it up with fruit preserves; all delish.

I promise the final product here is way better than TooJays and a slew of other bakeries. Try it and let us know how it goes.

Ingredients
1 box Pillsbury Ready Made Pie Crust (contains two pie crusts)
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp. baking cocoa (I use Hershey's brand)
1/2 cup sugar
melted butter (or I Can't Believe It's Butter spray)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (feel free to change it up with your preference: milk, dark, combo, etc).
cinnamon
powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350; put parchment paper on a cookie sheet

Open and lay out both pie crusts

Spray with butter

Mix 1/2 cup sugar with baking cocoa and sprinkle on both crusts

Sprinkle with cinnamon

Cut each crust into twelfths (use a pizza cutter) and sprinkle with chips*

Roll from fat side (the outside) to center and put each rugulah on cookie sheet

Mix egg yolks with a little water and brush each rugulah
Bake for 20 - 22 minutes
When cooled completely sprinkle with powdered sugar
EAT!

*TAGG tip: when sprinkling the chips, don't put too many near the center; it's hard to roll.