Overachiever Campfire S’mores

I completely blame Martha for this one.

Martha, along with her army of minions, can make anything happen.  So when I read the July 2009 issue, one of the good things segments was about a handy s’mores to-go basket you could assemble.  It included the famous Martha homemade marshmallows (because clearly jet-puffed brand is too plebian), graham crackers and probably the finest milk chocolate money can buy.

How great would that be for our beach bonfire?

It was my fault, however, when looking for the marshmallow recipe…I searched for graham crackers as well.  Oh, you can make your own?  With wheat flower and wheat germ?  Heck that’s easy.

And it actually was.  The verdict?  The family next to us on the beach said “These are best s’mores ever.  Ever.”

so fluffy. here’s martha’s recipe. i skipped the tinting part.

these aren’t perfect squares (i was in a hurry) but in any shape, they’re delectable.  again, a martha recipe.

when paired with high-quality milk chocolate (i used cadburys) you have a gourmet fireside dessert. dibs on yum.

Baker’s Dozen: Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

The boyfriend, Rob, is not a big fan of chocolate. I want to say I don’t fault him for it, but I do.  I take it personally.  But I still want to bake goodies that will please his palette.  He requested a Martha recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cookies.  Considering this is the beginning of a glorious strawberry season,
I was happy to oblige.  Here was the outcome.

start out with big, very ripe strawberries.

hull berries and dice into small pieces.  add sugar and lemon.

follow recipe to make batter, and carefully fold in the sugared berries.

this recipe sounds very sweet, but remember these have a shortcake base.
so adding some white sanding sugar to the top is important.

the final product is light, fluffy, and tastes just like the dessert.
perfect to bring to a summer picnic.
(of course, there’s no chocolate involved, so I need to give it a B+.
Rob and our friends gave it an A!)