Caramelita Bars

The other week I was perusing the shelves at Sam’s Club and found a dessert that I just HAD to buy and try.  Introducing the Carmelita Bar….a combination of Oatmeal, chocolate chips, and caramel to make a cookie bar.  How can you pass up trying that??  So I decided to find out if they are really as good as the picture.

Making the Bars

The nice thing about this package is that all you need is half a stick of butter.  Let it soften in a bowl until it is nice and soft but don’t try and rush it by just melting it.

Then add the mix and mix it together with a fork until it is mixed well.  I noticed that it seemed pretty crumbly and dry but that is normal.

Only take half of the mixture and press it into the pan to make the bottom crust.  Even though it was really crumbly in the bowl, it firmed up nicely once I pressed it in the pan.

Next, knead the caramel packet a bit and then squeeze it out all over the bottom layer.  I was impressed with how much they actually give you with enough to pretty much make a full solid layer.

Take the other half and sprinkle it around on top of the caramel and then lightly pat it to smooth it.

The Result

I probably could have let the top brown a bit more on mine but the caramel was starting to bubble up through so I called it done.  These make for a fairly soft bar but did seem to stay together fairly well once they had cooled.  I was impressed with the quality of the caramel that was used (actually tasted like the caramel cubes you can get rather than more of the ice cream topping type).

Would I make this again/recommend it?

Overall, these bars were pretty good.  It almost seemed to have a bit too many chocolate chips for my taste, but still yummy.  There is also a bonus that they come in a 2-pack from Sam's if you want to make a 9x13 pan.

Fruit-Topped Triple Chocolate Pizza

The Recipe

In honor of Memorial Day, I thought I would make a patriotic themed dessert for a picnic with my friends. I found this variation on a traditional fruit pizza in my Pampered Chef All the Best cookbook(pg  124)  while the recipe called for just strawberries and oranges, I decided to change it up an use strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.  I was excited to finally try out my new stone I had gotten a while ago.

 

Making the Recipe

Rather than going through all the effort of rolling out the cookie dough and trying to get it in the shape you want, I have found a shortcut.  Simply to cut slices in the tube of cookie dough while it is still cold and stiff, and then arrange them on the pan and pat them together.  This lets you easily make whatever shape cookie you want.

While the cookie was baking, I began mixing up the cream cheese topping.  The baker’s chocolate melted up nice and mixed in nicely with the cream cheese.  Mixing in the cool whip took a bit longer with the chocolate but it still worked fine.

The cookie does expand quite a bit so make sure there is room on the baking dish to allow for it.

Let the cookie cool at least most of the way before putting the cream cheese/cool whip mixture on.  I was short on time and had started “frosting” it while it was still decently warm and the mixture tended to melt on the cookie and slide rather than spreading well.  I could have easily used more cookie as the mixture made a very thick layer.

While cleaning up the fruit to top the pizza, I found the giant strawberry that is in the middle and I couldn’t bear to cut it.  I ran out of time to do the chocolate glaze so I just finished decorating with the strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries and was good to go.

The Result

I think it came out really well and I love the design on the top.  That giant strawberry looks just delicious in the middle doesn’t it?  It was a nice touch with the added bits of chocolate were a nice touch.  Personally, I prefer the base to be made with sugar cookie instead but this was still good and it totally disappeared.

Would I make this again/recommend it?

Yes however it is not my favorite.  If I were to make it again, I might use sugar cookie like is the more traditional method instead.  Adding in the white chocolate added a bit of nice flavor that I might add in again though.  Over, you just can’t go wrong with combining cookie, cream cheese, and fruit!

Transforming my Countertop into a Masterpiece

It has been a while since I have had a chance to try anything new in the kitchen due to a mini renovation going on in there.  This past weekend I worked on redoing my countertops with a kit I found at Lowe’s which I will review today.

Countertop Transformations (http://modernmasterstransformations.com/) is an easy do-it-yourself method of redoing your countertops at a very affordable price.  The new countertop is applied directly over the existing one and comes in a variety of colors.  Provided your old countertops are in decent condition (not warping bad or peeling off), give yourself a weekend and you could be on your way to a new kitchen

While not everything comes with the kit, there is a great list right on the box of all the additional items you will need to purchase (paint rollers, brushes, etc)  Everything is laid out well in the box and even includes a DVD to show how to apply the new countertop.

Step 1: Measure your kitchen

Make sure to calculate the amount of countertop to be covered beforehand so you know if one kit will be enough.  My kitchen has about 2/3 of the countertop that the kit will cover so I was good to go.

Step 2: Prepare Countertop

Stated time needed: ~30-45min for 50 sq. ft

Actual time needed: ~A bit over an hour

Clean the countertop well to ensure that all grease is off.  Then sand the surface so that the adhesive base will stick better.  It was sometimes hard to see the scratches in my laminate but as long as you give it a bit of attention, it should be fine.  Once the countertop is sanded and wiped down, tape off all areas you don’t want to get messy.  I recommend getting Frog Tapefor areas that you want a sharp edge on.  It is a painters tape that has a sealer on the edges to keep material from bleeding through like some other painters tapes do.  I would also recommend taping a cloth in front of any cabinets so that the color speckles will just drop to the floor instead of getting inside everything.

Step 3-5: Apply Base Coat, Wetting Agent, and Decorative Chips

Stated time needed: ~1 hour, -, 20 minutes

Actual time needed: ~1 hour total

Overall this step wasn’t as bad I was imagining while reading the instructions.  The biggest deal is that you only have 20 minutes from the time you start applying this really thick paint until the time that you apply the colored chips to make sure they all stick well.  I broke my countertops into two sections so that I could apply the chips as I went.  As it states in the instructions “more is better” and I made sure the countertops were well coated with decorative chips.  It probably goes without saying, but be prepared to have a HUGE mess.  There were chips all over the floor and then proceeded to be tracked through a lot of the house.  They do clean up fairly easily though.

Step 6: Sand down the new Surface

Stated time needed: ~2hrs

Actual time needed: 2+ hrs

Once the chips and adhesive base have cured for 12 hours, I went through and salvaged as many of the chips as possible before sanding.  Any extras that are left over make great gifts for those artsy/crafty people in your life to have fun with.  It can be very easy to sand right through the base on the edges so be extra careful there.  I had to do a couple small repairs on areas that got missed/sanded too far but overall it was on track to turn out great!

Step 7: Apply Protective Top Coat

Stated time needed: ~1hr

Actual time needed: ~1hr

This is the step that turns a bunch of glued down tiny confetti into a countertop!  As opposed to the case adhesive, this coat is very thin and is prone to run on vertical surfaces so beware of that.  It is important to get this coat as even as possible since any major bumps or ridges will be more apparent than any of the other layers.  Once the top coat is on, it needs to sit for 48 hours before using lightly and then a full week before using it as normal.  I removed the tape and cleaned up the area the next day after letting the top coat sit overnight.  This way the coating wouldn’t be completely sealed and solid so I could actually get the painters tape out fairly easily.

Overall opinions

Once things fully cure and I have a chance to use my new countertop, I will be able to better give an opinion on how well it holds up but for right now it seems pretty nice and should work well for me.  I was tired of having the laminate lines along the edges which made the kitchen feel a bit old and outdated.  Now I have a beautiful countertop that matches my new color scheme for my kitchen.  While I still need to finish the lower cabinets, I am well on my way to my new kitchen!  It is possible to do the countertop renovation all on your own, but I would recommend having a second person to help every now and then.

Cherry-Chocolate Coffee Cake

The Recipe 
I bought the Stoneware Inspirations cookbook from Pampered Chef and found this recipe (pg 85) and thought it would be great to try.  Even though the cookbook is to be used on all the stoneware, it is also possible to make the recipes on regular pans.

Doesn't that just look yummy?

Making the Recipe
Because I don’t know own the Pampered Chef baking dish (yet that is….), I simply used one of my 9x13 pans.

I used a 21oz Krusteaz Cinnamon Crumb Cake mix for the streusel mix stated in the recipe.  I have used the mix in the past for just making the crumb cake and it is fabulous.  It does not have a glaze like mix in the recipe refers to either.

 

Disregard the ingredients used for the crumb cake package and mix it up with the quantities listed in recipe.  I used a generous half a cup of chocolate chips when I mixed them in.

When draining the cherry pie filling, simply make sure that most of the sauce is drained off.  There will still be some on the cherries but that is fine.  It is now my mission to find a recipe to use the pie filling sauce in so stay tuned for that in the future.

To keep things simple, I just scattered another generous half cup of chocolate chips over the cherries and batter rather than going through the time to mix it in with the cinnamon topping.  I also skipped out on the pecan halves as I am not a fan.

Then I spread the topping and made sure it was even over all the batter.

The Result
Overall it came out great.  I cut around the edge not too long after taking it out of the oven to reduce how much the caramelized topping would stick to the edges.

I may have tried serving the cake up before it had cooled enough and as a result, it was falling apart quite a bit.  That just means its really moist!! J  It smelled way too good to wait any longer though.  It still tended to fall apart some after it cooled as well but not as bad.

Guinea Pig Reviews
As many of my friends are finding out, when I try a new recipe, those in the vicinity gain the right to be my little guinea pigs.  Muah-ha-ha!  Here are some comments that were floating around the room once it was all dished up and after.

--I don’t normally like fruit and chocolate together but this is REALLY good.
--Its got just the right amount of cherries
--Its got just the right amount of chocolate
--I actually ate it as breakfast and highly enjoyed it.  I am not a huge chocolate fan, but it was just the right mix.  Very moist and delicious!

Would I make this again/recommend it?
You bet!  This recipe is quick and easy and gives a delicious result.

Pasta Pie

Welcome all to my new blog.  Since I love trying new things in the kitchen, one of my friends mentioned that I start a blog telling about my experiences.  Well that is exactly what I am going to do!  Haven’t you ever seen a recipe and wondered if it will REALLY come out the way they say it will?  I am here to find out.  When I travel, I will be able to post all the new and unique foods I come across too.  As an added bonus, I will also throw in some tricks and tips I learn along the way.

Let’s start the fun off with a Pasta Pie.  You can check the recipe at http://noblepig.com/2009/03/18/when-the-moon-hits-the-sky.aspx.  When I originally stumbled across this site, I knew I just had to try it and I finally have!

Making the recipe

Overall the recipe is pretty simple but just takes a while to make.  As I made the sauce, it already seemed thick once I added the tomatoes but I let the garlic and meat flavors blend together and simmer while I stood the noodles up in the springform pan.

Looking at the package, I wasn’t sure if the 1lb of noodles was going to be enough but I ended up with about 20 extra noodles.  As I was stuffing the noodles into the springform pan, I discovered two things: 1) The noodles stand up a lot easier if you put the pan on a slight angle, and 2) Not all noodles are the same length!  Once the pie is complete, the different heights didn’t really matter but I also tried to space out the short ones.  Once all the noodles were in the pan, there was extra parmesan cheese left that didn’t stick so I sprinkled it around in some of the noodles (can’t go wasting good cheese!)

One thing that is different from how you may normally cook it is that I prepared everything the night before but filled the noodles with the sauce the next day.  I heated up the sauce to make it easier to stuff, and as a result didn’t notice any major delay in cooking times because the noodles were cold.  One way to get the sauce to make its way down the noodles better is to gently tap the pan on the counter.  I didn’t end up with any leftover sauce but I also didn’t any up with any craters like are shown in the original recipe page.  I also highly recommend putting the springform pan on a cookie sheet as it tends to leak out the bottom a little bit.

The Result

The pie came out great!  Here is a picture of how mine turned out.

Here is one after it has been cut along with the rest of our dinner.

The pie had a lot of good flavors going on especially the garlic added in.  The garlic had a definite presence but was not overwhelming by any means.  The parmesan around the noodles made for a excellent crust on the outside.  I had some friends over to help me taste test the final product and they all agreed that it was fabulous as well.

Would I make this again/recommend it?

YES!  Not something for a quick dinner in a hurry but would be excellent for a dinner party as a way to spruce up a spaghetti dish.  It would probably be a big hit with kids as well.