S'mores Bars

Another hit from Paula Deen! These were fantastic, even though I accidentally used 1/2 a stick of butter instead of 1/2 cup. They ended up a bit crunchier than they should have been, but I could tell they would've been perfect otherwise.

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 (1 1/2 oz.) Hershey's milk chocolate bars
1 c. marshmallow creme

Preheat oven to 350. Spray and 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with and electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat until combined. Press half of dough in prepared pan, spreading evenly. Place chocolate bars on top of dough, breaking apart as needed to create and even layer of chocolate. Spread marshmallow creme over chocolate bars.

Spread remaining dough over marshmallow creme. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Orange Blondies

Ahhh, Christmas memories. These are the ones we loved by Paula Deen.

2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened
4 large eggs
2 tsp. orange extract
2 tsp. orange zest, divided
1 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. orange juice

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt; add butter, eggs, orange extract, and 1 tsp. zest. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Spread batter into prepared pan, and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set in center. Remove from oven, and pierce brownies with a fork.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and remaining 1 tsp. zest; stir until smooth. Pour glaze over brownies. Cool, and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Wilted Spinach Salad

I made this because I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. It was DELICIOUS. From my "simply salads" recipe book by Jennifer Chandler. Love this book.

Salad: 1 bag (6 oz.) baby spinach
3/4 c. button mushrooms, cleaned, ends trimmed, and thinly sliced (have you ever tried using your egg slicer for mushrooms? Much faster)

Dressing: 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg, cracked into a small bowl

In a small saucepan, bring the oil, vinegar, garlic, tarragon, salt, pepper, and sugar to a simmer. Add the egg and whisk with a fork until the egg is opaque and stringy and cooked through all the way.

In a large salad bowl, place the spinach and mushrooms. Pour the hot dressing over the spinach and mushrooms and toss gently. Serve immediately.