must.love.spice.

What can I say about this week’s episode ….

It was all about spice.

must.love.food. was packing a punch … one that left me wanting a good Indian curry. And then a bowl of mulligatawny soup.

First off … Sarah Jamal is adorable. I mean … Just look at her? ADORABLE!

Secondly … She can make one heck of a curry dish … just look at it??? doesn’t it look delish!?

And lastly …. If you watch the show (or this clip) you’ll learn all about using spices.

She’s awesome …. and so is her spice board :0)

(ps… I’m going to be blogging about how amazing Sarah is. She made my birthday dinner into the most incredibly amazing Indian feast… which kinda (TOTALLY) blew everyones’ socks off … for realz).

After Sarah walked us through her twist on an Indian curry, y’all got to meet Vanessa :0)

I heart Vanessa.

I really selfishly wanted Vanessa on this show because … well I knew she’d have to make a couple batches of the soup … and that I would get to eat it :0)

Plus … her recipe is one that is really (and I mean really) easy to make. It’s the kind of recipe that you can’t intimidated by … and it’s so full of flavour that you’ll impress just anyone you serve it too.

No lies.

It’s awesome.

If you don’t believe me … Well maybe you want to watch the episode again and get a little inspired. 8 am tomorrow morning (that would be Wednesday) or again at 4:30 pm …. both times on Rogers channel 22.
I sure as heck can’t wait to watch it (and the ladies) again!

Bring on the spice!

smores bars

These are addictive.

Highly addictive.

Eating them was descirbed to me as “floating down a chocolate river in a graham wafer boat with marshmallow sails” … I kinda totally agree!

I have loved smores … since … well … since forever.

Who doesn’t love an ooey-gooey bite of delight?

Because that’s what graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows are … bites of delight.

Especially when you add a little momofuku twist to the recipe.

Actually … I should call these twisted smores.

You’ll see that these are easy to make … as easy as making them on a campfire … you start with the graham cracker base …

then you make the chocolate layer … melted chocolate and milk … stirring in mini marshmallows and the cornflake crunch (flaked coconut is a supurb susbstitute as well) …  

Finishing it off by spreading even more mini-marshamllows on top; then broil for 3 minutes.

That’s it.  Simple eh?

Oh wait!!!!

I do recommend that if you line the pan with parchment paper … don’t place the rack too close to the broiler … otherwise … a fire might ensue.

True story … it happened to me ;0)

I guess I really wanted to make smores by the campfire!

twisted smores bars

ingredients:

the base:

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

7 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Line a rectangular pan with parchment paper, and then spray it with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter; stirring with a wooden spoon.  Press the crumbs into the base of the pan; make sure that the base is spread out evenly.

Bake for 12 minutes.  Remove from heat, turn off your oven and set the pan aside to cool slightly.

chocolate mini-marshmallow-crunch filling:

ingredients:

1 c. milk

16 oz chocolate, chopped into small chunks (or chips)

4 c. mini marshmallows, divided

2 c. momofuku cornflake crunch (or flaked coconut)

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir the chocolate and milk together; slowly melting the chocolate.  The mixture should never get to a boiling point.  Remove the pan from heat and pour the mixture into a medium sized bowl (this will allow the mixture to cool immediately).

Add 2 cups of the mini marshmallows and the 2 cups cornflake crunch.  Stir in … and then pour the mixture over the graham cracker base.

Top with the remaining 2 cups of mini marshmallows.

Turn the broiler on in your oven … move a rack close(ish) to the broiler and toast the marhsmallows… this takes about 3 minutes.  I do tend to move the pan around to ensure that they are all evenly toasted.

Remove from the oven and allow the pan to cool in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours (or over night).  I don’t cover the pan right away … but once firm, I do cut the smores into squares and store in an airtight container.

I’d say they will last up to 1 week in the fridge … only they won’t.  Because you’re gonna want to eat them … pretty much immediately.

No lies.

I can’t stop eating them! 

must.love.pie.

Last night must.love.food. was all about pie.

Because you must.love.pies.  

Whether you love a super sweet and richly decadent pie; or prefer a tart and light key lime pie … we were able to provide you with a recipe for both.

The show started with my 13 year old cousin Olivier and his tarte au sucre (sugar pie).  Mother of pearl.  Olivier makes one heck of a sugar pie.

The recipe is dead simple … some brown sugar, flour, corn starch, melted butter,vanilla, an egg and heavy cream.

It’s the kind of sugar pie that is sweet without being sickly so … and the creamy filling perfectly contrasts with the flakey pie crust.  If you love your sugar pie … I think you should try Olivier’s recipe.  It’s delightful ;0)

Plus I think it was super awesome of Olivier to come on the show and share his recipe with me.

Isn’t he A-DOR-A-BLE?  Totally adorable.  Je l’aime … beaucoup!

If sugar pie isn’t your thing … then I hope you caught Amanda’s key lime pie demo.  First off … Amanda not only decided to make a key lime pie … but in true twisted chef style, she decided to shake things up a bit …  by creating a creamsicle pie (orange and clementine custard filling).  Both were delicious … and totally worth trying.

If you watched the show you’ll notice that Amanda and I had a few (ok … perhaps more than just a few) silly moments … I laughed while I watched myself hurt my finger trying to create a graham cracker crumb.  Or when I confused a kinder surprise with a smashed orange (my aunt was howling with laughter at that one).

If you’re enjoying the show … don’t forget … BONUS VIDEOS!!! You can watch Amanda’s twist on making whipped cream here.  I am really digging these bonus videos.  A lot.

Don’t forget … you can tune in AGAIN on Wednesday at 8 am and 4:30 pm (or Saturday at 1 pm) and catch must.love.pies. all over again on Roger’s TV channel 22 in Ottawa …