Mars, Inc.'s Snickers

And to cap off the copycat birthday lunch, I wanted to make Brian's favorite candy bar. Heck, it's my husband's favorite candy bar, too. When we were packing bags to go to the hospital to have Riley, I had CDs with babbling brooks, my yoga ball, three copies of my birth plan, and more. Jake had the phone list of people he was supposed to call as soon as we had the baby and five Snickers bars. No joke.

Let me say these were met with ooooos, awwwwws, and immense gratitude on the part of the birthday boy, but what a pain! I was up past midnight and up again before six to finish these. Smelling like chocolate before six in the morning is not my idea of a good time. But hearing Brian exclaim, "you made your own Snickers!" over and over again made it worth it.

Line a pan with parchment paper. After you make each layer, place it in the pan and stick it in the freezer to chill.

Layer One: Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Butterscotch

1 C dark chocolate
1/4 C butterscotch chips

1/2 C organic creamy peanut butter

Melt all of those together until smooth.

Layer Two: Nougat

1/4 C butter

1 C organic granulated sugar

1/4 C evaporated milk

1 1/2 C marshmallow creme (yes, I did buy a jar of Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme)

1 t vanilla

2 C roasted, salted peanuts

Bring 1/4 C butter, 1 C sugar, and 1/4 C evaporated milk to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

Take off stove and add 1 1/2 C marshmallow creme, 1/4 C creamy peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 C roasted, salted peanuts. Pour over first layer that was chilling then place back in freezer.

Layer Three: Sea Salt Caramel

1 C organic granulated sugar

1/2 C packed organic brown sugar

1/2 C ginger syrup
1/2 evaporated milk
1 C organic heavy whipping cream
1/2 C butter
1 t sea salt

In a medium-size pot, combine sugar, brown sugar, ginger syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, butter and sea salt. Monitor the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer while stirring. When the thermometer reaches 240 degrees remove the pot from the heat. Pour over previous layer that was chilling then place back in freezer.

Layer Four: Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Butterscotch (same as the first)

Place this in the fridge to set-up overnight.

Cut into whatever size bars you want. I did most of them bite-size, two bites really, but made one 'Birthday-Boy'-sized bar just for Brian. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. In the meantime, melt dark chocolate in a double boiler. Dip Snickers to coat. Let cool.

*Update 11/9/2012: I added this to Katherine Martinelli's Comfort Food linky party.*

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an

thewoodenspoongirlJanuary 14, 2012 at 10:00 PM
Oh. My. Gosh. Camilla! You are amazing. This Tuesday the 17th is my husband and my 4-month wedding anniversary. This evening he put his hands over my eyes, led me to our bedroom, and had me open them. There in front of me was a beautifully wrapped box, and inside was a gorgeous new pair of gray fur boots! He said he was wanted to wait til our anniversary, but couldn't. So, after receiving such a sweet, wonderful gift, I was searching my brain for ideas to give HIM in return. What do you know, this happened after I read your brussel sprout post, so I knew I wanted to come back online and find out was your surprise meal would be. Perfect, perfect timing.. and guess what? John (my husband) LOVES Snickers. He could eat them every day if given the chance. Oh!! You have made me so excited. Now I know what I'll give him, and it'll definitely be the best 4-month anniversary ever. :D Thank you so much!! (Yeah!)
WinnieJanuary 17, 2012 at 4:17 AM
OMG - these look soooooooo good
Wonderful treat
Heather S-GJanuary 17, 2012 at 5:50 AM
I SOOOOO totally want these. They look amazing!
AffiknittyJanuary 20, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Wow, those look amazing! I found you through Tami's FO Friday links. Do you knit too?
Camilla M. MannJanuary 20, 2012 at 11:52 AM
@Affiknitty, thanks. I do not knit, but I appreciate all the hand-knitted things I have. What a beautiful skill to have. ~Camilla
Jenn EricksonJanuary 23, 2012 at 1:23 PM
You're both an amazing chef AND an amazing friend!

jenn
Camilla M. MannJanuary 23, 2012 at 1:54 PM
@Jenn, thank you! You, too, you know.
Berendina DykemaJanuary 27, 2012 at 7:16 PM
Sent by Sweet for a Saturday. Oh! I love chocolate. This looks really yummy and easy to do. Saving this recipe!
ErinJanuary 28, 2012 at 8:14 AM
Oh yum!!! They sound delicious!

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

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