Love2Chow

S'mores bar cookies to keep you warm all winter

February 05, 2023

For many people, making S'mores at a campfire with family and friends is a cherished summer/fall memory. Patience is the key to uniformly toasted marshmallows with soft gooey centers that serve to melt the chocolate when squished between sweet graham crackers. These Nutella S'mores bars are the perfect treat to recreate the warmth and carefree fun of summer nights all through the winter. Plus, they hit all the perfect notes for Valentine's Day!

A Love2Chow Chocolate Hazelnut (Nutella) S'More Bar

Topped with Hershey's chocolate after removing from the oven

Campfire S'mores

I did not learn about S'mores until after I had graduated from college. Camping did not figure prominently in my childhood, as I grew up roller skating the silky smooth sidewalks of Los Angeles county. I was introduced to S'mores during a visit with my sister in North Carolina, but at the time, I was more impressed with the pulled pork barbecue with its cider vinegar sauce, and did not think too much of marshmallows.

Toasted marshmallows, part of a Hershey, bottom graham cracker - awaiting the top cracker

The combination of Hershey's bar, graham crackers and toasted marshmallows took on a new meaning after I enjoyed one made with a perfectly toasted pair of marshmallows, the thin golden crust barely holding together the molten, oozy, drooping inner marshmallow -- hot enough to melt chocolate. My husband, a connoisseur of everything sugary and sweet, had perfected slow marshmallow toasting in little oven-like spaces away from the flame.

Browning marshmallows are starting to droop as the insides warm up

So the kids grew up making S'mores over a campfire, and sometimes over the hot coals left after we were done grilling burgers.

Smashed between graham crackers, the marshmallow melts the chocolate next to it

Got marshmallows, but no chocolate? We found ourselves in that situation on a kayak camping trip. A nice fat pretzel stick can be used to remove the hot marshmallows from the toasting stick, and adds a surprisingly satisfying salty crunch that complements the gooey toasted marshmallows.

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Easy Green Chile Stuffed Poblano Peppers: Low-carb, Gluten-free and Highly Adaptable

October 06, 2022

This easy stuffed poblano pepper is robustly satisfying, flavored with green enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. The recipe is straightforward and highly adaptable, based on what vegetables are fresh and in season. It is equally good enjoyed as a vegetarian meal or stuffed with your choice of ground meats. No tortillas needed for that great enchilada flavor, and it plates up beautifully for company.

A farmers market bounty is transformed into poblanos stuffed with pork, corn, chopped poblano, tomatillo, shallots & garlic with a fresh tomatillo salsa instead of the top layer of cheese.

Stuffed poblanos with turkey, tomato, chopped poblano, garlic and onion. Topped with a browned, bubbly layer of mozzarella and garnished with cilantro and dill blossoms

I discovered this wonderful recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen for Cheesy Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey back in 2016, when I was doing the South Beach 2-week low-carb insulin-reset diet. It was so hearty and satisfying, that I find myself making variations of this recipe over the years using ingredients that I have on-hand. The dish does not require precise measurements, but regardless of variations, it always comes out beautiful and delicious. In fact, you don't even need to have poblanos or ground turkey to have an impressive, easy and satisfying meal.

The basics

To make a variation of this delicious dish, you just have to have a few ingredients on on hand, namely, some sort of stuffable pepper, mushrooms or meat for the filling, and enchilada sauce.

Peppers

While the original recipe called for two large and one small poblano chile, I have made this with four poblanos or five poblanos, orange or yellow bell peppers, Hatch chiles or a combination of different chiles.

Poblanos and Orange Bell Peppers stuffed with cremini mushrooms, hatch chile, shallots, the rest of the bell pepper and a mix of pizza cheese blend and sharp cheddar for delicious vegetarian version.

When using poblanos, at least one chile is chopped up to add to the filling. When using bell pepper, I cut the pepper vertically to get two nice, cup shaped pieces from each pepper, and then chop up the remaining parts of the pepper to use in the filling.