Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about what delicious treats you will bake up for your loves this year.

My kids absolutely love S’mores. There is nothing better than sitting around a campfire in the summer, roasting marshmallows, adding chocolate, and pressing them in between two graham crackers. The only problem is, as much as we all love S’mores, for us they are mostly a summer/fall treat. We never have outdoor fire pits in the winter months, which means our S’mores fix never really happens when it’s bitter cold outside.

I was trying to figure out a way to turn my kids favorite treat into something they could enjoy when it’s not outdoor fire pit season. How excited would they be if I surprised them with S’Mores in the middle of winter? I set out to figure out a way to turn our favorite summertime treat into something special for Valentine’s Day….

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I’m honored to be a part of the 2013 Kraft Tastemaker Community, where I am teaming up with Kraft Foods to bring you family friendly recipes using common ingredients found in your pantry!

I absolutely love this time of year… the countdown to school being out is on (13 days left for us!) and summer is right around the corner.

With all four of my kids home during the day once summer starts, I try to create fun activities and treats that will make our summer memorable. One creation we absolutely love to make is fondue… there’s nothing like having a bunch of friends over, providing a selection of things to dip, and some fun flavored fondue to make some great memories. …

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The post Fun S’Mores Fondue Bites – No Fondue Pot Required appeared first on Dine and Dish.

S’Mores Galore

I am bound and determined to get it in gear this week. My goal is to get back on the Fly Lady bandwagon, gain control of my diet/exercise program, and to commit to menu planning again.

I used to participate in Menu Planning Monday over at the Organizing Junkie. There is something about putting your weekly menu plan out there for all to see that makes you a little more committed to sticking to it each week.  For your viewing pleasure, here is what is on the menu at the Dine & Dish household this week.

• Monday: Chicken Chilaquiles from Cooking Light (using leftover rotisserie chicken from Sunday)
• Tuesday: Steak with Golden Zucchini from Real Simple Magazine
• Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Thursday: Fajita Skillet from Simple & Delicious Magazine
• Friday: Homemade Pizza
• Saturday: Sausage and Pepper Calzones from Cooking Light Magazine
• Sunday: Beef & Veggie Stir Fry (lunch), Tilapia Piccata (dinner)

Earlier in the day yesterday, we had told the kids that in the evening we would light the outdoor fire pit and make S’Mores. It had been fairly cool all week, but of course last night it turned out to be sticky and warm, so my hubby felt like it was too warm to light the fire pit. I had a couple of disappointed kids when they heard the news that there would be no marshmallow roasting. When we came inside, I looked at all the S’mores ingredients laying out and suddenly remembered the cookbook I borrowed from my sisters house this summer. It was a Pampered Chef cookbook called Delightful Desserts. The recipe that I remembered was for oven S’mores, called S’mores Galore. I adapted the recipe to fit a 9×13 casserole dish and just played things a little by ear. As gooey as campfire s’mores with the same roasted flavor, this is one dessert that will turn disappointed tears into cheers.

S’Mores Galore from the Delightful Desserts Pampered Chef Cookbook

10 whole honey graham crackers — (about 5 x 2″), divided
6 bars milk chocolate — (1.55 ounces each), coarsley
chopped
1 package mini marshmallows — (16 ounces), divided
6 tablespoons butter or margarine — divided
3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350º.
Arrange a single layer of graham crackers to completely cover bottom of bar
pan, breaking crackers to fit. Toast in oven 2 minutes. Remove pan to
cooling rack.
Coarsely break remaining graham crackers into large bowl. Set aside.
Combine 3 cups of marshmallows, 3 tablespoons of the butter and milk,
microwave on high 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Add half of the chopped
chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
Spread marshmallow mixture evenly over graham crackers in pan.
Melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Toss with remaining graham crackers.
Add remaining marshmallows and chopped chocolate. Toss lightly.
Spoon mixture evenly in pan.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned. Cool 15
minutes. Cut into bars.
Serve warm or cool.

S’Mores are so popular! Check out what our fellow food bloggers do with some of the most simple S’Mores ingredients:

• S’Mores Cupcakes from Cupcake Bakeshop
• South of the Border S’Mores from Kids Cuisine
• S’More Pie from Smitten Kitchen
• S’Mores Pancakes from Baking Delights

A Little Bit of Housekeeping

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Written for Kids Cuisine on the Well Fed Network

Getting creative at snack time is always a challenge for me. I know that other moms share this struggle as well. It is hard to get out of the cheese and crackers rut. Thank goodness there are resources out there to help us out. One of my favorite places to turn for snack time inspiration is Family Fun Magazine and the Family Fun website. This family of resources is my number one place to turn when I need something creative for the kids…whether it be a craft, party ideas or simple snack solutions.

A couple of years ago, Family Fun Magazine posted a snack recipe that caught my eye. It is a recipe that I make several times a month now for snack. It is simple, the kids can help to make it, we always have the ingredients on hand and it is a tasty snack that they love.

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