Chocolate Toffee Bark

Happy Summer!

Summer has been slow to come to us this year.  We've only had a few days over 80°F.  And, to make matters worse, we vacationed in Olympic National Park in Washington where, if you believe most of my pictures, we were on a winter vacation.  It wasn’t quite as bad as my pictures would lead you to believe, but I told my family we were going to vacation somewhere warm next year!  I’m thinking of booking a trip to one or two of the national parks in Utah.  Maybe we will be assured of warm weather then.

The 4th of July was quiet for us this year.  We usually throw a big party on the 4th, but Les had to work, so we held a smaller barbeque on the 2nd.   Our friend Janet invited us over to their place to see the fireworks on the 4th, so my son and I headed over after dinner to join them, and it was great fun! 

The neighbors put on an impromptu fireworks display in the street before the big fireworks started, and Janet brought out these delicious sweet treats to tempt us away from our diets.  I tried to resist, but I love toffee, and these had some of the same flavors.  I’m pleased to say, Janet sent me home with the recipe, so I could make them myself.

I can’t believe how easy this chocolate toffee bark is to make, but they taste like you’ve been making candy for hours.

Chocolate Toffee Bark

Adapted from www.rachaelray.com

Printable Recipe

12 to 16 whole graham crackers

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a 15 X 9 baking sheet with parchment paper.  Grease the parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Line the baking sheet with graham crackers breaking crackers as needed to cover the baking sheet completely.  

In a small saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat.  Stir constantly until mixture boils and thickens.  The mixture should have a caramel texture.  Pour the caramel mixture over the graham crackers and spread so it covers the crackers completely.

Place graham cracker and caramel into the oven and bake until the mixture bubbles, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.  Place back into the oven to soften the chocolate chips, about 1 minute.  Spread the chocolate chips over the caramel, and sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least an hour or until the mixture is completely cool.  Remove from the freezer and break into pieces.  Keep bark in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate firm. 

Picnic Chicken

I was lucky enough to be invited to another wine tasting this weekend. Les was invited too, but he had to work, so I went solo. Our hosts, Beth and Scott were very generous in providing a bus to take us to and from the winery, and we all contributed a dish or two for a wonderful potluck after the tasting. The winery donated this tasting, and Beth and Scott purchased it at a silent auction for a charitable cause.

The bus took us to Burrell School Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As you can probably guess from the name, the winery was built from an old school house. This is a smaller winery than the Savannah Chanelle winery we visited in the fall, so there wasn’t much of a grand tour. Burrell School is know for their Pinot Noir wines, so that’s what we tasted. The owner himself poured our wines for the tasting as he gave us a history of the winery and tasting notes for of all the wines.

The winery set us up on a private deck for our tasting and lunch. Once we finished the official tasting, we set out our food, bought a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy with lunch, and promptly scrambled under shelter as the skies opened up with a late May rain shower, but the rain didn’t stop us from having a great time! The owner found us some tables under shelter on another deck, so we could finish our meal.

As usual, this group brings the best food! Beth brought some sandwiches. We all decided that she is the sandwich queen. I had a salami, prosciutto and arugula sandwich that was delicious. We also had some stinky cheese, a veggie platter, chicken salad and fruit. Sandy brought some German potato salad she said was from a Bobby Flay recipe, and some brownies.

What did I bring? Well I brought Toffee Crunch Cookie Brittle cookies, and I got the best complement from Beth when she popped one in her mouth and said they were one of the best tasting cookies she had ever eaten. Nice!

I also brought this Picnic Chicken. I first made this recipe more than 16 years ago when I served it for my daughter’s first birthday party at the park. I love this chicken! It is great for picnics because it tastes as good at room temperature as it does warm. The coating is crisp and full of herby oregano flavor. The chicken was a big hit at the potluck (and at my daughter’s party). I love when I can dust off an old recipe for a new audience!

Picnic Chicken
Adapted from Chicken by James McNair
Printable Recipe
10 to 12 pieces of bone-in skin on chicken
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup milk
1 cup unseasoned fine dry bread crumbs
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two baking sheets by lightly greasing or spraying with cooking spray.

Stir together the milk and egg in a shallow bowl or pie plate and set aside. In another shallow bowl or pie plate combine the bread crumbs, cheese, oregano and ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces, and dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture, and then into the bread crumb mixture. Pat the crumbs so they cling to all sides of the chicken.

Place the chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheets and baking until the chicken is cooked through and the coating is lightly browned, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Happy Easter!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter! I am happy my dad and Lynn will be joining us for Easter and Les is off of work and able to celebrate with us. Last year dad and Lynn were out of town, and Les had to work, so the kids and I had to celebrate on our own. I am looking forward to tomorrow. Lynn is bringing her delicious scalloped potatoes, and I am serving Balsamic Berry Salad, ham, and green beans. We will have veggies and dip before and assorted treats for dessert. With so many sweets around on Easter, I like to keep dessert simple. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake is a perfect dessert when you want to keep things simple. The cake is a homey simple cake. It reminds me of a coffee cake, but it is a little sweeter. My daughter and I are making our way through the Cake Keeper Cakes recipes, and this is one of them.  I'm not a huge fan of cake with frosting, so these cakes are exactly what I like in a cake.  Simple cakes with just a dusting of powdered sugar a glaze.

Here is a sneak peak at my Easter table.

I used my Pier One white wooden charges and the green plates I picked up on the clearance shelf at Marshalls. I was eyeing some flower plates at Pier One, but I found these at Marshalls for half the cost, so I went with them. I also found these pretty green paisley Ralph Lauren napkins at Marshalls. I love Marshalls and Home Goods!

I don’t have many Easter decorations, but I found some really sweet bunnies at Marshalls this year to add to my table.

After trying my hand at my burlap and toile table runners I am really enjoying making my own. The fabric stores have such beautiful home décor fabrics. I have a few sewing projects I need to start (now that I’m finished with a gold lame jumpsuit. Don’t ask…Just know I’m not going to wear it!)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake
Adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes
Printable Recipe

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cups boiling water
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.

Place rolled oats in a heatproof bowl, and pour the boiling water over the oats. Let the oats stand until cool.

Combine all purpose flour, whole-wheat pastry flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and the vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the oats. Slowly add the flour mixture (½ cup at a time) until combined, and stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Add the batter to the prepared pan smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick comes out of the center clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, and then turn it over so it is right side up. Cool the cake completely and cut into 9 squares.

Thanks for visiting!  I will be participating in the party over at Between Naps on The Porch on Thursday, so be sure to check out the beautiful table decorations over there!