Corn Flakes and Milk Squares inspired by Logan | #XMenu

A couple of weeks ago, I shared this Spotted Dick (boiled pudding) with Boozy Custard Sauce that was inspired by the movie Logan for the #XMenu Fandom Foodies event hosted over at Food 'n Flix, and today I'm back with another recipe inspired by the same movie.

Matcha Marshmallow Corn Flakes Squares inspired by Saving Grace

Aaaaaah, April 20th...aka the day when pot smokers around the world (or maybe it's just the country?) raise their buds high as a nod to the fact that it's 420 ALL DAY LONG. If you're not familiar with the history, there are all sorts of 420 origins stories. The one that I heard back in the days was that 420 was the police code for "marijuana smoking in progress" in California, so as a way of sticking it to the man, the date has blossomed into a day to salute the herb.

Those were the days before Google, so I figured I'd google it to see if that was true. Well, to some people it is, but I did find some other supposed roots in the number. Maybe that's part of its appeal? Anyway, since the day is upon us, my f'ing fab friend Sophia from NY Foodgasm suggested we make some 4/20-inspired food. With so many fun ideas floating around in my head, I happily agreed.

Anise-scented Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Although I'd like to celebrate every day like it's National Brownie Day, today is the "official" date. In the spirit of truth and brownies, I have an admission to make. I make brownies from a boxed mix 85% of the time. It's not because I'm lazy (okay, it's not usually because I'm lazy), I just like them. I grew up on brownies made from a boxed mix and I've always kept a box in my pantry for emergencies.

Sometimes I make brownies from scratch, but I like the fact that if I have 5 minutes, some vegetable oil and a couple of eggs, we're having warm gooey brownies an hour later. So, don't judge and I promise I won't judge you if you want to make your brownies from scratch every single time.

25 Desserts (that aren't Pie) for your Thanksgiving Table

It's no secret that I love pie...and our Thanksgiving dessert spread reflects that love. But while I'm satisfied with (eventually) making my way through three or four kinds of pie, I hear tell that there are people who don't feel the same. I mean, apparently there are people who don't even serve a single pie, but instead turn to cake, cookies, cheesecake, or another sweet treat. I know—MIND. BLOWN.

Dramatic? Me? 

But seriously, if you're looking for a couple of dessert options that aren't pie, I've gathered 25 absolutely tempting dessert recipes below, all of which have a "fall feel" and would fit perfectly at your Thanksgiving table this year. And guess what? I even have one non-pie dessert option planned to serve alongside my pie. Madness!

Pumpkin Caramel Sea Salt Blondies

Welcome to the November edition of Blogger CLUE Society! As you may have seen in the past, we have a monthly theme to aid us in the hunt of our assigned blog, and this month's theme is Pie and other Thanksgiving Desserts. This suited me just fine since I am featuring Thanksgiving recipes daily leading up to the big meal this year!

Of course I went in all psyched up to find a new recipe that would fit in amongst our yearly pie assortment...you know about my deep love of pie, right? Well, sometimes we have to adapt...annaDishes was my assigned blog for this month—and she doesn't have any pie recipes on her blog! After the nervous sweats died down (what, no pie!?), I went hunting again...with a fresh perspective.

Although pie is first and foremost in my choices of Thansgiving dessert, lately I've been opening my mind to the possibility of another dessert (or two) alongside the pie. I thought about making Anna's Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies or maybe her Grammy's Hermits, but in the end it was her Maple Caramel Sea Salt Blondies that won my heart.

Yes, I know I said maple, not pumpkin. And I went in with the full intention of making them with maple syrup until I realized there was only about a teaspoon of maple syrup in the bottom of my bottle...after I'd already started mixing things together. Doh! So I improvised and swapped one seasonal flavor for another.

I have to admit, they were pretty wonderful; they would definitely hold their own in any holiday dessert spread. As soon as I replenish my maple syrup stock, I'll be making Anna's original version, as well.

Pumpkin Caramel Sea Salt Blondies

Pockets of caramel and chocolate complement the rich taste of brown sugar mingling with seasonal pumpkin in these blondies that are special enough to earn a place at your holiday table.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert vegetarian nut-free pumpkin caramel chocolate Thanksgiving bars American fall

Ingredients (9 large or 16 small blondies)

• 4 ounces (8 tablespoons / 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (or 1/2 teaspoon flaked or coarse sea salt)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark)
• 8 soft caramels, quartered (~2 1/2 ounces or a heaping 1/4 cup)

to finish:

• flaked or coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8"x8" baking pan (then line with parchment paper if you wish).

Combine melted butter and sugar and mix until smooth, then beat in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the flour and salt until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and caramel pieces.

Pour into prepared pan, then slide into preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. Set the pan on a wire rack, sprinkle with coarse of flaked sea salt, then allow to cool.

note:

If you'd like, try topping your cooled blondies with some chocolate or caramel icing/frosting before sprinkling on the sea salt.

Anna's original recipe used maple syrup instead of pumpkin, which I can't wait to try. She also used milk chocolate chips which I has every intention of using, as well...until I realized that somebody had raided the pantry and there were none to be found (they would be equally wonderful here). Anna also topped hers in melted milk chocolate chips before sprinkling on the salt.

The blogger C.L.U.E (Cook, Learn, Undertake, Eat) Society meets every month in a game of mystery, intrigue, and fun! We are given a theme and secretly assigned another member's blog; our mission is to hunt through our assigned blog to find a recipe that fits the theme through our eyes. We then head into the kitchen and recreate the recipe and post together on reveal day!

I'm a lifelong mystery-lover, my favorite board game is CLUE, and I'm a believer that there's no better way to get to know somebody than through food—is there any doubt that I enjoy this event!?

Today is reveal day, and this month's theme is: Pie and Other Thanksgiving Desserts. Join me in reading about the food hunted down this month in the #bloggerCLUE member's kitchens!

• Aunt Orlean's Pie Dough by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Bacon and Leek Quiche by Sue from A Palatable Pastime
• Black Forest Fruit Pie by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Brownie Pecan Pie by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Cast Iron Apple Pie by Lisa from Suburban Gourmet
• Cauliflower and Leek Quiche by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie by Aly from Cooking in Stilettos
• Classic Pumpkin Pie by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
• Fig and Caramelized Onion Crostini by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Five Spice Apple Pie by Kate from Kate's Kitchen
• French Silk Pie with Frangelico by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Lemon Almond Cake by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Lemon Icebox Pie by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Pumpkin Caramel Sea Salt Blondies by Heather from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie by Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen
• Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream by Debra from Eliot's Eats
• Roasted Butternut Squash Dip by Anna from annaDishes
• Semisweet Chocolate Tart with Candied Pistachios by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Southern Buttermilk Pie by Lora from Cake Duchess
• Vegan Blueberry Cranberry Mini Cashew Icebox Cheesecakes by Kim from Liv Life

Triple-Chocolate Brownie Cookies with Zucchini

As if the fact that they are studded with zucchini, white chocolate, and walnuts weren't tempting enough, these cookies also have the fudgy, chewy texture of a brownie. Let's just call that double-your-pleasure.

I've mentioned this before, but I thought it was worth saying again—I have some pretty great neighbors. For many reasons, but why I bring it up now is because of our little "food trade system" we've fallen into over the years. For the most part, they share raw produce and I share prepared food. This would be because they tend to their garden and even forage for mushrooms once a year, while I seem to spend all of my time in the kitchen developing and testing recipes.

They hand over large bags (seriously) of produce, and I come back at them with jars, boxes, and plates of jams, preserves, breads, and other baked goods. It's a fairly great system. I like to offer up  goods from my "wild garden" like grapes, mint, chamomile, compost squash, and wild garlic, but lately that's all I seem to have since time is something I'm always chasing and rarely catching up with. I've never been fond of running.

Carrot Cake Blondies inspired by Bridesmaids | #FoodnFlix

For the past few years now, the Food 'n Flix crew has managed to sneak some sort of wedding-related movie into our movie picks during wedding season. This year is no exception. We're kicking off that time of year with Evelyne's pick this month - Bridesmaids!

Bridesmaids, of course, has both of the usual suspects: cake and booze. What would a wedding be without them? But there are some other fun foodie aspects woven into the background if you're looking for them. While watching the film again (I hadn't seen it since it first came out), I wrote down things like:

• Brazilian food ...but, not so appetizing when relating to the horribly disgusting and ridiculously funny "bathroom humor" scene. I passed on that idea.
• Pink Lemonade ...inspired by the beautiful, fresh, and breezy lemonade offered to Annie as she arrives (still in her car) at Lillian's bridal shower.
• Ginormous Heart-Shaped Cookie ...but then I'd have to put it on an easel and beat it up (it'd be too hard to resist).
• Artichoke Dip ...because apparently Annie's mom makes a mean one.
• Tuna Fish Salad with Maple Syrup ...no. Just no.
• Scotch ...mmm, Scotch.

"Magic" Brownies ...inspired by The Breakfast Club {food 'n flix}

Sometimes it's good to go outside of the box. Take for example this month's Food 'n Flix pick. Our host, Debra, chose one of my all-time favorite movies, The Breakfast Club. Yes, it has the name of a meal in the title, but the movie itself is not really a foodie-movie. We don't let that stop us. No, not the royal we, the food 'n flix gang we.

I don't even know where to begin on this one. First of all, I don't think that there's a single person out there who has not seen The Breakfast Club. Right? Please don't answer if you're going to say no. Just go watch it and come back; we'll pretend like the "never seen it" part didn't happen. Of course, I'm an eighties child. Maybe it's just a prerequisite of my generation. And being a parent, I have now also seen the 30-minute "re-do" in the form of Victorious. I'll admit, it was cute. I love the kid's shows that are made as much for the parents as they are for the kids.

But anyway. I contemplated making a good breakfast for them to eat in detention. Or perhaps some sushi for Claire. I even toyed with the idea of using Pixie Stix and/or Cap'n Crunch in honor of Allison's lunch. Maybe a hearty meal fit for Andrew, the high school athlete. I'm thinking Brian may have happy with a typical 80's brown bag lunch of a sandwich, Doritos, a piece of fruit, and a juice box. And Bender...well...I could have thrown a Coke and cigarettes in front of him and I'm guessing he'd be totally okay with it.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Brownies {#OXOGoodBrownie}

The dessert requested most often in my house is, and always has been, brownies.  It must be genetic programming.  When I was young, I remember my brother and sisters and I loving brownies the best of all desserts, as well.  Pie was a close second, and may even be tied now, for me.  I mean, I can't leave a container of cocoa powder sitting out on the counter, lest I incite a chorus of "oooooh, are you making brownies today!?" inquiries.

Coming in a close second for my oldest child is shortbread.  Pretty much, if he's not craving brownies, he's craving shortbread.  Good thing he swims those calories off in a matter of moments.  Aaaaah, to have the metabolism of a high school athlete again...  

A few weeks ago, when trying to come up with a "new" brownie variation, I stumbled upon a recipe that combined both brownies and shortbread.  Search complete.