Shortbread S'mores Cups and The Stanley Hotel

Today is Halloween once again.  The Tamale Casserole is in the crockpot and has been brewing since 6:00 this morning, when we saw the girls off to their volleyball tournament.  After a full day of sports, I'm afraid I have become my worst nightmare...this year I decided to boycott Halloween and handing out candy.  This year, I announced "we're going dark"...no candy handouts.  Since the girls won't be home, it's just not the same this year.  They were sweet enough to carve masterpiece pumpkins for me, and decorate our front porch, but that's the extent of it this year...and that's perfectly okay.

We did however, get a dose of spook while visiting the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes, Colorado, just 45 minutes from our house.  "The Stanley" is quite a historical landmark, both outside (and inside).  Just walking around either on the grounds or in their haunting halls, can give you the chills.  We treated my brother-in-law and his friend to a first class tour there.

They recently made some incredibly beautiful improvements to the grounds, including a new reflective pond and maze (just like in the movie, "The Shining").

Our self-guided tour was glorious.  The sun was perfectly shining on the porch and we sat and enjoyed their garden sofas and a glass of wine with all the other tourists.  Afterwards, we treated ourselves to a picnic on one of their breathtaking lawn areas...the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

If you're also doing away with the Halloween candy this year but are looking for a treat and no tricks, this little one is awesome.  I took my Grandma's Layered Pudding and morphed it with my daughters' favorite S'mores.  These were great for just wanting a little taste of sweet without having a full pan of calories haunting me every night!!

Shortbread S'mores Cups

1 cup flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup (plus 1 cup) powdered sugar, divided

1 (8 ounce) block of cream cheese, room temperature

1 9 ounce container of Cool Whip

1 small package instant chocolate fudge pudding

1 small package instant white chocolate pudding

3 cups cold milk, divided

large marshmallows

Mix flour, butter, salt and 1/4 cup powdered sugar well and pat out in a 9" x 13" pan.  Bake in 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

While shortbread is baking, mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and 1 cup powdered sugar.  Whisk/beat until well blended.  Set in refrigerator for one hour.  

In a separate bowl, mix chocolate fudge pudding and 1-1/2 cup milk. Whip well with electric mixer and set in refrigerator for one hour.  Do same process in separate bowl with the white chocolate pudding, and also set in refrigerator for one hour.

When ready to serve, remove cooled shortbread from pan and crumble.  Add a layer of the shortbread crumbles in a short triffle cup.  Add a spoonful of the cream cheese/Cool Whip mixture.  Then, add a small layer of chocolate fudge pudding and a layer of white chocolate pudding.

Toast your marshmallows in fire or on a gas cooktop flame (carefully).  Add toasted marshmallows to top of pudding....and enjoy some ooey, gooey sweetness!!

One Year Ago: TyKu
Two Years Ago: Tamale Casserole

Chocolate Brownie Brittle Mousse and Chocolate Moose

My sweet and lovable chocolate "moose",
soaking up the fall morning sunshine.

Are you an "outy" or an "inny"?  I am an outy, and I'm not referring to belly buttons.  I am however referring to brownies.  This can be quite a debate in any given household or relationship.  Do you like the outside of the perimeter edge of the pan that has partial brownie crispy crust with a hint of the soft side included or are you completely crustless and only go for the soft cake and fudgy (is that a word?) parts.

My world has been changed forever.  Sheila G, a famous baker in Florida invented "Brownie Brittle" and will now become a millionaire because of it.  It's the simple ideas that really make you go, "Why didn't I think of that?"

These little cookie crunch brownie bites are amazing.  Every time I open the bag, I get this wave of fresh baked chocolate that immediately takes me back to my mom's brownies.  They are very dangerous to have around the house, to say the least.

I had a spare bag (amazingly enough) and wanted to create a treat with them.  I took some already made chocolate pudding and Cool Whip we still had in the refrigerator and made a pseudo "mousse". The crushed brownie brittle served as the base for the mousse and then I topped it off with a nice full size piece for the crowning touch.

Brownie Brittle Mousse

Measurements will vary, depending on how many your are making, but here is the ratio:

2 parts, prepared chocolate pudding
1 part, Cool Whip dessert topping (or more, to your liking)
crushed "Brownie Brittle"
whole pieces of "Brownie Brittle"

Add a small amount of the crushed brownie brittle to the bottom of your glass.  (I like to freeze my dessert glasses about an hour before I prepare the dish) Stir pudding well in a medium size bowl and carefully fold in Cool Whip, until it is all evenly mixed.  Spoon the mousse into your chilled glass. Top with a piece of brownie brittle.

One Year Ago: Grannie's Lasagna