We are now in the middle of Summer and while the kids are enjoying their swimming pools, sprinklers, parks and beaches, the media begins reminding us that school will be starting soon and it is time to get prepared.
The stores are filled with back to school supplies; backpacks, pencils, folders, rulers, paper and lunchboxes. Parent's see those lunchboxes and start thinking about how to create lunches that are nutritious but still appealing to their children. You need to get just the right balance of protein and carbs. You want to make sure that they eat their veggies and fruit and, of course, you want to give them a treat to finish off that lunch.
With this in mind, Cynthia of
Feeding Big, invited us to post our favorite Back to School Recipes. It has been a long time since I have made kid's lunches but I spent many years doing so and I don't think kids have changed much through the years. My kids loved peanut butter and jelly, bologna and hard salami for their sandwiches. Sometimes they would take hard boiled eggs. Often they would have an apple or an orange. Carrot and Celery sticks were another favorite, especially if those celery sticks were filled with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins. Of course there were always some cookies or a brownie or a purchased lunch box cake to finish the meal.
Fall doesn't make me think of school any longer but it does make me think of long hikes in the woods, the smell of autumn leaves and evenings around a bonfire. These thoughts lead to memories of toasted marshmallows, topped with a square of chocolate and sandwiched between graham crackers. Ahhhhhh.....S'mores....I can't think of a better treat to enjoy as the weather starts to cool.
While you can't pack a bonfire for your kids to take to school with them, you can send them all the flavors of S'mores with these delicious and easy to make clusters.
I got the idea for these wonderful treats while walking through a little store in our town called "The Sweet Tooth". This little store has walls lined with all the candies that I enjoyed as a child. Jawbreakers, Swedish Fish, Jujubes, Bit o Honey's, Black Jacks, etc. It also has an ice cream parlor and a glass display case filled with homemade chocolates for you to drool over. One of the chocolates they offered were S'mores Clusters. I was so excited because I knew that I had all the ingredients needed for these beauties sitting in my baking cupboard at home.
I pulled out some chocolate melts, stirred in some roughly crushed graham crackers, folded in some marshmallows and dropped them onto a silicone mat. Since it is not Fall, but is in fact, the middle of a sweltering Summer, I put them in the freezer for a few minutes to set and then transferred them to a plastic storage bag and kept them refrigerated until it was time to enjoy them.
Do you love S'Mores as much as I? I am so crazy about them that I'm going to share two more S'Mores recipes tomorrow and Wednesday as we celebrate Back to School recipes. Make sure you stop by and see what the others are sharing today. You will find their links following this easy peasy recipe.
S'Mores Clusters
2 c. of chocolate melts
Peanut or Canola oil as needed.
1 sleeve graham crackers (8 full crackers), roughly crumbled
1 1/2 c. miniature marshmallows
Place the chocolate melts in a large, microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and continue microwaving in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until melted. You may add oil, a teaspoonful at a time if needed to make a smooth, creamy consistency.
When chocolate is melted, stir in the graham crackers until coated. Fold in the marshmallows and drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper or silicone mats. Place on a flat surface in the freezer for a few minutes until set, if desired.
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More Back to School Recipes
