I posted these scrumptious looking things on Babble.com today, and wanted to be sure you all got a look at them here first. I made these with the sole purpose of creating granola bars that taste like s’mores. They’re very chewy, and very messy, and I think you and your kids will love every bite.

I started with a blend of five rolled grains I found at my local health food store. I would have used plain oats, but since no one in our house is allergic to wheat, I thought the addition of some other rolled grains would give us added health benefits, not to mention help them taste more like graham crackers.

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Those of you who know me, particularly my friends in Colorado Springs, know how much I love Target. I would bump into friends while I was there, and they’d say, “How come I always see you here?” To which I’d reply, “It’s because I’m always in here.” It was sad, really. But we only lived five minutes away, and I’d often forget ingredients, so there were many days where I found myself there as many as three times per day. It wasn’t a disorder, I swear, I’m just ridiculously disorganized.

Since moving to Utah, it’s been a bit more challenging to visit my most favorite retail monstrosity because it’s two towns over, but on Tuesday, I actually ended up going there twice in one day, which made me feel like I was back to the old me.

The reason I am telling you this is that last week, I found tubs of mascarpone cheese for only $2 each. I looked to my right and my left and shoved their entire inventory into my cart, but then I felt bad for the poor people who might be throwing a dinner party later that night, and would have to settle for cream cheese, so I put a couple tubs back.

Then my good friend gave me a huge—I mean huge—bowl of fresh raspberries from her garden (THANK YOU, JoLene!!!) And today’s recipe was obvious: raspberry tiramisu.

Now, I’m not a coffee person nor a rum person, so this recipe is completely safe for kids, babies, Mormons—whoever. And you don’t need to use as many raspberries as I did. I think that’s almost a full flat’s worth in that picture, so unless you grow your own, have friends who love you enough to give you some from their garden, or want to remortgage your home to purchase that many, I suggest using fewer. It won’t matter, either way.

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Häagen-Dazs is sadly the only remaining national grocery store variety ice cream that does not add a bunch of crap to their products. I don’t know what carrageenan is (nor do I care to), but now most of the brands that still boast all-natural ingredients add it to their ice cream.

When Häagen-Dazs came out with their “five” label, I was excited to see that at least they realize that some of us in the country are still interested in ice cream that contains only what is listed in a recipe.

I love lemon desserts, and as a child used to fantasize about what lemon ice cream should taste like. Any rare occasion when I would find an actual lemon flavored ice cream, it would either taste flat, too creamy, artificial or dull. When I saw the lemon Häagen-Dazs five flavor, I thought I would try it to see if it would deliver.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

It surpasses all hopes and childhood dreams of a lemon-flavored ice cream. It is tart, and sweet, and creamy all at once. The ice crystals are so minuscule they are virtually undetectable. It is smooth as silk and absolutely amazing. My ravings on the subject continue on my babble blog, if you’re interested.

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My son informed me that today is National Chocolate Pudding Day. I’m not sure why people come up with these less than significant holidays, but it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we had really good chocolate pudding.

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This is one of those snacks I felt guilty the whole time making. Once it was ready, though, all my guilt went out the window, and it was just me and my caramelized treat.

All you need to make this is a good excuse, and a few extra points left in your diet.

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Sorry to say this, but I have never learned how to can anything. But that’s why this recipe is so fantastic.  You don’t need to can it.  Whatever you do have left of this (if there’s anything), you can just freeze it.

If you’ve never made your own jam before, this is a great one to start with.  You will be so happy you did. This is tangy and fruity, and perfectly delicious.

The little strawberries are perfect for jam.  I love the look of the little jewels swimming in the bright red syrup.  You could use whatever strawberries you want, of course.  Just make sure you cut them into uniform sized pieces.

The best way to enjoy this is on a fresh, warm dinner roll.  And you’re in luck!  I actually just posted my favorite roll recipe on my babble blog.

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Can you call these cupcakes if you eat them with a fork?  I discovered tres leches cake at a local Mexican restaurant, and have never been the same.  However, last time I made it, I probably put on ten pounds.  These little heavenly cakes are enough to satisfy a sweet tooth at the end of a meal, but won’t have you feeling like you need to run a 5k to burn them off.

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First things first, I’d like to announce the lucky winner of the giveaway!  Bertolli, our generous sponsor, will be giving Kate, a fellow food blogger,  the gift package containing the ice cream maker, the iTunes gift card, the espresso maker, and the coupons for the Bertolli frozen meals.  Congratulations, Kate!  So, have fun, eat well, and celebrate all things Italy!

I absolutely love tart cherries.  I actually found a can of them, unsweetened and uncolored at Walmart, of all places.  I took them home couldn’t wait very long before baking into something warm and streusel-y and glistening with a creamy glaze.

My, oh, my.

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Well, this has been an exciting week. Not only have I put up a post everyday on Babble.com, but I also received a fabulous gift in the mail. The folks at Bertolli (the olive oil people) sent me a gift package so I could help them share a little video with them, which is episode #4 of a little series they are making called Into the Heart of Italy. Go ahead and have a look!

The most exciting part of all of this, is that Bertolli is also going to give away the same package they gave me to one of the lucky readers of sophistimom. Would you like to know what it includes?

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker
Bialetti Espresso Machine
Two Crate & Barrel Espresso Cups and Saucers
iTunes Gift Card with Suggested Contemporary Italian Playlist
Two VIP coupons for a Bertolli Frozen Meal for two that will transport you to Italy in just 10 minutes

Awesome, right? We are loving our gift right now, and though I don’t drink coffee, I am sure I can figure out fantastic things to do with that espresso maker! Oh, and the frozen dinners, are actually very, very good. And I never say that about frozen dinners.

So, if you live in the US, and you would like to enter, simply watch the video, look for a clue, and then, in the comments section, tell us one thing you like about Italy. Then, if want to learn more about the Into the Heart of Italy promotion at Bertolli, click here. All entries must be received by Friday, May 14 at midnight. Good luck everyone!

To celebrate our little giveaway, I wanted to do an Italian recipe, and since most of you who enter, will not, unfortunately, win the ice cream maker, I wanted to post an Italian dessert that is shockingly like ice cream and does not require an ice cream maker.

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I’m in a funny time in my life right now. For example, on Wednesday, I ran out of vanilla extract, but I really didn’t have any money to replace it. But I did happen to have about five vanilla beans in my cupboards. So I used those. It was like using a real Windsor chair for firewood.

I used them in coffee cake, a chocolate chip skillet cookie, and these shortbread. They’re very chic, of course, because they use a whole vanilla bean, but you can just substitute a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and they will still make you very happy.  If you’ve never bought vanilla beans, or have decided they’re ridiculously expensive, don’t lose hope before checking out Beanilla. They have the best prices around, and have a huge selection, which I’m sure they can tell you all about.  I personally don’t know the difference between the flavors of the Madagascar, Mexican, Tahitian, or Tongan beans, but I’m pretty sure they do.

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