Wool & Flax: Garden Gazpacho & a Treat (of course!)

So the whole computer issue has really slowed me down in blogging. It's frustrating, really, but that's okay. Here I am again. This past week I found myself needing a good recipe to use several veggies from our CSA. Our fridge is a pretty good size, but each week when we get our box, I wonder where on earth I'm going to store all these things! So I needed to move some produce. I settled upon an easy, healthy, no-cook gazpacho. I basically used Ina's recipe, but added/changed some things. CSA items used: 2 regular cukes, 1 green bell pepper, 2 cloved of garlic, and about 5 large cherry tomatoes. I also added a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and garnished with cilantro and lime juice. This soup definitely gets better with age, but it was really lovely and refreshing on a hot summer night. And we ate this with some nice crusty french bread. YUM.

Since we were going to have such a healthy dinner, I decided we needed a treat for later. That's fair, right? So I perused countless blogs and other food websites thinking about what I'd like to make. Then I saw it. From Lexington's own BraveTart. City Slicker S'mores. Yes, please and thank you.

For about the past 3 months, I've walked past the s'mores "stand" in Kroger. They have it all there for you: the Graham crackers, marshmallows, and choclate bars. They stare at me every time I walk past. And there's no getting around this particular area. I have to walk past. But I've been trying to be "good." But not eating some delicious s'mores doesn't mean I haven't thought about them.

So when I saw Stella's recipe, I knew this was my chance to actually make something totally from scratch that I would really enjoy. I didn't actually use her recipes (at least, not exactly), because she weighs everything out, and that was just going to take too long that day. So I chose this Graham cracker recipe and Alton's marshmallow recipe, only with the addition of liquid smoke. I need to do a better job with the Graham crackers. I don't think I rolled them out thin enough. Truthfully, I should've had a ruler/measuring tape out and figured out exactly what 1/8 inch looks like, but I was in a hurry. They were tasty, but not perfect. Honestly I'll probably try BraveTart's recipe next time.

I've made marshmallows several times before, but I think this was my best batch. They were delicious. I should've added a couple more drops of the liquid smoke so that the flavor would have been a little more distinct, but I was SCKEEERED to have my marshmallows taste gross. They do require effort, after all! If you've ever wanted to try to make your own, please do. They don't compare to what you get in the bag. And they're easy (if you have a stand mixer, that is). I can pop these things like candy, I tell ya!

Anyways, back to the S'mores. I also made a simple chocolate ganache of semi-sweet chocolate and heavy whipping cream. I assembled them and heated 'em up in the microwave for about 7 seconds (10 was too long, I found out) to get that warm, gooey mess that screams S'MORES! You can't eat these puppies without utensils and some napkins nearby. But I'd say they were worth the mess. Keith didn't complain either.