Thanks so much to everyone who participated in last month's Great Family Challenge! We had such an awesome time putting together our pumpkin decorating entries and were thrilled to get such wonderful feedback.
This month's challenge was a little more outside the box but I'm so pumped to walk you through it. I wanted to play around with the idea of re-inventing a classic fall snack...adding to or replacing ingredients, toying with savory/sweet and so on. After some brainstorming we landed on s'mores and popcorn and decided to make this month a creative s'more and popcorn recipe challenge.
To make things interesting, I cast a really wide net in regards to what we'd consider a "s'more"...the only criteria being 1) you must be able to make them over a bonfire and 2) there must be an element of sandwiching. As you can imagine, my family took this and really ran with it. There were no limits whatsoever in regards to the popcorn, except that it should theoretically pair well with the s'more.
I've gotta say, I was extremely impressed with what everyone came up with! I tried a little bit of each entry and there wasn't a single dud in the bunch. I know it's tricky since you can't actually taste the contenders, but I'd recommend voting based on creativity of flavor combinations, plated presentation and the overall deliciousness factor. Better yet- just vote for what you wish you could try most.
Just a reminder, you can vote once per day from now until 11:59 next Thursday (11/26...Thanksgiving!) and we'll announce the winner on Friday. Happy voting! And the candidates are...
Birthday S'More Sundae
Traditional s'more topped with chocolate ice-cream and rainbow sprinkles
-paired with-
Popcorn Rice Krispy Treats made of marshmallow, chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles.
Peanut Butter & Jelly S'more
Whipped cream cheese, fire roasted marshmallow and fresh strawberries sandwiched between two grilled Belgian waffles. Topped with confectionary sugar and drizzled with strawberry jam.
-paired with-
A sweet and salty popcorn treat made with popcorn, peanut butter pretzels cover with dark chocolate and melted peanut butter.
10 Layer-Better Than Sex-Sweet & Salty S'more
Toffee graham cracker sandwiched with layers of roasted marshmallows, french fries, and homemade gooey brownie. Topped with salty kettle chips and hot fudge, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
-paired with-
Popcorn with brownie balls and fudge
-served with-
Ice cold milk rimmed with fudge and brown sugar
Nashville Delight
The Southern Savory & Sweet
Hattie B's hot chicken, roasted marshmallow on a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut
-paired with-
A duo of popcorns...Ranch flavored with melted butter and Ranch dressing and Dill flavored with fresh dill, garlic powder and melted butter
Trait Du Jour
Bacon, Maple Bacon frosting and roasted marshmallow sandwiched between S'more Poptarts
-paired with-
Deconstructed popcorn...a choose your own adventure popcorn bar that included artisanal salts, chili powder, cinnamon, black pepper, moonshine, whiskey and Meyer lemon juice
Philly Cheesesteak S'more
Steak, onions, Shishito peppers, roasted tomatoes and melted provolone cheese on a ciabatta roll.
-paired with-
Tiramisu Popcorn with Godiva chocolate liquor, espresso and Mascarpone cheese sauce.
Mediterranean S'more
Homemade baklava spread, date honey, roasted marshmallow, and white chocolate sandwiched between white chocolate drizzled graham crackers topped with crushed pistachios.
-paired with-
Popcorn tossed with lemon oil, crispy pancetta, Mediterranean spiced roasted chickpeas and cilantro.
The Savory Spanish S'more
Puff pastry with five cheese, mushroom and onion filling.
-paired with-
Salted caramel spice popcorn seasoned with chili powder, orange zest and tossed with pecans, walnuts, and cranberries in a salt rimmed chocolate bowl. Drizzled with salted caramel.
My favorite S'more and Popcorn recipe is:
