Sticky Sweet S'mores Bars...

Sticky Sweet S'mores Bars

Pan-baked S'mores

What’s the one unique treat that conjures up all your best memories about camp and camping? Just the mere mention of S’mores, or any of its ingredients, recalls a great time in the great outdoors. Forget about the poison ivy, the hard mattress, the bee stings, the long hikes, the Snipe hunts. Toasting S’mores over a crackling fire, then biting into this combo of sweet creaminess and crunch erased all the bad memories, and soothed your aching feet and back.



With staying power stronger than its predecessors, the Mallomar or Moon Pie, S’mores, were enjoyed as early as 1927 – by Girl Scouts no less – as mentioned in their handbook,
“Tramping and Trailing.”



Sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker, a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate melt into a gooey mix that won’t be found in any other confection. There are always modifications or suggestions for improvement – add peanut butter, use a cookie, chocolate chips or even nuts - but the original is still the best.



Until now. Did you know that you could microwave S'mores? Have you ever put one in your toaster oven? Better still, are you aware that it's possible to capture their flavor and texture in a bar?



Try these easy peasy recipes and you'll be amazed and have a couple dozen S'mores to share, without a campfire, long before National S'mores Day on August 10th.   

Scrumptious Snickerdoodles

     Making homemade cookies is always a great idea. Never in history
     has the following conversation been recorded:

     Person 1: "Do you want fresh homemade cookies?

     Person 2: "No, I don't."

Making homemade cookies is both rewarding and very enjoyable. The anticipation, waiting for that timer to ding, is excruciating. As the aroma fills the room, all you can think about is, "How much longer until I can taste that cookie?" This is the reason store-bought cookies were created -- because people couldn't handle the wait. True story, look it up! (Don't actually.)

To light this shot, we used two point-light sources from the back. One light was coming from the left and one from the right. The purpose of these lights was to skim across the surface of the cookies to bring out their texture. A large, soft light source from above filled in the shadows and kept the contrast low. But even with the overhead light, we still needed some light to highlight the main cookie. To do that, we brought in a modeled mirror to reflect the back-lights onto the front of
the cookie. 

Make them now

Steamed & Seasoned Baby Potatoes

The perfect side

Meat and potatoes, chicken and wild rice - some of the best foods in the culinary world are enhanced by their pairing. The side dish doesn't always get the credit it deserves for making the meal complete. These baby Yukon Gold potatoes are steamed perfectly, so when the skin is pierced, the potato is so soft and creamy, it practically melts in your mouth. The potatoes are buttered before cooking for even more savory flavor, and often get another touch before serving, for good measure.

To light this shot, we used a very large soft light source from the left rear, and a point light source from the right rear.  To fill in contrast, we had a light coming in from overhead, and a hand-held mirror, from the front.

These gems were pretty easy to shoot and even easier to make.

Chips with Parmesan Bits....

 Absolutely nothing satisfies a potato craving like a crispy chip. Oven fried or baked, they’re now essentially guilt free. Toss in some Parmesan cheese and coarse salt and these simple chips are ready to enhance a prime steak or chop. 

To light this shot, we started with a large soft light source from the rear left.  This gave us a general light and a little bit of direction.  We then came in from the rear right with a point source.  This light was low, as we wanted it to skim across the surface of the chips and show all the texture of the chips.  After those 2 lights, the shot was too contrasty for our liking, so we used another very large soft light source from directly above to fill in some of the shadows.

The shot was simple too, nothing complicated. Just a few browned and golden-edged slices with highlights in the foreground and enough charred cheese bits to inspire your taste buds.

Easy recipe ~