S’mores Cookie Bars

What’s not to love about graham crackers, chocolate and gooey marshmallow? These are simply delicious cookie bars that come together quickly and disappear almost as fast.

You will need:

• 1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 3/4 c granulated sugar
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 c graham cracker crumbs
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 7 oz container marshmallow fluff
• 1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

Then you will…

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking dish with foil and lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth and integrated.
3. Mix in the vanilla and eggs.
4. Mix in the cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
5. Mix in the graham cracker crumbs and flour.
6. Spread a touch more than half of the dough in the prepared pan.
7. Spoon drops of fluff on top of the dough; try to spread as much as possible given the stickiness.
8. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the fluff.
9. Spread the remaining dough on top.
10. Bake 35-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bars are set.
11. Allow to cool in the pan.

Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli

We love using our Instant Pot, and this is fun new recipe for our rotation of family meals. I recommend using a decent quality steak with good marbling for an extra delicious dish.

You will need:

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 lbs steak, sliced into thin strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t ground pepper
• 1/2 c low-sodium beef stock
• 1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 T brown sugar
• 4 T rice wine vinegar
• 1 T sambal oelek or other chili sauce (optional)
• 1 T corn starch
• 12 oz frozen broccoli florets, defrosted

Then you will…

1. Turn on the saute mode on your Instant Pot to medium heat and warm up the olive oil.
2. Saute the steak strips with the garlic, salt and pepper until starting to brown, 3-5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the beef stock with the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, and the sambal oelek.
4. Stir the sauce into the steak mixture.
5. Add the lid and close your Instant Pot. Cook for 10 minutes on high pressure.
6. Allow the Instant Pot to rest for 5-10 minutes after done to begin releasing some of the pressure. Then manually release the rest.
7. In a small bowl, combine several tablespoons of the broth with the cornstarch to make a slurry.
8. Stir it back into the Instant Pot along with the broccoli.
9. Turn the saute mode back on, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly while stirring. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
10. Serve with rice.