[1] A gooey s’mores brownie. The recipe is below (photo © Burp!).

[2] Classic s’mores are a sandwich cookie (photo © Dandies Marshmallows).

[3] S’mores ice cream sandwiches (photo © Babble).

[4] S’mores ice cream cake (photo © Kraft).

National S’mores Day is August 10th. Get ready to celebrate by considering this recipe for S’mores Brownies, and the other creative s’mores recipes below.

The original s’mores were invented as campfire food (here’s the history of s’mores).

But at home, with a stove and oven, there are many variations using the same three ingredients: chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows.

The brownie recipe (photo #1) is from Paul and Lori Fredrich of Burp!, sent to us by Go Bold With Butter.

A fudgy layer of chocolate is surrounded by crisp graham crackers and topped with browned marshmallows.

The History of Chocolate
The History Of Graham Crackers
The History Of Marshmallows
 
 
RECIPE: S’MORES BROWNIES

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Line 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil or parchment, leaving a 2-inch overlap on the short sides.

2. LINE the bottom of the pan with graham crackers, breaking them up as needed to fill the bottom of the pan.

3. PREPARE the brownies: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add the sugar and salt, continuing to whisk until the ingredients are blended.

4. ADD the eggs one at a time, whisking just until blended. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour into batter just until incorporated. The batter will be quite thick.

5. SPOON the batter over the graham crackers and spread gently, taking care not to displace the graham crackers. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with small bits of brownie sticking to it. Remove the brownies from oven.

6. PREHEAT the broiler. Sprinkle the pan of brownies with the chocolate pieces. Arrange the graham crackers on top of the chocolate. Top with the marshmallows.

7. MELT the marshmallows, placing the pan 3-4 inches under broiler for 2-3 minutes. Allow them to brown, but not burn. Cool thoroughly before slicing into bars.

TIP: The easiest way to cut the brownies cleanly is when they’re fully cooled, using a hot knife for each cut.

But if you can’t wait to sample their ooey-gooey goodness, we won’t judge.

We were shopping a couple of days ago and ran into a blueberry bonanza: four pints for $5.

We brought them home to figure out what to do with them. Blueberry pie? Blueberry cobbler? Blueberry muffins?

It was too hot to turn on the oven, so we popped them into the blender and made fresh blueberry juice. Delicious!

We had friends stopping by for drinks, so it was easy to turn the blueberry juice into cocktails.

This recipe, from the Blueberry Council, has no added sugar. Summer blueberries are sweet enough.
 
 
RECIPE: FROZEN BLUEBERRY DAIQUIRI

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the blueberries, rum and lime juice in a blender. Blend until smooth.

2. ADD the ice and blend until slushy. Pour into a glass.

3. GARNISH with blueberries skewered on picks circled with a strip of lime peel, if desired

[1] Turn fresh blueberry juice into a blueberry daiquiri (photo © Blueberry Council).

[2] Turn a windfall of fresh blueberries into blueberry juice (photo © Good Eggs).

[1] Classic elote: mayo, crumbled cheese, chile powder and lime (photo © Good Eggs).

[2] As an alternative to ancho chile powder, Tajín (tah-HEEN) seasoning is a blend of chile powder, lime and salt. You can use it on anything, including buttered toast, fruit salad and ice pops (photo © Tajín).

[3] Crumbled cotija cheese (photo © Bake-Off Flunkie).

[4] Crumbled queso fresco (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[5] Elotes asados, finished on a grill. If you’re serving multiple topping options, consider cutting the corn cobs in half so guests can manage to try them all (photo © ChefSteps).

After Labor Day, supplies of fresh summer corn start to dwindle.

So here’s an idea for a cocktail party with family, friends and neighbors: ears of corn and cocktails, Mexican-style.

By that we mean: elotes, Margaritas and agua fresca (non-alcoholic).

Elote (ay-LOW-tay, plural elotes), meaning tender corn cob, derives from the Nahuatl elotitutl (Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, is still spoken today).

Elote is a popular street food; typically grilled on a stick on the vendor’s cart, then brushed with melted butter or mayonnaise, rolled in cotija or queso fresco crumbles, and dusted with chile powder and salt (photo #1).

It’s served with a lime wedge to squeeze over the corn.

More modern variations use sour cream (called crema in Mexico) instead of the butter or mayo, and liquid cheese instead of the crumbles (please, no!).

Ready to cook?

The elotes are usually boiled at home and transported wrapped in their husks by the elotero (the vendor).

Once on the street cart, they can be served hot from the warming drawer, or grilled over a brazier to char some of the kernels. These grilled ears are called elotes asados (photo #5).

Hacks:

 
 
HAVE FUN WITH STREET CORN:
SET UP A DIY “INTERNATIONAL” ELOTE BAR

Classic Toppings

 
International Variations

If you want to offer options in addition to the classic elote garnishes, here are some variations.

Group the ingredients by nationality on the DIY table, along with signage indicating the nationality.

Note that except for Mexican elote, these are flavor ideas we created. They are not served in their designated country.

 
Here is a complete guide to making elote from ChefSteps.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CORN

Corn as we know it today is very different from the wild corn that was discovered and cultivated by the peoples living in what is now Mexico. It is a cereal grain, and the original wild grass, called teosinte, had thin sprigs with tiny kernels (” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>see image).

Scientists believe that people in central Mexico developed corn at least 7,000 years ago. Over the millennia, the ears of maize (corn) we know today were bred to be larger and larger, with larger kernels.

These substantial ears of maize became the staple crop. It spread north into the southwestern U.S. and south to Peru. About 1,000 years ago, as Native Americans migrated north across the continent, they brought corn with them.

When Columbus “discovered” America, he also “discovered” corn. The sweet corn we enjoy today, which occurred as a spontaneous mutation of field corn, is a family of cultivars of maize.

For the biology geeks among us, the genus and species of maize is Zea mays; sweet corn is Zea mays convar. saccharata var. rugosa. Zea is the Greek word for single-grained wheat, and was employed by botanists to name the species of large grasses that have edible components—i.e., the grains.

Botanically, the grain is a type of fruit called a caryopsis, composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran.

*If using wood sticks, remember to soak them before adding the corn and grilling.

‡‡Recipe for Barbecue Seasoning: Combine 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon celery salt, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper.

Looking for some sophisticated party fun?

Here’s an idea from Elegant Affairs Caterers, riffing on tomato soup and grilled cheese:

Gazpacho shooters, topped with mini grilled cheese sandwiches.

Make your favorite gazpacho recipe, and use thin bread for the grilled cheese (photo #1).

Another fun gazpacho idea: top the shot glass with Tostitos Scoops filled with salsa (photo #2).

Or, create your own duo. Our mom was fond of hanging a large shrimp over the rim, with a sprig of dill on top of the gazpacho.

Here are some gazpacho recipes to start you off:

 
 
MORE FOOD FUN

[1] Gazpacho shooters with mini grilled cheese toppers (photo © Elegant Affairs Caterers).

[2] Yellow gazpacho topped with Tostitos Scoops filled with salsa (photo © Chicken Fried Gourmet [now closed]).

[1] Yellow watermelon (photo © Good Eggs).

August 3rd is National Watermelon Day (July is National Watermelon Month).

A summer favorite, watermelon so refreshing because of its extremely high water content. (Like a glass of ice water, it’s even more refreshing when chilled.)

Watermelon is the juiciest of melons, about 92% water by weight. The water keeps the calorie count down: just 30 calories for 2/3 cup.

Watermelon is always welcome on the table, but you can add some excitement by seeking out yellow watermelon. It’s sweeter than the red variety.

Our tip: Check around for yellow watermelon. And while you’re add it, Why not mix yellow and red: on a platter of slices, in fruit salads and on skewers (how about with with ciliegine, small mozzarella balls?).

Yellow watermelons lack lycopene*, the compound (and antioxidant) that produces the red color in its sister watermelon, tomatoes and red grapefruit.
 
 
HOW DID RED WATERMELON BECOME YELLOW WATERMELON?

Most of us have only seen red watermelon. But beyond seeds-versus-seedless, there are more than 1,200 cultivars of watermelon, from pink flesh, orange flesh and white flesh to black rinds [source].

The wild melons are a bitter fruit with hard, pale-green flesh. Over millennia, farmers produced the tempting fruit we know today.

First cultivated in Africa some 5,000 years ago, watermelon seeds have been found in King Tut’s tomb as well as in the villages of common folk.

As the melons were bred for rosier color over millennia, the lycopene content increased, resulting in the rosy red color of our current watermelons.

Yellow watermelon is prized for its sweetness. The yellow flesh has a sweeter, honey-like flavor as compared to red-fleshed melons, but the nutritional benefits are largely the same (the red flesh has more lycopene).
 
 
Watermelon Salad With Feta & Thai Basil
Watermelon Salad With Mozzarella & Pine Nuts
The History Of Watermelon
How To Select A Watermelon

________________
*Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid (a type of antioxidant) found in papayas, red grapefruits, tomatoes, watermelons and some other red fruits and vegetables—although it is not present in strawberries or cherries. (What’s up with that, Mother Nature?) It’s also found in some pink foods, such as pink grapefruit and pink guava. Foods that are not red, such as asparagus and parsley, also contain lycopene. Diets rich in lycopene may help prevent the development of prostate cancer. It may also protect against cancers of the lungs, breasts and kidneys [source].