While we were dating, I had romantic visions of married life. Week-ends would be spent languishing with my husband in bed, cooking together in the kitchen, catching a slow dance in between everyday mundane, yet still titillating, activities. And then we made babies.
I remember it well. Nursing nighties, sour with breast milk. Scraps of nutritionally deficient food, ravenously scarfed down in those few moments while the baby slept. Prayers sent to heaven that those precious first six sex-less weeks could magically extend and give me a just a few more days to myself…well, as much to myself as could be, considering I had a rather ravenous, über-cuddly baby that wanted mommy time all the time.
But then I blinked a few times, and found myself mama to two relatively independent kids. Independent in that they ate the kinds of food we ate (AKA: real meals), had proper bed times and a rather dependable schedule. Suddenly, the possibilities became endless.
Picture it: kids are in bed, a tent is pitched in the backyard, and the baby monitor is plugged into an extension cord running to the tent. What do you have? Backyard Lovin’: House-Bound Mommy and Daddy style.
What you need:
A set of your nicest sheets to cover over the air mattress. Sleeping bags just aren’t going to cut it.
Have a fire pit? Imagine cuddling up with your Baby-Daddy and enjoying some uninterrupted conversation.
Franks and beans on the fire? Not at this camp site. Think a rack of lamb and prawns on the grill. Baked brie. A fat glass of cab sauv. And for dessert: The Dear Husband’s (DH’s) s’mores…Backyard Lovin’ style.
The DH’s S’mores: Backyard Lovin’ Style
When you’re escaping to a tent in the backyard for a quick romantic “getaway” from the kids, the last thing you want to be doing is wiping gooey bits of marshmallows and chocolate from your hands, clothes and face. Whipping up a batch of these all-in-one s’mores ensures less clean-up time and more time for other things.
1/2 cup – butter
1/2 teaspoon – real vanilla extract
250 g – Marshmallows
3 cups – Crispy Rice Cereal
1 dozen graham crackers, broken into dime-sized bits
1 cup – frozen dark chocolate bits (we love Kerstin’s Chocolates for our chocolate!)
1 cup – frozen marshmallows
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan; add vanilla and marshmallows. Stir to melt marshmallows.
Fold in the crispy rice cereal and graham cracker pieces.
Just before adding to 8” x 8” buttered pan, fold in the frozen chocolate bits and frozen marshmallows.
Let cool and then dig in!
By: Kerri Leland
