Peanut Butter Bars

From a friend's blog.

Don't they look like they're worth a try?

Creamy Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars.

Crust:
8 medium-sized butter or chocolate chip cookies
1/4 cup butter, melted

Chocolate Layers:
2 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (15 oz. package)

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners'/icing sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

In food processor or blender process cookies until finely ground. Add butter and mix together completely. Press crumb mixture into bottom of 8 x 8 baking pan and bake 10 minutes.

Cool to room temperature.

Melt chocolate in double boiler over slightly simmering water. Or microwave the chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted. Pour half of the melted chocolate into pan and smooth evenly over crust. Place pan in refrigerator. Keep remaining chocolate warm.

To prepare the peanut butter filling, blend peanut butter and butter together until smooth, using a food processor or electric mixer. Slowly beat in icing sugar and then add vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread peanut butter filling over the chilled chocolate layer. Finish by pouring remaining warm chocolate over filling and spreading smooth.

Chill in refrigerator one hour or until firm. Cut into bars and serve.

Yield: 24-36 bars

See Erica on the Lifetime Network's "The Balancing Act"

Go to the 1/2 way point and start where they are showing the Hall County Technology superintendent.  You will see Erica 3-4 times.  Even a couple of close ups!

home remedy recipes

So I know I said recipes, but these almost fit the bill. They were on a friend's blog. I'm always running across these types of lists and always think wow- great idea! but hardly ever try them (except the baby powder to get sand off-love that one!).
If your interested, here's the link: Creative Tips and Home Remedies

One to try when I'm off this silly diet!

Lavendar Frosting on a lemon cupcake

Of course, then I'll need to go back on a silly diet. I think my new lifestyle change should include at least one cupcake a day.

Living to Eat or Eating to Live?

I love listening to grandma tell me about the things she is coming up with for dinner. My good intentions to re-create her masterpieces never come to fruition, but I would still love some of the recipes. Maybe one day I'll cook again in earnest. I showed Grandpa how to make a blog post, maybe someone could show Grandma, too? please?  (I waited until the last minute for the instruction and Grandma was packing.)
I wish I'd had a tape recorder with me so I could preserve Grandma's food genius. Any else have family food stories they'd like to share? I'd love to hear them. And, since this family has a sense of genius in the kitchen, for the rest of the summer everybody add as many new recipes (or new to the rest of us) that you try.  I know you have them, it's the busy factor that's the question.
Here's one we invented a few months ago.

Can't wait!

Doing what we do best

What a wonderful family! The fly on the wall must be shaking his head. I like to imagine that other people may not understand our obsession with food, but at least they'd be entertained by it. Is there another family so enraptured with food?

The whole family was invited to 'the grown-ups' restaurant, Roy's. I'm so glad we decided to bring them. Of course, now we'll never be able to go alone again, but it was so enjoyable to watch their eyes light up as their mouths took in each new bite. Mark always looks forward to treating his parents to something wonderful-so much so that we all enjoy it and look forward to their reactions-but I wasn't anticipating how much fun it would be to watch the kids reactions. Taylor was literally beaming! There we sat, in one of the most beautiful places in the world, every one of the senses engaged: the food was arranged like a work of art, the smell was driving me crazy waiting for everyone else to be served before I could begin, obviously the taste, all the different textures in your mouth- (creamy wasabi mayonnaise, little beads of caviar that explode in your mouth, crunchy tempura, cold ice cream/hot souffle), but the sounds are the best.  The 'Bob-like' mmm's and aah's. It was such a great night.

Roy's 
Appetizers: edamame (with coarse salt, sugar, seasame oil and a Japanese spice) Flying Dragon Roll Ko Olina Roll
Entres: Butterfish, Roys Classic 4, Rack of Lamb, Hibachi Salmon
Dessert: Chocolate Souffle, Elvis Monte Cristo Bread Pudding
(Some of the pictures have links to the recipe!)

My favorite line of the night: Taylor, "What does a butterfish look like? A cube of butter with fins?" I love my Family.

Is this the little girl I carried?

Emily is at her 8th grade dance tonight. She went with a group of wonderful girlfriends to dinner first, then to the dance, and an after party is planned at her friend's house a few doors down from us. She looked so beautiful and grown up! All I could think about was the first day she got on the bus for kindergarten, full of confidence. When I grow up, I want to be just like her!

Creepy Crawlies

The cousins were pretty impressed with Mark's Watch, I can remove my finger trick." But when he took it to the next level, he didn't get quite the reaction he'd anticipated.

Check out Luke's face. Not an ounce of concern-all boy-totally cool. Even our kids had a hard time with that one the first time they saw it. (Abby wasn't impressed.)

Although...later, when the kids went lizzard hunting, the cousins were sufficiently freaked out.

But good for Abby! She not only got her hands on one, but held it long enough to get a couple pictures. She didn't want any lizzard earrings, though. I don't blame you Abby. I haven't tried a pair on yet either.

Luke, your mom was right!

The Easter bunny does visit Arizona! Whew.

So glad fear of no easter bunny, no wii, and not sleeping in your own bed didn't keep you all from coming...and look how well your trust in mom paid off! It was a great trip. Thanks for coming. We love you.

"Does Arizona always smell this good?"

It does in the spring! Warm breezes, beautiful sunshine, and everywhere you go the scent of orange blossoms in the air. It's wonderful! The cousins thought so, too. Maybe it was the sun, maybe it's that they were still on east coast time, but they were up early Saturday picking oranges, lemons, and grapefruits.

So what do you get when you add team work to youthful enthusiasm?

Fresh squeezed OJ with our conference waffles, homemade lemonade with our BBQ, and oodles of grapefruit. I think Ryan was a little dismayed when he tasted the grapefruit sans sugar and thought he might have to eat all the fruit he picked. Luckily, there are plenty of people in the house who love it.

Had to put this last picture in. Jeffrey went missing for a time between sessions. We finally looked outside and realized he'd gotten himself stuck in one of the grapefruit trees. Poor guy!

I am going to miss fresh fruit 10 steps out my back door for over half the year. It's been wonderful!

The Good Egg

...and yes, it's good. The adults were impressed with the food, but I think the kids were more fond of the fountain outside. Oh well. They'll learn.

Can you regift wishes?

It was a great weekend for "parent payoffs". We were able to congratulate Erica on getting accepted into Da Vinci Academy.

She's trying to decide if she wants to attend or not.

 Cole recited the 13th Article of Faith even though he said he would "never be able to get that whole thing". 

Brooklyn took the 1st place medal in the district for Nat'l History Day. She entered a website that she created from her research on the impact of the Eisenhauer Interstate System. She had to present the website to the judges and answer questions. The whole process was 15-20 minutes long.  There is quite a sharp lady inside of this girl!

Megan received her patriarchal blessing today. It was an amazing experience. I felt like I was peering into her future and getting to see her through a more "celestial" lens. You parents who have done it can relate. My words are weak, but feelings are strong. It was a pleasure.  I can't wait to see it all unfold!