Reese Bars

Readers meet Heggy (my adorable Toy Schnauzer), Heggy meet my wonderful Readers!

A little over a year ago, the hubs and I decided to finally get a dog. I was so excited. I had been literally begging the hubs ever since we got married. So last May, Heggy found her way into our loving home. It has been an enjoyable ride. She truly has changed us and I couldn't imagine her not being a part of our family.

Unfortunately, Heggy has been sick for a long time. Most doctors that have seen her have said she just has bad allergies. She's had everything from itchy skin to ear infections to unusual bathroom habits. We have switched her food several times, but finally decided to put her on Orijen dog food (the fish and potato recipe) and that seemed to make a big difference. On top her symptoms going away, she's now one of the softest things I have ever felt!! I have read lots of reviews and gotten several recommendations for the Orijen dog food. So far so good. Heggy seems to love the food. But sadly, last week our little Hegster started acting funny again. She started drinking a lot of water, developed a really sour odor, seemed to have lost her "spunk" and then on Wednesday the hubs came home to find her right eye matted shut.

We were able to clean her eye up up enough to open it, but I decided that I for sure needed to take her back to the vet. So Thursday of last week, off she went to the vet AGAIN. They kept her all day and ran several tests. So to make a long story longer :o) they discovered that she still has a minor ear infection but they were more concerned about her eye. They recommended that we take her to a specialist.

So Friday, Miss Heggy went to see the specialist. They concluded that she has developed a cataract in her right eye. She apparently was also born without the ability to produce tears. (she will have to be on lifelong meds for this) She also has a "fatty deposit" on her eye, which has caused some inflammation. They are recommending cataract surgery, but we aren't sure what to do yet. It's a lot to take in and A LOT of money :o( She is currently on 5 medications (that are unbelievably expensive). She seems to be doing a lot better. She had stopped eating for a couple of days which really had us worried, but yesterday she finally ate all on her own. She has been such a cuddle buddy with her mommy all weekend. It breaks my heart when I look down and see her looking up at me with a sad face (and a cloudy eye). She stayed by my side all weekend though, and even if I got up she would get up and follow me wherever I went. I held her every chance I got! I think having a pet really prepares you for kids....not that I am anywhere near ready for any of those!!! :o)

Heggy has to have a surgery on Oct. 12, where they will do an ultrasound of her eye and also another test to look at her retina to determine if it is even healthy. For now, we are hoping that this "fatty deposit" will go away and not be the start of something worse. I never knew I could love an animal so much! So, we just take it one day at a time now. And in the meantime, I made these Reese Bars in honor of my chocolate (totally sweet) schnauzer! So go fill your bellies with these delicious treats, and send some prayers up to doggie heaven for our little one.

Since I already talked your ear off, I am not going to go on and on about these bars. But I am going to tell you that they are delicious and so easy to make!

If you like Reese Cups, then these are going to be your new best friend!

Reese Bars
(from the kitchen of Liesl)

2 cups of crushed graham crackers

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup melted butter
1 cup peanut butter

For the topping:
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
5 tablespoons peanut butter

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Crush graham crackers in a food processor and measure out two cups into a medium size bowl. Add powdered sugar. Melt butter in microwave and pour over crushed graham crackers and powdered sugar. Add peanut butter and stir mixture to combine. (do not use a mixer for this) Press graham cracker mixture evenly into greased baking dish.

For the topping: In a microwave safe dish, heat milk chocolate chips with peanut butter until melted. Carefully not to over cook it. Stir to combine the peanut and chocolate. Carefully spread over the graham cracker mixture.

Chill for several hour or overnight. Cut into bars, I think I got 15 nice sized bars out of it. (You can also use cookie cutters to make shapes, I wished I had halloween ones small enough, those would be really cute!)

Reese's Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

FINALLY, the wait is over...here it is MY BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! Yes, I made my own birthday cake :o) My wonderful husband was going to buy me one, but why would I want that when #1 - I know I can make one that would taste better than store bought and #2 - (most importantly) why spend that kind of money when homemade is so much cheaper!!!

When I started searching for recipes I didn't really know where to start, all I knew is that I wanted something fun and something that I hadn't done before! Seems like I always end up searching peanut butter recipes every time I want to make a cake...and this time wasn't any different! It didn't take me long to find something that I wanted to make, in fact I found several, but Annie's Eats won my heart! Man oh man does she have some great recipes!! I was so excited when I saw her Reese's Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake (whew that is a mouthful) and knew it was perfect for my birthday! I even had all the ingredients, except for buttermilk, so I was even more pumped!!! (I had leftover Reese's from all the campfires we have been having, the make a great S'more!)



This cake was so incredibly delicious!! I will warn you that this frosting is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE! I couldn't keep my husbands hands out of the bowl!! The cake is very rich, but nothing that a nice cold glass of milk couldn't help wash down!

Reese's Cup Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

(from Annie's Eats)

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Reese Cups for decorating

For the cake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9×2” round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Place the pans on a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until thoroughly blended into the butter. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk; add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). Mix each addition only until it is blended into the batter. Scrape down the bowl and add the melted chocolate, if using, folding it in with a spatula. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.

Bake for 26-30 minutes or until the cakes feel springy to the touch and start to pull away from the sides of the pans. Transfer to wire racks to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

Prepare Peanut Butter Frosting:

Peanut Butter Frosting

(from Barefoot Contessa)

**I double this batch (and highly recommend it), if you want to do that just double the measurements below**

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

To finish the cake:

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cardboard circle covered in foil. Spread peanut butter frosting on top of the cake layer. (If desired, sprinkle with chopped Reese’s cups.) Place the second cake layer on top of the frosting. Frost the top and outside of the cake with remaining peanut butter frosting. Decorate with halved and chopped Reese’s cups as desired

This was the day our AC bit the dust, I didn't want to go out to dinner, but my lovely husband talked me into going out with some friends. We had dinner at a hibachi grill, and it was so much fun! They came out and sang happy birthday in the most embarrassing way I have ever seen done! The cake was the perfect ending to my birthday! After the day we had, I was surprised I was even able to manage making the cake and frosting, and it not being a disaster!!

Doesn't that look delicious...I wish I could have another piece!!

*Kristen helped me with some of the photos!*

Check out her photography blog here!

Peanut Butter Chicken Tender Skewers

I used to get the magazine "Cooking for 2", a sub magazine of "Taste of Home". I love both magazines, they are always filled with such great recipes. I especially loved "Cooking for 2" because it is just me and my husband and we don't always want a whole lot of leftovers!


I have had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time now, just waiting for the perfect occasion! When I got my crazy urge to have cole slaw the other weekend I decided that it would be great to have something grilled to go with it. So I went to my cookbooks and starting look through my "must make" recipes! I was so excited when I came to the Peanut Butter Chicken Tender Skewers, because not only did I have all the ingredients (well except the ginger root) but I LOVE peanut butter!! I also thought that this would pair perfectly with some nice cold refreshing cole slaw!






Now it seems like lately there is a story that goes along with my dishes...and that was the case again when it came to making these skewers! Hey at least I keep people on their toes!! I have been known to make a mess in the kitchen when I cook/bake! It just seems like I can't be in my kitchen cooking without making some kind of mess...I call it art, but my husband doesn't like it so much!!! ;o)

On this particular day, I just happened to be looking through my cookbook on my glass top stove. When I finally decided on a recipe, I started to get all my ingredients out. I turned on the stove and proceeded to make the peanut butter sauce. A few minutes went by and I kept stirring the sauce wondering why the peanut butter wasn't melting properly, and my sauce wasn't turning in to a nice thin smooth sauce ... more like a clumpy thick mess! Then sure enough *sniff sniff*, I noticed something smelled like it was burning! But it didn't make sense to me because my stupid sauce wasn't even cooking like it should be...that's when I looked down at my cookbook and thought OH CRAP (although I am sure I didn't say crap)! Yes my friends this idiot turned the wrong burner on! Luckily I didn't walk away and even more lucky...it didn't start a fire. But in a rush to move my cookbook, I burned my finger :o( AND IT HURT!! LOL Sooooo - moral of the story, DON'T BE AN IDIOT LIKE ME AND PUT YOUR COOKBOOK ON THE STOVE TOP! haha Good thing I have a glass top because it was easy to clean up!

On a side note, these were so easy to make and I couldn't believe how good they were!

Peanut Butter Chicken Tender Skewers

(adapted from Taste of Home)

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root (I didn't have this so I left it out)
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

In a small saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until smooth. Remove from the heat; set aside 2 tablespoons sauce for serving.

Slice chicken lengthwise into 1-in. strips; thread onto metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 2 minutes; turn and brush with remaining sauce. Continue turning and basting for 4-6 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Serve with reserved sauce.

Peanut Butter Fingers

I know I just got done blogging about my love of S'mores, but I must admit that my love of peanut butter is nearly just as big! When I came across this recipe in my Google Reader I immediately got excited! Not only does it combine two of the world's best ingredients (peanut butter and chocolate - if anyone was wondering!) but it is a super simple, ready in a pinch dessert!

This past weekend, my husband and I got invited to a little pool party/grilling get together with some friends and we were told we had to bring dessert! I couldn't really complain because that seems to be my favorite thing to do these days! So I got to thinking about what I wanted to bring...I didn't want to do anything to crazy and complicated because I had just spent my whole weekend tending to a massive Garage Sale! (which completely wore me out!) So I turned to my Google Reader hoping that I marked some "must makes" that were easy and didn't require a lot of prep! Sure enough these Peanut Butter Finger Bars were staring me in the face, literally BEGGING me to make them!! :o) (actually these bars must have buddied up with another recipe, because I ended up making two...and I can't wait to post the other one!!! It is SOOOO good and SOOO easy you won't believe it!)

I even had all the ingredients on hand...an added bonus! Good thing I keep a stocked pantry! I am sure you all do as well. You must head to your kitchen now and check, because these bars have your name ALL over them! They are so moist ... the perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate. They are rich, but nothing a cold glass of milk couldn't help! These bars actually reminded me of a peanut butter no bake cookie with chocolate and peanut butter on top! Oh how I want to bust through the screen and take another bite!

Peanut Butter Fingers

(from Katie Blair's Designs - with a few slight changes)

For the Bars:

3/4 c. butter

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

2/3 c. peanut butter

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. oatmeal

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Topping:

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
About 5 or so Tablespoons skim milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, peanut butter, baking soda, salt, vanilla, flour and oatmeal in mixing bowl. Spread in a 9 x 13-inch greased baking dish. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of hot crust. Wait 10 minutes and spread the melted chocolate evenly over the top. Cool bars before adding topping.

For the topping:

Blend together topping ingredients and spread over cooled bars. Cut into squares.

**I made the topping more like a frosting. I LOVE peanut butter frosting...but if you wanted it to be more like the original recipe (she made a thinner frosting that she said could be drizzled over the bars) be sure to follow her recipe for the topping.**

I need to stop making all these desserts and get back to being healthy!! haha But don't expect that in the next post...I have another GREAT dessert coming, and trust me you don't want to miss it!!