Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars

My Aunt Lola makes the best Special K bars in the world. No, I am serious. I have eaten many in my life time, and hers are by far the best.

I attempted them twice. And failed miserably.

I don't know if it was because I was new(er) to baking and the corn syrup gave me trouble, but they were hard as bricks both times. Nothing like the soft, chewy bars I remember having out on the farm. With fresh milk out of the bulk tank. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Unfortunately, I do not live very close to Lola, so I had to figure out a way to get my fix. This is my fix. It has most of the same taste notes as her Special K bars and they turn out each and every time.




I adapted this recipe from one I got from a doctor I used to go to. His wife was (probably still is) a nutritionist. I had to laugh, because I don't think these fall anywhere under the "nutritious" category on any health provider's guidelines. But I'm not a doctor-nor do I play one on TV-so I will delight in eating these delicious bars all my live-long days.

Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Bars

1 cup of butter (use butter, not margarine please)

2 (10 oz) bags miniature marshmallows

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 TBSP vanilla extract

9 to 12 cups of crispy rice cereal

Topping:

1 cup chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Use a heavy-bottomed large pan. Melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and continue over low heat to melt the marshmallows. Stir frequently to help them melt. When the marshmallows are completely melted, remove pan from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla extract. Add the cereal a few cups at a time. Add until the desired chewiness is achieved. I add about 10 cups because I like mine chewy, not crispy.

Pour cereal mixture immediately out onto a buttered jellyroll sheet. Pat down with buttered hands so the top is level and the cereal has been squished into the corners.

In a microwave-safe bowl, pour in the butterscotch chips, followed by the chocolate chips. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let sit for 1-2 minutes, then stir. If not completely melted, stick in microwave for another 30 seconds, let sit another 1-2 minutes, and stir again. The butterscotch chips do not melt down as easy as the chocolate chips, that is why I put them on the bottom and let sit before stirring. When chips are melted, stir in the peanut butter. Pour over bars and spread frosting out to cover.

Eat one, or several, with a large glass of cold milk.

You'll thank me later.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Oh, the simple recipes. The ones that look just too easy that they cannot possibly taste good. Let me tell you-this delivers on all accounts.

I needed to bring some bars and salad to my brother's house for his youngest child's graduation and going away party (he joined the Marines-I'm still dealing with that). Leading up to the weekend of the party, I had a lot going on. I went to the grocery store after work Friday morning with intentions of making my Double Decker Caramel Crispy Rice bars, but the store didn't have any of the caramel dot-balls-morsels that I use and didn't want to spend all the time unwrapping the caramels, plus the added time to melt the large squares versus the pebbles, so I was trying to come up with something else. I'm not an inspired cook. I cannot look in my pantry and say "Oh look-rice, beans, stock, some chicken in the fridge-I can make X". I believe I have spoken of my innate fear of this. It was also mentioned on someone else's blog (ehem, Grace) that she suffered the same fate, but she speaks and writes much better than I. So, I'm digressing. I stood in the baking aisle at 3:52 AM trying to figure out what to do. I decided to make a pan of peanut butter bars with cut up peanut butter cups in them and then I was going to do a pan of chocolate chip cookie bars. The graduate had specified to one of my sisters (the one that cooks, um not S) that he likes cookies-in-bar form. I looked on the back of a package of Betty Crocker Chocolate chip cookie pouch (don't hate me foodies, I had a time pinch plus I had to make the salad too!) and saw this recipe.

It was heaven in a bar. The aforementioned sister S, who I rarely see eat dessert, had like 5 and proclaimed to everyone around her how good they were. Have I mentioned that both of my sisters are thin and I'm......well, let's just say you can tell I haven't been late to the dinner table much. It was high praise indeed. I made another pan on Monday to bring to work. One guy said he ate three-I think he ate three rows as when I went to next break, half of the pan was gone.

These really are winner, you just need to trust me. And only make them when you have enough people around to help you eat them-or you will eat bar after bar.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies (from Betty Crocker)

1 box Betty Crocker Supreme brownies (with the Hershey syrup package)

ingredients called for on box: oil, water, egg

1 pouch Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix

ingredients called for on pouch: butter and egg

Mix brownie mix according to directions on box. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Prepare cookies dough as directed on pouch. Drop spoonfuls all over brownie batter; press the dough into batter. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35 to 40 minutes, checking after 33 minutes. Cool on rack and cut into bars.

Lose yourself in chocolatey goodness.

Lemon Cheese Bars

Dah dah dat dah.....! (trumpet sound) I AM CAST FREE!!

Oh sweet Jesus, I am free. Those were the longest 4 weeks of my life. I was shedding like a snake when it came off, and I don't have much range of motion in my wrist and my arm is not able to straighten all the way yet, but glory be, I can move it.

The last few days were the worst, since I knew it was coming off soon. To take my mind off of it for a little while, I looked for a recipe that was easy enough to make pretty much with one hand. I had a couple Meyer lemons that looks close to end of their life, so I found this recipe in my church's cookbook we put out about 5 years ago. I have to say that I love the local cookbooks that churches, community centers, school and service organizations put together. They have the tried and true recipes that people always love. These bars fit this to a tee. I was told by several people at work that I could bring these in every week if I wanted.

Lemon Cheese Bars
from Norma and Marge at St. Marks Lutheran Church

1 box yellow cake mix
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice (I used the juice of two Meyer lemons)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix dry cake mix, 1 egg and 1/3 cup oil until crumbly. Reserve one cup. Pat remaining mixture into bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake 15 minutes. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and lemon juice until light and smooth. Spread over baked crust. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top of lemon layer. Bake 15 minutes longer. When cool, cut into bars.

Easy and delicious. Give 'em a try soon!

Linzer Bars

This is another new cookie/bar for me. I have seen Linzer cookies on many cookie trays at church bake sales and have heard that they are a bit of work, with the cutting the cookies, spreading, topping with the cut-out cookie, etc. When I was looking through a cookbook my Mom had picked up at a garage sale many years ago, I saw these bars. All the flavor with a lot less work!
They were Dude's favorite I think. He probably ate a quarter of the pan himself.

Linzer Bars

1-1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp grated lemon peel
2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cup whole almonds, ground **
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup raspberry preserves
Powdered sugar

**Due to one person's allergies, I left out the almonds and added almond extract instead

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and lemon peel until well blended. Stir in flour, almonds (extract) and cinnamon until well blended.

Press 2 cups dough onto bottom of prepared pan. Spread preserves over crust. Press remaining dough, small amounts at a time, evenly over preserves.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; cut into bars

I quick option for when you really want that cookie, but don't have time for the real deal!

Baking Frenzy

Is 'frenzy' the right word? I baked 3 different bars and cookies for our bake sale at church, but only took pictures of two things. I also made my daughter's favorite double decker rice krispie treats with the gooey centers, so the kitchen was hopping this day.

Here is a nice, simple and quick treat. I have had many people ask for these who don't like or can't eat chocolate.

Salted Nut Rolls

1-16 ounce jar dry roasted peanuts with light salt

3 TBSP butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 bag peanut butter chips

1-10 ounce bag of mini marshmallows

Butter a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle half of the nuts on bottom. In saucepan, melt butter, chips and milk over med-low heat. Stir in marshmallows to coat them, but not totally melt them. Pour over nuts; sprinkle with remaining nuts and press well into marshmallow layer or nuts won't stick very well.

Cool and cut into squares.

I cut them into 30 bars and plated 6 on a plate then slipped the plate into a gallon size zip top baggie and labeled them.

My daughter's French class is going on a field trip to a French restaurant right before Christmas and it actually falls on one of my nights off, so I signed up to go with. Figured Dude would never take me to fu-fu restaurant, so this might be my only chance. I will bring the camera to take photos as it is a buffet setting I believe with two meat choices, soup, salad, potatoes, bread and two desserts, plus a baguette to take home. I'm branching out!

Drama Queen just called from the road in a panic. "How do I put the Jeep in 4 wheel drive?" Honey, there is an eighth of an inch of snow; 4 wheel drive won't help. Slow down and let other's pass you. Text me when you get to school. Poor thing really does have my nervous tendencies!

And the cat is laying on the back of my chair snoring in my ear.

Caramel Apple Pie

I'm back from my weekend shopping trip and had a fabulous time! Besides spending all day with my BFF from high school, I was also able to meet my cousin and one of his friends for lunch and cocktail as they were shopping at Mall of America also. I finished shopping for Drama Queen, I am about 90 percent done with Hermit Crab, and I need just a few things for Dude. After I post, I'm off to order some car things for him. He is so hard to shop for!



I said that I would be posting a pumpkin roll and a bourbon pecan pie, and I will soon, but I didn't have enough pecans and I had already been to town and didn't feel like making another trip for just some nuts. My friend Scott from work had brought me a bag of Harrelson apples so I found the recipe that was a big hit at a family party about a year and a half ago. It is from Ree Drummond-The Pioneer Woman. I changed it a bit to comply with requests from the family from the first time I made it. In it's original form it was delightful, I just tried to make it fit into my family's tastes a little more.




Caramel Apple Pie
(I think she calls it Scrumptious Apple Pie?)



1 refrigerate pie crust
6 to 7 cups cored, peeled and sliced tart apples
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup sugar
4 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking spice-not in original recipe
1 tsp. cinnamon-not in original recipe
Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 sticks butter, slightly soft
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping *her recipe calls for 1/2 a jar, and also 1/2 cup of pecans


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour, salt, baking spice and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside. For crumb topping, cut butter into flour. Add brown sugar and oats. Place pie crust in pie tin. Pour in apple mixture. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of apples.
Place pie protector (or tin foil strips) over crust and bake for 25 minutes. Remove protector/tin foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes and then drizzle with caramel topping.



I didn't add walnuts this time since Bob will probably want some tomorrow night at work and he doesn't like nuts (he is spoiled) and I don't use as much caramel topping as Ree does as my family thought it overwhelmed the pie to much. All they tasted was caramel and not the apples. I also used the spices to make it taste more like an apple pie.

I also made a pan of bars for Drama Queen. She likes regular apple pie-well, mainly she likes the crust, but since this has a crisp-like topping, she may try it as she likes apple crisp. To appease her in case she doesn't want to try it or doesn't like it, I made one of favorite bars.

Peanut Butter M & M Bars

1 package dry peanut butter cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1 egg
1 TBSP water
3 TBSP oil
1/3 cup M & M's

Stir together cookie mix, egg, water and oil until combined. Stir in candy until dispersed well in the dough. Pat into a brownie pan (10x8). Bake at 350 degrees F. for 22 minutes.

Ahhh, nothing like the smell of peanut butter baking!

I probably won't see you until towards the end of the week since this starts our long week at work. I am off to find some of my favorite bar recipes as we are having a bake sale/craft sale and luncheon at our church the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. There is a huge tree farm about 4 miles south of our church and many people travel from the Twin Cities to come get trees. We offer them a place to grab some good lunch, pick up some treats and a place to 'powder their nose'. Since we are going to visit Hermit Crab that weekend, I need to have my treats ready to go beforehand. My neighbor, who is hosting us for Turkey Day, offered to bring in my stuff as she is working the sale. I love a good bake sale.......

Better to eat bars then end up behind them

Here are the bars I made while talking with my mother. Thankfully I didn't dive in head first into the pan after that conversation. These are super easy and so delicious (Heather) that I know you will love them. The pan was empty when we came home from work the next morning-and the only people here were the two sunshine filled bundles of joy I gave birth to (rolling my eyes and counting my grey hairs). They must have had them for dinner, snack and breakfast.

Fudge Filled Bars

1 yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

2 TBSP softened butter

1 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, eggs and the 1/2 cup melted butter. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan that has been sprayed with no-stick spray. Melt the chocolate chips, 2 TBSP butter and sweetened condensed milk. Pour over crust.

Pinch off pieces of remaining dough and scatter over top of chocolate layer.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

These are really dense and very rich and oh so yummy. I highly recommend that you give them a try. Just don't make a pan while talking to your mom, or you may end up eating the entire pan.

Stop over at Donna's place at My Tasty Treasure's and enter her give away. You will also pick up some tips on, well, it involves a car wash and Stella getting her groove on. Here is the place you need to go Donna's giveaway

Have a great day everyone. I have a full weekend revolving around paint, cabinets, dinner out, drinks, dinner at a friend's with more drinks, and hopefully some food to post.

I love you like an $8 dollar w........

Rhymes with 'door'. Okay, that was a line in a TV show the Dude and I watched our last weekend off. It was a marathon of "In Plain Sight". Anyone know it? I had see ad's about it on other channels, but it was the first time we had watched. For some odd reason-well, if you met me, you wouldn't find it odd-but for some odd reason, it is like my favorite line to quote ever. I said it to the Dude at work last week and the guy next to us laughed so hard he choked on his sandwich. What does this have to do with my post? Nothing really, as these bars are more like a high priced 'working girl' and the above mentioned $8 one. I honestly don't know how I ended up on this site, but must have been just clicking away and ended up at Bake or Break. She has a recipe from Paula Deen (I checked Paula's website and Food Network and didn't find it-I was looking for storage information).

Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

1-1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Filling #1

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling #2

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/3 cup butter, melted

3 eggs

1-1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray it with non-stick spray. These bars are very sticky, so don't skip that step. Combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in softened butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in the pecans. Press into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Using an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed, combine cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add 1 egg and beat until combined. Stir in chocolate and vanilla. Pour over baked crust. My batter was thick, so I tried to spread it out with spatula. The chocolate will start to melt quickly while doing this. Bake for 15 minutes, then allow to cool on counter for 10.

Whisk together brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and the eggs. Stir in the pecans. Pour over cream cheese mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan. Cut into squares and serve.

I was checking Paula's site(s) to see if they needed to be refrigerated due to the cream cheese. I stored mine in there so I didn't get anyone sick at work. These seem like a lot of steps (not really) and a lot of dishes (that is true) but one taste of these delicious morsels, and it is worth the dishes. With a glass of milk, it was almost a religious experience (almost).

Taking the Hermit Crab to the casino tonight to ring in the birthday a week late. I can just see her eyes when we walk into that huge place with all the bells and lights and good stuff. It should be fun, but we can't stay out late as she has a speech competition tomorrow.

Up tomorrow: Navy cookies. Yum-I love these! I'll explain the name tomorrow as you will all know them as something else.

I have a pot roast in the crock right now to nourish us before spending that big (ha ha ha) wad of cash tonight. I think I will give her a roll of quarters and a roll of nickels and call it good!

Who likes oooey goooey bars? (Awards follow)

Edited note: The bars at the end of the post should be kept in the fridge to be kept firm. They will start to ooze out the sides when cut. Fabulous either way, but I know some people like firmer bars. Carry on.

As I stated in last night's post, I was making bars for our family party tomorrow in Wisconsin. It has snowed for most of the day and am not looking forward to the trip as the Dude and I are driving the pickup and pulling a car trailer. We got my Mom a car as the one she was driving died. We actually have to put the car in my sister B's name and have B list Mom as a driver since Mom is on disability and can't have any assets (or very few) because she lives in an income-based apartment. If she has assets it will increase her rent and decrease any benefits she gets. We are not trying to cheat the government; she lives on $860 a month. She pays rent, all of her living expenses, health insurance and what ever her health insurance doesn't cover has to come from her. It took her almost 4 years to pay off her portion of the hip replacements she needed since she could barely walk. She needs to still be mobile because I am certain that if she is cooped up in that apartment any longer, she's going postal on all the old freaky people that live in her building. Where the heck am I wandering off to?




Oh yeah-bars. This recipe comes from our churches first cookbook put out about 14 years ago. I have adapted it slightly because of how I like the consistency of my bars and the flavors I like in my bars. I can't make Special K bars to save my life. My aunt and my sister B make awesome SK bars; me, well lets just say that Karo syrup is NOT my friend. I always make Crispy Rice bars (this name will be explained in a minute). I have a great recipe from my old doctor's wife-who was a nutritionist, which makes me laugh as they are so full of fat and calories. I will make those in the future and post. With the creamy chocolate frosting.......ooooo, chocolate frosting....oh, sorry, I'm back.




These are called Marshmallow Caramel Bars (from St. Mark's Lutheran Church cookbook)




Crispy Rice cereal (original recipe calls for 13 oz box; I wing it and pour in more and keep stirring until I get the desired consistency, if I guessed, I would say about 14 to 15 cups cereal)

2 packages mini marshmallows
1-1/4 cup butter, divided
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 package caramels (I use the Kraft caramel bits-no unwrapping!)
1 large jar marshmallow creme (original says small jar)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (not in original recipe)



Butter two jelly roll pans; set aside. Melt together 1/2 cup butter, the caramels and the sweetened condensed milk. Set aside to cool.


Melt the remaining 3/4 cup butter with marshmallows. Stir in peanut butter when marshmallows are melted. Turn off heat and stir in Crispy Rice cereal.



Divide the mixture between the two buttered pans. Butter hands and press into pan.



Take caramel mixture and spread on one pan.






Take jar of marshmallow creme and spread on other pan. It is really hard to spread on sticky food product on top of another sticky food product, especially when one of the products is in a buttered pan! They shift and slide a lot.



Invert one pan on top of the other.




Enjoy the oooey goooey goodness.

Okay, you are probably looking at that huge cello bag of Crispy Rice cereal and wondering if I shoplifted it from the school's kitchen. I work for a cereal company and as a benefit we get to take home a set number of bags or boxes a day. Since we both work there, we have A LOT of cereal. The day I picked up this bag of Crispy Rice, that line was running the large food service bags (these go to schools, colleges, hospitals, etc)




You know the best part of these bars? Left over bits for the cook!







Okay, on to some awards. The sweet Katherine over at Smoky Mountain Cafe awarded me the Superior Scribbler Award a ways back and honestly, I have been fretting over passing it on. I am fretting because I love so many blogs but it would be impossible to give it to everyone so I am giving it to
















Shelby at shelbymaelawstories (Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch). Her love of her family is apparent in all of her post. Plus, she shares the name of one of my favorite people-one of my daughters.



Cathy at noblepig.com because she makes me laugh but also makes me think.



Heather at diaryofafanaticfoodie.com. The post she did on her dog serving papers on her husband for the rights to pillow had me crying as I was laughing so hard.












And the beautiful Heather at the aforementioned diaryofafanaticfoodie.com bestowed upon me the Honest Scrap award. For this one, I believe I am suppose to list 10 honest things about myself. I will do that at the end of this novel, umm, I mean post. I will give this award to:





Dawn at vanillakitchen. She posts wonderful food with beautiful photography (I'm so jealous). I also want to eat the her photo header!


Brittany at barefootfoodie. I don't even know how to best describe my delight in her blog. She is funny, can write like I wish I could even think, says what is on her mind, and reminds me why my MIL is pretty okay.

Bob at icookstuff. I totally love that he loves to be in the kitchen and cook. I know very few men that really enjoy it, and he does-it shows in his post. Oh, and because of his use of "wicked". Always make me think of "That Thing You Do!"

Okay, 10 honest things about me:
1) I still have some Christmas decorations up. I know, I know. I think I have lost some boxes because when I put stuff away in January these things should have had boxes. I should check in my car seats (Cathy @ NP will get that)
2) I have never smoked a day in my life. Good thing since I have asthma, but, no never even tried as a teenager.
3) I have the most bizarre fear of falling and losing my front teeth. I am a total freak.
4) Besides cooking, I love to scrapbook. It has taken a back seat lately due to blogging, but need to get on the ball with a graduation coming up.
5) If there were any possible way for me to go back to school, I would go to culinary school. I don't think I want to cook professionally, but would love to learn as much as I could.
6) I miss my dead cat all the time. Sad. He would have been 15 this year. I sometimes think I see him in the computer cabinet when I'm here perusing. He loved to sit on the top shelf and watch me.
7) I'm a huge Rusty Wallace fan. For those who are scratching their heads, he is a retired NASCAR driver. We are not into it as much anymore with all the weird rule changes and such, but I still love Rusty. I have a 6 foot cutout of him in my scrap room.
8) I have a strange affinity for candles. I am seriously out of control. I cannot go to Kohls, Pier 1 or any home decor store without coming home with at least 1.
9) The Dude and I are going to Iceland next year for our 20th anniversary. We are going to sit in the hot springs and drink vodka, take a bus tour and act like we are on our second honeymoon. Love you more than you can ever know R.
10) I can't wait for camping season to start. There is nothing that I love more than sitting next to the fire with my honey enjoying a cocktail, watching the fire and the stars and listening to some great tunes.

Thanks everyone for stopping by and enduring a L-O-N-G post!

Sweets for my sweetie

I had posted earlier that I am a really picky eater and many times I make dishes that I don't eat. I know this sound weird, but it actually how I show affection for people. I think the nicest thing we can do for someone to show our love, or our like, is to make them something to eat. We are taught at an early age to share, and this is how I share. I suppose it is also helps to feed my ego when people like something I have created for them. But more importantly for me, it make me feel happy to make someone else happy. That must be that primal instinct that woman have? Here is a recipe I made for my honey. We saw a recipe card at the grocery store when we stopped the other day. I am not a fan of raspberries (Gasp! I don't like strawberries either, unless they are pureed in my margaritas!) but he thought it looked good, so I made some for him to take to work. I cannot take any credit for this, as it is a recipe that Nestle put out. The only change I made was to not put the chocolate chips on top as he is not a big chocolate fan. Bigger gasp! What? How can he not like chocolate? That should be some kind of sin or something....

Chocolatey Raspberry Crumb Bars

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (well it is from Nestle, so go Tollhouse!), divided

1- 14 oz can Sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Beat butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until creamy. With floured hands *very important*, press 1-3/4 cup flour mixture into prepared pan, reserving remaining mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until just turning golden brown. While crust is baking, melt 1 cup chocolate chips and milk in microwave bowl on HIGH for 1 minute. Let set for about 30 seconds, then gently stir. If the chips are not completely melted, microwave for an additional 10 to 15 seconds. Spread over hot crust. Stir nuts into reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over chocolate layer. Drop teaspoonfuls of preserves over flour mixture. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips (this is the step I omitted so it was too chocolatey for him). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the center is set. Cool on wire rack.

A quick note about the bowls in these pictures. I love 50's kitchen stuff, and I just love all the Pyrex patterns. My Mom gave me the two medium sized bowls, as they belonged to my Grandma Isabelle. It is from a set and I don't know who has the other two. I emailed my Dad in Florida and sent him a picture and asked him to scout out his local favorite antique stores for the pattern as I wanted a full set. I had looked in my area and haven't found this pattern. He called an hour later to tell me he had the big bowl in that pattern in his cupboard. A friend had given it to him. He tells me to check Ebay, to which I replied that I figured with all his connections he could find it cheaper and he could just bring them home when he comes home in June 2009 for our oldest daughter's graduation. I said I would pay up to $50 bucks for the two I didn't have. He called about two hours after that and said he found them online. In a week, a package from Colorado was on my door step with a complete set. Happy Birthday to me he said! I told him that next time I was going to tell him to find my a new car. Think that would show up on my doorstep with a Happy Birthday message?

Oh, and I got this cool scraper paddle for the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It has silicone "wings" that scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you have either style of mixer, there is paddle for them. I ordered it from Chef's catalog-very cool item.