Computer down...

My goodness, one thing after another! My computer is down, as in needs a new mother board completely crashed...I'm using the laptop now while my husband works on getting me a new desktop set up. This happened last summer as well and I am so ready to have a computer that just works, that I won't have to worry about losing all of my pictures on, etc.

Just a little vent for today...

Will be late for TWD...

I had every intention of making Cran Apple Crisps today for Tuesdays with Dorie but I just was not able to get to baking and am turning in for the night. I *think* I have a block of semi-free time tomorrow and have lots of fun baking planned :)

Chewy Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

I found the base for these tasty treats in the 1999 Taste of Home Annual Recipes cookbook, it was titled Chewy Peanut Butter Bars and what really got me was the short ingredient list, these are a super easy one bowl cookie with very basic ingredients you are sure to have on hand.

Chewy Reese's Pieces PB Cookie Bars

adapted from a Taste of Home recipe

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Reese's Pieces candies

Put all ingredients except for Reese's Pieces in a big bowl and mix thoroughly with electric mixer, spread into 9 by 13 pan -- you can either spray the pan with cookie spray or line it with aluminum foil and then spray it, so the bars are easy to lift out and evenly cut.

Evenly sprinkle the top of the bars with Reese's Pieces and gently press them down a little bit.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 - 35 minutes, I think if you were using a basic 9 by 13 pan 25 minutes would work, but I was using an air bake insulated 9 by 13, which always adds on some extra minutes. Let these cool and set up for a few hours before cutting and serving, do not try to serve them straight from the oven, they really benefit from cooling down.

My taste testers, picky husband and kids, really liked these! They are definitely more in the chewy bar cookie category as opposed to gooey or crunchy, so if you like peanut butter and chewy cookies, be sure to give these easy treats a try :)

No SMS muffins yet...

I was planning on making the Pear Cranberry Muffins today for Sweet Melissa Sundays but we ended up having an extra busy day and have postponed muffin making until tomorrow! These sound extra delicious and I can't wait to give them a try, see you tomorrow :)

Broccoli Cheese and Rice Casserole

I have tried a few recipes for broccoli cheese and rice casseroles in the past, only to be disappointed, so when I started making this one, with no recipe and just an idea of how this classic comfort dish *should* taste, I was fully prepared to end up with another fail version. Thank goodness I was wrong, and persevered through another possible casserole disaster, because I think I've finally figured this recipe out :)

Lots of recipes I've seen for this classic start with cream of something soup, but not this one, it starts with cooked rice, steamed broccoli florets, and a delicious homemade creamy cheddar cheese sauce. To me this is a base recipe that could be jazzed up with some sauteed onions or mushrooms or garlic, and also lends itself to lots of variations based on the cheese you use.

Basic Broccoli Cheese and Rice Casserole

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

6 tablespoons flour -- I use wondra flour which is great for sauces

3 cups milk
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, as desired

2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar

4 1/2 - 5 cups cooked rice*, I used texmati brand jasmati which is like jasmine/basmati rice hybrid and cooks up nice and fluffy

1 lb steamed broccoli florets, steamed to just about desired doneness (frozen works fine, the kind you can steam in the microwave are great)

1 wrapped stack -- approx. 30 round buttery crackers (Ritz) crushed up

1/4 cup (1/2 sick) melted butter or margarine

*I used 5 cups and to me it seemed like it could have used a little less rice to make it even creamier, but my husband thought the texture was perfect with the 5 cups.

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a 9 by 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Melt 6 tbsp butter or margarine over medium heat in large sauce pan with whisk in hand, add the flour and make a roux, cook for about 1 minute, whisking constantly, slowly add in 2 cups of the milk and salt, while whisking, and up the heat to medium high. After a few minutes when the sauce is bubbling and thickening, add the last cup of milk, cook a few more minutes, while whisking. Whisk 1 cup of cheese and turn off the heat.

Put the cooked rice in a very large bowl, pour the cheese sauce over the rice and mix thoroughly, add in the broccoli and mix again, add in the remaining 1 cup of cheese and mix again just to distribute the cheese.

Put the rice mixture into the baking dish and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or spatula, top evenly with the crushed Ritz crackers, then drizzle the melted butter over the top.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the cracker topping in lightly toasted and golden brown. Enjoy!

We really enjoyed this comfort food side dish, and it was extra easy to put together, especially since I made the rice in the rice cooker while I got the broccoli and sauce ready. After that just mix it all up, pop it in the oven, and you are all set. I'm sure we'll be making this one again, especially with cold weather season fast approaching.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Bread

This pumpkin bread is so moist and delicious! I found the recipe on recipezaar and played with the spices a touch -- using pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg called for and also adding extra vanilla.

I baked it in my Nordic Ware Pumpkin Harvest Loaf Pan that always gets me in a fun fall mood. I think I did not spread the batter in the pan well enough, just kind of scooped it in there, and that is why I ended up with the little bubbles on the cute pumpkin patch design. Honestly, I think it turned out kind of ugly this time around, I tried to fix it up with powdered sugar, but that didn't help either...oh-well.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Bread

adapted from recipezaar

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Cream the butter and sugar together. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Stir flour, baking soda, and salt together and add to the butter and sugar. Add the pumpkin, sour cream, and pumpkin pie spice, mix together.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake at 350F for 1 hour -- I think I had to bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes until it tested done.

Even thought it wasn't pretty, it sure was delicious! Even picky husband and kids liked this one :)

Sticky Buns -- Sweet Melissa Sundays

These are, hands down, the best sticky buns I've ever made, probably the best I've ever tasted! They were picked for us to try with Sweet Melissa Sundays by Jen of Not Microwave Safe a few Sundays ago, and while I did bake along with the group I just didn't get around to posting until now.


You can find the recipe for Melissa Murphy's amazing sticky buns here at Jen's site. The original recipe was for Sticky Buns with Toasted Almonds, and the toasted almonds are just sprinkled on top, so if you are not an almond fan you are safe to make these. I happen to love almonds, so made an almond bun for myself...


and left the rest plain for picky husband -- I figured I could sprinkle the toasted almonds on as desired. These didn't really need almonds, as they are amazing all by themselves with the pillowy soft dough and best sticky sauce ever, but I liked the little extra crunch the almonds added. Everyone in my family loved these, even picky husband! I think the sticky sauce is the key to these amazing buns, it is made with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup, absolutely delicoius.

Here are some process photos...

Check out this page for the recipe if you don't have the Sweet Melissa Baking Book. I've made quite a few recipes from this book while baking along with Sweet Melissa Sundays and while most of them turned out perfectly, I think this is my favorite, so delicious, and a recipe that will be made again and again for sure :)