Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

If Anthony Bourdain were judging these bars on Top Chef, I'm pretty sure he'd call them "perfect stoner food." Because these are basically Rice Krispie treats on crack. The bottom layer is Rice Krispies, pretzels, and marshmallow, topped with a peanut butter layer, then topped with a chocolate layer. And see all that crushed goodness on top? Crushed peanuts and pretzels. Awesome.

I've made these twice since John's sister-in-law, Brooke, posted these on her blog a few weeks ago.  These are so good that John, myself, and two of our friends managed to take down a whole pan in one sitting. Just try to resist the salty, sweet, chewy, crunchy, peanutty goodness and eat only one. It cannot be done.  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

adapted from Pampered Chef, as seen on ...And a Cookie for Dessert

Ingredients:

1/4  cup dry-roasted peanuts
3 cups mini pretzel twists (about 1 2/3 cups coarsely crushed), divided
3 cups crisp rice cereal
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), divided       
1 bag (10.5 oz) miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided
1 bag (10 oz)  peanut butter morsels
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions:
 

1. Coarsely chop peanuts; set aside. Place pretzels into large resealable plastic bag; coarsely crush using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Set aside 1/3 cup of the pretzels. Place remaining pretzels and cereal in a large mixing bowl.

2. Place 6 tbsp of the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 60-90 seconds or until melted. Add marshmallows; microwave on HIGH 60-90 seconds. Stir until marshmallows are completely melted. Immediately add marshmallow mixture to mixing bowl; mix well. Spread crust evenly in a 13"x9" pan; firmly press into pan.

3. Combine 2 tbsp of the butter and half of the corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 60-90 seconds or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in peanut butter morsels; mix until melted (mixture will be stiff). Spread peanut butter mixture over crust using an offset spatula.

4. For ganache, place remaining butter and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 60-90 seconds or until melted. Stir in chocolate morsels; mix until smooth. Spread ganache evenly over peanut butter mixture. Sprinkle with peanuts and reserved pretzels. Place in freezer 5-10 minutes or until ganache is set. Cut into 24 squares; cut squares in half.

Yield: 24 servings

Download a printable recipe.

Chicken Piccata with Lemony Orzo

So, John's aunt has been nagging gently reminding us to update our blog, and she's right... we're slackers. So, this one's for you, Linda. This recipe is from the November 2010 issue of Cooking Light, and I've made it a few times since getting the issue in the mail. Chicken piccata (or, "chicken picante" as John's dad calls it) is a pan-seared chicken breast served with a lemon-caper sauce. And this particular version is quick, easy, and healthy. It's a good weeknight dinner for these reasons, and also because you can take out your workday frustrations by pounding your chicken into cutlets (and drinking the rest of the wine that you don't put in the sauce).

Plus, it's Penny-approved:

Chicken Piccata with Lemony Orzo
from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked orzo
2 tsp grated lemon rind
4 (4 oz) chicken cutlets
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tbs capers

Directions:
1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain. Stir in rind.

2. While orzo cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup.

3. Remove from heat; add butter, stirring until butter melts. Stir in parsley and capers. Serve over orzo.

Yield: 4 servings

Download a printable recipe.

Expo Bozar

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On my 'not to be missed' list:

Venetian and Flemish Masters

Bellini, Tiziano, Canaletto - Van Eyck, Bouts, Jordaens,…

Vrijdag 11.02 > Zondag 08.05.2011

Paleis voor Schone Kunsten

Na een eerste ontmoeting in 2009 rond de collectie van de Savoyes confronteren Vlaamse en Noord-Italiaanse musea nu opnieuw hun artistieke scholen in een verbluffende selectie schilderijen: 15 meesterwerken uit het Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen en een vijftigtal doeken uit de Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, een van de mooiste collecties van Venetiaanse schilderkunst.
Venetian and Flemish Masters overloopt chronologisch de schilderkunst van de 15e tot de 18e eeuw. De vier onderdelen beslaan de vier eeuwen en omvatten elk vier thema’s: portretten, heiligen te midden van de natuur, het gewijde en het profane, panoramische gezichten. In het quattrocento zijn de portretten van Bellini van invloed op Van Eyck, die zelf zijn naturalisme ‘exporteert’. In het cinquecento laten de Venetianen de technieken van de Vlaamse primitieven achter zich. Bij Titiaan, Tintoretto en Veronese barsten de kleuren los, waarna ook Patenier zijn landschappen met licht overspoelt. In het seicento laat Rubens zijn sporen achter bij de Italiaan Tiepolo. En in het settecento vinden we in het zieltogende Venetië een toename van stijlen, van de clichés van Canaletto tot de sarcastische scènes van Guardi, die beïnvloed werd door de buitensporigheid van Jordaens. De Venetiaanse en de Vlaamse School zouden zonder elkaar niet dezelfde zijn...

Curator : Giovanni Federico Villa

bronvermelding : website Bozar

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