Recipe for No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

My daughter took this photo of the beautiful rose that my husband so kindly gave me for Valentine's Day.  Yesterday, I stopped my busy time of dinner preparation to smell the rose.

I jokingly said to my daughter, "OK...I stopped to smell the roses.  I can check that off my list of things to do."  We laughed, yet we thought about how it is important to take time for the joyful things of life, even though we are working hard to accomplish the things on our list.

So, maybe having yummy peanut butter bars to snack on for a few days isn't a major thing to do to bring joy in my life, but sometimes simple things like that can add up to a happier day.  :)

Here is a recipe we adapted from the Six Sisters' Stuff cookbook (they had graham crackers in their recipe).  The Kix* cereal substitution worked very well in place of the graham crackers and added a flavor that made it taste like a Reese's Peanut Butter Bar.  Delicious!


Gluten-Free No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups crushed Kix cereal
1 cup, plus 4 tablespoons peanut butter, divided
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Step 1:  Place Kix cereal in a re-closable bag (Ziploc-type) and crush it with a rolling pin.

Step 2:  In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter, Kix cereal (be sure to measure after crushing it), powdered sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended.  Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13-inch pan.

Step 3:  In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the remaining peanut butter at 50 percent power, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.  Spread over peanut butter layer.

Step 4:  Refrigerate at least one hour before cutting into squares.  Makes 15 thin bars.

*Kix cereal doesn't have a gluten-free label on the box, but the ingredient list makes it appear to be gluten free.  We are quite sensitive to gluten and Kix cereal doesn't make us sick, but use it at your own risk.

Review of Annie Chun's Pad Thai Noodles; Recipe for Pad Thai

In my cookbook, I have a recipe for Pad Thai that I really enjoy.  However, the Tinkyada noodles I have used for the recipe haven't been quite the same as the noodles I have eaten as I have ordered Pad Thai at the Thai restaurant we have nearby. The Tinkyada noodles taste good, but have been a little too thick for this recipe.  I was excited to find Annie Chun's Pad Thai Brown Rice Noodles on the shelf in our grocery store.  They are just your basic noodle, yet I like the thin cut.  I am rating them at 10 out of 10, since there is nothing wrong with them...though they aren't a powerhouse of flavor since they are just plain noodles. :)

Here is the recipe from my cookbook for Pad Thai:

SERVES 6 TO 8

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 pkg. Tinkyada® Fettuccine Noodles or Annie Chun's Pad Thai Noodles
2 tablespoons fish sauce
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ tablespoon sesame or peanut oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon lime or lemon juice
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon minced garlic clove
1 cup cooked shrimp
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
½ cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
1 cup cilantro leaves

1. Slice chicken into cubes while slightly frozen. Fry in cooking oil.

2. Prepare noodles according to package directions. Combine fish sauce, brown sugar, sesame or peanut oil, soy sauce, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.

3. Remove chicken from frying pan when fully cooked.

4. Beat eggs and scramble eggs in frying pan. Add garlic and shrimp and sauté for several minutes.

5. Add bean sprouts, cooked noodles, chicken, and sauce mixture. Before serving, stir in peanuts and cilantro.

...and here is a link to buy my cookbook on amazon...so you can find lots of other tasty recipes. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Cooking-Made-Easy/dp/0991273605/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1422914476&sr=8-3&keywords=gluten+free+cooking+made+easy#