Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

Here's what you need:
1 cup butter, unsalted and melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/4 cup peanut butter, divided
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, 1 cup of the peanut butter and the melted butter.
Mix with a hand mixer until combined. The mixture will look bumpy
Spread evenly in the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 dish.

In a bowl over simmering water (water should never touch the bowl) melt the remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter with the chocolate chips, stirring until melted.
Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the peanut butter mixture in the dish. Spread evenly to cover all edges.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting and serving. Overnight is better.
I used my bench scrapper to cut these bars and it was the perfect tool. I could have actually cut them all in half and had 40 - 48 bars about the size of the mini Reece's cups.
Serves - 20 - 24
Enjoy!

I actually found this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it because I LOVE Reese's Peanut Butter cups!  They were very yummy and I will be making them again.  I halved the recipe because there was no way we needed a whole 9 x 13 pan of peanut butter bars.  Justin's idea is to make these around Christmas to share at the family get togethers.  I think that's the perfect time to make them...that way I won't have to eat the whole pan...I just have to remember where I put the recipe when Christmas rolls around.

I was right!

I don't get to say this very often, but today I get to.....I was right!  A couple of posts ago I was talking about Mark Driscoll's sermon series Pray Like Jesus and made the comment that I expected the rest of the sermons to be as great as the 2 I had listened to.  This afternoon I listened to the next sermon The Gethsemane Prayer and it was awesome!  He says at the beginning that it's not easy to hear, and he's correct, but it gives one much to meditate on!  I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to listen to what he has to say.  Click here to listen, download, or read the transcript of the sermon.

So many people in America today have the idea that once they are a Christian that God will heal them and abundantly bless them with material blessings.  Some believe that when they pray, and if they believe hard enough, that God will give them what they are asking for.  When I sit down and study the word of God I do not find that theology to match the Scriptures.  I believe that God answers everyone of my prayers; with a yes, a no, or a later, just like Pastor Mark preaches.  I wrote down several things Pastor Mark said today concerning this in my journal and wanted to share them.     

Life with Jesus is not better.  It's just not lonely.

Here's God.  Betrayed, by Judas, his friend.  Abandoned by Peter, James and John his senior leaders.  Praying three times for more than an hour in such sorrow and distress that he is sweating blood.  That's the Christian life.

Give your life to Jesus, it'll hurt like hell and you'll be with him and you'll be like him, and you'll have joy.  That's the truth.



I've heard it preached that Jesus suffered and died on the cross so that I wouldn't have to suffer, however the Bible states differently in Hebrews 5:7 and 8

In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.  Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.



According to John MacArthur, Jesus humbled himself to "learn obedience for the same reason he bore temptation; to confirm His humanity and experience its sufferings to the fullest."  When we are tempted we can look to Jesus for comfort and direction because He experienced it, so to the same must be true for suffering. 

I have also heard that we will be healed because the Bible says in I Peter 2:24

 ...for by His wounds you were healed.



If this is carried out I'm left wondering why God isn't answering my prayer when I pray for someone to be healed.  Have I done something wrong, do I not have enough faith, is the person living in sin?  After some searching in my Strong's concordance and a couple of commentaries I found that the word healed used in this verse is not referring to physical healing.  Instead it's figuratively used of spiritual "healing".  When you read the whole verse this makes perfect sense because earlier on Peter is speaking of sin.  He bore our sin....so that we might die to sin...for by His wounds you were healed. 

In this life I am going to suffer, Jesus did, and He is much greater than I.  Once again, I've got a choice to make.  What am I going to do when the suffering comes?  Will I try to escape, get mad, or endure and pray for wisdom, to learn the lesson hidden within, and do my best to glorify God in everything?  Thy will be done.

a drive

I had some pictures I'd taken earlier this month I'd thought I'd share.  We had been down at my parents and were headed back home.  Emma always makes the trip with us and usually sleeps the whole way.  This particular day it was warm so we opened the window a bit for her to enjoy. 

Her ear flapping in the wind made me smile.

Her little nose twitched the whole time!

After we closed the window she poked her head up between us to make sure we were headed in the right direction.

The Lord's Prayer

Tonight I was working in the garden, doing some weeding and more planting. As I worked I listened to one of Mark Driscoll's sermons, The Lord's Prayer. It came from a sermon series entitled Pray Like Jesus. It's an awesome series (I've only made it through the first two sermons, but I know the last 3 will be just as good!) There were several great points that Pastor Mark brought out, but there was one in particular that stuck out to me.
He had spoken about how God is our Dad, just like he (Mark) is a dad to his 5 kids, and that He wants us to come to Him just like children go to their father. He went on to talk about "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" and then he said this...

So that your name, Lord God, Father, Dad, would be made much of. So that people would know who our dad is and they’d get to live a new life as members of his family, the church. And the key to the kingdom of God begins individually with you and I praying, “Your will be done.”
Now let me press this point on you. Do you ever pray that? Do you ever pray it and mean it? This prayer for some is so familiar we just roll through it like a pagan mantra. “Your will be done.” Most people go to God telling him what to do. God I want this. I want this. I want this. I want this. I want this. It’s not a sin to go respectfully to Dad, make a humble request. His answer will be yes, no or later. But prayer ultimately is not about making God do something. You need to get this. Pagan prayer is making God do something. I’m gonna pray long. I’m gonna pray hard. I’m gonna say the magic prayer. I’ll pray the prayer 27 times. I’ll say halleluiah. I’ll raise my hand. I’ll get down on my mat. I’ll face east three times a day. I’ll bounce back and forth in the airport. One way or another I’m gonna make him answer this prayer.

Prayer is not about making God do something. Prayer is about you and I aligning our will with God’s, aligning our lives with God’s. And being able to trust him enough to say, “Your will be done.” You may get cancer. You may lose your job. You may struggle. You may suffer. You may be abandoned. You may be betrayed. And when you’re in the middle of it it’s okay to say, “God, please fix it.” But you always need to end with, “Your will be done.” Meaning, “God I will receive whatever it is that you will for my life.” Had Jesus not prayed like that he would have never gone to the cross, never atoned for sins and we’d all go to hell. It’s a good thing to pray, “Your will be done. God I love ya. I trust ya. If you want something I accept that.”

Prayer is not so much about making God do something as it is changing us. Those who pray change. Some people don’t pray because they don’t want to change. Those who pray Biblically change. So prayer does move the hand of God. He does hear and answer prayer. But prayer primarily changes the person who prays. That’s a prayer of worship. “God I will obey you. I will honor you. I will accept your will for my life.” First prayer is a prayer of adoration. Thanks for who God is and what he’s done. Second is a prayer of worship. God your will be done. And that begins in my life. We can’t pray for God to fix the world if we’re unwilling for him to work on us. We can’t pray for God to bring justice and peace and equality and love to the nations if we’re unwilling to have our own lives in alignment with his will.

Am I willing to pray "Thy will be done" no matter what the cost, no matter what the price? Am I willing to completely and wholly trust God with my life? I want to...it's scary. It means that things might not go according to my well thought out plan. It means that I put my (long expired) 5 year plan of getting married and having a house full of babies in His hands believing and trusting that His ways are higher; that His plan is better. I have to admit, some days are better then others. When things seem to be going well, it's easy to say, "God I trust you and I believe that You have a plan for my life." But on the days when everything goes wrong...that's the true test. The days I hold a crying little girl in my arms because she's scared to go home, those are the days that are hard. Those are the days I want to say, "Dad just give me one, I promise to take care of her." 
I have to make a choice each and every day to submit my will to God's, and when I do, He gives me the peace and hope to make it through. We serve an AWESOME God who wants to be our Daddy and hold us close.

Taste of Home Tuesday: Hearty Sausage 'n' Beans

Ingredients
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 cups water
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
1 tablespoon ranch salad dressing mix
2 cups uncooked instant rice

Directions
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage and onion in oil over medium heat until onion is tender. Add the beans, water, tomatoes and salad dressing mix. Bring to a boil; stir in rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is tender. Yield: 6 servings.

This recipe was different.  It was a little warmer then I prefer but the flavor was good.  I do not have instant rice so I cooked my long grain rice in the rice cooker and then just added it at the end and it turned out ok.  Justin would have preferred if I left the beans out.  I think I'll save if for next winter and try it again.   

Taste of Home Tuesday: Parmesan Potatoes Au Gratin

Ingredients
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds red potatoes, very thinly sliced
2-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions
Combine the first five ingredients. Layer a third of the potatoes and 2/3 cup cheese mixture in a greased 8-in. square baking dish; repeat layers. Top with remaining potatoes; pour cream over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.
Cover and bake at 325° for 65 minutes. Increase temperature to 375°. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 9 servings.

These potatoes were very good!  Make sure you have the entire time to bake them.  I was running late and there was company coming for dinner so I had to put them into a larger pan and bake them at a much higher heat.  I have an attachment that goes on my Kitchen Aid mixer that slices things very thin.  I think the thinner the better for this dish.  Enjoy! 

I Gotta Die

I LOVED what the Proverb's 31 devotional had to say this morning.  It is something that I struggle with daily!  All to often I speak before I think and end up regretting what I've said.  Her title made me curious and has been a wonderful reminder all day!  Go read it!  Proverbs 31

What is it really about?

I was reading another gal's blog this morning and absolutely loved what she had to share on Easter.  Here's a link to her blog so you can read for yourself.  Jen Hatmaker  The posts are entitled "The Easter Conundrum Part 1 and Part 2".  They are on the left hand column of her blog.  Read and be challenged!

Taste of Home Tuesday: Key Lime Bars

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
30 vanilla wafers, broken into pieces
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:
1package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

KEY LIME LAYER:
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup key lime juice
Additional confectioners' sugar

Directions
In a food processor, combine the flour, wafers, confectioners' sugar and pecans; cover and process until nuts are fine. Add butter; cover and pulse until crumbly.
Press into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, milk and vanilla until blended; spread over crust to edges of pan. In another small bowl, combine sugar and flour; whisk in eggs and lime juice. Gently pour over cream cheese layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled. Cut into bars. Just before serving, sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Yield: 3 dozen.

These bars are a little different then I expected.  I was expecting a little more key lime flavor.  They would be good for someone who wants a mild tartness. (If that's a word)  I may try to freeze some and see how they do.