CAN'T LEAVE ALONE BARS

It is always hard to get back into the "swing" of things after we have been on vacation. Last week we were able to enjoy the warmer temperatures and sun in "mostly" sunny Florida. We woke up Sunday to fog and were glad it waited until the day we were coming back home to do that. What a joy to be greeted by the sun shining in our bedroom window every morning! I am definitely a "sun person".

But we flew back home last night and life goes on. It will probably take me several days to get back on central standard time. Even though I woke up at 6ish this morning, I did stay in bed another hour before finally getting up. (I didn't have the joy of the sun back home which was disappointing.)

I did have a dental appointment this morning to get my permanent crown. (Remember the tooth I broke the corner off of earlier in January when I was sick with a sinus infection?) It surely feels better than the temporary. Before I even left for the appointment, I was searching through a couple of cookbooks looking for something to make later in the day to take to Hillcrest Thrift Shop today for the volunteers. 

I didn't get excited about anything in the first cookbook I checked out. Then I picked up one of my Amish cookbooks, Heritage Country Harvest Cookbook (over 700 favorite recipes from the Amish in Indiana). I have marked several recipes that sounded interesting but haven't gotten around to trying. I guess that is a disadvantage of having as many cookbooks as I do.  

This recipe of Mrs. Leroy (Betty) Yoder has an interesting name, Can't Leave Alone Bars. It doesn't take but one bite to know why she named them that. She listed a yellow cake mix in the list of ingredients, but then said at the end of the instructions that you could use a chocolate cake and then change the amounts of chips. I was going to use a chocolate cake mix but picked up a yellow one first, so just stuck to it. I did use the change in the amounts of the chips though. I also used a can of chocolate flavored sweetened condensed milk that I have. I bought several cans back last year at the commissary at Fort Leavenworth. I haven't seen them there or anywhere else. It is too bad because the taste is absolutely fabulous. (I have to admit I forgot the butter. I didn't realize it until I was writing the recipe.)

CAN'T LEAVE ALONE BARS

1       box yellow cake mix (or chocolate)
2      eggs
1/3   cup oil
1/4   cup butter
3/4  cup chocolate chips (I used 1/4 cup of special dark)
1/4   cup peanut butter chips (I used 3/4 cup of peanut butter chips)
1       can sweetened condensed milk (I used a chocolate flavored sweetened condensed milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cake pan. (Mrs. Yoder didn't indicate the size of the pan. I decided to use my 8 x 11 - inch Pyrex one.)

Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil

(until well blended).

Spread half of the mixture in the bottom of the baking pan.

Put the other side aside.

Melt next 4 ingredients together.

(I placed them (remember I forgot the butter) in a quart size dish and heated them on High for 20 seconds intervals, stirring after each interval.

After the third one, it was all melted.) Mrs. Yoder says you can use 1 cup of chocolate chips instead of chocolate and peanut butter chips. (I personally like the taste of the peanut butter chips.)

Pour on top of the cake mix

and crumble the rest of cake mix on top. (The cake mix is too wet to really crumble. I just dropped small amounts around the top leaving some of the chocolate mixture showing.)

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Then Mrs. Yoder says you may use a chocolate cake mix then use 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 3/4 cup peanut butter. (I interpreted that to mean peanut butter chips.)

Cool on a wire rack. 

When cooled, cut in squares to serve. (It did sink in the middle but that didn't ruin the taste.)