Bar of the Month Club - a monthly feature

For quite some time, I have been considering starting a food and cooking blog. I absolutely love to cook and love to share recipes, and I love to read other people's blogs about cooking. But I also know that my reality is such that I barely make the time to keep up one blog, much less TWO. So, I am going to start by occasionally sharing recipes and such on this blog.

When we first started dating (on our first second official date), I made Vince Oatmeal Freckles for his birthday. I contend that this is the point at which Vince fell madly in love with me. (Perhaps he would tell a different story.) Regardless, he made it clear that he loved my cookies. After a while of dating and then marriage, I stopped regularly baking for him. And so for Christmas 2008, I gave Vince a "Cookie of the Month" Club for part of his Christmas present. Once per month he could pick any cookie recipe that he wanted, and I made those cookies. It was a lot of fun, and I got to cook and be creative.

To shake things up a bit, this past Christmas, I gave Vince the "Bar of the Month" Club. Now that sounds like we'll be drinking a lot, but I thought the name "Brownie of the Month" sounded too limiting. I offered to make him any bar that he would like. In January he went for Cream Cheese Brownies. But I had not yet thought about posting these on the blog, so if you want the recipe, email me! And just when he was deciding on what he would choose for his February selection, we got a Cooking Club magazine in the mail with "five decadent bar recipes." Score! And thus he chose for February: Chocolate-Caramel Crispies.

Chocolate-Caramel Crispies (Makes 16 bars)

6 Tablespoons of water, divided
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 (11oz) bag of caramel bits or 40 unwrapped caramels (from 14oz bag), divided
25 marshmallows (not miniature)
4 cups crisped rice cereal
4oz 60% to 62% bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1. Line 9in square baking pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.

2. Bring 1 tablespoon of the water and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a simmer in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in half of the caramel bits until melted and smooth. Add marshmallows; stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in cereal until well-combined. Spoon into pan; pat into corners. With well buttered fingers, smooth top.



3. Bring 4 tablespoons of the water and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to a boil in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle over bars.



4. Microwave remaining caramel bits and remaining 1 tablespoon of water in small microwave-safe bowl 1 minute or until melted and smooth, pausing ever 20 seconds to stir. Drizzle in larger bands over bars. With tip of knife, swirl caramel and chocolate into decorative pattern. Let stand until set. Remove from pan using foil; cut into bars.




*Note...I have yet to really figure out how to take good pictures of food, so hopefully, as these features progress, so will the photography.*

Also, use more cooking spray than you think you need. The caramel in the rice crispies makes this recipe extra sticky!