Confession. Growing up I thought I was a 100% left-brained, math whiz, without a stitch of anything artistic in my bones. I had help thinking that. My family told me so. Frequently. Yet, all these artistic ideas were whirling around in my brain. I didn't know how to get them out and, even worse, I was afraid to tell anyone about them.
The first time I filled my creative need I made spaghetti sauce from a recipe in The New Basics Cookbook. The fact that I even owned such a cool cookbook was amazing. It was actually a huge matter of chance. I had bought a copy as part of a wedding gift for a college friend. On our way to the wedding, my dear husband and I got stranded at the airport for five hours (we could have driven to the wedding faster, but I digress...) What else was there to do but read this fascinating cookbook? I was so enthralled that as soon as we got home from the trip I went out and bought the cookbook. Several months later I was no longer merely enthralled, I WAS ENCOURAGED and my culinary adventures began. To this day, I find my most creative spirit in the kitchen, so you can expect lots of food posts and pictures on this blog.
I think the chapter on cooking is what drew me to Mrs. Schaeffer in the first place. I knew I had a creative spirit, I just hadn't found the courage (or had the encouragement) to explore and develope my Hidden Art. When I read the chapter and realized that I had been doing just that all along in my cooking, I suddently had the encouragement I needed to try new areas. I also started playing the piano more, joined a choir, and bought a new alto recorder. No, I'm no virtuoso, but making music gives me pleasure!
As an adult, I now realize that I was a repressed RIGHT-brained person. I really hate math and logic.
Anyhoo, there is a point to all of this. I love to try new recipes in my kitchen and thought I'd share this recipe that my sister and I searched for after buying a couple at a Mennonite shop near where I live. This bar is a wonderful marriage of vanilla cake with creamy chocolate filling. YUM!
Can't Leave 'em Alone Bars (picture above)
1 box WHITE (not yellow) cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter
1 cup semi-sweet
chocolate chips
- Stir together the cake mix, eggs, and oil.
- Press mixture into the bottom of a 9"x13" pan, saving about 1/4 of the mixture for topping.
- Melt butter, condensed milk, and chocolate chips together in the microwave in a glass bowl. (Be conservative... nuke for 15 seconds, stir, nuke another 15 sec, stir, etc. until mixture is creamy chocolate.)
- Pour this over the top of the cake mixture.
- Sprinkle remaining cake mixture on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 deg F. The top of the cake should be nicely browned.
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