Repost: Friday Foodie

I was asked to bring something for our church's coffee cafe this Sunday.  I wanted to do something a little more than cookies but nothing that required a fork or spoon.  Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars to the rescue!  Originally posted in 2009.

If you're my age (or older) you may remember an ad campaign for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in the 1970s. Two people are walking down the street, one eating a chocolate bar, the other scooping peanut butter out of a jar. They bump into each other and their snacks collide. This is followed by the famous exchange:

You got peanut butter on my chocolate!
No, you got chocolate in my peanut butter!

Of course when they try the combo they are pleasantly surprised.


I've always been a peanut butter-chocolate fan and this week just had to have some! I just happened to have a Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix (how convenient) and the back of the package had a recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars. So I put chocolate on my peanut butter!


Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom only of 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray.
Make cookie dough as directed. Press in pan.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.
In small microwaveable bowl, microwave 2 cups chocolate chips on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until chips can be stirred smooth. Spread over bars.
Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
Cut into bars. Makes 24. The package said makes 24, I got 30 good size pieces of out it. Believe me, these are really sweet, so a small piece is plenty... or you can go back for seconds!

Cute Dresses on Amazon

I might have a little problem.  I've been doing some dress shopping on Amazon.  With Amazon Prime you get free shipping and free returns.  It's that free returns that makes me click "Add to Cart" without too much fear!  So far, I've kept everything I've ordered.  They've all been lightweight knit.  I have ordered a size up because I don't like anything to be tight.  Big bonus - they were all under $20!

I started with this black one:

I have this one in green and navy.  The solids go with so many sweaters, jackets and sleeveless tops I already had in my closet.  I'm 5'2" so this is longer on me than shown on the model.

This striped one is super comfortable!   They have a couple red, white and blue ones that would be cute for a 4th of July gathering.

This floral is very similar to the navy and green.

Finally, this plaid one.  I think it's my favorite!  I've gotten tons of compliments when I've worn it and it is SO comfortable!  I think the picture is a little misleading - the pockets are in the seam and don't show at all. 

Are you an Amazon Prime member?  Any great finds lately?

Good Eats and Signs

When we honeymooned in 1991 there was no internet.  No smart phones.  No Google, Yelp or TripAdvisor.  We planned things the old fashion way with maps and a Frommer's Guide.  While I was doing the majority of the wedding planning, Les was doing the honeymoon planning.  One of his best finds was Brick Oven Pizza in Kalaheo.

We have been back to Brick Oven Pizza on each trip we've made to Kauai.  It's not too far from Waimea Canyon so we stopped there on our way home.  The pizza was just as ONO (delicious) as we remembered.  Their whole wheat dough is the best we've ever had - you can really taste the difference.

One blurry picture before we dug in!

These two pictures are so us!  The first one is Les doing his usual - blowing the straw wrapper at me.  The second one is me with the straw wrapper on my shoulder.

I didn't take a lot of food pictures, but this papaya bowl was amazing!

And coffee, so much coffee!

We saw this sign in a store window one day.  Les said, "Go in there!" and this was the result.

It was election time in Hawaii.  Who wouldn't want to vote for Aunty Shirley??

Waimea Canyon

Often called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, Waimea Canyon is just stunning.

Mr. Lookout in 1991:

Mr. Lookout 2018:

One of the world's rainiest places:

Trying to recreate a honeymoon shot...

The angle wasn't quite the same, and we've changed a bit in the past 27 years, but I'm still in love with this guy!

Princeville Botanical Gardens - Walking and Chocolate Tasting Tour

This was our fourth trip to Kauai - we honeymooned there in 1991, went back for our 10th anniversary and again for our 18th.  We've hiked and kayaked and spent time at the beach.  This time we did none of those!  I'm still limping around on my sprained ankle (more than 2 months now!) so it was tough to be as active as we usually are.

About a week before we went to Kauai, Oceanfront Realty sent us a link to an app called Hospitality.  It had directions to our condo, the WiFi password, and lock box code.  It also had restaurant and activity suggestions.  One day while I was looking at the app, "Chocolate Tour" popped up.  Did somebody say chocolate?!?

There were a number of  locations that offered chocolate tours.  They all seemed to have similar descriptions at a similar cost.  The Princeville Botanical Garden was conveniently located about five miles from the Cliffs.  We arrived just as one tour group was heading out.  Our tour leader was Harold, and he was very interesting!

These orchids were transplanted on trees. Orchids don't like too much water so they don't do well on the ground in Kauai, but planted on tree trunks they flourish!  I thought this was so cool.

 I'll let the pictures do some talking...

So much beauty and color!

We sampled mango, papaya, fresh honey, and lychee.  Have you ever tried lychee?  It is very strange looking but tastes amazing!  I didn't get pictures of any of the fruit we ate - I kept my phone in my pocket so I wouldn't get juice on it.

I want all these for our yard!

Our chocolate tasting took place halfway through our three hour tour.  Both groups met together and had a very interesting lesson about the growth of the cacao plant.  While we sampled a variety of chocolates our guide explained the process of harvesting the pod all the way to creating a chocolate bar. 

The health benefits of cacao and dark chocolate are many.  Raw cacao has more than 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries.  Now before you go stock up on Hershey bars you need to know that milk chocolate does not have the same effect.  When dairy is added to cacao, the benefits are neutralized.  The greatest benefit comes from the cacao nibs (you can buy them raw.)  Dark chocolate is healthy-ish because it doesn't have any milk added.

We continued our tour after our tasty break. 

If you ever make it to Kauai, add this to your must see list!