"Sakes Alive" Chocolate Fudge Bars

Life is so good around here lately. Sure, I'm worried about Mom's potential cancer coming back, but I'll worry about that on Wednesday, when we meet with her doctor. The sermon at church today was about how God will take care of us, and I have to trust that. Even though last week I had a bit of a panic attack of worry regarding how I'll be able to handle the next six months of potential chemo on top of my own doctor appointments on top of an already busy schedule.

And January. Goodness, how will I make it through W-2s, W-3s, 1099s, 1096s, financials, State transmittals, sales taxes, and all the other good stuff that comes with the end of the year, on top of being 40 weeks pregnant?!? God will take care of us and not give us more than we can take.

Where was I? Oh yeah. The good. There's a sexy man sitting on the couch next to me, watching Star Wars. A sleepy dog is sacked out next to said sexy man, and a bratty cat is meowing at our feet. We have a busy and productive week ahead of us that's sure to keep us relatively out of trouble. I can feel the beginning vestiges of the welcome fall creeping up on us (knock on wood), and if you live within 100 miles of where I sit, you can appreciate that.

What sort of foods do you like best during the autumn? Any recipes you'd like me to research and try out? I'm looking forward to spices like nutmeg and cinnamon and savories like pot roast and shepherd's pie. Snuggling with a hot toddy and a hot man and a warm puppy dog while watching Miami Vice reruns. Football games and back to school....

Oh damn. I forgot the maniacal school buses that drive like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride through the neighborhood. Truly, I believe they think they'll win a prize if they hit us.

But if it means temperatures and "real feels" (what the heck happened to heat indices?) below 112 degrees, Dante and I will happily brave the sadistic bus drivers.

We had dinner with some really good friends last night, one of whom commented that my two biggest sections of this blog are Desserts and Travel. Those are just two of my favorites in life. The thing is, I've learned during my short tenure on this planet that families who know what's coming for dinner are generally happier, so I incorporate a new entree only once or twice a month. Otherwise, I tend to do similar entrees to the recipes I've already posted,and as there are currently only two of us, leftovers are an inevitability. But I figure desserts are special and can be varied. So that's where I find my adventure.

This recipe actually turned up in last Sunday's paper, next to a coupon for Martha White muffin mix. I thought that was a particularly fun way to sell muffin mix, so I decided to take them up on it. And boy, am I glad I did. Even though they perhaps should be renamed "Dirty Every Pot in the Kitchen" Chocolate Fudge Bars.

No-stick cooking spray

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

2 (7.4 ounce) packages Martha White Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (of course I used pecans)

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Coat a 13 x 9 inch pan with no-stick cooking spray.
• Beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy.
• Beat in vanilla and egg.
• Stir in muffin mix and oats.
• Reserve one cup of mixture.
• Pat remaining mixture into prepared pan.
• Combine sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and stir in walnuts (PECANS!).
• Spread over muffin mixture to edge of pan.
• Drop reserved oat mixture by teaspoonfuls over chocolate mixture.
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool completely (in pan) on a wire rack.

Once reheated, this stuff is SO GOOD with vanilla ice cream.