No-Bake Chocolate-Pretzel-Peanut Butter Squares

No-Bake Chocolate-Pretzel-Peanut Butter Squares


Total Time:
1 hr 17 min


Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, melted
2 cups pretzel rods, crushed into crumbs
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup plus 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:

In a medium bowl, add the melted butter, pretzel crumbs, confectioners' sugar and 1 cup of the peanut butter and stir together until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Combine the chocolate chips and the remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate and peanut butter are melted and smooth; two intervals should be enough. Mix to blend, then spread over the peanut butter-pretzel layer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Yield:
10 to 12 servings

BLACK FRIDAY!

How many of you went shopping on BLACK FRIDAY?

Do you know how BLACK FRIDAY got it's name?  

Have you ever wondered?

Question: Why Is Black Friday Called Black Friday?

Answer: Black Friday is the name given to the shopping day after Thanksgiving. It was originally called Black Friday because so many people went out to shop that it caused traffic accidents and sometimes even violence.

This was first recorded in 1966 by Earl Apfelbaum, a dealer in rare stamps. In his ad, he said "'Black Friday' is the name which the Philadelphia Police Department has given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. It is not a term of endearment to them. 'Black Friday' officially opens the Christmas shopping season in center city, and it usually brings massive traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks as the downtown stores are mobbed from opening to closing." The Police Department coined the phrase to describe the mayhem surrounding the congestion of pedestrian and auto traffic in the Center City downtown area. (Source: The Chicago Tribune, "Black Friday - Why and When?)

Black Friday crowds hunting bargains can still give the police headaches. The most violence seems to occur at Walmart. In 2012, two people were shot outside of a Walmart in Tallahassee Florida. They were fighting over a parking space.  

Walmart's consumer electronics department seems to be the most dangerous place. In 2011, a woman pepper-sprayed a crowd at a Walmart in Los Angeles. She was trying to get a Wii for 60% off. The year before, crowds at a Sacramento Walmart forced the store to evacuate when they started pushing and shoving to get deals on consumer electronics at 5:30 am.. On Black Friday 2009, another California Walmart, this time in Rancho Cucamonga, needed police protection from unruly crowds -- again, in the early-morning hours in the consumer electronics department. The store was briefly closed a few hours after another store in nearby Upland was closed.

The worst Black Friday occurred in 2008, when a man was trampled to death. Despite being 6'5" and 270 pounds, temporary worker Jdimytai Damour died of asphyxiation when crowds stampeded into another Wal-Mart (this time in New York). At least 2,000 people broke down the doors, trapping Damour in a vestibule where he suffocated. Eleven other people were also injured, including a pregnant woman. It seems the police have a right to call Black Friday by a negative name.

Retailers did not appreciate the negative connotation associated with a black day of the week. They had a good point. For example, Black Monday was given to October 19, 1987. On that day, the Dow Jones Average fell 22%, the largest percentage drop on one day in stock market history. Another dark day, Black Thursday, occurred on October 24, 1929. It was the day that signaled the start of the Great Depression. It was followed the next week by Black Tuesday. On that day, the stock market lost 11% despite attempts by major investors to support stock prices. This destroyed any confidence investors had in the stock market, which in those days was perceived to be the economy. Many had invested their life savings, and were totally wiped out.

No wonder retailers wanted to make the name "Black Friday" mean something positive. And, to them, the Friday after Thanksgiving is a very profitable day. To compensate, they decided to follow the old adage, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." They used the name to reflect their success. Accountants generally use black to signify profit when recording each day's book entries. Red is used to signify loss. Therefore, Black Friday means profitable Friday to the retail industry and to the economy.

BECAREFUL OUT THERE!!

Through the eyes of a child...

A time for reflection.... I'd like to think she'd be proud of me...maybe disappointed with my path, but ultimately pleased with my destination. Today I will try to be better than I was yesterday.

New Years Eve Jar

I'm doing this.  How cool would it be to see all the wonderful things that happen during the year.  

This is such a great way to reflect on the year and the positives that we often take for granted.

Cake Batter Fudge

Funfetti Cake Batter Fudge
  
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 1 3/4 bags)
3 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
Sprinkles (I used rainbow sprinkles, but you can use any kind!)

Pour milk and white chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2-3 minutes, or until white chocolate is almost completely melted. DO NOT OVERHEAT. Stir until completely blended, melted, and smooth.
Immediately add vanilla and almond extract and combine thoroughly. Add a handful or so of rainbow sprinkles and fold in quickly because they will melt (and if they are stirred for too long they’ll turn the fudge an ugly gray color).
Transfer to an aluminum-foil lined or well-greased 8×8 inch baking pan for very thick fudge, or a 11X7 inch pan (this is the size I used and it worked perfectly). Let set at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Once set, cut into cubes (peel off the foil if you used it!). Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Shoe Rack Storeage

This also works for sports bottles that don't easily fit into your cabinets.

Enjoy!