and bad mistakes, i've made a few

Easy chocolate peanut butter fudge. Do you have 4-H in your neck of the woods? I did, and it helped me learn at least one valuable lesson.

There was a 4-H summer camp and a club and there were also various competitions associated with it each year. One of those competitions involved delivering presentations to our classmates and a few judges from the community. The topic could be anything, and at the end you were awarded a blue or red ribbon (or possibly green, who has memory space for things like that?). One year (and this is elementary school, mind you), I decided I would present the preparation of a tasty and aptly-named treat called Easy Bars.

It's important to note that one hard and fast rule for any food presentation was to never lick your fingers or utensils. I knew this. However, I became so flustered at one point toward the end that I stuck pretty much my entire chocolate-covered fist into my mouth. I remember thinking "Must. Not. Do. This." but I just couldn't stop myself. Can we say humiliation? I think so. I painfully finished my spiel and promptly bolted to the bathroom in tears.

After I had pulled myself together a few hours later, I came back and offered the judges some of the finished product, giving the excuse that I had waited to serve the goodies because I didn't want to spoil their lunches (even as a child I was pretty shrewd). I got a blue ribbon.

Thus marked the beginning of the end of my career as a public speaker. It's something at which I've always been terrible.

These bars, though, are far from terrible. Not only are they extremely easy, but they also taste incredible. The treats make a great gift, which is wonderful because you won't be able to eat them all, but also upsetting, since you won't be able to eat them all. They can get messy, however, and if you aren't giving an important presentation at the time, feel free to lick your fingers.

On that note, Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, Feliz Navidad, Buon Natale!!

Easy Bars
(printable recipe)
Makes about 16 pieces
Ingredients:

• 1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 4 cups mini marshmallows*

Directions:
Line an 8-inch square pan** with wax paper.
Combine the chocolate and peanut butter together in a large microwave safe bowl.
Heat at 30-second intervals, stirring well between each, until the mixture is smooth and combined.
Alternatively, you can heat the chocolate and peanut butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
Stir in the vanilla extract and salt, then fold in marshmallows using a spatula.
Scoop into prepared pan, press evenly, and cover with wax paper.
Chill until firm, about 1 hour, then cut into squares.

*Add more if you want to cut the richness of these--I often add 6 cups!
**If you want a thinner bar, use a bigger dish, and if you like a thick slab of fudge, try a loaf pan!