Last week, the hubby and I were busy around the house (or busy watching someone do work around our house). We had an electrician come and do some much-needed electrical work inside and oustide the house. He wired and hung a ceiling fan in our screened-in-porch. Now, when it’s 95 and disgusting outside, we can actually sit on our porch and enjoy it. He hung a motion sensor light outside. He hung a chandelier in our stairway. He also wired and installed recessed LED lights in the kitchen (Thanks to the hubby for convincing me that LEDs are the better option!). A professor in grad school once told me that political scientists think about issues that will affect society 4 years from now, but economists think about issues that will affect society 10-15 years from now. LEDs are more expensive up front, but they will last for up to 28 years. Seems like a good investment to me!
In other news, I baked these Pumpkin Chocolate Bars w/Cream Cheese Frosting. I’m not a huge chocolate fan but paired with pumpkin, these bars are fantastic and slightly addicting. They’re easy to bake and will put you in a festive fall mood. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Icing:
- 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Directions:
- In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, applesauce, and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
- For icing, beat the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, butter, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Spread over cooled bars and top with chocolate sprinkles. Store in the refrigerator.
*Adapted from Taste of Home
These look SO GOOD!
How’d I miss these!! These look delicious. YUM!!