A Winter Walk With My Mom And Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

This is my mom! We went for a walk the other day around the reservoir in Mantua. We waited until after lunch, so the sun would be out. It was still a little cold, but so pretty out! My mom is a good sport, we walked 2 1/2 miles around, then turned around and came back. It was a nice 2 hour walk and a nice way to spend time with my mom!

There are a lot of guys that like to go out and do ice fishing. Does that sound fun to you? I like fish, but I don't want to stand around on the cold ice waiting for one! And with a hole in the ice! I'd be paranoid that it was going to break!





Can you see the little hut? Doesn't that just make it look like more fun?


This guy was nice and let me take his picture! Doesn't he look comfy? He's got an inner tube in a sled. Hmm, I think I'd rather be in front of my oven bakin



This is a little pond on the other side of the reservoir, it's fed by a warm spring so it wasn't completely frozen.





I just love snow scenes!


This is the creek that runs behind a little campground near the reservoir.





I found this recipe over at Fake Ginger and I had to try them! We love peanut butter and I had a bunch of jam in the fridge I needed to use up! Yay, now I have more room in the door of the fridge! I think things breed in there, there are so many jars of things! This does use a lot of peanut butter, but it's worth it!


Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups peanut butter, I love crunchy!
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups jam, I used grape
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped, I didn't use nuts, I used the crunchy peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan.

In a mixer cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don’t worry if all the jam isn’t covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.