Spicy Chocolate Chip Fig Bars

First of all I want to thank all of you who gave me words of encouragement and kindness when I had a bit of a meltdown earlier in the week.

I need to stop comparing myself and this blog to others. No good can come from it, this I know.

Sometimes you just get caught up in what so-and-so is doing and it can leave you feeling a little less than adequate.

I had to think back to what the name of this blog means. The Cutting Edge of Ordinary. The ordinary that keeps us together. So many of you hit the nail on the head when you said "we like that you're not one of those big time, impersonal bloggers". I know I'm not in the same league as they are and you know what?..... I don't think I will ever want to be. I needed you all to remind me that right here is where I wanna be, with my little blog and my less than perfect photos with my tried and true recipes, being there for my boys (men), working hard so they can have the best possible life I can give them and hopefully showing them a way of life that they will cherish and look back on with happy memories. Of course the most important part of writing this blog is the person reading you. YOU. The reader. My faithful following of unbelievably wonderful people and a few very good friends who I can always count on to bring me back to reality and to show me how much you really do care for me and this little space on the Internet. I am so grateful for you all.

So I don't have time to work on a recipe index (I'd love one though) and I don't have time to get someone to re-vamp the blog or promote it like I should, and I don't have companies banging down my door asking me to try their products, but I'm here and I'm trying to bring something to you when I can and if you come here and smile at something I wrote, or liked a photograph I took or made a recipe I posted and fed your family with it, or brought a dessert to a party from a recipe your found here and it got rave reviews, I have done my job.

That's all I need. I realize I'm not one to be fancy and sugar coated. I'm just me and I'm right here with you as long as you'll have me along for the ride.

Thank you my friends for helping me to see that I'm just where I need to be.




Now on to something sweet.

I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine. I have to confess, I tweaked the hell out of it. It was originally called Orange and Fig Bars and it was made with....are you ready for this....orange cake mix. YUCK! I can't even being to tell you how disgusting that sounds, never mind might taste. I liked the idea of the fig preserves that were used instead of sugar so I went with it and substituted spice cake for orange and chocolate chips for walnuts.

The result - a spicy almost hermit like bar. I brought them into work and shared them as a breakfast treat and they were a big hit.

Spicy Chocolate Chip Fig Bars
yields 3 dozen
heavily adapted from a recipe at Taste of Home.
1 package spice cake mix (18 ¼ ounce)
1 jar fig preserves
½ cup canola oil
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

In a large bowl combine the cake, preserves, oil and egg. Beat on low speed until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Spread into a 9x13 inch greased baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars and serve.