Satisfy Every Back to School Sweet Tooth with "Peanut Butter Bliss Bars"

The latest recipe from my friend and masterful chef friend Jill Fisher! Jill has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. To contact Jill, let us know!

Just in time for Back to School – Peanut Butter Bliss Bars!  It is sure to satisfy every sweet tooth and to soften the blow of homework starting up again.  Nutter Butter crust, Butterfingers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – what’s not to love!

Peanut Butter Bliss Bars

1 (16 oz) package Nutter Butter Cookies

½ cup melted butter

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup creamy peanut butter

1 Tbsp vanilla

5 (1.5 oz) packages Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, chopped

3 (2.1 oz) Butterfingers

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine crushed Nutter Butters and butter in bowl (I used a food processor and did it at once).  Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased 13”x9” pan.  Bake at 350F for 6 to 8 minutes.

Combine condensed milk, peanut butter and vanilla in a bowl, stirring until smooth.

Sprinkle chopped candy bars and chips over crust.  Drizzle milk mixture over the top.

Bake at 350F for 27 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to a wire rack and let cool in pan.  Cut into thin strips.

** The recipe also called for ½ cup honey roasted peanuts and ½ coconut to be sprinkled on the crust as well.  I omitted them because I thought it would upset the delicate balance between the candy bars (tee hee).

Note from Conejo Joe:  Please do not place this plate of cookies ANYWHERE NEAR ME as they will reside in my stomach in 2 seconds flat.

Moorpark Police Seeking Help Re: Indecent Exposure Case

From the City of Moorpark City Watch Crime Alert System:

Nature of Incident: Camarillo man arrested after committing an indecent exposure

Location: Tierra Rejada Road at Peach Hill Road, Moorpark

Date & Time/ RB#: Aug. 25, 2009 @ 6:20 a.m. / 09-20732

Unit Responsible: Moorpark P.D. Investigations

Suspect: Alberto Vaca, Age 19, Camarillo

Narrative: On the morning of 08-25-09, at about 6:20 a.m., a city of Moorpark resident (woman) reported that a green Ford Mustang was slowly following her while she was out jogging on Tierra Rejada Road. The woman confronted the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle about his intentions. The woman described the driver as a Hispanic male. When the woman confronted the driver, the suspect remained in the vehicle and exposed himself to the woman. A passerby in another vehicle rendered aid to the woman jogger. The driver of the older model green Ford Mustang drove away from the scene.

Moorpark patrol deputies spoke with the victim and a witness who rendered assistance to the victim. These persons described the vehicle as a forest green, late 1990’s Ford Mustang two-door vehicle, with possible collision damage on the passenger side of the vehicle. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, about late 20’s in age, dark skin, and slender to medium build.

On the morning of 08-26-09, a 19-year-old Camarillo resident was arrested after being identified as the man responsible for exposing himself to the woman in the city of Moorpark. Subsequent investigation revealed Alberto Vaca, frequently drove his green 1997 Ford Mustang around Tierra Rejada Road just east of the high school and just west of Spring Road this past month looking for women jogging or walking. This occurred between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. When he found a target, he would pull up alongside the woman and expose himself. Vaca targeted at least three different women. The first incident occurred in Moorpark within the past month.

Investigators are interested in speaking with anyone who has been the victim of this type of crime with the above-described vehicle while on Tierra Rejada Road or its vicinity recently. Anyone with information about Vaca’s activities is asked to contact Detective Ilano at (805) 532-2714.

Recent American Express Letter Regarding Security Breach - An Example of Good Communication

My wife recently received this letter in the mail from American Express:

The 2nd page of the letter (not shown) apologized for any inconvenience and was signed by the VP, Privacy Officer.

While at first it was scary to read the letter, it quickly was apparent that Amex had a handle on the situation and was closely monitoring the account for fraud perpetrated by the former employee who obtained the credit card information.

And I was most impressed by the fact that the toll-free was immediately answered by a LIVE PERSON when I called at 8 pm!  No wait, no transfers, no provide all sorts of information.  The woman on the other end of the line was friendly, cordial, knowledgeable and answered all my questions. I was truly expecting a recorded line, 20 minute wait, hold, provide card number, PIN, mom's maiden name, mailing address, etc., etc.

Nice job Amex! You took a negative situation and turned it positive!

August BBQ Recipe Featuring Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

No better time than NOW to throw some shrimp on the barbecue and enjoy our hot August evenings. This Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette recipe can work as an appetizer or an entrée. It also looks beautifully displayed on a bed of micro greens from your local Farmer’s Market.

Grilled Shrimp with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

4 strips of bacon, diced

½ cup vegetable oil

4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp fresh lime juice

4 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

~20 jumbo shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails left on

Preheat grill to high.

Fry bacon for the vinaigrette in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Pour off all drippings, leaving bacon bits in the pan.

Stir in ½ of the oil, vinegar, sugar and lime juice. Turn off heat. Season with salt/pepper.

Toss the shrimp with remaining oil, garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Thread shrimp onto metal skewers.

Grill shrimp until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from skewers and arrange on plates, then drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with Crostini. Call hungry Conejo Joe to share!

My friend Jill Fisher has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. To contact Jill, let us know!

Thousand Oaks Police Department Bicycle Safety Enforcement Announcement

What is a “sharrow”? (From City of Thousand Oaks Website)
A sharrow is a road lane marking that shows a stencil of a bicycle with two chevron markings above it. The purpose of a sharrow is to remind residents to share the road when driving or riding in Thousand Oaks. It's designed for use in areas too narrow for a separate bike lane. Sharrows are about 3 feet wide and 10 feet long. The California Department of Transportation officially adopted the design in 2005. Thousand Oaks will begin stenciling sharrows in September 2008.

Sharrows have several applications in improving safety for cyclists and motorists:

• Sharrows tend to keep bicyclists from riding too close to parked vehicles,
  which puts them at risk for unexpected opening car doors.
• With sharrows on the road, motorists tend to give more space to bicyclists
  that they pass.
• Sharrows help reduce wrong-way riding by bicyclists.
• They help decrease aggressive bicycle-car interactions.
• They can help reduce the level of pedestrian-to-bicycle conflicts on sidewalks.