Encrypting in PHP with mcrypt
SOLVED
Note: I found out that "MCRYPT_RIJNDAEL_256" in PHP's mcrypt is NOT included in AES. It uses the Rijndael method, BUT with a 256-bit block size (not included in AES). So, CryptoJS does not handle 256-bit block sizes for Rijndael. Thanks, GregS
Nonetheless, I found an implementation that successfully decrypted the ciphertext I get from running my PHP mcrypt function above, using MCRYPT_RIJNDAEL_256 (Rijndael, 256-bit block size, with 256-bit key/32-byte key).
Here it is: https://code.google.com/p/js-mcrypt/
I hope this helps someone as I spent a week of my spare time trying to figure this out and almost giving up.