Pots and Pins

Salt River Bars...

Our last Christmas decorations are finally in their bins...the giant wreath that has graced the front of our home for THREE months was unceremoniously removed last night.  I think this is the longest we've ever had things up...so we bid Christmas farewell with these splendid crispy chocolate bars - a fitting way to end the hoopla.  

You just won't believe how good one box of CLUB Crackers can taste!  They are the reason these bars are slightly salty and crunchy which plays ever so nicely with the caramel-graham filling between the cracker layers.  Oh, not only are these super tasty, as in your entire family will swoon over them, but they are easy to make.

The caramel-graham filling has one cup of crushed graham crackers - so the caramel comes out looking a bit gritty but it's not, it's just those little bits of graham crackers that give a nice little twist to the caramel.  The filling takes about 8 minutes to make and then half of it is poured over the crackers - once smoothed, another layer of crackers is placed on top, and the the last half of the filling is poured.  Again, that layer is smoothed and the last layer of crackers is added on top.  One 9 x 13-inch pan is used and so is the entire box of crackers - I love it when things work out like that!

After the last of the crackers are added, the pan is popped into the refrigerator to chill while the chocolate topping is made.  Melted chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter make up the chocolaty topping...it's a game-changer!  So creamy and delicious - and it spreads over the top layer of crackers beautifully.  Now the hard part...back into the fridge it goes until the chocolate is set.  But not too long grasshopper, maybe 30 minutes to an hour...depending on how many times you open the refrigerator door to check to see if they're set!  

Just look at those beautiful layers!!  I didn't wait more than 3 seconds to bite into one - YUM!  I realized after cutting some bars that I had forgotten to sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt...so I quickly sprinkled some on and my chocolate wasn't super set so it stuck!  Whew!  Crisis averted!

 

Salt River Bars - Adapted From Take Two Tapas via Lovely Little Kitchen

(These are said to be a favorite from Liberty Market in Gilbert, AZ - so to my Arizona friends, let me know what you think!)

1 box CLUB Crackers

1 cup butter

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 cup graham crackers crumbs (about 7 crackers)

3/4 cup heavy cream

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (you can also use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips)

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Optional:  1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking pan by lining it with parchment paper, leaving it hanging over the edges so it can be used to remove the bars easily.  Spray the parchment and sides of the pan with non-stick spray.  Cover the bottom of the pan with the first layer of crackers on top of the parchment.  (You will have a little bit of space left around the sides, you can cut the crackers to fit or not, it doesn't really matter.)  I used 5 rows of crackers with 6 crackers in a row and that pretty much covered my pan perfectly.

In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pan, melt butter, brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs and heavy cream together over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Bring the mixture to a boil, continuing to stir for 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour half of the caramel mixture over the crackers, spreading evenly to the edges of the pan.  Working quickly, add another layer of crackers over the caramel mixture.  Pour the remaining caramel mixture over the second layer of crackers, and then add a final layer of crackers.  

Refrigerate the pan to chill and set, about 10  minutes, while you make the chocolate topping.  To make the topping, add milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter to a microwave safe bowl.  Heat for 30 seconds then stir.  Continue to microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate mixture is smooth.  Pour the chocolate over the final layer of crackers, spreading evenly to the edges.  Sprinkle sea salt over the chocolate layer to taste - I used a good teaspoon of salt.

Chill for an hour before cutting.  Using the edges of the parchment paper, lift the entire thing out of the pan to a cutting surface.  Using a sharp knife, cut into bars.  These are very rich so don't cut them too big!  I cut my bars along the lines of the crackers, about 2 1/2-inches by 1-inch.  Makes about 36 bars, depending on how big you cut them.

The crackers stay crisp so you'll get some crunch, and you'll get some chew from the caramel and then the creaminess from the chocolate - these are winners!

This makes a lot - and if you cut them smaller you'll have enough to feed a crowd - but not for long!  Or just feed yourself and give a plate or two to deserving friends - the definition of win/win.

Butter Bars...

Ever heard of Butter Tarts?  If you're Canadian then you know what I'm talking about, if not, you really should drive across the border one day and get yourself one, it would be worth the trip.  But if you don't have time for a border crossing, then these are the next best thing.   Instead of an entire tart though, I've made them into bars...so you can eat one or two and then try to walk away...good luck with that!  Speaking of Canada, I'd like to wish my Canadian friends a happy belated 150th birthday...we need to keep Canada on our good side, as they are the only country to have invaded us successfully - of course that was back in 1814, but who knows when they might get another wild hair and a herd of moose and try it again?!?

(Update:  Thanks to an astute Canadian reader, I am told Canada didn't invade the US...that was one of the only tidbits of information I retained from my 9th grade History class, where Dr. Harry told us they DID invade...well, when it was pointed out to me that I was wrong, which makes Dr. Harry wrong, (if only I'd known that in 9th grade!  Dr. Harry also told me I would need to learn Algebra because I would use it every day...turns out Dr. Harry was full of hot air on both accounts!) I turned to Wikipedia, my source for all information since I no longer watch Oprah, and discovered it was the British who invaded FROM Canada...the British had been LIVING in Canada...so we were invaded FROM Canada not BY Canada.  Glad I could clear that up!)

 

 

 

 

 

Butter Bars.  They are every bit as delicious as they sound, and then some!  And easy to make.  The crust is shortbread, did you read that right?  SHORTBREAD.  I could just have eaten that all by itself, without the incredible topping!  But the topping, well, it's made with butter - duh - and brown sugar and it caramelizes on top when baked...totally addicting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those are raisins you see in the topping, you can either add them or not, your choice.  I personally think they do add to the bars, and the first time I made these I put in the entire amount called for.  However, the 2nd and 3rd time I made these bars I halved the raisins and I liked them much better.  You do whatever twirls your Maple Leaf.

As you can see I lined my pan with parchment paper.  My plan was to lift the bars out so I could slice them easily.  However I forgot to leave any over-hang of the parchment...stupid is as stupid does!

You can see how the top caramelizes...and then there's the shortbread crust...but the middle, that's where the magic happens!  Make these soon, it's a great way to celebrate Canada's and America's birthdays!

Butter Bars - Adapted From The Recipe Rebel

For the Crust:

1 cup butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 cups flour

For the Filling:

1/2 cup butter

3 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon vanilla

Optional:  3/4 cup raisins or however many you wish

Lina a cookie sheet (15 x 11-inch or you can use a 9 x 13-inch pan for thicker squares, but you'll have to adjust your baking time) with parchment.  If you plan to try to lift the bars out of the pan, allow for a generous overhang of the parchment.  Preheat over to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, cut butter into powdered sugar and flour with a pastry cutter or your hands until pea-sized lumps of butter remain.  Or you an use a food processor, just be sure not to over process, you want little lumps of butter.  Mixture will be crumbly but if you grab a handful and squeeze it will stick together.  Dump mixture into pan and press down evenly to form a crust.  Bake for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, while crust is baking, prepare the filling in the same bowl.  Melt butter in microwave.  Whisk in brown sugar, eggs, vinegar and vanilla.  Stir in raisins, if using.  When crust comes out of oven, spread filling over hot crust and return to oven to bake another 20 to 25 minutes until the filling is set.  You don't want filling to be jiggly in the center.  Cool to room temperature before slicing into bars.  Refrigerating bars for an hour makes them easier to cut.  Makes 30 bars. 

 

Rui's Breakfast Bars...

We have new neighbors on our street - which is both sad and fun...sad that our old neighbors moved away but fun that we get to meet new people.  Also a bit scary because now I have new people who have to be warned about the mister and his antics...walking around half-naked when he works in the yard, swearing at will, sitting on the deck late into the evening singing along with Pandora...out loud...yes, lots of things to warn them about and apologize for!!!  Good thing Grumpy Old Man Syndrome isn't contagious!

One of our new neighbors recently moved here from China and she and her family are just adorable.  Rui has a 2 year old daughter, whose name I mangle every time I try to say it...I thought her name was pronounced Shoo-Shoo...but apparently it's something like Shoorzeshorze!  I wondered why the little girl never looked at me when I said her name!!  Stupido Americano strikes again! I've gotten to know Rui a little bit (I'm helping her learn to drive!!!!) and have discovered that she is quite a good cook/baker!! 

 

 

Rui brought me over these bars, she called them Grain Energy Bars, and they looked like  granola/Kind Bars but they tasted much better!!  I couldn't leave them alone, every time I walked into the kitchen I grabbed another bar!  I changed the name of her recipe to Breakfast Bars, strictly so I could remember it and find it easily.  Hope you don't mind Rui!   I asked Rui for the recipe and she said it was in Chinese and she would translate it for me...which she did...but there were a few things that didn't translate!

 

One of the items listed on Rui's recipe is semen juglandis...Wikipedia said this is walnut seed or walnut kernel, which I assumed was the same as a walnut nut!  But as I read further I discovered this: 

"Semen Juglandis is used to;  1. tonify the lungs and kidneys; 2. To moisten the intestines and move feces."  Good to know!  Obviously I didn't have any semen juglandis nor did I want to after reading that! 

But this recipe is easy and very adaptable...you can use any kind of nut(s) you want and any kind of dried fruit.  If you want to add coconut or cinnamon or chocolate chips (YUM!  Wish I'd thought of that sooner!) then add them - you can make them to suit whatever kind of depression you have!! I used what I had on hand...which was macadamias,almonds and hazelnuts and for the dried fruit I used Goji berries and dates...they worked beautifully!

 

 

 

 

 

This is an easy recipe, made in 3 simple steps:  Toast the nuts and oats,  mix everything together then press into the prepared pan (line it with parchment for easy removal and to prevent sticking) and bake.  That's it!

 

 

 

 

Once it's out of the oven, allow to cool and then slice into bars...it's kind of pretty just like this, no?  I didn't bake this as long as I should have so it's lighter in color than the bars Rui brought me.  Next time I will bake for the full time, but know these bars are not crispy and hard, they are chewy and they definitely hit the spot when you're running out the door on an empty stomach!

Rui's Breakfast Bars - Adapted from Rui Zhang

1 cup oats (I used Old-Fashioned Oats, not quick-cooking)

1 cup nuts, finely chopped (I used 1/3 cup each of hazelnuts, macadamias and slivered almonds)

1/4 cup sesame seeds (white or black)

1/2 cup dried fruit, finely diced (I used Goji Berries and Dates but cranberries, apricots, raisins, any dried fruit will work)

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons honey

*8-inch square pan with straight sides and parchment paper (or foil) are needed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare pan by lining with parchment paper (or foil).  Set aside.  Spread finely chopped nuts and oats evenly on a rimmed-baking sheet, bake in oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just beginning to become fragrant and toasted.  Remove and allow to cool.  When cool, put nuts and oats into a large mixing bowl and add in finely chopped dried fruit.  Set aside.  In small sauce pan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar and honey.  Stir until melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Pour butter mixture over nuts, oats and fruit and stir until combined.  Scoop mixture into prepared baking pan and push into pan and into corners until all is even.  Putting another piece of parchment on top and pressing down works great to make everything compact.  Bake in over approximately 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.  Remove and allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.  Makes 12 bars, approximately 1 1/2 x 4 x 1/2-inch.  These will keep in an air-tight container for up to one week. 

 

Thank you Rui!!!  We are so happy you moved into our neighborhood!

Nanaimo Bars...

If you've never had a Nanaimo Bar, you are missing out on one of life's greatest delights, and a few hundred calories, but those calories are totally worth eating.  The mister and I spent last weekend in Victoria, BC and we worked diligently, in the name of research, to find the best tasting Nanaimo Bar in all of British Columbia because that's where they supposedly originated.  I say supposedly because there are numerous recipes, with names like Chocolate Slice, Dirt Candy, Mabel's Squares and London Fog Bars that have almost the exact ingredients but originated in various cities around the globe!  There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to desserts!  Also in the name of research, I made several different recipes trying to duplicate the best tasting Nanaimo Bar we had, the one from Granville Island Market was the best and I did this for you, me and my posterity, because going through life without Nanaimo Bars is just cruel. 

 

 

 

 

 

We crossed the border at Blaine, WA, which is about a two hour drive from our house.  The Peace Arch Park at the border is beautiful, it's on the American side and there were a lot of kids running around while one of their parents sat in their car and inched their way forward to the gates...it was a long wait at the border!  Once we had crossed onto foreign land, we headed straight for the Tsawwassen Ferry which took us to Vancouver Island.  It was a beautiful day - and we sailed around islands and in between islands to get to Victoria, which I have learned, is the 8th largest island in the world and Canada's 2nd largest island and it's slightly larger than Great Britain!  That's all the schooling I'm going to do today, so sit back and relax.

 

 

 

 

 

We played tourists in Victoria - walked around the harbor, strolled the beautiful grounds of the Empress Hotel and went in and out of every tourist shop, where we conversed with the Canucks behind the counters in their native tongue, eh?

Victoria is full of tourists - and we ran into dozens and dozens of groups of Japanese students everywhere we went.  The mister wanted to know why so many of them were carrying golf clubs...I told him they weren't golf clubs but selfie sticks and we stopped and watched several of them pose - then I showed the mister how easy it is to photobomb - and we amused ourselves by walking discreetly behind various groups of posed and oblivious students while staring into their cameras...it's the little things, I tell ya...the couple that photobombs together, stays together...feel free to quote me.  We explored China Town, spent way too much time and $$$ in Rogers Chocolates and had dinner in a great Irish Pub called Irish Times, where I almost ordered the most popular Canadian dish there is, Poutine, but after gobs of chocolate I just couldn't justify eating French fires smothered in gravy and cheese curds. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The reason we went to Victoria was so the mister could see Butchart Gardens - it was on his Bucket List.  I had been to the Gardens 20 years before and know just how wonderful it is so I was all in favor of going again!  And the Gardens didn't disappoint!

Incredible. No other words for it, except maybe freakin' awesome incredible!  Everything was in bloom and so very beautiful...it was a bit depressing to realize everything in those gardens were plants that I have tried and failed to grow in my yard...in my next life I am going to have at least one green thumb! 

 

So let's talk Nanaimo Bars...three luscious layers of serious YUM.  The best bars had crusts with cocoa, coconut, crushed grahams, chopped almonds and held together with melted butter...several of the versions we tasted had one or more of those ingredients missing...so they were quickly dismissed as inferior.  The middle layer is a custard - not a frosting as some of the wannabe bars had...and the custard is made with Birds Custard Powder, which is available at World Market and, of course, in Canada!  You can't have a Nanaimo Bar without Birds Custard Powder...and I think that's a Canadian law.  By the way, there are all sorts of "interesting" laws in Canada - like in Ontario you can't yell, scream or whistle in certain cities and it's illegal to skinny dip, which makes sense because if you're going to skinny dip in the frigid tundra you're going to want to yell and scream!  It's also illegal to pretend to practice witchcraft anywhere in Canada so believe me, I kept my broom out of sight!  In British Columbia it is illegal to kill a Sasquatch, yes, that's a real law, which is so funny because who would ever be crazy enough to believe someone would want to kill a Sasquatch?!?!? 

 

 

Crust.  Filling.  Chocolate ganache topping.  Chocolate so  s m o o t h   your teeth will sink right through to the filling and crust without the chocolate cracking and falling all over the place.  I hate when that happens!   Real Nanaimo Bars don't crack when cut or eaten...so it's easy to detect an impostor, and/or cheap chocolate.  You're going to want to use the good stuff here...no waxy chocolate chips allowed!

 

 

The crust is pressed into an 8x8-inch pan to set - don't worry that the crust will be too thick and don't even think about using a bigger size pan!!  It's the ratio of crust to filling to topping that make Nanaimo Bars so great - so if you have a thinner crust, well, you'll be missing out and that would be a cryin' shame!  The crust takes about 10 minutes in the refrigerator to cool and while it's cooling, the custard filling is made - and it's so easy you won't believe it - no cooking, just blend with a mixer and it's ready to go!

 

 

 

Cream, butter, powdered sugar and Birds Custard Powder...I'm telling you straight, this stuff is lethal.  It's spread on top of the cooled crust and then popped back into the fridge for about 20 minutes.

 

When the filling is cold, the ganache, which has been cooled a bit, is poured over the top and then back into the fridge it goes for the final chill...be patient grasshopper, it doesn't take long before the Nanaimo Bars are set and ready to be cut.  This should go without saying but I'm going to say it anyway...this is a 5-Danger recipe.  Roll out that Dang Meter and ring it loud and clear, these are dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good and worthy of any weight gain/coma that might ensue.

Nanaimo Bars - Adapted from several recipes, including Canadian Living Magazine, Taste of Home and All Recipes.com

(Canadian Living Magazine recipe uses walnuts, not almonds.  Taste of Home recipe calls for vanilla pudding not Bird's Custard and allrecipes.com uses unsalted butter and no extra salt in the recipe.  Plus the directions on these recipes (and several others) left out one little but important thing - you have to temper the egg before adding it to the hot chocolate mixture or it will curdle!  Obviously I thought those things needed to be rectified!)

For the Crust:

1/2 cup salted butter

1/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cocoa

pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten

1 3/4 cups crushed graham crackers, (about 11 whole crackers)

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1 cup shredded coconut

For the Filling:

1/2 cup salted butter

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons Birds Custard Powder

2 cups powdered sugar

For the Topping:

4 oz. good quality semi-sweet chocolate

2 teaspoons butter

3 tablespoons heavy cream

To make the crust:  In the top of a double boiler, combine 1/2 cup butter, white sugar, cocoa and pinch of salt.  Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.  In a small bowl, beat the egg.  Take about a tablespoon of the hot chocolate mixture and stir into the egg then repeat with another tablespoon of chocolate into the egg, to temper the egg.  Pour the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir until thick, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and mix in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut and almonds until combined.  Press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8-inch pan.

Make the filling:  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, heavy cream and custard powder until fluffy.  Mix in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Spread over the bottom layer in the pan.  Put in refrigerator to chill until set, about 10 minutes.

Make the topping:  In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate with butter and cream over low heat.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.  Spread over the chilled bars.  Return to the refrigerator until top is set, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Cut into squares, but cut small ones as they are very rich!  Makes 16 generous-sized bars.

 

 

 

 

 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S'Mores Cake, Cinco de Mayo Salad, Court of Honor Eagle Cookies, Upside Down Rhubarb Cake, Bacon and Corn Queso, 65 Mother's Day Gifts...Whew!  It's been one event after another, and finally I managed to carve out a few hours with nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one to talk to.  I read a book for a bit, thumbed through a magazine, turned on the TV, then decided I was just too bored...so I headed into the kitchen and made Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars!

 

 

 

 

This actually should be called a slab pie...because it's one giant slab of pie.  Every bit as good as pie, just not as messy and much faster to make.  Once the dough is made and refrigerated for an hour, it's rolled out to fit a 9x13-inch pan.  Yep, makes enough to feed a crowd!  But please make sure your crowd is worthy of flaky pastry that encases fresh strawberries and rhubarb with just enough brown sugar to make lip-smackin' sweet/tart bars!

 

 

 

 

I will be making these for Memorial Day - they are Holiday good!  And if I can still find rhubarb in July I'll be making these for our 4th festivities.  The bottom crust is baked before the filling goes in.  You can see in the pictures that I lined my pan with parchment paper.  I had planned to take the entire thing out of the pan and put onto a pretty serving plate, parchment paper would help me lift it out.  But I never got to the pretty plate part!  Once the bars were out of the oven, someone decided to have just a little taste and cut into them, that's all it took...they disappeared so fast there wasn't time to put them onto a pretty plate!

 

The top pastry is brushed with egg then sprinkled with Pearl Sugar - pretty, no?  Oh, if only you could have a little whiff - the aroma is heady - when this comes out of the oven, all bubbly and hot - it's enough to make one swoon!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars - Pastry Adapted from Food and Wine, May 2015, Filling from Pots and Pins

Pastry:

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

6 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 sticks plus 2 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into tablespoons

3 large egg yolks

1/3 cup cold whole milk

baking spray

Filling:

4 cups rhubarb (about 5 to 6 large stalks) trimmed, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

4 cups strawberries (about 2 lbs.) stems removed, sliced/quartered

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup Minute Tapioca

1Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg, beaten

3 tablespoons Pearl Sugar, Turbinado Sugar or Sanding Sugar

Make the pastry:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour, sugar and salt and mix at low speed.  Add the butter and mix at medium speed until almost incorporated, with some pecan-size pieces remaining, about 1 minute.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the milk.  With the machine on, drizzle the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until the pastry just starts to come together, about 30 seconds:  it will be crumbly.  Scrape the pastry onto the lightly floured work surface and gather it together.  Gently knead the pastry two or three times, just to work in the butter a bit, but having bigger pieces of butter makes for a flakier crust so don't mash it all up!  Form the pastry into a 1-inch thick disk, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Cut 1/3 of the pastry off the disk.  On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the smaller piece of pastry to a 9x13-inch rectangle; transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate.  Roll out the remaining piece of pastry into a 12x16-inch rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick.  (Set your baking dish on top of the pastry to get a good idea of how big to make it - you want the pastry to come up the sides.)  Ease the pastry into the prepared pan, pressing it into the corners and up the sides; trim the excess pastry, leaving no overhang.  Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.  Bake for about 30 minutes, until just pale golden and set.  Remove the pie weights and parchment paper, transfer the pan to a rack and let the crust cool completely. 

Make the filling:  In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, lemon juice, tapioca, corn starch and salt.  Mix to coat.  Pour mixture into the cooled pie crust.  Dot the fruit with the butter pieces.  Cover the filling with the chilled 9x13-inch piece of pastry crust, gently pressing it down around the edges.   Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with Pearl Sugar or Sanding Sugar.  Using a sharp knife, make six 2-inch long slits in the top pastry.  Bake for about 50 minutes, until the crust is deep golden.  Transfer the pan to a rack to cool, at least 3 hours.  Cut into bars, serves about 20. 

 

 

 

 

Cherry Squares...

When I tell you this recipe is "a keeper" I hope you know I'm not just saying that for my health.  If I were, I'd have to offer a disclaimer, like eating an entire batch could cause instant weight gain and a couch-potato coma.  I am saying you need to keep this recipe on hand, taped to the inside of your kitchen cabinet doors if need be, so you'll never have to look for it when you need to make something totally scrumptious to please a crowd, or even just one grumpy old man. 

This recipe is from Colleen Newton, a dear friend who recently passed away.  Colleen told me she made Cherry Squares every Christmas and for every special occasion - like weddings.  Colleen has a lot of grandchildren and so there have been a lot of weddings, and that's where I first tasted her Cherry Squares, at one of those weddings.  The Cherry Squares were so good I asked her for the recipe and she wrote it out by hand for me (and told me to be sure to cut them small) - just look at her beautiful penmanship - just one of the things I envied about Colleen!

 

 

 

Colleen touched so many lives in her 82 years and not just her family's.  Colleen was somewhat of a dinosaur - her kind are almost extinct - and by that I mean those women who can do it all...give birth, wipe noses, can peaches, clean, cook, sew, crochet, knit, paint, garden, teach, sing, all in one day and then get up and do it all over again the next and the next without batting an eye.  Colleen had a knack for making things beautiful, and she was such a great example to me of what a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend should be.  Among her many talents, Colleen led the choir at church and I, not being a member of the choir and totally unable to sing a note, appointed myself as her Choir Barometer, the irony of that was not lost on her.  I always sit in the back at church (less likely to be hit by a lightning bolt I reckon) and Colleen would ask me how the choir sounded in the back and I would tell her - she humored me my observations.  As if I could tell her a thing!  But Colleen went out of her way to be kind to me - to talk to me and share her wisdom and she usually always ended our conversations by telling me to "hang in there." 

 

It seemed only fitting that I should make a batch of Colleen's Cherry Squares and enjoy them in her honor - and I would like to suggest you do the same.  They are incredibly good...buttery shortbread crust, with a center of maraschino cherries, pecans and coconut, topped with a cherry butter-cream frosting...providing the perfect amount of sweetness and crunch - just like Colleen.

 

Cherry Squares - From Colleen Newton

Base:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter, cut into small dice

pinch of salt

Filling:

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup drained, chopped, maraschino cherries, reserve juice

1/2 cup flour plus 1 tablespoons

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped nuts, either walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons reserved cherry juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  For the base:  In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and salt.  Cut in the butter with a pastry knife.  Press evenly into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, remove and allow to cool slightly.

For the filling:  In a large mixing bowl (you can do this by hand, or use a mixer) beat the eggs slightly.  Add brown sugar and beat well.  Stir in almond extract, coconut, chopped maraschino cherries, flour, baking powder, salt and nuts.  Mix until combined.  Spread over baked and cooled base.  Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until center is set.  Remove and allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the butter, powdered sugar and reserved cherry juice and mix until smooth.  Spread evenly over cooled top.  Cut into squares.  (Colleen always cut hers small, because she was always feeding a crowd, but I like to cut mine into 2x2-inch squares so I get 24 to 26 squares.)

 

Cherry Pie Cake Bars...

It has been frrrrrreezing cold here...the wood floor in my kitchen feels like an ice-skating rink!  (We've had a week of freezing fog - the trees look like Jack Frost spray-painted them - very pretty!)  We have a huge crawl space under our kitchen so it's always cold and I've asked the mister many, many times to please go down into that space and see if we need more insulation - and he refuses, saying we don't need no stinkin' insulation!  I've told you before, but let me remind you, the mister controls the thermostat...it runs a "program" the mister set up...the furnace goes on thrity minutes before he wakes in the morning and goes off the minute he walks out the door to go to work.  It doesn't come back on until the mister walks in the door at zero-dark-thirty...not to be confused with the movie about the world's most hated man...I haven't seen the movie but it just occurred to me, could it be about the mister?  Oh wait, he's not hated the world over, just in this house, when it's freezing cold, between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00 pm.  As I stand in the hallway, shivering, pushing the damn thermostat button every day - several times - to fire the furnace up for ten minutes at a time before it then shuts off to resume the program,  I curse the mister.  I call him at Global Headquarters and demand that he tell me how to keep the furnace running...he cannot remember...how convenient...he tells me to find the manual...it's no where to be found...and then he says,  

"Our utility bill last month was the highest it's ever been, so why do you need to run the furnace all day long?!?   You've got to turn off the lights, too! And if you didn't cook so much the gas bill wouldn't be so high! " 

I'd like to point out the obvious...last month we had Christmas lights outside - so of course our bill would be higher...and I have lights on during the day because we don't have SUN!  And... if I didn't cook so much?!?!?!  Oh reee-heeee-ly?  Well, that can be remedied!  I informed the mister that I would stop cooking/baking immediately and then asked if he would mind stopping at KFC on the way home to pick up his dinner?  He thought that was funny.  I wasn't laughing.  Eventually neither was he.  But I could only hold out for so long, because punishing the mister just punishes me!  After five days of not cooking/baking, with the mister having dinners of canned soup, cereal, KFC, McDonalds and bologna sandwiches, I finally caved...mainly because I was dying to bake these bars!!  Look, I can only stand so much...no heat and no baking?!?!  I was worried the kitchen floors really would turn to ice!

 

 

 

 

Cherry Pie Cake Bars...they are the new black.  Seriously, they are that good.  What other dessert can offer you both pie and cake in one bite?!?  And they will blow any lemon bar right off the platter!  I kid you not!  I didn't think I would like these as much as I do...but really, whats not to like?  The bottom layer is a super moist cake with a dense crumb, then there's the cherry layer...two kinds of cherries, no less!  And on top there's more cake drizzled with a vanilla sugar glaze...oh my stars, these are dang good!  Make them for your Valentine...they'll warm your heart, even if your furnace doesn't come on during the day!

 

 

 

 

Cherry Pie Cake Bars - Adapted From The Recipe Critic and All Recipes.Com

1 cup butter, softened, plus more for buttering baking pan

1 3/4 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cans (21 oz.) cherry pie filling, drain syrup from one can only

1 package (5 oz.) dried cherries

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons milk

Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add in extracts.  Add in salt, then add flour to the mixture, beating until just mixed.

Spread 2/3's of the cake batter into the prepared pan.  Drain one can of the cherry pie filling (reserve the thick syrup to use in another way, if desired.)  Pour one can of cherry pie filling over the batter, add the drained cherries and distribute evenly.  Sprinkle the dried cherries evenly over the top.  Drop the remaining batter on top of pie filling and cherries. 

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool to room temperature.  Make the glaze by combining all ingredients in a small bowl, then drizzle over the top of the Cherry Pie Cake.  Cut into bars.  Makes 24 bars.

 

Pretzel Bars...

I do love weddings - and helping with them.  Everyone is usually so happy and excited.  I was lucky enough to help with a good friend's wedding a week or so ago - I did the flowers, which always includes harvesting from friends yards, (I'm usually asked to do a bit of pruning while I'm picking...but I am a harvester, not a pruner!) and I made the wedding cakes...three of them.  I've known the groom since he was 7 years old...so when he and his bride-to-be asked me to make their cakes, I could hardly refuse.  They actually came over to my house, walked up my driveway, and I couldn't make out their faces so I thought Jehovah's Witnesses were coming for a visit and I almost didn't answer the door...not that there's anything wrong with Jehovah's Witnesses...but on that particular day I was not in the mood to be saved.  The young couple, so darling and sweet, explained they wanted three normal cakes - as their "wedding cake" and I thought, how hard can that be?!?

 

Making cakes is not a big deal...making cakes for a wedding reception IS a big dea!!  It was a lot of pressure - I kept thinking if the cakes aren't perfect then any bad thing that happens in their marriage will be blamed on me and my crappy cakes!  But they turned out great - whew!  The Bride and Groom asked me to make their favorite cakes for them - so I made a Coconut Cake With Lemon Curd Filling and Coconut Buttercream Frosting and a  Sweet Potato Spice Cake with Orange Filling and White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and the third cake was German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting...to die for!  (That recipe will be up soon, it's one you'll want to put in your file because it's a rich, dark chocolate cake that is super moist with a dense crumb - perfect for the chocoholic that dwells within!)  When I was done with the flowers and cakes that day, I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a fetal position with a plate of these Pretzel Bars...they'll cure what ails you, too.

 

 

 

These bars have a shortbread crust - buttery and sweet - and with the saltiness and crunch of the pretzels, well, you have the best of both worlds:  Sweet AND Salty.  And they are better the next day.

Pretzel Bars - Adapted (slightly) From Martha Stewart Living, October 2011

3 1/4 cups salted miniature twist pretzels

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Coat a 10 x 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray.  Line bottom with parchment. 

In a food processor, pulse 1 3/4 cups pretzels until powdery.  Transfer 1/2 cup to a bowl; discard any remaining pretzel powder.  Stir in flour and baking powder.  Transfer remaining 1 1/2 cups pretzels to food processor, and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.  Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Reduce speed to low, and beat in egg yolk, then pretzel-flour mixture, until combined.  Mix in 1/2 cup chopped pretzels.  Press dough evenly into pan.  Top dough with 1/4 cup chopped pretzels, pressing slightly, discard any remaining pretzels.

Bake shortbread until pale brown and firm in the center, 25 to 30 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let shortread cool for 1 hour.  Remove shortbread from pan, and cut into 1 1/2-inch square pieces using a serrated knife.

Just a few more pics of the wedding...the Bride wanted a rustic/shabby-chic reception - and sawed-off tree-stumps made perfect cake stands!  I used a Dremel tool to carve the messages into each stump:

 

 

 

 

 

White tents covered the back yard - twinkling lights, beautiful flowers, pretty tables and fabulous food made this reception one to remember.  Unfortunately I left my camera at home, so I didn't get any shots of just how beautiful it all was - but I can tell you the Bride and Groom could not have been happier.  That's always a good sign.

 

 

 

 

 

The flowers turned out beautifully - "Coffee-break" roses provided the perfect touch with the fall foliage.  Promise me you'll try these Pretzel Bars - they are dang good - sweet and salty and perfect for an Autumn afternoon!

 

Abby's 7 Layer Bars...(aka Magic Bars)...

The Aussie was flipping through her recipe binder, where all her recipes are held between clear plastic sheet protectors, having no smears or smudges on them, all typed up (no clippings from magazines/newspapers) - looking exactly like an actual cookbook rather than a hodge-podge of collected recipes like someone I know has!  She pulled out Abby's recipe for 7 Layer Bars, handed it to me and said they were great and that I should make them.  Translation:  I'm not going to ever make these bars again because they are too rich, too delicious, extremely fattening and I want to be able to fit into my clothes...I'm not as stupid as you!

  

 

 

 

Oh how right the Aussie is...they are all of the above!  But let's do the math, shall we?  Too rich + too delicious = More than worth the calories! 

Seven layers of happiness...let's count them: 

1.  A crust made of nothing but butter and crushed graham crackers. 

2.  Shredded coconut. 

3.  Chocolate chips. 

4.  Butterscotch chips (which I just discovered I have a weakness for!) 

5.  Chopped pecans. 

6.  Chopped almonds.

7.  Sweetened condensed milk...the reason for life itself!  

Do you remember the movie Empire Of The Sun?  One of Spielberg's finest films, in my humble opinion.  It's the true story about a 13-year old English boy, living in Shanghai with his parents, when the Japanese invade.  His life is drastically changed; he is separated from his parents, sent to live in a camp until the "Cadillacs of the Skies," the U.S. P-51 bombers arrived (que the music:  God Bless America) to end the Japanese occupation.  The young lad is set free, tired and starving.  Those P-51's dropped more than bombs - they also dropped food.  The boy finds a food drop and inside are chocolate bars and sweetened condensed milk, which he opens and guzzles down with sheer joy.  It's one of my favorite scenes in the movie...now...guess who played that 13 year old boy?  None other than Christian Bale!  Okay, that was a long way to go to point out the obvious, sweetened condensed milk can be a life-saver and, as is the case with these delectable bars, a life-maker!  Because you haven't LIVED until you've eaten one (or 12) of these!

Abby's 7 Layer Bars - Adapted slightly from Abby Effy, One of Australia's Brightest Stars

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray bottom of a rimmed (9 x 13-inch) baking dish with cooking spray Melt butter in microwave; pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter and press gently, forming a crust.  It doesn't have to be even.  Spread coconut over graham crust.  Spread chocolate and butterscotch chips over coconut layer.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans and almonds.  Pour sweetened condensed milk over the pan, covering as evenly as possible.  (Abby said in her recipe to open can with a "church key," which is what Aussies call a can opener...that tickled me!)

Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until fragrant and the nuts are toasted and center is set.  Cool for an hour before cutting into bars.  If you cut sooner, the chocolate chips will be too gooey to hold the shape, but if you can't wait, go for it!  Makes about 40 bars, depending on how big you cut them.

S'mores Dots...

Google S'mores Bars and you'll find dozens of different recipes...all sound great, if you like S'mores...which I didn't, until I tasted this version.  The Fashionista brought me a plate of her S'mores Bars and I found them irresistible.  So I resisted making them until I could resist no s'more.  The Boy ate a plateful for dinner.  And I cheered him on.  I knew we were in trouble when I started the THIRD batch...but not to worry, we didn't eat those - we couldn't have lifted our fingers to our face if we'd tried!  We gave that batch away to some very deserving people...they were "S'mores Worthy"...and if you make these and if you give some away, you'll know what I mean by "S'mores Worthy."  You just can't give these to anyone...IF you can give them away at all!

You'll notice I changed the name of my version to S'mores Dots - because I cut mine into squares, not bars, and I used the large marshmallows, creating dots.  They are easy enough to make...but the wait time, until they're "set," seems to take hours on end...but be patient, waiting until they are cool means not having chocolate drip down your hands, arms, and onto the little white head of your dog...not that I would know anything about that.

Whatever you call them, bars, cookies or dots, they'll remind you of the times you spent around the campfire roasting marshmallows to get the perfect shade of "burnt."  At least they did me, until I slipped into a coma from eating just one too many!  Dang good!

 

S'mores Dots - Adapted from Megan Gee

 

18 graham crackers

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 milk chocolate candy bars, I used Hershey's

1 1/2 bags (10 oz.) large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Place graham crackers in a single layer over the foil.  Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar and salt, and melt, stirring over medium-high heat until it begins to boil.  Once it begins to boil, set the timer for 2 1/2 minutes and stir continuously.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla, mixing quickly to combine.  Immediately pour over the graham crackers, and spread as evenly and quickly as possible.  Place the caramel covered grahams in the preheated oven for about 5 to 7 minutes, watching carefully; when the caramel starts to bubble, remove from the oven.

While the grahams are in the oven, break up the chocolate bars into small pieces.  When the grahams are removed from the oven, immediately cover with the chocolate pieces.  It will quickly melt and you can smooth it evenly with the back of a wooden spoon.  Place large marshmallows over grahams, two large marshmallows will fit on one graham cracker (1/4 of one whole graham cracker).

Place the marshmallow-covered grahams under the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds, watching carefully, until the marshmallows are toasted to your heart's desire.

Once completely cool, about an hour, unless you put in the refrigerator to speed things up, you can cut the grahams into bars, if you must, or into dots, one large marshmallow per dot. 

IF you wait until the bars are completely cooled, you'll be able to cut them without getting chocolate all over the place...as shown above...what can I say?  Patience is not my forte.