Nanaimo Bars Three Ways

I made these Nanaimo bars three favourite ways, regular custard, peppermint and mocha. Just as I finished, I remembered peanut butter, yay for pb! I will add an addendum if I whip something up.

You will need:

For the bottom layer (for all):

1/4 c butter
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 T sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c coconut
1/4 c walnuts

Middle Layer Regular (custard):
1/2 c butter, softened
2 c icing sugar
2 Tbsp custard powder
3 Tbsp milk

Middle Layer Peppermint:
1/2 c butter, softened
2 c icing sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp peppermint extract
8 drops green food colouring (you know, ballpark it)

Middle Layer Mocha:
1/2 c butter, softened (sensing a theme?)
2 c icing sugar
1 shot espresso (about 3 Tbsp)

Top Layer (For all):
 2 Tbsp butter
4 oz semisweet chocolate
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

You know, you only need a third of all this for one batch

Zee variations!

First, prep! Here is where I've gotten really persnickety over the years. It was probably 4 or 5 years until I was happy with the bottom layer, the second not quite as long and the third just now. So here are my tips! First, chop your coconut really REALLY finely. Tiny bits. Tinier, soldier! Do the same with the walnuts, even littler if possible. It makes for a more cohesive base.



Eeeeven tinier!

It's like we're just getting started!

Melt the 1/4 c butter with the cocoa powder and sugar over medium heat. Remove from heat and add the egg, constantly stirring until it is completely cooked and the chocolate mixture has thickened.



 Stir in the graham crumbs, coconut and walnuts.


Press into the bottom of a 8 x 8 pan lined with wax paper.

 Press down firmly (but gently! less Conan, more finesse) with a spatula. Pop into the fridge for about half an hour.

When your bottom is nice and cold, start the second layer. Cream the 1/2 c of softened butter with the icing sugar and custard, slowly add in milk. Beat until light and fluffy, about a minute and a half to two minutes.

If you are doing peppermint, do pretty much the same, but add the green food colouring in just as you get ready to beat the heck out of it.

Make me for St. Patrick's Day!

 It's essentially the same for the mocha filling, espresso last. A quick note about that, I have a Tassimo brewer, that's what it put out for volume, about 3 Tbsp. You could also just use that much cold coffee.

Spread the filling evenly (like I'm so sure) over the bottom layer, put back in the fridge for about half an hour while you prepare the top.

To make the chocolately goodness that is the top layer, melt the chocolate and butter together. Here's another tip! Just melt the butter, remove from heat and stir in the chocolate. When it is nice and smooth, add the vanilla. It helps the crust from cracking when you are cutting it. Another tip! Make sure the chocolate is completely cooled, but not hard. Place it on a rack, when you can hold it in your hand, stir it until it is free-flowing. I like to use an offset spatula to schmear it on, whatever floats your boat, sailor. Put back in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap, until thoroughly chilled.

It smears the chocolate on the bar, or it gets the

When it is completely chilled, take it out and remove from the pan, taking off the wax paper as well. Place chocolate side up on a large cutting board, get yer biggest knife.

Keep cutting in halves until you have 16 pieces. I will say that is 16 rather large pieces, at about eleventy-thousand calories each, so you could cut smaller, should you be so inclined.

Enjoy!

Saturday: Turkey Soup with Mom's Tea Biscuits

I make turkey soup almost weekly, mostly because it is the best way I know of to get veggies into my 4-year-old. He'll eat ANYthing in soup, and so he does. These are my mom's tea biscuits - it's still Fambly Week! They've been updated by her into a healthy version ( I just added salt - you need it Mom, I'm telling you!), enjoy!

You will need:

For the stock:
1 bunch of bones - I am using half of the bones of a 25-lb turkey and some raw chicken bones
Leftover onion tops, celery tops, carrot peels, whatever you have in the freezer
2 bay leaves
Ground sage, dried rosemary, dried thyme, cracked black pepper

This is what I use for stock: I save up the tops of my onions, celery and carrot cuttings and throw them in the freezer. I buy bone-on chicken and save the raw bones (the gelatin gives body and helps to thicken). When I've got enough, I rinse it and put it into the largest stockpot I own.

This sort of thing

 I have it on very good authority (thanks, C!)  that you can also use the leek tops (the dark green bit that you can't use otherwise) but I haven't tried that yet. But I will!

And more - including raw chicken bones

 Put it into your largest stock pot and cover with as much water as possible, but leave a couple of inches at top for bubbling and foam.

Boil, partially covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, skimming any foam that comes to the top. I've heard that is just how the blood shows up, from the raw bones, but I don't know for sure. It should be reduced by about a third or so.

After three hours, strain your stock and set it aside to cool. There are two easier ways I know how to do this, one is to put it on your garage floor. The other depends on your sink; if it is wide and deep, this will work. Put the stopper in your sink, place a small baking rack, folded down, on top of it. Fill the sink with cold water and ice, if you have it, place the pot of hot stock on top of the baking rack. Add ice as needed to the water.

When it is cool, scrape off any fat off the top. You know, do your best, don't obsess.


Now, the soup!

You will need:

1 tsp vegetable oil
3 onions, fine dice
3 carrots, fine dice
3 celery stalks, fine dice
Broccoli stalk, fine dice
5 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
Sage, dried rosemary, dried thyme, salt, pepper
1 1/2 c brown rice
2 c whole wheat pasta of your choice
6-8 cups turkey (whatever is left from the carcass), chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 c egg noodles
2 c broccoli and cauliflower florets

Soooo, prep! Lots of it, and it's all listed up there. I stick to vegetables I know the kids will eat in soup, but corn, zucchini, pretty much anything out there is going to taste yummy in this. Just add them in at the end.

Heat the oil in your biggest stockpot, add in the onions, carrots and celery. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for just one more minute. Just ONE!

Pour in the stock, add in the sage, thyme, rosemary, pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer until it is reduced by a quarter.

Add the rice, boil at low temp for half an hour, then add in the pasta and turkey. You can also add in any gravy you have left over, it adds a punch of flavour, as do any leftover mashed potatoes you may have around. Both of those are good for thickening. After another 15 minutes, add in the broccoli, cauliflower and egg noodles and taste it. Add salt. Then some more, come on, just a little more, it's a big pot! Add thyme, sage and pepper as necessary. Let simmer for another 15 minutes, when all the veggies are softened, it is ready!

And on to the biscuits!

You will need:

1 1/2 c whole grain whole wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter, cold
2/3 c milk

 This is actually a sweeter-tasting biscuit than I remember, and I had to fight myself (spoiler alert: I won!) to not change everything back to my own recipe, but I like the way it turned out. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Same biscuit plan as usual, mix all dry together in a large, wide bowl.

Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives, until it looks like small crumbs.

Add in the milk, mix together quickly just until formed.

Turn out on a floured counter and pat it into a flat disc. Cut out circles with a glass or cookie cutter (I usually do dinosaurs but the boys were just not.deserving.it tonight). Place them on a baking sheet sprayed with oil and bake for 10-13 minutes. Check around 10, then every minute after. You don't want them too dark on the bottom.  I wouldn't recommend using parchment paper, as I've yet to find one that is rated for up to 450 degrees.

 

 

I like to put mine immediately into a bowl and cover with a large tea towel. 

 



But here they are nekkid:

And here is the whole meal!

The soup was too difficult to work out calorie-wise, but I have done so before and ended up just under 100 calories for a cup, which is pretty good. The biscuits end up being 140 calories each, but I didn't use any butter with them, just dipped them into the soup.

Enjoy! Thanks for the biscuit recipe, Mom!

Friday: Chocolate Bread Pudding

This is me mudder's old recipe, fantastic with vanilla ice cream. I tinkered just a tiny bit (sorry Mom!) but it is essentially original. I hope you enjoy!

You will need:

1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c butter
4 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c milk
1 c soft bread crumbs (about one of my ginormous pieces cut up)
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/2 c walnuts

First prep! Turn your oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. That's it! Well, measure stuff, but you were gonna do that anyway, right? On we go!

Melt the butter and sugar together on medium heat, add in cocoa powder and stir until thoroughly combined.

Remove from heat and add in the vanilla. Stir in one cup of milk and the bread crumbs, mix well.

Beat the two eggs with the remaining half cup of milk, add to the pan.

Bring the pan back to medium heat, stirring all the while as the custard thickens. When it has, stir in the walnuts.

Pour into a buttered (or oil sprayed, let's be real) 8 x 8 dish, bake for 20 minutes.

Chill overnight and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Or Cool Whip, should you be a philistine (don't be a philistine). I cut this into 16 pieces and came up with 111 calories per square, so pretty nummy for not many calories.

Thanks, mom!

Enjoy!