Recipes Discovered - Recipes

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup walnuts, almonds, or pecans, coarsely chopped

Filling:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 - 3 tablespoons milk or cream
• 2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder or instant vanilla pudding powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Topping:

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

Butter (or use cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch pan.

BOTTOM LAYER: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Refrigerate while making the filling.

FILLING: With an electric mixer, cream the butter. Beat in the remaining ingredients. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and refrigerate while making the top layer.

TOP LAYER: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the filling and refrigerate until chocolate hardens.

TO SERVE: Bring the squares to room temperature before cutting.

Makes 16 squares.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I used a double boiler to make the bottom layer. Two cups of graham cracker crumbs is roughly 1 package of graham crackers (10 whole crackers). For my bars, I used pecans and instant vanilla pudding mix.

Recipe courtesy of The City of Nanaimo

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium carrots, peeled
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 small to medium red bell pepper, seeded
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, peeled and halved
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence, available on spice aisle or, 1 teaspoon each dried sage, rosemary and thyme
• 1 1/2 pounds small red skinned potatoes
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes or coarsely ground tomatoes
• 1 quart plus 1 cup chicken stock, available in quart and 1 cup paper box containers on the soup aisle
• 1 pound chicken tenders, diced
• 1 small jar black olive tapenade, 4 ounces, found with Italian foods or on condiment aisle
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Crusty bread, to pass at table

Directions:

One medium soup pot preheated over medium high heat. While soup pot heats, chop carrots into 1/4-inch dice, then add garlic, and stir to coat in extra-virgin olive oil. Chop and drop in the zucchini, pepper and onion next, 1/2 inch dice. Season all the veggies with salt and pepper and herbes de Provence. Cook the veggies together 5 minutes. While they cook, cut potatoes into thin wedges. Add wine to vegetables and reduce a minute or so. Add the tomatoes, cut potatoes and stock to the pot, cover the pot and raise heat to high. Bring the stoup to a boil, then add cut chicken and simmer 8 to10 minutes until potatoes are just tender and chicken is cooked through. Serve stoup in shallow bowls and stir in a rounded spoonful of black olive tapenade at the table. Top soup with chopped parsley and pass crusty bread at the table for dipping and mopping.

Serves 4.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I used an extra one cup of chicken stock instead of adding the wine. I also didn’t use the olive tapenade.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray