Whoa, its already mid February and the year seems to be flying by. Valentine's Day sure came and went. Thank you, Thomas, for my sweet PajamaGram, chocolate dipped berries, and the beautiful orchid. The jammies are a bit big, but I sew…so…no worries. The "kitties playing with yarn" motif are just the thing. I can wear while I wrangle Dorrit away from the yarn!
Speaking of which, here is a very dirty Dorrit, black paws and contrition wanting in from the cold and wind.
February also brings Ravelympics back into the limelight. As a true Canadian, I am knitting for Team Canada.
My modest entry should be a breeze to knit, but I am hobbling along balancing two jobs, a full class load, and a wee bit of the household chores. Tom does the rest. I can only knit a few rows before I fatigue from garter and pick up Ishbel. I do love the Zauberball in the Cranberry colorway and the JaWoll yarn has alway been a favorite. I just need to pick up the pace. Goooo Pischi.
In true Olympic spirit, the Nanaimo Bar gauntlet was thrown down. There was so much Canadian food chat in our Ravelry Knead to Knit forum, our Canuck wannabe, Jody, taunted me into making these BC delicacies for the group. She will be the official taster and on her trip back to Toronto expects to taste Nan's authentic Nanaimo bars. The winner get to pick two skeins of Koigu from her private stash. Right, Jody!? I think that's fair.
Nanaimo Squares were a childhood staple on visits to my Auntie Harriet's in Edmonton and are named after a town in neighboring British Columbia.
Because I am a giver, I am sharing this recipe with you. I have made a few modifications to the original from my Alberta Beet Growers Association junior high home-ec cookbook.
1/2 cup unsalted butter (I love Kerry Gold)
1/4 cup white sugar
4 T cocoa powder (I use Hershy's Special Dark)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 finely chopped walnuts (I used almonds)
1 cup coconut
Heat butter, cocoa, and sugar in the top of a double boiler and stir until smooth, add the beaten egg and vanilla and stir until it thickens. Process almonds, coconut, graham crackers in a food processor until fine. Remove from heat and add the crumb mixture from the food processor. Spread into an 8" x 8" pan and refrigerate.
Layer B
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
4 T heavy cream
2 T vanilla pudding mix ( I couldn't find custard powder)
2 cups confectioners sugar
Cream together sugar, cream, and butter until light and fluffy. Spread over layer A and refrigerate.
Layer C
1 4-ounce bar Ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate, or any good quality chocolate
2 T unsalted butter
Melt over a double boiler until liquid. Spread over layer B. Refrigerate.
When cool, cut into 36 small squares. These are very rich and a little bite goes a long way!
Although the original recipe calls for custard powder, I couldn't find any on my grocery store shelves. The ladies sampling these treats didn't complain too much. Next week I am taking up the butter tart gauntlet…for more Koigu?
Speaking of which, here is a very dirty Dorrit, black paws and contrition wanting in from the cold and wind.
February also brings Ravelympics back into the limelight. As a true Canadian, I am knitting for Team Canada.
My modest entry should be a breeze to knit, but I am hobbling along balancing two jobs, a full class load, and a wee bit of the household chores. Tom does the rest. I can only knit a few rows before I fatigue from garter and pick up Ishbel. I do love the Zauberball in the Cranberry colorway and the JaWoll yarn has alway been a favorite. I just need to pick up the pace. Goooo Pischi.
In true Olympic spirit, the Nanaimo Bar gauntlet was thrown down. There was so much Canadian food chat in our Ravelry Knead to Knit forum, our Canuck wannabe, Jody, taunted me into making these BC delicacies for the group. She will be the official taster and on her trip back to Toronto expects to taste Nan's authentic Nanaimo bars. The winner get to pick two skeins of Koigu from her private stash. Right, Jody!? I think that's fair.
Nanaimo Squares were a childhood staple on visits to my Auntie Harriet's in Edmonton and are named after a town in neighboring British Columbia.
Because I am a giver, I am sharing this recipe with you. I have made a few modifications to the original from my Alberta Beet Growers Association junior high home-ec cookbook.
Here we go.
Layer A1/2 cup unsalted butter (I love Kerry Gold)
1/4 cup white sugar
4 T cocoa powder (I use Hershy's Special Dark)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 finely chopped walnuts (I used almonds)
1 cup coconut
Heat butter, cocoa, and sugar in the top of a double boiler and stir until smooth, add the beaten egg and vanilla and stir until it thickens. Process almonds, coconut, graham crackers in a food processor until fine. Remove from heat and add the crumb mixture from the food processor. Spread into an 8" x 8" pan and refrigerate.
Layer B
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
4 T heavy cream
2 T vanilla pudding mix ( I couldn't find custard powder)
2 cups confectioners sugar
Cream together sugar, cream, and butter until light and fluffy. Spread over layer A and refrigerate.
Layer C
1 4-ounce bar Ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate, or any good quality chocolate
2 T unsalted butter
Melt over a double boiler until liquid. Spread over layer B. Refrigerate.
When cool, cut into 36 small squares. These are very rich and a little bite goes a long way!
Although the original recipe calls for custard powder, I couldn't find any on my grocery store shelves. The ladies sampling these treats didn't complain too much. Next week I am taking up the butter tart gauntlet…for more Koigu?