We visited Victoria on the beautiful Vancouver Island BC about twenty years ago. My memories of the trip are rather dim and consist mostly of food; we met some California friends up there and the wife generally plans her days around meals. I can reminisce fondly of afternoon teas consisting of dense scones, jam, and whipped cream. One of my lingering discoveries was Nanaimo Bars. Nanaimo is a town on the west coast of the island. The origin of the bars is a little fuzzy, with the first recorded recipe turning up in a church cookbook in Nanaimo in 1957, although some think it may date back to the 19th century. Some New Yorkers even tried to claim it as having New York origins. They call them New York slices. Darn those New Yorkers.
I haven't made these delectable little treats in probably fifteen years, but I had a hankering on Saturday. Ellen and Brenda were the recipients, being rewarded for their intimate knowledge of my flying proclivities.
And I ate a few.
Just a few.
Lately, I go to the web for recipes, ignoring my excellent selection of cookbooks. But for this, I went to my original hand-written collection, started by me when I was about eighteen. Here it is, in all its glory.
If you click on the photo, it will enlarge enough that you can read the recipe. I would advise no extra milk, 4oz of chocolate, and instant pudding powder, ignoring my notes to the contrary.
Today, I decided to
not mess with the recipe.
It was a fortuitous decision.
I had one for breakfast.
Oh yeah.
The little check mark by the title of the recipe?
That means it has been tried and is good.
Jet Blue! Jet Blue! Jet BLUE!! (My mom says you might give me some of those...) (I had one of hers and OH MY!) (What, I'm supposed to make it myself!??)
ReplyDeleteI got that recipe from my Mother-in-law shortly after we got married. It was a family favorite. The funny thing is, they called them Vamino bars.
ReplyDeleteLindsay. You never know. However, all that batch are long gone. Mari, I found one reference on the web to Vamino bars. I also found several variations of the Nanaimo bar recipe as well as different claims as to their origin. I guess we'll never know!
ReplyDeleteDoes "icing sugar" mean powdered sugar? This recipe is definitely a keeper. I've actually been in the cute little town of Nanaimo. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, it's hard for me to post on your blog. It takes me through several steps, and if I pick the wrong option, it kicks me off and erases my comment. Then I have to retype and try again. And it only does this sometimes, not every time. We'll see what it does this time.
ReplyDeleteCan I use that recipe picture for my blog? Pretty please?
ReplyDeleteYou are so ambitious it makes me depressed! However, I did go out Saturday and get my new crop of herbs and some asparagus crowns for my new plot. Will confine herbs to pots and hopefully they will be as good a last year. By the way, I would love to smell a newly mown lawn, my lawn is not in any shape to be mown. Wade must have ESP with Jeff, tool belts all weekend!!
ReplyDeleteBrenda, yes, powdered sugar. I translated it into English when I wrote it down. And I wonder if you're trying to skip the word verification when you comment.
ReplyDeleteEllen, yes, I told you on facebook.
Deb, I forgot to take pics of my asparagus sprouts. I'll do that later. You should live in Oregon.
Thanks. I thought I saw it on FB, but then couldn't find it so I figured I'd ask again just to be safe. :)
ReplyDeleteThose look delish! Thanks for sharing. Maybe someday when I am feeling bakery, I will try to make them.
ReplyDeleteNicole, maybe that's my problem, I feel "bakery" all the time!
ReplyDelete