Nanaimo Bars

I got this recipe from my roommate from Victoria, BC my freshman year of college!

Crust Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup butter .......Melt complete in a medium saucepan
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup sugar ........add to melted butter and stir til smooth
1 large egg ................{whisk at room temp. by itself first} add slowly to saucepan over
. ................................................low heat while whisking constantly until smooth/thick consistency
1 tsp. vanilla ............add to chocolate sauce
2 c. crushed graham crackers
1 c. coconut.................add chocolate to these last ingredients and mix
**Put in 9 inch square pan and chill for 1 hour!!


Butter Cream Center Layer:
4 TBSP butter ...............................................beat (kitchenaid, hand mixer, etc) at room temp til creamy
2 TBSP vanilla pudding powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. powdered sugar.................................add to butter and mix until consistent
2-4 TBSP Milk .................................................start with 2, add more if needed and mix until thick
............................................................................................but creamy {needs to be spreadable}
**Spread over refrigerated crust and refrigerate for 1 hour


Chocolate Top Layer:
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips .......NOT milk chocolate
1 TBSP butter.......................................................... melt chips and butter in double boiler and spread
................................................................................................... over refrigerated butter cream
**Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes (if it's too long, when you slice them the chocolate will crack/break, if that's the case, let it sit out for 5 minutes until they can be sliced easily. Put on plate and refrigerate until you need to serve them. ***They're quite rich so slices should be small!! Here's a video if you want to see the steps.

Dragonfire Chicken

Don't let the name of this recipe fool you--I am a total wuss about spicy food and I really love this recipe. If you wanted to make it hotter, you could leave the seeds in the jalapenos; however, I don't want hot, so I remove every little bitty seed. It's delicious and a great way to use some of those wonderful summer fruits!

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 Tablespoon diced onion

3/4 teaspoon salt

Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a blender on high speed for 1 minute.

Then, grab a gallon Ziploc bag or you could use a Tupperware or some such container. Place the marinade in your chosen bag/container and add three large chicken breasts which you have pounded flat with a mallet. Allow these to marinate for at least 2-3 hours (I always do more because I do the marinade in the morning and the rest later.)

Pineapple Pico de Gallo:

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup canned sliced pineapple--I prefer the flavor of fresh

1/2 cup diced red onion

2 Tablespoons minced cilantro

4 teaspoons minced jalapeno

2 Tablespoons lime juice (or a little more)

1/8 teaspoon salt (I eyeball it)

Make the pineapple pico de gallo by combining all ingredients. Remember, this is a pico and you want to try and get a little bit of every flavor in each bite, so you will be chopping/dicing tiny, tiny, tiny! Store the pico in your fridge till you're ready to use it. As a side note--if you double the recipe, you could serve it with chips too. I like to chop up the rest of the pineapple and use it as a side dish with the chicken.

Kung Pow Sauce:

1/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon chili sauce

1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

Make the Kung Pow sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium to medium high heat. When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or however long it takes to thicken it a bit. Remember, it will thicken a bit on its own after you turn off the heat.

When the chicken is done marinating, preheat BBQ grill to medium heat (I used my George Foreman type grill to keep it all inside and easy). Slice your chicken breasts if you prefer--I do. Place the chicken on the grill for 5-6 minutes per side or about 6-7 minutes total on an indoor grill. Serve chicken drizzled with Kung Pow sauce and Pico de Gallo topping. Delicious!!!

Cooking bacon in the oven

Time Required: 20 minutes

1. Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.
2. Arrange bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door. Turn oven on to 400°F.
3. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done.
4. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the fat.

TIPS:

1. Don't pre-heat the oven! Make sure the oven is cold when you put the bacon in.
2. Keep your eye on the bacon during the final few minutes of cooking to make sure that it doesn't burn. Also, remove the cooked bacon from the hot pan right away. The heat from the pan and the hot bacon fat will continue cooking the bacon.

Kimberly's Fruit Dip

1whole Cream Cheese {thawed}
1 large bottle of Marshmallow Cream

Stir together and serve, Voila!
This is so easy and so yummy!