Blueberry Bonanza Bars

Oh...these could have been sooooo gooood! The blueberry filling was my favorite. First the recipe and then what happened.

Blueberry Bonanza Bars

1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
2 c flour
3/4 powder sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c butter (cold)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c blueberry jam
almond-coconut granola

Line a 9"x13" pan with foil, allowing a 2" overhang. Coat with cooking spray. Set aside.

Process almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, process until mixture resembles course meal.

Lightly beat egg, egg yolk, and vanilla in a small bowl. With processor running, add egg mixture; process just until clumps form. Pat dough into bottom of dish; refrigerate until firm and cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Spread jam over crust; top with granola. Bake until jam is bubbling and granola topping is browned, about 30 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Lift out, and cut into 2" squares. Bars can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 day, or frozen up to 1 week.

Here's the mess I made with this recipe:

I had a recipe for the almond-coconut granola but I couldn't find it, so I bought granola cereal. Really with I made some homemade granola.

I didn't have almonds. I should have at least gotten some almond meal.

I forgot to put the vanilla in. I think I was stressed about the alterations I was making.

My oven bakes really hot and the crust was a little too done. I should have known to turn the oven lower especially if the crust was supposed to bake for 30 min and then go back in for another 25 min.

What went right, then?

Well, I didn't have blueberry jam...couldn't find it. I had some fresh blueberries in the freezer and made some blueberry filling. I pureed the blueberries and boiled them with water, sugar, butter and corn starch. It was amazingly tastey! That was my favorite part. Mmmmmmm

Doppelgänger

I have been entertained lately by the celebrity look-a-likes that friends have been posting as their profile pictures on Facebook. I thought about posting one but this celebrity is not well known in the States and she's the only celebrity that I've ever been told that I look like. Sam can attest to this since he was there with me. Anyhow, I wanted to share the story since it was a sweet experience.

In '97 I went with my dad to pick up my brother, Sam, from his mission in Ecuador. One day in Guayaquil we went to the Mercado Artesenal for some souvenirs. I wasn't dressed up fancy...worn jeans and a white t-shirt. My hair was almost waist long and frizzy with the humidity. While shopping and browsing a few kids started following me around. I think Sam noticed first and figured that it was normal for the kids to follow foreigners. However, the number of kids started to increase. Finally, a young girl approached me while the other kids hid behind a corner and asked if I was Gaviota. I started to notice the stares from the kids with their eyes wide open. I was at a loss and didn't know who they were talking about. Sam and I asked the kids about Gaviota and found out they thought I was the Colombian singer Margarita Rosa de Francisco. Gaviota is the name of one of her more famous songs which you can view here, it means seagull. They were disappointed, I'm sure, but I was flattered.

Psych Party

I have had a pre-Psych party for the past, I think, 4 premieres. It's fun for me to gather my friends together that are just as crazy about Psych as I am. We eat pineapple treats and watch episodes from the previous seasons. This premiere I feel like I went a little overboard with my cookies, but you have to admit they are cute and very clever. Thanks Donna for the idea of the letters! I hand cut and decorated the pineapple cookie myself (something I'm very proud of).

Cranberry Orange Bread

This bread is good, but not my favorite. I couldn't find my other recipe, so I had to scramble to find another one.

Cranberry Orange Bread

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup orange juice
grated peel of 1 orange
2 Tbs melted butter
2 Tbs hot water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup walnuts

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in small bowl. In another bowl beat egg, add orange juice, orange peel, butter and hot water. Stir in dry mixture till moistened. Fold cranberries and nuts. Spoon into 9x5 pan. Bake for 60 minutes. Cool.

I think that I shouldn't have cooked it for the full 60 minutes, maybe 55 and it would have been better. The flavor really is good, though.

Pineapple Bars

I had another Psych party and needed to find a pineapple recipe. This is the one I found. The bars are pretty tasty.

Pineapple Bars

1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs butter
1 cup water
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 2/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups oats

Prepare filling first: mix 1 cup crushed pineapple and juice, sugar, cornstarch butter and water in saucepan. Cook until thickened. Cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in rolled oats. Press and flatten half of mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Spread pineapple filling over bottom layer. Sprinkle remaining mixture over the top and pat down. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. While warm cut into squares and remove from pan.

The only change I made was using butter instead of shortening.