Schwarzer Peter - My German Granny's No-Bake Bars

I had such a hard time titling this recipe & this post. 

Why, you ask?

Because the name of this recipe is in German & the translation doesn't make any sense. 

Let me explain...

As a girl, I grew up having these bars at Christmas time. My German Granny made them almost every year & my mom carried on the tradition as well. 

When I got married, this recipe was one that I copied from my mom's handwritten recipe cards. It was obviously one that my Granny had written out for my mom because there were only a list of ingredients & no instructions. I guess Granny expected her girls to remember all the steps or just to figure it out. I don't know why she wrote out recipes that way. I wish I had a chance to ask her while she was still here.

Years passed. My mom hadn't made these bars & neither had I. The tradition had faded.

Then this November, when I was going through my Christmas recipes, I found the long-forgotten Schwarzer Peter recipe! I had a look through the ingredients, deemed them common enough to purchase without too much hassle, & decided to bring the tradition back to life!

Okay, now how to make it. All I had were a list of ingredients & the memory of what it looked like when Granny & Mom used to make it.

Thank goodness for Google.

After a bit of searching (and finding out I had been spelling it wrong), I found something similar, with fantastic instructions. The ingredient list was slightly different though, so all I used was the preparation. You can see that recipe HERE.

So, back to the title...

Schwarzer Peter, translated means Black Peter. No one seems to know where the name came from, but the layers in the bar are very dark brown... and maybe someone named Peter concocted it? Who knows.

It is a very simple bar to prepare & no baking required. Just be prepared for the chilling time. 

They are delicious! Not overly sweet, with the taste of coconut & rum (if you choose to use rum flavouring). :)

Schwarzer Peter (German, no-bake bars)  {Print recipe}

Instructions adapted from German Deli

Yield: approx. 30 bars

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup confectioner's/Icing Sugar

½ tsp. rum or coconut extract

5 Tbsp. cocoa

3 eggs, beaten lightly

2 boxes of social tea cookies

Place coconut oil into a double boiler. On low heat, melt coconut oil. Stir in icing sugar, extract, & cocoa until dissolved. Then slowly incorporate the beaten eggs. Remove from heat. Allow the chocolate mixture to cool until it is no longer liquid but still very soft. Like soft frosting.

In a 13x9 baking dish, line the bottom with one layer of social tea cookies. Spread ⅓ of the chocolate on top of cookies, repeating layers. You will start & finish with the tea cookie layers with chocolate in between each layer. 

Refrigerate over night or for several hours to set. 

Cut into bars. 

Store in the refrigerator or they can be successfully frozen.

I hope you'll give these a try & I also hope that you see why they were a tradition with our family for so many years.

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Enjoy the Christmas Season!

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Bean & Sausage Soup - A fall favourite!

What kinds of things do you up to on these cool fall or cold winter evenings? 

Maybe the kids have been playing football or hockey in the backyard, maybe you just came in from a long day of running errands or Christmas shopping.

When you come inside out of the cold & it's time for supper, there's not much to beat a bowl of hearty soup. 

It's comfort food at it's best.

Bean & Sausage Soup serves 6-8 

1 ring of kolbassa sausage (or whatever kind of sausage you like), sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups chicken stock

1 can mixed beans, drained & rinsed

1 can tomato sauce

1 small can tomato paste

½ tsp. celery seed

¼ tsp. ground pepper

2 bay leaves

salt to taste

Combine sausage & onion in a large soup pot. Fry slowly until onion is clear & soft.

Add all remaining ingredients & stir well. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often. A cup or so of water may be added to thin the soup if desired. Add salt to taste. Remove bay leaves & serve hot.

Print recipe

For more comforting, soup recipes, click on these links:

Beef & Barley Soup

Potato Soup

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Enjoy Your Day!

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Coconut Oatmeal Cookies - A Great Lunchbox Treat!

Do you have kids in school? How's your school year going? 

If you're like me, you're always looking for different things to spice up school lunches.

These chewy cookies are the perfect treat for the kids in your life, whether in a lunchbox or as an after-school snack.

I grew up eating these cookies. They were one of my mom's specialties. 

I can personally vouch for kid enjoyment factor.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies  

makes about 3 doz.

2 cups flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 375º. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, granulated sugar, powder, soda, & salt. Add brown sugar, shortening, eggs, & vanilla; beat well. Stir in oats & coconut.

Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Do not over bake. 

Click here to print recipe

If you like cookies, check out these recipes from my recipe box:

Chocolate Chip Candy Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Chewy Ginger Cookies

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Enjoy Your Day!

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It's Apple Season - Make some Apple Crunch!

It's Apple Season!

Do you love baking with apples as much as I do?

Muffins, Cakes, Pies, Cookies... there are so many great apple recipes to try!

This is one of my family's all time favourite desserts; really, any time of the year, but especially in the fall. 

I started making this when I was a teen learning how to bake in my mom's kitchen. 

This recipe originally came from a little cookbook from the dollar store. I haven't got a clue who published that cheap little book, but it had some gems in it - this being one of them!

Ever since that first time, we've enjoyed this several times a year. 

I hope it becomes a family favourite for you too. :)

Apple Crunch {Print Recipe}

serves 6

3 medium apples, cored & chopped (you can peel them too if you like. I don't.)

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray a 9x9 inch baking dish or small casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Mix apples & brown sugar. Pour into baking dish.

In a separate dish mix flour, granulated sugar, salt, & cinnamon. Add egg & mix again. Mixture will be crumbly & not completely consistent. Spread on top of apples. Pour melted butter over the crumb mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

YUM!

Looking for more fall baking ideas?

Click here for my Apple Streusel Muffin Recipe

Click here for my Chai Loaf Recipe

Click here for my Skinny Pumpkin Spice Muffin Recipe

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Enjoy Your Day!

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Rhubarb Muffins with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Topping

Rhubarb is something that grows strong in the garden all spring & summer long.

In fact, it's the first perennial up in the spring & one of the last things to fade in the fall. 

I get so much from my four plants, I usually use it all to make jam in the fall.

This summer, I wanted to challenge myself to use some of the vast quantities of rhubarb that I get from the garden & make some other recipes with it. 

This is the first one that I made this summer & let me tell you. Go. Make. These. Muffins.

The sweetness of the sugar cinnamon topping paired with the sourness of the rhubarb is such a wonderful combination!

Rhubarb Muffins with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Topping

makes 12 muffins

Muffins:

1/2 cup sour cream (low fat or fat-free works too!)

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 1/3 cup flour

1 cup diced rhubarb

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Topping:

1/4 brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. melted butter

To make the muffins: 

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Blend together sour cream, oil & egg. Set aside. In another bowl, stir remaining ingredients together & combine with sour cream mixture. Mix just until moistened. Fill muffins cups 2/3 full. 

To make topping:

Combine all ingredients & spoon onto each muffin. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

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Enjoy your day!

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Peanut Butter Cup Trifle

I just can't seem to get enough of trifles!

Have you noticed??

They're just such a perfect summer dessert - 

they're so fast & no baking or cooking is required if you buy a pre made cake. 

Or brownies in this case!

I made this trifle in place of a birthday cake for my husband's birthday barbecue a couple weeks ago. 

It was a huge hit!

Layers of chocolate custard, rich fudge brownies, & of course, Reece's peanut butter cups come together to make a sweet success.

Peanut Butter Cup Trifle {Print Recipe}

serves 10-12

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cup cold water

1 package chocolate pudding mix

2 cups whipping cream, whipped, but not sweetened (you could use Cool Whip too)

1 - 8x8" pan of brownies (pre made or try this recipe if you want to make your own), cut into bite sized pieces

36 regular sized Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped **See note below**

Combine sweetened condensed milk & water. Stir in pudding mix. Chill for 20 minutes. Fold in the whipped cream. 

Put about a cup of the pudding mix into the bottom of a trifle bowl. Start layering: Pudding, brownie, peanut butter cups. Repeat. Top it all off with some more peanut butter cups, because that's just awesome.

Refrigerate until you're ready to serve it.

**Instead of buying a bunch of regular candy bar packages of the peanut butter cups, I found little flats of 12 individually packaged "snack packs". Three of those babies ($2 each at Wal-Mart!) & this ingredient is taken care of!

Check out my other trifle creations by clicking on the titles below:

Strawberries & Cream Trifle

Strawberry Covered Chocolate Trifle

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Enjoy your day!

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Skinny Strawberry Cream Fruit Dip

Summer is such a great time to fill your diet with fresh fruit. It's also a great option to have at a party or shower. Here's a great dip to include with your next fruit tray or just to have on hand for you & your family! 

It's low fat too so it's a guilt free treat!

Skinny Strawberry Fruit Dip

makes approx. 6 cups

2 envelopes Dream Whip or 4 cups low fat whipped topping

1 package strawberry jello mix

1 cup low fat strawberry yogurt 

Prepare Dream Whip according to package directions. In a separate bowl, prepare the jello  according to directions, but don't allow it to completely set. Only refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour - until thickened, but still a liquid. Fold jello & strawberry yogurt into the whipped topping. Refrigerate for 2 more hours, until thickened. 

Serve with fruit. 

Note: If it gets runny, you can whip it for 2 minutes on high & it will bring it right back to life!

Enjoy the fruits of summer!

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Enjoy your day!

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Lemon Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Butter Topping

It's berry season - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries - they're all over the grocery stores. I'm looking forward to them being ready for harvest around Saskatchewan!

In the meantime, we buy them at the grocery store & make lots of favourite goodies... like these!

Pink Lemonade Cookies

Ahhh... Summer...

Sunshine.

Swimming in the pool.

Vacations.

Lemonade stands.

Did you ever have a lemonade stand as a kid? 

I did. We weren't very successful as we lived on a q-u-i-e-t street in a small town. Plus, we probably drank all the lemonade. That can't help, right?

Maybe if we had made some of these cookies to sell along with our lemonade, we would have had more success! ☺

Greek Style Grilled Pork Chop Meal

Barbecue season is here! Well, it's been here for awhile, but now that school is almost done, we are planning to have more time outside with friends.

And this is the perfect meal to prepare for nights like that!

Strawberry Covered Chocolate Trifle

Happy Monday, friends! I hope those of you in the U.S. are having a great Memorial weekend.

Last week, we were invited over by some friends for supper - it was a fabulous night with lots of laughs, great conversation, & delicious food. My friend, Sarah, asked me if I would bring a dessert & I was happy to oblige! 

I did a twist on my Strawberries & Cream Trifle. Here's what I came up with...

Asian Mandarin Salad

Eating healthy can be hard for me sometimes. I find that when I have a meal plan, even if it's just in my head, that works the best for me. This is one of my favourite lunches to throw together - easy, healthy, & delicious! It's on my meal plan often! I first got the idea from a salad I had at Appleby's. 

If you want to make this into an entree, add a grilled chicken breast = yummy!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

How was your weekend, friends?

Ours was really good... we were able to get outside & go to a huge community garage sale on Saturday as well as do some yard clean up. On Sunday we spent some time with friends after church. It was a wonderful weekend.

Spring is finally here! We've had two beautiful weekends in a row & it feels like summer outside today!

No-Bake Haystack Cookies {Revisited}

Today, I have for you a recipe that I've posted before. 

Like a few of my other early recipe posts, the photos were less than stellar or even appetizing.

I'm working on re-takes for those recipe items. 

My most recent recipe retake projects were these delicious, unbaked chocolate cookies, called Haystacks.

You can whip them up in a few minutes, chill them to set & have them ready to serve in hardly any time flat!

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Wow, looking through the recipes I've posted here on Silver Boxes, it's been a long while since I've posted anything other than a dessert or some kind of sweet!

We do eat foods other than sweets. I promise. 

Now that the days are longer I'm starting to have better light around supper time to take better photos.

So I've been doing just that - taking photos of our favourite meals. 

Yay for variety!

One of our very, very favourite side dishes are these lemon roasted potatoes.

With garlic & oregano, they're a perfect side dish to souvlaki & Greek salad!

You can even do them on the BBQ if you want! (Just see my notes at the end of the recipe.)

Lemon Roasted Potatoes  Print recipe
serves 6

4 lbs. potatoes (8-10)
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup lemon juice (or 1/3 cup if you don't like a strong lemon flavour)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 325º.

Cut potatoes into wedges. Place in 13x9" baking dish. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 2 hours, basting often, until most of the liquid is evaporated.

**Notes: If you're in more of a hurry, you can still make this. Reduce water to 1/2 cup, heat oven to 350º, & bake for an hour. Still super yummy!

To make on the BBQ: Make sure you use 1 cup water - no less. Use a disposable aluminum baking dish, cover with aluminum foil & BBQ on medium heat for 30 minutes. Baste often.**

Have you been barbecuing already this Spring? We sill have snow on the ground here in Saskatoon, but I have promised myself that I'm barbecuing this week anyway!

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God bless you,

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Plus The Country Cook

Strawberries & Cream Trifle

On Friday evening, I had the pleasure of attending a baby shower for a dear friend of mine. We were celebrating the birth of her precious little boy. 

The night was full of delicious food & desserts, cuddles with the new baby, & laughter with friends. Perfection.

I was asked to bring a dessert of some kind 

so I was thinking through some of my favourite things to bring to a party, 

& this trifle popped into my mind.

It's a wonderful thing for a spring party. After all, strawberries just scream spring, don't you think?

Just look at the yummy layers of angel food cake, strawberries, custard, & jam... **drool**