Monday, December 09, 2013

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.

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 
or follow along on FacebookPinterestInstagram, or Twitter
And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)


Enjoy the Christmas Season!




Wednesday, December 04, 2013

A Christmas Giveaway


Last week, you, my dear readers, helped me reach 500 fans on Facebook
Thank you so much!

In return, I wanted to say thanks by offering you a chance to win some of my handmade Christmas crafts.




This prize includes:

10 gift tags
2 gift card holders - great for giving cash, gift cards, or small gifts
pinwheel hoop art
1 polka dot garland - wrap a gift, hang in a doorway, or on your Christmas mantel









I hope you'll join in the fun & enter my Christmas giveaway. It will be open until midnight, Monday, December 9th, 2013, central standard time.

**Giveaway open to residents of Canada & the continental U.S.**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be chosen on December 10th & notified by email.

Thanks for celebrating with me & good luck!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Mini Sheet Music Wreath Tree Ornaments


Do you make your own Christmas tree decorations, buy them all, or maybe mix it up between the two?

I like to mix it up. 
This year I'm changing up my colour scheme from silver & blue to silver & turquoise with a shot of red.

These little sheet music wreaths hung on your tree are the perfect way to feel like your craftiness contributed to your Christmas decor.




What you will need:
-sheet music (i like to use vintage because of the "yellowed" look)
-a hot glue gun & hot glue sticks
-cardboard cut into circles
-a printer to print the word "joy" or some letter stickers
-paper
-glitter glue
-ribbon to hang them




Start by cutting the sheet music into rectangles. Roll the rectangles, making one end narrower than the other. Use hot glue to secure the narrow end.

Continue making the rolls until you have enough to form a wreath shape.




Print the word 'Joy' in your favourite font on your printer. You will want two - one for each side of the ornament. Mount onto the cut circles & trim around the circle with scissors.

Working on the back of one of the circles, first glue a loop of ribbon to the centre so you will be able to hang your ornament.

Next, take the rolls that you've made & start gluing them to the back of the circle. I find it the easiest to make a cross with 4 of the rolls - think north, south, east, & west - then fill in the gaps. You may have to squish the ends down as you glue them to cut down on bulk.

After you've glued all of your rolls, glue on the second circle so both sides look the same. It also covers up all that hot glue. :)

Now, use whatever colour glitter glue you like to add glitter to the ends & around the middle circles. I like to use Stickles because the bottle has such a fine tip that makes it easy to apply.

Let dry.




Now you're ready to hang them on your Christmas tree to enjoy all season long!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 
or follow along on FacebookPinterestInstagram, or Twitter
And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)


Enjoy the Christmas Season!




Monday, November 25, 2013

The Story of a Vintage Dresser #DIY #Makeover


Happy Monday, friends!

Today I have a story to share with you. 

I like to call it the Story of a Vintage Dresser...




One summer (this past summer in fact), a young lady (that would be me) was looking for a new dresser for her master bedroom. The thing is, she wanted something original & with a bit of character.
AND she didn't want to spend a load of money.

Not asking much, was she?

Enter the superhero, Kijiji.

While browsing Kijiji's furniture selections one day, she came across this old gem.




The bones were great, but it needed to be brought into this century. 

After purchasing it for $80, now began the work of updating this piece.

Sanding...




Adding legs & a coat of primer...




One coat of grey...




The second coat of grey...




New handles...




And she's done & in her new home!




The End. :)

One last Before & After...



I love the lines of this piece & am super, super pleased with how it turned out! 

One little tidbit that you may or may not have noticed: After putting on the new handles & living with the dresser for a week or so, I noticed that the bottom right handle looked a little different from the rest. After looking a little closer, I saw that sure enough, that handle was the antiqued version of the handle style I had chosen. It must have gotten mixed up in the wrong drawer at Home Depot. I have since replaced it with one that matches the rest.

Just keeping' it real. :)

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 
or follow along on FacebookPinterestInstagram, or Twitter
And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)


Enjoy Your Day!



Friday, November 22, 2013

Five Days of Handmade Christmas Cards - Day Five: Felt!


Thanks for joining me for the fifth day of our series!

Five Days of Handmade Christmas Cards



Here's a super simple way to use felt on your handmade cards.




These felt wreaths from Stampin' Up! make Christmas cards very, very easy!
I simply tied a little bit of baker's twine around it in a bow, then adhered the wreath to the card with glue dots.


Products used:

Cardstock: Stampin' Up!
Felt wreath: Stampin' Up!
Baker's Twine: My Mind's Eye
Sparkly Letters: Making Memories
Red Jewels

Thanks so much for joining me for this series. 
I hope you have a great time in your Christmas preparations!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 
or follow along on FacebookPinterestInstagram, or Twitter
And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)


Enjoy Your Day!




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