The Leaf in a Page

  I love dates squares. They've always been my go-to-date recipe. In fact I've used the same oat base recipe for other delicious creations like my strawberry/rhubarb cheesecake squares,  a perfect summer treat that everyone enjoys. But classic date squares?  These timeless delights are loved no matter the season.  This recipe comes straight from The Great Bake Take and Go Baking Book   and is a combination of four different recipes. The goal? Keep the flavor rich and use the best bits from them all while keeping the calories under control. Date Square Recipe Oat Base & Topping Ingredients All-purpose flour – 245 g (1¾ cups) Cinnamon – 3 g (½ tsp) Rolled oats – 180 g (2 cups) Brown sugar – 200 g (1 cup) Butter (cold, cubed) – 170 g (¾ cup) Baking soda – 2 g (½ tsp) Salt – 3 g (½ tsp) Date Filling Ingredients Pitted dates – 600 g (4 cups) Water – 375 g (1½ cups) (may nee...

  Winston Knot Challah baking in the oven.   Challah is a Jewish Celebration Bread and has much significance to the culture. It is often braided with three strands standing for truth peace and justice. Twelve humps on a braid stand for the miracle of 12 loaves for the 12 tribes of Israel. If you shape your braid into a circle it means no beginning and no end. Each style are used in different celebrrations. The cultural meaning of so many breads gives us much to learn. Wait until I do the white bread post! For a spiritual meaning of the ingredients I found one from a web site: https://www.ohelsara.com/women-and-the-home/hafrashat-challah/the-symbolism-of-challah/ which reviews the ingredient and the significance of each. It is interesting, but the main point of bread for most is that we share it, it tastes great and it fills us. Challah has loads of protein because of the milk and eggs, which makes it especially perfect for sharing and filling you up. It makes a beautiful f...

We had a little get together 2nd of July, 2018 to celebrate my retirement from nursing. My daughter Julia, dropped in with salads and treats. Hubby, David, barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs. My youngest son Aaron and his girlfriend Rae-Ann brought several boxes of strawberries from The Valley. In Nova Scotia the Annapolis Valley Region includes Annapolis County, Hants County and Kings County. Rae-Ann has family in Kentville which is included in the region where the strawberries are from. Strawberries are big business in The Valley. Another time we could review wineries in The Valley, but will stick to the strawberries for now. We ended up making strawberry shortcake with store bought biscuits and whipping cream but there were plenty of berries left over. The next day my grand daughter, Taylor and I made strawberry freezer jam with a package of Club House Freezer Jam gelling powder which was suggested by Rae-Ann. I had never used this before. It was always another common gelling bran...