mango tango

As I've mentioned, I try not to keep the sweets that I make in the house so we don't eat all of them. So when things turn out relatively edible or above, my co-workers benefit. And I think people are starting to realize it because I got my first request... mango bars! To be honest, I didn't even know if mango bars were a real thing because I don't eat mangoes much and have certainly never cooked with them. After a quick search, it turns out that they are real and I gave it a shot. I pretty much followed this recipe, but made a couple of modifications. What I ended up doing is below.

Mango Bars

Crust
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. butter

Sift the flour and sugar together. Cut in butter and mix well - I kneaded it a bit at the end to make sure. Pat into a 9x13 pan evenly, covering the bottom. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.

Filling
4 mangoes, cut into small pieces
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. water
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
bit of lemon zest (optional)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. water

Put mangoes, sugar, 1/3 c. water, lemon juice, and zest into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until mangoes are tender - I mashed them with a masher, as well. In a small dish, mix the cornstarch and 3 Tbsp. water well; add to the tender mango mixture and cook until thick. Pour the completed mixture on top of the baked crust.

Topping
2 c. quick oats
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. butter

Mix oats, flour, and sugar together. Cut in butter with a fork and mix well. Sprinkle over mango mixture in the 9x13 pan (and snitch a couple of pinches while you're doing it - the topping is tasty on it's own).

Bake the whole thing at 350 degrees for 50 minutes; cool and enjoy.

This was yesterday. Today, I brought them to work and pawned off most of the pan (minus the couple we ate last night). Co-worker was excited that I actually made mango bars and people really liked them! I did get some funny looks and some "What are mango bars?" 's -- but I had the same reaction initially, so cannot complain about that. You should try these!

win some, lose some

Not everything turns out perfect, no matter how high your intentions. This is the case in pretty much all that we do. To add a cliche to this post: one person's trash is another's treasure. Again, true in day-to-day life... and in my dinner. We made beets tonight, which were actually very good. And in an effort to use what we have, we tried using the greens (tops), too with something like this. Instead of roasting the beets, I boiled them with the skin on. Once they were tender (when stuck with a fork), I took them out, put them in cold water and the peels came off really easy. While I left the beets kind of plain, we put them over the greens with good intentions for great flavor. The beets were good... the greens, not so much. I'm told that trying different things may be the key, so I won't give up yet. And I'm sure the greens are super healthy for you. Just didn't work out this time. But at least it was pretty!



When at first you don't succeed... :)

happy happy, joy joy

It's been a few weeks since I've been able to post, or do much of anything for that matter... and it feels good to be back. A while ago, Keith had said I should try making almond joys sometime, so I looked around and found a few recipes and went with this one. The only changes I made to this were:

- used half milk chocolate chips and half bittersweet chocolate chips instead of all bittersweet (did you know that mounds are milk chocolate and almond joys are dark?)

- rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate rather than cutting and dipping

They actually taste a lot like the candy and were very good. They are dangerous to keep in the house, because you'll just want to eat them. I recommend them for bringing to a party or family gathering. We try not to keep this kind of stuff in the house, so typically I'll make it, we'll eat one or two, and the rest go to my office for co-workers. I was told that a colleague said 'those were disgusting... in a really good way!' So, take that how you will. ha ha!

After I got done, Keith said he probably would have just made bars out of them - which would have been useful information before I spent the time dipping them, but such is life! I'm interested in your thoughts on what could go on the bottom of bars for these. Graham cracker crust? chocolate cookie crust? not sure... I'll have to try that next time. :)

Almond Joys
5 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. powdered sugar
14 oz. bag of shredded coconut
12 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips
12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Whole almonds

Mix the vanilla and sweetened condensed milk together. Sift in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, into the milk mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in the coconut - a firm mixture will form.

Pat the mixture firmly into a greased 9x13 pan. Chill in the refrigerator until firm. Remove and roll into small balls and place on parchment paper. Put an almond on top of each.

In a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt the chocolate, stirring often. Place the chips in a bowl and heat for 1 minute on high: stir, then heat for 1 minute more.

Set each coconut ball onto a fork and dip into the chocolate. Tap the fork against the side of the pan or bowl to remove any excess chocolate.

Air-dry at room temperature on parchment paper or, if too warm in the house, place in the refrigerator to cool and store.

Yum!