Another Nanaimo and Stuff (by Kat)

I really can't get over just how dang tasty these Nanaimo bars are. Here's a couple, served up with a raspberry concoction that was the filling for a cake we had earlier this month.

The puff pastry Daring Baker challenge from a few months back was really fun, and I've made puff pastry several times since then. I suppose, then, that the pastry challenge was the most useful challenge to date. The Nanaimo challenge, though, was the most fun. It wasn't as difficult as some challenges (like the cannoli), left a lot of room for experimentation, and is so super-freaking tasty that I can't get over it. I also like the fact that I learned how to make homemade graham crackers. I've been keeping a jar of them on the counter, and they make a perfect little snack.

In other (less fattening) news, I finished one of the library books and it was far better than I had hoped. "Trouble the Water" by Nicole Seitz was just fine. Not great, not original, but a very decent book all the same. Like every other (yes, I'm generalizing) modern fiction book, or at least every other modern fiction book in our library, this is a story of two family members who share a trauma. One gets over it to a greater extent than the other, and in the end they pine for what they've lost. Wash, rinse, repeat. What Seitz did in this book that made the boring story enjoyable to read was develop some totally off-the-wall characters and put them into totally unexpected roles.
I wouldn't buy this book, nor recommend it as a great book to a friend, or to you, gentle reader, but as a pass time it was a passable read.

On the agrarian front, another egg!

On the soap front, my last batch seems to be hardening up nicely.