Food Friday: Chocolate Cream Squares

I can't remember what my grandmother used to call these but I've just been calling them chocolate cream squares for years now especially since I took over making them. With Christmas in a few days, I thought I would share this recipe since the holidays are when we eat them. When my mother's mother was alive she would play this trick on me during my late teenage/early adult years, where I would ask if she made them and she would tell me no but after our Christmas Eve dinner she would pull them out and say gotcha. 

Chocolate Cream Squares

Preheat: 350 F     Serves: 9-16     Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 2/3 c graham wafer crumbs

1/2 c melted butter

4 tbsp brown sugar

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 c room temp butter

500g icing sugar

4 eggs

vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mix graham wafers, melted butter, brown sugar and a splash of vanilla. Pat in 8" x 8" pan with hands, reserve some of mixture for later
3. Cook for approximately 5 minutes 
4. In a large bowl, cream room temp butter. Mix in icing sugar (cup by cup) and eggs (one by one) then add vanilla
5. Add melted chocolate, mix thoroughly
6. Pour mixture over cooled graham crust
7. Sprinkle remaining graham wafer mixture on top
8. Put in fridge overnight before serving

If you decide to makes these, I hope you enjoy them. 

Potatoes, Bottles and Coastal Views

One thing I didn't get to complete during the summer was visiting the Canadian potato museum but I did head to Prince Edward Island for the weekend in early September to check it off for my fall fun list. 

I didn't want to drive three and a half hours for just the museum so I decided to see what else was in the region and was able to make a little trip out of it. The first stop I made in the North Cape Coastal region was at the Bottle Houses. It is three different structures made out of old, mainly green, beer bottles along with other bottles. One of them was a church and I couldn't really tell what the other two were. The original builder was also a lighthouse keeper so there is a lighthouse on the property along with gardens, a pond with fish and some picnic tables. I then continued on to O'Leary to visit the potato museum which was interesting. Just like most museums, there was a lot of old equipment that was used for farming potatoes. They also had history on the industry and some other displays including a line of potatoes infected by different diseases. In a second building they had a bunch of other old stuff like a couple of carriages, blacksmith tools and an old tractor. 

Originally, I was going to drive up to the Stompin' Tom Centre then go down to the West Point Lighthouse but because of the time, I decided to go straight to the lighthouse. The lighthouse was $10 to go through the museum so I didn't look around but I did go for a short walk on the nearby beach. I talked with a lady who was sketching the lighthouse for about twenty minutes so that was nice. Then I made my way to the Cavendish Campground to spend the night. The boardwalk was closed which was unfortunate because I was planning on having dinner at the Pizza Delight but luckily there was a Chinese Canadian restaurant across the street that was open. I got a cheeseburger and an egg roll for supper and ended up sleeping in my car because the tent was uncomfortable. 

On Sunday morning I drove through the national park and went for a walk on the Dunelands trail. I saw a number of pedal bikers riding the park as well. I stopped at a bakery called the Olde Village Bakery for something to eat and got some really good molasses cookies with a pop and read my book for a little bit. Then I continued on to Summerside to explore the town before heading home. 

Fall fun list

- Try a new restaurant ✓

- Check out the potato museum ✓

Fall 2023 list

Happy first day of fall Adventurers. This is always my favourite season and the time of the year that I tend to do the most seasonal activities. A few of these things are more personal being chores that I would like to complete over the next couple of months. Anyway, you can find my fall adventures list below. 

Fall colours Shubie Park - Nov 2021

Fall 2023 (Sep 5-Nov 30)

-Attend a local football game

-See a broadway show

-Hang memorabilia/pictures in apartment

-Look out at the Gypsum Mines

-Pick apples in an orchard

-Go for a hike on three new trails

-Try a new restaurant

-Cheer on Sidney Crosby & the Penguins

-Drive the full Cabot Trail route

-Navigate a corn maze

-Burn a fall scented candle

-Spend Thanksgiving with family

-Explore a fall festival 

-Visit a new waterfall

-Go on a ghost tour

-Take the kids to the zoo

-Check out the potato museum

-Have a Hallowe'en movie night

-See a bear or moose

-Buy some new fall clothes

Fun Summer Despite the Weather

Graffiti on a container at Area 506

After a dry spring that caused a few forest fires in the province, we had a very wet summer and when it wasn't raining, the weather was sunny, hot and humid. Despite this, I was still able to have a busy summer with lots of adventures including three trips to New Brunswick. I ended up getting sick in the middle of August so I couldn't do the third 5km race I had registered for. Below you will find my summer fun list and what I was able to check off. 

Summer 2023 (Jun 1-Sep 4)
✔ Take a photography class - spent a couple of hours walking along the waterfront taking pictures with an instructor who gave us some pointers
✔ See the noon cannon go off
✔ Have a yard sale 
-Visit Kejimkujik National Park
✔ Girls night with my bestie - traveled to Saint John for the weekend and visited with my best friend, we watched Mean Girls and White Chicks while drinking and having some snacks in our Air B&B
✔ Boat to George's Island
-Touch a waterfall
✔ Celebrate my 30th birthday
-Walk in 3 5k's
✔ Explore a new town in Nova Scotia - drove to Antigonish for the afternoon; walked the Main Street, checked out Peace by Chocolate, than visited the Arisaig lighthouse

Huskies Stadium during Touchdown Atlantic

-Hike five new trails
-Sleep under the stars
✔ Ice cream with cousins - I had ice cream while my cousins ate Beavertails after we spent a few hours at Citadel Hill watching the noon cannon go off and exploring the waterfront
-Ride in a limousine
-Meet Marc & Trish from Keep Your Daydream
✔ Attend Touchdown Atlantic - regular season Canadian Football League game between the Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders
-Go on four camping trips
-Check out the potato museum
✔ Walk on the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks
-See a bear or moose

Like I said, I had a bunch of adventures this summer. I've already explained two of the trips to NB while the third one was a 4 day trip I took with my grandmother and we went over via the Digby ferry than drove back around. I was finally able to drive the Fundy Trail Parkway and we did a bit more exploring in the Annapolis Valley. My mom and I also got to the Greek Festival this year and we ate more food at the Ribfest. We also saw a broadway play here in Halifax (The Book of Mormon) while I went golfing a couple of times with my grandfather and cousin Julianne. 

Some pictures are below but you can see more on my Adventures blog Facebook page in the album titled 'Summer Fun'. 

One of the cannons at Citadel Hill

Inside a tunnel on George's Island

The ferry docked in Digby

Cape George lighthouse in Antigonish County

Celebrate my 30th birthday

Cookies & cream from Halo Donuts

Well I didn't end up doing anything on my actual birthday which I'll get to below but for the third year in a row my cousin Julianne and I went on a road trip for the weekend to 'celebrate'. This year we went to New Brunswick to do a few things in the province I haven't done before. 

We left from Truro on July 15 to cross the border. This day was our busiest as we made our way to the Hopewell region. Our first stop was in Moncton at the Bass Pro Shops store which was huge. For lunch we had a donut from Halo Donuts and we sat in the park across the street as it had some shade from the very warm sunny day. Then we made our way to the New Brunswick Railway Museum which is in the small town of Hillsborough. Every time I visit these kinds of museums, I always appreciate that I am living now as it amazes me how people lived over a hundred years ago. This museum was housed in multiple buildings while they also had some trains and an airplane out on the grounds. In the big barn visitors are able to go inside a few of the train cars to see what old ones looked like. 

Overview of Hopewell Rocks

Afterwards, we drove to the Ponderosa Pines campground where we were staying and set up the site before heading to Hopewell Rocks. Just like Nova Scotia has Burntcoat Head, NB has Hopewell Rocks where you can walk on the ocean floor at low tide. Hopewell is a bigger property than Burntcoat but the tide doesn't seem to go out as far from the cliff so that was a bit disappointing. We would've probably only stayed for half an hour but I got a nosebleed while we were walking around. It was cool to see the arch. My cousin is able to make a fire so we had hot dogs and s'mores for supper which was nice. 

Lighthouse at Cape Enrage

The next day we drove to Fundy National Park but slowly as check in wasn't until 3pm (though I thought it was at 2 o'clock). We made a couple of stops along the way including the Sawmill Creek Bridge and Cape Enrage lighthouse. That evening we were going to hike one of the trails in the park after we checked in but my legs were too sore from bug bites. I had received like 35 bites on both my knees and both ankles and for some reason they swelled up so it was painful to walk. Even though we had booked for two nights at the park, we checked out after just one because my plan was to do walking so we just cut our losses. If you don't like using tents or know how but don't want to spend the money for a hotel, I recommend going to a national park that has an oTENTik. They are wood a-framed structures that have beds and can sleep up to six people with a table inside. 

Me in a train car 

Looking out at the Bay from Funday National Park

On the Monday, we decided to drive the Fundy Trail Parkway however it was raining and foggy still by the time we arrived at the entrance. You have to pay to drive the parkway so we decided not to go through and turn around to drive home a day early. 

Summer to remember list

- Celebrate my 30th birthday ✓

- Walk on the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks ✓

Solo Camping Trip

Lunch at Spitfire Pub

For this summer, I decided that I wanted to go on some camping trips and the first one was last month. The only times I have been camping before was in junior high during a school trip and 2018 when my mom and I went to Cape Breton. People say that when you get a new RV or want to go camping, you should do at least one trip that is close to your home to familiarize yourself with your setup, etc and that is what I did. 

I live in Dartmouth but had no idea we had a KOA in Nova Scotia which is in Lower Sackville so this is where I decided to make my first solo camping trip be. There really isn't much to do as a tourist in Sackville so I did a few things in Windsor but the whole weekend did not go as planned. Windsor claims to be the birthplace of hockey and it is also host to one of three ski hills in the province. Across from Martock ski hill is a business called OnTree Adventure Park where you can do rope courses and zip-lines. So my first stop was here where it was quite hot actually around noon, it was really only about 25 celsius but very sunny. It was a bit expensive; adult fee and price of gloves came out to be about $61. I went through the training course and was fine, then moved to one of the actual courses with an easy rating and this is where I ran into problems. I am scared of heights but wanted to try to get over my fear, however that didn't happen as I got up the ladder, did three planks then had to turn around because my legs were shaking so much. 

Fort Edward Historic Site

So I decided to leave and go out for lunch at the Spitfire Pub in town. After I finished eating, I walked around then visited Fort Edward historic site which was unfortunately not open officially so there were no information plaques out yet. One thing that was suggested to me to do was go see Ettinger Falls. I got to what I think was the correct entrance but it was a dirt road with lots of rocks so I did not feel comfortable driving my car further then I got out to walk but hit a wide river which I could not walk across. By this time, it was about 4:30pm and I didn't want to check in yet so I hung out at the park near Mount Uniacke Estate Park and read my book. 

I checked in to the KOA, got set up and had my supper while watching the sun go down. I decided to sleep in the back of my car which this time was a bad idea, I only slept about two hours the whole night because I was uncomfortable. I'm going to try a few other things the next time I go out. Because I was up early, I checked out of the campground around 8am. 

Sunset from my campsite

I got home and had a nap then my mom and I went to the waterfront for the Taste Asia Food Festival for the afternoon. I was thinking we would go down for supper but I am glad we decided to do lunch as we had a lot of food we ended up wanting to try. We weren't sure if we were going to go but I after my nap, I felt good enough to go. My mom got some tofu kebab that came with bbq corn on the cob and I got a pasta dish which I could not eat because it was too spicy but I did enjoy the corn. Then we got lamb kebabs and dumplings which were delicious. After we ate we walked along the waterfront and saw some of the new restaurants and shops on the boardwalk. Then we went back for more Asian food; she got a Chinese burger (again to spicy for me) and I got another order of lamb kebabs and dumplings - both from Mr. Yan's Chinese BBQ. 

Lamb kebabs and dumplings

This was a bit of a negative post but I wanted to share my experience anyways and let you know what you can do in Windsor if you go at the right time. My suggestions for the area are OnTree (if you are not afraid of heights), the Birthplace of Hockey Museum, Fort Edward, Ettinger Falls, the previously mentioned Mount Uniacke Estate Park where you can go learn history and walk on a trail and see the tide change on the dykes. Of course if you are coming from away, the Halifax West KOA is a great place to park with a rig then take your vehicle to downtown Halifax, Dartmouth and Peggy's Cove. 

Make it a Summer to Remember

I say this all the time but boy, I cannot believe how fast time is going. It always seems slow at the time, especially when you are excited for something that is months away, but then five months of a new year have gone by. Anyways, since it is now June I thought I would share my summer fun list with you all, along with some ideas that are more general for family activities. I'll also share how I did on completing the activities on my spring list. 

Little Meander Falls from 2020

Summer 2023 (Jun 1-Aug 31)
-Improve my photography skills
-See the noon cannon go off
-Have a yard sale
-Visit Kejimkujik National Park
-Girls night with my bestie
-Boat to George's Island
-Touch a waterfall
-Celebrate my 30th birthday
-Walk in 3 5k's
-Explore a new town in Nova Scotia
-Hike five new trails
-Sleep under the stars
-Ice cream with cousins
-Ride in a limousine
-Meet Marc & Trish from Keep Your Daydream
-Attend Touchdown Atlantic
-Go on four camping trips
-Check out the potato museum
-Walk on the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks
-See a bear or moose

Here are some general ideas for you to add to your list. Summer is a great time to get outside and be a tourist in your own town or province/state. I am a big advocate of exploring your own back yard especially with all the craziness happening the last few years. 

Go stargazing, have a picnic, make homemade popsicles, visit a national park, read a book, bonfire and s'mores, go to a baseball game, have a beach day, watch fireworks, eat ice cream, go swimming, do a lemonade stand, volunteer somewhere for the day, visit a fair/carnival or waterpark, build a sand castle, outdoor movie night and go on a vacation to another state/province/country 

Maud Lewis house at AGNS

Below is my updated spring fun list. I only did one blog about my explorations but I plan on doing another one soon. 

Spring 2023 (Mar 1-May 31)
✔ Check out the Maud Lewis exhibit at AGNS - this is a permanent exhibit at the art gallery but there was also a travelling one that showed more of her paintings visiting back in April so my mom and I went
Go bird watching
Watch the sun rise and set in the same day
✔ Participate in the Bluenose Marathon 5km
Read a new book
Spring clean my apartment
✔ Visit OnTree Adventure Park
Eat at 3 restaurants you never have before
Learn a new recipe
✔ Cheer on the Mooseheads in the playoffs - we got to cheer the team on all the way to the league finals where unfortunately they lost to Quebec 4 games to 2 in the championship series. it was an exciting post-season 

Playoff victory

Update my wardrobe
✔ Go on a solo camping trip
Walk under the cheery blossoms
✔ Partake in burger bash 2023 - I was really trying to make it to more restaurants this year but things didn't work out so I only ate two speciality burgers but they were both delicious. check out my instagram to see which ones I had 
Self-guided art tour
Figure out hockey memorabilia display
✔ Take/share more outdoor photos
Complete two Conqueror challenges
Visit a new waterfall in the province