Mother's Day

Sunday, May 8, 2011

My father, Gwen, me and my mom.

This year, my mother’s birthday fell on Mother’s Day, and we were delighted to have her come and spend a few days with us. 

So what’s my mom like?  Let me tell you some things we share and one thing we don’t:

  1. She loves to travel.  I guess you know that I do, too.  My mom’s favourite trip was the one she took to Greece with her sister, my Aunt Barbara.  But she also loved our family trip (in the tent trailer) to the Canadian Maritime provinces when I was about eleven.
  2. My mom loves to read.  She recently told me that she bought my first books before I was born.  (I know that’s common now, but much less usual in the 1960s.)  With her help, I learned to read before I started school.
  3. She loves to bake.  When she came to visit us this weekend, she brought some of her own baking to share.  I definitely inherited her sweet tooth.
  4. We both grew up on farms.  I think that's helped both of us recognize the importance of hard work, especially in pursuit of a goal.   
  5. My mom loves jigsaw puzzles, and we usually pull out at least one when she’s here.  This time she brought a 500-piece puzzle, which is currently spread out on our dining room table.  I’m not particularly good at jigsaws – I lack both the patience and the good eyesight they require –  but I gamely helped solve the edge pieces before giving way to my mother and youngest daughter, the true puzzle champions.

Something else my mom loves is nuts in baking.  Anything with pecans, macadamia nuts or walnuts are her biggest temptations. I loved baking these for Mother’s Day for my mom, Joyce Baker.

And this morning I received the most amazing gift – the girls wrote a song for me!  They both sang it while my oldest daughter played the guitar.  Beautiful!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Walrus Bars

Shortbread base:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup corn starch
½ cup icing sugar
½ cup cocoa
½ tsp salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened

Filling:
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup honey
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla or rum extract
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8” x 8” pan with parchment paper.
Shortbread: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, corn starch, icing sugar, cocoa and salt. Add softened butter and mix, using hands, until mixture is moist and crumbly. Press firmly over prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
Filling: Combine butter, brown sugar, honey and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Once bubbling stops, stir in heavy cream and vanilla or rum extract. Stir in walnuts. Pour over shortbread base, spreading walnuts evenly. Pack firmly. Turn down oven temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional 20 minutes. 
Remove carefully from oven (filling will be very loose, but will set as it cools). Let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Once completely cooled, lift out of pan, cut into squares or triangles and serve. Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to one week.

49 comments:

Julie said...

Lovely Mother's Day tribute to your Mom! Hope you've had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Valerie Gamine said...

What a lovely gift from your daughters. :)
Happy Mother's Day, Beth!

chow and chatter said...

wow thats so so sweet of your daughters and happy mothers day enjoy your mums visit

Belinda said...

Your mom has some great interests - and obviously, a SWEET woman. How cool that your girls wrote a song. So special!

Jamie said...

What a beautiful post about your mother and these Walrus Bars sound delicious!

Jess said...

I loved hearing about your mother~ what a sweet post! Thanks for another mouthwatering recipe as well :)

Angela said...

Sounds like you have a fantastic mother. I love the name of this recipe. It is whimsical.

Anonymous said...

How nice that you were able to spend time with your mother for Mother's Day. What a wonderful gift from your daughters!!

Happy Mother's Day, Beth!

Carol said...

You have a wonderful mom and it sounds like you had an amazing Mother's Day! And I'm with your mom, love the nuts!

Jeanne said...

Happy Mother's Day, Beth! You got a lovely gift from your daughters. Thanks for sharing the details about your mother, she sounds like a remarkable woman! My birthday falls near mother's day as well, sometimes it's on mother's day but not this year. Happy birthday to your mother!

Justine L said...

Your mom sounds like an amazing woman! Feel celebrated today, as much as you celebrate the woman who gave you life! :)

Lydia Kang said...

She sounds wonderful. What a great tribute to her!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely tribute to your mom! I had a feeling she would like traveling ... like mother like daughter ;)

Anonymous said...

A terrific tribute to your mom, and those bars sound scrumptious.

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

Happy Mother's Day!

So that means your mom and my Anna share a birthday. That's fun! :) Anna struggled a bit with having her birthday on Mother's Day this year. She didn't like other people getting presents besides herself ... but I guess that's normal for a five year old! I hope so anyway.

What a wonderful present from your daughters. So special.

Amy

Angie's Recipes said...

A wonderful tribute to your Mom!
A song from your daughters..that's just lovely!

Tasha said...

Happy Belated Mother's Day. I love that your daughters wrote you a song- how sweet. My mom and I have so much in common too. It's such a blessing to have a mother you can consider a best friend.

Faith said...

You're so sweet to share with us about your mom! What a great daughter you are. Happy mother's day. The walrus bars look really good Beth.

Have a great week ahead.

Sweet And Crumby said...

What a lovely post. It's so nice you share so many interests with your mom. Glad she could spend Mother's Day at your house. The brownies look amazing!

Kristen said...

What a sweet post about your mom. Thank you for sharing her with us. And for sharing those great bars, too!

Claudia said...

A song, a sweet and sharing with your Mom. The perfect day.

Anonymous said...

I just love that these are called Walrus Bars!

Anonymous said...

That is absolutely one of my favorite Mother's Day tributes this year! I'm continually astonished by those who can do and make sense of puzzles.

I hope you had an absolutely glorious Mother's Day, lady! Between your mother, the song and the bars it sounds like you were well on your way :)

Annie Oakley's Kitchen said...

Happy Birthday to your Mom! Thanks for sharing a bit about her with us. Those walrus bars look delish and what a funny name!

Joanne said...

What a sweet post! it sounds like it was a great mother's day all around! These walrus bars look delicious...the perfect way to celebrate!

Meagan Spooner said...

You mom sounds like a great lady! How wonderful to be able to to spend Mother's Day with three generations. :) And how cool that your daughters wrote you a song! Seriously... talk about thinking outside the box! :P

Augh... those bars look AMAZING. Want!

Christina Kim said...

We all have great mothers, and it's just lovely to be able to celebrate Mother's Day with the most important woman in our lives:)
To your mother and all the mothers in the world, Happy Mother's Day ;)

art is in the kitchen said...

Happy Mother's Day to you Beth and mom. God bless you all!

Angela said...

As usual, a wonderful recipe. How sweet that your girls wrote a song for you. Happy Mother's Day.

Angela Ackerman said...

Aw, your mom sounds awesome. Thanks so much for sharing a bit about her (and the NOM recipe!)

Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

Rita said...

What a lovely post Beth; full of love. I used to make those squares many years ago; you are giving me the urge to try them again; thank you.
Rita

Anonymous said...

Happy belated Mother's Day!

Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman, and those walrus bars look inviting.

Reeni said...

It sounds like you had a perfect Mother's Day with your Mom, daughters, a song and a delectable treat!

Anonymous said...

I love that your daughters made and sang you a song, how sweet! It sounds like you had a great Mother's Day, and both you and your mother sound like truly amazing mothers :)

Emma said...

Sounds like a lovely day!

Your mum sounds like a lady after my own heart in her interests and likes :)

Sue said...

What a nice post about your mom:) Sounds like you have a lot in common! What a wonderful gift from your daughters~the best kind.

Barbara said...

Except for #4, your mother and I are on the same page!
How adorable your kids made AND sang AND played a song to you on Mother's Day! So sweet. I'm certain that made your day.

Janet Johnson said...

How sweet is that about the song! And I really like your mom already. What a good person . . . but I could have told you that without hearing any of this. Because you are such a sweet and nice person, your mother would have to be. :)

Happy belated Mother's Day!

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on this one... not a huge fan of nuts in baking. Such a good daughter for making them anyway!! Happy Mother's Day to you!

Manzanita said...

WOW The apple didn't fall far from that tree, did it"
Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

Lorraine said...

Your mom sounds like a wonderful lady. Sounds like you had a perfect Mother's Day too:)

Your walrus bars sound perfect; I am also a nut lover.

Saji said...

Such a sweet post...First tym here...Happy following u

thesaji.blogspot.com

Catalina said...

Oh my gosh! I love the recipe! It has all the stuff I love eating - nuts, shortbread, cocoa...I want a huge piece right now!

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

A song written just for you! Now that is special! :)

I join your mom in liking jigsaw puzzles. And nuts in baking. She is a lovely lady!

Anonymous said...

It's so interesting to get daughters perspectives on their mothers. I like the old saying "An apple doesn't fall far from the tree." That's definitely the truth in my case. And, ooohhh those bars sound scrumptious! Thanks for sharing Beth.

shaz said...

What a lovely Mother's Day celebration. And your own song? That is truly special. Lucky you. Actually, I was pretty lucky too, I got a poem :) (but it was part of a school project).

I love nutty baking too, the bars sound delicious.

Xiaolu said...

How adorable of your kids to write a song for you =D. And these bars you made for your mom look fantastic.

Mary said...

What a sweet tribute to your mom. I too, lack that puzzle gene. While my own mother would happily work a puzzle every day of her life; it's all I can stand to work a small bit of the edges. I love that your kids wrote you a song too! Sounds like it was a lovely weekend for all of you.

Sashquatch said...

I made these and LOVED them :) thank you so much for the recipe! I had it bookmarked for a fair while and am just so glad i got round to making them. Disappeared worryingly fast from our house of only 2, must make another batch soon! :) heres the post about them if you fancy having a look!

http://theprocrastobaker.blogspot.com/2011/08/walrus-bars.html

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