Nanaimo Bars

I have turned to Christmas to lighten my mood these days.  Christmas baking and downloading christmas carols are the focus of my attention.  I even dared to download good ol' kennie G and Aaron Neville Albums reminiscent of my adolscents...the sounds I once loathed have now become comforting in this strange land.   Of course, there is still some reggae, hip hop, pop, and funk being thrown into the mix, after all, it's still me we're talking about ;)

This year, while in Japan, is the first year I have successfully created Nanaimo Bars!  Brad claims it is due to his proffessional help...which I won't deny nor do I care, because it worked!
2 hours in the grocery store searching the shelves, trying to decipher the mixture of Hirigana, katakana and kanji symbols of unfamiliar packages, speaking broken Englishese and the help of the most wonderful and patient Japanese women i have met, we  managed to find all the ingredients and head home.  With no measuring devices (oops), crushing graham crackers in a bowl with the bottom of a ladle and and playing macgyver with dishes to create a housing device of  appropriate dimensions- its done! 
There is still something to be desired about moms perfectly cut squares and chocolate that lay so flat on the top you would have thought it has been flat ironed BUT my version is just as tasty and somewhat resembles those delicious squares I look forward to 11 months out of the year.
Mission accomplished.