Growing up, my grandmother lived with us. My mom worked full time, so my grandmother was there for me when I got home from school, waiting with milk and cookies. I never realized how lucky I was until later on when she moved down to Florida.  She was better off given the warm weather and more laid-back life there, but I missed her terribly.

Although we did not know it at that time, having my grandmother with us was a huge help to everyone in our family, especially my older brother. As I have told you before, we all had our own chores, and one of them was to keep our rooms clean. My brother was terrible about keeping his room clean, no matter how much grief my mother gave him. It was a constant battle. My mother was beside herself. She was very fastidious, and she liked her house to be clean as a whistle. While we hated her rules at that time, I found that when I had a family of my own, I had taken on a lot of my mother’s rules, and a clean house was a priority.

My grandmother hated the arguing that was caused by my brother’s lack of cleanliness. While my mom was working, my grandmother would slip into his room and clean it for him so he would not get into trouble. But there was so much more that she brought to our home than the added help. 

She was always there for me with a big smile on her face and tremendous warmth and love in her heart. I think my favorite memories were the more mundane ones, like eating my cookies and milk and watching General Hospital with her every day. After she moved to Florida, I had all but forgotten I had watched the show with her every day coming home from elementary school. When I moved out to go to college, I suddenly started hearing about this soap opera that had two people, Luke and Laura, getting married. It was a huge deal and everyone on campus was skipping class to watch in the cafeteria. The day that I joined my friends to watch, I was astonished. After so many years had gone by, I realized that I was very much acquainted with all the characters on the TV screen. There was the cast of General Hospital, right in front of my eyes. More than anyone, I treasured watching them get married, because it brought me right back to my childhood, sitting with my grandma. It is the simple memories we cherish most, and this one made me miss my grandmother so much. 

My grandmother basked in the warmth and energy of her grandchildren, and she happily spoiled us. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for us. I think it kept her feeling young and needed. Unlike parents, who tend to discipline you, grandparents want only to see you happy and content. When she left to move down to Florida, she lived alone, and I know she was very lonely. My siblings and I missed her very much. Our busy lives prevented us from going down to see her that much. Thankfully, she had my brother and sister-in-law in the same city, so they did get to see her. My parents had to bring her back up here to live in a nursing home, because she fell and broke her hip. She was devastated to be living in a home. To see her so sad broke our hearts. She passed away at age 95, not long after she moved to the nursing home. I often wish my parents had taken her back to live with them, but she needed so much care and it just wasn’t possible.

Especially during these crazy times, please make sure you are visiting and helping out an elderly person. They all have so many experiences to share and they would be so happy with some company. I wish I could turn time back to talk to my grandmother. There are so many questions I would ask her. I miss her smile and her fried chicken. I miss coming home to someone who is so happy to see me. I hope I become a grandmother soon, my heart is ready for some more unconditional love.

If you go to visit an elderly person or relative, this is the perfect treat to bring them. These bars are addicting. The base of the bar is made with shortbread cookie dough, which just by itself, is delicious. It is then topped with chocolate chips and a coconut pecan sauce that is a lot of gooey goodness.  The chocolate melts over the top, and the sauce is thickened and caramelized. The pecans add crunchy deliciousness in every bite. The coconut browns up beautifully and gives these bars even more crunchy, sweet flavor. They are so easy to make, you can make quite a few bars and give them to the people you love as a special treat.

These bars are courtesy of Super Simple, by Tieghan Gerard and will serve 9 lucky people.

Ingredients for Butter Pecan Bars:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper or grease a 9-inch round pie plate with butter or cooking spray.

Make the dough:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 8 tablespoons of the butter 1/4 cup of the sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla together until smooth, about 1 minute.

Add the flour and 1 teaspoon of water and beat to combine well, 2 minutes more.

Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking dish.

Bake until the crust is golden, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, but leave the oven on.

Make the sauce:

In a medium saucepan, place the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, the cream, the remaining 1 cup of sugar, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the pecans and the coconut.

Scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the crust.

Pour the pecan and coconut mixture over the chocolate and, using a spatula, gently spread to distribute evenly.

Bake until the top begins to brown and caramelize.

Allow the bars to col for about 20 minutes, then slice and serve at room temperature.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

It’s that simple!

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!