Tea and Scones

Homemade soup

2011-12-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Soup is so easy to make. Dare I say "trust me"? or will that send you running? Not only is it simple to do... it can be very nutritious. You get to control the ingredients. No sodium ..no preservatives .. and you only add what you like or want to use.

There are as many and varied recipes as you care to invent. Or, find a recipe and tweak it as you like.

The other day I wanted to make some Caldo Verde (Kale Potato) soup...our new favourite...but, can you believe there was no kale to be had at Safeway that day? Darn it. I wanted soup by then...so went home and checked the 'fridge. There were some leftover sweet potatoes.... so... .. came up with a carrot and potato soup. I've seen various recipes with these ingredients...but, who needs a recipe? Once you have made a few soups...it is simple.

Just get a tasty base going... toss in your choice of ingredients...simmer and voila. Lovely soup. And, in this case..I also used my hand held blender on it near the end...and stirred in some milk just before serving.

I never use actual measurements any more... but, if you want to search for a recipe to try it with measurements the first few times, just Google soups...or Carrot or Sweet Potato or Squash soup and you will be inundated with similar recipes to try. I'm sure they will all taste wonderful. Here are some approximate measurements from my own soup.

Carrot Sweet Potato Soup

half a medium onion (diced)
stick or two of celery (diced)
carrot (diced)
sweet potato (cooked or uncooked and diced)
white potato (two; small; diced)
chicken broth (homemade or purchased..I buy low sodium broth)
water
1 tbsp. flour
spices (I used a bay leaf, oregano, sweet basil, Italian Seasoning, pepper flakes;black pepper)
butter (1 - 2 tbsp)
olive oil (about 1 - 2 tbsp)

In large pot, heat oil and butter... add onion, carrot, celery, and soften... don't let it brown... add uncooked potato ..continue to cook gently and sprinkle on flour after about 5 to 8 minutes... let cook slowly for a few more minutes stirring every so often. Add about 2 cups or so of water and a few cups of broth (or more) ... ( or you could use some tomato juice if you like)....stir well to mix in the flour if it is not already. Add some pepper and the bay leaf. Bring to boil and then lower heat to let it simmer gently. Add the rest of the spices. Stir every so often.
We like it a bit spicy sometimes.. so I usually re-pepper it after simmering for about an hour and tasting.

Let simmer for about an hour and a half to two hours or til spuds are tender. As the spuds cook down they help to thicken this type of soup. Serve as is, or, if you prefer, you can puree your soups with a hand held blender. You could do small batches in a regular blender...but, it is not nearly as easy or as safe, especially when dealing with boiling liquids. I love my hand held blender and use it a lot.

You could make soup every single day and never do the same one twice. There are sooo many options. I hope you try some soup of your own one day soon. I love making it.... I could eat soup every day. With fresh homemade bread.....sigh.....oooooh..... heavenly....

Yikes!! ... again.... months have flown....

2011-10-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

I don't have a clue what happens...but, it does. Time just flies .... and no blogging happens. Not to say no cooking and baking happens.... because it definitely does. Even on the hottest days of summer it happens around here. My neighbours think I'm nuts.... probably because I am.

So...golf season is over and none too soon. My elbow is totally wrecked. I can hardly lift a glass to my lips... it's very difficult to floss and brush and ...well, it just hurts all the time. X-rays yesterday to make sure there is no bony involvement...and then...in a week.... begin some physio. If that doesn't show immediate results..I have other treatments in mind.... we'll see how it goes in the next few weeks.
Won't be seeing this beautiful water treatment behind the 17th hole for a loooong time now. Our next golf season won't open til April... and usually we don't get to play til closer to May..... sigh...

Meantime... seeing as I can't dig in the garden, or lift very much...I've been catching up on housework that got neglected over the summer...and doing some baking. I love baking and it's so much fun to do. I prefer it to housework of course...so I do it instead... oooooh.... bad me....bad me. Although, I can dust while muffins are baking or toss in some loads of laundry before I even start to gather ingredients for biscotti or soups, etc....I could vacuum while a loaf bakes........ I could..........

The other day I made Barm Brack and have decided to share that loaf today... you'll have to hurry if you actually want to share a real piece...it's almost gone! I've already gained back two of the eleven pounds I lost over the summer... marching around that golf course. No time to eat while I'm out there.

Barm Brack is an Irish loaf... and you need to begin the night before to make it. Raisins need to be soaked in tea overnight. As usual, I make my own changes to the loaf, but initially, here is the recipe directly from the Company's Coming cookbook.

Barm Brack

1 cup cold leftover tea
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup peel
1/2 cup currants
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (I never use it because I use salted butter)

Put tea in a large bowl along with raisins, peel, currants and sugar. Let stand covered overnight.

Next morning, beat egg until frothy. Stir into fruit mixture. Stir melted butter into fruit.

Combine and stir the four remaining dry ingredients. Add to fruit batter. Stir until blended. Spoon into greased loaf pan 9 X 5 X 3 inches (23 X 12 X7cm).

Bake in 350F (180C) oven for 60-70 minutes. (Mine usually take a bit less... keep an eye on things) Cool 10 minutes. Turn out on rack to cool completely.

Options:::: I don't usually have peel or currants hanging around...so use two types of raisins and some dried cranberries. I don't bother with the exact measurements they give for the fruit ... it is too much for me .. I like less in my loaf...and also like to add some toasted chopped walnuts. Into the tea and raisins I also grate some orange zest and a squeeze or two of the juice and add a tsp of vanilla. This batter is very soft...almost pourable, but not quite..and makes a nice moist loaf.
Oh, ...and...almost forgot! spices. Stir a sprinkle, or a tiny dash into the flour. I like some cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg and ginger.... but, do be careful with the amounts if you are not used to using spices.... a little can go a long way... it's nice to have a hint of flavour rather than have it overpowering. In my loaf...it's almost difficult to make out what the spices actually are ...but, you know it's that certain 'something' that gives it more appeal if you know what I mean.

Caldo Verde...or..... Green Soup

2011-06-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Portuguese Caldo Verde....yummmm ... it means Green Soup...which it is. Basic ingredients are potatoes, onion and kale ....the kale makes it green. Wiki says """ In Portugal, caldo verde is typically consumed during Portuguese celebrations, such as weddings. It is sometimes consumed before a main course meal and as well for a late supper. Caldo verde originated from the Minho Province in northern Portugal. Today, it is a traditional national favorite that has spread across the nation and abroad.""

I think my friend Maria (who is Portuguese) was surprised that we liked it...same as she got surprised by our liking for Migas. In reality...I guess we are just simple folk that enjoy simple good food. Don't get me wrong.. if, on occasion, we find some exotic thing that is prepared wonderfully... we may give that a chance as well...but, mostly, just great tasting simple fare is our choice.

I found a simple recipe for kale and potato soup in my Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking.. so that is the one I am printing here. It is the basic idea and from there, just like every cook in Portugal... you can tweak things any way you like to make it your own. And, don't forget to try some Broa ..or Portuguese cornbread too, for dipping as they do in Portugal. Make it a complete Portuguese supper night.... you won't be sorry.....

Caldo Verde (or kale and potato soup)

4 medium potatoes
2 TBSP vegetable oil (always Olive Oil in Portugal!)
8 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 pounds fresh kale
1/2 pound cooked, sliced smoked garlic sausage (optional)

Peel and chop potatoes; combine with oil and water. Cook 20 to 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Remove potatoes; reserve liquid. Mash potatoes trough sieve; return to potato liquid. Add salt and pepper; simmer 20 minutes.
Wash kale; discard all tough leaves; cut into thin shreds. Add to potatoes; cook 25 minutes. Add sausage; simmer gently 5 minutes.
Yield 6 to 8 servings.

::::: MY Version::: I kick it up a notch or two (as silly old Emeril says) .... Now that I've made this soup a few times... I like to add a few extra ingredients to develop a more full bodied flavour.

I saute onion, a stick of celery and this day I even added a chunk of orange pepper, in olive oil with a dollop of salted butter. Soup is always a good way to tidy up my fridge. Oh, ... and I see a sprig of Rosemary in there too... then, sprinkle on a tablespoon of flour after about a minute or so and continue cooking a bit more ... then I lower the heat and toss in a crushed clove of garlic. Let cook (carefully) a minute longer. Be sure not to overheat and burn your garlic!
Pour in a few cups of chicken broth and some water and I add another TBSP olive oil. If I'm using store bought broth, I like to use the low sodium.
Meanwhile, ready the potatoes. When diced, pop them right into the pot with the other ingredients. I don't bother to cook them separately. No need to use a separate pot or to mash til later as far as I can see.
Sprinkle in some herbs of choice...including oregano.... I wish I could get fresh Portuguese oregano like Maria used to use on our salads! MMM...... ... Oh, well...just use dried or whatever you can get. I also like to toss in a bay leaf and a sprinkle of dried basil.. and this is when I use a good scraping of freshly ground black pepper. Use salt if you like...I never do, but that's just me.
Wash and cut kale... I just use about 4 or 5 leaves... 2 pounds seems a huge amount to me. Add kale. I bring to boil, reduce heat and let simmer for an hour or so with lid on. The potatoes should be tender by then and I like to cook the kale so that I can use my stick blender to puree the whole thing. The first few times I made it...I just didn't really like the stringy shreds of kale in the soup. And..it is a lot of work to cut it into strips and then chop it all the other way as well to get it small enough. (.. which in Portugal is no problem because there you can buy chopped kale! ..or..they have special kale cutters that I see on some videos of kale soup making!) Haven't found any chopped kale here. So..instead...I just cut it into thin strips.. cook well...and then... stick blender works wonders. I like to leave a few chunks of potatoes in it... so I just plop the blender around here and there and most of the kale disappears. We like a few chunks of potatoes left in our soup.... little surprises to be found. We're just kids at heart I guess.

If I am using sausage... I use local spicy Italian... easier to find than Portuguese chorizo .... and I brown it while the soup is simmering. Slice it into rounds and add it after I puree the soup. Let simmer for about another 15 minutes or so. Serve with fresh Portuguese Broa..or cornbread. MMMMMMMM ...oh, it is making me drool. We love it...and if you like simple but great tasting foods... I'm sure you will as well. Hope you try it some day.

Broa..... or Portuguese Corn Bread ....

2011-05-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

...or, at the very least...a super close second!! That's what I'm calling my third recipe of this yeasted corn bread I've tried since coming back from our Portugal holiday. How do you like my cute little handpainted souvenir serving plate?
Probably won't taste that wonderful bread again 'til I go back, and even then...'til I find that very same market in the very same town and hopefully the very same person will have baked it! As if, hey? A girl can dream........

Meantime.......... I'll definitely continue to slightly tweak this particular recipe..because...so far, it is the best one I've tried ( the easiest too for that matter) and I'm convinced it would just need a few tiny changes to be right there! You know how your taste buds remember things.... mine do anyway.... and I'd really like to replicate that wonderful flavour if possible.
I loved the colour of this loaf.... as yellow as bananas.....whereas some are greyish yellow.... or dull colours....

Maybe for you this could be a great cornbread for a first time effort ....and maybe it will be your new favourite ...

The Portuguese like to eat this bread with their favourite soup, Caldo Verde, or, green soup.

Check out what Wiki has to say about the soup. It's basic ingredients: kale and potatoes.... but, as with all recipes... now has dozens of variations. Lots with their favourite sausage in it too ... Chorico..or Chorizo. Google it for lots of info and recipes .... it's always amazing to me how many recipes there are for things I've previously never heard of. And...now... I've already made several very tasty soups in the Caldo Verde style.

I'll post my own variation of Caldo Verde soon too..... but, for now.... Broa. Funny how I remember the food words I learned in Portuguese isn't it? .... hahhaha.... now how to ask for the bathroom..... oh, yes..just a minute....actually... that seems universal in European countries...just ask for the WC and you will be fine...even if you can't speak a word of the language.

This recipe is from a wonderful breads book given to me by a blogger named Lewis...in a very amazing pay-it-forward that I offered to do on his blog a few years back. I credit him with getting me started with bread baking. Thanks so much again Lewis. I wish you were still blogging. Miss you and your great recipes and tips.

Broa

2 tsp. dry yeast
1/2 plus 2 TBSP lukewarm milk
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 1/4 cup bread flour, sifted (I just used regular flour, unbleached... )
1 1/2 tsp. salt (I only used 1 tsp.)
1 TBSP olive oil

Sprinkle the yeast into the milk in a bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes; stir with a wooden spoon. Add the water to the milk. Mix the cornmeal, flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast and olive oil.

Mix in the flour to form a firm and moist, but not sticky dough that leaves the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, then let rest for 10 minutes.

Shape into a round loaf. (If you have trouble doing this...just Google how to do it...there are several videos to see) Place on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal (just a very light sprinkling is fine) and cover with a dish towel. Proof until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Dust the loaf with cornmeal. (I omit this step now...it just falls off later with I am cutting and it is messy).... Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

::: I just used regular flour because I didn't have any bread flour on hand. Also...I added 3 TBSP of sugar as I was trying to get a slightly sweet taste that I remember a certain loaf having...... still not enough really...but, almost....
Also....I mixed my ingredients in my stand mixer because I am suffering with a rib problem... can't do anything like mixing or kneading at the moment. And...one more thing...I left it a few extra minutes...because I definitely wanted my crust to be darker than golden. This was perfect for me.

We had it with a great Caldo Verde....I like my dipping breads toasted...it is YUM toasted.....I sure hope you give it a try.

Portuguese Migas

2011-04-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

My new favourite side dish. Apparently the word 'migas' (pronounced with a bit of an 'sh' sound at the end) means crumbs, and, the dish is comprised of mainly that...crumbs. Crumbs of Broa, a bread made with cornmeal. Crumbs and kale. They grow lots of kale in Portugal... it's so plentiful... and ...totally different from the stuff we get here. Some of the gypsy ladies at the markets there were trying to give it away.... along with lovely broccolini, for which I pay $4.99 a tiny tray. Oh, man.... I want fresh stuff for cheap!!! But...I did use a leaf or two of the kale I bought...which wasn't cheap. I think next time I must make some soup too... another favourite of the Portuguese. Caldo Verde, or green soup. I only learned food words while there. At least I wouldn't starve if I got dropped into Portugal at some later time.....

Onward with the "migas" .... Supposedly meant to use up leftover bread .... but, hey..it's home made bread; how could there ever be much in the way of leftovers? Of course, first I had to make cornbread... which took a bit of surfing around to find some decent sounding recipes to try. Not easy to know where to begin after being in Portugal..and tasting the real and 'bestest' breads I've ever had in my life (other than some of the ones I've been making around here the past few years).

It seems there are at least 1001 (or thereabouts) ways to make migas. And, it's not only popular in Portugal..but, many other countries as well. Who knew? Boy, have I lived a sheltered life.

It's one of those like Ratatouille from the look of things. Began as a peasant dish...and now, all of a sudden has become popular in restaurants and homes all over...even some of the high class restaurants ..and, in all sorts of variations. Apparently, it used to be that you even knew which area of the country you were in just by tasting the migas recipe common to the region ... but, things have changed a lot since then.

As I mentioned, we just returned from holidaying in Portugal ... where several restaurants served migas with our meal. My friend Maria seemed surprised that I enjoyed it.... and I really did. One restaurant in particular... just along the road and across from the Almourol castle, the last great restaurant at which we ate at before leaving for home, served the most delicious Migas (see, I even capitalized theirs!) with my equally amazing skewer of buttery soft Veal. (every single restaurant we chose was amazing!! and I'm pretty darn picky. ) Actually Joe and Maria chose them...and they did a great job!

I absolutely have to make some migas now. Not so often that it becomes old hat or anything...but definitely often enough that I can enjoy a flash back to our wonderful holiday every so often. It'll be instead of spuds or some other starch for us..... or a simple side dish..or ... well, I'd be happy with it for my little meal. You can add sausage as some recipes call for... chorizo if in Portugal. I could use some spicy Italian from a local shop called Spolombo.

So..... .. first ...make some Broa .. or cornbread. Maybe you can find some in a shop near you...so far no luck with that here. It's a yeasted version with cornmeal... typical to Portugal...
This second attempt of mine was not as dark, nor as sweet as the best one we found in Portugal at one of the markets. Theirs was, and probably always will be, the best.. mmmmmyum....... but, I shall soldier on in hopes of making one that comes a close second.

here is mine... looks great. Wonderful crumb...but... nyeh....just not as tasty as I wanted it to be.

Always on the lookout for less salty stuff, me....and I found some half salt bacon. woohooo... it's still pretty salty for us because we prefer to eat less salt. But... much better than the regular stuff. This brand claimed to be smoked in a traditional way, but, it seemed to have a bit of a sweet sort of Maple smoked-ness to it. Pretty tasty.

I used the browned bacon to set us up with some tasty little appetizers in the Portuguese manner, which seemed to appear at the table as if by magic within some 30 seconds or so of us being seated. Wonderful to snack on while making our choices from the menu. It sometimes took a while...what with translating and such. Even the appetizers can transport me right back to any of the wonderful restaurants we tried. Some olives, some cheeses... salads with olive oil and newly dried Portuguese oregano....Ahhhh...I guess I could just holiday the rest of my life if I had the money.... come on lucky Lotto!!!

Here is my version. Yes, I know...it looks like scrambled eggs..but it isn't. Check out several sites if you decide to make it. There are so many to choose from and all would probably be pretty tasty.

Migas
Sorry, I don't have any particular measurements.... just crumble up some day old cornbread... fry a couple strips of bacon..... take out bacon and add the crumbs to the pan. Stir around till all bacon fat is absorbed ... add a bit of pepper and a few spices if you like.... stir and cook slowly on low heat for a bit. Add some finely chopped kale. I used a julienne method of rolling the leaves and slicing and then.. finely chopping it some more. I didn't want it long and stringy. Stir in the kale and let simmer slowly for a bit longer. Several of the recipes called for soaking the bread in milk or water and most of the ones I had in Portugal were soft (some even had mashed potatoes in them).... so I decided to add a bit of whole milk to give it some softness and a bit more body..not to mention more calcium. We can always use more of that. I then let things simmer with a lid on for a bit longer... tasted, ... added a bit more milk and.... .... wayhey!...pretty darn good.

Hope you look at some of the migas recipes online and give this a try.

Easy Salmon Pie

2011-03-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

...that's what Sunny Anderson calls it. If you want to search for similar recipes... just type in Salmon En Croute and you will find several...with various fillings...and each seems just as yummy.

Perfect with a big side salad and the 'ubiquitous pea', as we always refer to them at our house. Hey! they do just nicely in a pinch. And, usually if I do something a bit fiddly for the main?.... it'll be peas for veg. Not always...but most times. Good thing we love them.

This is for you Jason... and, no laughing at my little hover crafts. That's what they look like to me anyway... honestly... if they had wheels..? little toy cars... hahahah..... but... and a BIG but here...they were very tasty, so just shape them a bit differently (or don't, cuz who cares really?).... and enjoy. It was my first experience with puff pastry... so who knew what it would do?.. not me.

Hmmm..... did somebody even lick the plate?

Easy Salmon Pie

4 (6 ounce) center cut salmon fillets, skin removed
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 TBSP canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped (she used Vidalia, I used regular onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped shitake mushrooms, stems discarded..(I just used button mushrooms,stems and all)
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves (I just sprinkled on some dried thyme and a few other spices)
4 cups washed, dried, and loosely packed fresh baby spinach (or regular spinach)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted
chopped fresh parsley leaves..for garnish

Brush both sides of the salmon with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Warm 2 tablespoons of oil in 2 separate skillets over medium-high heat. Add half of the onion and half the garlic to each pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir the mushrooms and thyme into 1 pan and the spinach, lemon zest and remaining lemon juice into the other pan. Stir the spinach until it wilts, then transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Saute the mushrooms until they are reduced and tender, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the sour cream. Set aside.

Trim the thinner ends of the salmon fillet so you have 4 pieces of even thickness. (I just tucked under the thin end). Unroll a pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Pass a rolling pin lightly over 2 or 3 times to seal the seams and lengthen slightly. Cut the pastry sheet into 3 equal strips, using the natural seams as a guide. Roll out the second puff pastry sheet to get 1 more strip. Save remaining puff pastry for another use. (My puff pastry didn't look anything like hers sounded.... guess we just have to go with what we can find at the store and make it happen so we get 4 sheets long enough and wide enough to enclose our salmon)....

Lightly prick the 4 strips with a fork on the part that will be the bottom. Put 1 heaping spoonful of mushroom mixture on 1 half of each pastry, top with salmon piece, then layer with a heaping spoonful of spinach mixture. Wet the edges of the pastry with water on a finger and fold over the other half, pressing lightly and folding to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Cut 2 vents on the top of each pastry packet and arrange them on a parchment lined baking sheet.

You could begin preheating the oven when you have a couple of packets done. Bake at 375 F until the pastry is golden and fish is just opaque in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes.... (I'm not sure how you are supposed to be able to actually see the fish inside the pastry... I just went with "golden" and it was perfect).

Transfer pies from oven to serving dishes and garnish with chopped parsley....

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

2011-02-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

It's not really strawberry shortcake...it's cupcakes.... sliced and filled with cream and berries if you follow the recipe. I didn't. I just used the cupcake recipe and tried to ice a few. I wanted to try out my decorating kit I bought eons ago.

I made some icing and from the descriptions tried to wield the specific tips and bag to practice a few things on a piece of plastic first..... hahahhahah.........what a laugh. Okay...it wasn't all that amusing...but, I did have to laugh at my own efforts after awhile. I don't think my icing was nearly stiff enough to do the job. But...I think I sort of got the hang of leaves.... but, only sort of...

It's a good thing our Mom used to say.."if you're not worth a laugh you're not worth very much." I'm not sure she meant it quite like this..but.. eh.... what the heck. It's worth a giggle.
Even just putting on a plain swirl was tricky... one needs a steady hand to get this looking right. Man...those guys on Cupcake Wars are a whiz in comparison! they ice hundreds in the time it took me to do 4... well, actually after 3 I gave up.

And, now for my question ... why would anybody want a cupcake with this much sickly sweet icing on it in the fist place? yecchhh!

I scraped off the huge amount of icing on the rest of them....and just spread a bit on instead... with a knife. However, if you like lots of sweet icing... please don't let me spoil your fun...feel free to ice them any way you like.

Interesting thing about this cupcake...no eggs. I couldn't for the life of me believe they would rise and be fluffy enough.... but, they rose nicely, are moist and a pretty darn great tasting little cupcake. This from somebody who doesn't usually make cupcakes.. because I prefer muffins. I used to think of cupcakes as ....well,... as cake. And I find store bought muffins are usually just cake being passed off as muffins. Dry, tasteless and crumbly. So, I never buy but always bake my own. To me muffins are more dense, less cake-like...more moist and sort of rustic.

However, I wanted to try cupcakes for Valentine's Day..so, without further ado, here is a recipe I found on the food network...

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup coconut milk (I used regular milk)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. instant espresso powder

Line 40 cups from mini cupcake pans or 16 cups from regular size muffin pans with paper cupcake liners.
Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and espresso powder until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a fork or small whisk.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. The cups should be filled about 2/3 full, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 22 minutes for the mini cupcakes and about 25 minutes for the regular size cupcakes.
Cool the cupcakes in the pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Slice off the top 1/3 of each cupcake and slather with your favourite frosting and sliced strawberries. Place the top of the cupcake back on top and add an additional bit of frosting and sliced strawberries. Dust with confectioners sugar. Eat three immediately.

NB::: instead of the coconut milk.... use regular milk or buttermilk or add some lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk to make your own buttermilk.

Focaccia

2011-02-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have a book titled simply,"Bread". Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno. They come from France and Italy... they know bread! I love this book. All sorts of information about bread baking at the front...and then... a great series of recipes with pictures. Perfect for knowing exactly what things should look like and how to do it.

This one is called Focaccia Farcita and it says it is a "filled Italian hearth bread". It says focaccia comes from the Latin word focus which means "hearth" and traditionally, the embers of the hearth are where focaccia was baked. They refer to it as a moveable feast because of the fillings and toppings which can be used. You can use anything you like really...as long as it cooks in the same amount of time the bread takes to bake..or... partially cook veggies before adding them if you like.

Focaccia Farcita
2 tsp. dry yeast
1 1/4 cups water
3 1/4 cups bread flour (I used all purpose)
3 tbsp olive oil

for filling and topping
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola ( use what you like )
7 oz. mozzarella, sliced
1 handful of basil leaves (I just used some dried basil and oregano)
1/2 tsp coarse salt
2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves... (I only had dried and just used a sprinkle)
4 tbsp olive oil

Sprinkle the yeast into 1 cup of the water in a bowl. (I always use 100F water so it doesn't kill my yeast) Let stand for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the dissolved yeast and the oil.

Mix in the flour. Stir in the remaining water to form a soft, sticky dough. Add more water 1 tbsp. at a time if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth, silky, and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down and divide the dough into two equal pieces. Chafe for 5 minutes... then let rest for 10 minutes. (it just means forming dough into balls by cupping your hands gently around the piece and applying light downward pressure while rotating the dough in a steady clockwise motion til a nice even round shape is formed).

To make the filling.
Roll out each piece of dough into a 9 1/2 inch round. Place one round on an oiled baking sheet. Arrange the two cheeses and basil (or whatever else you decide to use) over the top, then seal in the filling using the second round. Leave a little space around edge for sealing. Gently pinch the edges of the dough together with your fingers.

Cover the dough loosely with a dish towel. Proof until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Use your fingertips to gently press into the surface of the dough to form dimples about 1/2 inch deep. Sprinkle with the coarse salt, rosemary leaves and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. (I found this coarse salt just wayyyy too salty for us... so won't bother with this step next time... your call.)

(looks like a moonscape)...

Bake in preheated oven for 30 - 45 minutes, until golden. Drizzle immediately with remaining olive oil, and serve warm.

optional..... I used some black olives and sun dried tomatoes in mine.... mmmmm... it also talks about roasting cherry tomatoes and using those.... sky is the limit with our "moveable feasts" and focaccia ..

More cake...

2011-01-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

... but, this we all know. Chocolate...and more chocolate... oh, and cherries. A take on Black Forest cake.

This one is from my Company's Coming Chocolate Everything book. Oh, and...I want a lovely glass cake plate. A pedestal plate ... preferably with a dome.

It's simple enough ... even calls for a cake mix if you want to go that way ...which I thought about for only a nano second. I'm sure they are much better now than they used to be...but, I still like to bake my own... plus it was for my sweetie...and he deserves my best effort. Always.

I wish I could get smaller tins. My oven is European size and the 9 inch tins are too large to put two on the same shelf... luckily if I diagonally place them on different shelves... they almost bake the same......plus...when you see the size of this four layer cake!! Aacckk! We had to call in neighbours to help us get through it.

Forget super-sizing everything.. give me some cute little tins so that I can bake a treat for two ... like they do on the cooking channel... well, the European gals do anyway... not Paula or Ina or the others. No wonder we all have to do more jumping jacks... unlike the French or the Italians... who are lovely and slim and eat so daintily... and look like models... oh,...and ... look at the small portions and lovely cute little cakes they make! It's a no brainer why they look so good... lovely food ... dainty portions.

okay... 'nuff complaining... onward with the recipe. I'm giving it exactly as it is in the book... but, make any cake you like instead of the mix.

Black Forest Decadence

1 Dark chocolate cake mix ( 2 layer size)
2 cups whipping cream ( or 4 cups/ 1 Litre, whipped topping)
1 TBSP icing sugar
19 oz ( 40 ml ) cherry pie filling

Glaze:
6 semisweet chocolate baking squares (1 oz or 28 grams, each) cut up
1/2 cup light cream (half and half) I used a bit of left over whipping cream and some milk)

Cake:
Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake in 2 greased 9 inch (22cm) round layer pans. Cool. Turn out onto rack. Split each to make 4 layers.

Beat whipping cream and icing sugar in large bowl until stiff. Reserve 1 cup (250 ml) for garnish.

Fold pie filling into remaining whipped cream. Spread 1/3 cherry-cream mixture over 3 layers, stack as each is spread. Add fourth layer to top.

Glaze: Melt chocolate with light cream in medium saucepan on low, stirring constantly, until smooth. Set pan in cold water. Whisk until cooled enough to be slightly pourable. Drizzle over top of cake. allowing some to run down sides Chill. Garnish with reserved whipped cream. Cuts into 16 wedges.

Their photo looks like they managed to get a tidier slicing method than we did. Or.. perhaps it was frozen...or...okay... I'm sure I don't know... all I know is... ours was not quite this tidy.

However, I do have a great tip for slicing the not too thick layers neatly in half. My bread knife is not long enough to be seen on the opposite side of the cake...so..I was doing a hack job getting through the first cake I tried. However, on the second cake...

Begin the slice with your bread knife... but... then..... get a long piece of unflavoured, unwaxed dental floss. Hold each end and place the middle inside the cut.... pull the ends towards each other...overlap them...and voila!... sliced cleanly straight through the center!

Aperitif Cake??

2011-01-09T22:30:00.000-08:00

I've never heard of an Aperitif Cake, have you? I half expected it to be alcoholic. But...there it was at the end of the recipe..."slice and serve with drinks" ... aha...so... with the aperitifs then.... alright. Got it. And... it isn't really a cake...it's actually a loaf.

When I was watching Laura Calder make it (on the food channel) ..I thought it might taste like bacon and cheese scones...and it does..sort of... but, not just any old scones. More like the ones you make yourself...at home.... with a lot of thought.. and extra ingredients. Yummy.
Next time... this same recipe will be scones. Well, maybe not exact, because it seems I never have all the same ingredients on hand and I don't run out to buy things if I have something that can be substituted.... besides... those of you who know me.. know how I do love to experiment with my food.

Bacon and Olive Aperitif Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP butter, melted
2/3 cup olives, pitted and sliced
4 ounces bacon, about 4 slices into small chunks and fried
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese or grated Parmesan
pinch of salt, or to taste
1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

Heat oven to 350F/180C.
Butter and flour a loaf pan. Sift flour and baking powder into mixing bowl, and stir the pepper through.
Beat eggs into the flour.
Beat in the melted butter.
Stir through the remaining ingredients to distribute evenly.
Spoon batter into the pan and bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool slightly. Slice, and serve with drinks.

I tweaked things a bit::::

I had no bacon so used a couple slices of ham diced and cooked. Added half an onion diced and sauteed.
Only used 2 eggs and a few tablespoons of egg white. I used less than 1/2 cup of butter and added a few dollops of plain yogourt to keep the moisture ratio to flour about the same.
We had no Gruyere..and I always try to use less cheese.. so used up a bit of Parmesan and tiny chunk of Gouda still in the fridge from Christmas. Also a bit of grated cheddar.
I used a bit of chili powder as well as the pepper,... and some Italian Seasoning... and some sweet basil

...be careful if you do use Rosemary..it is a very strong herb and too much will overpower any dish. A tiny bit goes a long, long way.

We had ours for supper because it came out of the oven at 6:00 .... with a lovely mixed green salad and Orange Vinaigrette...

Wonder what it would taste like toasted lightly ... with a mug of steaming coffee... for breakfast?

Parsnip Puffs....

2010-12-30T15:30:00.000-08:00

Reprisal of an old post for Terra who was wondering on her blog what to do with parsnips...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had no idea how these would turn out... but.....they have been declared "a keeper" by Mr. BumbleVee...

Without further ado... may I present these tasty little parsnip puffs from the April issue of Recipes Only Magazine.... oh, and I guess I better admit.... it was April 1988 .... told ya I saved things...especially old recipes and mags with recipes in them. Every so often I drag out a handful and peruse...admire the beautiful food photography...and purge ...or not... this one gets to stay. It's a tiny little thing... 5 X 7.. more like a brochure..won't take up any space at all tucked in with my cookbooks.

This is the recipe straight from the book...but, don't forget... all recipes are meant to be toyed with.... I used Apple Jelly as I had some home made from a friend on hand... and I halved the recipe as I only had a pound of parsnips... ...

Parsnip Currant Puffs

2 lbs. parsnips

2 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

salt and pepper

3 TBSP red curant jelly

Peel parsnips, cut into about 6 pieces each and cook, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 10 minutes or until soft. Drain well in a sieve. Place in food processor (in batches if necessary) and puree.

Add egg yolks, ginger and salt and pepper to taste. Process until light and fluffy. (Recipe can be prepared ahead to this point, covered and refrigerated up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

In medium bowl, whip egg whites until stiff but still moist. Fold into parsnip mixture.

Divide most of the mixture amongst 8 buttered (6oz./175ml) custard cups or individual souffle dishes.

Make well in each, spoon in one eighth of the jelly and cover with remaining parsnip mixture, smoothing the top. Place filled dishes in shallow pan with boiling water halfway up sides of dishes.

Bake in preheated 325 F (160) oven about 20 minutes or until slightly puffed and set on top. Serve immediately.

I didn't bother with a food processor... I cut them in small pieces.. boiled them.. they mashed up nicely ... I even saved the lovely parsnip-y water with all the nutrients in it. I freeze all water I ever boil a veggie in.. and save it for soups.... you can't believe how much flavour it adds..not to mention nutrition.

I just filled each ramekin half full.. placed a big flat dollop of the Apple Jelly .. and then filled the ramekin with more parsnip mixture.

I served the ramekin right on the plate... it was still pretty hot... but, we were careful... peas, couscous and leftover chicken got a new lease on life with this interesting and pretty little side ....

Cookies from a Christmas past....

2010-12-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies

These intrigued me a few years ago and now have become a tradition at our house. Absolutely perfect for Valentine's Day too.
They are simple, if a little fiddly, and look pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself...and I do.

Thank goodness I had an extra set of hands to help with them ... it is killer on the shoulder blades to sit and put the little bit of chocolate dough around 51 cherries!

... and .... he does such a great job too!

Even the smallest foil cups still seem a bit large to me ... I suppose I could put a bit more dough around each one... making them fill it. Or... squeeze it onto the dough a bit before baking.

but.... they still look pretty special.

Wonder if it might help to leave a few out for Santa?

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

2 10 oz. jars maraschino cherries with stems
2 tbsp. cherry brandy or maraschino cherry juice
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Drain cherries, reserving juice. Lightly toss cherries with brandy if using...and drain. Let stand for 20 minutes.
Beat butter or margarine in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder; beat til combined. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon of the reserved liquid. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
Shape a scant 1 teaspoon of dough around each cherry. Place each ball in a 1 inch foil or paper bake cup. Place cups 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake in 350F oven for 10 minutes or til tops look dry. Transfer cookies to wire racks. Frost warm cookies with about 1/2 tsp frosting. (I waited til they were very cool... not enough energy... they worked very well cooled.) Makes 48 (I ended up with 51)

Chocolate Cherry Frosting
Stir together 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces and 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk in a small heavy saucepan. (I had a bowl in water in the pan..worked perfectly) Cook over low heat just til chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. Sir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of reserved cherry liquid to make of spreading consistency. Makes plenty.

Nuts !!!

2010-12-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

Literally... and figuratively .....

When a recipe says roast nuts in a 350F oven for 15 minutes...and alarm bells go off??.... listen to your alarms!

This is where the first batch ended up...

If it looks like a garbage can... that's because it is.

Walnut halves are like gold. A big bag was $14.99....on sale. Oooooooooohhh.... that burns me almost as much as it did the darn nuts.

I was going along so well too.... this is how amazing they were just after I added a splash of my real Quebec Maple Syrup from a friend of a relative.... just brought all the way across the country. Wasted Maple Syrup is an absolute crime!! Anybody who has ever had the real thing will tell you that. Then...a generous grinding of lovely black pepper. These are spicy glazed nuts. Mmmm... well, they would have been mmmm...

... but, then... the recipe called for putting them in the oven. So.. I set my timer for 12 minutes..not even the required 15... but... too late..... they were already past tasting burned when I grabbed for the baking sheet. There were some "french words" as somebody used to say..... who was that now? I forget. Anyway.....it was disheartening to say the least because it was just the beginning of my plan for an amazing salad for supper.

Onward.... second batch. Never quit when you are behind.

You can bet your bottom hard earned dollar that I was watching like a hawk this time around..... my eyes were glued to that oven. Don't even walk out of the kitchen.... cuz you know how fast nuts can be ruined!

Ahhhhhh.... that's more like it. I had the oven at just over 300F this time...and it only took about 6 to 8 minutes really.... ....

Then....I poached my lovely pear. In wine and cinnamon infused syrup....

It was a thing of beauty.... well....to my eyes at least it was. It stayed firm... soaked up the wonderful flavours...and was absolutely the nicest pear I have ever seen or eaten. Including the creation by the chef at the restaurant where I first had this salad... and now... I've copied it to the best of my recollection.

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Glazed Walnuts......

I used some peppered goat cheese and instead of just crumbling on the bits...I wanted to figure out a way to cut the soft cheese into rounds. Looked on Google...and found a few suggestions. Love Google.

Dental floss. Yep. You can saw it across it if you like...as in the video I saw... but, if you just lay it under the roll of cheese...then draw up each side of the floss and cross them over each other...it slices straight through the cheese as easy as can be. Even very thin slices come away so cleanly it is amazing. I did put the cheese roll in the freezer for just a few minutes (watch that too... you don't want to ruin a lovely little log of cheese) .. so that I could cut away the packaging without damaging the roll. Why can't they make it easier to get the roll of cheese neatly out of the packaging material?

A vinaigrette with a few tablespoons of the poaching syrup finished it off. YUM....

Take that Chef Kevin....

Chocolate Cake in a Ramekin

2010-12-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Mr. BV was searching around the kitchen... hoping for some tasty morsel. But...the eggnog cookies were all gone... no biscotti in the jar and even the freezer was bereft of muffins. I felt sorry for him....so while he watched a period of hockey I whipped up a little chocolate goody. He was totally surprised and it was fun to see the smile....

Originally it was called 5 Minute Chocolate Cake. ...and, it's usually made in a mug in the microwave. But, when another blogger made it she changed things a bit... using butter instead of oil and also, divvy-ed it up between 2 ramekins and baked in the oven instead of the microwave. Much better. It's just like real cake when baked...not the rubbery microwave version.

I'm giving you the original recipe......but you, too, can change it up anyway you like. Next time I think I'll even add some toasted nuts. A person could really go crazy and toss in a caramel chocolate and have some gooey goodness in the middle. It's such a cute little taste of yummy cake ... and, who really needs a huge cake when just a few mouthfuls will do the trick when you just HAFTA have some chocolate?

These are a bit deeper ramekins that I needed...but, I just bought these new little chocolate coloured babies and wanted to use them. I have a "thing" for ramekins....I have a drawer full of them. All sizes, shapes and colours..... love the little guys!

5 Minute Chocolate Cake In A Mug

4 TBSP flour
4 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP cocoa
1 egg
3 TBSP milk
3 TBSP oil (I used melted butter)
3 TBSP chocolate chips (optional..I used less)
small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MICRO wave safe!)

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. Makes 1-2 servings.

OPTION:: I smeared a bit of butter in two ramekins (they do tip out easier if you want to serve them on a plate... perhaps with a spoonful of ice cream?) and divided the mixture between the two of them. I also substituted butter for the oil. Bake in the oven at 350F (180C).. for about 20 to 25 minutes. Watch them carefully... don't want to burn chocolate! The tops will begin to crack when nearly done...and I just checked with a toothpick at about 18 minutes..... when it comes out clean...they are done. Unless you happen to put the pick into a chocolate chip or morsel...then just check in another spot... and enjoy!

Ranch bread...

2010-11-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

I got the recipe from Carson's 7MSN Ranch... so I'm calling it Ranch Bread when I write up the very simple recipe.

She blogged about it here ...and here . I made some the other day along with several of her followers. I kind of snickered when some of them mentioned making mistakes...because really, it is so simple, who could do that? Check there for the actual ingredients and measurements as well as her "how to"...

Well...I made a little boo boo too that could have been soooo much worse than it was. Thankfully I like to watch any of my breads for the first few minutes. You know ...just because it's such fun to see how it begins to rise immediately. Thank goodness I did peek in there... because I left plastic wrap on the dough!! Aacckkk!!. what a stupid thing to do!

I whipped open the oven door and tore off the wrap... taking some dough with it and leaving a few little peaks on top of one loaf. Who cares? I was just happy it didn't melt totally and burn and make a helluva mess. The oven was at 425 F....methinks it soon would've been a major disaster.

This bread is an easy no knead loaf... and like all good rustic, artisan loaves ..has lots of lovely air pockets.... it's supposed to.

One day....mix up the ingredients.... cover it with that dreaded plastic wrap...and leave it for about 18 - 24 hours on your counter top. I was a bit worried that perhaps my bowl was a bit small..but, no..it stopped at a few inches from the top.

next day it looks like this..... lots of tiny air bubbles... and quite sticky...

Gently scrape it out of the bowl onto a well floured surface... and, as Linda says... lift it skyward with a spatula a few times. Gently form it into a loaf with hands well floured... or two smaller ones...and let it rest while the oven is heating. Here was where I caused my own problem...I put that stupid plastic wrap back on top of my loaves while they were resting, and then... didn't even notice it and slid the loaves into the oven. DON'T DO THAT.
As Mr. BV said...why didn't you use a tea towel like you do all the other times with bread? At least you would have noticed that.
D'uuhhh .... who knows? ...

See my little spiky thingies? ... caused from ripping off the plastic wrap.

Here's the perfect one.

and.... even more perfect hot with butter melting on a slice.... MMMMMMMMM......

Easy Stuffed Peppers

2010-11-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

I had some leftover rice...a mix of white, brown and wild... two leftover chicken thighs...and...

I spied a red pepper in the crisper.

Okay then...stuffed peppers it is.

Gently saute some finely diced carrots. I like to do them in a bit of butter to give them flavour. As soon as they begin to soften... add onions, celery and anything else you like to add to your mix to make it interesting. This day I had some broccoli and I like to chop the stems into any dish to give us more veggies... so, in went a bit of broccoli stem. I don't leave the vegetables too long as I like mine a bit crunchy. Adjust your own cooking time as you like. All of this should go very quickly.

Just before I added the rice, I minced a clove of garlic and stirred that in as well. I don't like to leave my garlic to cook too long either .. or worse, to burn ... it gets bitter tasting then.....

Add the leftover rice immediately ... stir it all together well and drizzle on some Sesame Oil...it imparts a wonderful flavour and I love the aroma...you don't need much... just enough to make it tantalizing. I added some broccoli tops (sometimes I add peas or beans) and tossed in the chopped chicken, a few chunks of pepper, a crushed chili pepper and a spoonful of tinned tomatoes. Stir and leave just a bit longer to warm it all through.

Cut pepper in half... rub oil along the cut edges with a finger to prevent drying out and burning. Mound the rice mixture into the pepper halves... smear a bit of oil on bottom of baking pan and place pepper halves into it.

Bake at about 350 for 20 to 25 minutes....

If you like... sprinkle on some grated cheddar and mozzarella at the end of 20 minutes or so.. bake a bit longer...then turn oven to broil and bronze the top. Beautiful.
Mm..... whoops... no photo of the completed dish! Acckkk!! It looked so wonderful too...but, we got carried away admiring and eating .. and can't believe I didn't think to capture it for posterity! Maybe next time. This weekend.... cabbage rolls.......

I've been abroad....

2010-11-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

..... ahahha.... oh, yerh...... sure I have.

Just messing with your head. Of course I'm fibbing. It was just summertime. All I could manage was one blog and some golf and gardening and playing about.... we don't have long summers up here.... so we make the most of it.

The fall has actally been better than some of the summer months...it is beautiful, warm, dry and we are having lovely blue sky days. If I hadn't had surgery on my wrist I would have got in a great last month of golf. The courses are closed now for the winter months... somehow I have to keep in shape to be able to swing a club by spring... but that is easier said than done with a foot that is now bad.... sigh.. it's been a few bad weeks...

This is what happened to my baking prior to the wrist surgery...

Even with greasing and flouring the pans... disaster!

The only good thing was... it tasted very yummy...

Italian Plum Loaf. You may remember it from last year. Only enough plums for two loaves and this had to happen. Darn it.

But... this is already in the stores...

Oh....sorry.....

Here's the English version....

And... here's the perfect bottom of a perfect Eggnog Loaf !!

Aren't glass loaf pans wonderful?! I'm saving the others for bread. They seem to do bread loaves just fine....

Bread doesn't stick... why on earth did the plum loaves do so poorly I wonder...

Chocolate Mocha Cake

2010-08-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

We have a little tradition. Mr. BV bakes me a carrot cake for my birthday.... and for his...I bake a chocolate. Our birthdays are too close together (in days, not years) ...for us to have two cakes in a week....so we usually do somebody's in the proper week....and the second several months later.

I try different chocolate recipes every year... but, he must stick to his now "famous" carrot cake that I love....

This was the one I made a few months ago for his special day. It's from my ancient "Canadian Cook Book".

Chocolate Mocha Cake

2/3 cup shortening (I used butter)
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted pastry flour .. or ..
1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup strong coffee (cooled)
2/3 cup sour milk, or buttermilk (to make sour milk just add a few tsps lemon juice or vinegar to milk and let sit a bit)

(The recipe says to stir cocoa and coffee til smooth and cool...then to blend it into the fat sugar egg mixture, but I prefer to add my cocoa to a bit of the flour and stir it into the butter mixture) ..

Cream shortening; add sugar gradually, beating after each addition til fluffy. (proper emulsifying of fat and dissolving of sugar is essential to fine textured cake.)

Add vanilla; beat well. Add room temperature eggs one at a time beating well after each egg.

Add milk and flour alternately to the fat-sugar mixture, 1/4 each time, beginning and ending with flour. It is a drop batter and should be thin.

Bake at 350F in a greased 8 inch square pan or two 8 inch layer pans. You can line with waxed paper if you like. I usually just lightly grease my pans and dust on a bit of cocoa. Works the same as flour...but doesn't leave a white residue on the sides of the cake.

Layer cakes will bake in about 30 minutes and square cakes in about 50. Check for doneness with a toothpick.... if it comes out clean they are done. I usually test a bit early for chocolate cakes because you definitely don't want to take a chance. The recipe talks about browning...but, hey...it's tough to tell when chocolate is browning and it can burn too easily.

Cool 10 minutes, run a knife around the sides and place rack on top of pan. Turn over and your lovely cake should pop right out onto the rack. If you papered... gently peel off the paper.

Mocha Butter Icing

3 to 5 tablespoons butter
2 cups icing sugar (approximate)
3 tablespoons strong cold coffee... or sift 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee with sugar.
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa ... or just enough to give a light chocolate colour to icing. Or, melt 1/2 to 1 square of unsweetened chocolate and stir into creamed butter.

For my coffee, I made some strong coffee with instant and cooled it. Then...added as needed to get proper consistency. If you want less coffee flavour you can use a bit of milk as well as a tiny bit of coffee.

Sift the cocoa with some of the sugar.
Cream butter with 2 tablespoons sugar; add some liquid gradually.
Sift in remaining sugar to make it thick enough to spread.

I always have my handy dandy tasting spoons nearby too..... when it tastes right to me...it's perfect to spread onto the cakes. If I make layers...I want some to spread between the layers as well..... if you only make the square you can make a bit less icing.

This one's for you Shashi....I hope you like it. The print friendly "thingy" below is great. Click on it...then move your cursor over the recipe...deleting anything I yak about that is not pertinent... then print out the part you need to bake the cake. I'm too long winded....hahahha......

Biscotti Toscani

2010-07-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'll write out the recipe later.... I see part of it is obliterated by some glare..

My favourite cutter for biscotti? A hacksaw.... which I keep in the kitchen. No piping is cut with this one.... just cookies... makes a nice clean cut.

Weeks have passed.....

2010-06-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

I've been busy...honest I have. Baking each week as usual....suppers as usual... I cook every day. Just keep putting off posting til I do something else and all of sudden it is midnight and then...I think I'll do it in the morning...which I don't because that's when I read your blogs...and then..it's noon and then...well...you see what happens.

These were yesterday's strawberry scones. I made them for my garbage guys. Yep....I bribe them. This is what they took away with smiles on their faces. I told them straight out that I was bribing them as well as saying thank you for always taking everything I put out there. They said "bribes are good" .... and cheerfully loaded up the 5 bags of grass, leaves and shrub clippings...as well as 5 twined 4 foot long bundles of Nanking bush ... an old length of garden hose and a complete, full grown, dead spirea shrub. I love my guys.... they treat me well.

However, one of them did mention they wondered why they hadn't seen me for some time.... to which I said..uh, oh.... I must be falling behind on the muffin quota. Sorry...I'll attend to that straight away.... so, two weeks in a row they've had warm from the oven goodies. Next week, if it is not raining... I don't know...they could be out of luck, I may be out golfing....finally. But, yesterday they picked up two more houses after ours..turned the corner and parked the huge truck in front of my neighbour's ...and proceeded to have their coffee and fresh scones. Hahahahha.... that did make me laugh. Doesn't take much to amuse me.... it made my day.

Thanks guys!! I love ya...

Next week.... double chocolate chunk cookies....

Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Cider-Herb Sauce

2010-05-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

The tenderloin recipe that I mentioned on the day that I gave you the yummy Brussels Sprouts recipe?.
... here it is....

I didn't have any cider around... and, if you are in the same boat.... don't let that hold you back. I used some apple juice and added a splash of vinegar.

Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Cider-Herb Sauce
2 pork tenderloins (about 2 lb/1kg total)
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP butter
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 clove garlic, mince
1/2 cup each apple cider and sodium-reduced chicken broth
1/4 cup whipping cream (you know I didn't use this! hahah... some whole milk will do, but add it near
the end after boiling the broth for a bit)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cornstarch
1 TBSP each minced fresh thyme and parsley (I didn't use that much and also added a bit of fresh
rosemary and sweet basil)

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In large oven proof skillet, heat oil over med-high heat; sear pork all over, about 6 minutes.

Transfer to 400F / 200C oven; roast til juices run clear when pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside about 15 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil; let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in same skillet, melt butter over medium heat; cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.

Add cider and bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits. Stir chicken broth, cream and mustard; boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.

Mix cornstarch with 2 tsp. water and stir into sauce along with thyme and parsley; cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Serve with pork

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NB:: I couldn't see the sense of putting the skillet into the oven and waiting to do the sauce. I put the tenderloins in a heated baking dish which was already waiting for them in the oven instead..and then just began making the sauce in the pan in which I browned the meat. Make sure you take the pork out of the oven almost a bit earlier than you think because remember it is still cooking a bit more while tented and you don't want to overcook it.

We sliced it and poured the sauce over to serve....

Orange Pumpkin Loaf

2010-05-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

I did just stop for tea... and had a lovely slice of pumpkin loaf. They call this a Tea Bread.... but, honestly? a loaf describes it more accurately to me... as in my head I always think of bread as being of the yeasty variety. But, that's just me.

It is from the Company's Coming Muffins and More book... by Jean Pare. I've made lots of the muffins and loaves in her book.... all tasty...

File this under any name you like.... although I'll print it out here as what they call it in the book. The orange goes so well with the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Tea Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tbsp. grated rind of orange
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda (I never put as much as they say... your call)
1/2 tsp. salt (I never put any, the butter already has plenty for me)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (use more.... it benefits from a bit more in the spice department)
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use toasted walnuts)
1/2 cup chopped dates (or raisins) ....

optional::: I like to also add some ground ginger, a sprinkle of all spice instead of the cloves and a tiny sprink of nutmeg...

Cream butter, sugar and 1 egg. Beat in second egg unti smooth. Mix in pumpkin, rind and juice.

In another bowl, measure and stir well all remaining ingredients. Pour all at once into batter in mixing bowl. Stir only enough to moisten. Pour into greased loaf pan 9 x 5 x 3.

Bake at 350 F (180 C) for about 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan to rack. Cool and wrap.

This loaf tastes even better the second and third day....

Spinach quesadillas

2010-04-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

Safeway has the cutest little cards of recipes... in the produce section and also in the meat area. I always look through them and sometimes there are several that I bring home. This one definitely caught my eye. I had lots of fun making them...and may I just say?... simple, tasty and, oh, no.... even pretty healthy too... a winning combination! Keep that card and file it!! Change things up any way you like.

Spinach and Black Bean Quesadillas

1 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion diced
3 to 4 cups fresh pre-washed spinach
4 8 or 10 inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (the recipe calls for Mexican blend whatever that is) (I used mozza and cheddar)
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. ground cumin (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until soft. Add spinach; cook and stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain well; set aside.

Coat large skillet with cooking spray and cook a tortilla til golden brown; turn over. Top with one-fourth of the cheese, beans and spinach; season with cumin if desired. Fold tortilla in half pressing gently; cook 2 minutes per side or til lightly browned and cheese melts. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges and serve.

((I added chicken and also did things a bit differently because it seemed easier. I used only one pan for everything))

Cooked some chicken thighs in a non stick pan. Then, I added cumin to the chicken thighs which I also seasoned with basil and some red pepper flakes (add any other spices you like). Removed chicken from the pan, cooled and sliced it while softening the onions (I added a teensy bit of oil and about a tsp. of butter) and some yellow pepper slices in the same pan... added the spinach and a clove of minced garlic. Wilted it slightly, quickly gave it a stir and removed it to a platter. Then began browning a tortilla in the same pan ... and followed directions for filling and browning.

Next time I think I'll try them with refried beans with green chilis.... nice and spicy...

Brussels Sprouts

2010-03-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yes....they originally were popular in Belgium...hence the name. A lot of folks don't care for them...I love them. If you overcook sprouts, they release a sulphurous odor ... which is one of the reasons some people don't care for them.

This recipe is for raw sprouts. I prefer them at least slightly cooked myself because they are sometimes a bit strong or bitter to me if raw. But... still love 'em ... however, I do sometimes wish we could all taste fruit and veggies directly from the vine..(or tree or whatever) ... at the peak of freshness and perfectly sun ripened. If wishes were horses, as they say.......

Okay, back to this particular recipe.

I watch a new cooking show called Best Recipes Ever ... they have a ton of great recipes available online... called "tested til perfect". Find them at canadianliving.com

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

3 tbsp. light mayonnaise
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. each Dijon mustard and Anchovy paste ( I omitted the Anchovy paste)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
pinch pepper
4 cups (1 L ) shredded Brussels sprouts (about 16 sprouts) (she used food processor to shred them)
2 tbsp. each extra virgin olive oil and diced prosciutto or bacon (who needs oil when you have bacon fat? ..hmmm...)

In large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cheese, lemon juice, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Add brussels sprouts, tossing to coat. Set aside.

In skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook prosciutto until crisp. (I used bacon and no oil of course) Add prosciutto with oil to sprouts mixture, tossing to combine. Let stand for 10 minutes to wilt slightly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other option:::: I chose to cut my sprouts in halves and quarters, and toss them into my pan with some slices of almost cooked bacon. Once softened a bit...I turned off heat and added the mayo mixture ...folding into the sprouts. Served it in the nice stainless pan in which I cooked the bacon. Next time I think I will blanch or ever so slightly cook the sprouts first... ooooohhh.... it's a yummy dish.
Creamy mashed potatoes, carrots in broth with fresh parsley....tenderloin with Apple cider ...

Of course, not necessarily one to make every time you enjoy sprouts...but, for special occasions. Or... even as what I call "Sunday on a Monday" as I decided we were having the other day. I didn't do much for supper on the Sunday because the day just got away from me. So, figured, what the heck... I'll do something nice on Monday. I'm home all day.... and with tenderloin as the main dish..it sure doesn't take long to turn out something pretty special....stay tuned for the tenderloin recipe.

Art Smith's Peach Cobbler

2010-03-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well, actually.... the only reason I call it that is because I watched Top Chef Masters a few weeks ago and he was on as a contestant. One of the things he was doing was a tiny version of Peach Cobbler... rolling out some light dough with a miniature rolling pin.... and he used the teeniest little ramekins with a handle.... it was pretty cute because he has huge hands and it made everything look even more miniscule. The judges were suitably impressed with the cuteness of it as well.

I don't have a clue what he put into it... they don't tell you and you don't get to see all of the preparation...

But, .. I had to give one a try even though it was a guessing game. I tried to find his recipes on line... no luck at all. Too much advertising to go through to get anywhere with that. I gave up.

No fresh peaches around here at this time of year, so I used some canned in pear juice. Butter the ramekins. I added a bit of cornstarch to my juice and tossed in a few blueberries. I thought it would add to the dish as I have seen recipes before that had peaches and blueberries, but, honestly, it makes the peaches a horrible deep purplish colour and ..well....it just didn't look that great to me. Next time...just peaches.

I was already mixing up some sweet tea biscuit dough for an apple cobbler, so just swiped a little blob...added a bit of flour to it.. and floured the countertop and rolled out a piece. I sprinkled a bit of sugar on top as well..to counter the adding of flour. Don't want dry tasteless tops on my cobbler!

Baked them til lovely and golden and voila... Peach Cobbler. So cute. The perfect snack for Mr. BV and me when he came home from work....

Then.... we had supper. Hahahah.... yes, indeed, always have dessert first. That's my motto.

Those puffy white things??

2010-03-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

Last time I made stew, my sweetie asked if I was going to make "those puffy white things" to go with it. Huh? ... for a second I was stumped. Then, I realized what he meant. And... was quietly pleased that he thought my dumplings were puffy and light.... what better compliment could the chief cook and bottle washer receive?

As is my usual.... I'm posting the basic recipe from my old Canadian Cookbook.... I add or subtract items if I don't or do have them in the house on the day. The underlying flavour is very much the same.... and I love the aroma of a good stew. Our Mom wasn't one to cook daily...but, when she did, she made some great tasting suppers. Stew was one of the most amazing aromas to come home to after a cold walk from school.... so it brings back memories. This stew is very similar and therefore very familiar.... I love it.

Beef Stew

1 1/2 pounds beef
1/3 cup seasoned flour
1 small onion (sliced or chopped)
some vegetable stock or water
1/3 cup celery sliced
6 carrots, halved or chopped
6 potatoes, quartered or chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
pepper
flour

Trim fat and coarse tissue from the meat; cut into 1 inch cubes.
Dredge at least half the meat with flour; brown slowly in a little hot fat in a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid. ( I like to make it in my electric frying pan..it's so easy to adjust the heat and have it simmering for as long as I want) (Alternatively, at this point you could put meat into crock pot..add the veggies and continue simmering in the crock)
Add the rest of the meat and the onion; add just enough stock or water to cover the meat (about 1 quart). Cover the pan.
Simmer 1 hour; add the vegetables, and more water if necessary and simmer another hour. Add 1/3 white wine if desired.
Thicken with a mixture of flour and water if you like.

NB::..... I don't know what they mean by seasoned flour... but, I usually grind in a good scraping of fresh black pepper. Once the meat is browned and I have added onion and water...I also add a good splash of Rice Vinegar and another splash of Light Soy Sauce.
I like to use sweet basil, some rosemary ... or, a mix of Italian Spices or Herbes De Provence.... and, always, a large Bay Leaf.... that is the taste of stew for sure!

If I have a turnip around.... I like to add some and even parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower, fresh or frozen green beans or peas... don't forget the celery tops and leaves too.... ! ... whatever veggies you love. And... I chop lots of fresh parsley into it as well.

Then... when it has simmered for a few hours... those puffy white things!

Dumplings

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 to 1/3 cup fat
2/3 cup milk

Mix and sift flour, salt and baking powder. (Again... for us..I never use salt.. and find that salty butter is enough... it's up to you)

Cut in fat with pastry blender til it is the texture of meal.
Stir in the milk to make a sticky dough.
Spoon out large dollops of the dough either onto a floured plate... and from there to the stew...or directly onto the gently bubbling stew. There should not be so much liquid that the dumplings cannot rest on the meat and vegetables. Allow a space of about 3 inches for the dumplings to rise.
Drop dumplings quickly into the stew, spacing them out a bit and cover the pan.
Keep the stew simmering and do NOT lift lid for about 15 minutes.
Lift dumplings onto a plate; thicken the stew; pour the stew into a serving plate or leave in electric skillet and arrange dumplings back on top....

NB:: I use only 2 to 2 1/2 tsps. baking powder ... I don't like tasting it AT all and they seem to puff up just fine. I used the larger amount of butter... 1/3 cup... and no salt.

Maple Walnut Scones

2010-02-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

I hung this out on my other blog for our photo of the week theme... clouds...but...I think it's just perfect for today's recipe here as well....

The Canadian Olympics....

would you like a little Maple Syrup to go with that? .. these are my tasty version of this scone recipe I found ages ago. Of course, after I make them exactly as stated the first time.... I play around with ingredients and they never come out the same twice in a row after that.
This time I used some raisins, dried cranberries and usually less walnuts than called for in the recipe. Oh, and...I never use quite the amount of baking powder either...I hate the residual taste of it in any baked product and usually find I can get away with at least 2 tsps. less with no problem.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces, about 3/4 cup walnut halves) finely chopped walnuts*
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt ( as usual, I never bother with this when using salted butter)
2/3 cup of butter
1 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup, divided
1/2 teaspoon Maple flavouring

Instructions

*The walnuts are tastier if you toast them before chopping. Place walnut pieces in a single layer in a flat pan and toast them in a preheated 350°F oven for 5 to 9 minutes, or until they smell "toasty" and are beginning to brown. Watch them like a hawk. Who can afford to ruin $$ worth of nuts!

In a large bowl, combine the flour, walnuts, baking powder and salt. Cut in the shortening and/or butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. ((I cut in the fat before adding the walnuts..it seems easier to me))

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, 1/3 cup (3 3/4 ounces) of the maple syrup, and the maple flavoring. (You can leave out the maple flavoring if you wish, but it really adds a nice touch.) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until you've formed a very soft dough.

Flour your work surface generously, and scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl onto the floured surface. Divide the dough in half.

Working with one half at a time, gently pat the dough into a 7-inch circle about 7/8-inch thick. Transfer the circle to a parchment-lined or lightly greased cookie sheet or other flat pan; it'll be very soft, and if you have a giant spatula, it's the tool of choice here. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough, placing it on a separate pan.

Using a sharp bench knife or rolling pizza wheel, divide each dough circle into eight wedges. Gently separate the wedges so that they're almost touching in the center, but are spaced about an inch apart at the edges. Pierce the tops of the scones with the tines of a fork, and brush them with some of the remaining maple syrup.

Bake the scones in a preheated 425°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and brush them with any remaining maple syrup. Wait a couple of minutes, then gently separate the scones with a knife (they'll be very fragile), and carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, with jam or maple butter (or even better, maple cream, an amber-colored, spreadable version of maple syrup).

NB:: This is the original recipe from some old publication ..cut out .. so I'm sorry, but I can't give credit because I can't even tell you from whence it came.

...instead of patting and cutting... I usually leave out just a bit of flour in any original scone recipe until I make sure of the consistency ...I can add a bit more at the end if I want it a bit stiffer... and plop large spoonfuls of the softer dough onto the baking sheet. As you see from the picture... .... they are then rustic mounds instead of flat scones.

a "first" ...

2010-02-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I've never eaten Creamed Spinach in my life. Until a couple of days ago. Neither has my sweetie.. .. maybe it's not a common thing to Canadians? Or .. maybe we have both been living under a rock. It is YUMMY!

However, having said that...it is also one of those dishes that you couldn't actually call heart healthy... so we won't be having it too often. But, I am definitely in favour of everything in moderation. So... on occasion.... I'll be making this!

I saw the recipe on Lines from Linderhof and had to give it a try.

I used half and half butter and olive oil, and added some chopped onions, which I softened a bit, then added the garlic to the onions instead of to the spinach. I also added a bit of mustard and some chopped fresh parsley to the sauce once it got going nicely. I cooked my spinach in a separate pan while the white sauce thickened a bit; then tossed it into the sauce... stirred it gently and divided it between two gratin dishes.

Linderhof Creamed Spinach
Fresh spinach, sauteed ever so lightly in olive oil with a hint of garlic. Then set aside while you melt butter, add a bit of flour and then milk (or cream if you must -- we must!) until it gets thick. Add just a hint of grated nutmeg -- there is something about cooked greens and nutmeg that just goes together. Add the spinach and pour it all into a gratin dish -- we like individual ones -- sprinkle with a bit of grated Parmesan and pop it into the oven until it is hot, bubbly and the cheese is melted.

I used the parmesan sparingly as I do try not to overdo with cheeses... just a little taste to say I had some because I love it...but, .... sigh...I envy you if you can eat cheese.....

... served on a bed of couscous.. with orange-y chicken.

hahahah...okay...listen... there were two totally different sizes of gratin dishes. This was the bigger of the two...and we shared. Honest. But, I almost licked the dish. The smaller one became lunch the following day... with meatloaf. If you haven't made spinach lately... try this. If you never have... like me ... get right on it. You'll be glad you did.

George made me do it ...

2010-01-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

Well, he didn't stand over me with a big stick or anything...but, thanks to his post about stuffed squash, I got the idea of doing the same thing with the one I had sitting on my counter. It was sitting there for a week... we talked..... I gave it a name.... it was my buddy. But, yesterday, Wilson became supper. And a very tasty little dish he was too.

Who has a machete big enough or sharp enough to cut one of those things? Ridiculous. They should sell them already cut all the time. If there is anybody available in the produce department...get them to cut it for you. I partially cooked him.. er, it.... in the microwave so it was soft enough to cut in half. I usually make a few tiny slits or at least some fork pricks first....just in case. I've never had one explode...but, you never know..

Here is my rendition.

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Scoop out most of the flesh, leaving enough around the edges to hold the squash together while baking. About half an inch.

Gently saute some onions, garlic and celery in a little butter. When softened but not brown, add the scooped out squash. Sprinkle with herbs of choice...I had some fresh Rosemary and also used a bit of basil, some pepper, and paprika.

Gently cook for a bit and then add whatever else you'd like and fill the scooped out halves with the mixture. I had some Chick peas and some leftover ham in the fridge so added that as well.

Add a cheese of your choice.... this time I used Feta. You could use blue cheese... cheddar and some mozza.... or whatever strikes your fancy. I am stingy with cheese for myself because I am struggling to manage inherited high cholesterol with diet only.... so far I am maintaining ... sometimes I put on some extra for my sweetie, but mostly he is very happy with whatever I'm cooking.

George says he likes a bit of honey on his...but I just happened to have some real Canadian Maple Syrup open and thought...oh, yeh...why not? Drizzled lightly over the top...and baked in 375 oven for about 20 minutes.

Chicken Picante

2010-01-21T22:17:00.000-08:00

Another month shot by...yet again! Brother.

Sandy says she keeps forgetting I have this blog...and lately I am feeling the same way. I forget I have it! That's bad.....

Okay...'nuff whining....onward with the chicken. This is one of those amazing dishes that is so easy to do and yet tastes great !

It's from a little booklet called 101+ Chicken Recipes.

Chicken Picante

1/2 cup medium hot chunky taco sauce (I like Pace)
1/4 cup Dijon style mustard
2 TBSP fresh lime juice (sometimes I use lemon)
3 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved (thighs would be great too)
2 TBSP butter or margarine
plain yogurt

Combine taco sauce, mustard and lime juice in large bowl. ( I usually add some garlic, basil and rosemary, too) Add chicken, turning to coat. Cover; marinate in 'fridge at least 30 minutes.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat 'til foamy. Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade. Add chicken to skillet; cook about 10 minutes or 'til brown on both sides.
Add marinade; cook about 5 minutes or til chicken is tender and marinade glazes chicken.
Remove chicken to serving plater. Boil marinade over high heat 1 minute; pour over chicken.
Garnish with cilantro or lime slices if desired. Serve with yogurt.

::: Last time I made this I didn't bother with marinating ... too close to suppertime. Quickly browned each side of the chicken .. poured marinade mixture over chicken ... let it simmer gently for a bit.. turned off heat. Add yogurt directly to the chicken and sauce... gently turning it into sauce... let it sit for about 5 more minutes or so... and enjoy!

::: You can use regular mustard..but, don't use quite as much... do some tasting... or even dry mustard..again... taste... I've tried it all ways... still great.

Last time I had chicken thighs... and I had some fresh Rosemary on hand..so tossed in a sprig... mmmm ... so fragrant! Love fresh Rosemary...

We had it with lovely creamy mashed potatoes and some sprouts...

what year were Christmas Cookie magazines $5.99 ??

2009-12-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

The year was 1999 ....

I used to love looking at cookie and baking mags.... and if the covers look like this...had to buy them .. immediately. But... there is hardly anything new under the sun now... and the covers are just not that beautiful anymore. Now... I barely give them a second glance.. and I certainly don't feel compelled to buy them these days.

Maybe I have weaned myself because I have plenty; but, I do think the quality or interest is just not there. They really don't "pop" in the racks of mags. So.. I save my great ones in protector sleeves...in a file box. There is an ancient one in there ... 39 cents !! good grief! what year was that? hahahhaa... I forget. Really...

I pore over them for a month for ideas even if I tweak their recipes a bit here and there. They come in handy any time of year actually, and I know exactly where to find them. I even have a special cupboard for the boxes and books of recipes... .. pages tagged.. the bestest of the best (in my mind) ... and this is a keeper.

However, it does require a bit of chopping.... so allow some time. I like to chop the cranberries and nuts earlier and then get around to assembly... food processors are not the answer with nuts either so forget using it. They turn into nut butter much too quickly... I've actually found that a bread or serrated knife works best for me.

Seeing as I had to get these done in one day....I was a chopping blur....

...tried this knife for a while...but resorted to my trusty bread knife....

mmmm.... you can really taste the orange in this bar.. . really adds a special something.

In this batch, I also added about 1/3 cup of crushed Skor bars as I had some left over from Caramel Macchiato Shortbread. Waste not... you now me if you've been around this blog before.. and besides... a bit of chocolate is never a bad thing.

Cranberry Macadamia Bars

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)

1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, or pecans ( I used macadamia)

2 beaten eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 TBSP milk

1 tsp finely shredded orange peel (I used a zester)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts, hazelnuts or pecans

1 cup finely chopped cranberries (I used frozen)

1/2 cup cocoanut

Stir together flour and the 3/4 cup sugar in mixing bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in 1/2 cup nuts. Press mixture into bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.

Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes or til the crust is lightly browned around edges.

Meanwhile, combine eggs, the 1 1/4 cups sugar, milk, orange peel, and vanilla in mixing bowl. Beat 'til combined. Pour over the hot crust. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup nuts (here I added some chopped Skor bar bits) the cranberries, and cocoanut.

Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes more or 'til golden. Cool slightly in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars while warm. Be gentle and use sharp knife.. they are still pretty soft, but you should be able to make nice edges.. ... cool completely in pan.

add some cherries......

2009-12-20T22:01:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Chunk Cookies....

I made them earlier this year and we really enjoyed them. At the time I did muse about perhaps adding some cherries for a little extra flair. MMMM.... yep it works!

It is an easy recipe... they look great and taste pretty darn amazing.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Cherries

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sifted cocoa
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
::optional... drained, chopped maraschino cherries

Cream butter, brown sugar and cocoa in large bowl or mixer bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla ..mix til fluffy.
Add remaining 5 ingredients. Mix well. Add some chopped maraschino cherries at this point.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. (I have enamel sheets and they didn't need greasing..test bake one to check on your sheets.... but, they probably won't need much at any rate...)
Leave as drops or flatten slightly with glass or fingers.... put a bit more cherry on top if you like. Bake at 350 F or 170 C for 10 to 12 minutes. Remember...it's chocolate... keep an eye on them! Mine barely needed 10 minutes.

(I only used about 3/4 cup semi sweet dark and white chocolate squares chopped into chunks..it was plenty...)
(1/2 cup was enough... I toasted them beforehand... better flavour)...

Chicken Cacciatore

2009-11-30T20:59:00.000-08:00

"In the pan in which the chicken was browned" .... for some reason I just love that sentence!

Every time I reach for my Canadian Cook Book to look up my recipe for cacciatore...I say it out loud. Usually to no one but me.. seeing as I am usually the only one home when I begin supper. Silly me...but, I do... every single time....

I don't make it often enough to remember the ingredients or the actual doing...but, definitely remember that little line...

As usual.... any recipe is just a guideline... unless of course, it is Julia and a French recipe... then, by all means follow it to the letter if you want perfect results every time!

This one is forgiving.... it doesn't even give amounts really... but, I am usually working with about 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs... so here is the exact recipe from my lovely, old, Canadian Cook Book.

Chicken Cacciatore

In the pan in which the chicken was browned, cook 1 thinly sliced onion and 1 clove crushed garlic, until golden brown.

Blend in one cup water, one 8 ounce tin tomato paste, a tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper; cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour. Add 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms and 1/2 cup dry red wine (optional) and cook uncovered for 5 minutes more.

That's it... but,...... I like to add some canned tomatoes and I never use any salt for sure because there is plenty in a tin of tomatoes. I have discovered heart healthy canned tomatoes sans salt though... ..so some days I like to mix half and half.. it's perfect then! I don't like the taste of too much salt. Also... I like to brown my mushrooms in a tiny bit of butter before I do the chicken.. take them out while browning chicken and toss them back in. Add some celery along with the onion as well... some extra spices..like oregano, sweet basil or Herbes de Provence spices ..whatever you feel like using on the day or whatever you have handy.

We have it with spaghetti, a bit of Parmesan scraped on and some freshly ground black peppercorns. Yum. Oh...and...it's especially great with a slice of freshly baked Tuscan Peasant Bread toasted .. (that bread makes the absolute best toast !!) with some garlic butter on... just crush some garlic and mix it into a tablespoon of butter... mmmmmmm..........

See why I try to cut back on salts and fats where I can? Because I do like the occasional tsp. of butter.... and I am darn well having real butter on my real breads... beautiful and home made breads! Now that I've learned to bake my own breads... store bought just doesn't cut it...

Naan Bread

2009-11-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to give some Naan a try for years... since long before I got brave and learned to make breads.... and each time I say that I say a quiet thank you to Lewis... whose blog really inspired me and then he even sent me some bread making books. What a guy! He has not been blogging since moving to Italy... probably because there is too much bread baking happening there.

Next time I make them...I think I'll add the dry ingredients to the wet instead of the way the recipe indicated...that way I will have a better handle on the dryness of things. The first time I make a recipe...I follow it to the letter and make notes... but, next time.... I make my own adjustments....

The flavour and texture turned out wonderful...but, I think it might just work better with a teensy bit less flour than they called for and be a bit easier to make it smoother... a smoother looking chunk of bread is all I want from this recipe......see how it is creased here and there? ...not like the picture in the book...which by the way is BREAD by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter ..... could be the weather...the elevation...whatever... but, next time..a bit less flour initially might just do it.

Naan Bread

2 cups unbleached white bread flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 ounce fresh yeast (I used about 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast)

4 TBSP lukewarm milk

1 TBSP vegetable oil

2 TBSP plain yogurt

1 egg

2 - 3 tablespoons melted ghee or butter; for brushing.

Sift flour and salt together into a large bowl. In smaller bowl, cream the yeast with the milk. Set aside for 15 minutes. (I just sprinkled my yeast on the milk, stirred it in.. ... it foamed up nicely after about 15 )...

Add the yeast mixture, oil, yogurt and egg to the flour and mix to a soft dough.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. (My dough initially seemed a bit dry to me, but eventually didn't feel too bad).. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise, in warm place, for 45 minutes, or until double in bulk.

Preheat oven to 450F. Place baking sheet in oven to heat also. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface .. punch down. Divide into 3 equal pieces and shape into balls. Cover two of the balls with oiled plastic wrap and roll out the third into a teardrop shape about 10 inches long, 5 inches wide and with a thickness of about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch.

Place Naan on hot baking sheets and bake for 3 - 4 minutes or until puffed up.

Then place under hot broiler for a few seconds or until the top browns slightly.

Wrap Naan in a dish towel to keep warm while rolling out and cooking the remaining naan. Brush with melted ghee or butter and serve warm.

Makes 3 Naan.

Parsnip Puffs

2009-11-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

I had no idea how these would turn out... but.....they have been declared "a keeper" by Mr. BumbleVee...

Parsnip Currant Puffs

2 lbs. parsnips

2 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

salt and pepper

3 TBSP red curant jelly

In medium bowl, whip egg whites until stiff but still moist. Fold into parsnip mixture.

Divide most of the mixture amongst 8 buttered (6oz./175ml) custard cups or individual souffle dishes.

Make well in each, spoon in one eighth of the jelly and cover with remaining parsnip mixture, smoothing the top. Place filled dishes in shallow pan with boiling water halfway up sides of dishes.

Bake in preheated 325 F (160) oven about 20 minutes or until slightly puffed and set on top. Serve immediately.

I just filled each ramekin half full.. placed a big flat dollop of the Apple Jelly .. and then filled the ramekin with more parsnip mixture.

Frozen berries...

2009-11-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

I prefer fresh blueberries when making scones... they don't leave streaks of colour ... but, not many fresh berries around now...so ... we'll take 'em how we can... just to get scones at all.

Days go by and by the time I think about putting some wonderful recipe on here... the moment passes... or it is a day when I haven't done any baking or perhaps haven't made a very exciting meal...or.... as in this day... I baked Blueberry muffins...which are already on the blog... somewhere.... and... Artichoke Chicken... which is also on here.

All of a sudden a month passes... yikes! how it flies...the time that is... not the chicken..

Today I found some old Homemaker magazines in my purging and moving of "stuff". Tomorrow, ...I'm trying parsnip puffs. I've got parsnips... let's see what puffs taste like.

Give the Artichoke Chicken a try sometime...it's yummy.....

World bread day......

2009-10-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day.... World Bread Baking Day ..... here is the link to my easy recipe for my first bread.... and also Tuscan Peasant Bread... my second try.... Check out Zorra's .... and read more about the day and her bread and see other wonderful recipes and fun blogs........

If I can do it so can you.... I only began playing with yeast a couple of years ago after being too afraid (which is silly) to give it a try. I love baking ...why wouldn't I have tried bread years ago? Again..... silly me... now I'm even trying Artisan type breads. Find a recipe..give it a try and it turns out yummy....every one. There's nuthin' to this bread baking thing now that I'm onto it ... hahahha.... it's fun! My only regret? Why the heck didn't I start much sooner. There is nothing better than the lovely aroma of freshly baked bread right there in your own kitchen.

almost feels like Christmas....

2009-09-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

.....except for the unseasonably warm and beautiful blue sky days we are having in the foothills of the Rockies. Well, they say that is where we are...but, they are a bit further away than our doorstep ... at least an hour and a half..or so......
but, be that as it may, what great days!! I burned a lovely scented candle earlier in the day to get rid of the popcorn smell.... I tried out a new popcorn maker...and a few kernels got caught under the little sweeps... back to the shopit goes. Sigh ... some year I will find the perfect popcorn maker.

'tis the season for those great little Italian plums again too... remember those from last year? You don't ... shame on you for not seeing my plum loaf then...hahaha..... or not... never mind.... it's not that important. But...it is that tasty and if you haven't tried some of these little guys... maybe now is the time. They are the backyard variety.. found in any of the older neighbourhoods.

You only need 8 or so to make a cup... which will make one loaf.

Do you ever crack an egg into the mixture only to realize you also got a bit of shell in there as well? ...then you have to spend time digging it out? I began breaking my eggs into a separate bowl years ago.... saves time and frustration.

oooooh....a lovely soft mixture.... dollops of yogurt in there....

I love the tart hits of some of the plums.... maybe they are not quite as ripe as the rest.

I'm a delinquent...

2009-09-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

...but, I have excuses..... oh, yeh...I remember now...nobody wants to hear them.

Well, in honour of me finding half an hour while my slave driver is having a bath....I'm doing a post about something beginning with a big D.... maybe he won't notice that I'm not painting doorframes......

Dark and delicious.... chocolate!!

here's the picture...and mine.....

They are from the Company's Coming Chocolate Everything book by Jean Pare. Somebody named them white chip cookies...huh? ...terrible...I call them Double Chocolate Chunk cookies. .. cuz I used chunks of white chocolate instead of chips.

Here they are. You'll notice I always throw in my own twobits as I tell you the recipe... sometimes I think they put in too much of this or that ... suit yourself....but, here it is straight from the book.......

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sifted cocoa
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips (I only used about 3/4 cup semi sweet dark and white chocolate chopped into chunks..it was plenty...)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (1/2 cup was enough... I toasted them beforehand... better flavour)...

Cream butter, brown sugar and cocoa in large bowl or mixer bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla ..mix til fluffy.
Add remaining 5 ingredients. Mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. (I have enamel sheets and they didn't need greasing..test bake one to check on your sheets.... but, they probably won't need much at any rate...)
Leave as drops or flatten slightly with glass or fingers.... Bake at 350F or 170C for 10 to 12 minutes. Remember...it's chocolate... keep an eye on it! Mine barely needed 10 minutes.

Says it makes 3 dozen.... only made 23 of my tablespoon size...... hmmmmm.... my tablespoons must be bigger... *grin*** .......

Ohhhhh.....are they delish!! I just made them last night and already only 5 left... but, I did take a few for the old guys at the golf course today...and gave a few to my neighbour..... .........

Strawberry Scones

2009-06-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

Strawberries were on special... and they were so sweet and juicy...

One day it was strawberry shortcake and a day later, not wanting to waste a single berry..I made some scones.

Here is the basic sweet tea biscuit recipe I use. Instead of rolling or cutting ..I just drop it in huge dollops onto a baking sheet. It makes lovely rustic looking scones.

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
4 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firm shortening (I always use butter)
1 egg
milk

Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Cut in fat with pastry blender 'til mixture has the appearance of fine crumbs.

Beat the egg with a fork in measuring cup and add milk to make one cup. Add milk and mix gently. If it seems a bit dry I add a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt. Perhaps if you prefer to roll it or make cut outs.. you won't need the extra moisture..., but I like mine nice and moist.

Drop large rounds onto a baking sheet..leaving a bit of room to spread.

Bake at 400 F for 10 - 20 minutes. depending upon the size.

It says it makes 12-18 biscuits 3/4 inch thick. I usually make 9 large mounded scones....or 6 giant ones.

For a creamy lemony/strawberry scone... substitute buttermilk or sour cream for the milk, add juice of 1/2 to 1 whole lemon and some lemon zest; reduce baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and a handful of cut up strawberries. I usually make some smaller chunks and some a bit larger .... Sprinkle sugar on the top if you like.

These are lovely ... with a great crumb.... and even two days later (if any survive that long ) .. are not dry or tasteless. If you want to reheat ...place in a paper towel...and heat for a few minutes in the microwave. Just like fresh out of the oven. Quick and easy... give them a try..you'll be glad you did!

the "slipper" tastes pretty good...

2009-06-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ciabatta ... apparently the name means "carpet slipper"... is a no-knead bread anyway, so I'm not sure what the big deal is in the video....but, it seemed so simple compared to other recipes in my bread books... (which call for a few more steps and a few more ingredients) ... so, I gave it a try. It was simple...pretty tasty and I'll definitely make it again. I was surprised that the crust did not get as dark as the Tuscan Peasant Bread... but, perhaps the oil and cornmeal on the baking sheet is the way to go versus the parchment .... ?? or, perhaps the water in the oven for extra moisture is the answer.. or, perhaps the honey in the mix ... ?? who knows, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the bottom more golden than dark brown. Not that I mind a well cooked crust. I also love a chewy crust...which this has. Yum... I only had one small piece today...but, can't wait for toast in the morning.... I love artisan type breads toasted!

The crumb of mine is not as airy as the master's... but, it still has a few good sized holes. My bread book says to handle it very gently to preserve the air bubbles for those lovely large voids. .. not that extra large holes would enhance the flavour. Perhaps I'll wear kid gloves next time.... just so I can have a holey loaf for my photo shoot.

Oh, yes....the guy doesn't mention it in his video..but..on his blog...he says he always bakes bread with a pan of water on the bottom of his oven. It would probably be a good idea to revise your video mister...

No knead ciabatta

2009-06-02T20:11:00.001-07:00

No-Knead Ciabatta Bread from Foodwishes on Vimeo.

Had to post this one.... Susan sent me a no knead video... the one that calls for heating your lovely Le Creuset dutch oven in blistering heat before you toss in the dough... and I just couldn't get my head around doing that. Not that I own one but, you know..say if I did....some day.....

Plus..it sounds a bit dangerous...so hot and all...

So...I while I was checking out the video..I saw this one. Ahhh...much better idea. Hey Susan...it is the Tuscan all over again... your recipe is still the best. Although, with this one ... they just mix and leave it for 18 hours..then bake it. I'm definitely giving this one a go... I'll let you know what happens.

UPDATE:: I knew it!! found this post on a foodie site talking about no-knead breads.....

Don't use your enamel Le Creuset for this procedure! Massive, permanent, discoloration and funky spots and stripes to your pot. Did this about a year ago and my beautiful pot, although functional, is now ugly.

French Dimpled Rolls

2009-05-08T22:14:00.001-07:00

In my search for Kaiser buns, I thought this might fill the bill...but, still not a Kaiser. However, they ARE very tasty buns...or rolls as they are called in my Bread book. The description says:
"A French and Belgian specialty, these attractive rolls are distinguished by the split down the center. They have a crusty finish while remaining soft and light inside -- they taste great, too."
If you know Kaiser buns you can see why I thought this might be the same type of crust and flavour.

3 1/2 cups white bread flour (I used all purpose flour)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 ounce fresh yeast (I used 1 and 1 1/2 tsp. Traditional Active yeast granules )
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3/4 cup lukewarm water

Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Sift flour and salt into large bowl. Stir in sugar and make a well in center.

Mix yeast with the milk until dissolved, then pour into the center of the flour mixture. Sprinkle on a little of the flour from around the edge. Let sit at room temperature for 15 - 20 minutes or til the mixture starts to bubble.

Add the water and gradually mix in the flour to form a fairly moist, soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 - 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with tea towel and let rise at room temperature, for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface and punch down. re-cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 10 pieces. Shape into balls by rolling the dough under a cupped hand, then roll until oval. Lightly flour the tops. Space apart on baking sheets, cover with tea towel and let rise, at room temperature, for about 30 minutes or til almost doubled in size.

Lightly oil the side of your hand and press the center of each roll to make a deep split. Re-cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place a baking pan in bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 450 F. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the pan and bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

What are they talking about? I slathered on some butter and had mine steaming hot!! Ohhhhhhh.... YUM !!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WARNING! If you have not poured hot water into a very hot baking or roasting pan before...please be careful ! It still sizzles and splashes a lot. Make sure you hold it at a distance and wear a glove.... it still is pretty wild. The second batch I made..I poured some in before it got up to temperature...and added some more as I put the buns into the oven. This particular book doesn't even say use boiling water... and it definitely should. For safety.

I found my hand didn't make any type of split at all in the dough..., so, ... I used my bread scraper to make a deep groove and could have gone deeper or sharper to make them look more like the picture in the book.

I also mixed mine in my mixer and used the regular way of mixing things. Began with yeast sprinkled on water, etc... then add flour later...after the poolish bubbled.......

These are yummy buns indeed...just not quite what I wanted ... I was still on the hunt for the elusive Kaiser buns...or as I found out later.... Kaiser rolls. I found some!! ... they will be next..

Who cares if they are not quite the picture in the Bread book. They sure did taste wonderful.....

Cinnamon

2009-02-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

This week's ingredient.... Cinnamon! I love cinnamon. Of course, I also like a bit of sweetness with it. Even in my Peanut Chicken recipe, I like to add some honey or brown sugar to mellow the taste of this lovely spice.
Cinnamon buns would be the perfect choice...but, as some of you may know I am on a workout and strengthening kick right now...so.... can't make those sinful treat...only because I just know I would absolutely feel compelled to eat more than one...okay...probably several....so...I chose this recipe instead. I can hold back with just a loaf...although this loaf is very tasty too!!
Guess who sent me this recipe? My financial advisor. What do you suppose that means?

The recipe says it is Cranberry Pumpkin Bread.... but, as usual, ...... to me it is not bread without yeast. Yeh, yeah..I know... many loaves are referred to as breads....but, not by me. Using frozen cranberries adds a little zing of tartness to the light sweetness of the loaf... I liked it. My brother baked it as well..(said it was too cold outside to do much else and the stove was helping keep the house warm).. .but he used Craisins...he figured they were cheaper, but I can't vouch for that and did enjoy the little tart surprises of non sweetened frozen berries. I never use the full amount of berries in any recipe either..... usually overkill in my guess-timation. I just toss in a handful that looks good to my eye. Remember my usual admonition.... a recipe is just a guideline... add or subtract as you like. Maybe you like more cinnamon...less clovers (yeah, right clovers...ahahha... as if... but, you know I meant cloves didn't ya?) anyway... always your own personal preference. I usually make a recipe to the letter the fist time...then, if it's what I call a "keeper", I tweak it in subsequent attempts... to perfect it for the enjoyment of my very own gustatory receptors....(my taste buds).... .

so...here is my nod to cinnamon for Diana's challenge this week....and I'm darn well referring to mine as a loaf ... so there.

Cranberry Pumpkin "Loaf"

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup orange juice
zest from an orange
1 1/2 tsps. vanilla
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

Stir together flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in large bowl.

In another bowl, (or mixer bowl) cream together butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix well. Add pumpkin puree, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix just until moist. Fold in cranberries.
Pour batter into a large greased loaf pan and bake on centre reack for 60 to 80 minutes or til a toothpick comes out clean. (mine took almost the full 80 mins)
Cool completely before slicing and serving. (the loaf is sort of soft feeling..and you will make a mess if you slice early..... .... yep..I had to taste it as soon as I could without burning my tongue...and crushed one end of it..... )

This definitely needs a large loaf pan or go for two smaller ones... perhaps check the times after 60 if you use smaller pans. I used my biggest loaf tin which is 9 X 5... and it was full. I do have to say it is a rather dense crumb to this loaf... it is not light and fluffy and really doesn't rise too much, As a matter of fact... the first one I made almost looked like it was not fully cooked ..but around the bottom and outside to halfway up the side...not in the middle where it would normally be if it was undercooked..... .weird... but, it definitely was baked right through. Maybe because it is so huge... it just weighed the lower part of the loaf down ... I'm not sure. Second batch (because I bought a large tin of pumpkin and had enough for seconds) I used two smaller loaf tins...and still there was a slight recurrence of that... but not as bad....don't know what it is.
However, this is still a very tasty loaf.... I'll make this one again sometime down the road....

Cabbage Challenge

2009-02-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

This week's ingredient for Chic Life's challenge is cabbage. Sky's the limit on dishes for that simple ingredient.... and so many of them are soooo tasty. I decided to do a soup, because when I looked in my 'fridge I spied some perfect little leftovers. Soups are such a great way to use them up and at the same time get plenty of nutrition.

A handful of parsley, a small half head of cabbage, one silly sausage .... .. some sprout water that I saved just for this...I added it to the chicken stock because I only had about two cups of stock ...all needed to be used ..... and soon. A big part of being frugal with food is never wasting it. Never leaving things in your fridge 'til they resemble school science experiments...

don't forget.... a recipe is not a code... "it's more like yer guidelines" .....
where have we heard that one? oh, yeh.... Pirates.... the code.... one of my fav lines.. soooo,,, along those lines....this is my soup adapted from Cabbage Soup in the Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking. I call it....

(More than) Cabbage Soup

1/2 to 1 cup cabbage (I shred and dice mine into about 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces)
2 slices bacon (chopped) or a large spicy sausage (or two) diced
1 small onion (or to taste)
1 or 2 carrots
1 stick celery
1 medium potato
1 tablespoon flour
4 cups stock ( I used chicken)
1 or 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper or (I used a small red pepper instead of black)
pinch of nutmeg
can of creamed corn (optional)
cup of milk (optional)

Heat bacon for some fat or use 2 tablespoons of butter, or..... a tablespoon of each (I prefer this as the veggies are less inclined to brown too quickly and I'm always trying for less butter anyway because of cholesterol) Add onion, celery, carrot and potato..... ... cook gently. Add cabbage and continue to cook gently. Don't let cabbage get brown. After about 10 minutes, sprinkle on a big tablespoon flour and mix well. Pour in about 4 cups stock. Mix well, add diced sausage, bay leaf, parsley, (salt if using) pepper, any other spices of your choosing and bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or so til veggies are tender but not mushy. Adjust seasoning; add nutmeg and tin of creamed corn. Simmer for about half an hour. Add a cup of milk and continue to heat, but be careful not to let come to boil after adding milk. ( It may separate if boiled ..and even if it tastes okay..it does not look as nice.)

If it has to sit longer than the times stated ...not to worry... .mine was ready and re-heated several times.... it just gets better..... though some of the potatoes get a bit less firm. We had it with some fresh home made bread, toasted.....oh, YUM! .... And, today....leftover soup for lunch.... mmmmmm......

Turmeric

2009-02-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

The special ingredient for the weekly fun food thing at Chick Life.. whoops.... Chic Life.... lol.... I call you "the chick" behind your back all the time Diana.

We call this recipe Peanutty Chicken... and I usually use a dollop of hot curry paste as my seasoning ingredient... which makes it a bit less fiddly. However, this is similar... and to get some heat I used dried red peppers from my friend Stan's garden. These little things are pretty potent...

...as a matter of fact, may I remind you that after cutting peppers, please remember to wash your hands several times before licking your fingers when cleaning honey off the knife with them.... whoa! that gave whole new meaning to hot lips!!

Peanutty Chicken

Portions are entirely up to you...this is just a guideline ... rely upon your own preferences for taste and amounts.

Brown some chicken in large skillet. I like thighs... Use a small amount of oil if it is not a stick free pan.

Turn chicken to brown other side and add some onions.... sprinkle all with liberal amount of turmeric and whatever other spices you like. I used Herbes de Provence and some fresh basil (which I added much later) Turmeric imparts a lovely colour right away... today it gave me an idea to make it an orange-y chicken and that was what I decided to add once the onions were slightly cooked.. orange juice.
Don't let the onions get brown...just nice and soft..... Simmer with lid on for 20 minutes or til chicken is nicely cooked. During the cooking I also added some celery.
Add some diced tomatoes.. I used a whole large tin. When tomatoes have simmered with turmeric and chicken for a bit..taste and add more spice if necessary. At this point, I also add a small red pepper, a few dollops of honey, a small handful of dried cranberries and several large spoonfuls of chunky peanut butter. Mix well.
Simmer for at least an hour... stirring every so often....

I decided to continue the orange theme and used chicken broth and orange juice for the liquid in a panful of couscous. Chopped up fresh parsley and tossed it with the couscous after it had been sitting for about 5 minutes.

I had a spaghetti squash already baked, so, we used that for a veg and served the chicken in sauce over that ...very tasty..

A few green peas for some colour... a salad on the side...et voila..... YUM! Peanutty Turmeric Chicken.

More blueberries!

2009-01-31T13:30:00.000-08:00

This one is a keeper.... not too sweet, but it has a lovely, sweet, crispy topping that gives it that little something extra. Definitely the perfect afternoon snack with coffee or tea.....

....or, for later with a sip of wine.......

perhaps a dollop of ice cream or frozen yogurt if you are eating healthy. I ain't sayin' that other word..you know the one that starts with die?....

This recipe is from Company's Coming Muffins and More. I used butter instead of the cooking oil... just can't seem to bring myself to use oil for baking...... and so I changed the mixing method a bit to the old standby...beat butter, sugar, eggs, etc.. for my method... however, here I give you the original and you can give it a try as is.. or change things as you please. Remember what Michael Smith always says about recipes being more or less a guideline....and every single time I hear him say it I laugh... thinking of Johnny Depp and the pirates... .. arrrhhhh, matey.... "it's not really a code.. it's more like yer guidelines" ... ..... lol...

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup milk
1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen

Topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in mixing bowl. (I don't bother with salt as I use salted butter)

In another bowl beat eggs until frothy. Mix in oil and milk. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix together. Fold in blueberries. Scrape into greased 9 inch tube pan. I used a shallow 9 inch cake pan and panicked a bit when it rose almost over the top... but, it was fine.

Topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter. Bake in 350F (180C) for 50-60 minutes or til it begins to shrink away from sides of pan. Cool about 30 minutes before removing from pan. Turn right side up.

(when I turned it out of the pan..I used a cookie sheet instead of cake rack over pan so I wouldn't have a million crumbs all over the place. Then..put cake plate on bottom of cake... turn right side up and take off the cookie sheet.) whew...but, it worked...hardly any crumb-y mess!

You could use cranberries, raspberries or even a bumbleberry mix instead of blueberries....

okay...there you have it...now, I'm off for tea and blueberries....oh, and cake....

Blueberries.....

2009-01-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

I'm doing Chic Life's blueberry challenge..... ..

This is a recipe I have had for eons. Okay..maybe just decades. It's one of the many recipes in my stash that I just saved and saved... somehow remembering which little booklet of recipes it was in. A prize winning recipes booklet from 1983 if you can believe it. Anyway... finally I got some pumpkin (because it calls for a cup of that) and actually mixed and baked it. Sigh.......................... it was quite bland even though I added some spices and extra moisture because I didn't like the proportions of wet to dry ingredients. What a disappointment... I don't think I will even bother printing out the recipe... but, here is a pic of the winner...and a pic of mine. How can something look so good and taste so....... .. average.........??

My sweetie seems to think it's okay....he is eating it and even seems to enjoy a slice. I can't bother putting calories into "the temple" that aren't amazing to taste. It's just too much work trying to stay trim and keep off unwanted pounds.

......instead of this Indian Cornbread recipe ....

may I offer instead, my own version of Lemon Blueberry Muffins. I played with this recipe one winter and got it to where we loved it. Now, these are worth every minute of my workout.... I make them at least once a month, but, after I eat the one (or sometimes even two) that I allow myself.... ... they get bagged and frozen for Mr. BumbleVee's lunches...

Hopefully I'll get around to trying one more this week..... Blueberry Coffee Cake......

Sabotage!!

2009-01-25T21:48:00.000-08:00

Oh, I'm bad..... last post was a salad and talking about eating healthy ...now, here I am with the chocolate.... sorry..... but, they were just too good not to share!

I changed a few things to suit myself...but, the original recipe is from the Company's Coming book Muffins and More. The original recipe called for cooking oil but I prefer to use butter in my baking.. . so I changed the mixing directions. They are called Chocolate Filled Muffins in the book if you have it and want to try their version. It called for a coconut filling to be pressed into the center of each. But, there was an alternative ...... maraschino cherries. I still had some in a jar from Christmas baking ... hey! perfect.

Chocolate Cherry Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I like to sift it for easier mixing)
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt ( I never use it)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
option:: handful of drained maraschino cherries, chopped into halves or thirds.

Beat butter in mixing bowl, add sugar and mix well. Add egg and beat again.

In large bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, (I always slightly less because I don't like to taste it at all !) salt, (if you use it), and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture... stir gently just a bit, then add milk... mixing just until moistened.

Gently fold in maraschino cherries or... place by hand into mixture after placing small amount into muffin cups then fill cups. I pushed mine well into the dough so they were not really visible from the outside... I didn't want them to get crispy or burn on any edges.

This dough is not really a wet mixture and I think next time I will also add a few tablespoons of the maraschino juice as well and perhaps even a teensy drop of almond flavouring...

Bake at 375 F. (180 C. ) for 20 minutes. Only makes 8 good size muffins.

Citrus Sprout Salad ....

2009-01-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

.... with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Lots of us are trying to get back to some healthy eating after the festive season... here's a great salad I found in a little magazine called Flavours. I don't often use the sprouts...and not always the poppy seeds either...but, the rest is a pretty tasty salad. The vinaigrette is easy to make... again, don't feel you have to use all ingredients. Remember, a recipe is just a guideline.... add and subtract as you like. .. (or, sometimes...as the ingredients you prefer or have on hand dictate)

Citrus Sprout Salad

6 cups baby Romaine leaves
1 each, navel orange, blood orange, mandarin orange, tangerine
1/2 cup juice from the fruit
1 ruby grapefruit
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted almonds coarsely chopped
1 cup bean sprouts

Peel, pith and section fruit. Arrange on bed of baby romaine and red onion. Sprinkle with almonds. Top with sprouts.

Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Pinch of salt
1/2 cup citrus juice
1 tbsp. raspberry vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp. poppy seeds
fresh ground black pepper

Whisk salt with citrus juice and vinegar. Slowly add olive oil. Stir in honey, cayenne and poppy seeds.

Just before serving, pour dressing on salad and toss lightly. Add a grind of pepper to finish...

I like a chunk of toasted Peasant Bread with mine.......

Tropical Christmas Bread...

2009-01-07T11:34:00.000-08:00

It is called Christmas Bread....but, this is not a yeast loaf... and truly... since we can find Macadamia nuts all year round... why wouldn't we just enjoy it whenever?? I call it Tropical Fruit Bread myself. Sometimes I bake it when I want a tasty loaf instead of muffins....and, at the festive season, I even give it a little splash of rum....

Tropical Christmas Bread

1 14 ounce (398 ml) can tidbits
1 1/2 cups golden seedless raisins (any raisin will do)
1/3 cup diced candied ginger
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup macadamia nuts (I like to roughly chop mine )
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Place pineapple bits in deep bowl. Add raisins, ginger, coconut, and macadamia nuts. Mix well.

In mixer bowl... cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in pineapple juice.

Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to sugar mixture. Fold in fruit mixture.

Spoon into 5 greased and floured mini loaf pans. Bake in 350F oven for 20 - 25 minutes or til toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool. Remove from tins..

My 5 mini loaf pans are varying sizes, so I treated myself to this. It makes 8 tiny loaves....

In actuality...they are more the size of giant muffins..... how cute are these in a little gift basket with some cranberry pistachio biscotti ?...

...or, just on my plate.... next to a steaming cup of tea or coffee..... mmmmmm.....

This is an ancient recipe... clipped from newspaper years ago..

Ackkkkkkkkk!

2009-01-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

The magazine tarts...and my own little beauties.. if I do say so.... and I'm just cheeky enough to do that...

Just looked on this blog and saw the 357 days til Christmas sign is still up!!! Who needed to know that...already?! However, perhaps it is a good thing....maybe I should have one up somewhere in the house all year 'round...just as a constant reminder that I am getting behind on my Christmas ideas and plans.... hmmmm......

And, it might be a long ways off...but, seeing as I didn't get this great recipe for some wonderful tiny chocolate tarts posted before the day...nor even during the week....... here it is for next year. Or.... you could just try them any old time... 'cuz they are so yummy.....AND....so easy!

The pastry is just butter, cream cheese and flour.... I don't even bother taking out my mixer.

German Chocolate Tarts

1 cup butter or margarine
2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 4 ounce package sweet cooking chocolate, melted (I used semi sweet baking squares)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt (I never use it if I used salted butter)
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut... ( I just tossed in a small handful )
48 pecan halves

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. With spoon, stir in flour until blended. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap;refrigerate 1 hour or til easy to handle.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: In large bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add sweetened condensed milk, melted chocolate, vanilla extract, and salt (if using); mix until smooth.

Cut 1 piece of chilled dough into 12 pieces; press evenly into bottom and up sides of twelve 1 3/4 inch muffin pan cups. (I make them into a ball...flatten the ball and they are already up the sides of the cups when you place them into each...then just shape a bit more) Spoon one-fourth of filling into pastry lined cups until each is 3/4 full; top each with a pecan half. Bake 20 minutes at 350 - 375 .. or until golden brown. Cool cookies 5 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove cookies from pan. Repeat with remaining dough, filling and pecans.
Store cookies in tightly covered container. Makes about 4 dozen.

Caramel Macchiatto Shortbread Bars

2008-12-13T22:41:00.000-08:00

This is an easy, yummy, shortbread bar. Anybody who frequents a well known coffee emporium and orders up a tall one by the same name.... you will enjoy this one.....

Caramel Macchiatto Shortbread Bars

2 tsp. instant coffee granules
1 tsp. hot water
1 1/2 cups soft butter
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups chopped chocolate covered crisp toffee bars ( I used Skor bars : 4 = 1 cup and it's plenty)

Dissolve coffee in hot water. Beat butter, coffee and sugar until fluffy. Stir together flour and candy. Mix into butter mixture 1/2 cup at a time until combined. Press dough into 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes or til golden. Remove from oven. Cut into bars using a sharp knife. Cool in pan on rack. Makes about 40 cookies.

Note:: it takes a bit of mixing to get all the flour incorporated.. I just take my time with my wooden spoon and it comes together.

Cranberry Coffeecake

2008-12-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post this recipe now, in case some of you are like me.... and prefer to test bake a "thing"... to make sure it works. I won't be making mine 'til closer to the day I need it because I've made it several times, it does work, and... we love it.

It is a lovely, simple cake; very flavourful. Perfect for any little get together ..... or for a fancy dinner. I think it's great that cranberry has become a year round favourite. Serve it plain or just dusted with icing sugar when it has completely cooled ..... or dress it up for the holidays with a bit of greenery, some berries and/or nuts ..perhaps even a few small ornaments or a ribbon...

If anybody needs the metric measurements just let me know.....

Cranberry Coffeecake

1/2 cup shortening or butter ( I prefer butter)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt (I don't use because I used salted butter... your choice)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce 398 mL .. or 14 oz.

Glaze

1 cup sifted icing sugar
3 - 5 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup finely shopped nuts

Cake:: Grease a 4 L (10 inch) Bundt pan. Dust with flour.
Cream butter ( or shortening) sugar and eggs til light and fluffy (in mixer or by hand). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with yogurt and vanilla, beating til smooth.
Spread half of batter in prepared pan. Spread half of cranberry sauce evenly over batter. Top with remaining batter and cranberry sauce.
Bake at 180 C. or 350 F. for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool 20 minues then invert onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

Glaze:: Combine icing sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. Sprinkle on nuts.

Cake can also be baked in angel food (tube) cake pan if Bundt pan is unavailable.
Freezing:: Excellent... unglazed and double wrapped.

Tourtiere

2008-12-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

The traditional pork pie served on Christmas Eve in French Canadian homes.... has a delicious flavour that others shouldn't miss. It is not unlike the savoury meat pies of Scotland. Great served with a hot chili sauce or mustard pickle, or any tangy chutney...

Tourtiere

1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 midium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper, thyme, savoury or sage (I sometimes use Herbes de Province)
1 small bay leaf (discard after cooking)

In saucepan, cook pork just until it loses its pink colour, stirring with a fork. If meat is very fatty, drain off a little of the fat.
Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer about 15 minutes or tul most of the liquid is absorbed but mixture is still very moist.
Cool a few minutes. Line a 10 inch (or deep 9 inch) pie plate with pastry, fill with meat mixture, and cover with top crust; seal edges and cut a few slits in top. For a shiny crust, brush with slightly beaten egg (if making pastry at same time, reseve a little of the egg.) Bake in 425 F. oven until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges.

Pastry

This easy pastry is always rich, tender and flaky. It's good for everything from Tourtiere and Quiche to Mince pies and Butter Tarts.

5 cups all purpose flour
1 TBSP salt
1 pound lard
1 egg
1 TBSP vinegar
cold water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in lard until mixture looks like coarse meal.
In measuring cup, beat egg and vinegar with a fork; add cold water to make 1 cup liquid. Gradually add just enough liquid to make dough cling together, mixing with a fork. Press into a ball.
Wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.
Will keep up to 3 weeks. Makes 6 pie shells or 3 double crusts... or....as Mom wrote on the recipe... "lots" of tarts... lol...
Allow to soften a bit at room temperature before rolling.

Cranberry Pear Chutney

2008-12-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Gifts from your own kitchen.... if you've never tried it?.... you will probably be surprised at the wonderful reaction of friends and family. Especially those who don't have time or inclination to spend making and baking. I'm pretty sure it isn't only my "circle" that looks forward with great anticipation each year to new and tempting treats.

This was my first time using frozen cranberries....I can't understand why fresh are still not around...but... this works well. Look how bright and fresh looking they are while simmering. Of course, as is usual ... by the end of the cooking time...they will have changed colour ... but are still lovely in the cute little jars I found.

The 1998 magazine in which I found the recipe touts it as "a delicious condiment to serve with turkey, baked ham or tourtiere" ... {{ a rich pork pie usually served in French Canadian homes after midnight mass on Christmas Eve... }}... I will put up a recipe for Tourtiere tomorrow.

Cranberry Pear Chutney

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 TBSP minced fresh ginger (I used a box grater)
Grated rind and juice of 1 medium orange
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. each ground cloves, grated nutmeg, salt. (I always use less salt..just a sprinkle for me)
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 large ripe firm pears, diced and peeled

In saucepan combine onion, ginger, orange rind and juice, brown sugar, vinegar, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Bring to boil; boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and pears; boil gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until fruit is tender and mixture is slightly thickened. (mine took longer than that)...

Let cool; spoon into covered container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

I cut a circle of fabric and added a gold cord... et voila! gifts from your "hearth" ...

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

2008-12-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe from Culinary in the Desert... if you haven't visited Joe and Jeff.... take a look. They have the most amazing blue eyed dog you will ever see.... ....and lots of great recipes.

I like my biscotti dough to be a lovely, well behaved lump, that comes away from the bowl easily.... if it is a bit sticky...just dip your hands into the flour container; that should fix it.... ..

I shape it into one long log, then cut it in half... and continue forming into two long rather narrow logs....then flatten gently, leaving it a bit rounded along the center......... look at the great colours with the pistachios and cranberries. Surprisingly,with this recipe...even with whole cranberries it doesn't fall apart at the edges when slicing, so I get to use a knife instead of resorting to my trusty "Biscotti Blade" ..(my special kitchen hack saw...which really does a wonderful job on all other recipes) Perhaps because of the soaking and softening of the dried berries.

leaving the logs a bit rounded gives the slices a nice shape later

To dress them a bit......drizzle some dark chocolate over a few ....

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsps. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt ( I use salted butter and omit salt)
4 TBSPS. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
4 large eggs, divided (I only used 2 plus egg whites )
2 tsps. vanilla
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

Put cranberries in small bowl and cover with boiling water; set aside until plump...about 15 minutes. Drain well.

In medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and salt if using.

In large mixing bowl, (or mixer bowl) cream together butter and 1 cup granulated sugar. Add 3 eggs (or 2 and enough whites to equal another egg)..one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down bowl. Mix in vanilla. Stir in drained cranberries and pistachios.. ...I do this by hand after using mixer for the rest.

Scoop mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a 2" X 16" log and place onto parchment lined baking sheet. Gently flatten each log slightly.

{{Optional::: In small bowl, whisk remaining egg. Evenly brush over surface of each log - sprinkle with additional granulated sugar. ( I never bother with this step....) }}

Place into preheated 350 F to 375 oven. Bake til logs are slightly firm to touch...about 20 - 25 minutes. Watch bottoms ..don't let them become too brown unless you like your biscotti brown like some in this house do.... sigh..... Remove pan, reduce temp... (I usually turn it off til I am ready to bake a second time.)
Let cool for 15 minutes - lightly spritz log with water; let sit for 5 more minutes. (I've never heard of this technique before, but I think it does help with the slicing). Use serrated knife to cut logs into 1/2" slices. Place slices upright (or on sides) on baking sheet and place back into oven at lower temp... about 325 F. ... bake til slices are firm to touch...about 20 - 30 minutes. I put mine on their sides and turn them all over half way through. Remove from oven and transfer slices to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 48....depending on how thick you slice them.

TIP ::: Invest in a box of parchment paper. It 's a wonderful thing. Saves tons of time because you don't have to wash baking sheets...and also...saves your hands as well as water too if you don't have to keep filling up the sink.

Make sure you remove cookies from parchment as soon as they are cool enough to handle or they will not be as crisp as we like biscotti.....moisture seems to go back and forth between cookies and paper.....

Fruity Pilaf Mix

2008-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

It's time to begin.......

Some gifts from your kitchen can be made well in advance and are often the most appreciated presents you can give to friends and family. What about a toss of dried fruits and nuts in seasoned rice, so they have a quick and easy side dish in minutes?

Four years ago I found some vintage look jars on sale at Canadian Tire... I like them to store my own rice and beans in... but, couldn't resist buying up a dozen when I found this recipe. They were perfect.

This year I have seen some stainless containers with the same clasp... but, they just don't offer the same effect visually..... think I'll keep looking.....

Copy the "How to Use" instructions on a gift card of some type... tie to jar with ribbon, a strand of raffia or glitzy string or cord... add a bit of greenery or wrap jar or place in a gift bag....

Fruity Pilaf Mix

7 strips lemon rind
5 cups parboiled rice
1 cup golden raisins or currants (any raisin will do)
3/4 cup slivered dried apricots or apples
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1/4 cup dried instant chicken bouillon
1/4 cup dried parsley
7 bay leaves

Arrange lemon strips on towel; let stand for about 12 hours or until dry,..or for up to 2 days.

In bowl, combine rice, raisins, apricots, almonds, onion, chicken bouillon and parsley; transfer to gift jars, stirring to distribute evenly. Slip lemon rind strip and bay leaf into each jar, placing attractively along side; seal with lid.

How to Use Pilaf:

In saucepan bring 2 cups water, 1 tbsp. butter and 1/2 tsp. salt to boil. Stir in 1 cup Fruity Pilaf Mix and return to boil. Reduce heat to very low; cover and cook for 25 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Discard lemon rind and bay leaf. Fluff with fork. Makes 4 servings.

This is not quite as interesting as the real thing... it's just plain old rice... but, to give you an idea of how festive it can look.... imagine the golden slices of apricots...a soft sage-y coloured bay leaf... the bits of nuts... wish I had a picture of the real thing but the originals are long gone and I haven't made any for this year yet. I better get cracking....this is the time to get a jump on the busy-ness of the season and I know several people with hectic schedules who would appreciate this. A perfect gift.....

Tweaking the Tuscan Bread ....

2008-11-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

Tuscan Peasants probably tweaked it too. If they got lucky enough to find some fruit or perhaps if they made some sun dried tomatoes. I like to think perhaps they did.....

If the poor guys didn't manage to find any goodies... well, they still had some wonderful bread to eat. This recipe is easy; the bread fairly bland with a wonderful chewy firm crust.........so I thought why not add some fruit? ...or perhaps some onions and dried tomatoes? ... why not indeed....... so, as usual .... I did. It's so much fun tweaking a recipe that I find easy to use.

I divided the dough into two loaves and shaped them on my parchment lined cookie sheet. The original time was for one large loaf and it said to leave it til it was very brown. (55 minutes) But, with two smaller loaves I tried 40 minutes... as you can see...that is about all it took to make the bottom quite brown and I was worried about the fruit that was exposed... it could probably be covered with some foil to protect it if you want to try leaving it longer... but, I like 30 - 35 minutes. Who needs a really dark loaf? I am sure it was cooked at 30 mins.

doesn't it just look like an old moccasin?.. For some reason I always seem to get a slipper shape...never quite the same on both ends..

BUT.... the taste!! that says it all. What yummy bread.....

and toasted???? MMMMMMMMMMM!!

Tuscan Peasant Bread

2 cups warm water
2 1/2 tsp. rapid rise yeast ( I used Fleischmann's Traditional active dry yeast)
3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
pinch salt (I used a teaspoon salt)
pinch sugar (a tablespoon honey)

Put the water and yeast in the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment and stir to dissolve.

Add 1 cup of all purpose flour and all the whole wheat flour. Mix on medium for about 1 minute.

Cover bowl and let it sit for about 1 hour at room temperature.

Switch to paddle attachment and beat in salt, sugar and another cup of all purpose flour; stir for about 1 minute. Continue adding flour until dough sticks to the paddle and clears the side of the bowl.

Scrape all dough off paddle and switch it for the dough hook. Knead on low speed for at least 5 minutes. Add more flour if needed. (mine did need a bit more flour, probably due to the honey)

Turn dough out onto floured surface and lightly flour the top. Cover the dough ball with a towel and let it rise for about an hour, until doubled in bulk. This dough is pretty forgiving..don't worry if you are over or under on the time... just take your time and enjoy doing it....

Line a baking sheet with parchment; preheat oven to 425F. Transfer dough to the baking sheet and form into an oblong loaf.

Cover and let rest for another 20 minutes. (I used only 400F and my oven doesn't take 20 mins to preheat..so I waited 15 mins to preheat) ...

Slash top of loaf with a serrated knife in whatever fashion you prefer. Don't go much deeper than 1/4 of an inch. (I like to dust my top with flour too.... )

Bake for 55 minutes. Don't pull out too early; this bread has a very dark crust.

Remove immediately to cooling rack. Give it a full 2 hours before slicing...
(( yeah, right... hahahha...I slice mine right away.. sure it squishes my loaf..but I have to eat the end of the loaf while it is hot...with butter on it too!)

OPTIONS :::::: try adding some Muesli, chopped nuts, dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots to a loaf. (any or all of the above) It is a bit tricky to get it into the dough without working it a lot. I sprinkle it on a gently flattened chunk of dough..roll it over a bit and then pinch it together and then gently flatten it. While it "rests" for the 20 minutes or so it plumps up a bit again.

Another loaf I added chopped, sauteed onions.. along with some sun dried tomatoes. A great chunk of bread with soup, salad or chili.... again, wonderful toasted.

You will be glad you gave this loaf a try.

oooh.... just look at that tasty plump cranberry....

A plum by any other name....

2008-10-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

.... is still a plum to me. Apparently the official title for this loaf (or quick bread) is Italian Prune Nut Bread. It calls for Italian prunes.... or prune plums as they are also called...but I finally found out that they are the same little plums we used to pick off the backyard trees in any neighbourhood in Kamloops when we were kids ...

The grocery store had a very small display of them... I bought them all. I'm freezing some for when I want this loaf and there is two feet of snow on the ground. I'm also baking two more today. It's that good!! One of the tastiest loaves I have ever baked.

Italian Prune Nut Bread
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt ( I never use it because I used salted butter)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream (I used fat free yogurt)
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups Italian prunes, pitted and chopped in 1/2 inch pieces.
1 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, salt, cream of tartar, cinnamon and baking soda.
Blend sour cream and orange peel...
.. add to creamed mixture alternately with dry ingredients.
Stir til blended.
Add prunes and nuts; mix well.
Divide between two greased loaf pans (9x5x3).
Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes
.... or until tooth pick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Cool 10 mins. in pan
Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on rack.

............ options .... I added a bit of ginger, all spice and nutmeg to the cinnamon. Be careful with nutmeg and all spice..just a tiny "sprink" goes a long way! The nuts in mine were walnuts and I lightly toasted them before chopping. I halved the recipe for my test loaf.... but it was so good I will be making more right away. Double wrapping with foil and plastic keeps loaves as fresh as the day you bake them. Just thaw and enjoy later. Last week I sliced an egg nog loaf from Christmas baking..... perfect for a surprise treat at tea time ...

Mennonite Girls Can Cook is the site where I found the recipe .... look under quick breads if the link doesn't take you immediately to the page. Have a look at all the other wonderful recipes while you are there ..... I love the beautiful photos. It seems that Mennonite Girls can indeed cook .... and they all seem to be pretty amazing photographers as well.

Tuscan Peasant Bread

2008-10-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe via Susan's blog... she mentioned that instead of the pinch of salt and pinch of sugar...she adds a teaspoon of salt (which helps regulate the action of yeast) and she adds a teaspoon of honey instead of sugar. I used a multi grain flour in place of the whole wheat suggested. You can see some of the flax seeds in the sliced picture. It is pretty yummy toasted.. even with Becel....

It is a rather bland bread with a lovely, chewy crust. One bread book I have suggests using this type of bread with salty or very flavourful dishes. Great with cheeses and olives... (not that I eat any of those!).. but if you do.... and lucky you might I add ... sigh... ..

The dough is pretty forgiving and if you leave it longer or punch it down more than once or twice..no big deal...

My oven is exact and I found that 55 minutes was too long. Even with parchment on the bottom of my baking sheet... it got a bit more toasted in a few areas than I liked. I think perhaps 400 F next time and probably only about 45 mins. I think I will also form two smaller loaves and use my baking stone instead and see how that turns out. This large loaf is different though and was fun to make...but of course was too long for the toaster slots... had to cut each slice in half. And the guy must have been eating Rice Krispies while waiting for it to cool...I didn't hear any snap, crackle, pop...

Good grief!..

2008-09-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

How on earth did a month go by that quickly? I don't know what's happening, but every time I turn around, a day or a week or a whole darn month is gone..... waaaahhhhh... brother... what a whiner, me, eh?

Probably has something to do with having to study up a bit because of the new 6 month readings; inherited high cholesterol "continuing to be in the above normal range"... now there are even more changes to the old diet. Even though I love to cook and bake, I eat sensibly, have small portions and up til last year was very regular with a vigorous exercise routine. Fell off the exercise wagon because of the foot....and got lazy. Now... I am back at it but finding my foot is still not as strong as it should or could be....but don't dare push it too hard because nobody can tell me why it broke in the first place....so.... slow and steady wins my race I guess.

....shelves are full of light cooking aids..... and, surprisingly, they taste the same or close to it as regular fat products. I even found fat free cottage cheese after I have not been eating cheese at all...and hey! it's pretty good. I have it with some fruit for lunches... with a slice of home made toast and Becel...hahah... some days it seems silly all of this, but, I would rather be as healthy as I can for as long as I can and what the heck...it is kind of fun to see what new recipes I can come up with that still taste great and are fun to eat.

Chinese Cabbage to add near the end of the cooking..just to lightly steam it.... and perhaps a small handful of noodles.

More fiber has been suggested....... and, so, ... more grains; more fruits and veggies....

In with this beautiful mountain of veg there are a couple of little pieces of pork for my other half.... his cholesterol is low...let's hope the insides of his arteries are nice and smooth and clean... I'm happy to stick with just the veggies and some lovely brown rice cooked in orange juice.

...for added flavour.... crystallized ginger, garlic and basil along with a splash of light soy sauce...white rice vinegar... a scraping of lemon zest and a light squeeze of the juice.... my mouth is watering already... must be the thought of lemon....

Cheese scones

2008-08-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

GuzziSue reminded me that all scones are not created equal.... but, I was so busy doing berry and sweet scones during the past week that I totally forgot about anything savoury..... acckkkk! Silly me! Cheese scones below, Guzzi....

So.... if sweet scones need a Sweet Tea Biscuit base.... guess what savoury scones require? .... just a simple Tea Biscuit recipe.

Tea Biscuits

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
4 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 - 2/3 cup firm butter
2/3 cup milk (approximately)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. (I don't use salt because I use salted butter and I just don't like a very salty flavour)
Cut in fat with pastry blender, knives or fingers 'til no large lumps of fat remain.
Add milk a little at a time..with fork or spoon 'til mixture will form a ball around the fork. (Too little milk makes a stiff dough... too much milk makes a sticky, difficult to handle dough.)
Turn dough out onto floured board;knead lightly. Gently roll out or pat to 3/4 inch thick for large biscuits, 1/2 inch for small biscuits. Cut with 1.5 or 2 inch cookie cutter. Brush top with milk or milk with beaten egg yolk for a shiny surface.
Place on un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 to 425F for 10 -20 minutes. Makes 12-18 biscuits 3/4 inch thick.

To save time or to create a more rustic appearance....drop onto baking sheet by spoonfuls instead of rolling and cutting.

Cheese Scones

To dry ingredients add 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 2 cups grated, medium or old Cheddar cheese. For liquid beat 2 egg yolks in measuring cup; add milk to make 2/3 cup. Use smaller amount of fat.
For something different....brush tops with milk; sprinkle with poppy seeds, celery seed, sesame seed or cumin seed.

Tomato Cheese Scones

Add 3/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese to dry ingredients. Reduce baking powder to 2 tsps and add with 1/2 tsp baking soda. Replace milk with tomato juice.

Try adding some small chunks of onion cooked in butter or bits of tinned tomatoes or perhaps some minced peppers.... call them Confetti Scones... or, how about some herbs of your choosing? Sky is the limit as usual.... I love to experiment. I've tried sun dried tomatoes... those were tasty... oh, oh...now I want to try some savoury scones this week....... it never ends does it, this cooking? ... and, of course....the eating! The best part..... and now for some jumping jacks and a run around the block....

Basic Scone recipe

2008-08-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Scones are really just a sweet tea biscuit recipe with a tweak or two. Add some raisins, currents or other fruit .... add some cream, buttermilk and lemon zest..etc... and you have a lovely snack or breakfast treat...although I prefer them for any other time of day except breakfast myself. For brekky...I want protein...it gives me energy for the better part of the day and I am not hungry before noon....

So, first of all, here is the recipe for the sweet biscuit... and following that... some "tweaks". This is the same sweet biscuit topping I use for my Apple Cobbler. A very versatile mix from an old and trusted friend.....The Canadian Cookbook.

Sweet Tea Biscuits

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (I use salted butter so don't use salt as well)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firm butter
1 egg
milk

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Cut in fat with pastry blender, knives, or fingers, 'til no large lumps of fat remain.

Beat egg with fork in a measuring cup and add milk to make 1 cup. Add to dry ingredients and mix gently with fork or spoon. Turn dough onto floured board; knead lightly for about 7 turns... turn dough to smooth side... roll 3/4 inch thick and cut with 2 inch cookie cutter.

For shiny surface brush top with milk or milk containing beaten egg yolk; place on unbuttered baking sheet. Bake at 400 to 425 F for 10-20 minutes depending on size.

To save time... mix dough a bit longer and drop by heaping spoonfuls onto baking sheet instead of kneading or rolling. More rustic appearance but still great texture.

Currant Scones
to the above recipe; add 1 cup raisins or currants to dry ingredients. Sprinkle with sugar.. bake 410F for 20 minutes.

Lemon Cream Scones
in Sweet Tea Biscuit recipe, substitute buttermilk or sour cream for milk, add juice and zest of 1 lemon, reduce baking powder to 2 teaspoons and add 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Roll 1/4 inch thick;brush with egg white, sprinkle with sugar to glaze; cut into triangles; or drop by spoonfuls; bake well separated on baking sheet at 425 F for 15 minutes.

To this I also add 2 more tablespoons of plain yogurt and some blueberries, or, in season, Saskatoon berries....mmmmmm...... The dough is pretty sticky and wet, but I never roll it out...I love the rustic look of spoon dropped dough for my scones, although this last time I was probably one spoonful of yogurt too soft.... they were slightly more rounded versus standing up a bit.

The texture was wonderful...

Scones

2008-08-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

...... blueberries in all the stages of ripeness....just because I love the colours!

Today, it is 32C or 90F.... not really the perfect day for baking. I have been known to turn on the oven when the house gets to 92F ... I figure if it is hot already...what difference could it possibly make?

Today I decided to try something else though.... I wondered if I could just bake some in my electric frying pan instead of turning on the oven.

Guess what? the answer is yes. However... it does take longer than the 20 minutes in an oven...and....the tops do not brown. They appear almost ..uhm...... steamed looking on the tops.... . but..the texture is great... and the bottom is lovely and golden. The Saskatoon berries were swollen to bursting and seem even sweeter than straight off the bush.

I placed my cooling rack on the bottom of the pan.... put the dough on double thickness of foil... and placed on top of the rack.

I had the pan at 400F and did put on the lid. If moisture accumulated inside the lid (I can see it because my lid is glass) I just wiped it off, in an attempt to prevent steaming. I thought it might even be possible to brown the surface...but the answer to that seems to be ...no. Oh, well....they are delicious and the garage smells like scones...I placed the pan on the workbench..... keeping it cool as possible in here til I have to turn on the AC....

Back later with the recipe ....

my kingdom for a cookie.....

2008-07-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

ahhhhh..... love...... or is it? ... methinks she is dreaming of cookies... not just any cookie ... one of her special Empire Cookies......of the realm I suppose....

Delicate, soft, sweet ... with lovely berry jam sandwiched in every bite...... ohhhhhh how I wish I had one myself right now! Along with a cup of Earl Grey from this lovely teapot ...

Sadly...they disappeared very quickly .... pronounced every bit as good as the ones we used to get at a fav little bakery that no longer exists.

I tried to find out why they are called Empire but didn't see much except the vague suggestion that perhaps, since they seem to be very British, ... they being an Empire and all... so, if anyone has seen any info on this... please point me in that direction.

This particular recipe appears to have been clipped from a booklet of recipes using brand names.. Robin Hood flour... Crisco etc.. I have it in my Christmas Recipe Album that I've made up using my personal favs along with family recipes and pictures...a 3 ring binder type of thing. At the top of the recipe.. the great suggestion.... "this is a favourite at Christmas, but don't limit it to the holiday season"... somebody knew me well.

I only put little glistening cherries on a few for a photo... somebody was standing there grinning...waiting for the taste testing.....

At first I rolled them the suggested 1/8" thickness ... hahahahha...yeh ...right ... almost "see through" thin it was... and just try to get them off the counter! Next chunk..I rolled closer to 1/4"..but not quite. I had much better luck...but I also discovered a new trick at this late stage in life. Instead of just pressing down, turning a bit and lifting off with my flour dusted cutter... I turned it back and forth a few times and almost tried to lift it off at a bit of an angle.... .. so that it actually lifted a corner of the dough with it as I did the lift out of the dough. Hah! that really loosened things and I could then easily slide my floured spatula under each and transfer it the cookie sheet. Sigh... sometimes!........

Empire Cookies

3/4 cup golden Crisco shortening ( I used butter)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt ( I always omit because I use salted butter)

Filling and frosting

1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/ to 2 TBSP hot water

Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl on med. speed of electric mixer until light and creamy. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until well blended. If desired, chill 1 hour for easy rolling. (I found this a must..it is pretty sticky) Roll out dough, a portion at a time, on lightly floured surface to 1/8" thickness. ( I went slightly thicker for ease of handling) Cut into 2" rounds..re-roll all leftover pieces at once to avoid over handling. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned around edges..(watch them like a hawk) .. Cool completely before handling.

Filling and frosting ::: spread half of cookies on the underside with jam. Top with the remaining cookies. Combine icing sugar, extract and enough hot water to make a thin icing. Frost tops of cookies. Decorate with small piece of cherry. Store in airtight container overnight. (At this point they were still sort of crispy and hard..not at all how I remember them being when I used to buy Empire cookies... but... left overnight... magically they became soft, delicate to bite into.... yes... finally almost the exact thing!)

Rhubarb apple cobbler...

2008-07-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

When I was at my sister's a few weeks ago, we used some of her fresh rhubarb to add to apple cobbler.
We were not sure if it would be a bit woody as it was getting late in the season there and the stalks were huge. So...we cut up the stalks.. cooked it in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of water... and when it was soft..added some sugar...et voila... tasting time. It tasted soooo good. I ladled several huge spoonfuls onto the apples for the recipe..mixed it well and put on the topping. Wow !! It was the best apple cobbler I ever made. Bar none. We love it.

Rhubarb recipes are still making the rounds on some of the blogs.. .. even though most of us don't have access to any fresh rhubarb at this late date. However...I decided to give frozen a try...and you know what? Surprisingly good! did the same thing with my frozen chunks... stewed them... added it to some cobbler the other day and here it is. There was just some little thing different about this one.... not quite the same as the last one that was El Supremo...but still very good if I do say so myself...and I do. Something to do with the spices I think... perhaps I put a bit more ginger than I did previously... I do like to add some spices to my cobblers.

The colour is so pretty too....

A little dollop of vanilla frozen yogurt....mmmmm.....

conquered my fear....

2008-07-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

Basic White Bread

1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 packages active dry yeast (or 2 tablespoons of granules from jar)
1 1/2 cups warm water (105F to 115 F (40C to 45C) )
5 - 6 cups all purpose flour

Combine milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. (I do mine in a bowl in the microwave..) I stir it well to make sure. Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups of flour. Attach bowl and dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and mix 1 minute. Continue on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl. Knead on speed 2 for 2 minutes longer, (or more.. ) or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.

Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf and place in a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan. cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Bake at 400F (200C) for 30 minutes, Remove from pans immeideately and cool on wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves.

(::: my risings seem to take only about 40 to 50 minutes. If a fingerprint poked into dough springs back slowly it is long enough. If it springs back immediately.. not long enough...if it stays indented...it is too long already! but, it is not the end of the world if it goes too long...I only just read that after leaving the full hour because the recipe said so.) (on the second rising let it rise only til dough is doubled in size or the sides of the loaf may begin to droop ... not that it is a problem..just doesn't make a nice shape loaf for cutting and sandwiches... straighter sides does seem a bit better for that)

(::: I have never had to add the whole 6 cups of flour... it seems it gets dry enough at about 5 to 5 1/4 where I live. )

(::: I now use 2 1/2 cups of multi grain flour and 2 cups of white flour to begin .... I add the next cup of whatever happens to be within reach... doesn't seem to make too dense a loaf with the multi grain ... either is great.) Right now I am also tossing in a small handful of extra flax seed as well.

(::: slice an end off as soon as it is not too hot to handle... slather with butter and honey...and ENJOY!! )

Until I found Lewis over at Table Bread...and this easy little recipe in my Kitchen Aid mixer recipe book....I was what I called a "yeastaphobe". Too afraid to try anything with yeast in it. Now I have done a total turnabout.... I love making bread!

Home made bread makes the best toast!! Oh, yum...!

UPDATE:: I have been wondering about the amount of yeast in this recipe and have now decided that one tablespoon is sufficient. Tested it several times and with the full amount..the dough seems to rise quickly and a bit too fluffy and then the sides tend to droop a bit. Besides... the bread slices are then too large for a toaster. So, for me now...the loaves are the perfect consistency and the perfect size if I use the one rounded tablespoon of yeast. If anybody tries this recipe... please let me know how yours turns out....

Warm summery days....

2008-07-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

When we are busy working on one of our renovation projects...or I know I might play too long in the garden..or .. well, just about any reason at all... I like it when Luigi helps me get supper ready. Yes, you are right... I don't have an Italian husband, or a houseboy (darn it on the houseboy part! ...okay.. just kidding.... ) ... and the husband is definitely a keeper; I wouldn't trade him for anybody...

I named my crockpot Luigi. Because it is a Bravetti.... well, I thought it was kind of funny.

Anyway.... early in the day or even around noon... saute some veggies... add some tomatoes or tomato sauce... a few chunks of pork... or chicken... toss in some spices... let it simmer on low for hours...supper will be ready when you are. A chunk of some yummy bread, perhaps even home made... ( I must get my easy recipe on here ..and soon!) or some nice fresh buns... and you have a lovely and simple supper.

For a quick light lunch .... enjoy a colourful fruit mix (pineapple, oranges, grapefruit and nectarine) to top some mixed greens.... red leaf lettuce and soft butter lettuce... then a drizzle of "honey-d" yogurt... and some fresh home made bread..toasted.......oh, yum.
Oh, and my little quarter glass of cold beer...yep..in a cute little plastic wine glass for patio drinks. It is my little nod to elegance in the midst of chaos....