Bake of the Week: Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pie, or Chicken Pot Pie as it is known in our household, has been a staple that I've made in winter months for Chris and I for as long as I can remember. It is one of our comfort foods, and is a great way to use up leftover chicken breast from a previous meal. I have always just put in the ingredients by taste, without any written recipe, but today decided I should actually record the ingredients for future use!

 

When I first started making this I used cream of mushroom soup as the cream base, but over the years I wanted a recipe that would not rely on pre-packaged ingredients. Not only does this cut down on the preservatives and other unwanted additives, but also the sodium.

 

The recipe below also makes a delicious stew: simply double the amount of stock, milk, and corn starch and serve with dumplings!

 

 The Lahaie's Chicken Pot Pie

 

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

5 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 tbsp. of your favourite poultry seasonings (any combination of thyme, sage, rosemary, etc.)

salt and pepper to taste

2 1/2 cups mixed frozen vegetables

5 tbsp. sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 heaping tbsp. corn starch
Enough pie or pastry dough for two 9" pie shells, top and bottom

 

In a large stir fry pan or pot, sauté onion and celery in olive oil on medium heat until transparent and the onions are just starting to caramelize. Add the chicken, and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the centre. Add the stock, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.

 

Add the frozen vegetables, turn heat to a low simmer and cook covered until the vegetables are tender. Add the sour cream and combine. In a measuring cup, add the corn starch to milk and mix well, add to the pot and stir until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat.

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Fill two pie pans with crust (or do as I still often do and just by the froze, premade one - try as I might I do not have the patience to always make it from scratch!), fill with the chicken mixture, and cover with the remaining dough. Cut slits in the top to let steam escape, and place (on baking sheet) in the middle of the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Remove and let the pie rest 5 minutes before serving. Bon apetit!

The Lahaie Butter Tart 2.0

After my first attempt at making butter tarts and then visiting Midland's first Butter Tart Festival, I had the itch to continue improving upon the recipe I had until I made a butter tart reminiscent of (or better than!) my favourite bakery-bought one. 

My ultimate goal: enter at least one batch into the Festival next year!
So in this batch, I used the same pastry recipe and tried a filling from Canadian Living magazine (below). My only changes next time will be to omit the second egg (as it was not nearly runny enough) and make a double batch of pastry dough; this filling goes a long way.

Filling from Canadian Living:
3/4 cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) maple syrup, (No. 1 medium grade)
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, melted
2 eggs (I would add only one)
1 tbsp (15 mL) cider vinegar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

Once I've perfected the basic butter tart recipe I am really excited to try different variations, particular to think outside of general convention. One recipe I'm dying to try is a Chai Tea Butter Tart, simply adding the spices that give the tea it's wonderful warm flavour. 

Everyone seems to have their own idea as to what makes the "perfect" butter tart. I like mine firm and with nuts. Chris likes his somewhere between firm and runny, while loaded with raisins. My boys love any as long as they have nothing else in them. So what's your favourite? I would love any suggestions to flavours I could try when I start experimenting too!

Bake of the Week: Beautiful Butter Tarts

It is said that the quintessential Canadian dessert is the butter tart; and I couldn't agree more. Not only did the recipe originate here (in fact the oldest known published recipe was written locally here in Barrie, and was circulated in the Royal Victoria Hospital's Woman's Auxiliary Cookbook circa 1900), but one of the main traditional ingredients is maple syrup. Can you get any more Canadian?

Alas, the majority of recipes I found online called for corn syrup, not maple! Even one recipe that supposedly won Ontario's Best did not use maple. I suppose cost had something to do with the reasoning; yet for myself I chose the more traditional route and below is a combination of two recipes that worked very well.

So in honor of the upcoming Butter Tart Festival I tried for the very first time my hand at making these delicious (and devilish!) sweets!

Maple Syrup Butter Tarts

Crust:
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 cup (60 mL) cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup (60 mL) lard or butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp (5 mL) vinegar
Ice water

Filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, softened
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1 tsp (5 mL) vinegar
1 pinch salt

Preparation:
In large bowl, whisk flour with salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter and lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces.

In liquid measure, whisk egg yolk with vinegar; add enough ice water to make 1/3 cup (75 mL). Sprinkle over flour mixture, stirring briskly with fork until pastry holds together. Press into disc; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Filling:
In bowl, whisk together brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, butter, vanilla, vinegar and salt until blended; set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness. Using 4-inch (10 cm) round cookie cutter (or empty 28 oz/796 mL can), cut out 12 circles, rerolling scraps once if necessary. Fit into 2-3/4- x 1-1/4-inch (7 x 3 cm) muffin cups. Spoon in filling until three-quarters full.

Bake in bottom third of 425 F (230 C) oven until filling is puffed and bubbly and pastry is golden, about 12 minutes. Let stand on rack for 1 minute. Run metal spatula around tarts to loosen; carefully slide spatula under tarts and transfer to rack to let cool.

You can add a handfull of pecans, walnuts or raisins to the cups before adding filling for a bit of variety.

Edit: this filling turned out much better, though you need double the pastry dough.

Bake of the Week: St. Patrick's Day Brisket

This past week was very busy in the kitchen. Friday was Chris' birthday so there were birthday cupcakes, fresh bread, and a big birthday dinner to make. And the day before, Thursday, was St. Patricks Day!

We always did something special on St. Patricks day in the past, but this was given greater meaning a few years ago when we discovered that Chris had an Irish lineage only a couple generations ago. So now, we do our best to honour Ireland's patron saint in style!

This year, I did my best to produce a truly Irish-inspired meal. I have never cooked a brisket before, so when I saw corned beef brisket on sale last week, I knew I had to give it a try. The recipe originally called to cook this on the stove though I used the slow cooker. And I have to say, it worked brilliantly!

Irish Beef Brisket

1 medium-sized beef brisket, corned or otherwise
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
half a head of cabbage, cut into eigths
4 medium potatoes, cubed
4 small turnips (or 1 large), cubed
3 large carrots, cut into 1cm long pieces
1 bottle/can of Kilkenny ale
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
enough water to cover

In a frying pan, fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil under the onions begin to go transluscent. Remove from heat.

In a crock pot/slow cooker, place the brisket and arrange the vegetables around and on top of the meat. Add the fried onions and bay leaves, and the salt and pepper. Pour over the ale, and then enough water to completely cover.

I cooked the brisket for about 5 1/2 hours on high, but you just want to cook it until the topmost vegetables are tender.

Once cooked, transfer the vegetables to a glass baking dish, the meat to another. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 F to just crisp the edges of the meat and get rid of some of the moisture in the vegetables. I then used the remaining liquid from the pot to create a gravy, simply by adding a bit of cornstarch to the broth! Enjoy with a cold glass of Guiness!

Cleaning without chemicals - Part Two: Essential Oil Properties

Though I'll admit I do not like the work involved in cleaning, one thing I do love is the way the house smells after I've just spend the day washing the floors, wiping the counters and polishing the wood. A fresh mix of orange and lavender, with just some underlying hints of tea-tree please the senses.

Yet using essential oils for cleaning is fairly new to me. And as I become more comfortable with making my own cleaners, I want to become more adventurous with the scents combinations I use.

Though for scent alone essential oils are wonderful, they also have many tested benefits for health as well as cleaning. I promised last post that I would cover some of the ingredients that I use in my cleaners, but on second thought was afraid I would insult my reader's intelligence if I started listing what common household items like vinegar and baking soda were good for. So instead, I'll focus on the essential oils and their properties.

I am not going to list all the available oils or even perhaps the most popular, but the ones that I personally like the scents of and that I have used before (or the ones I would like to try!).

Lavender - In lab tests this oil has proven to have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It is important to remember though that the lab tests were most likely performed un-diluted, so when making your cleaners do not expect them to be 100% disinfecting. Lavender has also been thought to have many health benefits; from relieving pain and depression, to helping with headaches. I have also read that putting a small sachet of dried lavender under your pillow helps aid sleep, though I've never tried it. I use this oil in all my bathroom and kitchen cleaners, particularly near the kitchen garbage. I also use it in my air-freshening spray/soft surface deodorizer. Though this has a very pleasant scent, I find it can become overpowering, and usually use half the amount as I do the other oils. This oil blends very well with clary sage, orange, and patchouli.

Orange - This is by far my favourite scent, though I must warn you to only ever use sweet orange, as opposed to orange blossom or other orange variations. Sweet orange has the true "orange" scent, while orange blossom comes off as "perfume-y" if that makes any sense. I find the scent of orange so bright and fresh without the unpleasant after-scent that citruses like lemon can have once they start to fade. Like other citruses orange is great as a de-greaser, and I use it to boost my dish washing liquid and to clean my kitchen counters. And because we have so much wood and laminate in the house, I also use this as a floor cleaner: it brightens and polishes the wood beautifully. Yet even if this had no cleaning properties whatsoever, I would still use it as I just love the smell! Blends well with lavender, clary sage, patchouli, and sandalwood.

Tea Tree - This oil is one of the strongest antiseptics, and also has the benefit of being non-allergenic. I remember as a child whenever there was a note sent home from school that there had been a case of head lice, my mother would put small dabs of tea tree oil along my scalp to act as a deterrent. It certainly seemed to work! This also works to kill mould and mildew if diluted with water and then sprayed on the source, though I have not yet tried it. Apparently it will permanently take away the mildew smell too. From everything I've read, the recommended type to use for cleaning is the Australian tea tree oil. This blends well with lavender and clary sage.

Patchouli - Before I had any other essential oils, this was what I used to boost all my commercial cleaning products. I purchased it originally as a personal fragrance, yet I like the smell enough to use in cleaning, too. Use this sparingly though as it is quite strong and if used in too great a dose, I find can cause a headache. This is commonly used as an antiseptic and anti-fungal cleaner, and when used in small amounts, is known to boost your mood. This works well with orange and sandalwood.

Peppermint - Peppermint has been used to repel pests such as rodents (mice and rats), but also for bathroom cleaners because of it's disinfecting properties. I used to purchase a "natural'' cleaner that's main base was peppermint but I did find that when used in large quantities the scent became a little overpowering. So when making my own mixes, I would dilute it with some complimentary oils. Such oils would be lemon, lime, thyme, or bergamot. Lemon or lime I am not too crazy about, and I have not tried the others. Thyme I do know is also supposed to be a great bathroom cleaner and I am curious as to what the two scents would be like blended. Perhaps that will be the next combination I try.

Clary Sage - Many of the recipes I have come across online have called for clary sage. Because of the warm relaxing, yet uplifting scent, it is highly recommended for women, and has been used to help relieve PMS symptoms and anxiety, as well as those for pre-menopause. Though I could not find much information on the cleaning properties of Clary Sage, I suppose because of the many health benefits (particularly for females) it is often used simply for it's scent in cleaning products. This is one oil I am very excited to try! In addition to using it on its own, it also blends well with lavender, orange, tea tree, and sandalwood.

Sandalwood - One of my earliest memories of this scent is of soap my mother used to buy in Chinatown. The soap had a wonderful warm, earthy smell, and I used to love using it to bathe. As an essential oil I have not tried it, but I plan to in the near future. Because the scent is an undertone, it lasts longer yet is not as powerful as the other scents I have written about. This makes it a great addition to recipes with blended essential oils, and one that I would love to try. This blends especially well with patchouli, though I plan on trying it with all the essential oils listed above in small quantities to make the scents last longer.

Cleaning without harsh chemicals - Part one

Over the past few weeks, we've had some beautiful weather. We got what I thought was our Spring thaw on Friday and Saturday, only to be unpleasantly surprised when Winter re-established his rule Saturday night. It was a great reminder that until the crocuses, snowdrops, and daffodils begin to sprout, Spring is still a ways away (and even then, we often get one more snowstorm just for good measure!). But it go me thinking.

The house is almost due for it's thorough Spring-cleaning, but there's something I've wanted to try for a few years now: to make my own cleaning products from scratch. There are several reasons for this. For starters, I hate the idea of using any harsh chemicals because of the impact they have on our health and the environment. And secondly, so many cleaners can be made out of common household items (such as salt, baking soda, and vinegar) which end up costing less than purchasing pre-made cleaners.

Now we already use cleaners such as vinegar for glass, and baking soda as an abrasive counter and surface cleaners, and make sure that those cleaners we do purchase are phosphate-free and are made with plant-derived surfactants, but I've wanted to try my hand at making more complex solutions.

This has also been coupled with the fact that I've wanted to introduce essential oils into our home as well, but for the longest time didn't know where to get them in our area. I've since established a couple suppliers: If you want smaller two-dram bottles to try out new scents, or if you will not be using large quantities, check out my friend Bonnie over at The Hocus Pocus room. If you require larger quantities, Poya Naturals is a great place to get bottles as large as 500ml (that's two cups!).

So after a little research, I've put together a few recipes for general household cleaning. Now, I will mention that I still have not found substitutes for a few store-bought cleaners. Though salt and baking soda are great abrasives (especially on items that you do not want to use harsh chemicals on such as food preparation surfaces), I find that they still do not work as well as Vim or Comet on tough surfaces such as bathroom tile and counters. I do my best to use them sparingly, but I'll be honest; sometimes they're the only thing that will get the bathroom clean again!)

But apart from that, most of your daily cleaning can be easily accomplished with just these common household items:

All-purpose spray cleaner
1/2 tsp borax
1/2 tsp vegetable oil-based soap
2 tbsp vinegar
10 ml essential oil (use whatever one you prefer, I'll go into the benefits and properties of some common ones in the next post)
2 cups hot water
Combine into a spray bottle, and shake vigorously until all the solids are combined. Simply spray and wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge.

Air freshener/deodorizer
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 tsp tea tree essential oil
1/4 tsp lavender essential oil
2 cups warm water
Combine and place in a spray bottle, and lightly mist the air or soft surfaces (furniture etc.), shaking before each use. Some say the tea tree and lavender have disinfectant properties, though I am unsure of this in such diluted proportions. It certainly cannot hurt, at least!

Floor cleaner (especially hardwood/laminate)
2 cups white vinegar
10 ml sweet orange essential oil
5 ml lavender essential oil
4 litres hot water
Though this works especially well for hardwood floors (because of the orange oil), it is safe for all floors, and works remarkably well. It also leaves your house smelling wonderful!

Some of these recipes were variations of ones found in the green clean recipe book, a great little go-to for cleaning that I found on sale at our local Coles a few years ago. Most of it is pretty basic, though it does have some neat recipes, organized into the various rooms of your home.

Certainly give these a try, and I'll work on a post that covers the basic ingredients and their properties (including the most common essential oils) to take the thinking right out of environmentally (and human!)-friendly cleaning!

Chili for a chilly day

Chilly is one of those magical foods alongside with stews and soups that no matter what type of cold day it is, it will warm you straight to the bone Yet is hearty enough to provide you with the energy for any type of adventure.

It is perfect on those crisp cool September days; dreary soak-you-to-the-bone November ones; and is equally warming on those days in January when the cold can suck the breath right out of you.

Yesterday was the perfect day for chili: not only was it freezing cold, but what should have been a short errand run became almost a two hour long ordeal when I locked us out of the house!

So the chili was the perfect ending to our adventure, and was very easy to make!

Homestead Chili
1 medium package of lean ground beef
1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1-2 small green peppers, diced
4-6 medium white mushrooms, diced
2 cans red kidney beans (or one white, one red) drained and rinsed
1 large can diced tomatoes, drained
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
3 heaping tbsp chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)

In a large pot, saute the garlic and onions with a bit of water until the onions are translucent (I have been using water to saute my meat/vegetables for a while now, and only add a little olive/sesame oil for taste if a recipe calls for it). Add the salt, chili, and ground beef, and saute until the meat is fully cooked, then add the mushrooms and green peppers and continue to cook until they just turn soft.

Pour in the beans and tomatoes and while stirring, turn down the heat so that the chili stays at a nice low simmer. Simmer with the lid on for half an hour to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve on top of steamed rice or with garlic bread, and enjoy!

Sunday Bake of the Week: Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

When we made the decision to avoid processed food as much as possible for our family, that included all members; furry or not.

However, it has taken this long for me to actually start making their treats myself. I am not sure why. Perhaps I imagined them to be more difficult than cookies designed for human consumption, or perhaps I just didn't know where to start looking for recipes.

Either way, I decided that I'd waited long enough; and that it was time I started making healthy and cost effective treats for our pets (with the added bonus of knowing exactly what I was feeding them!).

For the recipe, I knew I wanted one that was peanut butter-based. Both dogs go crazy over the stuff, and we still had almost a full jar of it that we were not going to eat ourselves (it was left a little too close to the edge of the counter and was "found" by the dogs - I never threw it in the compost though because I knew such an occasion would arise where I could use it!). I eventually found one and modified it slightly (substituting eggs for oil, and adding rolled oats), and the end result is a crunchy, yummy-smelling cookie that the dogs will do anything for!

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
Makes 50 medium sized biscuits
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpous flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour/or any stoneground grain flour (I used a seven grain flour)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Quickly stir in the water, egg and peanut butter.

Transfer to a well floured surface, and after adding a couple handfuls of flour (I had to add about 4 in total to get a dough that was pliable but no longer sticky), begin to knead.

Once the dough is the right consistency, roll out to 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut with a cookie cutter appropriate for the dog consuming these (I have two medium dogs, but usually ere on the side of smaller, to make the treats last longer and give them less at a time).

Preheat the oven to 350 F, and bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes, or until they are a nice golden brown.

Transfer to racks to cool completely before storing in an airtight container, and just watch for the tail wagging to begin!

Bread Tutorial Evolution

Our goal of not buying bread on a regular basis and of making it ourselves is still going strong. I can only think of one instance since Autumn that I've broken down and purchased some and if I remember correctly, it was because we were all sick.

So when my sister asked for the recipe and I had a look at what I had written all those months ago, I realised that the recipe needed some revamping.

If I've said it once, I've say it a thousand times: making bread is more of an art than it is a science. Once you become practised, the exact measurements become less important than the texture of the dough when you've added just the right amount of flour; the way the starter and dough look when they've just risen enough (though it does help to know what it looks like when it has risen too long - then you'll know what to avoid!); or the colour of the bread once it has baked for the perfect amount of time.

I have tried to add some notes where I can; things that were left out in the original recipe but that I've discovered are paramount to creating a delicious and airy loaf of bread. That being said; home-made breads are (in my experience, at least!) more dense than their commercial counterparts. It takes a little getting used to, but now I dislike how "squishy" store-bought bread is.

When we last bought bread (and I bought a fresh loaf from the Foodland bakery, hoping for an improvement over the packaged commercial kind) we had such a hard time cutting it and we ended up with flattened slices of toast!

Because home-made bread is a little heavier, smaller loaves are perfect. The smaller slices are just as filling as a slice from the store!

One thing I do want to mention is what happens when you either let your starter or your dough rise to long:

An over-risen starter is easier to fix; simply add a few tablespoons more of flour (and water, if necessary), mix, and let stand a little longer until it has risen up again.

If your dough has over-risen and fallen, there is not much you can do. Continue to form the loaves or, if the loaves are what have fallen, just bake as usual. Just be prepared for bread that is crunchy and not as soft. Do not despair though: this bread if cubed and mixed with a little salt, olive oil, and seasoning makes great croutons. Bake the cubes at 300 F until golden brown and enjoy on Caesar salad!

Here is the link to the bread tutorial, and I encourage you all to give it a try! It is well worth the effort, and after a few successes, you'll be hard pressed to find a loaf that tastes as great, uses as simple ingredients, or keeps as well as this one!

Bake of the Week: BBQ Sauce and Wet Rub Kit

I am going to apologise for a couple things; firstly, the lack of posts. With all the Holiday baking, sewing, knitting, cleaning and general gift-making, I have had little time to go on the computer and write. There have been a couple posts I wanted to share, one of which was the bringing home of our tree (I just love Fraser Firs!), and the special ornaments we hang each year. Then we got a beautiful piano (for free! Pay it forward is the most amazing idea ever!), and again, I wanted to share what a blessing that has been for our family, and show off the beauty of this 101+ year old instrument it is. Alas, that brings me to my second apology, which will be the lack of photos for a while. I lent the camera out to my sister in law, so until she's finished with it there will be no photos.

But to stay on topic, the theme for this weekend's cooking (and coincidentally gift-making) was everything BBQ. We have many BBQ enthusiast in the family, and so I decided to try my hand at making several variations of BBQ sauce and meat rubs. I scoured the Internet for recipes that sounded appealing, but also quite different from one another, and finally came to these six; three sauces and three rubs. I altered the amounts slightly from the original recipes, and will include those amounts instead.

For the rubs the directions are the same: combine all dry ingredients first, then add small amounts of vegetable oil (or any other flavourless oil) at a time, stirring completely, until you have a firm paste. Transfer into hot, sterilized jars (I just run the jars through the dishwasher), and then boil the jars for about 10 minutes. Because of the oil, refrigerate after opening so the rubs do not go rancid.

Chili-Lime Steak Rub
Caution; has a some kick to it!
1/4 cup sweet or Thai basil
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp lime juice (add this at the same time as the oil)

Jamaican Jerk Meat Rub
1/4 cup dried onion flakes
1/4 cup onion powder
8 tsp thyme
8 tsp sugar
8 tsp sea salt
4 tsp allspice
4 tsp black pepper

Kansas City Meat Rub
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup smoked paprika
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder

Chicken and Rib BBQ Sauce
This is your basic all-round BBQ sauce. It's great just as-is, but I plan on experimenting with other additions to see what flavours I can come up with!
3 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp chili powder
4 tbsp paprika
4 cloves of garlic
Mince the garlic and saute in olive oil until golden. Add the ketchup, water, and vinegar and still until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and let simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars, and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Store at room temperature, but refrigerate after opening.

Teriyaki BBQ Sauce
This sauce wasn't as "teriyaki" as I'd like, but I have to remember that it is a BBQ sauce, not a basic teriyaki sauce. Despite that, it is delicious!
4 cloves garlic
2 small onions
6 tbsp sesame oil
3 cups ketchup
1 tbsp chili sauce
12 tbsp soy sauce
12 tbsp brown sugar
Mince and saute the onion and garlic in the sesame oil until the onions are translucent. Add the ketchup, chili powder, soy sauce, and brown sugar, and mix thoroughly. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars, and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Store at room temperature, but refrigerate after opening.



Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Caution; very hot!
2 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup diced onions
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili flakes (okay, so I know this really isn't chipotle, but it does the trick!)
1/2 tsp black pepper
Combine all ingredients, including diced onions in saucepan and let simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to hot, sterilized jars, and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Store at room temperature, but refrigerate after opening.

Sunday Bake of the Week: Gingerbread

Holiday cookie baking in our home is a funny thing; shortbread and gingerbread, the two cookies that are most representative to me of the holiday season, also happen to be the two cookies Chris detests the most.

And then there's Lucien. Given the choice between a chocolate chip cookie or a gingerbread one, he almost always goes for the gingerbread. So when planning the cookies that I will be baking each year, I have to make sure that there are enough that Chris will enjoy to combat the gingery goodness.

But for all of us gingerbread lovers, here's a recipe that's sure to make your yummiest gingerbread people (and trees!) ever;

As well as the perfect base for all that candy!

Gingerbread 

    3/4 cup ( 175 mL) unsalted butter, melted

    3/4 cup ( 175 mL) lightly packed brown sugar
    1 egg, lightly beaten
    1/2 cup ( 125 mL) molasses
    3 cups ( 750 mL ) all-purpose flour
    1 tbsp ( 15 mL) ground ginger
    2 tsp ( 10 mL) cinnamon
    1/2 tsp ( 2 mL) each of allspice, salt and baking soda

1. In a bowl, using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar until blended, at least 2 minutes. Beat in egg. Stir in molasses. In a large mixing bowl, using a fork, stir 2 cups (500 mL) flour with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, salt and baking soda until evenly blended. Make a well in centre, then pour in molasses mixture. Stir until all flour is absorbed. Stir in remaining flour, 1/4 cup (50 mL) at a time, until dough is no longer sticky but still soft. Divide dough into 4 portions. Form into balls. Wrap or place in resealable plastic bags. Flatten dough slightly and seal. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week, or freeze.

2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease baking sheets with shortening or vegetable oil, or coat with cooking spray. Roll out 1 ball of dough until 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) for thick cookies or 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) for thinner cookies. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters. Place on baking sheets.

3. Bake in centre of 350F (180C) oven until deep brown around edges and firm to the touch, about 10 minutes for thick cookies or 7 minutes for thinner cookies that are about 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Larger cut-outs require more baking time. Repeat with remaining dough.

4. Remove baked cookies to racks to cool. Cool sheets slightly before adding more cookies to be baked. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container in a cool dry place. They will keep well for at least 1 month.

Sunday Bake of the Week: Apple-filled Scones

Every Friday I go to our local cafe to knit, chat, and enjoy the delicious coffees and baked goods. One such goodie is a scone they make that has a strawberry-rhubarb filling. It is divine.

But being advernterous, I thought it couldn't be too difficult to mimic, and gave it a try!

Due to lack of either strawberries or rhubarb, I had to go with what I had, which was apples. Lots, and lots of apples. Yet the scones turned out brilliant, and you could easily substitute other fruits for the filling. As I try other combinations, I post the variations used.

Fruit-Filled Scones



Preheat oven to 425 F

Filling:

2 medium sized cooking apples; peeled, cored, and diced

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp brown sugar

(1/4 cup raisins)

Combine the apples with the dry ingredients in a saucepan, and mix until the apples are thoroughly coated.

Add:

2/3 cup water

1 tsp lemon juice

Put over low heat and stirring frequently, bring just to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit while you prepare the dough.

Dough:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

8-12 tbsp of butter, shortening, or a combination of both

Using your fingers, two knives, or a pastry cutter, mix together until it resembles course meal. Make a well in the centre, and add:

1 1/4 cup milk

Quickly blend the milk into the dry ingredients, adding more if the dough is too stiff. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 2 minutes. At this time, I divide the dough in half to make it easier to work with.

Taking one half of the dough, roll it out into a square about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. Take half of the apple filling, and spread it out over the rolled dough, carefully leaving about 2 inches without filling at one end (that will be the outside of the roll). Starting at the opposite end, start rolling the dough into a pinwheel; trapping the filling on the inside. When you get to the end, place a few drops of water along the edge to seal it.

Cut the roll into 12 pieces, and repeat for the second half of the dough.

Now transfer each piece, with the pinwheel visible from the top, to a greased muffin tin. Each piece should sit inside one muffin cup to bake.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the tops are nice and golden, and the apple filling has become caramel in colour.

Let rest for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to cooling racks. These are best served fresh and still warm, but can be reheated for 20 seconds in the microwave as well.

Makes 24 scones.

Sunday Bake of the Week: Oatmeal Fruit Bars

This sunday I wanted to reinvent a recipe I've used many times.

For my birthday this year, my sister in law gave me the cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry's wife!), a great book that introduces different ways to include various fruit and vegetable purees into everyday food. This recipe originally called for blueberry preserve and spinache puree, but ideally you could use whatever jams/preserves you have at home. Bear in mind though, if you're going to use a strong tasting vegetable like spinach, that you use a strong tasting fruit like blueberries to hide the taste.

Oatmeal Fruit Bars

2 cups quick oats

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter

1 cup fruit jam/preserve (I used apple butter)

1/2 cup vegetable puree (I used apple sauce)

Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a medium sized baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the butter and vanilla, and combine with the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles small peas. It is okay if some of the butter is showing. Put most of the mixture into the greased pan, setting aside a little less than 1/4 for later. Using your fingers, press the oatmeal mixture firmly into the pan.

Bake until the crust is just lightly browned at the edges, about 13-15 minutes.

While it is baking, mix together the fruit preserve with the vegetable puree. One the crust edges are browned, spread the fruit/veggie mixture evenly over the top, and sprinkle what is left of the oatmeal mixture over that.

Bake for another 20-25 minutes. Let the bars cool almost completely in the pan before cutting, and enjoy!

Try as many different variations as you can think of! I've also made it with strawberry jam and squash puree, and next time want to make it with raspberry and yams!

Sunday Bake of the Week: Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I spent the weekend with my family in Toronto, and at the last minute realised I had not prepared anything for the bake of the week! Wanting to make something that would begin the transition to more Autumn-like cooking, I looked for a recipe that called for pumpkin, and came across this recipe for cookies. I am going to experiment with substituting 1 cup of oats for one cup of flour next time, as I wasn't too crazy about the consistency of the first batch. I'll update this post once I've tried that.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 Cup butter, softened
1 1/3 Cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 Large eggs
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Cups canned or fresh pumpkin puree
4 Cups all-purpose flour
2 Teaspoons baking powder
2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 Teaspoon ground clove

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a VERY large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, and once combined, mix in the pumpkin.

In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin, and mix thoroughly.

Grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper. Using a spoon, drop the batter onto the cookie sheets, about one tablespoon at a time. Or, if you want a neater-looking cookie, flour your hands and roll each tablespoon into a ball, and flatten the batter on the sheets with the palm of your hand.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes, until the batter is set, but the cookies have not yet turned brown. Let cool on racks, and enjoy!

Sunday Bake of the Week: Helen's Zucchini Bread

I actually did not think this post was going to happen. We got a last-minute phone call Friday night from my brother-in-law telling us that there was going to be a dinner for Opa's birthday, and we were invited to come stay the night at their place. We got back at 6:30 this evening, when I realised I had baked no bread or snacks for the coming week. So a quick batch of zucchini bread was in order!

----------------------------------------------------------------

 

There are many dishes that I make that Chris considers the best he's ever had. My philly cheese steak sandwhiches, for example. But no matter what recipe I try or variations I attept, I have never been able to make a batch of zucchini bread that equals his mom's. So I finally got around to getting her recipe and though I hate to say it, it is by far the best zucchini bread I have ever made.

Helen's Zucchini Bread

makes 2 loaves

3 eggs

3 cups shredded zucchini (squeezed of excess liquid)

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredient. In a seperate bowl, sift together the rest of the dry ingredients, and add to the zucchini batter.

Pour into 2 bread pans, and bake at 325 F for about an hour, or until the top is golden, and a toothpic inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove from bread pans, let cool on racks, and enjoy!

Sunday Bake of the Week: Doggy's Favorite Cake

Each peach pear plum, my dog ate the plum cake; that little bum!

A good friend of ours used to make us the most delicious German apple cake whenever we came to visit. It was a nice, firm base, not too sweet, but just sweet enough, with fresh apple slices arranged on the top, and then a brown-sugar glaze poured over it all. It was to die for.

I used to make it all the time, but often I'd substitute peaches for the apples instead. This made the cake a little more moist, but equally yummy. So when my sister in law gave me some miniature black plums to use up, I thought I'd make the cake again, and have plums as well as peaches on the top.

When I was finished, it looked so good cooling on the counter - too good in fact - that my dog couldn't resist jumping up to the counter and eating the cake while we were upstairs! (Apparently my dog is taller than I thought!)

Luckily, I did take some pictures for the blog before the dog got to it, so at least I can share those.

Silly mutts!

Peach-Plum Cake

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt

Combine above ingredients in a large bowl, and mix with a patsry blender (or your fingers) until it resembles course cornmeal. In a measuring cup, whisk together:

1 large egg
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

And enough milk to make one cup. Add to the dry ingredients and mix to form a soft dough. Spread evenly in a 9" cake or pie pan, and top with:

4-6 large apples, pears, plums, or peaches, sliced

Make sure the pieces overlap and that none of the dough is visable. Next, sprinkle the fruit with 1/2 cup brown sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 3 tbsp melted butter.

Bake at 425 F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note: don't do what I did and forget to put a cookie sheet under the cake to catch any overflow of juices. I've never seen so much smoke in my kitchen!

Sunday Bake of the Week: Naan

Today for dinner I decided to make curry, a meal we love and one that I haven't made in probably close to six months (it's just been too darn hot!). But in our house if I am going to make curry, we have to do it right: basmati rice, raita for dipping, chai tea (for me at least!), and of course, naan bread to wrap the curry in. I've tried many recipes for naan, from the Joy of Cooking's version to my first attempt that was flour, water and salt, fried in a pan. Yes, it was as unappetizing as it sounds.

After lots of practise making yeast-risen bread, I finally came around to a recipe that is both easy, and tastes like it was just baked in a tandoori oven. Enjoy!

Naan Bread

3/4 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp salt
6 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp melted butter
about 3 cups of flour, or as much as you need to create a soft, pliable dough, but one that does not stick to your hands

In a small, non-metal bowl, dissolve the sugar in the water, then pour the yeast over the top, but do not stir it in. Leave it for about 15-20 minutes, until the yeast mixture has bubbles on the top.

Transfer yeast mixture to a larger bowl, and add salt and yogurt, and mix thoroughly. While stirring, add melted butter. Slowly add the flour, half a cup at a time, until the mixture is too hard to stir by hand. Pour dough onto a well floured surface, and begin kneading, still adding flour, until you have achieved the right consistency. Continue to knead for a total of 10 minutes. Form into a ball, and transfer into a well oiled bowl, turning once to coat all sides. Cover, and let stand to double in size (about 2 hours).

Preheat oven to 450 F. Remove dough from bowl, and cut into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and flatten to about 1 cm tall. Place on greased baking pans and bake for 5 minutes, flip, and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool on racks. If you want, you can also fry them just before you eat them in a little butter or oil, but it's not necessary.

Sunday Bake of the Week: Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Ever since I came accross this recipe over a year ago, this cookie has become a snacking staple in our house. They're so easy to make, increadibly delicious (despite being chok full of oatmeal-goodness!), and even though this recipe makes about 60 1 1/2 inch cookies, they never seem to last very long!

And every time I make these cookies, I'm reminded of the old Pringles commercials.... "bet you can't eat just one!"

Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup butter (the original calls for unsalted butter, but I've always used salted and had them turn out just fine!)
4 cups quick-cook oats
1 package (1-1 1/2 cups) chocolate chip

Combine the first 4 ingredients together in a very large bowl. Cut in butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla, and cream together with the flour mixture. The batter should still be fairly sticky. Add the chocolate chips and oatmeal. You'll be able to use a wooden spoon at first, but in order to have the oatmeal thoroughly combined you'll have to use you hands to mix the batter. Trust me, it's worth the messy hands.

If you need to you can add more oatmeal, but the cookies turn out better if the batter is still sort of sticky. It makes for crispier cookies. Shape the batter into small balls (about 1 1'2 inch in diametre) and place on a greased cookie sheet, and flatten them slightly with your palm. Bake for 14 minutes (or until they just start to turn golden) in an oven preheated to 350 F. Let cool on baking racks (if you can!), and enjoy!

I can usually get about 60 cookies or so, though it's hard to tell. The first batch is usually eaten before they're even cool, and each successive batch has several missing too!

Canning

Saturday was the first canning day of the season, and was actually one of the most productives ones I've had yet (the bounty we've been harvesting from the garden certainly helped!). I made two preserves, tomato pasta sauce, and raspberry jam. We were interested to see just how much jam we got this year compared to last, as we were pretty sure we had more raspberry canes come up. As it turns out, we got about 10 cups of raspberries last year, and this year, a little over 15! (Not to mention all the berries we ate straight off the bush!)

15 cups of ruby yumminess!

I was a little hesistant to make the pasta sauce, as all my attempt in the past to do so never turned out as good as I'd like. They were either to bland, or bitter, and could just never compare with store-bought sauce. Mind you, I was always using vegetables I bought at the store, so perhaps that was the difference right there. Either way, this is some of the best sauce we've ever had, and is so full of good-for-you veggies (partially hidden for those pickier eaters!) that other than meatballs, nothing has to be added!

This recipe of course yeilds a large amount, but could be cut down to make one or two servings only. And the vegetables used just happened to be the ones that are in season from our garden, so you can pretty much adjust and add/remove depending on what you have available, or what your family's tastes are like. I would have liked to add green peppers as well, but ours just weren't big enough yet. So I'm saving them for salsa.

At the end of the day, we had 4 litres of pasta sauce, and a little over 3 litres of raspberry jam. I would say it was a success! Next week I'll be making my own salsa, and snap bean pickles!

Hearty Tomato Pasta Sauce

4 medium onions, diced
2 handfuls fresh basil, diced
1 bulb of garlic, crushed
6 large mushrooms, diced
5 large swiss chard stems and leaves, diced
1 large, or two medium zucchinis, peeled, seeded, cut into eighths and thinly sliced (if the zucchini is small enough, peeling and seeding is not necissary)
6 medium tomatoes, core removed and diced (or in our case, 9 little ones!)
3 large carrots, shredded
3 tbsp salt
2 156ml cans tomato paste
1 796ml can of crushed tomatoes
1 796ml can of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup sugar

Using a large pot (I mean very large!) saute everything but the tomatoes in a little olive oil and water until the onions go transparent. Add the tomatoes, and simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours. Transfer to mason jars or freezer containers. If canning, boil jars for 20 minutes before storing. This yeilds enough to fill 8 500ml jars, with a little left over.

Sunday Bake of the Week: Marshmellow Mixed-Berry Pie

Lucien is a huge fan of Maurice Sendak's "Little Bear." And for over a year now, he's gone on about how he wants to make marshmellow mixed-berry pie; a dessert Mother Bear makes often. He even calls our raspberries "marmallows" because he knows they go into the pie. So when I was at our farmer's market yesterday, I was able to pick up a cup of blackberries, and thought I'd finally give the dessert a try. I wasn't too sure how it would taste to have cooked marshmellow in with a berry pie, but the end result was actually quite pleasant. Instead of there being clumps of marshmellow (which I thought would happen), the berry filling got an interesting caramel flavour. All around this experiment was a success, and one recipe that I'll be making again for sure!

I am not quite sure what happened with this photo, I think something was stuck on the camera lense...

Little Bear's Marshmellow Mixed-Berry Pie

1 heaping cup blackberries
2 heaping cups raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbps lemon juice
10 large marshmellows, broken into small pieces (or the equivilent of small ones)
2 tbsp raspberry jam
2 tbsp corn starch

Make ahead your favourite pastry dough, set in fridge to chill. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, and allow to sit for about 10 minutes, until the berries start to release their juice. While filling is sitting, roll out dough and place in a 9-inch pie pan. Pour filling into pie crust, and using strips of dough, form a lattice accross the top. Trim excess dough from the sides, and flute the edges to secure top and bottom layers.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for about 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden, and the filling has started bubbling (don't forget to place a large cookie sheet underneith to catch any drippings - or you have a horrible mess to deal with!).

This is a pie that is best left to cool completely before cutting, but is well worth the wait. Thanks Little Bear!