Here is a great quiche. Serve this with warm muffins and freshly brewed coffee. What a wonderful way to start the day.
- 1 -9″ unbaked pie shell from frozen puff pastry
- 2 tsp. butter
- 12 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and diced small
- 2 cups whipping cream (of course it is good for you)
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (no real onions, please)
- 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Saute bacon until crisp. Beat cream, eggs and spices until well mixed.
Sprinkle the pie shell with the drained bacon, red pepper and cheese.
Carefully pour the egg mixture on top. Bake in the oven for fifteen minutes, then reduce the temperature to 300 degrees and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle come out clean.
The flavour is really, really delicious and yes, men really do eat quiche.
Serve with fresh fruit and, of course, freshly brewed coffee.
Pumpkin Waffles With Apple Cider Syrup
I was going through my cookbook (The B & B Cookbook) from our Bed and Breakfast Days and found this was missing from the Damn I Can Do This site. So, here it is, just in time for Thanksgiving.
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground allspice
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup canned pure pumpkin (not the pie mix)
- 2 cups milk
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1/4 cup melted Butter
Preheat waffle iron. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk and egg yolks. Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Stir the dry ingredients plus the melted butter into the pumpkin mixture, stirring just to combine. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites, stirring until incorporated. Fold in the remaining egg whites.
Cook the waffles until a golden brown.
Syrup
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. butter
Stir together the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a saucepan and stir in the cider and lemon juice.
Cook over a medium heat just until the mixture begins to boil and continue cooking until it begins to thicken and then stir in the butter. Remove from the heat and serve warm with the waffles.
Everyone will love this and want more. Tell them to wait until Christmas….maybe!
Super Corn Muffins
Our family really loves corn muffins and we find these are the ‘super duper’ of them all. Give them a try, they are awesome. Also note: the pics shows mini muffins. My family thinks that is best for snacks and lunches.
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 can creamed corn (Green Giant is the best)
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 3 tbsp. sugar
- pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine all the dry ingredients and, using a whisk, mix together.
Add the wet ingredients and when combined, spoon into muffins tins you have sprayed with Pam (or like product). Now, let the batter sit on the counter for about 5 minutes. This makes the difference.
Bake for 20 minutes. Brush the tops with melted butter, Cool 5 minutes and then remove from the tins and rest of a rack.
NOTE: Today I added a generous scoop of sour cream as it seemed a little dry and my daughter says these were the best ever.
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Mushroom Cream
On Sunday afternoon we were dining at Cuckoo’s in Coombs and we had this sauce. It is to die for. Total addictive. You have to try it. It will go on anything and be so wonderful.
Of course the Chef couldn’t give us HIS recipe and it is beyond yummy. This is Don’s and is soooo yummy.
- 1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 tbsp. fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
Put the butter in a frypan and fry the mushrooms without moving them around. Turn over only when they have a nice crust on the bottom. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and saute for one minute.
Add the cream and bring to a boil, now add the cheese cooking for 3 minutes. Lower the temperature, add the parsley and simmer for one minute until thick and smooth.
OMG! Chicken, steak, fish, even toast triangles will benefit from this sauce.
Pull Apart Cinnamon Nut Buns
I wanted to make these for breakfast Sunday but I forgot how they grew. When done, I did not have a platter/plate to put them on and used my largest cookie sheet. But Oh so good!
- 20-24 frozen dough rolls
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (more if you wish)
- 1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding
- 2 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups chopped pecans/pistachio nuts
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup melted butter
The night before, spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray and set in the frozen rolls.
Now add the layers of ingredients and cover with a tea towel. Go to bed and in the morning…
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake these for 25 minutes. Leave them for about 5-8 minutes before trying to serve. Enjoy!!!!!
Vanilla Poached Pears in Spectacular Sauce
That sauce….Don could bottle it and become very rich. Kelly feels bartenders would also go crazy as in something like an Old Fashioned. Take out the simple syrup and use this sauce. OMG!!! Anyway, I digress. here we go.
- 1 bottle of a Riesling white wine
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 4 firm Bosc pears, peeled but leaving the stem intact
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 1/4 tsp. anise
Place the wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean with seed pulp, cinnamon stick, and anise in a 4 qt. saucepan and bring to a boil.
Core the pears from the bottom. Reduce the heat to medium low and set the pears in the liquid, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the pears are tender but not breaking apart. Maintain a very gentle simmer. Remove the pears to a serving dish, standing upright and place in the fridge.
Remove the vanilla bean, bring the heat back to high and reduce the syrup to about 1 cup. This should take 20-25 minutes. Do not let the syrup turn brown. Place in a heatproof dish and place in the fridge for about 1 hour to cool.
Remove the pears from the fridge and spoon the sauce over them.
NOTE: This sauce was used on waffles, pancakes and anything else Kelly could find.
A Great Cheater Tomato Pasta Sauce
This is an apology to our Italian friends, but it is good!
- 1 can tomato soup
- 1/2 can water
- 1 small tin tomato paste
- 1/4 tin water
- 1 spaghetti sauce mix envelope
- 1/2 cup half and half cream
- 1 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 6 frozen tomatoes
Put all in a medium saucepan and stir well to combine. Simmer for about 35-40 minutes and serve over ravioli, penne, or any pasta of your choice.
Simply add the garlic toast, crisp green salad and, of course, a glass of a chilled beverage.
Trust me, it is good.
Cheddar Apple Biscuits
When you are preparing a brunch for family or for a light luncheon on the deck, try these biscuits. Really quite nice.
- 3 cups flour
- 3 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup finely chopped Granny Smith apple
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 10 tbsp. frozen butter, grated
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the apple, cheese, butter and pepper. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk and egg. Stir slowly to mix together until combined.
Transfer dough to a floured surface. Knead until it just comes together. Gently pat out into a 1 inch thick square.
With a floured knife, cut the dough into 16 pieces and set out on the baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.
Bake 15-18 minutes until the bottoms are a golden brown. Serve these warm with butter. Anything else is up to your imagination.
Enjoy!
The Very Best Cheese Sauce Ever!
For our Sunday dinner, Kelly made a cheese sauce to die for. In fact, we even had it over our eggs on toast this morning. Give it a go and I am sure you will never use any other cheese sauce.
- 4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated
- 4 oz. Velveeta cheese
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 3 tbsp. flour
- 1 cup milk
- pinch of salt and pepper
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
In a saucepan, melt the butter and slowly add the flour, whisking constantly to make a roux. Remove from the heat.
Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk, salt and pepper and return to a low heat, for about 5-8 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Add the nutmeg last.
OMG! this means Oh my goodness….wonderful.
Cornbread With Frozen Sweet Corn
Having two members of the family who are here loving Cornbread and I am always looking and trying different recipes, here is one and I swear it is THE best Cornbread I have ever made. Kudos to the Spruce Eats.
- 1 cup sifted flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed, drained and patted dry
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
In a small bowl combine the half and half, beaten eggs, butter and sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix only until moistened – no more than 15 seconds.
Fold in the corn but don’t overmix this or the cornbread will be tough.
Pour into a well greased cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Serve with a bit of butter and light drizzle of honey. ODG!!!
Next time I am going to add some cheese in the batter and see how that comes out.
Braised Short Ribs With Bitter Chocolate and Oregano
I personally feel that Don does up THE best ribs going and this is another version and since we are all still on a temporary stay-at-home situation, why not give this one a try.
- 1/4 cup diced pancetta
- 5-6 lbs. bone in short ribs
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1/4 cup finely chopped celery (strings removed)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped, peeled carrots
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups drained, canned tomatoes
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 bay leaf.
In a heavy pot over medium heat, cook the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the pot and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and epper and in small batches, cook the ribs, browning on all sides. This will probably take about 7-8 minutes per batch. Transfer these to a plate.
Add the onion, shallots, celery and carrots to the pot, cover and cook the vegetables on a lower temperature until soft. Be sure to stir them every couple of minutes during the 10 minute cook.
Add the wine and with no cover, boil until the liquid is now reduced by half. Be sure to keep scraping the bottom of the pot for all the good bits for 5 minutes.
Add the broth, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pancetta. Place the ribs in the pot and cover partially and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid completely and cook a further 1 1/2 hours until the meat is really tender. Remove the ribs to a plate. Now make the sauce.
Chocolate and Oregano Sauce
- 3 tbsp. grated bittersweet chocolate
- 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
Transfer the ribs to a plate and remove the bay leaf. If there is excess fat on the surface, remove it with a spoon. Boil the sauce now until it begins to thicken (about 7 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium and add all the ingredients, stirring until the chocolate melts. Taste it and add a pinch of salt and pepper if needed. Return the ribs to the pot and simmer for about 5 minutes to rewarm it all.
Enjoy!
Ham And Cheese Puff Pastry Tart
This is a beautiful looking dish to make for a light dinner with a crisp green salad.
- 1 pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 cup diced ham
- 2 cups coarsely grated cheese (choose your favorite)
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
- pinch of sale and pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out and unfold 1 pastry sheet on each of two baking sheets.
Top with ham, cheese and mushrooms, leaving a 1/2 inch plain border. Whisk together the eggs, rosemary, pepper, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Whisk in the sour cream until smooth.
Spoon the egg mixture over the toppings on each pastry. Bake in the oven until the pastry is puffed , golden and the toppings are set. This should take about 23-25 minutes.