There are a million salads and this is another one…..might I add, a great one? I just did.
- 2 English cumbers, unpeeled and sliced thin
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernals (off the cobb)
- 2 3/4 cups sugar snap peas
- 10 radishes, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- pinh of salt and pepper
- 2 firm-ripe avocados, halved and cut in wedges
Combine the cucumbers, corn, peas and radishes in a bowl. Drizzle the lime juice and oil over the bowl and toss to combine.
Gently fold in the avocadoes and serve right away.
YUM!
Accordion Looking Potatoes
If you are still in the planning stages for a celebration Buffet for Brunch, this is a wonderful addition. Easier than ever and so darn tasty. It could be a family favourite as well for Sunday dinners (do we still do that?)
- 24-30 mini yellow fleshed potatoes, scrubbed
- 1-3 tbsp. butter, melted
- 1 tbsp. dried fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- pinch of salt and pepper
In a saucepan cook the potatoes until tender – 10 minutes – or when a paring knife will pierce the potato. Drain and let cool. If making ahead refrigerate in a sealed container for no longer than a day.
Use a sharp knife and do not cut all the way through, slice in 1/4 inch slices across the width of the potatoes. Be sure to leave the bottom in tact or you will simply have the makings for scallop potatoes.
Melt the butter, oil and herbs together and toss the potatoes until coated.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour in a 350 degree oven. They should be golden in colour and quite shrivelled.
Serve hot with the rest of the fare. In a word “Yummy”.
Pizza-Spanakopita Style
If you love Greek food you will love this pizza. It can be served as an Appetizer for your party or just nibblies during hockey night viewing.
- 1 bag of fresh baby spinach, stems removed
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup, extra smooth ricotta
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1 cup crumbled Feta
- 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 450g pkg of all butter, puff pastry (2 rolls), thawed
- 1 egg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove middle rack, making sure one rack is in the top third of the oven and one in the bottom third. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Boil a large pot of water and add the spinach, cooking until wilted (60 seconds). Drain and rinse under cold water. Place in a tea towel and wring out excess liquid. Chop the spinach.
Heat a frypan and add the onion and garlic, cooking until the onion is lightly brown. Add the spinach and ricotta and reduce the heat. Cook until all liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat, add the dill, 1/2 cup Feta and nutmeg. Set aside.
Unroll the pastry onto the cookie sheets. Use a sharp knife to score a 1/2 inch border around each pastry sheet. Then dock the pastry all over with a fork. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush evenly over the pastry.
Bake in the oven, switching the pans around halfway through baking time (about 14-15 minutes) until lightly golden in colour and puffy.
Remove from the oven, divide the spinach mixture between the two pans and spread out to the scored edges. Sprinkle the remaining feta over the tops and continue baking until the pastry and feta are golden in colour, again switching the pans around halfway through the 12-13 minute baking time. Slice and serve.
OMG! Yummy….
Squash Tips
Ha ha, not what you were thinking. Here are a few ideas to make with squash from side dishes to soups and, of course, your own salted pumpkin seeds.
Hubbard Squash
Mash the flesh of the baked squash with butter and top with lots of caramelized onions and…..add a dash of chili powder.
Butternut Squash
Cut in half, lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and peel the outer skin. Cut in chunks and bake in a buttered baking dish in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until tender.
Season with walnut oil, dark brown sugar and freshly grated ginger. Toss with chopped dried cranberries.
This, my friends, is a fabulous way to eat squash.
Winter Squash
Peel, chop into chunks and cook until tender. Mash well and add some apple butter, 1/4 cup chicken broth and top with, what else, but crispy bacon pieces and a sprinkling of fresh thyme. Don’t use the pre-packaged bacon bits, as the flavour is in the freshly cooked bacon.
Who said you didn’t like squash? Read on…..
Spaghetti Squash
We make this often and love how it becomes stringy like real spaghetti.
Once cooked, toss the strings with lots of butter, chopped pecans and sage. When well blended, top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Who needs pasta? Wait – there is one more as promised….
Take the seeds from a fresh pumpkin and pour boiling water over them and steep for half an hour. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
Spread out on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with a fine sea salt. Cool down for about 10 minutes (so you don’t burn your mouth) and enjoy!
Gotta love squash…..
French-style Apple And Almond Sheet Tart
I love this dessert. The best apple to use is a Gala and since they are in abundance this time of year, it should be incentive to go and get some to make this dessert. Right?
Crust
- 8 sheets of phyllo pastry, thawed
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 1/2 tbsp. sugar
- 3-4 Gala apples, peeled, halved, cored and cut into thin slices
- 1/2 cup peach preserves
- 3 tbsp. water
Position rack in center of the preheated 350 degree oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stack the phyllo sheets with plastic wrap and then a damp kitchen towel so they don’t dry out. Place a phylo sheet, one at a time, on the baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with the sugar and continue with the second one, repeating until all are prepared in the same way.
Almond Cream
This should be made before the phyllo gets started because it has to be chilled for a few hours.
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour (ground almonds)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
Whisk the flour and sugar together in a medium size bowl. Whisk together the egg, vanilla in another bowl. Whisk one half the almond mixture into the egg. Whisk in the whipping cream, then fold in the remaining almond mixture. Cover with foil and chill at least 4 hours.
Spoon dollops of the cream evenly over the phyllo, leaving 1/2 inch border all around. Carefully, closely space the slices around the tart on top of the cream. Bake for about 40 minutes until the apples are tender, custard has set and the crust is golden.
Not done yet, but close.
Combine the preserves and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until melted. Brush this over the apples and tart edges.
Cut in slices and serve. Adding a dollop of whipped cream wouldn’t hurt anyone, except the left hip. Alright, add two, and then the right hip will be happy.
Enjoy! This is truly yummy.
Crawfish Etouffee
As mentioned before, we attended a cooking class in New Orleans. Sondra gave us this recipe and I wanted to share it with you.
I have to be honest. Don loved it, but I don’t care for the taste of crawfish (poor man’s lobster or in the South they are known as ‘mud bugs’ ). In Canada, at least at this end of the country, you can’t buy crawfish as far as I am aware. In this case, use large shrimp.
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup oil
- 4 cups finely chopped onions
- 2 cups celery, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup green pepper, chopped
- 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 lbs (2 1/2 lbs) large shrimp crawfish)
- 2 tsp. Joe’s Stuff seasoning blend (salt, pepper and paprika) to taste
- a touch of crab boil (if you can find it)
- Enough white rice for each person served (this will serve 8 or dinner twice)
Add flour to hot oil to make a dark chocolate coloured roux, stirring constantly. (remember, turn off the tv, unplug the phone type of concentration). Add seasoning to the mix to blend, along with the onions, celery, green pepper and garlic.
In another pot with piping hot chicken stock, stir in the roux GRADUALLY, until well blended. Cook for 20 minutes over medium heat.
Add the shrimp and cook an additional 5 minutes, if desired, add chopped parsley before serving.
This is always served over plain white rice. Try it….With shrimp, it is delicious. Honest!
Winter’s Salad
Of course, we should still eat salads in the cold winter months, and this is a flavourful one, easy to make, nothing outrageous to purchase. Give it a try!
- 2 large blood oranges
- 1 small head of chicory, torn into small pieces
- 2 heads of Belgian endive, sliced into 1/4 inch slivers
- 1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup Arbequina olives, pitted and chopped
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- pinch of salt and pepper
Peel the skin off the oranges and all the pith. Holding the oranges over a bowl to catch the juice, cut the membrane on the orange sections and carefully remove.
Put the orange sections in a bowl and set aside. Squeeze any remaining juice from the membranes into the bowl holding the juice.
Add the greens, onion, olive oil, salt and pepper to the bowl with the orange sections. Add the orange juice and toss to mix well.
Serve immediately.
Told you it was simple…..tasty……fresh….and, oh yeah, healthy.
Cosmopolitan Degree
This will make everyone who sips this, think you are really an excellent bartender and smart to boot.
- 4 parts Grey Goose Vodka
- 1 part Triple Sec
- 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 parts cranberry juice
- 1 part Cassis liqueur
Pour all the ingredients in a shaker filled with crushed ice and really shake well.
Strain into well-chilled martini glasses and garnish a fresh fig wedge.
Wait for it…….all the oohs and ahhs will warm your heart for sure.
Sour Cream Peach Cake
It is really an upside down peach cake but sooooooooo yummy! I think it is even better than pineapple upside down cake. Try it and tell me what you think.
- 2 lbs. peaches, peeled, pit removed and sliced thin
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 cups, plus 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups sweetened whipped cream
In a large mixing bowl, toss the peaches with 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon and 1 tbsp. sugar.
In a large oven-proof skillet combine the 1/2 stick of butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar over medium high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar melts and become caramalized and very syrupy. Remove from the heat.
Lay out the peach slices in a decorative pattern.
Now, cream the remaining sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients, not including the flour. Sift the flour and slowly add, beating well after each addition.
Pour this batter over the peaches and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 40-45 minutes until golden and begins to pull away from the side of the pan.
Remove from the oven and let cool down for about 15 minutes and invert on a pretty plate. Serve with whipped cream.
OMG, this is a comfort food for sure. Yummy, yummy, yummy.
Creamy Pecan Sauce for Pasta
This sauce has such great flavour, you will want pasta every night for dinner.
- 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
- 1 slice Dempster’s multigrain bread
- 2/3 cup of buttermilk
- 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1/3 cup of grated Asiago cheese
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- pasta for 6 (your choice)
On a parchment lined cookie sheet, toast the pecans in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Set aside.
While cooking the pasta to al dente, start the sauce.
Combine the bread and the buttermilk in a small bowl and let sit for about 5 minutes. In a blender, place the bread mixture, 3/4 of the chopped pecans, thyme, garlic and cheese. Blend until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta, saving about 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add the nut mixture to the pasta, adding only enough of the cooking liquid to make the sauce creamy.
Put in a pretty bowl, sprinkle the remaining chopped pecans and more cheese on top. The oohs and ahhs will be so worth it.
Now, would you like a glass of wine? Red or White? Done…..
Iceberg Lettuce With A Cheddar Mayonnaise
This silly recipe reminds me of a time many years ago at a restaurant in Salt Lake City. We (4 of us) ordered a salad. What came was a head of lettuce cut in 4 and that was it. I still laugh when I think of the shocked looks on our faces. Never mind, this is good and tasty for sure.
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 drops of Worchestershire sauce
- pinch of salt and pepper
- Milk – as needed
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut in 6 wedges
- 3 tbsp. cheddar cheese, crumbled
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, mix the nuts and syrup together and spread them out on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Toast for 15 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. When cool, break into pieces.
In a small saucepan, combine the cheese, flour and cream. Over a low heat, stirring constantly, let it come to the boil and starts to thicken. Remove from the heat immediately and cool to room temperature.
In a blender, pulse the cooled cheese mixture with the mayonnaise until smooth. Add the mustard, Worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper and blend well. Add just enough milk to make it pourble. Refrigerate.
To serve, place a wedge on a plate, drizzle the cheese sauce of it, and garnish with the carmellized nuts and crumbled cheese.
Lemon (or Lime) Poppyseed Cake/Muffins
The neat thing about this recipe, make muffins instead and you will be a big hit, add some lemon icing on top when hot out of the oven and it melts all down the sides. Trust me, you will love these.
- 3 3/4 cups flour
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 7 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 tsp. each of lemon and lime grated peel (1 1/2 tsp if just one or the other)
- 1/2 cup poppyseeds
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin tins with butter flavoured pam spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In your electric mixer cream the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and beat for another 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all is blended. Gradually drizzle the eggs and beat until it is smooth and fluffy. Reduce the speed on the mixer and slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. Be sure to start and end with the flour.
Scrape down the bowl and then add the poppyseeds and citrus zest. Bake for about 25-30 minutes (I use the large muffin tins – I never use the smaller ones) and check at 20 minutes and then every 5 minutes until cooked through.
Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes to cool down, run a knife carefully around the edges and invert. Turn them right-side up and let cool on racks
. Lemon Glaze
- 1 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar
- 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon OR lime juice
Place in a bowl and, using a small whisk, mix until completely smooth. Drizzle over hot muffins. YUMMMMMMMMY!