Happy National Margarita Day!

February 22, 2012 is National Margarita Day!

Sadly, there is no ice in my house.  But I've made do...

Margarita, no ice

Rim your glass with salt (I like purple) by wetting edge and dipping edge in salt on a plate.  If you don't have a proper glass, a cocktail glass will work.

About 1 oz tequilla (or whatever looks good)
A splash of triple sec
Limeade or bar lime mix to top it off.

Garnish with a cherry, preferably with a stem.


Usually, I throw all the above in a blender and give it a good whirl.  Frozen margaritas are my favorite.

12 Ladies In A Tent: Helping Hands For Hungry Homes

I have recently joined a great group of ladies for an event called 12 Ladies in a Tent Helping Hands for Hungry Homes in support of the Barrie Food Bank.  This event, taking place June 8 - 12, 2012 at Allandale Station Park plans to raise 150,000 lbs of food.


We are collecting food and monetary donations at Simcoe North Fixtures & Packaging and other locations to be named shortly, prior to the official event.

The 5 day event itself will include many activities, cook-offs, BBQs, entertainment, dream auction and much more!  Details will be released shortly.

So support your local food bank and come out to see the 12 Ladies June 8 - 12!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's that time again - holiday baking!

Between 4 kids, starting our own business and my University course, baking is done in bunches.  Today's collection is below.

Interestingly, I just discovered one of my old recipes is gluten-free and egg-free! 

The gluten and egg free oatmeal caramel squares are delicious!

 Got hungry so I made garlic cheese buttermilk biscuits while the crust for the pecan bars were baking.

 Not quite cooked here but when it cools, this ooey, gooey pecan bar will be amazing!  Shortbread type base with butter tart-like topping.

Plain salted caramels (Fleur de Sel) this time.  I may dip these in chocolate or drizzle with same.  Also great with graham cracker crumbs as a base.













And, from Sunday, brownies, cupcakes (iced in either mint, chocolate or chocolate with Kirsch) and butterscotch bars.

Tomorrow, I hope to work on lemon-cranberry biscotti and a few more cookies.  What are you baking this year?

Dinner is in the bag er...pot.

Life has been very busy these last few weeks.  I quit my full-time job to run my own business.  The grand opening is October 13, 2011.  www.simcoenorth.ca/GRANDopening.pdf  My daughter is in the hospital and my son has an ear infection.  Another child doesn't want to go to the school in the am and the 4th kid, well she is helping out a lot but is tired.  Thank you to my 13 yr old for helping keep the house together!

So, because I want to feed my family home-cooked goodness and we are crazy-busy, I pulled out the crockpot!

Using leftover steak from Sunday dinner and a bunch of rough cubed root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, squash and turnip), I started a yummy stew that will be ready by supper.  I prepared it the night before, refrigerated it and simply had to put the pot into the crockpot to cook before running out the door.

Recipe:

2 cups cut up beef (raw or leftover roast/steak)

4-5 large carrots

7-8 potatoes (I like more)

2 cups assorted chunks root veggies such as turnip or sweet potato or even squash (I lucked out with a precut pack on super clearance but in great condition at Shoppers Drug Mart)

Beef broth - I am trying the Knorr gelatine based broth this time - full package

1-2 tbls cajun spice

2 onions finely chopped

pepper, rosemary, parsely to taste (add salt later as the beef broth can be fairly salty).

water to barely cover veggies

I would also be tempted to throw in some Worcestershire sauce and/or a touch or brown sugar.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  You can thicken in final hour by adding a little corn starch mixed with water.

Thank goodness for Fro Dough!

Wonder if anyone else uses the term Fro Dough?  Well, in my case, I'm referring to the stash of ready to go cookie dough balls in my freezer.  Having been handed a note at 6pm asking for any type of goodies for a kinder grad tomorrow, I immediately thought of the ginger snap dough I had ready to go!  within minutes, fresh ginger snaps were baking in the oven, filling the house with the smell of molasses and spice.

I then whipped up another new cookie using an existing base recipe and adding dark chocolate, oatmeal, white chocolate and dried cranberries to create a yummy cookie fit for school!  My preferred combo with this dough is cranberry, pecan and lemon -- not school safe!

Well it's 10:19pm and still a ton of take home work to finish, not to mention household chores!  Better check the cookies and get to work!

Cupcakes galore!

In less than 1 month, I have baked over 12 dozen cupcakes - for only 2 events!

Most recently, it was for my daughter's 18th birthday.  She requested chocolate with mint frosting.

The batter was yummy and thick as I mixed it up (again in too small of bowl).  It seemed almost criminal to stir in 2 cups of boiling water to the mix however the result is always worth it!

Earlier in the month, I made 4 types for my grandmother's 90th birthday celebration - lemon, red velvet with cream cheese icing, chocolate and vanilla.  The lemon cupcakes were a smash hit among the retirement home crowd!

Scones for the Royal Wedding

In honour of the Royal Wedding, I decided that scones were in order - at 10:45 pm!  So easy to make, I was done cooking by 11:05pm.

Cranberry Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (frozen brick)
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup half and half cream with 1 tbsp lemon juice (let sit 2 minutes)
1 large egg

 Mix all powdered ingredients in bowl.

Using cheese grater, grate frozen butter into powdered ingredients. (Leave block whole to give you something to hold)  

Using a fork, mix butter into flour mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in cranberries.

Mix egg with cream until well mixed.

Using fork, mix liquid into flour/butter mix until mix forms dough (will be flaky and loosely formed.)

 Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Use hand to form dough into 2  3/4 inch thick rounds.  Slice like a pie into 6 pieces.  (If you want larger scones, make one round)  Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until scones start to brown at edges.

Best eaten while warm!

This was a double batch.

You may also wish to try raisins or other ingredients.  Dare to be creative!

Take it up a notch: Brining your Easter Turkey with herbs

Once you brine a turkey, it's hard to go back to the unbrined version.  It just doesn't have the flavour.

I use a herb brine.  Very simple but produces amazing taste!

16 cups vegetable broth (or 16 c. water and one can knorr veggie broth powder)
1 cup sea salt
1 tbsp each of rosemary, thyme, savory and sage

Boil together for 15 minutes stirring until salt is dissolved.

Add 16 cups ice water

Let cool then add turkey. A large enameled corn pot works well.
Put in fridge overnight.

Drain turkey and give a quick rinse to reduce saltiness.  Dress as usual.  (I prefer butter mixed with herbs, fresh cracked pepper and to place thin slices of garlic under the breast skin)

Cook as directed per lb but keep in mind brined turkeys cook faster so you may save 30 minutes or more off cooking time. (butterball.ca has great guideline for stuffed, unstuffed and cooking from frozen).

The juices from a brined turkey also make excellent gravy!

Earth hour and a pot of chili

March 26 was Earth Hour for 2011.  Thousands across Canada, my family included, participated by turning off all non-essential power for at least 1 hour.  Hopefully, we can all try to reduce energy in our everyday lives.

Now for the food!  Yesterday was a cool day, perfect for chili with fresh rosemary garlic buns.  Special ingredients include cinnamon and dark chocolate.  Top with grated cheese and green onion to make an extra tasty meal!

Chili Recipe:


1 lb ground beef
2 medium - large onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
Throw in pot and cook over medium heat until beef is thoroughly cooked.

Add 5 tbls chili powder, 1 tsp each of oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin and coriander  Mix into meet mixture and try and let it "toast" a bit.  heating the spices before adding more ingredients lets the flavours come out.

Add 1 large can diced plum tomatoes w. liquid, 1 can tomato paste, 4 cans beans (drained) (we like 2 red, 1 white and 1 black)  Stir in.

Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 2 tblsp beef bouillion and 1 cup water (if too thick, you can add more).

Cook for about 2 hours over very low heat, stirring occasionally.

For extra spice, add in chopped chilis, Habanero peppers (very hot!!) or even chili pepper flakes.  You can also add a small dash of cinnamon and dark chocolate to flavour (a tbsp of chocolate chips or a few squares from a dark chocolate bar - add a little at a time!)  Also, you can add more spice, sugar, salt to reflect your personal flavour preferences.

Happy cooking!

When you keep hearing about it...

You make it!

Today, I was to finish a school assignment and review the business books.  But, procrastination and a quick check of Twitter got the best of me.  Bring on the craving for caramels!  30 minutes later, a batch of Fleur de Sel caramels is ready.


MMMMM.

Now off to make dinner and perhaps a cheesecake!

Dreaming of Summer

The long, cold winter has left me dreaming of those warm summer days and cool (but much warmer than now) fall nights.  Most of all, I recall our Thanksgiving turkey spit.

I recently shared my herbed turkey brine recipe with a gentleman promoting East coast sage products at the CGTA.


Here are a few pics of the finished turkeys.

My mouth is watering!  Unfortunately, spit turkeys will have to wait for warmer days.

Creations of the Past Year

I forget to blog so here are some pictures:

Brie with Caramelized onion, Cranberry & Pecan

Costco had Brie on sale before Christmas.  I, of course, picked one up and asked hubby to pick up another when he was in.  Hubby came home with 2.  So what does one do with 3 huge rounds of Brie?

Tonight, I decided to make a baked Brie.  To snazzy it up, I covered the base dough with cranberry scotch bonnet jelly then added caramelized onions, pecans and cranberries.

Topped this mixture with thick wedges of Brie and then a layer of puff pastry.  As I used a wider sheet for the base layer, I cut slashes in the dough and then layered it across for a criss-cross effect (use an egg wash to get the dough to stick).

Bake this at 350-375 degrees for about 25 minutes or until top starts to turn golden.  If it look done, it is.

Make sure to let it set for a few minutes or your cheese will all flow out when cut.  (I was hungry so I rushed!)

Off to enjoy leftovers and a quiet evening with the family.

The Leftover Experiment

What does one do with leftover stuffing, turkey, veggies and more?

The first post-Christmas dinner meals consisted of pressed turkey sandwiches: multigrain bread, a thin layer of stuffing, turkey and Hot Mamas Cranberry jelly (made with scotch bonnet peppers) then grilled to perfection on the panini press.  The press itself is a classic!  Waffle on one side, flat iron on the other.  No newfangled machine here as it just wouldn't be the same.

But, one tires of turkey sandwiches.  So tonight, we decided on something different.  Tonight's menu consists of Turkey Pot Pie with a twist.

Start by checking out the leftovers.  Plain boiled or steamed veggies such as broccoli and carrots work best.  Add in some potatoe chunks if you haven't already used them for hashbrowns.  (multi-coloured red, yellow, blue fingerling potatoes with shallots shown below ready for cooking into hash browns.)

Since I had used all my cooked potatoes, I quickly diced a few and boiled them in some chicken broth.

While that was cooking, I chopped up 2 large onions and 3 stalks of celery then sauteed same with just under a 1/2 cup of butter until soft.  Then, add about 1/2 cup flour or enough to turn everything into a thick paste.  Pour in the chicken broth used to cook the potatoes. (You may need to add more water or broth - I used about 6 cups).  Then add a tsp of pepper, thyme, savory, sage and a tblsp of parsley.  You can add more or less to your taste or change up the seasonings.  You can also add about a 1/4 cup of whipping cream at this point (or leave it out if milk is an issue).  Once the sauce had thickened, I added a medium ziploc bag full or carrots and broccoli, the potatoe cubes and a handful of peas plus lots of chopped up turkey (about 2 cups).  Note that my measurements are estimates as I cook by touch and seldom measure unless required.

Now, as a twist, I lined my 9 x 13 glass casserole dish with a thin layer of leftover potato stuffing (bread, onions & potatoe, sage, salt, pepper, butter and turkey drippings).  I have never tried this before but I had a lot of stuffing and didn't feel like making extra pie crust from scratch today.

Pour the sauce/veggie/turkey mix into the dish.  Then, cover the dish with pastry.  Tonight I used a Robin Hood pie crust.  The Pillsbury crust is also ok for a ready made crust.

Bake at 350 until the crust is cooked.

The pot pie with stuffing base was delicious!

Ooey gooey or hard and sticky?

This week is all about caramels! 

First off, many people insist you must use a candy thermometer.  After attempting this using the thermometer, I  found it was actually easy to prepare by sight.  When the caramel is nearing the right temperature, the bubbles slow down and become more infrequent.  It`s almost as if the bubbles are talking to you.  I liken the bubbles to those found in flowing movie lava, almost as if the concoction is yawning.  Let this cook a little longer and you are almost there!  Use the ice water trick to then test for doneness by dropping a bit of the mix into water and seeing if it forms a soft ball.  When I say ball, it is usually more of a raised blob instead of instantly turning stringy.  Caramel is done at this point!  If you cook it any longer, it will turn hard when you remove it.

I also found a new recipe that makes a delicious caramel.  Cooked the first batch a touch too long and ended up with hard caramels that are reminiscent of skor toffee.  Really yummy but hard on the teeth!  The next batch, failure to cook sugars a touch longer resulted in a lighter, sweeter caramel.  I also cooked the caramel to a lower temperature (to ensure I avoided the hard caramel) resulting in a slightly soft caramel that will be made into pecan clusters.  Thus far, I have failed to get the optimal result I desire - caramels that are firm enough to hold shape but still soft and chewy.  On next attempt, I will cook the caramel a touch longer to achieve those perfect caramel squares!

The third box of holiday clementines...and winged things

Ever find that the first box of clementines is always devoured in a day?  the second box, almost as fast?  Then, the third box sits.  Clementine consumption is down.  It is inevitable that one of the bottom clementines will decide to go bad.  The result?  Fruit flies!

So how does one combat fruit flies?

First, remove any spoiled fruit.  If your bananas are becoming overripe, throw them in the freezer for banana bread at a later date.

Next, prepare the following mixture in a shot glass or small dish: 2 tsp water, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, 2 drops dish soap.  Most people also add a tsp or two of oil however, it is not necessary.  Stick your finger in mixture to break surface tension (mandatory is using oil!)

Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap then, using the point of a knife or a skewer, poke holes in the wrap to let the flies in.  The flies are unable to get back out.

Tonight,  I had caught over 9 flies within 2 hours and they seem to all be gone (flies only noticed this evening from very rotten clementine at the very bottom of the fruit bowl). I did not use oil in tonight's mix.

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"

Perhaps not the Great Pumpkin but our large pumpkin was the bearer of many pumpkin seeds, soon to be roasted to yummy goodness!

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (preferably Lowry's)
• 8 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 6 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds

Separate your pumpkin seeds, drain well and then mix with above seasonings.  bake at 275 for 1 hr, stirring frequently.

Add additional seasoning salt or seasonings to taste.

Happy Halloween!!

Spooky mice

What better to serve for a Halloween party than spooky mice covered in blood?

These mice are simply meatloaf shaped into an oval shape with little carrot or pea eyes and a bean or noodle for a tail.  Cover them in bbq for a bloody look!

Darn Facebook!  The final pics are missing and lost in a hardware crash :(

70 lbs of potatoes!

Yes.  I did it!  I bought 50 lbs of white fingerling potatoes and 20 lbs of red fingerling potatoes from Brookland farms.

Why?  These potatoes are low-glycemic and have a less starchy taste than other potatoes.  the red ones are pink inside when cooked.  And, they are very yummy!  I am told they will keep til June in my fridge - we'll check back on that later...

Tonight, I have simply boiled them and topped with shredded cheese and a touch of butter and pepper.

They go great with sauteed beans and chicken stuffed with brie and shallots and topped with a black pepper sauce.

MMMM Bread!

Nothing beats a dreary day like the smell of fresh homemade bread.

Today was one of those days.  So, I decided that a batch of Rosemary Garlic bread and cinnamon pecan roll was in order!  (Making bread also is a great stress reliever as dough must be punched and kneaded).

The first loafs up were the rosemary garlic loaves.  These babies were made with fresh garlic, rosemary, thyme and oregano from the garden and a handful of dried herbs (and a touch of pepper).

I also made a batch of brioche style dough (sweet yellow dough) to make cinnamon pecan rolls later.  Ooey goey rolls filled with pecans, melted brown sugar and butter, lots of cinnamon and drizzled with icing.  Haven't even baked them yet but my mouth is watering!
Ask nicely and I'll post the recipe.

Well off to make supper.  It will be the perfect peppered roast. (recipe follows)

Take 1 (approx 2.5 pound) round roast (or any cheap cut) thawed - best to let it sit on counter 20 minutes before cooking
Cut slits in roast and stuff with pieces of thinly sliced garlic
Cover roast with coarse ground pepper, some sea salt and rosemary.
Place in baking pan (I prefer a glass dish)
Heat oven to 500 degrees for 20 minutes
Put roast in oven and cook at 475 - 500 for 7 (seven) minutes per pound (9 mins for medium)
Turn oven OFF.
DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR.

Continue to let roast cook by heat left in oven for another 1.5 - 2 hours.

If your oven is gas like mine or loses heat more quickly, you can turn oven back on to lowest possible setting about 30 minutes before you take it out.

Let roast sit for 10 minutes before slicing.  Slice thin.

This method will create a restaurant quality medium/medium-rare roast.

Serve with veggies etc. cooked on stove top such as carrots, steamed broccoli or cauliflower, sauteed green beans or mashed potatoes.