Good Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (60 ml)

1/4 cup sugar (60 ml)

1 tsp cinnamon (5 ml)

1 tsp ginger (5 ml)

1 tsp cloves (5 ml)

1/4 tsp salt (1 ml)

1 tsp baking powder (5 ml)

1 1/4 cups flour (300 ml)

1/2 tsp baking soda (2 ml)

1/2 cup fancy molasses (2 ml)

1/4 tsp baking soda (1 ml)

3/4 cup boiling water (175 ml)

1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

Cream butter and sugar.

In a separate bowl mix cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, baking powder and flour.

Beat 1/2 tsp baking soda into molasses until foamy.  Add to butter mixture.

Add the 1/4 tsp of baking soda to the boiling water.
Add this alternately with the dry ingredients to the butter-molasses mixture.

Fold in beaten egg.

The batter will be thin.  Pour into greased loaf pan

Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees F (200C) or until done.

Serve warm with whipped cream, lemon sauce, or ice cream.

 

Recipe originally from The Best of the Best and More

photo source:  Google images

Nutchos

 Doesn't this chocolate-covered pot call out to the kid in you?

Get me a spoon and my taster!

"Call them cookies, call them candies, call them delicious!"

We agree!!!!

Makes about 48

2 - 10 oz packages of semisweet chocolate chips  (2-300 g)

1 - 10 oz package peanut butter chips (300 g)

2 cups salted peanuts

7 oz box ripple potato chips, coarsely crumbled (200 g)

1.  Melt chocolate and peanut butter chips.

2.  Sir in peanuts and crumbled chips.

3.  Drop by teaspoon on cookie tray.

4.  Leave to cool or put tray in freezer for quicker setting.

5.  Store in containers and return to freezer*.

As the recipe goes on to say:

"You can also freeze these and eat them when you're doing the laundry!"

Recipe originally from The Best of the Best and More

Cherries 'n' Cream Dessert

(This is my sister's recipe and it is well worth making!)

This dessert makes a wonderful addition to any buffet or holiday meal. Although rich, it's light so you don't feel overstuffed if you have a smallish piece.  But I warn you, you'll want seconds, so save room -- skip the vegetables!

Cookie Crumble Crust:

1 cup butter plus 2 tbsp

2 1/4 cups flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup finely chopped almonds

Filling:

1 250 g pkg cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp almond extract

500 ml whipping cream

4 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1 1/2 cans cherry pie filling

For crust, melt butter, then add flour, sugar, nuts and mix well.  Mixture will resemble soft cookie dough.  Spread on a large, ungreased baking pan.  Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.  Stir mixture often as it bakes, breaking it apart into fine pieces.

After baking, let crumbs cool slightly.  Reserve one cup for topping, press remaining crumbs into a 9″x13″ baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes, being careful not to overbrown.  Remove from oven and cool.  A few minutes in the freezer will speed the process nicely.

Meanwhile, beat together whipping cream, icing sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Refrigerate until needed.  Beat together cream cheese, sugar and almond extract until smooth.  Fold whipped cream into cream cheese.  Spread mixture onto cool crust.

Carefully layer cherry pie filling over cream cheese.  Sprinkle with reserved crumbs.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Potato Tips

EVER WONDER WHY why your potato dishes turn out better some times than other times?  Well, a few years ago I finally discovered that a potato is not a potato is not a potato (sure, just call me Mrs. Potato Head).

The reason we have varieties is because they not only have variances in taste, but in texture.  Which means that some potatoes are better for certain recipes than others.

Here's a helpful list I originally found on a bag of potatoes I got from the Edmonton Potato Growers.  (You might want to check out their website for a list of a few neat potato recipes).

Use by Variety	Russet	Red	White	Yellow	Blue/Purple	Fingerling
Boil		§	§	§	§	§
Bake	§			§	§	§
Steam		§	§		§	§
Mash	§			§
Roast	§	§				§
French Fry	§		§	§
Soups/Salads		§			§	§
Scalloped/ Au Gratin	§		§	§

photo source:  Glitter-graphics.com

Maureen's Cinnamon Buns

For the dough:

3 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 pkg instant yeast

3/4 cup milk, 2%

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 egg, slightly beaten

 Reserve 1 cup flour.

Mix flour, sugar and salt first; then sprinkle yeast, mix.

Heat milk, water and butter until hot to the touch.

Stir the hot mix into the dry ingredients.  Add the beaten egg. Stir.

Mix in enough reserve flour to make a soft dough (you'll have left over).

Turn on floured surface.

Knead, adding reserve flour as needed so it's not sticking.

Knead about 5 minutes or until elastic.

Cover and rest 10 minutes*

(no, not you, the dough!)

Making the buns:

Roll dough to a 14" square. 

Spread 1/2 cup butter (approx) over the rolled dough

Sprinkle: 

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp cinnamon 

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup pecans (opt)

Roll up and cut into slices

Preparing the Pan:

(I used one 9x9" and one round 8" pan)

Spread approx 1-2 Tbsp butter at the bottom, then sprinkle some brown sugar.

Lay the slices into the pans.

Cover and let rise approx 30 min.

Bake at 375 degrees F for approx 20 min.

After baking, immediately turn pans upsidedown and

remove them from the buns.

*Tip:  If my kitchen is cool, I like to turn on the oven and let the stove area warm up a bit. I put the rising dough in its mixing bowl near by on the counter to rise. The dough should rise enough to leave a hole when you poke it.

 

Potato Soup

When we were growing up on the farm, Mom made this soup with farm fresh sour cream, so it's not quite the same with commercial sour cream, but perfectly acceptable.  Serves 4-6.

  

4 large potatoes*

1 large onion, chopped and sauteed lightly

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 Tbsp vinegar, add to taste

salt and pepper

water to cover

Dice potatoes and cook in salted water. When potatoes are tender, add sauteed onions.  Mix sour cream with flour, vinegar, salt and pepper; add to soup.  Stir, simmer for a few minutes.  Taste and add seasoning or vinegar to taste.  We like ours a little tangy.

* If you've got leftover mashed potatoes, add them to a vegetable or chicken stock. Saute the onions, add to soup.  Simmer until hot.  Add the sour cream mix (sour cream, flour, vinegar, seasoning) and simmer 2-3 minutes more.

 Serve with hot biscuits or crusty bread.

  

Blueberry Loaf Cake

Blueberry Loaf Cake

(adapted from Taste of Home recipe)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Grease one 9x5" loaf pan

1/2 cup butter, softened (I use Becel too and it works)

1 cup sugar (I used less)

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

TOPPING:

2 - 4 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

recipe adapted from the Taste of Home recipe

 Cream butter and sugar till fluffy.  Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla.  Combine flour and baking powder; add to cream mixture just till combined.

Pour 1/2 the batter into the greased pan.  Gently layer blueberries over top,  add the rest of the dough over the berries.*  Sprinkle the topping and bake about 50 minutes (or until done).

Cool in the pan about 10 minutes before removing.  Cool completely.

* My tip:   Adding the blueberries this way rather than mixing them into the dough prevents you from getting 'blue dough.'

Out Of The Blue

 Blueberry Loaf Cake

Do you ever lament at how the batter turns that purple-y blue when adding blueberries?  No matter how gently and carefully I fold the berries into the batter, by the time I'm done everything is blue.  Now I love the blue of the berries, but I do not like blue-streaked dough, so here's how I deal with it:

For blueberry loaves, I divided the dough and poured 1/2 into the pan. Then I sprinkled the blueberries over top and finished adding, and spreading, the rest of the dough over the berries.   As you can see, no blue dough.

And...here's what I do for pancakes:  Ladle the batter on the hot grill first, then top with a few blueberries and press just a smidgeon into the dough, so they are slightly hidden - that way they won't stick when you flip them to fry on the other side.

Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
(originally from Canadian Living
Let's Barbecue! Cookbook Special, Summer 2004)


1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp liquid honey
1/2 tsp grated lime or lemon (I really like the lime)
1 tsp lime or lemon juice
2 pork tenderloins

In small bowl, combine garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Rub all over pork. Marinate for up to 24 hours. Then grill it on the BBQ on med-high heat about 25 minutes. (Sometimes I roast it in the oven at 350 degrees.) Tastes good either way.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir honey, lime rind and juice; brush over pork. Grill, covered, until slightly sticky and glazed, about 2 minutes. (If you're roasting it, brush on during the last 5-10 minutes of your baking time.)

When cooked, transfer to cutting board. Tent with foil about 5 minutes before slicing. 

 

Makes 4 - 6 servings

Beef Vegetable Soup

Making the Broth:

2 lbs beef bones

8 cups water

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, loosely chopped

1 carrot, loosely chopped 

1 tsp salt

1 bay leaf

5-6 peppercorns

Roast the beef bones in 400 degree oven until nicely browned (about 30 minutes).  Place in a large soup pot or dutch oven, add the water, vegetables and spices.  Simmer for approx 2 hours.  Strain and reserve the broth; if there's nice meat on the bones, save for the soup; discard the bones and vegetables.

Making the Soup:

The homemade broth

Meat chunks for the bones

2 stalks celery, chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 large cabbage, shredded

2 - 3 carrots, small pieces

1 cup green peas

Tomatoes (canned or fresh)

1 28 oz can diced or 1 medium fresh, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill

1/2 tsp steak spice

Salt and pepper to taste

Put broth back in pot.  Add any bits of meat from the bones.  I like to saute my vegetables first, so I saute about 5 - 6 minutes before adding to the broth.  Add dill and simmer until vegetables are tender.  Season to taste.  Serves 4 - 6.

Best served with fresh buns or bread.

Enjoy!