Chocolate Haystacks

Brown sugar fudge and chocolate haystacks are two treats that I associate with my Aunt Pauline. I'm a bit surprised at the amount of sugar in this recipe, (lots....no wonder I like them), but oats, coconut and cocoa powder are good for you. So, there's a 'cancelling out' of sorts. I pretty sure these are healthful. Brown sugar fudge I'm not so sure about.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats (use large flake oats)
• 1 cup shredded coconut (do not use desiccated coconut)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar

Methods:

In a medium bowl stir together the oats and coconut.

Add the butter, milk, cocoa and sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes while gently whisking. 

Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the oats and coconut and stir together.

Working quickly, drop tablespoon sized spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper and cool for 30 minutes to harden. 

Nuts and Bolts .... a family tradition at Christmas

Making this snack at Christmas is a statutory tradition in our family. In the photo you will see this year's rendition by my sister Sylvia. She switched things up a bit by adding some goldfish. And I'll just bet those things that look like Cheerios are made with beans. Use whatever works for you; the butter and seasonings are the critical bits. I provide the tried and true original recipe below.

Ingredients:

• one 400 gram box of regular Cheerios (oat cereal)
• one 620 gram box of Shreddies (wheat cereal)
• one 350 gram box of Crispix (rice and corn cereal) or Rice Chex
• 2 smallish packages of pretzel sticks (these form the 'bolts')
• 2 pounds of nuts ( I use blanched peanuts)
• 1 pound of butter (melted)
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt (not garlic powder)
• 2 tablespoons celery salt (not celery seed)
• 4 tablespoons of Worchestershire sauce (pronounced Worstersheer)

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Since it is pretty much impossible to find a roasting pan large enough to hold all of these ingredients, I usually use 2 disposable aluminum foil roasting pans from the grocery store. However, I have also used both the top and bottom of a roasting pan that one might use to cook a turkey. In any event, divide the dry ingredients evenly between the 2 pans.

Halve the pound of butter and melt each half in separate pots. Add 1 tablespoon of celery salt and garlic salt to each pot of melted butter as well as 2 tablespoons of Worchestershire sauce. Stir well, then pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients; mix everything together with a spatula. Adjust your oven racks so that you can place both pans in the oven at once. Bake for approximately 2 hours, stirring the mixture gently every 15 minutes. After 2 hours remove from the oven, cool completely, and pack in airtight tins or plastic containers.

Gingerbread Christmas Tree

My sister Sylvia make this remarkable gingerbread tree using 10 increasingly-large sizes of star-shaped cookie cutters and a massive amount of royal icing. Topped it with a gumdrop.

Kale and Mango Salad

 This recipe for a flavourful and colourful salad was devised by Aarti Sequeira for the Food Network.

And although I am not a fan of over-handling food, the massaging of the kale in this dish really improves its look and texture. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale, stalks removed and leaves chopped
• 1 lemon , juiced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil\kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons honey
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 mango diced (about a cup)
• small handful of toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Methods:

Place the chopped kale in a large serving bowl. Add half the lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Massage the kale until it starts to soften and wilt.

Gently toast the pepitas in a dry skillet on the stove.

In a small bowl , whisk the remaining lemon juice with the honey, and lots of freshly ground pepper. Whisk in the 1/4 cup of olive oil to form the dressing. Pour the dressing over the kale and stir in the mango and pepitas.

Toasting pepitas on the stovetop.

What to make when you're pissed off at your husband...Candied Fruit and Nut Palmiers

Epic Fail

I'm always intrigued by the holiday recipes contained in the Food and Drink magazine, published by the Liquor Control Board of Canada. My husband managed to choke down most of these palmiers and asked me politely not to make them again. Here's the recipe for these "simple treats". https://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/recipe/candied-fruit-nut-palmiers/F202006075#.X7ksCM1KiCo

Split Pea Soup

Pea soup recipes often call for a ham bone to flavour the soup. I didn't happen to have one, but I did have some cubes of ham in my freezer which turned out to be perfect in this soup. The colour of the soup might leave something to be desired. I've seen brighter green soups on the internet, but I'm just not sure how they get so grassy green.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp butter
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• about 1 & 1/2 cups of cooked ham, diced
• 2 cups of dried split green peas, rinsed
• 8 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence ( I finished off the bottle, so no more Herbes for me). Thyme, a bay leaf, and parsley would also work well here, and in fact, I used a bay leaf
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Note that ham is often salty, so additional salt may not be required. Taste first before adding more salt. 

Methods: 

Melt the butter in a large lidded soup pot. Sauté the diced onion and carrots in the butter until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil on the stovetop, then simmer it for 60 -90 minutes until the peas are soft and the flavours have combined well.

Eat your fruits and vegetables......in Beet Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing

This recipe comes to you from Chatelaine magazine. I wouldn't say it's packed with superfoods, but it definitely is more healthful than your usual red velvet cupcake recipe.

Ready to bake.

Ready to ice.

Ready to enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 &1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 398 ml can of beets, drained and dried
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup safflower oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 250 gm. block of cream cheese (so basically,  125 gm. of cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup icing sugar

Methods:

Measure the raspberries and leave them on the counter to thaw.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cups.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Puree the beets in a blender. (I used my hand-held whizzer). Beat the sugar with the oil until combined then beat in the eggs, beets and vanilla. Gradually beat in 1/3 of the dry mixture until blended, then half the buttermilk. Repeat the dry and wet additions ending with the addition of the flour mixture. Spoon the batter into the paper cups until they are 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.

Push the raspberries through a sieve into a bowl. (I just whizzed up the raspberries rather than sieving them, seeds and all). Then stir in the icing sugar and cream cheese. Spread over the cooled cupcakes.

Savoury Garlic Herb Cheddar Shortbread Biscuits

These turned out well. Very cheesy, buttery and garlicy. I served them alongside a bowl of pea soup, but they would be great on a cheese tray. 

The recipe was provided to me by my 95 year-old mother-in-law Shirley, who received the recipe from the Osteoporosis Society. I'm not sure why the Osteoporosis folks are plugging these highly calorific biscuits. I guess they do contain cheese and butter, and are purported to contain 30 mg. of calcium per biscuit. Okay, alright, let's call them health food.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of room temperature butter
• 3/4 cup shredded old cheddar cheese 
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Methods:

Using a hand electric beater, beat the butter until almost white in colour. Beat in the cheese, garlic, and herbs until smooth. Stir in the flour until a ragged dough begins to form. Use your hands to bring the dough together. 

Roll the dough into a 9 inch log and refrigerate until firm. As you can see from the shape of my biscuits, I made a bit of a rectangular log. 

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the log into 1/4 inch slices and place the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden. 

Note: I did not have fresh herbs so used about 1 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence instead. 

Short Bread Cookies

 'Tis almost the season to consider making Christmas cookies. I made these ones a bit early at the request of the good fellow who removes bags and bags of our leaves. I guess he got tired of raisin pie.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted room temperature butter
• 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 &1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. 

Beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Add the icing sugar. Beat in the corn starch and flour gradually. Drop spoonfuls of dough on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper, and bake for 20 or 25 minutes.

As you can see, my cookies do not look like they were dropped from a spoon. I decided to refrigerate the dough. When ready to bake the cookies, I rolled a spoonful of dough into a ball and then somewhat flattened it with the tines of a fork before baking. Either way works.

Honey-Baked Apples with Chocolate

This recipe is taken from a cookbook called "In and Out of the Kitchen (in fifteen minutes or less)" by Anne Willan. I find the photos in this cookbook particularly beautiful, almost like still-life paintings. 

At any rate, this recipe for baked apples may seem odd with the combination of chocolate and honey and apples, but it's surprisingly delicious. 

Ingredients:

• apples, cored (the number depends on how many you are feeding, one per person should work) 
• enough chocolate to fill the cores of the apples
• a spoonful of liquid honey per apple
• water (at least 1/2 cup but you might need more depending on the size of your baking dish)

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Clean and core the apples, then run a knife around their equators to slash the apples' skins. Set the apples in a shallow baking dish, stuff them with chocolate, pour in at least 1/2 cup of water, and top each apple with a spoonful of honey.

Bake until tender, 40-50 minutes.

Raisin Pie...it's old-fashioned

The internet tells me that raisin pie is commonly known as Funeral Pie or Rosina Pie (rosina being German for raisin). Raisin Pie traditionally was served in Amish homes with the meal prepared for family and friends at the wake following a funeral.  

Before there was refrigeration, fresh fruits were not readily available, but most homes had dried raisins on hand. And this pie kept well. That meant it could be made a day or two before the funeral supper and freed hands for other tasks since the pie does not need refrigeration.

Those for whom raisins are anathema should avoid this pie, cuz it's packed full. 

Raisins galore

Ready to bake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raisins
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (I used only 1 tablespoon, by mistake, and it worked)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar ( I used a little lemon juice instead)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the raisins and water in a small saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes, then blend the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together and add the mixture to the raisins. Cook and stir until the syrup is clear. Remove the raisins from the heat, and stir in the vinegar and butter. 

Cool the raisin mixture slightly, then turn it into a pastry lined pie plate. Cover the filling with the top crust. Seal the edges, and cut decorative slits in the crust.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Grandma Storey’s Christmas Cake

My grandmother was a great cook and baker, excelling during the holidays. Christmas turkeys were so large that, at least on one occasion, her oven door would not close on the roast. Special desserts such as fruitcakes and carrot puddings were made in abundance in preparation for Christmas. 

My sister Sylvia is also a great cook and baker. She frequently invents her own recipes, but in this case merely tweaked our grandmother's recipe, which in its original form made an enormous number of cakes. 

Despite the changes made to the original recipe, the cakes turned out perfectly. As my sister the innovator said, "Grandma’s recipe said to use more or less of the dried fruits and nuts to suit your taste. That's my kind of recipe". 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter (melted, then cooled somewhat))
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses 
• 1 cup orange juice 
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour (1/2 cup of which is used to dust the fruit)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger 
• Butter for parchment paper
• Rum for soaking cheesecloth to wrap the cakes

1 1/2 cups each:

• Chopped pitted dates
• Raisins 
• Currants
• Pecans (or walnuts)

1 cup each:

• Glacé cherries
• Mixed Peel 
• Glacé pineapple

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix the fruits and nuts together in a large bowl and toss with  1/2 cup flour. Sift together dry ingredients and spices.

Mix together the melted butter, sugar, molasses, eggs, vanilla, and orange juice. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until well-combined, then stir in all of the fruit and nut mixture until everything is completely coated with batter. This is a fruit-heavy, dense batter. 

Spoon the batter into three loaf pans that have been lined with buttered parchment paper. Place a shallow pan of water on the oven rack below the cakes.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until done. ( A toothpick inserted into the cake, comes out clean)

Cool. Wrap in rum-soaked cheesecloth and refrigerate.

The original recipe. It makes 6 cakes!

Molasses Cookies

My mother was a great baker. As children, we often arrived home from school to be greeted by the aroma of freshly baked cookies, cakes and tarts. Our friends were astonished by our wealth of baked goods. 

My sister Penelope recently revived the recipe for one our family's favourite aromatic cookies. Her attached note indicated that "these are the ones mom made - great grandma McMullen's recipe".

My memory of the cookies is that they spread considerably during baking, and that the final product was flat and chewy. Mine did not turn out that way, so I assume that I measured something (like the flour) incorrectly. They still tasted great. You can always try cutting the amount of flour by 1/4 cup.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar (my sister used brown sugar, which I suspect is best)
• 1 cup molasses 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts are best I think)

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, blend together the butter, sugar, and molasses. In a second bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter/molasses mixture until they are well incorporated. Then stir in the nuts. Chill the dough. Roll into balls or drop by teaspoon, leaving room between cookies for them to spread out significantly.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 5 - 6 dozen.

Will these peppers be pickled?

 

According to internet sources, “Peter Piper” is one of the most popular tongue twister nursery rhymes original to England. Although it was known earlier, it was first published in John Harris’s Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation in 1813. 

Pickled or not, these peppers are very pretty. Picture perfect, as they say.

“Peter Piper” Lyrics

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?