Nutella Truffles

Awesome, easy, impressive recipe.  I will be making these every Christmas.  Roll them in whatever you want; I used toasted, chopped hazelnuts, toasted coconut and cocoa.

Source: http://www.roxanashomebaking.com/nutella-truffles-recipe/

Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup butter, in chunks
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)
1/3 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts
1/3 cup nutella
things to roll them in

Directions:

Heat the heavy cream over medium heat in a pot until almost boiling.  Pour over chocolate chips and butter in a bowl (I actually had to add the chocolate chips and butter to the pot of cream to get it to melt because my kitchen was too cold, the cream didn't stay hot enough to melt the chocolate in the cold bowl.  Turn the heat and just keep the pot on the element if you do it this way- whisk continuously till smooth).  Once chocolate is melted and incorporated, add nutella and nuts.  Mix well.  Cover bowl and put in fridge for at least 2 hours.  Once hardened, take tsp pieces of ganache (chocolate mixture) and roll into balls and toss in toppings (I used coconut, nuts and cocoa).  Place in air tight container.  If you find they get too soft, put in fridge for a while.  Serve at room temperature.

Puff Pastry Appetizers

Everyone loves a puff pastry bite- they are the hit of every party.  Now it's really easy to go buy premade puff pastry appetizers but it's also really easy to make them yourself and then you get to customize them.  The two recipes I'm providing are for spinach feta puffs and jalapeno popper bites but you stuff just about anything into these guys.  You find puff pastry in the freezer section of the grocery store.  You let it thaw out- but keep it cold.  Then with some flour you roll it out and cut squares, fill them and fold them over.  They often bake at 400 degrees for 12-20 minutes (depending on size)- until golden brown.

Spinach Feta Puffs

1 box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
2 eggs
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
juice of 1/2 a lemon
sprinkle of salt


Jalapeno Popper Bites

1 package (8oz) light cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup finely shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend
1 bulb roasted garlic
1 c bacon, cooked and diced/crumbled
6 medium jalapeno peppers, diced and sauted (this is for mild/medium heat, adjust for your desired spiciness)
sprinkle of salt

For both kinds, use an egg wash to help you stick the edges together to close up the puffs in whatever shapes you want, and brush the tops as well.  Parchment lined baking sheet.  400 degrees. 12-20 minutes- start watching after 12 minutes and take them out with they are nice and puffy and golden brown.

Homemade Turtles (done in half an hour)

Source: http://www.piarecipes.com/2012/12/pecan-salted-caramel-candies.html

This is a great fake out recipe.  It's technically homemade but it uses all the short cuts so there's minimal effort but your friends and family have no idea.

Note: You can use chopped pecans like I did or you can line up whole pecan bunches instead. I would use 3 pecans per bunch.

Note: Recipe can easily be scaled up or down.  Just do as many as you want. It's a formula more than a recipe.

Ingredients (for 25 pecans):

75 pecans chopped or whole
25 wrapped caramels (or a block of caramel that you've cut into 25 pieces)
25-50 dark chocolate wafers (those little disks great for melting- mine were so thin so I used 2 per turtle)
coarse sea salt (optional) for garnish

Directions:

Unwrap caramels.  Chop pecans and bunch them into piles (or make piles of 3 whole pecans side by side).   I used my silicone baking mats on a baking sheet for these.  They popped off really easily.  If you don't have silicone, use parchment paper or gently grease your sheet.

Squish the caramels into flatter disks (I just pushed down with my hand on the caramel on a cutting board.) Put a squished caramel on each pile of pecans.  Pop in 325 oven for a few minutes.  Pull out and place 1-2 chocolate disks on each caramel.  Sprinkle with salt if desired.  Wait till cooled, then remove and enjoy. 

Butternut Squash Mac 'N' Cheese

I love the idea of being able to have macaroni and cheese without so much cheese and without it sucking.  This is a great recipe for anyone trying to cut back on calories or anyone with kids (or a husband) who need more veggies in their life- because the butternut squash just looks like cheese.  My 2 year old ate this up and just thought it was cheese.  Heaps of dairy doesn't sit well with me so it was a great recipe for our family.  A traditional favourite meal without all the cheese, still tons of flavour, more veggies for everyone and nobody whined about the mac and cheese not having a ton a cheese.  Even my 6 month old was able to partake in this meal because I took out some of the squash before incorporating it into the sauce.

Source: http://www.blueapron.com/recipes/butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese-with-crispy-sage

Serves 4-6 depending on portion size (we had enough for 1 serving for me, 2 servings for my husband, a small serving for my kid, and two lunches left over)

Ingredients:

1 bunch sage
1 small butternut squash
4 rounded cups of dry penne (whole wheat fine)
3 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 tbsp flour (whole wheat fine)
1 1/2 c 1% milk (or whatever you use)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c grated parmesan
3/4 c starchy pasta water (reserved after cooking the pasta)
1/2 c whole wheat bread crumbs (2 pieces of bread)
1-2 tbsp melted butter
salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel and chop butternut squash.  Prep sage leaves and garlic.  Grate parmesan.  Make breadcrumbs (season with salt and pepper).

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. 

Melt 3 tbsp butter on medium high heat in an oven safe pan big enough for the meal (add a drizzle of oil if you find your butter is browning too fast).  Fry the sage leaves till dark green then reserve on paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Turn down the heat and add garlic and red pepper to the butter- saute for just a minute.  Add flour and whisk for a minute.  Add milk and whisk till thickened (this is called a bechamel sauce).  Turn the heat off.

Cook butternut squash for about 7 minutes (or until fork tender) in boiling water.  Add squash to sauce.  With a potato masher, incorporate squash into sauce until smooth.  Cook penne in the water from which you just removed the squash. 

Add cinnamon and parmesan to sauce-at this point you can decide if you are happy with the cheese amount.  Also adjust your sauce for seasoning- salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. If you think it's not cheesy enough, add 1/4-1/2 c of grated sharp cheddar to bump it up.  When pasta is done, add 3/4 c of the pasta water to the sauce.  Stir.  Add pasta.  Stir.  Mix seasoned bread crumbs with melted butter and then sprinkle on top of pasta.  Put into a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.  When you pull it out, crumble the sage leaves over the bread crumbs.

Note: This is a great base recipe- next time I will wilt in some leafy greens to bump up the nutritional factor even more.  The sweetness of the squash would hold up really nicely to some bitter greens.  I love the little hint of heat of the red pepper flakes against the sweetness of the squash as well. 

Note: Easily made dairy free by swapping out milk for almond (or other dairy free) milk.  Sub out butter for non dairy fat and the little bit of cheese that is used can be replaced with a non dairy mock cheese since the base of this recipe is the butternut squash- I think you could get away with it without compromising the taste.  So this could easily be made vegan, too.

Gingerbread Muffins

My house smelled of Christmas yesterday as these baked in the oven.  Husband and I may have even been at the sink licking the batter off the spoon.  These were delicious- my two year old loved them, too.  The glaze is nice for a little treat but if you want to keep the extra sugar out, by all mean, they are super yummy on their own as well.

Source: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/12/11/gingerbread-muffins-with-sweet-lemon-glaze/

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plain or vanilla or honey yogurt
1/4 cup milk (I used almond)

Glaze:

1/2 cup icing sugar
1-2 lemons juiced (depending on the juiciness of your lemons and how lemony you like it)
splash of milk/cream if you need to thin it out
(the picture on the source site shows a dark almost icing glaze, mine was see through- less sugar I guess)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.

Mix together dry ingredients.

Whisk together brown sugar, egg, yogurt and milk in a separate bowl.

In another bowl, microwave molasses and butter together for 1-2 minutes.  Whisk together well. Then add brown sugar/yogurt mixture to molasses mixture and mix well.

Add wet to dry and mix till just combined.  Pour in greased muffin tins and bake at 450 for 5 mins then turn oven down (keep muffins in) to 375 and bake for 15 mins.

Allow to cool before glazing (if you choose to glaze).

Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

I love my mom's chili.  It's the chili I always make.  I've never found a reason to try making another.  But I'm on this quinoa train and this seemed different enough from what I usually make to give a try.  It was a HUGE success.  Cole loved it.  He does not really like chili and he says this is the one he now always wants- the vegetarian one...nay, the VEGAN one (if you keep your garnishes vegan as well)!  Oh and it only simmers for 30 minutes! Try it.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cups uncooked)
1 onion, diced
2 big cloves garlic, minced
2 small/medium or 1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce (about 440mL- or whatever can is closest to that)
1 1/2-2 cups water (or chicken or veggie broth)
1/2-1 can diced green chilies (or else throw in a diced jalapeno with the onion- I used half a can)
2 1/2 tbsp chili powder (it's not too much)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn or 1 can
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of a lime

Directions:

Heat oil in big pot over medium high heat.  Add onion and saute for about 4 minutes.  Add garlic in, saute a minute.  Add spices, saute another minuted.  Add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cooked quinoa, water (start with 1 1/2 cups and add more later if needed), green chilies, and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot and allow to simmer 30 minutes.  Add in all beans and corn.  Top with lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste (plus any extra water you need). 

We garnished with cheese, sour cream, chips and avocado- do as you please.

Fried "Rice" (Quinoa)

A healthier version of fried rice.  Super yummy- I didn't particularly miss the rice.

Note: the kinds of veggies, the amount you use, the kind of protein (if any) and the length of cooking time is all a matter of preference.  This is just a guide.  The first time I made this I used a little bit of chicken in it.  I often have shrimp in the freezer, that would go well, too.  Pork, beef, whatever you want- or keep it veggie.

Ingredients:

2-3 cups cooled or leftover quinoa (cooked)
diced hard veggies (I used onion, carrot, broccoli)
2-3 eggs, lightly whisked
frozen peas
fresh green onions for garnish

Sauce:
1 1/2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oil (sesame if you like it- I just used canola)
2 big garlic cloves, minced/grated
1/2-3/4 tsp minced fresh ginger

Directions:

In a little bit of oil, saute your hard veggies. Add a little bit more oil and your cooked quinoa.  Stir fry for a few minutes then add your sauce.  Stir fry a few more minutes then make a well and add a little bit of oil and your eggs.  Scramble and let cook in the well then incorporate throughout whole dish.  Add in peas till warmed through.  I topped with fresh green onions. 

Note: If you find anything sticking to the bottom of your wok during the process, you can add a splash of chicken broth to help things start moving and unsticking.

Cheddar Apple Muffins/Quickbread

I made these for lunch yesterday as there was not a lot in the house but cheese and apples.  We ate these with ham slices.  This recipe is good for a loaf of quickbread or a dozen muffins.  For the bread, bake for 50 minutes, for the muffins bake for 20.  Both at 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 c flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 c medium diced cheddar
3/4 c shredded cheddar
3 eggs
2/3 c milk
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp grainy mustard (if you sub something stronger reduce the amount)
1 c grated apple
1/2 c small diced apple


Directions:

Whisk together dry ingredients.  Add cheddar and mix till it's all coated.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, butter and mustard.  Then add the apple to the wet mixture.  Gently mix in wet ingredients to dry.  Don't over mix.  Pour into a greased loaf pan or a greased muffin tin.  20 minutes for muffins, 50 for bread at 350.  Let cool and enjoy.

One-Hour-Skillet-Focaccia

So I've been sick the past couple days.  Parents really shouldn't be allowed to get sick- it is so unfair.  Thankfully, yesterday was a holiday so my husband was able to take care of me.  Today it was back to normal even though I wasn't.  So it was soup and bread for dinner.  I decided to try this one hour focaccia recipe I pinned on Pinterest forever ago.  SO easy.  SO delicious.  One hour from start of prep till eating it at the dinner table.  Totally doable.  Get your cast iron skillets....ready, set, go!

Source: http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2013/02/25/one-hour-skillet-focaccia/

Note: This recipe uses a parmesan italian spice topping but you can do whatever you want.  I'll try a homemade garlic butter with lemon zest and parsley soon.

Ingredients:

Dough:

3/4 c warm water
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp yeast
2 tbsp olive or canola oil
2 c all purpose flour divided in half
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp parmesan, grated
1/2-1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2-1 tsp kosher sea salt (the nice big crystals that you would sprinkle on pretzels and other things as a finishing touch)

Note: I don't have a mixer at home, so I just did this by hand with a wooden spoon in a big mixing bowl.  Either way works fine.

Directions:

Place water and sugar in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir until sugar dissolves.

Sprinkle yeast over the water and stir a few times.  Let sit until foamy (about 5 minutes).

Turn the mixer on low speed and add 1 cup of flour and the salt.  Mix until combined.

Add oil and mix well.

Gradually add as much of the remaining cup of flour as you can (it may only be about 3/4 of it) and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220 degrees F and when it's ready, turn it OFF.  Keep the door closed.

Grease the skillet.

Place dough on floured surface and fold the dough a few times until you feel it's smooth and not sticky anymore.  Shape into a ball.

Roll out the dough into the size of your skillet.

Place in skillet.  Stretch part way up the sides.  Cover with a kitchen towel and place in the oven for 20 minutes to rise.

Take the skillet our of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Make indentations in the dough with your fingers (poke gently at the surface).

Brush/dab half the melted butter onto the dough.  Sprinkle half the parmesan, salt and seasonings on top. 

Place the skillet in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle rest of cheese, salt and seasonings.  Let cool a few minutes before cutting into it.

Tomato Basil Chicken Pasta

I have been guilty of pulling the canned/bottled spaghetti/pasta sauce out of my pantry on cheap/easy nights.  Now I don't just dump it- I add veggies, spices, etc to jazz it up.  But still, the can of sauce gets in there sometimes.  Well no more! After last night's dinner this is my new go to for cheap, easy tomato sauce pasta.  No long simmering, heavy sauce.  This is delightful! Even my husband, who doesn't usually tolerate little bits of cooked tomato on his plate, ate the WHOLE thing and then started attacking mine before I was done.  Even if you remove the chicken, it's delicious.  Wilt in some greens if you want to amp up the nutrition.  So flavourful.  And featuring my ever steady partner in the food world- garlic.  Maybe don't make this the night before an important meeting or something...

Source: http://menumusings.blogspot.ca/2013/04/tomato-basil-chicken.html

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
kosher salt and pepper
Italian seasonings (I just use the premixed kind, you can make your own)
red chili flakes
2 tbsp EVOO, or your preferred cooking oil
at least 3 big juicy tomatoes (the original recipe calls for 2 but I like more tomatoes and next time I might even use another one), chopped
3 cloves garlic
4 tbsp cold butter
1/2 c fresh basil, chopped (I didn't have enough, maybe 1/4-1/3 cup, still delicious)
freshly grated parmesan, for garnish

Directions:

Get your pasta water salted and boiling.

If your chicken breasts are quite thick, cut them in half horizontally or pound them out.  Season with salt, pepper, chili flakes and Italian seasonings.  Heat your oil over medium, medium/high heat and cook your chicken (You only need to flip once- none of this jabbing of the chicken please.  It goes down on one side in hot oil and then about 4 minutes later it is flipped.).  I sprinkled a tiny bit of extra chili flake into the oil- I like my tomato sauce to have a bit of a kick.  Add your chopped tomatoes after you've flipped your chicken.  Let simmer- the length will depend on how cooked down you like your tomatoes.  Take out your chicken when it's cooked and let it rest on a cutting board. 

Drop your pasta down (I like spaghettini- I like the thinner noodles).  If you're using a longer cook pasta you can do this sooner.

Add the cold butter to the tomatoes- this is going to make your sauce silky.  Add minced garlic.  Add basil.  Taste and adjust for seasonings.  Slice rested chicken. 

When pasta is done, divide evenly into bowls and top with sauce and chicken.  Top with parmesan. 
Devour!

Baked Gnocchi with bacon, tomato and mozzarella

So this has been a really tough semester.  Roughest in a while.  I was looking for a new comfort dish and this one really hit the spot.  If you haven't jumped on the gnocchi train yet, DO IT! I was introduced to it as a teenager by my Italian friend.  I introduced Cole when we got married.  This is a wonderful dish for a cold, dreary night when you are looking for some comfort food.

Source: http://simply-delicious.co.za/2013/07/16/baked-gnocchi-with-bacon-tomato-and-mozzarella/

Ingredients:

500g package gnocchi
1 c bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 big garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
red chili flakes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 medium (398mL) can of chopped tomatoes
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 tbsp yogurt
large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
handful of basil, chopped (don't stress about this if you don't have any on hand)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2-3/4c shredded mozzarella


Directions:

Crisp up bacon.  I took 1/4 of the crisp bacon out of the pan to reserve it for sprinkling on top- you can do this if you wish.  Add onion, saute till translucent.  Add garlic, paprika and a sprinkle of chili flakes if you like spicy.  Cook for a minute.  Add tomato paste, cook another minute.  Add tomatoes.  Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, depending on how cooked down you like your tomatoes.  Stir in your yogurt and herbs.  Taste and add salt and pepper to taste and more chili flakes. 

before gnocchi is added

Cook your gnocchi in boiling salted water until they float to the top- add to the sauce.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake at 400 for 5 minutes.  Voila- deliciousness.

finished product

Brown Butter Buttermilk Syrup

Our family isn't one for sweet breakfasts.  I'm not a huge fan of french toast, pancakes or waffles.  We have them maybe 3 times a year.  This recipe is great for when you want to switch it up from maple syrup.  Super easy to make.  My daughter thought the chemical reaction was super fun to watch.  So delicious. So delcious.

Source: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/brown-butter-buttermilk-syrup/

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until butter turns golden brown, Skim foam from top, and remove from heat. Pour into a bowl to stop the cooking, leaving any burned sediment behind.

Combine browned butter, sugar, and buttermilk in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat and whisk together until sugar dissolves. When butter mixture starts to boil, carefully whisk in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will bubble up, so make sure you use a large saucepan. Serve with waffles, pancakes, or French toast.

Note-syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Reheat before serving.

Note- if reheating, I found that the top needed to be skimmed.  There was a layer of fat that wouldn't reincorporate so I skimmed it off and everything was fine again.

Serves 4

Amish Breakfast Casserole

This is a great base recipe- it can easily be added to or changed to fit your needs/desires.  I made it just as is first but next time I will add veggies.  I halved the recipe and it made enough for 4-5 people, depending on appetites.  I also didn't have Swiss cheese so I used mozzarella and Parmesan along with the cheddar.  Go to the source for the original.

Source: http://bakerette.com/breakfast-casserole-amish-style/

Ingredients:

2 cups bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
680 grams frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare a 9x13 in. baking dish by lightly coating with cooking spray or rubbing with oil/butter.

Crisp up diced bacon, drain excess fat. Add onion, saute for a couple minutes and then add garlic. Remove from stove.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.  Stir in bacon mixture.  Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Caprese Garlic Bread

This is a nice way to jazz up a side of garlic bread from your family or guests.  I didn't have any fresh mozzarella around so I just used grazed mozzarella.  The fresh would obviously be more delicious but it wasn't in my budget since it was just the garlic bread.  I just used premade garlic bread from the store for this since I was in a hurry and it was on sale.  I usually make my own garlic bread.  I like to put lemon zest and parsley in with my garlic, salt and butter (or try roasted garlic for a nice mellow flavour).

Source: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/caprese-garlic-bread/

Ingredients:

homemade or store bought garlic bread
(I used 1 1/2 tomatoes for half a french loaf)
handful of basil
fresh or grated mozzarella
balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Pour 1/2-3/4c of balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and put on medium heat to simmer and reduce by half- this is your balsamic drizzle.

Take your prepared (buttered) bread and place the fresh mozzarella on top or sprinkle the grated cheese.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until bread is toasted and cheese is melted (I just used 350-the original recipe calls for 400...do whatever you feel comfortable with while toasted bread/melting cheese in your oven).  Take the bread out of the oven and place slices of tomato on top.  Sprinkle chopped basil and drizzle reduced, thick balsamic over top. Slice and enjoy!

Cowboy Cookies

Oats.  Coconut.  Chocolate.  Need more? My source for this recipe is THIS site- you can find a nice little story about Laura Bush using these cookies to help win the presidency for her husband (sort of..not really).  I halved the recipe and still got 3 dozen cookies.  Here is the full recipe- if you only do half, use one big egg or 2 small eggs or the weird thing I did, where I used one medium egg and tried to let only half of the second one fall in the bowl...

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups chopped pecans (optional - I omit)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a second bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. 

Stir in the flour mixture, blending until just combined. Add the chips, oats, coconut, and pecans and stir until fully incorporated.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased baking sheet, making sure to allow plenty of room between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes- they will seem underdone- let them cool completely on the sheet before removing to a rack or plate.  This is how you achieve that wonderful soft, chewy cookie texture while keeping crisp edges.

Then hide them.  Because you will eat them all!

Roasted Cauliflower and White Cheddar Soup

I don't often have "this is amazing" experiences with cauliflower.  But this soup tonight provided that for me.  It is divine.  Roasting the cauliflower first gives the soup an incredible depth of flavour and colour.

Source: http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/02/roasted-cauliflower-and-aged-white.html

Serves 3 adults- anymore and you need to double it.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced/grated
1 tsp thyme, chopped
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar, shredded
1 cup milk or cream (I used whole milk)
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne (optional)

Directions:

Chop up your head of cauliflower and toss with a couple tablespoons of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through. 

Saute your onion and garlic over medium-low heat in a big soup pot in a little oil or butter.  Add your thyme and cook for another minute.  Then add your broth and roasted cauliflower (you will need more broth if your head of cauliflower was really big- because your cauliflower was just roasted your broth doesn't need to completely cover them).  Boil, covered, for 20 minutes.  Turn off your heat and blend your soup with an immersion hand bender (or in batches in a regular blender). 

Stir in your shredded cheese and cream.  Add more salt and pepper if needed.  I added 1/3 tsp of cayenne at this point for a tiny little note of heat.  Turn heat back on and heat till desired temperature (don't boil again).

We had our soup with a baguette and garlic butter.  I had some left over cream in my fridge so I whipped it up into some fresh butter.  So delicious.  Just whip your butter with your hand blender till it passes the "whipped cream" stage and you see liquid separate from it.  Drain the liquid and whip salt and a clove of minced garlic into the remaining fat.  Serve along with your bread.  I defrosted a cheddar/jalapeno baguette I had in my freezer that I bought on sale at the store last week.  But fresh bread with this fresh butter and divine soup would have pushed it over the edge!

Sea Salt Caramel Brownies

Cole was craving brownies last night and picked these for me to make.  It was my friend's birthday yesterday as well, so part of the pan went off to her (because she is my friend AND because I didn't want to eat a whole pan of these brownies).  Use whatever brownie recipe you'd like and whatever caramel sauce you'd like.  Great way to jazz up any brownie recipe (or box mix).

Note: The caramel sauce I used was super easy- kind of a fake out sauce.  I figured this was a good time to not worry about it because it was being drizzled on brownies.  Use whatever recipe you'd like- caramel is essentially butter, sugar and cream.

Note: Use a 9x13 pan or cooking time goes up a lot and it's hard to get the chewy brownie consistency desired because they are too thick.

Source of brownie recipe: http://joannagoddard.blogspot.ca/2012/11/the-best-salted-caramel-brownies-youll.html
Source of caramel recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/easy-caramel-sauce-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

Brownies:
1 cup butter
4 squares of dark chocolate (28 grams per square)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup caramel sauce
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Caramel:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cream (half and half or whipping)
2 tbsp butter
pinch of salt
1/2 tbsp vanilla


Directions:

For the caramel, add everything but the vanilla to a small saucepan and stir on medium heat.  Once you see little bubbles, keep stirring for 5-7 minutes, then add vanilla and stir another minute.  Pour into a container and refrigerate to cool down.  It will keep thickening once it's cooled.

For brownies, in a medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate.  Take off heat and beat in sugar.  Then beat in each egg separately, incorporating really well.  Add vanilla.  Beat in salt and flour.  Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan and drizzle top with caramel.  Swirl with toothpick and then sprinkle with coarse salt.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  You can drizzle some more caramel and salt on top while they are still warm if you want.  Then let them cool before cutting into them.

Chow Mein

Great recipe for a night where you want to use up the extra veggies and meat in your house.  Very versatile- use what you like.  Great as a vegetarian dish as well.  This is the combination of ingredients I used but just use it as a guide.

Ingredients:

Stir Fry:
chicken (I had 3 leftover chicken thighs that I cooked in salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and soy sauce and then chopped into bite sized pieces)
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken or veggie broth
1 bag chow mein noodles (I used the dry ones- they were on sale)
green onion, thinly sliced
bean sprouts

Sauce:
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (I used sriracha)
3 tbsp water mixed with a couple tsp of cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
2-3 tsp of freshly grated ginger


Directions:

Mix sauce ingredients and leave in a bowl.

Stir fry your veggies in a hot wok with some oil.  Reserve the green onion and bean sprouts, otherwise they will get overcooked.  Once your onion is translucent, add the broth and noodles.  I partially covered the wok to let the steam cook the dry noodles through while occasionally tossing everything together.

Add in cooked chicken, green onion, bean sprouts and prepared sauce.  Toss for a few minutes then serve. 

Baked Garlic Cilantro Fries

A great way to enjoy a craving for fries- flavourful, crispy- BAKED!

Note: best way to get crispy baked fries is to soak cut fries in icy salt water before baking (blot dry before baking)

Ingredients:

6 yukon gold or red potatoes or 3 russet potatoes
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro


Directions:

Cut potatoes (skin on) in fries.  Use salt water bath if desired (you should!)- then dry. Toss with oil and seasonings.  Place on a rack on top of a baking sheet or else on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes.  If you are using a rack, there's no need to flip the fries.  If you are using a greased sheet, check every 7-10 minutes to toss to make sure they are baking evenly and not sticking.  When they are done, toss with cilantro and any extra salt if you think they need it.

Makes 3 servings

Chili-Cinnamon Rubbed Pork Loin with Fresh Apple Salsa

I got the recipe from THIS site.  It's my first I've tried of hers, but it looks like she's got some good stuff.  I think the rub needed some more salt.  I loved the salsa! Try to rub your pork loin the day before.

Ingredients:

Pork Loin:
3 tbsp oil
4 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp salt
2 lbs pork tenderloin

Salsa:
2 medium/large apples, diced
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juiced
honey, salt and pepper to taste


Directions:Pork Loin: Whisk together spices and oil then rub your pork loin.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for hopefully a day but if you just have a few hours, that's fine, too.  Make sure to take meat out a good hour before cooking to let it come up to room temperature.

Sear loin on all sides in a hot (medium-high) pan with some oil.  This means you leave it on one side for a few minutes to get dark (remember because your rub is dark your meat may look burnt but just be careful and go by the smell)- do that for all sides.  Then put in oven safe dish (or leave in pan if it's oven safe) and roast at 350 until your thermometer reads 150 degrees.  Then let your meat rest on a cutting board with tinfoil over it for a good 10 minutes.  Super moist, delicious pork!

Salsa: combine all ingredients and taste to adjust seasoning.  Refrigerate till ready to serve or take out a little before hand so it's not so cold.  I read in the comments of the original recipe that it is also good warmed up, so it melds into a kind of apple sauce. 

Left overs are great the next day for however you want to use them.  We had the dinner twice and the pork was still moist.  I also used some leftovers for a breakfast burrito.

Pumpkin Mousse

Last year for Thanksgiving I made a Pumpkin Cheesecake; this year for Thanksgiving I made Pumpkin Mousse Parfait from THIS site. I felt like it was too heavy- too much like cheesecake, not enough like mousse so my recipe proposes a change.  But its got great flavour.

Note: The original recipe calls for a 15 oz can of pumpkin, calculated to mL it was 443, which was just slightly more than one can had here in Nanaimo.  So you can either just do slightly less (the small can had 398 mL) or you can open a big can and use like 2/3 of it.  Depends on if you want extra pumpkin for something later.

Ingredients:

one can pumpkin
1 package cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups icing/confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
ground gingersnap cookies (crumbs)
sweetened whipped cream, for serving (whip cream with sugar and cinnamon)


Directions:

Spread the pumpkin on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes to help dry it out.  Once it has cooled, beat with cream cheese and sugar.  Then beat in spices and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, whip cream till stiff peaks.  Fold cream in three batches into pumpkin cream cheese mixture. 

To make parfaits: layer pumpkin, sweetened whipped cream and gingersnap crumbs in glasses.  Top with gingersnap cookie.  Voila.