Choose Your Own Adventure Recipes

Hooray hooray!! The first Farmer's Market of the year for us in Brampton was yesterday. 

It was SO wonderful to stroll down the street surrounded by all this beauty & bounty. I love me my food; so forgive me if I wax poetic about it.

It also made me realize how dang fortunate we are to live where we do. Our soil, our land, our climate. (Yeah; even the -40C winters) But that's another topic for another day.

Now, I love my backyard.

 Except it's kinda small. And veryyyyyy shady. Which limits what will grow well.

Rhubarb, however grows insanely well. And provides a fun hidey-spot for Mikie. 

(Don't tell him we can see him. He thinks he's super secret.)

There's a lot you can do with rhubarb. Like, Pie. And...pie. And did I mention...pie?!?!?

Now yes of course I know there's more like cakes, and tartlets and my personal fav "Rhubarb Stew"

(Blogged about HERE) but this year when I saw them glorious strawberries...I knew it was gonna be PIE.

     

There is a door in front of you on the right. It is a nondescript door; however from behind it comes a strange high-pitched buzzing noise......

On your right, there is a cobwebby hallway, at the end of which are stairs that look old and rickety......

The Door

..................You hesitantly place your hand on the doorknob..and it seems like the buzzing is getting louder. Closing your eyes and taking a deep breath, you slowly turn the knob.

You enter into a big kitchen, with white walls and a big patio door which shows you that the buzzing was just Jay with the lawnmower........

Ha. Sorry. Slice of life there.

My favourite part of summer is the fruit & veggies. And the warm. Oh, the glorious warm!!!!

But I digress. 

This is a crowd favourite and SO easy to make you'll pull this recipe out over and over again.

I have my Grandma Taylors recipe book; the "Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook".

It has all sorts of great stuff in there, and was out of print until just recently. I have my Mom's copy she received as a wedding gift, complete with her notes and dogears and extra recipes stuffed in.

I used it for the base recipe of Rhubarb Pie, and then just...messed with it until I found the balance of strawberries/rhubarb that worked for me. Now; I like a more tart pie so if you want a sweeter pie, increase the amount of sugar.

...........as adapted from "The Laura Secord Canadian Cook Book" 

Two 9 inch pie crusts. Make your own or cheat (what I did today) and use premade.

3 1/2 cups rhubarb in 1 inch cubes.

2 cups hulled & sliced strawberries  

3/4 - 1.5 cups white sugar (to taste)

(3/4 cup = tart 1 cup = sweet  1.5 =very sweet)

4 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp butter

Cookie sheet

Head out to your Rhubarb patch and cut off about 9 medium/small or 5 big stalks.

Leave the leaves in your composter; those babies are POISONOUS so don't eat them.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Make/prepare your pie crusts - you will need one for the bottom and one for the top.

Wash and cut rhubarb stalks into 1 inch pieces and place in large bowl. Make sure your stalks are dry; you don't need any extra moisture in this pie.

Mix sugar, and cornstarch with rhubarb and strawberries in large bowl.

Pour into prepared bottom pie crust.

Lightly wet edge of crust and place the second crust on top, pinching edges together. 

Cut a six vents in the top of the crust, and dot with the butter.

Place in 400F oven for 15 minutes on the middle rack.

Reduce heat to 350F and cook further for 45-50 minutes.

Make sure to place a cookie sheet under the pie on the lowest rack to catch the juices.

*don't forget this step!!*

Pie should be done at this point; the juices will be bubbling up and out.

THIS IS THE HARDEST PART:

Remove from oven and LET COOL COMPLETELY. Do not refrigerate to speed this up.

I struggle with this part.....gah. You have to let the fruit 'set' and if you don't it'll be closer to Rhubarb Soup with Crust.

 You *can* give in and when the pie is just warmish; serve with a big dollop of fresh whipped cream or good vanilla ice cream....yummmmmmmmmmm.

And there you have it.

Rickety old Stairs

..................you tentatively place your foot on the first step, and your hand on the handrail, which jiggles in a not-reassuring way. Placing your full weight on the step - you hold your breath. Though the stairs groan protest, they hold you up and you gingerly continue up...............

Okay I *told* you I was all poetic-ky over the Farmers' Market.

So I had a lot of Rhubarb. A Lot.

I have my Grandma Taylors recipe book; the "Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook".

It has all sorts of great stuff in there, and was out of print until just recently. I have my Mom's copy she received as a wedding gift, complete with her notes and dogears and extra recipes stuffed in.

Needless to say it's one of my prized possessions. 

I have my own copy now - which is getting just as much use as my Mom's did when she was a young bride back in the 70's.

The cool thing about this book to me, this cookbook, that really sets it apart - is that it has ALL the basics in here. Like, when you just want to PLAINLY roast a chicken. Or, make a meatloaf. Or weird old fashioned stuff like.... Mincemeat. Or Christmas Pudding. OR....a Rhubarb Pie. 

No bells, no whistles, no waiting 24 hours, no special trips to the "Good" grocery store.

But I digress.

...........as adapted from "The Laura Secord Canadian Cook Book" 

Two 9 inch pie crusts. Make your own or cheat (what I did today) and use premade.

4 cups rhubarb in 1 inch cubes.

1-1.5 cups white sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 tbsp cornstarch

dash or two of cinnamon *optional

1 tbsp butter

Cookie sheet

Head out to your Rhubarb patch and cut off about 10 medium/small or 6 big stalks.

Leave the leaves in your composter; those babies are POISONOUS so don't eat them.

Preheat oven to 450F.

Make/prepare your pie crusts - you will need one for the bottom and one for the top.

Wash and cut rhubarb stalks into 1 inch pieces and place in large bowl. Make sure your stalks are dry; you don't need any extra moisture in this pie.

Mix sugar, flour and cornstarch with rhubarb in large bowl.

Pour into prepared bottom pie crust.

I like to just dash some cinnamon on top, but that's me.

Lightly wet edge of crust and place the second crust on top, pinching edges together. 

Cut a six vents in the top of the crust, and dot with the butter.

Place in 450F oven for 15 minutes on the middle rack.

Reduce heat to 350F and cook further for 45-50 minutes.

Make sure to place a cookie sheet under the pie on the lowest rack to catch the juices.

*don't forget this step!!*

Pie should be done at this point; the juices will be bubbling up and out.

THIS IS THE HARDEST PART:

Remove from oven and LET COOL COMPLETELY. Do not refrigerate to speed this up.

I struggle with this part.....gah. You have to let the fruit 'set' and if you don't it'll be closer to Rhubarb Soup with Crust.

 You *can* give in and when the pie is just warmish; serve with a big dollop of fresh whipped cream or good vanilla ice cream....yummmmmmmmmmm.

And there you have it.

Garlicky Lemony Pasta

 

Yay Summer!!

I am *not* a cold weather person. At all. I love summer.

Sun, wind, heat, blue skies....cooking outdoors, and the FRESH PRODUCE....yummmm.

And Lemons. Lemons? Lemons. They mean summer, right?

Lemonade, Lemon ices, Lemon pasta....(it's not just me, is it??)

Sometimes however, it's just too hot. Like, no, I'm not gonna grill over a 400 degree BBQ on my deck that's also super heated. And no way am I gonna heat up the kitchen by using the oven.

But pastas...pastas are perfect. AND you can eat them hot, or cold. Whatever you like!

And this pasta is super simple. Doesn't get much simpler, actually.

You zest your lemons, you brown your garlic, add in your cooked pasta, top with cheeeeese and toss!

In less than 30 mins you've got a weeknight supper that's super yummy. And lemony. And garlicky.

Lemon Garlic Pasta

Ingredients for Two people with some leftover for lunches:

Two or Three  Lemons

Head of garlic

Black Pepper, salt

3 Shallots

 2 Sweet onions

1 tsp brown sugar

Spaghettini (or pasta of choice) enough for two

Dice up shallots and onions, and peel and mince garlic heads.

Zest lemons, cut into quarters after to more easily extract juice.

I use a Microplane zester, like this one.

Place large pot of water on stovetop to boil, the sauce cooks up quick so it's better to have your pasta done and ready before you start the sauce.

Drain pasta; reserving one cup of liquid.

Drizzle pasta lightly with olive oil, toss with liquid (so pasta doesn't solidify into a big glop.)

 Add one quarter of lemon zest and squeeze one of the lemon quarters into the pasta. Toss. 

Replace lid so it keeps warm.

In a skillet, drizzle with olive oil.  Add garlic, cook on medium heat stirring OFTEN to avoid burning. Allow garlic to become nice and browned. Remove garlic from pan into a bowl. 

Add a bit more oil to pan, and add shallots, onions and brown sugar. 

Cook on steady med heat until caramelized; turn off heat. Add garlic back into pan.

With heat off; add lemon juice, zest and a bit more olive oil (if needed), and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.

Add pasta to the sauce in the saute pan, in small batches so all gets evenly tossed and coated.

Don't add the sauce to the pot or it will all clump in one area. Trust me.

Serve immediately, topped with some fresh parmesan, fresh cracked black pepper and yummy crusty buttery bread.

So, what means summertime to you? And in the Lemonade debate..... Pink or Regular?! Discuss.

Baked Maple Donuts with Maple Glaze

............I have a serious confession here folks.

This might get me in trouble with a lot of people.

It definately pushes me down the "How Canadian Are YOU" list.

Here it is.

*deep breath*

THERE. I said it. (waiting for lightning to strike me down)

No? Okay. I do admit I like Maple Syrup. The real deal though not that 'maple flavouring' stuff. But in general, I don't like maple donuts, maple coffee flavour, or maple candies, etc etc.

So when I was asked if I could do a special batch of Mother's Day donuts that were maple flavoured, I cringed. That meant taste testing. 

My kitchen was awash in donuts. Not a bad thing to be awash in, really.

So I went to a few tried and true sources and read a dozen or so recipes. I knew I wanted a moist cake donut that could hold the glaze well and be a bastion of mapley-goodness.

I tried some and they were more of a vanilla-cake tasting donut, and others were too cinnamony. (Yes, that's a word.  Or at least, it is now!) I tried buttermilk recipes and yogurt recipes, oil recipes and butter recipes. Most recipes got the maple taste from the glaze. But I wanted more. Oh yes.

 I realized to get the oomph and fullness of rich maple I wanted; I needed to take this one step further.
Then;  inspiration struck

 May I present:

Prep Time: 10 mins  Cooking Time: 8- 10 mins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees 

Donut Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour 

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of Sale

1 Large egg (lightly beaten)

1 6 oz container (3/4 Cup) Maple Flavoured Yogurt

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons real maple syrup

1 Teaspoon Maple Syrup extract

Donut Glaze Ingredients:

1/4 cup Salted butter - best to cut through all the sweetness

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup Icing Sugar

1 teaspoon maple extract

For the Donuts:

 In a large mixing bowl; add all the dry ingredients and whisk together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, maple extract and the egg.

Fold the wet into the dry and stir just until well mixed. Do not overmix.

Spoon the mix into a large ziploc bag, and snip one end corner off; about 1 inch.*

Pipe the batter into your prepared donut pan, about 2/3 full in each spot. Place into oven.

Set your timer for 8 mins; and check the donuts. If they still 'dent' and look moist when you touch them gently; do 1 minute increments until they are firmed up.

Cool for one minute and then flip the pan over and the donuts should fall out onto the cooling rack.

Let cool completely before glazing.

Donut Glaze:

In a small saucepan; over medium high heat:

Combine maple syrup with butter and let melt. Do not let it boil!

Once butter is completely melted; quickly whisk in the maple extract and the icing sugar.

Blend well and remove from heat. Let cool down slightly before using. And of course; don't forget to lick the spoon. :)

 To glaze the donuts:

Place some wax paper or parchment paper down under your cooling racks. Working quickly; dunk those donuts into the glaze.  I like to use the 'bottom' side of the donut so they look uniform, but that's up to you. Let the donuts sit with the glaze on them and after you've done them all, DUNK em again. Oh yeah. Double dunkers, baby.

(I found that placing the donuts in the fridge until ready to eat kept them nice and the glaze from melting. It got pretty humid here last week so right up until I served them we kept 'em in the fridge. You judge what's best for your donuts. )

Tips & Tricks:

 * The easiest method to pipe your batter: Have a wide mouthed flower vase or other large jug ready. 

Place your ziploc bag into the vase/jar and drape the opening around the mouth of the vase. Spoon your batter into the vase, and voila.

Pull it out by the top and cut your opening; about one inch using the corner of the bag. 

Pipe your donuts into the pan; about just over half way (two thirds) full.

Donut Recipe Adapted from: Cooking With My Kid

Glaze Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Holiday Traditions.. Life!

The older we get, the more 'traditions' become important to us.
Everyone has theirs...what are yours?

Recently, I've had a lot of changes in my world.

Moving countries, moving cities, ailing parent, career changes... you name it.

So, traditions ... now.... with all the changes, everything that WAS is now...Different.

SO, time to create NEW traditions!!!!

 In my NEW home! 

With my NEW Fiance!!! ( Well, he's not new. But being engaged sure is. :) )

Me an' Mr.J go out to skate in the park, and drive around and look at the lights.
We put on the Firelog station (we don't have a real fireplace) and play "Charlie Brown Christmas" on the stereo.
We drag up the bins from the basement, and get to it.

I love Christmas, I love to decorate!!

Step One

Step Two

Step Three!

 ONE major holiday tradition that will NEVER change for me....

I remember the cookies. And the treats. And the baking.

And I continue that tradition.

 

Yep. Holiday prep 2014. Heh.

 Next blog post is going to be ALL about the homemade handmade stuff ANYONE can do to make Christmas even more personal. And more better. Heh. 

Stay tuned for Some AMAZING recipes from equally AMAZING bloggers out there.

Easy recipes that are super yummy and solid to follow.

What're some of YOUR favourites??