Maple Pecan Squares

Sometimes I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  I started this blog to share some of the fun, interesting and mostly easy recipes that make their way from my kitchen.  Often, I will find a new recipe, make it quickly and then not photograph it so that I can put it on my blog.  DUH!  Occasionally, I will then loose the recipe and find myself in a panic because they turned out great and cannot remember where I found it, let along how to make it again ( I will come back to this)! DUH! DUH! What is happening now is that I am using the blog as my own resource to find recipes and now I am kicking myself in the butt when I don’t blog.  New Year and renewed commitment to get some of these recipes documented.

Cup of Bengal Spice Tea and a couple of Maple Pecan Squares!

This is one of those recipes that I love to make as I normally have all the ingredients on hand so that it can be pulled together quickly if company finds their way to my kitchen table.  I had not planned to make many cookies before the holidays but I made these and they turned out great.  Then a few days later, I made the mistake of tidying my kitchen and the paper was lost! OH MY! I had not plan B for a desert for my guests and I had no memory of where I had even found this tasty sweets.  So the quest began – binders, piles of paper, recycling, bookshelf!  Finally to great relief the notes were found and the squares were produced just in time for my friends.  Never let them see you sweat!

For future reference these came from the Food and Drink (Holiday 2008) magazine that I get some the LCBO and you can search the website.  I have made them both with pecans and walnuts but really any nut will work. And I love maple syrup so I don’t use the “reasonable facsimile” this is a time when I really think that you need to use the good stuff.

Maple Pecan Squares

Shortbread base

1 cup	Flour
1/3 cup	Lightly brown sugar, packed
¼ cup	Coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts, pine nuts, almonds)
¼ tsp	Baking powder
¼ tsp	Cinnamon
1/3 cup	Unsalted butter, at room temperature

Shortbread base - hot from the oven

Pecan Layer

¼ cup	Unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup	Light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup	Maple syrup
2 tsp	Vanilla
¼ tsp	Salt
1	Egg
1 ¾ cup	Coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts, pine nuts, almonds)

Pecan Layer assembled and waiting for the base to cool before layering

Preheat oven to 350F

Grease and line a 9 inch square pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over the sides

This is how you cool them quickly so you can have them
with a cup of tea - PUT THEM IN THE SNOW!

For base, pulse flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt, baking powder and cinnamon in a food processor (there is too much for a little food processor so use a big one or just crush the nuts finely and mix all of this in a bowl) to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Press mixture into the pan and bake for 20 minutes, until it just browns around the edges, and cool.

For pecan layer, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and egg (carfeul adding the egg to a hot liquid - it will start to cook) until smooth.  Stir in chopped pecans and pour over shortbread base. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until bubbling around the edges. Allow to cool completely before slicing. 

Apparently this is supposed to make 36 squares but those are pretty tiny squares and I have never cut them that small – judge yourself accordingly.  

ENJOY!

Cassoulet

Dinner for two

Last night supper was wonderful...like a cozy sweater on a cold day.  We ended the evening with a classic French dish: Cassoulet served with a slice of light rye bread and Pinot Noir, and playing scrabble while listening to the “Cabin Party” on VOCM (http://www.vocm.com/inside.asp?mn=10&id=1726&cc=5 ).  Just awesome. 

This French dish is a slow cooking bean stew normally cooked in a casserole in the oven but it does well when cooked in a slow cooker.  This is a country dish not a fancy dish meant to fill the belly and soothe the soul.  This is another wonderful dish for those who are feeling like they need to be a little more health conscious as it is very filling, full of fibre and a serving is only 431 calories, albeit a little devoid of vegetables.  Cooking in a slow cooker is great as you throw everything in the pot turn it on and walk away.  The downside of cooking in a slow cooker is that the house smells great and that makes me hungry!  In an ideal circumstance, there would be snow outside to spend the day skiing but this is Southern Ontario and there is not a lick of snow anywhere. Coming home cold and flushed with activity, opening the door to the embracing smells of stew: bacon, beans, tomato, garlic...mmmmmmm.



Pinot Noir grapes on the vine in Napa



Pairing wine with food can really enhance a meal but I don’t often make recommendations as to what wine to serve with dishes. My first principle on wine and food is to drink what you like. That being said my favourite wine to pair with a meal that has smoky salty flavours is a Pinot Noir. If you are inclined to open a bottle of wine when serving this, consider a Pinot. The flavours balance marvellously. 



Saintsbury's best supervisor (Ralph the cat) making sure our experience was perfect



We don’t believe in saving good bottles of wine for “special occasions”, a quiet Saturday evening at home was reason enough to pull a bottle of Saintsbury Pinot Noir (http://www.saintsbury.com/ ).  We were fortunate enough to be able to visit the winery in Napa, California and fell in love with the wine.  Unfortunately, we are not able to get the wine here in Ontario but my sister gave us 2 bottles for Christmas delivered safely from Newfoundland!  

The inspiration for this comes from a Canadian Living Magazine (November 2011), check out the original and find your own inspiration. 

4 cans	Navy Beans, no salt added, drained and rinsed (you can soak beans overnight and then boil for a few minutes before placing in the slow cooker)
1 can	Whole Tomatoes, no salt added, drained
2	Onions, diced
1	Carrot, diced
1	Rib celery, diced
4 cloves	Garlic, minced
2	Bay leafs
1 ½ tsp	Dried thyme and parsley
½ tsp	Pepper
1	Smoked ham hock (can use cured ham or smoked turkey leg  if not able to find a ham hock)
2 cups	Kielbasa or other Polish Sausage, cut into ½ inch rounds
4 slices	Bacon, cut in to slivers
1 ½ cup	Chicken broth (you can do ¾ cup chicken broth and ¾ cup white wine which is what I would have done but I did not have a bottle of white wine open and knew we were having red later)

Ready to serve

Throw beans, tomatoes, onions, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley into the slow cooker. Top with ham hock, sausages and bacon.  Do not stir.  Throw in broth.  Cover and cook for 6- 8 hours.

When cooked, discard bay leaf. Remove ham hock with a slotted spoon and discard bones, fat and skin.  Shred meat in to larger chunks. Return meat to the slow cooker.

ENJOY!

Napa Cabbage Coleslaw

Creamy goodness

This is another carry over from my “Southwest themed” evening is Napa Cabbage Coleslaw.  If you are making ribs, Mac and Cheese then you “need” coleslaw.  Nothing is more tasty. In my opinion, coleslaw ought to be crisp and creamy. I do like regular coleslaw. You know the stuff that you see in the grocery store or at a pot-luck – cabbage, carrots, little onion in a mayo based sauce.  But I also like new uses for ingredients that you see in the grocery store but not really sure what to do with – Napa Cabbage became that ingredient one weekend about 4 years ago.  It has been a frequent visitor at my table since.  Like most of my recipes this are super easy and can be pulled together in a flash. It has a nice balance of sweet and sour.

The inspiration for this comes from Food and Drink Magazine from the Summer 2007 edition. Below is the base recipe but I have modified it a little occasionally to make it a little more interesting, depending on what I have in the fridge consider adding:

·         Bean Sprouts

·         Water Chestnuts

·         Grated Carrots

·         Red Onion

·         Etc...

2 tbsp	Grainy Mustard (also called ancient mustard, you can use djion if in a pinch)
4 tbsp	Rice wine vinegar (can use Red Wine Vinegar, or even cooking sherry)
4 tbsp	Olive oil
4 tbsp	Mayonnaise
4	Green onion, thinly sliced
½ head	Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (the heads are normally very large and so I will frequently just use half or even less as this will make a lot)
1	Apple, cored and thinly sliced (I normally use red just before color but any apple will work)

Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, oil and mayonnaise and set aside.

Cut the cabbage into quarters and thinly slice. Do the same to the apples and the onions.

Toss vegetables with the dressing and serve.

Note: this salad is great even if left for a little while, it does lose some of the crispness of vegetables but still delicious.

ENJOY!

Succulent Ribs

On the menu: Mac and Cheese, Napa Cabbage Coleslaw, and Apple Jack Ribs

I think it must be because I cooked so many big meals over the holidays that I am in the mood to try some things that I have not tried in a long time, and to be honest I have been gutting out my fridge and found some things that while still good really needed to be cooked.  Geoff’s brother was over for dinner and it was a great time to cook the 4 racks of ribs that I bought before the holidays. These ribs were part of a larger “Southwest” themed dinner and I will be adding some of the other items as well.

Ribs are definitely a guilty pleasure, so yummy and decadent.  Cooked properly, they can be very tender and moist but to be truly delightful they need time on the BBQ being smothered by sticky gooey sauce.  My father has been claimed that they can be “all lickem and no eat” so choosing nice meaty ribs make the preparation worth the effort.  We grill year round so we don’t just wait for summer to enjoy wonderful BBQ.

Braising Ribs before Grilling...

Just out of the oven -2.5 hours is well worth the wait

Geoff’s Aunt Diane (who grew up in Hawaii and therefore knows ribs) passed along this method. I had done it before but it not really solidified as to what was happening until she served us the most succulent ribs – EVER!  I have been doing this ever since and experimenting with different sauces and liquids.

So if there is one piece of wisdom that I can pass along about ribs is to braise them before you grill them.

How to do it...

·         Place the ribs in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet (I prefer to line with foil as it keeps all the moisture in and makes clean up easier. 

·         Add about a cup of liquid (beer, water, wine, bbq sauce, anything really)

·         Seal the foil and

·         Cook in a 325F oven for about 2-2.5 hours.

Lots of Lickem and Eat!

This does seem a little ridiculous but it helps break down the meat and make it fall off the bone tender.  Once this is done get a BBQ sauce of some sort and head to the grill.  The ribs are all already cooked so what you are looking to do is add another layer of flavour and caramelize the sauce a little. This should not take more than 15-20 minutes.

What I did on Sunday night was add about 2/3 cup apple cider and 1/3 cup of Jack Daniels (did I mention that I was cleaning out my cupboards and decided to finish off my supply of cooking Jack!) as my liquid to braise the ribs.

For the Sauce (Inspiration from Ted Reader “King of the Q’s Blue Plate BBQ)

½ cup	Packed brown sugar
½ cup	Apple butter
¼ cup	Jack Daniels
3 tbsp	Apple cider

Mix together and brush on ribs on the BBQ.

I have been known to “doctor” a store bought sauce for this as well and will use the same sauce for braising.  Don’t sweat it too much; these are ribs and are meant to be fun and not take too seriously.

ENJOY!

Fajitas and Guacamole



Just assemble and enjoy!



Fajitas are so easy that I am almost embarrassed to be putting this up here but I also have a pet peeve. My peeve is all the pre-fabbed Mexican food that you get at the grocery store.  Have you read the ingredient list on those packages? Trust me you don’t want to, there is scary stuff in there.  I know, I know you are thinking but it is so easy and a great stand by.  But go back to my first sentence – there are so easy, not to mention low fat, and yummy. They are probably kid friendly too but I don’t have kids so I am not able to testify.  I do have a husband and a cousin that I frequently feed and so far no complaints. So if you are like me and have made the traditional New Year’s resolution to get in shape and lose weight this might be something to throw in the cycle.  One of the things that Geoff and I lie to do is “Fun Food Friday” – the night to have more “junky” food. This is a dish I have occasionally made but to be honest pizza and wings are requested more often than not.

I have added a recipe for “Sassy Spicy Salsa” in December so I am not going to bother to repeat but I am will give you ideas for fajitas and, since it would not be great without it, guacamole. (PS. I was very excited to see that the avocados for $1 each today!) Depending on your preference you can also add some sour cream, grated cheddar cheese.  Any tortillas will work. I recommend warming the shells (wrap in foil and heat for 5-6 minutes in a 350F oven).

Guacamole

1	Avocado
¼ cup	Chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp	Minced Onion
2 tbsp	Chopped cilantro
1 tsp	Chilli powder
2 tbsp	Lime juice

NOTE: To choose an avocado, choose one that will give a little when you gently squeeze.  You can buy one that is harder a day or so before you want to eat it at they will ripen on the counter.  If you have not tried to peel an avocado then you can do a little research to find videos on YouTube and lots of directions!

Roughly mash the avocado in a bowl, leaving it a little chunky. Add tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chilli powder and lime juice. Stir

ENJOY!

Fajitas

6-8	Tortillas
1 ½ lbs	Steak, Chicken, Pork,
2 tsp	Vegetable oil
1 tsp	Garlic (more or less to taste)
1	Green pepper, cut in to julienned slices
1	Red pepper, cut in to julienned slices
1 med	Onion, cut in to julienned slices
1 tsp	Cumin (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp	Chilli powder (more or less to taste)
	Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil on a med-high heat.  Add oil and garlic to pan and heat for about 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant. Add steak and cook until browned and mostly cooked. Add peppers and onion to the pan and sauté until slightly soft. Add cumin, chilli, salt and pepper. Cover and let steam for about 5-6 minutes (hey the exact same time as you need to warm the tortillas in a 350F oven).

Build your fajita by layering steak/chicken/pork and peppers on a warm tortilla with sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, salsa and, of course, your home made guacamole.

ENJOY!!!

Crispy Mushroom Wontons

2012 has arrived and I am thrilled to report that the holiday season has come and gone without drama.  It has been a wonderful time spent with family and friends.  This year for most of the holidays, I relied on family favourites to keep life easy. New Years Eve, however, I did decide to try something new as I had my very small deep fryer filled.  I do not normally have fat in the deep fryer as my favourite way to eat something that delightful is in a restaurant.  However, as per the practice my cousins and I got together on Boxing Day for hot turkey sandwiches and fries so I wanted to take advantage of the resource while it was available. 

These Mushroom Wontons are wonderful.  I have altered a version from Food and Drink magazine, Holiday 2008. You can add any number of variations to this. When I make them again I think I will add chopped water chestnuts, and change up the type of mushrooms or even replace them with some ground pork.

1 tbsp	Vegetable oil
½ cup	chopped onion
1 tbsp	Chopped garlic
1 tbsp	Chipped ginger
½ tsp	Red pepper flakes
1 cup	Bok choy, (stems chopped and green thinly sliced) I used 2 small baby bok choy to limit left overs
2 cup	Mushrooms, stems removed and chopped (you can use any type, I used cremini)
Dash	Salt
1 pkg	Wonton wrappers
	Vegetable oil for frying, if you do not have a deep fryer available you will need enough to fill a heavy high-sided pan or wok with 2 inches of oil

Heat vegetable oil in pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes until softened. Add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes for about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute. Add bok choy and salt; sauté until softened.  Cool to room temperature.

Batch one in my wee deep fryer

Have on hand a small bowl with water.  Lay wonton wrappers a few at a time on the counter. Spoon about 1 tsp (probably slightly less) of filling onto the middle of the wrapper. Using your finger, moisten the edges of wrapper and fold in half to form a triangle, sealing the edges.  Then, moisten one of the corners and bring the two furthest corners together in the middle and pinch to seal.  Continue working until you have used all the filling. Place wontons on a tray and cover with plastic wrap until ready to cook.

Heat oil over medium high heat in wok, high sided pan or deep fryer. Working in batches as to not over crowd the pan, fry the wontons for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crisp.  Drain on paper towels and serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

Hot and Tasty!

Note: I did make this sauce and it was well received but I think I can find something better.  I will post when I find something.  Honestly, Thai Chili Sauce, Plum Sauce or another Asian sauce that you can get at the grocery store would also work.

½ cup	Hoisin sauce
½ cup	Soy sauce
1 tbsp	Sesame oil
1/tbsp	Grated ginger

Stir in a small bowl and serve.

 ENJOY!