Roasted Brussel Sprouts

If you're like me, you've had one too many mushy boiled brussel sprout dishes. I don't know how many times I've shown up for Christmas dinner and dreaded the passing around of the brussel sprouts. I too am guilty of butchering the poor little cabbage heads though because I didn't really know of any other way to make them. However, as many times as I've had to endure the mush, I always wanted to like them. I'll need you to trust me here. Roasting the brussel sprouts takes them to a whole new level and it's a delicious place to be. They become nutty and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. I'll be making extra this year for Christmas dinner in hopes of having leftovers. Yes, I actually just said that about brussel sprouts. Happy Holidays!!!

Recipe:
1 lb brussel sprouts
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the first couple of leaves from the brussel sprouts and trim off the rough bottom stems.
2. Place the brussel sprouts in a large baking dish so they are in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Dot the brussel sprouts with butter and place the dish in the oven.
3. Roast for 30 minutes (or until fork tender) tossing with a spatula every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Rosemary Parmesan Savory Shortbread

From the recipe archive: Perfect for the holidays...

I messed up. It's not often that I mess up but I did...Oh man that was fun, I couldn't even keep a straight face typing that because messing up is a huge part of my daily schedule. I am the biggest clutz ever. Surprisingly, I was a ballet dancer for years and years which generally requires grace and the whole clutz thing has caused my ballet teacher mother much dismay. But I play my part and put on the "never trip over over myself" (in public) part quite often.

The other day though, I tripped up in the kitchen making crackers. Tragic, I know. I used way too much butter and they essentialy baked like a shortbread. I was pretty bummed. I was looking for a crisp cracker but you can't always get what you want and sometimes that's a good thing because there are such things as "happy accidents". It seems like happy accidents happen to me when I'm trying too hard to figure things out. I was trying too hard with these crackers when really they wanted to do their own thing. And they did. What I thought was a total failure turned into a perfectly delicious accident. Basically a savory shortbread was the outcome and it was fantastic. So for all of the times that things don't work exactly the way I want them to, thank you kitchen gods. I will continue to appreciate that you probably know better than I do.

Recipe:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
1. Using either a hand mixer or electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the dough forms a ball.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll in a log, 2 inches in diameter and aproximately 12 inches long.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or refigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Cut 1/4 inch sliced rounds of dough and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and Pancetta

I tried out this recipe over Thanksgiving and immediately knew it would be a new holiday must have. Actually I knew it was one of my new favorite anytime side dishes. The caramelized shallots are supremely sweet, the toasted almonds are rich and smoky and the pancetta, really what is there not to like about anything with pancetta. In lieu of pancetta you could certainly use bacon and once again, I ask, is there anything that could go wrong with that? No, the answer is a certified no. Be sure to put this little gem in your back pocket for any occasion but especially for your upcoming holiday entertaining.

Recipe:
1 lb green beans, trimmed of stems
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 strips pancetta, diced and cooked until crispy
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup almonds, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Melt butter over medium heat in a saute pan and add the shallots. Saute shallots, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes or until they become lightly browned and sticky. Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans to the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Strain the beans and set aside. Add the almonds to the pan and toast for 4-5 minutes. Add the beans and pancetta to the pan and stir together. Heat everything together, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Thanksgiving Meal Ideas

It's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend which is one of my favorite holidays. However, this year is rather bittersweet given our recent loss of Ome. We just returned from her funeral and after a whirlwind 72 hours that included 26 hours of driving in 2 days, I am beat. But I can't even imagine how much trouble I would be in if Ome knew I didn't feel like preparing a feast this year so I'm going to channel my inner Ome, put on a smile and start cooking up a storm. Some years I make ham but this year i'm going with a traditional turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce so whether you're going with ham or turkey, I figured I would share a list of my favorite tried and true recipes:

Roast Turkey from Simply Recipes
Maple Glazed Ham
Stuffing from Simply Recipes
Creamy Mashed Potatoes from The Pioneer Woman
Cranberry Sauce from The Unreserved
Rich Turkey Gravy from Epicurious.com
Roasted Brussel Sprouts from My Husband Cooks
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
Pumpkin Pie from Smitten Kitchen

Maple Glazed Baked Ham

Our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone and once again I am all turkeyed out. I'm so over turkey at the moment that I can't even imagine having to eat it again in just a few short months at Christmas. Nevermind again at American Thanksgiving. Yes, that's right we celebrate both. My Husband's Father is American so I feel it's my duty to celebrate both Canadian and American Thanksgiving. Okay actually it's just my lame excuse to throw a party and overindulge twice without feeling guilty. Trust me, without rationalizing I wouldn't be able to get through life. But back to the turkey, I just can't go there again so soon so we'll be going with ham. Not that I mind at all.

I know American Thanksgiving is still weeks away but due to my dancin' days, I always have a dress rehearsal. I'm not one to wing a new recipe where company is concerned. Of course I had to do a little fusion type thing and throw my Canadian maple syrup spin on this dish but you could easily substitute honey. Either way this ham is delicious. Perhaps the best thing about baking a ham are the leftovers. And just like turkey, no matter how many guests you have, there are always leftovers. I look forward to a week of eggs benedict, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, ham casserole and chef's salad. By next week I'll probably be so over ham that we'll be back to the turkey.

Recipe:

1 10 lb smoked ham (let the ham come to room temperature before baking)
whole cloves, about 20

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Prepare the ham by making diagonal slits on the fatty side of the ham in one direction and then again in the opposite direction creating a criss cross pattern.
3. Place individual cloves in the slits of the ham.
4. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil (optional) and place the ham, fat side up, in the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place the ham in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the ham from the oven and remove the foil.
6. Brush the ham with the glaze on all sides making sure to get the glaze in the grooves of the slits.
7. Return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, basting with the glaze every 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham reaches 130 F.
8. Turn the oven to broil and bake the ham another 5-10 minutes just to brown the outside.
9. Remove the ham from the oven, baste once again and let the ham rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Glaze:
1/3 cup light maple syrup (can substitute honey if you don't have maple syrup)
2 tablespoons stoneground mustard
1/3 cup pineapple juice
pinch nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch cinnamon

1. Whisk all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a high simmer.
3. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes or just until the glaze has thickened slightly.

Potato Latkes

I don't really know what to say about these except to tell you I love these Latkes. I've always really liked latkes and even have a recipe here for a beet and carrot variety but potato has always been my preferred latke choice. There are some bad recipes out there however, and I have been on the receiving end of them more than once. It's not pretty. If you don't squeeze that water out of the potatoes sufficiently it's game over. Or more so it's greasy, boiled potato mounds. See? Not pretty. These latkes though, are fantastic. Not too eggy and nice and crisp. Serve these babies with sour cream or applesauce and you'll be one happy camper.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes:
2 cups potatoes, peeled (russet or yukon golds work best)
2 tablespoons yellow onion, finely grated
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup oil, such as grapeseed or peanut or vegetable

1. place whole peeled potatoes in ice water for 1 hour.
2. remove the potatoes from the water and using a cheese grater, grate the potatoes (large grate.)
3. Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth or clean tea towel and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.
4. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg together.
5. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet heat the oil until around 350 degrees. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 inch thick patties. Fry on one side about 5 minutes or just until golden brown, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

*Keep the latkes warm in a 300 degree oven until you are ready to serve. Also, you can make a batch and freeze them by placing the cooked latkes in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once the latkes are frozen, store them in a freezer bag. Reheat the frozen latkes in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Game Day is Fast Approaching

(From the recipe archive)

Oh boy, I'm so excited for this weekend. Not because I like football but because I can't wait to eat! My boyfriend is a huge football fan so we're having a Superbowl party. I've been doing extra, extra cardio all week long in preparation for the major overindulgence that's about to take place. I'll make this short and sweet, just a little rundown of my menu for this Sunday.



Chili
Buffalo Wings
Potato Skins
Nuts n Bolts
Nachos
Caramel Popcorn

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Caramel Popcorn

All I want for Christmas is this Caramel Popcorn. Actually wait, my boyfriend might read this and there is that handbag I've been hinting at. So allow me to rephrase; All I want for Christmas goodies is this Caramel Popcorn. I've been doing my holiday baking and I always make the usual: cookies, pies, biscotti and rum balls. This year however, I needed something new. I've been wanting to make Caramel Popcorn for a while and I figured it would be a perfect addition to my holiday treats. Unfortunately for me or my friends for that matter, Santa never puts any self control under my tree and I can't stop eating it! I imagine I'll have to make many more batches if anyone else is to receive any. This recipe contains the perfect balance of sweet and salty. But I do warn you, it's extremely addictive, unless of course you possess an ounce of will power. Which I don't so if you do, please pass some my way.

RECIPE courtesy of Epicurious:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
11/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup salted peanuts (5 oz)

Special equipment: a candy thermometer

preparation

Heat oil with 3 kernels in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, covered, over moderate heat until 1 or 2 kernels pop. Remove lid and quickly add remaining kernels, then cook, covered, shaking pan frequently, until kernels stop popping, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and uncover.

Line bottom of a large shallow baking pan with foil. Lightly oil foil. Melt butter in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring, then boil, without stirring, until syrup registers 300°F on thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat.

Using a wooden spoon or a heatproof spatula, stir salt and baking soda into syrup, then quickly stir in peanuts and popcorn to coat. Immediately spread mixture in baking pan as thinly and evenly as possible. Cool completely, then break into bite-size pieces.

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Sandwich

Okay, so I know, not the best photo. My personal food photographer (my boyfriend) is out of town and I had to take it myself. I envy those of you who cook the meals and shoot them yourselves but I am not one of you. I wish. To be honest, I suck at photography. Anyway, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this ridiculously good turkey sandwich with you.

There was a Friends episode where Ross has a Turkey sandwich with a "moisture maker." Someone steals his sandwich and Ross freaks out. I can relate, I would do the same thing. You see, the moisture maker is what makes this sandwich remarkable. The "moisture maker" is simply a slice of bread soaked in gravy that is placed in the middle of the sandwich. So essentially we have a whole turkey dinner between two slices of bread with some mayonnaise. Yes, it is as good as it sounds, better even. I haven't quite figured out which is my favorite, the turkey dinner or this sandwich. I yearn for this sandwich all year long. You can imagine how happy I am that the day has finally come.

RECIPE:
3 slices white bread
leftover turkey
cranberry sauce
stuffing
gravy
mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Reheat the gravy. Spread the mayonnaise over two slices of bread. Soak the other piece of bread in the gravy. Assemble the sandwich as follows; Lay turkey on one slice of bread followed by the moisture maker, then a layer of stuffing, some cranberry sauce and top with the last slice of bread.

Thanksgiving Stuffing

If you've been looking for the best stuffing recipe, look no further. I made this fantastic recipe last year for Christmas and I haven't stopped thinking about since. Lucky for me, Thanksgiving comes early for us Canucks.

This is Elise from Simply Recipes Grandmother's stuffing. Don't the best holiday recipes come from Grandmas? They know what they're doing. I think what makes this stuffing outstanding is the giblet stock. I've also never heard of a stuffing recipe that included olives. They are a delicious surprise. A major bonus with this recipe is that it's made on the stovetop because I don't know about you, but my turkey usually takes up the whole oven and I don't have an extra one to spare. Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal and while I love turkey and cranberry sauce, this stuffing is the best part of the meal.

RECIPE courtesy of Simply Recipes:
1 loaf of day old French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 10-12 cups)
1 cup walnuts
2 cups each, chopped onion and celery
6 Tbsp butter
1 green apple, peeled, cored, chopped
3/4 cup of currants or raisins
Several (5 to 10) chopped green olives (martini olives, the ones with the pimento)
Stock from the turkey giblets (1 cup to 2 cups) (can substitute chicken stock)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or ground sage (to taste)
Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

If you haven't already made the stock, take the turkey giblets - heart and gizzard - and neck if you want, and put them in a small saucepan, cover with water and add a little salt. Bring to a simmer; simmer for about an hour, uncovered. Strain the stock into a container for use with the stuffing. Alternatively, you can use chicken stock or just plain water with this recipe. Toast the walnuts by heating them in a frying pan on medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring until they are slightly browned (not burned) OR put them in the microwave on high until you can smell the aroma of them toasting, about a minute or two. Let them cool while you are toasting the bread, then roughly chop them. Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in the pan, add the bread cubes, and stir to coat the bread pieces with the melted butter. Then let them toast; only turn them when they have become a little browned on a side. Note, if you aren't working with somewhat dried-out day-old bread, lay the cubes of bread in a baking pan and put them in a hot oven for 10 minutes to dry them out first, before toasting them in butter on the stove top. The bread should be a little dry to begin with, or you'll end up with mushy stuffing. In a large Dutch oven, sauté chopped onions and celery on medium high heat with the remaining 3 Tbsp butter until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Add the bread. Add cooked chopped walnuts. Add chopped green apple, currants, raisins, olives, parsley. Add one cup of the stock from cooking the turkey giblets or chicken stock (enough to keep the stuffing moist while you are cooking it). Add sage, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper. Cover. Turn heat to low. Cook for an hour or until the apples are cooked through. Check every ten minutes or so and add water or stock as needed while cooking to keep the stuffing moist and keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Serves 8-10.

Cranberry Sauce

Before I started cooking I didn't know that people actually made things from scratch like applesauce, croutons, breadcrumbs and cranberry sauce. I kid you not, I was the quintessential "takeout queen." Don't even ask me where I thought those things came from. I never thought about it, I just bought thoughtlessly. Thankfully those days are over and now I rarely eat out and the kitchen is my favorite place to be.

So I figured, if I wasn't aware of the fact that such simple things could be made in your own kitchen, I couldn't have been the only one, right? I'll continue this subject often with simple, everyday items that are so easy to make, there's really no reason to buy them pre-maid. Considering it's Canadian Thanksgiving, let's begin with Cranberry Sauce. Happy Thanksgiving!

RECIPE:
2 cups cranberries
1 cup water
1/2 tsp orange zest
juiced half of one orange
sugar to taste

Put all of the ingredients except the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat to med-low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Using a fork, mash the sauce down a bit. Add the sugar, adjusting to your personal taste. Allow the sugar to fully dissolve. Remove from heat and serve. You can easily freeze any leftover sauce.

Braided Easter Chocolate Babka

I wanted to embrace my boyfriend's Russian and Ukrainian roots for Easter this year, while being able to use some new recipes from my Ladies Auxiliary Legion Cookbook. Unfortunately by the time I planned a traditional dinner it was already Saturday and I was unaware that traditionally, you're supposed to serve hot cross buns on Good Friday. Oops, I'll get it next year. In browsing my favorite Cookbook, I noticed Babka. Up until now, I had only heard of Babka on that Seinfeld episode, you know, the one with the Babka fiasco with the hair on it. Hoping my Babka wouldn't meet the same fate, I thought I'd give it a try.

I know Chocolate Babka is not traditional but I also wanted to make my Cinnamon Buns and the traditional Cinnamon Raisin Babka was too close in flavor. It's also not traditionally braided but I felt adventurous that day. I decided against using the Babka recipe from the book because the recipe called for fifteen eggs and there are just two of us. I'm not great at math but I doubt my oven is even big enough to bake a bread that requires fifteen eggs. I also wanted to let my trusty bread machine do the work of the dough for me. I found this recipe at Recipe Link and made a few adjustments. The Babka turned out fantastic. I'm so happy to have found such an amazing bread that can be made so many different ways. I'm really excited to try the cheese and lemon variety. I just have to figure out what Farmer's Cheese is first.

RECIPE:

Babka:
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk, warmed slightly
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in the bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Set the dough cycle. Once the cycle is complete, remove the dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough in 3 equal sections. Take one piece of dough and flatten out slightly. Sprinkle half of the cocoa mixture (SEE BELOW) in the middle of the dough. Knead the cocoa into the dough until the whole piece is dark brown. Do the same with a
second piece of dough. Roll all of the pieces of dough into about a 1" circumference rope. Place all three pieces vertically and braid the ropes together making sure to pinch the end pieces together at both ends. Place the bread on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While the dough is rising, prepare the streusel topping by blending ingredients together with a fork until crumbly. When the bread is done rising, brush the entire top surface with the egg wash and then sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the bread. Place the bread in the oven for 30-35 minutes. If the babka begins to brown to quickly, cover the top with foil. Remove the Babka from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.


Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Mix all ingredients together.

Egg Wash:
1 large egg white, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Chocolate Babka Filling:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup sugar

Blend unsweetened cocoa and sugar together.

Nuts and Bolts

Party time, Excellent! We had a Superbowl party and I made a lot of food. These Nuts and Bolts were a huge hit at the party. Nuts and Bolts are my favorite salty snack food. I'll take them any day over any kind of chip. Which is why having this recipe at my arsenal is a little dangerous. I searched through many different recipes with my main concern being the mixture turning out too salty. That is my pet peeve with Nuts and Bolts, overseasoning. I found this fabulous recipe on recipezaar and it is just perfect.

I made so much of this mixture that my boyfriend and I were sure we would have lots of leftovers. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the bottom of the (huge) bowl! Of course as any host is well aware, you never get to actually eat the food so I just had to make a another batch after everyone left. Again to my surprise, the new batch lasted in my house for, oh, about 2 days... shameless I know. That's okay though, after the energy I expended in the kitchen at the party, I deserved a little Nuts and Bolts party of my own.

RECIPE:
1 cup butter
3 TBSP worcestershire sauce
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp seasoning salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 (10 ounce) box Cheerios cereal
10 ounces shreddies cereal
1 bag pretzel sticks
8 ounces cheez-its
5 cups Ritz Bits miniature crackers
4 cups salted nuts or peanuts

In a large glass bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the worcestershire and all the spices, whisk until well blended. Pour the snack ingredients into a large turkey roaster, pour the sauce over top. Mix well, bake uncovered at 225 degrees for one hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.