Nut Brittle

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 golden corn syrup

1 1/2 cups salted peanuts 

Method:

In a large saucepan, combine butter, sugar and corn syrup. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until melted, smooth and bubbly. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
Add nuts and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, uncovered, stirring constantly until nuts are lightly browned and syrup is a warm golden colour, about 5 minutes.
Pour mixture onto a foil-lined and lightly buttered baking sheet, spreading as thinly aspossible. Cool until hard. Peel candy from foil and break into pieces.

 Brittle can be stored, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

I've substituted peanuts with cashews, and added coconut. Very yummy.

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (or both)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Batter:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F

- Mix together topping ingredients and set aside.
-Mix together dry ingredients and set aside.
-In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar.
-Add eggs and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
-Turn 2/3 of batter into a well buttered 9' pan.
-Sprinkle with 2/3 of the topping mixture.
-Carefully swirl knife tip through the batter and topping.
-Add remaining batter.
-Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.

This cake is nice and light and fluffy.

Almond Cake

You'll need:
1/2 cup butter,
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
Sliced almonds

Method:
Preheat oven to 350F

In a separate bowl, blend together the flour,
ground almond, salt and baking powder.
Cream butter with sugar. Gradually beat in eggs.
Add the flour mixture alternately with milk.
Add almond extract.
Throw in some sliced almonds


Beat until light and fluffy.
Pour into pan evenly.
The batter is quite thick.
Top with some sliced almonds.
Bake until golden brown, and knife comes out clean.

Kale, Chicken and Chick Pea Soup

You'll need:

• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 to 3 pieces of chicken (skin removed)
  
• 1 large onion coarsely chopped
• 1-1 1/2 pounds kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped
• 1 carton of reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 or 2 cups of water (to cover meat and vegetables)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala,
• 1 small bunch of thyme tied together and discarded later
• 1 tsp tumeric
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegeta to taste
  
• 1 medium sized potato
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry chicken until golden brown. Set aside.

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chick peas and fry for about 1 minute.

2. Add chick peas and cook for about a minute.

3. Add kale and cook, tossing with a large spoon, until bright green, about 1 minute.

4. Add broth, and spices.

5. Add potato, chicken and thyme

6. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender and potatoes are cooked

Pineapple Tart

Pastry Crust



In a bowl combine: 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 tbsp sugar, about a tsp of baking power and mix well. Then add one cup of chilled butter and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry mixture. When it's well mixed, meaning the butter is no longer in big chunks....


In a small bowl, beat 1 tsp of almond extract with one egg. Make a little well in the flour mixture adding sprinkles of water just until the dough holds together.

For the filling
1 large pineapple (4½ pounds), peeled, quartered, and cored
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp mixed essence
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
½ cup dark rum


Make the filling: Cut each pineapple quarter crosswise into ⅓-inch-thick slices. Combine sugars, mixed essence, and lemon juice in a large saute pan. Add pineapple, and cook over medium heat, stirring until sugars dissolve and mixture becomes saucy, about 3 minutes. Add rum, and simmer until pineapple has softened and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan.

Spread pineapple mixture evenly in shell. Beat egg, and brush along top edges of tart. Brush top of lattice with egg wash.

Take a little more than half for the bottom of the baking pan and roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Fill shell with fruit filling, and roll out the other half.

Use a knife to cut dough into strips for lattice pie top....or don't bother with it and just cut a hole in the top with a cookie cutter.

Place your pie on a baking sheet because mine has a tendency to bubble over on occasion when the fruit expands. I'd rather be safe than have to clean the drips after the fact.

Brush with egg yolk (I find it browns nicer than with milk or egg whites) and bake in the oven at 350F until golden brown. (about 50 minutes)

Plum Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup soft butter
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

Also:
1/4 cup of Apple Jelly
4 large plums
1 + 1 tablespoons icing sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325F .
Grease the pan.
Wash plums, cut into quarters, remove seeds.



Cream butter, sugar and salt.
Add the whole eggs, flour and baking powder - mix .


The dough is dense.



Place dough into the pan, level the top and spread with apple jelly.



Lay the plums on top lightly.



Sprinkle with powdered sugar and put into preheated oven.
Bake 30-40 minutes (check with knife or toothpick until it comes out clean).

After baking, remove from oven, cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Peach Cobbler

Recipe found here from Canadian Living.

The only thing I added was some vanilla to the peach mixture.

Coconut Pineapple Cake

It's this recipe, from here...with these changes:

I didn't toast the coconut because I'm lazy.
I used whipping cream instead of sour cream.
I used a cake pan instead of a loaf pan.
I cut the fresh pineapple into bigger chunks.

The result was a good, very moist cake...with almost a cheesecake quality.
definitely a keeper.

Cherry Clafouti

Made this today...dead easy.

Find the recipe here.

Spicy Shrimp

I was looking for something to try today, and this was it.

Ingredients:
1 lb Shrimp (Peeled and de-veined)
Olive Oil

Seasoning:
1 heaping tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 heaping teaspoon adobo seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground smokey paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme
1/2 teaspoon leaf oregano


Cute little paprika containers.


Mix the seasoning together.



dry the shrimp and use about 1 tablespoon and a half of the seasoning and coat the shrimp.



Fry in olive oil until cooked.

Done...and very delicious on a bed of white rice!

Put the rest of the seasoning in a shaker, and use it for other things.

Spicy Carrot Coconut Curry

Made it as a side tonight and it's a keeper!

Find the recipe here

Pasulj

As our waiter in Belgrade called it: "Serbian Caviar".

Pasulj is a bean soup that can be made with or without meat. It's perfect for this time of year. Stick to your ribs food. This is my Tetka Ljuba's recipe and she didn't give me any measurements, but I'll give you the ones I used. It turned out very well...as usual, she didn't steer me wrong.

Ingredients:

1/2 pack of Romano beans, rinsed and soaked overnight.
about 10 cups cold water (you can add more if it's too thick for your liking
1 piece of slanine (smoked bacon...it looks like this..cut into chunks..but, you can use a ham hock or kobasice)
Vegeta (to your liking) and whole pepper corns and sweet paprika (to your liking)
1 carrot, peeled and sliced or medium chopped
1 large red potato, peeled and cut into medium pieces
1 hot Hungarian pepper (they're yellow), medium chopped
1 large onion, medium chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Method:
In a large soup pot, place beans, water and slanine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally so beans don't stick, and skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Add vegeta, paprika and pepper to taste. Lower temperature and simmer 1 hour. 

Add vegetables, bring back to the boil, reduce heat and continue to simmer for 1 more hour.  

It's done.

Bacon & Asparagus Soup

You'll need:

1/2 a pack of bacon chopped into 1 inch pieces (or more to your taste)

2 bunches of asparagus (chopped)

2 medium sized onions  (chopped)

4 medium sized potatoes (chopped)

1 hot Hungarian pepper (chopped)

a small tied bunch of thyme (to be taken out and discarded before blending)

Vegeta (to taste)

black pepper (to taste)

Water

Method:

Fry bacon until almost crisp. Throw in onions and toss until translucent. add chopped potatoes and chopped asparagus toss and fry for a minute or two. Add water to cover. Add thyme, vegeta, and black pepper. Simmer on medium heat until veggies are soft.

Blend with hand blender until smooth.

Delish.

Italian Meat Balls

This is a recipe from my friend Lora Capiciolto...and an awesome recipe it is.

My nieces ask for Lora's meatballs..and will no longer tolerate frozen/bought meatballs.

Sorry...no precise measuring.

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground beef

1lb ground pork

lots of garlic

lots of Parmesan Cheese

lots of fresh basil

salt and pepper

Italian bread crumbs

2 beaten eggs

oil for frying

Method:

Put the ground beef and ground pork in a large bowl, add lots of finely chopped garlic, lots of grated Parmesan cheese, and lots of finely chopped basil, salt and pepper...

Lots of Italian bread crumbs, and 2 beaten eggs..and mix together well.

Using your Tbsp measurer, roll meatballs.

Fry in hot oil, turning  until cooked through.

Drain on paper towels.

Good in sauce, or just on their own..or dipping in sauce as an app.

Delish.

Monkey Bread

3 cans refrigerated biscuits
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-10 inch tube pan.

2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized plastic bag. Cut the biscuits into halves or quarters and place biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Shake well.

3. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the greased pan. Layer biscuit pieces with nuts and raisins until all the biscuit pieces are coated and in the pan.

4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the layered biscuits.

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate.

Super easy!

Almond/Pecan Biscotti

Ingredients

1-3/4 1-3/4cups cupsall purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 3/4cupcup (175 mL) whole unblanched almondwhole unblanched almonds
1/4 pecans
2 eggs
3/4 3/4cup cupwhite sugar
1/3 1/3cup melted butter cup
2 2tsp vanilla
1/2 1/2tsp tspalmond extract
2 1-1/2tsp tsp (7 mL) grated orange rind
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation:

To measure flour accurately, lightly spoon flour into dry measure, without tapping, until cup is heaping; level off with blunt edge of knife. In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and almonds.

In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and grated orange rind; stir into flour mixture until soft sticky dough forms. Transfer to lightly floured surface; form into smooth ball.

Divide dough in half, roll each into 12-inch (30 cm) long log. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.

Brush tops with egg white; bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on pan on rack for 5 minutes. Transfer each log to cutting board; cut diagonally into 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick slices.

Stand cookies upright on baking sheet; bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer or until golden. Transfer to rack and let cool. (Biscotti can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)

Very good.

I modified it a bit from this Canadian Living recipe.

Canadian Living has never let me down

Spicy Sausage in Pastry

Filling:

Pkg of Hot Italian Sausage
1 small onion (minced)
1 carrot (minced)
6 mushrooms (chopped fine)
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper

Pastry
2 cups flour
1 cup of butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
water

Take the sausages out of the casing and fry in a little oil on medium heat until slightly browned.
Add the rest of the filling ingredients until cooked and is to your taste.
Set aside to cool while you make the pastry.



Combine dry ingredients and grate butter into bowl for easy cutting.
Cut with pastry cutter until it looks more or less like the above picture.



in a separate bowl, combine egg and dijon mustard and beat.



Preheat oven to 350F

Add the egg mixture with some water and mix until just combined and looks like this.
Keep adding water until it holds together.

Roll out the dough to 1/2 an inch, and use a large round cutter or coffee can to cut round pieces to fill with sausage mixture.

Roll rounds out a little and put a little more than a tablespoon (or as much as can comfortably fit), and seal with a fork. Cut clean edges with kitchen scissors.

Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and beat another egg.
Brush all pastries on sheet with beaten egg, and then slit tops.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until pastries are golden.

latke

Seasoned Rice

2 cups of washed rice
One chopped celery stalk
One chopped tomato
One chopped red bell pepper
One chopped green bell pepper
One large chopped onion
Other chopped veggies of your choice (carrots, zucchini, whatever)
Fresh chopped herbs of your choice (I like basil or thyme)
A little bit of tumeric for colour
4 cups chicken stalk
a little more salt or vegeta if you like.

Place all the chopped veggies in a large pyrex baking pan.
Wash the rice and mix with the veggies.
Mix the tumeric with the chicken stalk and pour over the rice and veggies.
Mix well.

Cover with tin foil and bake in a 350F oven until all the liquid is absorbed.
Uncover for the last 10 minutes and stir.

I often add left over chicken, beef or shrimp as well.

It's an easy side that doesn't take a lot of work...if you have a small chopper.

Stawberry Pie

Filling:
About 2 pints of strawberries (hulled and cut in half)
1/2 cup of sugar
4 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine and set aside.

Pastry Crust



In a bowl combine: 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 3 tbsp sugar, about a tsp of baking power and mix well. Then add one cup of chilled butter and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry mixture. When it's well mixed, meaning the butter is no longer in big chunks....


In a small bowl, beat 1 tsp of vanilla with one egg. Make a little well in the flour mixture adding sprinkles of water just until the dough holds together.



Take a little more than half for the bottom of the pie plate and roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Fill shell with fruit filling, and roll out the other half.
Use a knife to cut dough into strips for lattice pie top....or don't bother with it and just cut a hole in the top with a cookie cutter.

Place your pie on a baking sheet because mine has a tendency to bubble over on occasion when the fruit expands. I'd rather be safe than have to clean the drips after the fact.

Brush with egg yolk (I find it browns nicer than with milk or egg whites) and bake in the oven at 350F until golden brown. (about 50 minutes)