Valentines Menu

I do like to go out for dinner, but I also liketo stay in for special dinners and try arecipe I wouldn't usually try. This year the menu is going to sound funny, but I have been wanting to try this recipe and have been waiting because it takes a LOT of cheese making it expensive and hard on the waist line. I find a lot of recipes from American chefs are expensive because in the states cheese, meat and alcohol are much cheeper than Canada. For example this recipe takes a total of one and half lb of cheese, making it about $15 alone on cheese.
Anyways I am making Spicy Macaroni and Cheese by Chef Sunny Anderson, which I saw her make on " The Thing I ever Made-Comfort Food".
The recipe also take whip cream and half and half, I am sure there are a lot of substitutions you could make, but as it is Valentines day I am sticking to the list. The total cost for the recipe is probably about $20-25 which isn't bad as it will feed 3 of us plus leftovers (maybe?) so still cheeper than eating out.

For Desert we are having Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which is something I love, but have never made. I got the:)

Funny to make Macaroni for Valentines day, but its what both my boys love and I think it will be tasty. I should post a review and photo tomorrow.

A new Christmas tradition Rock Buns

A few years ago I purchased The Gentle Art of Domesticity *by Jane Brocket (at the recommendation of my friend Jill on a post I cannot now find on her blog) as a gift for  Mary, my husband's mother and a good friend of mine (I dislike the term Mother-in-law).  Mary and I love this book , because it is all about crafting and creature comforts.

One of these such things is Rock Buns, which have now become a seasonal treat in our house that are much enjoyed warm out of the oven with a glass of scotch.

They are sort of like scones or a giant cookie made with candied fruit and peel, and lots of spices. They are nothing like fruit cake, but are very rich and sweet (made with brown sugar), our whole family loves them.

All that being said I am not going to post the recipe, because I feel they are a unique recipe (maybe only in Canada) and needs to go along with the story in her book of the place they have in their (the authors) family.

My own mother visited Mary and discovered the book as well and so I sent her a copy last Christmas.
Recently I purchase Jane's newest book Turkish Delight And Treasure Hunts  for Mary's birthday, which features recipes from children's books. I have not read it yet, but Mary says it is quite cute. I did take a peak and the first recipe was Pickled Limes from Little Woman, which I have always been curious about and am dying to try.

*Note: If you do purchase this book, beware that when converting the recipes from English to American measurements there were some errors made and you should print a copy of the corrections .

Oreo Cookie Fudge

This is an amazingly tasty recipe from my friend Carrie who makes it every Chritmas and gives to her (lucky) friends, she has moved to Ontario so this year I will have to make it myself.....and possibly share. Carrie made it in the microwave (you could to), but I choose to make it on the stove. I am just waiting to buy a really square pan as my 8x8 has really rounded edges that make weird bars.

Anyways, an easy recipe, great for sharing and even better for eating.

8 squares of semi-sweet  or unsweetened chocolate or the equivalent in chocolate chips


1 can of sweetened condensed milk (evaporated)
2 tbsp vanilla extract

10 Oreo cookies cut into chunks

parchment paper


Put condensed milk and chocolate in sauce pan and heat for until choclate is melted. Stir. Add vanilla. Stir. add cookie pieces. Stir


Pour into a parchment lined 8x8 or 9x9 square pan. Cool in fridge. Cut into squares.

Apple Crisp

I can never find a good Crisp recipe when I want one, so I now have my own formula for a really good Streusel topping; I like it with big crunchy pieces. This is quick and only uses one bowl, so there is not a lot of clean up. It is also a tasty breakfast the next day.
Filling

3-4 apples (I use Gala-if using other kind of apple they may require more flour as Galas do not have a lot of juice)
¼ C Flour
1T White Sugar
2 t cinnamon

Topping

1/3 C Flour
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
¼ C Butter
½ c Cup Oats

To do
Peel, core and slice apple and mix in a bowl with remaining filling ingredients.

Arrange apples in greased pie dish or other smallish casserole dish (8x8), pour any remaining flour over top of apples.
In same bowl cut butter into flour and sugar until crumbly and mix in oats. Pour over apples and pat down.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serves 2-3

Gingerbread Cupcakes With Lemon Butter Cream

I made these gingerbread cupcakes courtesy of Martha Stewart and then used a Lemon Butter Cream Recipe of my own devices.

Lemon Butter Cream

6T (6 oz) Butter
3 Cups Icing Sugar
Lemon Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from one Lemon


Whip butter until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes) with electric mixer, add sugar 1 cup at a time. Icing will be quite stiff, add zest and juice and beat another 3 minutes. Pipe onto cupcakes.

My mother in law has the Squeeze-It Kit from Tupperware, and it ices cupcakes really well and doesn't (in my opinion) waste a lot of icing. I thin the next time I go to a Tupperware party I will order one.

Amazing Lemon Pudding Cake

I made this Lemon Pudding Cake last week from one of my favorite recipe blogs (Mennonite Girls Can Cook)and it was really yummy. I would say it is a good company desert because it looks pretty and it was not too tricky. It was not a really cakey pudding cake, it was like a cross between angel food and meringue; I am definitely keeping it in my repertoire.

Best Oatmeal Cookies

My mother in law, Mary, made these and I liked them for Lochlan because they are a nice round shape and are not super crumbley (come on, it is oatmeal so donèt quote me on that). I make them with raisins for Lochlan and choclate chip for his dad.

Butter ½ C

Brown Sugar 3/8 C
White Sugar 3/8 C
Egg 1
Soda ½ t
Flour 1 & 1/8 C
Oatmeal 1 C
Raisins or chocolate chips or ? 1 C
Cream butter well. Add sugars gradually. Add egg, cream well, add soda, flour and oatmeal, mix well.
Stir in raisins etc. Roll in to 1 T balls and flatten onto greased or non stick pan. Bake for 8-9 minutes at 375.
Cool on rack.

Chocolate Sauce

I found this recipe for Chocolate Sauce and it is pretty good considering it has no butter or cream. We used it on icecream last night and today I used it with hot milk to make HoCho and it worked really well, just thought I would share.

Variations on Lemon Loaf

So I was making Mrs Stratfords Lemon loaf a few days ago and wanted to mix things up a little and couldn't decide between adding blueberries or chocolate chips. In the end I went with blueberries, with amazing results. I also mixed things up a little by baking it in a round bundt pan instead on a loaf pan again, it was a nice change.
Today I needed to bake something and thought I would go for chocolate chips but it turned out we had no lemons, so I used a Honey Tangerine...SO GOOD! Again I went with the round pan which l;ooks pretty and makes nice little pieces. My coworker Sabine somteimes made a Nutella cake that was something similar so I think next time I will leave out the citrus and try swirling the Nutella in the batter.

Marjory Mackay's Rhubarb Cake

Andrew says this is the best use for Rhubarb he has ever tasted. It is really good and I would actually be tempted to double the rhubarb quantity. This makes a huge 9x13 pan. I served it with Whipping cream whipped with brown sugar (my new favorite way to have whipping cream -2 T of brown sugar per 1 C unwhipped cream).

Rhubarb Cake
1/2 Cup butter
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Cups flour
1 t soda
1/2 t salt or not
1 Cup buttermilk (I used leftover creamo and milk with some lemon juice)
2 Cups chopped rhubarb tossed with 1 T flour

Topping
1/4 Cup soft butter
1 Cup brown sugar
1 T flour
2 t cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture to butter/sugar alternately with buttermilk. Add rhubarb. Mix well, Spread into 9x13 pan. Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake at 350 for 45 min

Tiger Butter Memories

This is a recipe that has been around however I didn't peg it down until visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Vernon. Brent and I had a beautiful evening with his brother Steve and Steve's wife Deb. We ate Christmas goodies chatted, laughed, and soaked in their outdoor hot-tub under the stars with snowflakes frosting our hair and our eyelashes. Before we went home that night Deb wrote out two Christmas goody recipes for me, this being one of them.

This summer Debbie passed away of cancer, as I made this recipe this week I've been thinking of her. Food is a wonderful memory-instigator and I think using and sharing recipes is a beautiful way of remembering those we love (near and far). When you use this recipe I invite you to think of those who have shared something sweet with you...

"1 lb (2 C.) white chocolate
3/4 C. peanut butter
2 oz dark chocolate

Mix white choc. w/ p.b. melt in double broiler or microwave. Cover cookie sheet w/ wax paper. Pour melted mixture onto cookie sheet. Melt dark choc. Pour & swirl thru."

Note: I usually add my own revisions to a recipe but this is the exact wording from the index card Debbie copied for me.

Fudgie Brownies

Ingredients:

3/4 C Butter
1/2 C Cocoa
3 Eggs
1 1/2 C Sugar
1 t vailla
3/4 C Flour

Frosting

3 T Butter
3 T Milk
3 T Cocoa
1 t Vanilla
3 C Powdered Sugar

Method:
Melt butter and add cocoa powder, cool to just warm and beat in eggs and sugar until thick. Add remaining ingredients and pour into greased (9x13) pan, spread evenly.
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, do not overbake.

Frosting:
heat butter, milk and cocoa until combined, remove from stove and add vanilla and sugar, beat with a wisk and pour over brownies while still warm (you can add sprinkles or toffee chips if you like).

KEY:- cut when completeley cooled.

Note: I think if you put these in tartlet tins, they would end up like two bite brownies.

Sugar Cookies

These are Andrew's favorite

Ingredients:
3 1/4 C Flour
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 1/2 t Baking Powder
1 1/3 C Butter
2 Eggs
2 T Milk
1 t Vanilla

Method:
Combine flour, sugar, b.p. in a large bowl and cut in butter until fine and crumbly with a pastry cutter or mixer.
in a smaller bowl combine wet ingredients and mix well, add to dry until thoughroughly mixed.

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill dough for 2-3 hours.

Roll out 1/8"-1/4", but only 1/3 of the dough at a time, keep rest in fridge. Cut into shapes. Bake on a lightly greased sheet at 400 for 7-8 minutes.

Variation: Butterscotch Pecan,
Substitute 2 C brown sugar for 1 1/2 C white Sugar. Add 1 C finel chopped pecans.

Note: Doubles well.
To get even coloured cookies, I bake a whole sheet of one shape at a time (all hearts, or all stars)

Betty Stratford's Lemon Loaf

When I got married my Mum's friends through me a shower where they all gave me one of their favorite recipes, this one was much coveted when they found out Mrs. Stratford gave it to me, I guess it was a secret....but I am not one for not sharing good recipes, so enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter
1 C White Sugar
Grated lemon rind
1 1/2 C sifted flour
1t baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 C milk

Glaze

Juice from one lemon
1/2 C White Sugar

Method:

Set oven at 350, grease and flour a loaf pan (9x5x3)

Cream butter with sugar, beat in eggs one at a time and then add milk.

Sift and fold into the mixture flour and baking powder, add lemon rind.

Pour evenly into loaf pad and bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Place loaf onto cooling rack (over a plate) and spoon glaze evenly over the top. Mrs. Stratford said she poked holes in the top with a fork first to let the glaze in, but I have never been able to do this without breaking the crust.

Slice when completely cool.

Sponge Cake.

Grease and flour 10” Spring Form pan.

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/4t Cream of tarter
1 C White Sugar
1 C Flour
¾ t Baking powder
1/4t salt
¼ C water
1t Vanilla
1t Lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees
Separate eggs into two large bowls.
Whip Egg whites until stiff and add cream of tarter and ½C sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Whip Egg yolks until light colored and fluffy, and add ½ C sugar
Mix flour, salt and baking powder in new bowl.
Add water, vanilla and lemon juice to egg yolk mixture.
Add flour mixture to egg yolk mixture, ¼ C at a time.
Fold in egg whites.

Pour into pan and bake 25 minutes,
Toothpick should come out clean when cake is done.

Let cake cool just until settled, then invert onto a cooling rack.

Filling
2 C Heavy cream, whipped.
1 C Fruit (berries, peaches or mango)
1T Lemon juice
¼ C White sugar

Puree fruit with sugar and lemon juice until smooth
Whip cream and fold in ¾ of puree.

Assemble
Slice cooled cake in half crossways.
Smooth over half fruit flavored cram onto cake bottom and place top half of cake on top, smooth over remaining cream and drizzle with remaining puree.

Strawberry Toffee Shortcake

Ingredients
21/4C Flour
1C Light Brown Sugar
2t Baking Soda
1/2t Salt
1 1/4C Butter
1 Lg Egg
2 Cups Whipping Cream (Whip 1 C of it)
1 lb Fresh Strawberries

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease cookie pan. Mix flour with 1/4 cup brown sugar, the baking powder and salt. Using an pastry cutter, cut ¾ C butter into flour until crumbly

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1/2 cup unwhipped heavy cream. Add the liquid to the dry and mix until just combined. Pat the dough out until about 1 inch thick on the prepared baking sheet and cut into 6 equal pieces. Place the pieces 1 inch apart and bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on a rack.

In a small saucepan, combine the remaining ½ C butter with the remaining 1/2 C unwhipped heavy cream and the remaining 3/4C brown sugar and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer the toffee sauce until thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool until just warm.

Meanwhile slice strawberries and whip cream.

To serve, splice each shortcake in half and layer the bottom halves with the, Strawberries, toffee sauce and whipped cream. Cover with the shortcake tops and drizzle more toffee sauce .

Note: Make sure the toffeesauce and the short cake arn't too hot or the whip cream melts it all falls apart.