Spooky Afternoon Fun Revisited

The kidlets had another go at decorating more Halloween cookies. This time I think they got a bit more creative. The recipe made quite a few cookies, about 4 dozen, so it was great to have them tucked away in an air tight container in the refrigerator until the kidlets were looking for something to do. And what better way to kick off Halloween with decorating spooky cookies the day before.

                                        Bats, cats and pumpkins... Oh my! 

                                                  Black gingham bats

                                         Dots and stripes suit this pumpkin


Happy Halloween everyone! - JW 

Poppy Seed Flat Bread

And how did the Poppy Seed Flat Bread turn out? As you can see from the photo, great! It  may not be spooky or vampirish however it disappeared quite quickly. 

Poppy Seed Flat Bread (from The Dracula Cookbook) 
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2 cups warm water
2 packages granulated yeast
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons oil
Yellow cornmeal, to sprinkle
1 egg, well beaten
2-3 tablespoons poppy seed

In a large bowl, combine warm water and granulated yeast, honey and molasses. Add 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour and salt. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes, or until batter is very smooth. Add 3 cups flour and knead for about 1 minute. Pour oil over the dough and continue kneading until the oil is absorbed, about 2-3 minutes. Place bowl in a warm place, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 50 minutes. Punch down the dough, turn out onto a floured board and knead for a short while.
Butter well an 11" x 17" jelly-roll pan and sprinkle generously with yellow cornmeal. Shake out the excess meal. Roll out the dough about 2" thick on a floured board, shaping it to fit the length of the pan. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.
Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle generously with the poppy seed. Score with a sharp knife into 3" squares about 1/4" deep. Place into a cold oven. Set temperature on 375ºF and bake for about 50-55 minutes, until bread is browned and crusty. 


Notes: 
I did not have a jelly roll pan therefore I used a baking pan lined with parchment paper. I lightly oiled the parchment paper and sprinkled it with cornmeal, shaking of any excess.

I pre-heated the oven, by accident, so when the flat bread was ready to be baked the oven was already warm. Therefore reducing the baking time to 30 minutes. 

My pantry was not as well stocked as I thought... no honey. I used golden syrup instead.

For a person, like myself, who's bread making experiences may fall a little flat this recipe was straight forward. One I would definitely make again. And by make again I mean changing it up by adding herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese and for something more sweet fresh fruit or dried fruit sprinkled with an icing drizzle. I would even go as far as to make a flat bread pizza. 

   
  

The Dracula Cookbook

I can honestly say when I was given this cookbook and my eyes focused on the front cover I laughed! One might say I even howled... The 2 chapters, Feast of Dracula and Timeless Recipes to Ward Off Evil are arranged with lighthearted Dracula motif recipe titles, table decor and menus. The dishes have vampire imagery which make having recipes like Garlic soup and Meat Loaf Bucharest Style a bit tongue in cheek. If you were having a Vampire... or Halloween themed dinner party than this cookbook is perfect for that.  

That aside and dissecting this cookbook, if you will, there are some good recipes here.  I sense not all recipes need to be taken with a hint of Dracula however more with what culinary delights Transylvania has to offer. There are over 200 recipes from Transylvania covering the best of Hungarian, Rumanian and Slavic cooking. I will be making the Poppy Seed Flat Bread to go with tonight's dinner, pasta. Perhaps I should give it a more vampire name. Like Black Eyes of Bat Flat Bread. I guess not all recipes have Vampire-ish names. There are no recipe photographs only a few black and white illustrations for effect. Recipes only run one page. Notable recipes are Bubbling Warlock Brew, Black Forest Cake Nosferatu, Crêpes with Nut Filling and Witches Sauce, Shrimp Ghoulé, Fontina and Prosciutto Bites, Fettuccine Diabolique, and Sorcerer's Chestnut Dessert.  

Perhaps a cocktail to start the evening off...

Blood Orange Cocktail

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4 oz. orange juice

6 oz. Campari

orange slice 
maraschino cherry

Pour chilled orange juice and chilled Campari into a tall glass. Serve with 1/2 slice of orange and maraschino cherry on a toothpick.

Or maybe you need something to warm you up...

Bubbling Warlock Brew

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1 bottle (5th) of red port

2 cups dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper

2 cups brandy

2 bottles (5th) red burgundy

12 cinnamon sticks  

In a large pan, combine the port, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and pepper. Stir well and simmer over low heat for about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add the brandy and burgundy. Bring to a boil and remove from heat immediately. Serve in mugs, steaming hot, with cinnamon sticks.

I will let you know how the flat bread turns out. - JW 

Spooky Afternoon Fun

Yesterday we were having a bit of fun in the kitchen. Making spooky cookies for Halloween. I may have had a hand rolling out the dough and turning out the cookies however it was entirely the kidlets that decorated them as they wished. I gave them an arsenal of icing, sprinkles, and candy to which they feverishly decorated in the most inhibited way. 

Have a good weekend everyone! -JW      

Vegetarian

Eating more vegetables is easy with this straightforward vegetarian cookbook. Spares on the introduction and concentrates more on the 100 plus recipes it has to offer. This book is hefty, 320 pages, however compact. Offering one page recipes with a deliciously enticing recipe photograph on the other. Vegetables are reminiscent of every season. Whether they are cool, crisp, warm, or hearty... vegetables are plenty throughout the year. And incorporating more vegetarian recipes has become more appetizing.

There are plenty of wonderful recipes in this cookbook and since it is still October one recipe I would like to share this recipe, Ginger Pumpkin Triangles.

Ginger Pumpkin Triangles

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Makes 9

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups (240g) finely diced pie pumpkin

3 tablespoons pine nuts

4 teaspoons finely grated ginger

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 cup (10g) chopped cilantro (coriander)

6 sheets filo pastry

4 tablespoons (60g) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Step 1: Heat oil in a skillet (fry-pan) on medium heat. Sauté the pumpkin for 8 minutes, until tender. Add pine nuts, ginger, chili and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Mix in cilantro.

Step 2: Working with two sheets of fill at a time, place on a clean work surface. Brush top side of pastry with butter. Cut lengthwise into 3 even-sized strips. Place a heaped teaspoon of mixture on one end of each pastry strip. 

Step 3: Fold pastry and filling over to forn a triangle. Continue folding, keeping triangular shape, until end of strip. 

Step 4: Arrange triangles on tray. Brush with butter. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. 

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden and crisp. Serve warm.

Another recipe, from the cookbook, I would like to share is the Bell Pepper & Sunflower Seed Dip.

Bell Pepper & Sunflower Seed Dip

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Serves 6 

1 cup (130g) sunflower seeds

3 red bell peppers (capsicums), deseeded and halved

olive oil, for cooking

1 hot red chili, deseeded and coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC)

Spread sunflower seeds in an oven pan and toast in oven for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Place the bell pepper halves, skin side up, in an oven pan. Rub skins with a little olive oil and roast for 20 minutes, or until skin blisters. 

Removes peppers from oven and place in a bowl, setting oven pan aside.

Cover peppers with plastic wrap and leave to cool (this allows the peppers to sweat so that their skins peel off easily). Remove and discard skins.

Place bell peppers and any pan juices, along with chili and garlic, in the bowl of a food processor. Blend. Add sunflower seeds and olive oil, and process again until smooth. Season to taste.

Spoon dip into a serving bowl. 

Enjoy! - JW  

   

Leftovers #14 ~ Turkey Poutine

With all the hot turkey opens, turkey sandwiches, and turkey curry soup I made turkey poutine. Fairly simple and a great way to use up the last staggering bits of turkey.

I took ready made chips, french fries, and cooked them according to the package. I baked them for a few extra minutes so that the chips became crispy. When cooked I removed the chips from the baking sheet by placing them on a plate. I then covered the baking sheet with parchment paper, being careful because it is hot. The chips were placed back onto the baking sheet and were dressed with the leftover turkey, then gravy, and finally cheese. The chips were placed back into the oven until the cheese was nicely melted. Remove the turkey poutine from the oven and serve immediately.  

You can always make your own chips however if you want to save time use ready made, low sodium, low fat chips like I did. Do not have cheese curds then use whatever cheese you may have on hand. This is one dish where you can be as creative as you like. Adding different toppings and dressing the chips how you like.   
  

Hope everyone had a good weekend, we did! - JW  

Sticky Lemon Cake

The cold weather keeps coming and regardless the sun keeps shining. What a better way to prolong those long winter months than with a slice of this easy sticky lemon cake. Simple and full of lemon flavour this is sure to please, especially with afternoon tea. 

Sticky Lemon Cake

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1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup vanilla Greek yoghurt

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

zest of 2 lemons

juice of 2 lemons

2 eggs

*Notes - You can use whatever yoghurt you like. You may even want to try using sour cream. Dairy free options are dairy-free yoghurt or soft or silken tofu (it will provide the same texture and moistness of yoghurt). You may also want to try using olive oil or coconut oil.  

First preheat the oven to 350º. And line a 8'x8' square baking pan with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. 

Then add the yoghurt, vegetable oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Then pour into the prepared baking pan.   

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

When ready remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Transfer onto a clean large surface or a cutting board, if you prefer. Letting it cool further. When the cake is still slightly warm cut into squares. To prevent the cake from sticking to the knife with every full cut, run both sides of the blade through warm/hot water. And repeat this process until all of the cake has been cut into squares. 

You can enjoy this cake as is however a nice lemon drizzle with sliced almonds on top just gives it that finishing touch.  

Lemon Drizzle

-------------------------------

1 well rounded cup of icing sugar (powdered sugar)

juice of 1 lemon 

zest of 1 lemon

Sliced almonds 

In a mixing bowl add the icing sugar and then zest. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Mix until you have a sticky thick, but runny, drizzle. Spoon over the surface of the cake and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Have a good weekend everyone! - JW   

Chicory Root

A new shop opened in E-town - The Silk Road Spice Merchant. And of course I had to pop in to see what they were all about. The minute you walk into the shop your nose... and senses are in spice heaven overload. They have just about every spice imaginable and the staff are friendly. I bought Chicory Root to add to coffee. The smell faintly reminded me of Camp coffee. Not surprised seeing how Camp coffee is mostly chicory. On the side of the bottle was a suggested recipe for an authentic New Orleans coffee. It states to use 2/3 coffee and 1/3 chicory. I made as recommended and the coffee tasted richer with a slight malted flavour. Not a true Camp coffee taste however pretty close. I was thinking you could add just a touch of cinnamon however it wouldn't be New Orleans coffee anymore. Of course you can play around with the amounts to have a preferred taste.  

The chicory resembles instant coffee crystals and when blended with ground coffee it virtually goes undetected. It has a slight roasted malted caramel aroma. I also bought a Chai Spice blend for the shortbread I will be making.  

- JW  

Pumpkin Pie

Along with the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and carrots came a homemade pumpkin pie this weekend. It was my first time whipping the pumpkin filling from scratch usually I would buy the pre-packed can of pumpkin pie filling however this time I bought a large can of pumpkin purée and did the rest. It was really easy and I can not see going back to those pre-packed cans again. The pastry I made was quite flaky which could be due to the fact that I used cake and pastry flour as opposed to unbleached all purpose flour. With a nice dollop of whip cream this pie was velvety smooth. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend! - JW   

Soup's On!

And how did the White Cheddar Mashed Potato soup, from the Get Cooking cookbook, fair? ...Great! The recipe was easy and what made it even more easy was the fact that I already had some leftover roasted potatoes from Sunday's dinner so I used them. I also added chopped bacon after I had sautéed the onions for the required time. Letting the bacon cook firm but not crispy. I dressed it with a dash of freshly cracked pepper, crushed red chilies and shards of grated white cheddar cheese. It was a very substantial soup that went well with the delicate Basa fish. 

If you would like the recipe for this soup just go to the recipes or cookbooks section located on the right hand side of my blog. 

Enjoy! - JW  

Get Cooking.

However simple this title is, the message is universal. This cookbook is great for home cooks, anyone who enjoys cooking and baking and wants to eat well, anyone in need of a bit of encouragement in the kitchen, and fabulous for experienced and not so experienced cooks... essential anyone and everyone! Get Cooking is written by Mollie Katzen, the author of the Moosewood Cookbooks, which I have. This cookbook will inspire and may make a cook out of anyone. With a little elbow grease and determination one can sharpen their kitchen... culinary skills while making simple delicious food. Delicious food made at home equals less time eating fast food. Of course it is okay to indulge... in moderation, however, I can not stress this enough - nothing beats food you prepare yourself. The accomplishment and satisfaction are worth every self glorification jubilation. 

The recipes are made simple and most if not all of the ingredients one would have on hand. Which makes this book's recipes accessibility very favourable. As always with most cookbooks I have it seems more often than not that the vegetarian recipes are the ones I take note of. One such recipe was the White Cheddar Mashed Potato Soup and another was the Black Bean Burgers. Most of the recipes use cumin. Which I am happy about. And the photographs in this book are more modest and matter of fact than glossy and overtly stylized.

Since the potato soup caught my eye. I will be making it tomorrow with just a few slight modifications. That being said I will share the recipe from the cookbook in hopes that it will inspire you.

White Cheddar Mashed Potato Soup

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2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 good-sized cloves)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups water

4 medium-large russet potatoes (about 3 pounds), cut into small chunks

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup (packed) grated white Cheddar cheese

red pepper flakes 

freshly ground black pepper

1. Place a soup pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and cumin, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens.

2. Sir in the garlic and the salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.

3. Add the water and the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat all the way down to lowest possible setting. Partially cover, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes become completely soft. (It's okay to err on the side of their becoming falling-apart tender.) Turn off the heat, stir in the milk, and let the soup sit, uncovered, to allow it to cool down a bit.

4. Use a blender or immersion blender to purée the soup until it lis smooth. (if it seems to thick, add a little extra water.) 

5. Reheat the soup very slowly and over medium-low heat, being careful not to let it boil. When it is hot, stir in the cheese and season to taste with the red pepper flakes (a pinch or two) and black pepper (6 to 10 grinds) Serve hot, passing around the pepper mill and extra red pepper flakes. 

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. - JW 

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Caramel Sauce

While others reach for a frothy pumpkin spice latté, I prefer to make and enjoy a slice of pumpkin spice cake. It is October and the Fall season is here. Releasing every colourful sun drenched leaf at a time. And for those that want a change from pumpkin pie this cake will certainly satisfy that rich amber craving that has become so familiar with this season.   

Pumpkin Spice Cake
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16 oz can of pumpkin (approx. a 540ml can)
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
4 eggs, beaten 
2 cups of cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 
1/2 teaspoon salt

Notes: If you do not have or can not find coconut sugar that use 2 cups of caster/white sugar. You can use 2 cups of all purpose flour if you do not have cake flour.

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF

2. Grease and flour a bundt cake tin.

3. Combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt) into a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl beat the pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and apple sauce until smooth.

5. Add the eggs and mix well.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and using a spatula stir until well blended. 

7. Pour the batter into prepared cake tin. And place in the oven. 

8. Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
I usually check the cake after 45 minutes. Then adjust the remainder of the baking time according to how well the cake is done at that point. I did end up baking the cake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  

Let cool on a wire rack. Once cake has cooled remove from tin. Dust with icing sugar or drizzle with a caramel sauce.
  
Caramel Sauce
----------------------------
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons half and half (I used 2% milk instead)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and spoon over cake.

You can serve immediately or let the caramel sauce cool. To which it takes on more of a maple sugar flavour reminiscent of those little maple leaf shaped sugar cubes.


Enjoy! - JW