Last of the 2014 Party Mix

Doing some last minute preparations for tonight and thought I would make this simple seasoned snack. After midnight try saying that 10 times fast. 

Snack Mix

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

3 cups Shreddies cereal

1 cup Cheerios cereal 

2 cups popped popcorn

1 cup small pretzels

1/2 cup peanuts - optional

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Place the Shreddies, Cheerio's, popcorn, and pretzels in a large bowl.

In a small/medium sauce pan melt the butter on low-medium heat. Once melted add the Worchestershire sauce and seasoning salt. Stir until well blended. 

Drizzle evenly over the cereal mixture and toss to coat. Turn on to the prepared baking tray and bake until cereal is crisp. 

Serve in individual bowls or a large bowl for sharing.

Notes: This recipe can easily be doubled. Try different seasonings. Add parmesan cheese.  

I guess this is the last post of the year... Thanks to all my followers around the world and hope you all have a Happy New Year! - JW      

Holiday Nachos and Boxing Day Pizza

Having a bit of fun this Christmas I made these holiday nachos to keep the hungry masses at bay. I used whatever veggies I had on hand and did a mix of red and yellow corn chips. Placed shredded lettuce on top for a bit of crunch and colour. 

Not everyone, including myself, managed well with the Cornish Hens therefore there were leftovers. So I served up a pizza with brown mushrooms, black olives, red onion, green peppers, feta and mozzarella cheese, and some of the leftover Cornish hen meat. Unique, festive, and slightly gamey however very tasty.   

The temperature has dropped dramatically so a perfect day to potter around the house. - JW  

Christmas 2014

Christmas Eve: We started with our usual English fry up. I had the more paired down version so to speak. The turkey sausages were exceptionally good.  

Christmas Day: Fresh fruit and a slice of stollen started the morning off, then we decided to have the main Christmas meal just after mid day. Our Christmas feast consisted of Cornish hens with a sweet orange glaze, homemade stuffing with zest of orange and crushed junipers, seasoned roasted potatoes and parsnips, steamed carrots, mushy peas, and a dinner roll. 

After such a feast one wondered if there was any room for a slice of King George cake. 

Later on in the evening there was a snack of cheese, crackers and sliced meats for anyone feeling peckish.

Date Nut Loaf

While replenishing some baking items at the local bulk shop I purchased some dried dates. Not really sure what I was going to do with them, probably my idea was to add them to some festive shortbread, I wandered home with them anyway. The holiday rush kicked in in the days that followed which sidelined my idea. After having those few days that preoccupied my baking thoughts yesterday those dried dates danced around in my head. Until I resided on a date nut loaf. Even though the recipe called for fresh dates I used the dried dates I bought and the loaf turned out great. The recipe is simple as you do not need multiple bowls. One pot for mixing everything together keeps the washing up to a minimum. 

Date Nut Loaf 

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

1 cup dates, pitted and chopped

1 cup of water

1/2 cup butter

1/2 dark brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 teaspoons dark rum

1 teaspoon Camp coffee - optional

1 cup chopped walnuts, reserving a few for the top

Pre heat oven to 350ºF (175ºC) Grease and flour and 9x5 loaf pan.  

In sauce pan over medium heat. Bring dates and water to a boil. Stir in the butter and sugar until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Once the date mixture has cooled for the 10 minutes blend in the flour, egg, vanilla, rum and Camp coffee. Stir in the walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Add the remaining walnuts on top. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes: You may combine a multitude of fruits like cranberries, apricots, pineapples, raisins, figs, and blueberries. Try adding orange zest. Making a drizzle icing to go on top is the simplest of touches that adds a bit of sweetness. 

The Cherry Bakewell Tart

For me nothing says Christmas like the bakewell tart. The sweet smell of almonds. The impeccable white cap of icing and the ornate glacé cherry on top. I do not know exactly where or when my love affair with the bakewell tart began... probably from Christmas' past. After years of buying store bought Bakewell's out of shear convenience and thinking anything I made will ever compare. I recoiled from making them. That was until now.  

The bakewell tarts I made, pictured above, are less manufactured and more a reflection of sweet admiration. Easy and simply divine these Bakewell tarts will have one never look at store bought again. Sorry Mr. Kipling...  

 Cherry Bakewell Tart   

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

makes about 20 tarts

Filling:

Scant 1/4 cup raspberry jam or strawberry jam

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, softened

1/2 cup superfine caster sugar

2 eggs
1/2 cup ground almonds

1/3 cup self-rising flour, sifted 

1 teaspoon almond essence

Icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract, pure or imitation is fine

1 tablespoon hot water, approximately

glacé cherries sliced in half 

Pastry Crust:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cold water 

Mix flour and salt together in a larger bowl. Add the oil and mix with a fork until it looks crumbly, like meal. Sprinkle in the water and mix with a fork. If the pastry is a bit dry  then add more cold water. I find that I need to add about 2-3 more tablespoons of cold water. Gather the dough and press into a ball. Roll out in-between sheets of wax paper.

1. Make the pastry crust. 

2. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Grease a patty/muffin pan(s). I used a non-stick muffin pan therefore I did not need to grease it. Roll out the pastry and cut as many circles, as the patty/muffin tin will hold... 6, 12, 24, using a 3 in/7.5 cm cutter. Use to line the prepared pans and spread a little jam in the base of each. 

3. Beat together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding half the ground almonds after each one. Add the flour and almond essence and stir well. 

4. Spoon batter into the pastry cases and bake for 20 minutes until well risen, firm and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pans.

5. Combine the confectioner's sugar, almond extract and enough hot water to make a  thin icing. When the tarts have cooled, spoon the icing over the tops. Decorate each with a  whole glacé cherry or half a glacé cherry.   

Notes: You may use whatever recipe you like for the pastry or even buy ready made tart shells to save time. Again, I used a non-stick muffin pan so I did not need to grease the pan. 

Wild Turkey

This cookbook seems very fitting seeing how turkey may be the choice meal around Christmas time. In Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge after coming to his senses new the importance of a large bird amongst other things. Some might see the turkey as the cumbersome edible table centre piece of Christmas past. While organic, meatless, and gluten - free become Christmas present and future. How ever you set the holiday table and which ever holiday feast you provide, one does not have to be visited by three ghosts to make one giddy as a school girl or boy to know that turkey is the essential Christmas dinner staple. 

This is the only cookbook I have completely dedicated to turkey. Which is fine. It offers 10 chapters and the one chapter that will be most useful come December 26th will be Chapter 9 - Leftovers and Surprises. Of course there are the usual recipes that have been turkeyfied... Turkey Sloppy Joes, Turkey a la King, Turkey Chili, Turkey Goulash, Turkey Gumbo, Teriyaki Turkey and even Turkey Tacos. 

All those recipes aside the recipe I wanted to share with you... well the two recipes I wanted to share with you are the Turkey Walnut Stew and the Cranberry Orange Relish. 

Turkey Walnut Stew

---------------------------------- 

1 breast of turkey

1 medium onion, minced

1/4 cup butter

3 cups chicken or turkey stock (or water with bouillon cubes)

2 cups English walnuts

juice of 3 lemons

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Nuts are an excellent thickener. However feel free to use other nuts. Hickory nuts would be great. 

Grind the walnuts in the meat grinder or mortar and pestle. Cut the turkey breast into bite-size chunks. Sprinkle these with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a skillet, and sauté the turkey pieces on both sides until lightly browned, then drain. Sauté the chopped onion for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the ground walnuts. Add the chicken or turkey stock, lemon juice, cinnamon, and a little salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring as you go. Reduce the heat, simmer, and stir for 10 minutes. Add the turkey pieces to the skillet of contents, cover, and simmer on very low heat for 40 minutes, stirring from time to time. Serve hot over fluffy rice. 

Cranberry Orange Sauce

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

16 ounces fresh or fresh-frozen cranberries

2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup blanched almonds, slivered

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

Using a fine mesh, grate 2 teaspoons of orange peel from the outside, avoiding the inner white pith, which is bitter. Mix all the ingredients except the almonds in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries pop open. Remove from heat and skim the scum off the surface with a spoon. Stir in the almonds, pour into a serving container, and refrigerate until time to eat.

I am going to add a third recipe to share from the Wild Turkey cookbook and it is a basting  sauce in case you are looking for something different this holiday season.

Lemon Butter Basting Sauce 

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

1/2 cup butter

juice of 4 lemons

1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke*

1 tablespoon white-wine Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tablespoon salt

* Liquid Smoke is sold in a bottle at most grocery shops in the spice/baking aisle.

Melt butter in a sauce pan, and stir in the other ingredients.

Mix well but do not boil. Use to baste broiled or grilled turkey breast meat. 

Hope everyone is doing well. My finger is much better and I managed to get more Christmas baking done. Today, I will be jetting around E-town spreading holiday cheer as I share my holiday baking. - JW 

Shepherds Pie

This is a classic comfort dish that can be varied in many ways. Simple ingredients coming together to create a very fulfilling dinner. 

Shepherds Pie

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

12 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 packages of ground (minced) chicken

1 -2 tablespoons of vegetable oil 

1 onion, peeled and diced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

about a handful of frozen yellow and green beans

1 x 796ml can diced tomatoes

1 x 156ml (5.5 fl oz) tomato paste

2 - 3 tablespoons HP sauce (brown sauce) 

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon Tandoori powder

salt and pepper to taste

PREP: 

Peel and chop potatoes. Set aside.

Peel and dice onions. Set aside

Peel and slice carrots. Set aside.

Using a can opener open the tin of diced tomatoes and tomato paste set aside. 

Gather the spices - cumin, Tandoori powder and salt and pepper. Set aside. 

Fill a large stock pot with the potatoes. Fill the pot with water, just enough to cover the potatoes. Add a little salt. Place the pot on a large element on top of the stove and turn that element on high. Let boil until tender. A fork should pierce through them with ease.

Meanwhile...

Sautee the onions in a fry pan with a bit of vegetable oil. Before the onions become completely transparent add the ground (minced) chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.

stirring occasionally and cooking until the meat is done all the way through. When the chicken is cooked add the cumin and stir. Add the carrots. Stir to combine. Let the carrots cook for a few minutes then stir in the green and yellow beans. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and HP sauce. Stirring to combine after each addition. Add the Tandoori powder and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has thicken a bit. 

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. 

By this time the potatoes should be done. If not let them boil some more until ready. If ready then remove them from the heat and drain. Return the drained potatoes back the the pot and mash. The mashed potatoes do not have to be perfectly smooth a few lumps are fine. Once mashed stir in a good amount of butter and stir until combined. 

Remove the meat mixture from the heat and transfer it into a large casserole dish. Let cool slightly. This will give you a few minutes to tidy up. 

Then spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture. Making sure with each spoonful to smooth it out over the meat mixture until the entire meat mixture has been covered with the mashed potatoes. When done run a fork over the top, making any pattern you wish. 

Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbling and the top has slightly browned and crusty. If the potatoes are not browned to your liking after 30 minutes place under the broil for a few minutes. Being careful not to scorch. 

When done remove from oven. Let sit for a few minutes then serve. 

Notes: You can adjust the amounts of cumin and Tandoori powder or omit them all together and choose different spices and seasonings. Add different vegetables. Try mashed sweet potatoes rather than mashed potatoes. Use curry paste for a completely different flavour and take. Add shredded cheese on top. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. We did, although I was unfortunate to have sprained my finger which has effected any holiday baking I was going to do this week. I hope that I will be back to it by Thursday or Friday. - JW  

Lavender Shortbread

I do tend to make quite a bit of shortbread over the holidays. It seems to be the one that disappears quickly. And not surprising considering I make many flavours that will tempt any culinary palette. These lavender shortbread are simple, aromatic with a slight hint of sweetness. Which makes them a favourite not just during the holiday season but anytime through out the year. 

Lavender Shortbread
--------------------------------------
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
1 cup (1/2 lb) butter, softened
French lavender buds, add as much or as little according to your taste. 
caster sugar for dusting on top   

Turn the oven on to 350ºF. 

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Simply cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl.

In another bowl place the flour and lavender. Once combined together add it to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Roll the dough into balls about the size of a walnut and place them on the prepared baking  tray. Pressing gently, flatten with the bottom of a floured glass or a fork. Dipping the glass or fork into flour each time until all are done. Giving a light dusting of caster sugar over the top of each.  

Bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until pale golden. Once done and while they are still warm from the oven place them on a rack, dust with more caster sugar and allow to cool.

NOTES: I really didn't give a measurement for the lavender because everyone's taste are different. I would say let your eyes do the measuring... if it is your first time using lavender in baking you might want to ease your way into. Use a lighter hand and have a shortbread with subtle flavour and next go a bit more bold. 

This is the lavender I used. On the back of the bottle it states that it is "a sweet floral aroma with a hint of mint and citrus." Looking at the jar now I probably used about 1 tablespoon or 1 tablespoon and a half when making the shortbread. Lavender is distinctive and a little does go a long way. However I enjoy giving the shortbread I make a flavourful punch. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JW     

Gluten - Free Cupcakes

I only have a few gluten free cookbooks due to the fact that myself nor anyone in my household does not have that specific food allergy. However, I collect cookbooks and if a gluten free or vegan recipe tastes good then I would not shy away from making it. Cupcakes still reign supreme and are a favourite amongst the masses. There are 3... if not 4 cupcake shops all within a block or two of each other where I live.  


The author loves cupcakes. Finding out she had a food allergy changed her love affair of the cupcake. That was 1998 and much has changed in the culinary world in regards to specific needs and food allergies. There are plenty cookbooks targeting certain ways of cooking and baking. Most of the recipes are made with almond and coconut flour. Which are easy to find.

When we think of cupcakes  we often think of the ones with mile high cream icing and exotic flavours. In this cookbook there are sweet and savoury cupcakes however the author admits to calling the savoury ones, muffins. There are sweetness ratings ranging from low to medium to high. There are plenty of gluten - free and vegan choices throughout the 104 pages. 

I am steering clear of the Pumpkin cupcakes and thought I would share a more savoury recipe. Also the holidays are coming and there will be no shortage of sweets. Therefore the Orange Rosemary Cupcakes would be a nice addition to brunch or dinner and with an afternoon cup of tea. 

Orange Rosemary Cupcakes
---------------------------------------------------
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons firmly packed orange zest
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

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

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, grapes oil, agave nectar, and orange zest. Blend the wet ingredients into the coconut flour mixture with a handheld mixer until throughly combined, then stir in the rosemary. 

Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into each prepared muffin cup.

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then serve. 


Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Weather wise ...it is -6, which is warm... well sort of. It is warmer than this past weekend, -28, and that is a positive. - JW