Buttermilk Bread

Making bread can acquire all the right elements. This recipe is pretty straightforward and doesn't require a lot of attention. Dense with a melt in your mouth lightness. This loaf is scrumptious served at any meal and is particularly lovely at breakfast with a cup of tea and a slathering of jam.

Buttermilk Bread

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Makes 1 loaf

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

a pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Butter and flour a loaf pan. You may also line with a piece of baking parchment paper. 

In a large bowl blend the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar together with a whisk.

Add the butter and mix throughly with your hands for approximately 3 to 4 minutes until the flour mixture and butter together become a crumbly mixture. Add the buttermilk and form a soft dough. Place into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes.  

Notes: If you do not have buttermilk or sour milk, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to a cup of whole milk.  

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Temperatures are dropping... stay warm! 

- JD 

The Breakfast Cereal Gourmet

Since I featured the cornflake squares the other day I thought it was very fitting to feature this cookbook. Seemingly, a bowl of cereal is mostly consumed in the mornings before one is dashing off to start their day. Perhaps a weekend bowl while reading the news or watching TV, or a cereal snacker throughout the day. Cereal can enjoy it's place on the comfort food list.  

Much has changed in the world of breakfast cereals since it's introduction many years ago; including it's ingredients, consuming, and marketing. The notorious Cereal Café in London is not only a sign of the times; it proves breakfast cereal has a mainstream consumption and following and it is not just for breakfast anymore. Throughout the years cereal has been baked, twice baked, shredded, squared, granolaed, sugared, marshmallowed, healthier, sweetened, nutted, dried fruit and coconut added, seeded, fibre added, and vitamin and protein laden. One might say that throughout the years, cereal has been put through the mill! 

This cookbook is not disproving what cereal has become but rather to look outside the box; so that it may be enjoyed in everyday cooking and or baking. Cereals crunchiness makes it an ideal as a crust, topping, layer, stuffing or coating. Crushed or ground, cereal can work great as a substitution for flour, breadcrumbs, nuts, or cornmeal. Cereal just may give food great texture and change foods taste in interesting ways. Offering 31 recipes, from restaurants, chefs, and authors across America at the time of printing, a few caught my eye. Asian Grilled Chicken Salad, Curried, Pilaf, Hazelnut Chicken with Mustard Sauce, Caramelized Onion Tart, Black Bean Burger, and Peanut Butter Krispy Cocoa Chews.

The cookbooks heavy thick cardboard covers remind me of a box of cereal. Pages are adorned with retro pictures of cereal boxes and adverts. There are interesting facts and bite sized cereal history details to marvel at... and yes the first use of cereal on the culinary map was the rice krispie treat! 

Here is a lovely recipe to try...  

Pan-fried Ricotta Cakes with Shaved Proscuitto and Herb-Almond Oil

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Serves 6 

Ricotta Cakes:

2 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta

1/2 cup finely ground Parmesan cheese

2 1/2 cups finely ground Rice Krispie cereal

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 egg yolks

Salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces finely sliced proscuitto

1. In a large bowl, place the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the Rice Krispie cereal, and garlic and mix well. Add the egg yolks and season to taste. 

Form into 6 equal patties and dredge in the remaining Rice Krispie cereal. Chill until ready to use.

2. Julienne the proscuitto and refrigerate until ready to use. Reserve the olive oil until time to finish the dish. 

Herb-Almond Oil:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup toasted ground almonds

Sea salt 

In a blender or food processor, place the olive oil and herbs, and blend well. Add the almonds and salt, and set aside.

TO FINISH:

Heat a very large sauté pan with the reserved 2 tablespoons olive oil until very hot. Add the cakes and cook on each side until golden brown about 5 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pan and place each on a plate. Top with julienned prosecution and drizzle around the sides with the herbed-almond oil. Serve warm. 

Please note: When sharing a recipe from a cookbook I type it word for word, how it is written in the cookbook. There is a typo with the word Prosciutto, unfortunately it has been misspelt... the u has been put before the i, rather than after it. An unfortunate mis-print.  

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Cornflake Squares

Keeping it simple... and quite frankly what to do with a large box of cornflakes that everyone has grown tired of. I think I prefer these over rice krispie treats. They have almonds, coconut, dried fruit, and cereal all mashed about in marshmallowy gooeyness with a touch of chocolate on top.    

Cornflake Squares

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1/2 cup of butter

1 package (400g) of mini marshmallows

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

4 cups cornflake cereal

good quality chocolate, melted for drizzling over the top

9x13 inch pan buttered and lined with baking parchment paper.

Place the butter into a large saucepan and gently melt over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, add the marshmallows; allowing to melt and combine with the butter. Add the sliced almonds, flaked coconut and chopped cranberries, stirring to combine then add the cornflakes, stirring once again until nicely coated. Press into the prepared 9x13 inch pan and allow to set for about 1/2 an hour. 

When set, melt the dark chocolate and drizzle over the top. Allowing the chocolate to cool and set then cut into squares. 

Notes: You can toast the sliced almonds and coconut if you like. 

Hope everyone is having a great week. A bit on the chilly side here. - JD 

Stewed Apple Pudding

Here is a quick winter warmer that has all the comfort and familiarity needed in one dessert. Delicious sweet apples nestled in pudding.  

Stewed Apple Pudding

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Serves 8

6-8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

4 oz. caster sugar

2 oz butter

2 tablespoons water

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of milk

grated rind of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cook the apple slices in water until just soft.

Place in a buttered oven proof pie dish and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.

Cream the butter and sugar together and add the beaten egg.

Then combine the flour and milk with the baking soda and lemon rind. Mix well and spread over the slices of apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve. 

Notes: I stewed the apple in Earl Grey tea which gave them a bit more flavour. It is as simple as adding 2 tea bags to the water that stews the apples.


Have a great weekend everyone! - JD  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Cranberry Shortbread Biscuits

It has been one of those weeks so far where nothing else will do but to hit the kitchen and  get started on the Christmas baking! This year, I start with shortbread biscuits. It is my tradition to always bake a few batches... or many batches. These shortbread have chopped dried cranberries and a sprinkle of golden vanilla cane sugar on top. It is organic and has 100% ground vanilla beans. As they baked the aroma emitting from the oven smelt of cherry vanilla.  

Hope everyone had a great weekend and that your week has been a good one, so far.
- JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Cake Pops!

This weekend our baking task was cake pops. What fun did we have turning the kitchen into an ensemble line of chocolate cake, melted chocolate and an array of sweet decorating toppings. The kidlets were in this from the start and right to the finish. They enjoyed themselves quite a lot. The cake pops in this photo were dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled either with crushed M&M's, flaked coconut, crushed chilies or edible flowers! 

I didn't have a recipe for cake pops so I did a bit of research and decided to just wing it a bit. I made a chocolate cake which was crumbled into bits in a large bowl; then I added softened light cream cheese and my son mixed it in with his hands until there was one large sticky dough like ball. From there we broke off pieces and rolled them to create small walnut sized balls and placed them in the refrigerator, for about 30 minutes, to firm up. Once firm, I melted some chocolate and then we rolled the tip of a lolli stick in the melted chocolate and place the cake pop dough ball onto it, repeating until all were done. Sticking them onto a block of styrofoam as you complete each one. They went back in the refrigerator to let the chocolate set, for about 30 minutes. When set, both milk and dark chocolate were melted and coated each cake pop with the melted chocolate and then each were sprinkled with whatever sweet toppings we had on hand. Placing them back on the the styrofoam block as you go and yes! back into the refrigerator to let the chocolate set for a final time. Over all the flavour was a lovely rich chocolate and the texture was that of a chocolate brownie. 

The kidlets decided to dipped these in milk chocolate and they either sprinkled them with crushed candies, flaked coconut, chocolate sprinkles or multi-coloured sprinkles.  



It was a great afternoon of fun and chocolate! - JD 

Roasted Vegetable Penne

Looking for a quick mid-week... weekend meal this roasted vegetable penne has everything plus a few minutes to spare. Oven roasted vegetables are well paired with this cheesy, garlic pasta and will quickly gather family and friends around the dinner table.   


Roasted Vegetable Penne 

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Serves 6 

500g penne

4 peppers, any combination of red, yellow and orange

2 zucchini
1 pint of brown mushrooms, thickly sliced

2 shallots, diced
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon mixed herb seasoning mix

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of reserved pasta water (water from the cooked pasta)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese 

Preheat oven to 400ºF and line the baking tray with a piece of baking parchment paper.

Place the prepared peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and shallots into a large bowl. Toss with the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, balsamic vinegar, and mixed herb seasoning mix. Once nicely coated place on the prepared baking tray and roast in the oven until tender and brown... about 20 to 25 minutes.

In a large pot cook penne according to package. Before draining reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water.

Place the drained pasta back into the pot over no heat. Stir in the reserved water, the 1/4 cup of olive oil, and the crushed garlic while the pasta is hot. That way it will cook the garlic a bit. Stir in the roasted vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese. Serve.

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Broccoli Salad

The ingredients are few, which lends to bending the recipe rules with this one. Adding a few other ingredients to compliment this simple yet delicious salad may be considered. However the crisp broccoli, smoky bacon, and cheese do not go a miss and would certainly be lovely served over a jacket potato. Nonetheless this makes for a very satisfying side salad. 

Broccoli Salad 

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Serves 4 - 6

2 bunches broccoli, washed and chopped into smaller florets

1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

10-12 strips bacon, cut into pieces and fried

For the Dressing:

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3/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/3 cup white sugar

4 tablespoons white vinegar

In a large bowl combine the broccoli florets, cheese, shallot and cooked bacon.

In another bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Pour over the broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Chill for a few hours then serve. 

Notes: Try using different cheese, and or a different vinegar. Add dried cranberries or chunks of grilled chicken, a handful of spinach. Diced red pepper. Add a teaspoon of curry powder to the dressing or a squirt of Sriracha for some heat.

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

Food Photo of the Day ~ Sunday Roast

After such a lovely weekend, it was quite rewarding to cook up a classic Sunday roast for the masses. Roast beef, Yorkshire puds, oven roasted potatoes and carrots, lashing of gravy and a spot of sun dried tomato and smoked chilli chutney on the side. A nice comforting way to ward off the rainy day and cozy up into the evening. 

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! - JD  

Easy Oven Beef and Vegetable Stew

There is something refreshing about placing a mountain of ingredients into one pan, placing it into a roaring oven and letting it stew for a few hours. The results are a delicious and hearty meal. 

Easy Oven Beef and Vegetable Stew

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Serves 6

1 1/2 Ibs. stewing beef

1 1/4 cups low sodium beef stock

1/4 cup flour

1 can (796ml) low sodium crushed tomatoes

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 large potatoes, diced

3 large carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 cups turnip, peeled and diced

3 cups water

fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 

fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

pinch of salt

1 bay leaf

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Combine all the ingredients into a large roasting pan.

Bake for 3 hours. 

Serve with Irish soda bread, dumplings or dinner rolls.

Notes: With 1 hour remaining of the cooking time I added 1/2 cup of frozen peas. You may also try this recipe using chicken or turkey.