Christmas 2016

Christmas Eve we had our traditional English fry-up. Eggs, baked beans, tomatoes and mushrooms, bacon, sausage, and toast. Hot English mustard was the condiment of choice. 

Christmas morning or should I say... late Christmas mid morning I made these scrumptious raspberry puff pastries with vanilla sugar on top. Easy to make and sweet; they kept us going along with the buck fizz until dinner was ready.  

Christmas Day dinner... we kept it very simple this year with a herbed beef and vegetable stew, dumplings and stuffing with bacon. Also a selection of Fortnum & Mason Christmas marzipan were enjoyed for dessert. 

And the fun didn't stop there, Boxing Day was celebrated with friends and all sorts of nibbles. 

Of course our guests left with a selection of my holiday baking.  

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas... Holiday! - JD  

Dancing Leprechaun

The Dancing Leprechaun. Refreshing and crisp with a twist of lemon and lime. This cocktail does not guarantee that you will be doing a jig however you will absolutely enjoy its sparkling celebratory flavour. 

Dancing Leprechaun

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1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey

3/4 oz. Drambuie

3/4 oz. lemon juice

Ginger ale to taste

twist of both lemon and lime

Shake together the liquid ingredients with ice. Strain into a glass filled with ice cubes. Add a twist of lemon and lime. 

OR...

Shake the Irish whiskey, Drambuie and lemon juice together, with ice. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice cubes. Top up with the ginger ale. Add a twist of lemon and lime. 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Rum Balls

My husband and I had fun making these last night. Ran out of chocolate sprinkles therefore the remaining rum balls were dressed with multi coloured dots. The baking continues...

This week sure is flying by. Stay warm. - JD 

One Smart Cookie

I know quite a few people who have a copy of this cookbook and enjoy it and I know quite a few people who have heard of this cookbook and want to own a copy. I guess it has reached a form of baking cult like status among the home cooks and foodies. The inspiration behind this book is a sweet one and who out there would not want to curb their sugar and fat intake without sacrificing taste. Then I can not recommend this book enough! 

I have enjoyed making recipe after recipe from this cookbook with delicious results. If it's a classic recipe I have made many times or trying a new one, I have never been met with disappointment. The first time I made meringue, the recipe came from this book and due to a good recipe... and my willingness they turned out great on the first go! This cookbook will satisfy those sweet and savoury cravings and help create satisfying treats around this time of year. 

The One Smart Cookie discusses some general nutritional strategies about ingredients and also offers Nutritional Facts on: calories, fat, calories from fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol, protein, and fibre per recipe. Almost each section offers 19 recipes and they cover drop cookies, shaped, cookies, rolled cookies, icebox cookies, biscotti, squares and bars, brownies, no bake, Christmas treats, icing, frosting and drizzles! The multigrain shortbread is a favourite of mine. That being said I thought I would share this recipe from the book...

Fruitcake Brownies

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Makes 16 brownies

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup rum, brandy or orange juice

1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup butter or non hydrogenated margarine, melted

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl or container, combine the cranberries, raisins and rum, and let soak for a least a couple of hours, or overnight. When you're ready to bake, drain them and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar, then add the egg, egg whites, vanilla and coffee and stir until thoroughly blended and smooth.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir by hand just until almost blended; add the soaked fruit and nuts and stir gently just until combined.

Spread the batter in an 8x8-inch pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, but the centre is still slightly soft. Don't overbake. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts:

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Calories: 170

Fat: 5g 

Saturated: 2.1g

Monounsaturated: 1.4g

Polyunsaturated: 1.2g

Carbohydrates: 28.6g

Cholesterol: 21.2mg

Protein: 3g

Fibre: 2.3g

Calories from fat: 26%

Hope everyone is having a good week. Trying to get last few remaining things done before Christmas is in full swing. Stay warm and focused! - JD 

The Weekend and Blueberry Pancakes

Got a new pancake/crêpe pan just in time to make blueberry pancakes this weekend. The pan itself is heavy and sits very low and flat. Which is great because it gives even heat and there are no sides to get in your way while flipping pancakes or crêpes.     

Beautiful golden pancakes every time and such a breeze to clean too.  

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Things are warming up temperature wise. - JD  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Lemon Shortbread with Vanilla Sugar and Hibiscus Flowers

These lemon shortbread are divine. Gilded with vanilla sugar and dried hibiscus flowers on top these biscuits are bursting with lemon flavour. 

Make whatever shortbread recipe you like except add lemon extract to the butter and add the grated rind of 1 lemon to the dry ingredients. Add the butter to the dry ingredients. When dough has been shaped and flatten; sprinkle with vanilla sugar then the dried hibiscus flowers before baking. Enjoy because these will disappear fast!

I have made my infamous chocolate and chili shortbread which disappears fast too!  

Almost one week before Christmas so we are trying to accomplish many things. Baking and preparing are the priority. Which leads me to this quote... 

The colder temperatures are hanging on. Stay warm and have a great weekend everyone!  - JD 

Buttery Walnut Biscuits

The rum and walnut flavour create a rich biscuit and the dark chocolate just furthers the richness. You could omit the chocolate and serve them plain with a cheese selection, if you wish. However,  I like to crumble a bit of blue cheese over the top of the chocolate laden biscuits before serving. Which make these very rich and decadent for this time of year. 

Buttery Walnut Biscuits

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1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon rum extract/flavouring

1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 cups flour

good quality dark chocolate, melted for drizzling on top

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

In a large bowl combine the butter and rum extract. Blend until smooth. Add the sugar, walnuts, and flour and blend until combined. You can use you hands, if you wish. The dough maybe a bit crumbly; not to worry as the warmth from your hands will be able to form the dough into walnut size balls. Place the dough rounds on a baking tray. Press down gently with a floured fork or the bottom of a smooth glass. If the edges crack just tidy them up the best way you can. Homemade biscuits should not look like manufactured ones!  Imperfections are fine. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They should be set but not brown. The bottoms however maybe nicely brown, that is fine. When done remove, from the oven and while the biscuits are still on the baking tray, gently press down with the back of a lifter or spatula. Let set for a minute then remove to wire racks to continue to cool.

Once completely cooled. Melt the dark chocolate and drizzle over the top of each biscuit. Let the chocolate set before serving. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Extreme temperature/weather was in effect... nothing like -40ºF to put a pep in your step! Stay warm! - JD   

Almond Poppy Seed Loaf

Another loaf recipe to add to your baking repertoire. Delicious with a subtle hint of almond flavour plus the added bonus of a bit of fibre. This is irresistible with a cup of tea!    

Almond Poppyseed Loaf

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1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 cup All-Bran cereal

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted

Preheat of to 350ºF (180ºC). 

Butter and flour a loaf pan. Line the loaf pan with baking parchment paper. Set aside.

In a bowl, blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and poppy seeds. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, mix together the cereal and milk. Let stand for 5 minutes until the cereal has softened. Stir in the eggs, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Add the toasted almonds and then add the flour mixture, stirring until just combine.

Spread batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack. 

Notes: You use caster sugar however the loaf would probably be more sweet. Coconut sugar gave richness with just a hint of sweetness and complimented the toasted almonds. I also thought chopped apple pieces might be a nice addition. 

Getting things done inside and outside of the kitchen. The temperature today is a balmy -29ºC! Stay warm everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Oven Baked Potato Skins

What to do with potato skin peels when making mashed potatoes? Bake them! 

All the potato skins were placed in a large bowl of cold water to soak. They were drained and spun dry; I have a lettuce/vegetable spinner, which makes this possible. Then the skins were placed in another large bowl, drizzled with some olive oil over top, a bit of seasoning salt and pepper. Toss to coat place them on a baking tray and cook in a 425ºF oven until crispy and brown. Dip or dunk them or use them as a toping these taste better than french fries. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, we sure did! Temperatures have plummeted... -26 with windchill! I foresee getting a fair amount of baking done this week. Stay warm and cozy. - JD