Juniper Breeze

This is such a refreshing cocktail however aren't they all! A nice combination of grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, and Elderflower blended with gin; it certainly brings a tangy fragrant sip to the lips.

Juniper Breeze
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3 oz Gin
3 oz Grapefruit juice
1 oz Cranberry juice
1 oz Elderflower Cordial
1 dash of lime juice 

Pour all ingredients into a glass; stir add ice and serve with lime slices. 

I have a couple of busy weeks ahead so may not be posting as often as I wish. Will try and be here when I can. Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Another Gastropost

When I did the post about the Tangy Pineapple Salsa, I forgot to note that it was mentioned in E-town's Gastropost portion of the newspaper. It is my second time being considered/published and I appreciate that. 

Have a great Thursday! - JD 

Tangy Pineapple Salsa

We were beating the heat this weekend and doing some entertaining while serving this delicious salsa. With very few ingredients you can create a refreshing and tangy summertime dip. 

Tangy Pineapple Salsa

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6 roma tomates, diced

1 sweet red onion, diced

1 medium green pepper, sliced and diced

1 medium red pepper, sliced and diced

1 to 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 

1 can of crushed pineapple, drained and set aside the drained juice

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

First, wash and prep the veggies.

In a blender, blend together half of the tomatoes, onion and peppers. Then add half the cilantro, if adding any, half the pineapple and the garlic. Pulse for a few seconds. Empty into a large bowl then stir in the remaining ingredients. Add a bit of the reserved pineapple juiced, to your liking. Cover and let mellow in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. Serve with multigrain corn chips, tortillas, and tacos. May also be served with fish, chicken, and burgers.

Notes: For a more chunkier salsa do not partially blend the ingredients. You can use fresh pineapple or canned pineapple tidbits too. For some bite add a bit of hot sauce to kick things up! Add black beans.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It was a lovely one for us. - JD 

Yoghurt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Seems like we have moved on from muffins to cookies and this recipe is easy and super delicious. No eggs and little butter. This recipe creates a more soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie, that melts in your mouth. 


Yoghurt Chocolate Chip Cookies

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1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup plain low-fat yoghurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC)
Grease cookie sheets or line with baking parchment paper.

In a medium bowl cream the sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the yoghurt and vanilla.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture until nicely combine then add the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons on the prepared cookie sheet(s)... about 2 inches apart and bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool for about 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to cool completely on wire racks.

Notes: You may add a few tablespoons of applesauce when creaming the sugars and butter together. I added a teaspoon of British Mixed Spice into the flour mixture. When the cookies come out of the oven they are puffed up however I took a fork and gently pressed the tops of the baked cookies down, to get a more compact chewy cookie, before transferring them to wire racks. 

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Leon ~ Ingredients & Recipes

This was on my cookbook list however it was gifted to me and after posting about Leon's pocket sized cookbooks I thought this would be the perfect book to post about now. The Leon cookbook covers quite a bit throughout it's 293 plus pages. Loads of culinary information with the importance on ingredients. Stressing, the purchases we make at the shop are the factors that will affect the way food tastes. This cookbook is for anyone who loves food, those that care about what they put into their body and people who get excited about food. Leon cookbook talks about superfoods, ingredients they love and ingredients they can not be without. Then again, don't we all have a list of favourite ingredients and ones that we can not be without. To them ingredients are everything which equals good food and food that is good. The book is divided up into two parts, one being the Ingredients half, and all it's detailed information and the other being the Recipes with entertaining stories and personal photos.   

I could go on about this book, believe me, and the post would be a long one. To share much of it's detail information and recipes would be great however this cookbook is one to be added to your collection, to be given as a gift, and to be enjoyed. 

Thought I would share this lovely recipe from the cookbook. Enjoy! 

Apricot Madeira Cake

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Makes 8 fat slices

1 3/4 cup dried apricots

scant 2/3 cup Madeira or sweet sherry

butter or oil for greasing the pan

6 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup fructose

2 1/2 cups ground almonds

a handful of sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

Put the apricots in a small saucepan and fast simmer in the booze for about 10 minutes, or until there is no liquid left.

Roughly chop eight of the apricots; purée the rest.

Grease an 8-inch cake pan with butter or oil.

Beat the eggs until big and fluffy, preferably with an electric mixer.

In another bowl mix the fructose, ground almonds, and baking powder and then fold the mixture into the eggs.

Add both kinds of apricot to the batter and pour into your prepared pan.

Scatter the surface of the cake with sliced almonds.

Bake for 40 minutes, turning it around halfway through. 

Let cool in the pan. 

WF - wheat free •  DF - diary/lactose free •V - vegetarian • low or no animal fat


Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Stir-fry Vegetables

Bright, vibrant, and crisp. Lightly tossed in sesame oil and a dash of low sodium soy sauce; a great way to get your veg on and increase those vitamins and nutrients. Simplicity has it advantages.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, we did! - JD  

Quick Breakfast Muffins

It seems as though muffins are heavily on the kidlets baking list. They find them quick and easy to make plus they have their muffin feast on. Despite the coconut on top the flavour is reminiscent of French toast. Perhaps a drizzle of maple syrup or a lashing of maple butter would suffice. Regardless, these muffins may be enjoyed anytime... breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea, or for a midnight snack. 

Quick Breakfast Muffins 

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1 cup unbleached white flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1 to 2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of milk

1 egg, beaten

1 to 2 tablespoons honey 

1/4 cup melted butter, slightly cooled

Dried coconut flakes, for the top

Pre-heat over to 400ºF. Grease or paper line, with paper baking cups, a muffin tin.

In a large bowl combine the flour, wheat germ, cornmeal, ground flax seed, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir. Make a well in the centre. Set aside.

In another bowl combine the milk, egg, honey, and the melted butter. Stir and add to the flour mixture. Stirring until just moist. The batter should be lumpy.

Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops with the dried coconut flakes; then bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

The sunshine is back. Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

East India Cocktail

The weekend brought a serious amount of rain. So my husband made this unique cocktail, the East India. A rosy amber delight worth every sip.

East India Cocktail

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1 1/2 oz dry sherry

1 1/2 oz dry vermouth

1 dash of bitters

Stir all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve. May be garnished with a orange peel. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Despite the rain we did! - JD 

Easy Seasoned Pan-Fried Potatoes

Nothing is more tastier than pan-fried potatoes... well that is, according to my kidlets. Mini potatoes are tender and offer a nice flavour regardless on how they are cooked. An easy and perfect side with almost any dish. 

First, you want to wash the mini potatoes then take a large pot full of water; add the mini potatoes and boil until just tender. Drain and let cool for a bit. When cool enough, cut each mini potato in half. Tedious as it sounds you won't be disappointed. Then place a large frypan on the stove, set to medium-high heat, add an oil of your choice and allow the oil to warm up. Then, add the cut potatoes in the frypan with the oil and add  whatever seasonings, herbs, or spices you like and squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the potatoes. Tossing occasionally until slightly golden or golden brown and crispy edges start to appear. Serve with a handful of chopped fresh herbs. It is that simple. 

Have a great weekend everyone!  - JD    

Rainy Day Muffins

An overcast day sent me switching on the oven and baking a batch of muffins. The ingredient list reads long however do not let that stop you, short on prep and full of flavour.  An orangey zest that will certainly bring on the sunshine.  

Rainy Day Muffins

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MAKES 12 MUFFINS

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup soy flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 cup (100 grams) finely ground almonds
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Grated peel from 1 large orange

1/2 cup cranberries

1/2 cup diced dried apricots

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup plain low fat Icelandic yoghurt  

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

Grease or paper-line a muffin tin, set aside.

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients and dried fruit together. In another bowl, combine and mix the wet ingredients together. Stir the wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Batter should be thick and lumpy. Fill the prepared muffin tin about 2/3 full. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden.  

Notes: The batter will be really thick so do not worry. For more fibre, substitute the 1/2 cup wheat germ for 1/3 cup wheat bran.

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

Food Photo of the Day ~ Maple Bacon Quiche

To celebrate Canada Day, I made a maple bacon quiche with broccoli, mushrooms and aged cheddar. This is a photo of the remaining two slices, which have since happily disappeared. I served it with a supper green salad and oven roasted cauliflower. 

Hope everyone had a great long weekend, we did! - JD 

Saketini Cocktail

It is Canada Day and this light but refreshing cocktail is throughly enjoyable and a great way to celebrate the day and weekend!

Saketini

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2 1/2 oz  gin

1/4 oz sake

Pour over ice and stir.

Pour into a glass of your choice, and top up with Crawston's or any brand of Elderflower Lemonade. Enjoy. 


Mellow and smooth... Happy Canada Day! - JD