Food Photo of the Day ~ Creepy Cookies

Idle hands and teenagers make for dedicated creative decorating in the afternoon. These creepy cookies are stunning and the attention to detail is fabulous. My kids had a blast working together so diligently. 

Happy Halloween everyone! - JD

Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are an effort which can be made with one or many idle hands at work however there is a bit of an ease with a classic recipe such as this. Also, the focused creative decorating, wittling the afternoon away, may help to banish stress.    

Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

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makes about 3 dozen

1 cup butter, softened 

1 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and extracts. 

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, about 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. 

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Do not chill dough. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle, approximately 12 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. Using floured cookie cutters cut out desired shapes. Bake cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 7 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden brown. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.  

When cooled decorate with your favourite icing recipe or use ready made icing. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Ours was chilly, with minus temperatures and  minor snow flurries making it a bracing one and reminding us winter is on it's way. - JD  

Green-Eyed Monster

If you are looking for a different cocktail and one that is Halloween inspired you may want to try this. It is slightly sweet with herbal undertones all thanks to the Chartreuse.  

Green Eyed Monster

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makes 1 cocktail

1 oz Green Chartreuse

1 oz Gin

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

Ice cubes

Fill a cocktail mixing pitcher with ice cubes. Add all the ingredients. Stir and strain into cocktail glass. 

Hope everyone is getting into the Halloween spirit. Have a good weekend! - JD 

Rosemary Lemon Shortbread

Rosemary, is for remembrance and I make these shortbread around this time of year. I suppose you could say that this is my homage of giving thanks and remembrance to those who are no longer with us. Just remember when serving to use two plates, with fresh sprigs of rosemary, one for the living and one for the dead.   

Rosemary Lemon Shortbread

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1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 icing sugar

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

zest from 1 lemon

3/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 300ºF. 

In a large bowl combine the cornstarch, icing sugar, flour, chopped rosemary, lemon zest. Add the softened butter and stir until well blended. Roll portions of the dough into balls. Place on a baking tray, about 1 inch apart, and gently flatten with a floured fork or with the bottom of a smooth glass, that has been floured. Sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from baking tray and cool on wire racks.   

Hope everyone is having a good week! - JD 

Kohlrabi

On our weekend market shop we found a vegetable called Kohlrabi or sometimes called the German turnip; although it is not considered a root vegetable. It is the same species as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy cabbage and Gai lan. Kohlrabi can be eaten raw or cooked. When eaten raw it is slightly crunchy and has a mildly spicy taste, like a radish. Also they have been know to taste like broccoli stems but milder and sweeter. Which makes it good for salads and coleslaws. Some prefer to eat them drizzled with olive oil and a light sprinkling of sea salt. It is a good source of dietary fibre, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium, copper and magnese along with many other vitamins and minerals.

If you happen to stumble across Kohlrabi in your grocery shop I do recommend trying it.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! - JD 

Savoy Hotel Special Cocktail No.1

Another cocktail similar to the classic cocktail, simple, dry and smooth. 

Savoy Hotel Special Cocktail No.1

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makes 1 cocktail

2 oz Gin

1 oz Dry Vermouth

2 dashes Grenadine

1 dash Absinthe

1 twist lemon zest

Fill a mixing glass with ice cubes. Add all the ingredients, except the lemon zest, into the mixing glass. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon, if you wish. 

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Gochujang Cauliflower Bites

I stumbled upon this recipe and oddly enough I had most of the ingredients so I thought it would be worth a try. A different way to enjoy cauliflower with a bit of spice.  

Gochujang Cauliflower Bites

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1 cup (250ml) all-purpose flour

1 cup (250ml) water

1/3 cup (75ml) Hellmann's® Spicy Gochujang Dipping Sauce 

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets, about 8 cups

Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC) 

Whisk flour, water, Hellmann's® Spicy Gochujang Dipping Sauce and salt in a large bowl until blended.

Arrange in single layer on parchment paper lined baking sheets(s). Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Serve, if desired, with blue cheese dressing or additional dipping sauce. 

To find this recipe and other recipes using Hellmann's® click *here*

Hope the week is going well... warmer weather in the forecast today. Bring on the sunshine if only for a day or two. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie, a holiday favourite and an flavour that sums up the autumnal season. My daughter helped create this classic dessert. She was truly pleased with her effort and we  all enjoyed her effort.   

Hope everyone had a lovely long weekend! - JD 

At The Market

Those fresh weekend market finds... rainbow tomatoes, creamy new potatoes, crisp peppers, tangy sweet coronation grapes, and a brimming mixed fruit box, filled with cherries, grapes, golden plums, peaches, nectarines and apples! 

Again, have a lovely long weekend! - JD  

Cranberry Champagne Cocktail

If you are looking for a different beverage this long holiday weekend then you may want to try this refreshingly tart cocktail. 

Cranberry Champagne Cocktail

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makes 1 cocktail

1 oz cranberry juice (sweetened)

1 lime wedge

Champagne or sparkling wine

frozen cranberries

In a chilled champagne flute add the cranberry juice and squeeze of lime. Top up with Champagne. Garnish with 3 to 4 cranberries, if you wish. 

Have a lovely long weekend everyone! -JD  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Blueberry Apple Galette

Two galettes are better than one! Perfect for a sharing and perfect as a dessert to top of a delicious Sunday roast. This easy French dessert is an effortless way to use up lingering fruit and add some comfort on a cool Autumn evening. 

- JD  

The Big Book of Healthy Cooking Oils

It seems not to long ago there was a rise in using different unprocessed cooking oils for health benefits. Perhaps things appear to have quieted down however cookbooks and articles are still popping up here and there echoing this sentiment. The Big Book of Healthy Cooking Oils, isn't so big, although it will help you incorporate these unprocessed and unrefined oils with ease. Not sacrificing flavour just offering an alternative. This cookbook is gluten-free and Paleo friendly and is full of healthy snacks, meals and desserts.

The first few pages have lots of information on such oils which include fats, carbohydrates, protein, Omega 3's, Omega 6, refinement and rancidity, very important information there, and a handy oil chart to easily reference these oils. Something to ponder before you pour, spoon or drizzle just any oil.   

There are over 85 recipes. All are tempting and sound delicious. The Curried Triple Coconut Pea Fritters, Potatoes Paprikash with Scrambled Eggs, Mushroom Chorizo and Lentil Stir-fry, Hungarian Inspired Mushroom Beef and Tomato Soup, Classic Coq au Vin, Hazelnut Mesquite Brownies and the Chai Spiced Coconut Pudding with Deep Fried Coconut Flakes sounds absolutely tasty.

The recipe I am sharing from the cookbook is this one that uses coconut oil...

Cardamom-Scented Lentils, Kobocha and Lentil Sauté

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makes 4 servings

3/4 cup (114g) brown lentils

3 cups (339g) kabocha or butternut squash, peeled, flesh cut into 1/2"(1.2cm) cubes

Coconut oil for cooking

1 zucchini, ends trimmed, thinly sliced

2 cups (255g) peeled pearl onions, thaw if frozen

1 1/2 pounds (672g) leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1/2" (1.2cm) thick strips

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

2 teaspoons (4g) coriander

dash of salt

Fill a medium pot halfway with watered bring to a boil. Add the lentils and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the kabocha and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the lentils and squash have reached the desired tenderness. Drain well.

In a large skillet, heat a generous spoonful of oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the veggies are turning golden brown. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the lamb, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander and salt. Cook for 8 minutes, or until the lamb is done to your liking. For medium-rare, it should be pink in the centre, if you'd like it well done, it should be opaque when cut in half. Stir in the drained lentils and squash and serve immediately.

Leftover sauté can be refrigerated for 4 days.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We did! - JD  

Bich's Special

This vintage tipple is smooth and comes with a bit of a orangey bite. A lovely cocktail that is very drinkable.   

Bich's Special

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makes 1 cocktail

2 oz dry Gin

1 oz Lillet

1 dash Angostura Bitters

In a cocktail pitcher stir, all ingredients, well with ice. Strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel over top.

Just getting back into the swing of things. Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Spiced Apple Bundt Cake

Everything about this cake says autumn to me and as it bakes the warmth of the spices blend and evoke those autumnal feelings. 

Spiced Apple Bundt Cake 

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1 cup casters sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 teaspoons maple extract

3cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Chai baking spice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

5 apples, cored and grated with peel

2 carrots, peeled and grated

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Maple Glaze:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon maple extract or maple syrup

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, chai spice and nutmeg.

In a large bowl beat the sugars, oil, eggs and maple extract with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and stir with a spatula until just blended. Fold in the apples, carrots and walnuts. Spoon into the prepared Bundt pan. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 20 minutes before inverting on a wire rack.  

    

Making the glaze... in a medium sauce over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, milk, maple syrup together. Bring to a boil; stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and drizzle over the cake. 

Tip: when spooning the glaze over the cake; place a piece of wax paper under the wire rack as the wax paper will catch any glaze drippings. 

Notes: If you can not find Chai Baking Spice then use All Spice. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. I did get some relaxing moments to push this cold along although probably not enough. - JD