Halloween Pumpkins

Even though things are considerably different from last year and who knows what Halloween or any holiday will look like for the remainder of the year; keeping with traditions and celebrating is a way of going forward and honouring those seasonal tidings we enjoy. This year both of my children carved the pumpkins and we had an enjoyable afternoon the other day; of carving and roasting pumpkin seeds. 

The benefits and joys of carving. You get to stand back and admire your efforts while the pumpkin seeds are roasting and when done roasting you get to taste your efforts too! The smell of pumpkin seeds roasting is a comforting one and reminds me of the many Halloweens that have past.   

  

 Happy Halloween... Happy Samhain... Happy Hallowtide everyone! - JD 

Soul Cakes

Soul Cakes are traditionally made on November 2nd for All Soul's Day or for those observing ancient Celtic or Pagan festivals, Samhain, on November 1st. I like to make them anytime between October 29 and November 3rd and especially this year as there will be a full moon on Halloween and the veil will be even more thin and this offering, packed with currants and mixed spice, is another way to remember those who have passed on and mark the beginning of winter during Hallowtide. 

An old Soulers rhyme... 

A soul, a soul, a soul cake, 

Please good missus a soul cake, 

An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry,

Or any good thing to make us merry.  

Soul Cakes

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2 cups flour (almond and oatmeal flour make good substitutes)

2 teaspoon mixed spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup currants

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

2 egg yolks   

1/2 cup sugar or maple syrup

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper. Set aside. 

In a bowl add the flour, mixed spice, salt and currants. Stir to combine.

In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar using a hand held mixer on medium high speed. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until the mixture crumbles. Gradually add enough milk until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out on a flat surface and knead until it is uniform. Form the dough into flat cakes, you may use a 2 inch round biscuit cutter if you wish, and using a knife mark each with a cross. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. 

Notes : almond flour and oatmeal flour make good substitutes for flour. 

Mexican Flag

Called the Mexican Flag due to its garnish of a green cocktail onion, a white cocktail onion and red cherry on a toothpick. We had no onions or cherries however that did not stop us from making this cocktail and slightly modifying the name, calling it the Mexican Cocktail. An enjoyable cocktail all the same without the garnish. 

Mexican Flag

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2oz (10ml) Tequila

1/3oz (10ml) sugar syrup

1/3oz (10ml) lime juice

ice cubes

Garnish:

1 green cocktail onion

1 white cocktail onion

1 red cherry

ice cubes

Shake all the ingredients over ice and pour into cocktail glass. Garnish with green and white cocktail onions and a red cherry across the glass on a toothpick. 

Have a lovely weekend everyone! - JD 

Korean Keema

I have been wanting to make this Nigella Lawson recipe, from her Kitchen cookbook,  for awhile. It's simple and fast enough for a weekday meal. I did make some substitutions due to what I had on hand; lean ground beef for the ground turkey, jasmine rice for the basmati/sushi rice and freshly grated carrot on the side. Still, this was a successful tasty weekday meal.  Although I have shared the recipe below by all means, visit Nigella Lawson's website for this delicious recipe and more.  

 Nigella Lawson's Korean Keema

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Serves 2 

3/4 cup basmati rice or sushi rice

8 ounces ground turkey

6 thin or 3 fat scallions, chopped

1 cup frozen petits pois (petits peas)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or ground nut oil

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine 

1 - 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 tablespoons Gochjang 

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

METHOD

1. Cook the rice according to packet instructions, or in a rice cooker according to manufacturer's instructions. And put a kettle on to boil for the peas later.
2. Whisk together the sauce ingredients, and stir in the ground turkey. Leave to steep for about 5 minutes, or while you are getting on with your next tasks, such as chopping the scallions and blanching the peas.
3. Heat a wok or heavy-based frying pan on the hob. While this is heating up, pour boiling water from the kettle over the frozen peas in a sieve or colander, letting the hot water drain away, thereby defrosting the peas. When the wok is hot, add the oil, then the defrosted peas and chopped scallions. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the turkey and its sauce, and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until cooked.
5. Add the 2 tablespoons rice wine with 4 tablespoons water to swill out the residue of the sauce from the meat-steeping bowl (so that nothing is wasted) and scrape and pour this into the pan, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until it's all piping hot.
6. Serve over rice, and with a good scattering of chopped cilantro.

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! - JD 

Triple Goddess & Spiral Goddess Vanilla Sugar Cookies

I finally got to use the Bakerlogy cookie cutters. These are well crafted, easy to use and lovely. Bakerlogy offer all sorts of designs and shapes. I decided to use their vanilla sugar cookie recipe, they also have a chocolate and matcha recipe, rather than the one I normally use and I am sharing it here; however do visit their website if you are curious and interested in unique cookie cutters. 

Vanilla Sugar Cookies

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250g unsalted butter

200g granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

450g plain flour 

* for best results, mix all ingredients at room temperature.

*For citrus cookies use orange, lemon or lime (the zest of 2 and the juice of 1) at Step 2. You may also use almond extract instead of vanilla.   

Prep and baking time 20 minutes. Chill time 1.5 hours

Step 1: Mix softened butter and sugar until mixture is smooth.

Step 2: Add the egg and vanilla extract into the mixture and beat until combine.

Step 3: Add half of the flour and mix well. Then add the rest of the flour, mix and knead until you have a soft dough mixture.

Step 4: Split the dough equally into two and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Step 5: Once chilled, roll out your dough onto baking paper to 5mm thickness and cut out your shapes/designs. Use small amounts of flour to dust over the dough surface, cutter and rolling pin. For best results further chill for half an hour before baking.

Step 6: Bake at 170ºC (325ºF) for 10 minutes. Leave to chill before decorating and serving. 

Unfortunate and frustrating, as I like to have direct links within my posts, since Blogger has changed their format, I have been having some issues. Until it gets sorted I won't be able to add a direct link to a website, you will have to look items up in whatever search engine you use. Hope everyone had a nice weekend! - JD 

Easy Pasta Salad

 

When purchasing a salad dressing that is deeply discounted and soon to expire in a few weeks; there is one dish that comes to mind... pasta salad. It is presumptuous to think that salads of any kind can only be enjoyed during the warmer months, I think that's not true. Salads, depending on ingredients whether they are seasonal or what ingredients are available, make for a meal and may be enjoyed anytime regardless of the weather. 

Easy Pasta Salad

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1 package (500g) fusilli or pasta of your choice

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped  

1 yellow pepper, chopped

4 green onions, sliced

200g package of organic cremini mushrooms, sliced and sautéd

herbed halloumi cheese, sliced and panfried

475ml Catalina salad dressing 

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and allow to cool slightly.

Chop and slice the vegetables and prepare the mushrooms and cheese as stated in the recipe. 

Place the cooked pasta into a large bowl. Add all the prepared vegetables, including mushrooms, and toss together. Pour the entire bottle of Kraft's Catalina dressing over the pasta and vegetables. Toss to coat. Add the halloumi cheese and toss again. Serve with chopped green or black olives.

It has been one of those short but long weeks where everything happens at once. Have a nice weekend everyone! - JD 

Spaghetti with Spinach, Zucchini and Tomatoes

By far this is one of the best pasta dishes I have made. Spinach and crushed garlic are the key here and the universal zucchini complements all ingredients by adding texture, absorbing flavour and subtly enhancing taste.    

Spaghetti with Spinach, Zucchini and Tomatoes

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1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

half a red onion, chopped

1 package of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

1 zucchini, sliced into rounds then cut in half 

3 - 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

salt and pepper, to taste

2 fresh tomatoes, diced

1 small can low salt diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon oregano

a splash of balsamic vinegar

In a large sauce pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium high heat, add the chopped red onions, stir. Allow the onions to sauté a little, add a pinch of salt and stir occasionally. Once the onions are slightly softened add the crushed garlic, give a stir and after a few minutes add the spinach and zucchini, give a stir and add another pinch of salt and some pepper. Stir and allow to sauté together for a few minutes. 

Add the fresh diced tomatoes and the contents of canned diced tomatoes, including juices, oregano and the balsamic vinegar. Cover and allow to simmer over medium heat for 10 to 20 minutes. 

Cook pasta, of choice, according to package directions. Drain. Place the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl. Pour sauce over top of the pasta. Toss to coat. Serve. 

 

Hope everyone had a nice long weekend. We did. - JD 

Festive Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce

 I would say this cheesecake is more seasonal than festive however festive has an undeniable cheery celebratory ring to it. Drizzling caramel sauce over top definitely completes an autumnal feel and taste in every slice.     

Festive Pumpkin Cheesecake 

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1  1/4 cups graham crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

1  1/2 cups canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1  1/2 teaspoons pumkin pie spice 

3 packages (250g each) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with baking parchment paper.

Mix graham crumbs and butter together; press onto bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.

In another large bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch. Blend in the pumpkin mixture. Pour over crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until centre is just set. Remove from oven, cool 5 minutes, and run a knife around rim of pan. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Top or drizzle with caramel sauce. 

Notes: if you do not have pumpkin pie spice then use... 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg. 

You may use whatever caramel sauce recipe you wish or a ready made one however my son, lended a hand, and made this one from a website called Sally's Baking Addiction. I have included the recipe below.   

Caramel Sauce

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1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

6 tablespoons (90g) salted butter, room temperature cut up into 6 pieces

1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-coloured liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.

Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.

Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2 minutes. If you notice the butter separating or if the sugar clumped up, remove from heat and vigorously whisk to combine it again. (If you're nervous for platter, wear kitchen gloves. Keep whisking until it comes back together, even if it 3 - 4 minutes. It will eventually - just keep whisking. Return to heat when it's combined again.)

Very slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble when added. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.

Remove form heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to slightly cool down before using. Caramel thicken as it cools.

Cover tightly and store for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency.

Notes: 1/4 cup of chopped mixed nuts were added to the sauce. 

Sorry, about the late post. Have a nice weekend and enjoy the long weekend everyone! 

- JD 

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Before pumpkin season begins that is if it hasn't begun already I whipped up these muffins to satisfy the autumnal atmosphere. Apple and pumpkin pair exceptionally well together and the streusel topping adds just that extra touch to an already scrumptious muffin. 

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

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makes 12 muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 peeled and chopped apples

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter

Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with baking papers. 

In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the peeled chopped apples and stir. 

In another bowl combine eggs, pumpkin and oil. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill the lined muffin cups almost full. Sprinkle 1 heaping teaspoon of streusel mixture over each muffin. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Once completely cool sprinkle with icing sugar. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and a nice week so far. With a holiday weekend coming up I plan on making a pumpkin cheesecake so will probably post about that on Saturday. - JD 

Badminton

If tennis isn't your thing then perhaps badminton is. This cocktail surprised me in every sense of the word. An interesting blend of flavours that are aromatic and refreshing.   

Badminton

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5 oz/145ml Red Wine

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pinch nutmeg

soda water

cucumber slice , cut lengthwise

Pour red wine into a 8oz wine glass. Stir sugar into red wine, until dissolved and add nutmeg, then top up with soda water. Serve garnished with a cucumber slice.

Bright and sunny with crisp autumnal air... exhilarating. Have a good weekend everyone! 

- JD