Raspberry Mocha Crumb Bars

 

Raspberry mocha crumb bars are a humble way to salute the weekend under vast cerulean blue skies, voluminous fluffy clouds with plenty of promising sunshine. A rich buttery slice with a hint of tart raspberry sweetness to linger, are perfect for picnics, garden parties and afternoon teas or anytime you wish.      

Raspberry Mocha Crumb Bars

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makes 8 

3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee powder

1/2 cup granulate white sugar

1/2 cup raspberry perserve

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8-inch square pan and line the bottom with baking parchment paper.

Put the butter, flour, instant coffee powder, and white sugar into a food processor and process for a few seconds until the mixture starts to clump together.

Press three-quarters of the shortbread dough into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Smooth level with a spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Remove from the oven and let cool cool for 5 minutes. Spread the raspberry preserve over the shortbread layer. Mix the walnuts and raw sugar into the remaining shortbread dough and sprinkle it over the raspberry preserve, pressing down gently.

Return to the oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until the topping is lightly golden brown. Let cool completely in the pan, then remove and cut into eight bars. Although I did cut each bar, again carefully, lengthwise to form sixteen narrow bars. 

Notes: Apricot preserve may be used in replace of the raspberry preserve. Instant coffee granules may be replaced for instant coffee powder.

Coconut Pineapple Scones

These scones have a prominent coconut flavour marked with hints of sweet pineapple. Lovely for a weekend brunch or tea time. Excellent with whip cream and crushed pistachios or just a pat of butter. 

Coconut Pineapple Scones

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2 cups flour 

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

grated lime zest of 1 lime, reserve the juice for later

1/4 cup cold butter, cut up

1/2 cup milk 

2 eggs
1 teaspoon coconut essence 

1 398ml can of crushed pineapple, drained well

freshly squeezed lime juice   

vanilla sugar

shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment paper.

In a large bowl blend all the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, coconut, and lime zest together. Set aside.

In another large bowl add the milk, eggs, coconut essence, and crushed pineapple. Set aside. 

Cut the cold butter into smaller pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or fork cut the butter into the flour mixture. Once an oatmeal like texture is achieved make a well in the centre. Whisk together the wet ingredients and add to the well. Using a rubber spatula incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a dough has formed. Place the dough on a well floured surface; knead a few times; shape into a large circle and pat to 3/4 inch thickness. Using a round 2 or 3 inch cutter, cut into circles and place on the prepared lined baking tray. Repeat, until all the dough has been formed. 

Squeeze the juice from the lime, if you haven't already done so, and brush the tops of each scone with the freshly squeezed lime juice. Then sprinkle each with a bit of vanilla sugar and shredded coconut. Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 22 minutes or until well risen and lightly brown.

Notes: I doubled the recipe and used a 3 inch round cookie cutter. I baked the scones for a total of 24 minutes. Ovens vary therefore baking time may vary.   

Hope everyone had a great weekend. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Apple Turnovers

I always have apples on hand so over the course of the weekend I made these sweet and spicy apple turnovers for brunch. These are a great way to use ripen fruit and an easy weekend brunch treat served with tea or coffee. 

Can not believe it is Thursday already... hope everyone had a great weekend and the week has been a good one 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  

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 

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 

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 

Gin Cocktail... Rosy Cheeks

The weekend is just about here and will bring some warm temperatures and what better way to relax than with a cocktail. A gin cocktail, that my husband calls... Rosy Cheeks! His play on words, although I do agree, as the colour reminds me of how ones cheeks become rosy after being out in the cold during the winter months. Winter months aside, this is a bright crisp cocktail.   

Rosy Cheeks 

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5 oz of Gin

2 oz of Dry Vermouth

1 oz of Rose's Cranberry Twist Mix

a dash of Angostura Bitters

2 cheeries for garnish, optional

Place a couple of ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Add the gin, dry vermouth, cranberry twist, and bitters and shake, respectfully. Pour into a martini glass and add two cherries for garnish, if you wish. Cheers and enjoy! 

There will be plenty of sunshine so I hope everyone has a great weekend! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Chicken and Pineapple Pizza

I make plenty of homemade pizza. Trying different toppings and sauces however the adage of keep it simple has never been more truthful with this one. A straight forward chicken and pineapple pizza with goat's cheese was at the request of my daughter... although hot sauce was added after for a bit of a kick. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. There was plenty of sun and wind to go around.     -JD 

The Sunset Cocktail

I know it is only mid week however this weekend the forecast is predicting a warm one, so a cocktail maybe in order. This tipple was one that my husband and I created over the weekend; The Sunset is a working title. This cloudy coral shot of Vitamin C reminded me of a lovely Canadian sunset, a beacon blazing and stretching across the evening sky. 

The Sunset Cocktail

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the juice of 1 orange, freshly squeezed and strained

the juice of 2 lemons, freshly squeezed and strained

4 ounces of gin

a glug of simple syrup

a dash of Angostura Bitters 

10 ml of Rose's Cranberry Twist Mix

Place all ingredient into a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes. Shake and pour into a martini glass. Serve and enjoy!

Hope everyone is having a good week. It has been a busy Spring Break for us so far. - JD 

Breakfast Burrito

This morning my son wanted to make us breakfast and he decided on the breakfast burrito. Which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, refried beans, salsa, green onion and shredded cheddar cheese. He did everything himself except cook the bacon and the side of hash brown patties, myself and his stepdad prepared those. I was on hand as his kitchen assistant and only cleared the unwanted items away. The burritos were very tasty and filling! 

Hats off to the Sunday chef... the elusive kitchen cape crusader is pictured here. Prepping and assembling and much sighing because I was taking his photo. 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! - JD  

Banana Pancakes

They look like regular pancakes however they are not. I had a few over ripe banana's so I decided to peel and mash them and add the mash to the pancake batter. I served them with whipped cream, strawberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. They were simply delicious! It is a great way to change a classic weekend breakfast. Regular pancakes step aside, these have become my favourite! - JW 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Yesterday I was desperate to bake something. Remembering I had some sour cream that was soon to go off, I decide to bake a sour cream coffee cake. Flipping through a few of my cookbooks I had finally turned up a recipe. And the photo above is the end result. The cake was served after dinner, warm. The sweet toothed masses devoured every crumb. Leaving little over half a cake left to be enjoyed over the next few days. Weekends are good for a dose comfort food. - JW