Ingredient: egg, beaten

Nanaimo Truffles

The Nanaimo bar, a decadent Canadian treat, has a fascinating history. It is named after Nanaimo, a delightful city in British Columbia. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited British Columbia in 2020, their interest in these treats caused a media frenzy in the U.K. and the U.S., prompting questions about what the square was and where it came from. It is a dessert bar that requires no baking and generally consists of three layers: a graham wafer crumb and shredded coconut base, custard-flavored butter icing in the middle, and a layer of chocolate ganache on top.

The dessert was popularized in the years following WWII and subsequently rose to wider prominence after Expo ’86. Susan Mendelson is perhaps most responsible for commercializing the Nanaimo bar. She sold the bar during the 1970s to help pay her tuition, and in 1979 founded The Lazy Gourmet, a café and catering company in Vancouver, which claims to be the first business to sell the dessert. Mendelson wrote the official cookbook for Expo ’86, held in Vancouver, and included the Nanaimo bar.

After that, the Nanaimo bar began to be sold on BC Ferries and spread in popularity across Canada. It can now be found in Costco, Starbucks and countless cafes in Canada and the United States. There can be some variations with each of these layers — e.g., adding mint, mocha or other flavoring, as well as food coloring, to the icing center, or various nuts to the base — but a classic Nanaimo follows the traditional trio.

In a bid to take advantage of the bar’s popularity, the city of Nanaimo launched a tasting trail much like Ontario has done for the butter tart. The Nanaimo Bar Trail features an array of establishments that proudly showcase their unique interpretations of the classic Nanaimo Bar. As of now, there are more than 39 businesses participating in this sweet adventure. These establishments offer a variety of Nanaimo Bar-inspired treats, from traditional bars to ice creams, macarons, cheesecakes, lattes, and even spring rolls.

All that being said, instead of the traditional rum balls at Christmas, here’s my version of Nanaimo truffles!

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 Nanaimo Truffles
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Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Nanaimon truffles
Servings
TRUFFLES
Ingredients
Filling OR Centers
Base
Coating
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Nanaimon truffles
Servings
TRUFFLES
Ingredients
Filling OR Centers
Base
Coating
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Filling/Centers
  1. Cream butter, custard powder & powdered sugar together well. Divide mixture into 22 pieces & roll each into a ball. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Base
  1. Melt the first 3 ingredients in the top of a double boiler. Add beaten egg & stir to cook & thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in graham crumbs, cheerios, cocoanut & corn syrup. Set aside to cool.
  2. When base mixture has cooled, divide mixture into 22 portions. Place 1 portion in the palm of your hand & press to flatten into a large circle. Put one custard ball into the center & wrap the circle around the custard so it totally covers it. Squeeze gently to form a ball. Repeat until you have made all the truffles. Freeze for 30-60 minutes.
Coating
  1. Melt chocolate slowly in a double boiler until smooth. Without allowing the chocolate to cool down, take a frozen ball & carefully stick a toothpick or skewer into it & dip into the melted chocolate to cover. Remove the stick & allow the truffles to set on parchment paper.
  2. Store in refrigerator. Allow the truffles to come back up to room temperature to serve if you wish.
Recipe Notes
  • I have a nut allergy, so I replaced the nuts that are usually used in the base with crushed cheerios. I found it did not alter the flavor at all. Their still just as irresistible as ever!
  • The size & amount depends on your preference. Just divide the filling & base components into whatever you wish.

Cheesy Chicken & Stuffing Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

How is it spelled? Portobello or Portabella – from what I understand there is no ‘right’ spelling. Both versions are accepted, but the Mushroom Council  decided to go with Portabella to provide some consistency across the market.

Have you ever stopped and thought about how many vegetables are fantastic when stuffed? Any vegetable with a fairly sturdy shape can become an edible vessel for dinner. All we need to do is fill the inside with a stuffing of our choice, a little time in the oven until everything is heated through and dinner is ready!

I find the versatility of the portabella mushroom is endless. They have a rich, meaty texture and flavor which is retained even after cooking. You can use them in soups, stews, baked pasta, rice dishes or as a meat substitute in salads. Portabellas are excellent paired with fresh herbs, cheese, tomato or cream-based sauces, leafy greens, garlic and onions.

I’m sure the appeal of mushrooms isn’t for everyone. For Brion & I, we love that earthy taste. There is hardly anything you can’t use mushrooms in from appetizers to main course.

For our stuffed mushrooms today, I made a sun-dried tomato sauce then stuffed the Portabella caps with some chicken & stuffing and baked them in it for a supper entrée. Tasty and filling!

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 Cheesy Chicken & Stuffing Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
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Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy chicken & stuffing stuffed portobello mushrooms
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken & Stuffing
Sauce
Mushrooms
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy chicken & stuffing stuffed portobello mushrooms
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken & Stuffing
Sauce
Mushrooms
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Chicken & Stuffing
  1. In a small bowl, create a seasoning blend by mixing together garlic powder, dried basil, onion salt, dried parsley, salt, black pepper, & celery salt. Rub the seasoning blend evenly on both sides of the chicken breasts.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  3. Place the seasoned chicken breasts in a baking dish & add the chicken broth to the dish. Cover the baking dish with foil & bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the oven, dice it & set it aside.
  4. Prepare the chicken stuffing mix according to the package directions. Toss with cooked chicken. Grate cheddar cheese.
Sauce
  1. In a skillet, heat oil. Add onion & cook for 2 minutes until it starts to soften. Add reserved mushroom stems, garlic, oregano, paprika, sun-dried tomatoes & zucchini. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring with a spatula. Add wine & allow to bubble for 2 minutes then add vegetable broth, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil & simmer for 5 minutes.
  2. Stir the cream & Parmesan cheese into the sauce. Place in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Mushrooms
  1. Whisk the egg lightly in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika & garlic salt. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high. Dip the mushrooms in the egg then in the flour mixture. Coat the outside of the mushrooms, trying not to get too much flour inside the ‘cap’. In the skillet, fry mushrooms on both sides until lightly golden. Use a tong to help fry the sides as well. Remove mushrooms to a plate. 4. Set aside, keep warm.
Assembly & Baking
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Pack each Portobello mushroom cap with the chicken & stuffing mixture, ensuring it's firmly packed to stay in place during baking. Nestle the stuffed mushrooms on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Cover the baking dish with foil.
  3. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender & the stuffing is heated through. For the last 5 minutes of baking, remove the foil & sprinkle with cheese. When cheese is melted, remove the stuffed mushrooms from the oven.
  4. Nice to serve with pasta or potatoes.
Recipe Notes
  • Since their is just two of us, I only made half the recipe as you will notice in the picture.

Baked Chicken w/ Tomato Bacon Relish

CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY!

Honoring your father on Father’s Day doesn’t require his physical presence. I feel what is more important is just the act of doing it. I am very grateful to have had a father who was such a strong role model in my life. Everything he did was driven by his commitment to provide and care for the family he loved.

My father passed away in 2005 and Brion’s in 2011. Both our dads loved to talk and tell stories from their lives. We often wish we could retrace that time and hear their voices again. It seems you never fully appreciate your parents until they are no longer on this earth. It is so important to appreciate every hour they are in your life.

Brion & I eat a lot of chicken, so I’m always interested in another way of serving it. This recipe gives you not only crispy chicken but a flavorful tomato bacon relish to compliment it.

If you’re a bacon lover, it probably goes without saying, but bacon goes well with everything. Tomato bacon relish sounds like it would be savory, but it’s actually pretty sweet, just like other fruit jams! However, it does have a lot more complexity thanks to the bacon and spices.

The concept may sound strange, but it tastes like caramelized tomatoes–richer, sweeter, and more mellow than their fresh counterparts, balanced by the savory and smoky flavors of the bacon and smoked paprika. A little vinegar and mustard add a subtle tang, and you’ll get a hint of heat at the end from red pepper flakes.

It’s perfect spread on toast, in an omelet or a grilled cheese sandwich, on roasted veggies, next to cheese and crackers on a charcuterie board, or spread over cream cheese or brie for a party appetizer, etc. etc.

My special meal in honor of our dad’s on this Father’s Day is baked chicken tenders with bacon tomato relish.

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 Baked Chicken w/ Tomato Bacon Relish
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Cuisine American
Keyword baked chicken w/ tomato bacon relish
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Bacon Tomato Relish
Cuisine American
Keyword baked chicken w/ tomato bacon relish
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Bacon Tomato Relish
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Chicken
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. In a shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp thyme & 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper. Place flour & egg in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in flour; shake off excess. Dip in egg, then in crumb mixture, patting to help coating adhere. Place chicken on a greased rack in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake about 15 minutes or until no pink remains.
Bacon Tomato Relish
  1. In a skillet, over medium high heat, fry bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to plate. Drain all but 1 Tbsp bacon drippings.
  2. In the same skillet, sauté onions in reserved bacon drippings until onion starts to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic during last minute of sautéing.
  3. Add bacon & all remaining ingredients; stir to combine. Increase heat & bring mixture to a boil.
  4. Decrease heat & simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are tender.
  5. Serve over baked chicken tenders.

Onion Scones

You might imagine scones as a food that is only served with jam and cream, but there are many variations on this classic tea cake. This flaky treat can also come in a savory scone version with add-ins like cheese and chopped bacon or sun-dried tomato & basil etc.  A scone is closer to a pastry than it is to bread mainly because it doesn’t include any yeast and has almost identical ingredients to a short crust with different fat to flour ratios.

So why not onion scones?? Because onions really form the foundation of our cooking, they are often the first thing that goes in the pan, and they are the flavor base for everything from chicken soup to a quick skillet pasta. Cooked onions give dishes a rich savory flavor and a subtle sweetness — you don’t always know onions are there once the dish has been spiced and sauced, but you’d definitely miss them if they weren’t.

Scone ingredients prefer to be cold. All your starting components need to be kept as cool as possible – this will help to guarantee the soft, light and well-risen qualities of your next batch of scones.

North American or British scones – what’s the difference? British scones are served with butter/cream whereas North American scones or ‘biscuits’ are far butterier and are typically served alongside meat and veg style savory dishes.

These onion scones make such a nice addition to a beef stew meal.

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 Onion Scones
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Course Main Dish
Keyword onion scones
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Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Keyword onion scones
Servings
Ingredients
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Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the yellow onion, green onions, garlic & butter. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, then stir. Microwave for another 1-2 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove bowl from microwave & let the vegetables cool for 10 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, pepper & salt.
  4. Add the sautéed onion mixture to the flour mixture along with the light cream & egg. Stir JUST until combined.
  5. Gently press the dough together with your hands to form a ball.
  6. On an ungreased baking sheet, press the dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut the circle into 8 wedges. Separate the wedges slightly.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until scones are lightly browned. Brush with more melted butter & serve immediately.

Mini Tarts w/ Roast Beef & Gruyere

The holiday season always seems to creep up on us each year. You’ve probably got the mains and desserts figured out for your big Christmas dinner. Now, it’s time to nail down the appetizers or hors d’oeuvres, aka the real reason everyone loves the holidays. Hors d’ oeuvres are part of the holiday party tradition. I think that the best appetizers are ‘finger foods’ where you can eat them easily and with very little mess. Each culture has its own collection of favorite appetizer recipes which have evolved over the years.

If you’re looking for a sophisticated, bite-sized appetizer for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, look no further than mini appetizer tarts. Tartlets can be sweet or savory, hot or cold, and are a perfect choice if you’re looking for a vegetarian option. Think of your favorite flavor combination and you can find a way to serve it in these tiny pastry cups — try brie and raspberry, chicken cordon bleu, cranberry and goat cheese, pear and blue cheese, buffalo chicken and ranch or roast beef and gruyere.

Not only do mini tarts make for a chic presentation, but they also make it easy to time your guests’ arrival with taking the tarts out of the oven if you are serving them hot. Most recipes require a short cooking time, which allows you to pop the tartlets in the oven half an hour before your guests arrive and serve a warm appetizer as soon as they walk through the door.

These mini tarts are filled with roast beef, shallot-sautéed mushrooms, cream cheese, horseradish and Gruyère. You will love the nutty aroma when the tarts come out of the oven. I think  they are the perfect Christmas appetizer or party food idea.

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 Mini Tarts w/ Roast Beef & Gruyere
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Rating: 5
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Course Finger Food Buffet
Cuisine American
Keyword mini tarts w/ roast beef & gruyere
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Filling
Course Finger Food Buffet
Cuisine American
Keyword mini tarts w/ roast beef & gruyere
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. With fingertips, cut in cold butter until mixture resembles small peas. In a measuring cup, whisk together water, egg & vinegar. Make a well in dry mixture & pour wet mixture into it all at once. With hands, mix until JUST combined. Roll out pastry & cut 24 squares with a pastry cutter. Fit squares into 24 mini tart pan cups. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to fill.
Filling
  1. In a skillet, over medium heat, melt butter, then add shallots & mushrooms. Add thyme, salt & pepper; sauté until browned. Remove from heat. Divide roast beef between the 24 pastry shells. Spoon mushrooms onto the mounds of roast beef followed by a tiny dollop of horseradish.
  2. Place cream cheese & eggs into a small bowl & whisk until smooth. Season with salt & pepper. Spoon into tart shells, allowing the mixture to settle down into them.
  3. Sprinkle each cup with some grated cheese before transferring to the oven & bake for 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
  • If you prefer, you can always use frozen prepared mini tart shells instead of homemade for a quick shortcut.

Chicken, Veal & Shrimp Pastetli (Vol-Au-Vent)

Pastetli were invented in the early 1800s in Antonin Carême’s pastry store in Paris, France where they’re called vol-au-vent, French for ‘windblown’ to describe its lightness. While they’re served as an appetizer in France, they’re eaten as a main meal not only in Switzerland but also in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is also from the Netherlands where the Swiss name Pastetli origins from. The Dutch call them pasteitje (little pastry). From there it came to the German Pastete. Just to add a little complication though, a Pastete in Switzerland is rectangle cake shaped puff pastry pie filled with sausage meat, mushrooms in a creamy sauce.

A vol-au-vent is a light puff pastry shell that resembles a bowl with a lid. The shell is generally filled with a creamy sauce (most often a velouté sauce) containing vegetables, chicken, meat or fish. The lid is placed on the filled shell and the pastry is then served as an appetizer, also known as bouchée à la Reine, or as the main course of a meal. When prepared, the pastry dough is flattened and cut into two circles. A smaller circle is cut out of the center of one of the circles, which then will be used as the lid. The circle without the center cut and the circle with the center cut are then joined together around the edges so as the pastry bakes, it rises into a shell with a hole in the top. The lid, which is baked separately, is added later. The pastry shell may be made the size of an individual serving, or it can be made in several different sizes to become a main serving for one or a larger size to be served for more than one.

Vol-au-vents rose to prominence in Paris in the 19th century. In post-war Britain, they were a mainstay of any self-respecting buffet, served to suitably impressed guests alongside welcome drinks at dinner parties. By the 1990s, they had become unfashionable and remained so for decades. Updated vol-au-vents started reappearing in chic restaurants a year or two before the covid pandemic (2020) erupted and have become the retro appetizer or main course to have.

You can even adapt them to make some elegant desserts. Fill with cream and fresh fruit or melt a chocolate orange with a dash of Grand Marnier and orange zest then spoon this quick-fix mousse into the cases and top with sweetened Chantilly cream and chocolate shavings.

For our main course vol-au-vents, I am making an interesting filling which includes, chicken, shrimp, mushrooms and tiny meatballs. Sounds a little odd but is packed with flavor.

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 Chicken, Veal & Shrimp Pastetli (Vol-Au-Vent)
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Cuisine European
Keyword chicken, veal & shrimp pastetli (vol-au-vents)
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken/Broth
Mushrooms
Puff Pastry
Meatballs
Shrimp
Béchamel Sauce
Garnish
Cuisine European
Keyword chicken, veal & shrimp pastetli (vol-au-vents)
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken/Broth
Mushrooms
Puff Pastry
Meatballs
Shrimp
Béchamel Sauce
Garnish
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Chicken/Broth
  1. Add the rosemary, garlic, bay leaves, cloves, chopped celery, carrot and onion to a stock pot. Season generously with pepper and salt. Cut the chicken up: legs, wings and breasts. Also chop up the remaining carcass. Add it all to the pot. Then fill it with water (about 7 cups) until the chicken is fully submerged.
  2. Place the pot over high heat until boiling, then leave it there for 10 minutes. Turn the heat lower and gently cook the chicken for about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the heat and let it cool down for another 45 minutes.
Mushrooms/ Shrimp/ Cheese
  1. Chop the mushrooms into bite-size pieces. Peel & devein shrimp. Grate parmesan cheese.
Puff Pastry Shells
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Cut (4) 5-inch circles from puff pastry. Beat the egg & prick holes in the large circles with a fork & brush with egg. Cut 12 more RINGS from pastry about an inch wide. Lay a ring on each of the 4 circles & brush with egg wash. Repeat this until there are 3 rings on each large circle. Bake the puff pastry shells for 25 minutes.
Finish the Broth
  1. Remove the cooked chicken from the hot stock. Reserve stock for later. Remove any chicken skin, bones, veins, cartilage, or sinew (discard all this) & pick the cooked meat from the bones. Shred the larger bits up roughly. Then transfer the chicken meat to a large saucepan.
  2. Strain the chicken stock in a fine sieve or colander over a large pan. You should end up with about 6 cups (1,4 l) of chicken stock. Discard the cooked vegetables.
Meatballs
  1. In a bowl, combine ground veal (pork), salt & pepper, egg & breadcrumbs. Mix well and make tiny balls of ½ oz (15 g) each. You should end up with about 20 of them. Cover the meatballs with cling film and store them in the fridge until later.
  2. Bring the stock to a gentle boil again. Once warm, add the meatballs, shrimp & mushrooms. Poach them for about 5 minutes. Then remove the meatballs, shrimp & mushrooms using a slotted spoon. Add them to the shredded chicken in the large saucepan.
Béchamel Sauce
  1. Take the chicken stock off the heat now. In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk well until you get a wet crumble. Gently cook this over medium-low heat for about a minute. Then gradually add splashes of the warm chicken stock until you get a sticky flour paste. Keep stirring. Don't add too much at once or the sauce will become lumpy.
  2. Whisk well. Gradually add more chicken stock (about 3 to 4 cups) until you get a pretty runny sauce. Bring the sauce to a low simmer & cook for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. whisk in Montreal Steak Spice, onion salt, garlic powder, mustard & grated parmesan.
  3. Add the béchamel sauce to the chicken, meatballs, shrimp & mushrooms. Stir carefully. Cover the pan for another 5 minutes and let the vol au vent filling warm through or place it back over very low heat.
  4. Put the vol au vent puff pastry casings onto 4 serving plates. Top with the chicken, meatball, shrimp & mushroom filling. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serve the vol au vents hot.

Breakfast Turkey Hashbrown Burgers

There’s something fundamentally satisfying about the textural contrast of biting through a crisp savory shell into a juicy turkey burger. It’s not like burgers needed to be reinvented, but I’m all about trying new things to see if there’s something novel and delicious to be discovered. 

Breakfast can be many things to many people. Hash browns come in many shapes and sizes. They can be prepared in various ways. Some consider it the ultimate breakfast food that needs to be served with eggs.

Brion has always enjoyed hashbrowns, not the diced, fried to a crisp in a deep fryer kind, but the nice shredded, golden kind. My inventions for new culinary techniques that revolutionize the way we eat usually happen in the middle of the night during a bout of insomnia. But all it takes is a quick Internet search to reveal that I’m far from the first person to have invented the cookery method, and hundreds of recipes already exist. Nevertheless, this idea for an interesting breakfast is a good example of that.

I crusted the turkey burgers with some shredded potatoes, so when they cook and get crispy, they act as a barrier that locks in all the juices.  The roasted tomatoes add a nice little garnish to the burgers.  I topped the burgers with poached eggs, because when you cut into it, the velvety, creamy yolk pours out onto the burger and acts as a sauce…and what goes better with potatoes than eggs, right?  So, there you have it …. crispy, golden hashbrowns, meat, eggs & tomatoes …. what a breakfast!

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 Breakfast Turkey Hashbrown Burgers
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Course Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword turkey hashbrown burgers
Servings
Ingredients
Spicy Hashbrowns
Turkey Burgers
Other Ingredients
Course Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword turkey hashbrown burgers
Servings
Ingredients
Spicy Hashbrowns
Turkey Burgers
Other Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Hashbrowns
  1. Thaw shredded hashbrowns on paper towel. In a bowl, place the flour, cheese, egg, onion, garlic, coriander, smoked paprika, salt & pepper. Add 'dried' shredded hashbrowns. Using a fork, mix everything until combined being careful not to break up the hashbrowns. Set aside until burgers are ready to be coated with the mixture.
Turkey Burgers
  1. In a bowl, combine burger ingredients & divide into 4 equal portions. Form into burger patties. Coat burgers with hashbrown mixture, gently pressing coating down to make sure it adheres well.
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
  1. In a small bowl, place cherry tomatoes & add some Italian dressing to coat. Place on a foil lined baking dish.
Cooking
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp EACH butter & olive oil. Carefully place hashbrown burgers in skillet & cook burgers on each side only until they are a golden brown. Remove to a baking pan & place in the oven to continue the cooking process until the meat is fully cooked. Roast the cherry tomatoes at the same time.
  3. While the burgers are in the oven, prepare the poached eggs. Heat a small pot of water until it is almost at a boil. Add 1 Tbsp vinegar to help the eggs to congeal. Crack the eggs gently right above the surface of the water. Turn off the heat & cover the pot for about 3-4 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are fully cooked but the yolks are still runny. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon.
  4. When the burgers & tomatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven. Place them on serving plates & top each burger with a poached egg. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme if you wish.

Shrimp, Bacon & Pineapple ‘Pizza’

When you think of an English muffin, breakfast usually comes to mind. An egg and bacon sandwich, melty peanut butter with jelly, or something as elegant as eggs benedict. While English muffins are great for breakfast, they also make a toasty lunch or snack!

Everyone’s tried English muffin pizzas at one point in their life. They offer all the flavors of traditional pizza without the hassle of dough.

Pizza took off across North America during the 1950s. There were numerous contributing factors to the rise in the sudden popularity, but one that profoundly shaped every day cooking was the desire for more convenient foods.

Takeout pizza from restaurants offered a great way to save on time but could be costly. Domestic brands knew one way to appeal to the 1950s ‘housewife’, was combining the convenience of opening a can or jar with the thriftiness of eating at home.

In 1954, Hunt’s brand tomato sauce started advertising the ‘English Muffin Pizza’ with the hope of selling more canned tomato sauce.

The ad called it a 10-minute pizza and included a prominent photo of a can of Hunt’s Tomato Sauce.

Back then, Mozzarella was not too familiar to the average home cooks, so the ad refers to it as ‘pizza cheese.’ Helpfully, the marketing suggests brick, Swiss, or other good melting cheeses.

Although these shrimp, bacon & pineapple pizzas take a bit of time to make, they are well worth it. Don’t be put off by the odd sounding combination of ingredients, they pair well!

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 Shrimp, Bacon & Pineapple 'Pizza'
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Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword shrimp, bacon & pineapple pizza
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Ingredients
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword shrimp, bacon & pineapple pizza
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Crush panko crumbs slightly. In a plastic bag, place the Tbsp of flour. Add shrimp & shake to dust with flour. Add beaten egg to bag & shake to moisten shrimp. Add panko crumbs & OLD BAY seasoning. Shake to coat shrimp well. Set aside in refrigerator.
  2. Shred cheese & chop pineapple. Slice English muffins & very lightly butter.
  3. Grill bacon until cooked but not crisp. Set aside on paper towel. Sauté onions & mushrooms in bacon drippings, remove from griddle. Wipe griddle, then spray with cooking spray & cook shrimp 3-5 minutes. Push to one side & warm pineapple for a couple of minutes. Toast muffins.
  4. Place muffin halves on a baking sheet; cover each half with some of the cheese, mushrooms, onions, more cheese & pineapple.
  5. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with bacon & shrimp. Serve with guacamole & diced tomatoes on the side.

Ritz Cracker Crumb Pork Chops

They’re not just for snacking—Ritz crackers go in casseroles, main courses, appetizers, side dishes and even desserts! Everybody loves Ritz, and even more when they’re on pork chops.

Breading is an essential ingredient in so many recipes. Turns out that many pantry staples (including crackers, chips, and other dried goods) can be used as a breading. All it takes is crushing up some crackers to get the same effect as your usual breadcrumbs and you may even find that you like some of these swaps better than the real thing! Ritz Crackers make a great substitute for traditional breadcrumbs. 

Why use breading? Firstly, there’s the elements of taste and texture. Seasoned breading on a chicken or pork cutlet, for instance, helps encrust the meat in more flavor. It also adds a bit of texture and along with a good blend of spices, a humble pork chop becomes amazing!

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 Ritz Cracker Crumb Pork Chops
Votes: 2
Rating: 3.5
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Course Main Dish
Keyword Ritz cracker crumb pork chops
Servings
Ingredients
Pork Chops
Cracker Crumb Breading
Seasoning Spice Blend
Course Main Dish
Keyword Ritz cracker crumb pork chops
Servings
Ingredients
Pork Chops
Cracker Crumb Breading
Seasoning Spice Blend
Votes: 2
Rating: 3.5
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Instructions
  1. In a small dish, combine spices. Mince onion (chopping by hand).
  2. Empty 1 1/4 sleeves of crackers into a large zip-lock bag. Crush crackers finely until you have a uniform size. Add seasoning mixture & onions to the bag & toss well to incorporate.
  3. Create a breading station for pork chops. One dish with flour, one with the beaten egg & one with the cracker crumb breading.
  4. Dip one of the chops into the flour & flip it over a couple of times . Coat all sides of the pork chop well with a thin layer of flour. Dip the flour coated chop into the egg, coating all sides.
  5. Lastly, dip coated chop into cracker crumb breading mixture. Press the crumb mixture onto the pork chop with your hand to ensure it is coated well. Lie breaded pork chop onto a platter. repeat this process for the rest of the pork chops.
  6. Place breaded chops in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. This will help the batter adhere to the chops better.
  7. Heat a griddle to a medium-low heat & spray griddle with cooking spray. Grill chops on both sides until cooked through & nicely browned. Serve with pork gravy if desired.

Dumpling Wrapper Shrimp Ravioli w/ Lemon Garlic Butter

Most experts believe that dumplings were invented by a Chinese medicine practitioner. As legend tells it, it was a difficult winter, and many were experiencing ill effects from the cold. To help people warm up, he used mutton, herbs, and chilis and wrapped them in dough, then steamed them to bind everything together and keep them warm. These steaming, pillow-like treats helped people overcome the cold weather, while the herbs worked to improve blood circulation and prevent frostbite.

‘Dumpling’ is broad term that spans across cuisines and can vary greatly depending on where you’re eating. Typically, in Asian cuisines, a dumpling is a thin wheat-based dough filled with meats, or other proteins, and vegetables before being folded up and either steamed, boiled, or fried. Today we have an incredible variety of shapes, sizes, tastes and styles. The main difference from country to country is the preferred fillings and how the dough is folded.

Homemade dumplings are a labor of love! And there is nothing else quite like them. Even though making dumpling wrappers from scratch is not as difficult as it is often made to seem, commercially sold wrappers are a super convenient option when time is of the essence.

By purchasing generic dumpling wrappers, also sometimes referred to as ‘dumpling skins’, you’ll have a world of flavors to play with. Typically made with wheat flour and round in shape, store-bought dumpling wrappers can be steamed, boiled in soups, or fried.

These dumpling wrapper shrimp ‘ravioli’ are easy to make and the lemon garlic butter adds such a great flavor boost.

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 Dumpling Wrapper Shrimp Ravioli w/ Lemon Garlic Butter
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Rating: 5
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Cuisine Asia
Keyword dumpling wrapper shrimp ravioli w/ lemon garlic butter
Servings
Ingredients
Cuisine Asia
Keyword dumpling wrapper shrimp ravioli w/ lemon garlic butter
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Ravioli
  1. In a saucepan, sauté shrimp meat in butter for a few minutes until just cooked.
  2. In a bowl, combine all but 1 Tbsp of the beaten egg (reserve the Tbsp for later). Strip thyme & discard the stalks, add leaves to the bowl with parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt & 1 tsp of lemon juice. Chop shrimp meat fine & add to bowl; mix well.
  3. On a work surface, lay out 18 dumpling wrappers. Carefully divide shrimp filling between them. Moisten the edges with remaining egg, lay a second wrapper on top & seal around the edges by pressing firmly, making a crimped border with a fork.
  4. If making ahead of time, you can refrigerate the ravioli at this stage. Just lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper & cover with plastic wrap.
Cooking
  1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 liters of water to a boil. Cook ravioli in small batches for about a minute or two, drain.
  2. Melt butter & minced garlic on a griddle, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice & a little lemon zest. Add cooked ravioli & sauté just until lightly browned. Serve.