Ingredient: water

Baked Spaghetti

The concept of baking pasta with sauce, meats, and cheese has deep roots in the Campania and Sicily regions of Southern Italy. Historically, aristocratic and peasant households baked grand pasta dishes for festive occasions like Sundays and Easter. These early versions were often made with tubular pasta, hard-boiled eggs, meatballs, and regional cheeses layered together.

When Italian immigrants arrived in North America, they adapted these celebratory, labor-intensive dishes into a more accessible, convenient, and hearty weeknight casserole using spaghetti. The dish was highly economical, making it perfect for feeding large families and feeding crowds at community potlucks.

Today, baked spaghetti is recognized as a classic comfort food fusion. While traditional Italian versions use ridged shapes like rigatoni or ziti, the North American approach generally focuses on tossing cooked spaghetti with a rich meat or marinara sauce, mixing it with ricotta or cottage cheese, and baking it with a generous layer of melted mozzarella on top.

I have always preferred ‘baked’ spaghetti over just boiling it and adding the meat sauce. My favorite recipe is one I developed using a ‘secret’ ingredient, Classico fire roasted tomato pizza sauce. The recipe is basic and easy to prepare but has a wonderful flavor. Add some garlic bread and you have a winner every time!

Print Recipe
 Baked Spaghetti
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked spaghetti
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked spaghetti
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti & cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain & set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  3. Sauté ground meat, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic & herbs & spices in a large skillet over medium heat until meat is browned, about 10 minutes; drain. Microwave broccoli florets until tender, crisp if using & add to meat mixture.
  4. Combine soup, water & pizza sauce in the pot you cooked spaghetti in. Stir in meat mixture & spaghetti; combine well.
  5. Spread mixture into a 11" x 7.5" x 2.5" baking dish (or baking dish of choice) & top with cheese.
  6. Bake until bubbly & cheese is lightly browned, 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven & serve.

Cheesy Seafood Pastry Braid

When it comes to entertaining or creating a special weekend meal, we often find ourselves choosing between two paths: spending hours over a hot stove or settling for something familiar and uninspiring. But what if you could serve a dish that looks like it walked out of a high-end French bakery, requires minimal fuss, and delivers a deeply comforting flavor? Enter the Cheesy Seafood Pastry Braid.

This stunning centerpiece wraps the sweetness of coastal seafood in a flaky, golden-brown puff pastry crust. To push it completely over the top into restaurant-quality luxury, it gets paired with a velvety, rich hollandaise sauce.

The magic of this dish lies in its perfect contrast of textures and flavors. The foundation is a buttery sheet of puff pastry, which bakes into a crisp, shatteringly light shell. Brushed with a golden egg wash and a sprinkle of Parmesan, it provides a gorgeous, glossy crunch. Inside, you get a premium blend of cooked shrimp and lump crab meat. Rather than being weighed down by a heavy cream sauce, the seafood is bound together by softened cream cheese and minced garlic. A touch of shredded mozzarella adds that coveted, satisfying cheesy pull, while a hit of fresh lemon juice and classic OLD BAY seasoning cuts through the richness.

While this pastry braid is spectacular on its own, serving it with hollandaise sauce transforms it into an elegant brunch or dinner classic. Hollandaise is an emulsion of egg yolks, melted butter, and lemon juice. Because the pastry filling is deeply savory and creamy, the hollandaise acts as a luxurious, velvety blanket. The bright, tangy pop of lemon in the sauce elevates the sweetness of the crab and shrimp, cutting right through the buttery layers of pastry. To keep the plate balanced, drizzle the hollandaise lightly over individual slices just before serving, or present it in a warm boat on the side so guests can add it to their liking.

Whether you are hosting a festive holiday brunch or treating yourself to an elegant dinner at home, this cheesy seafood braid is guaranteed to impress. It proves that you don’t need a culinary degree to create something truly magnificent—just a sheet of pastry, a bit of seafood, and a little bit of kitchen confidence.

Print Recipe
 Cheesy Seafood Pastry Braid
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine French
Keyword cheesy seafood pastry braid
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Seafood Filling
Pastry Braid & Toppings
Hollandaise Sauce
Course Main Dish
Cuisine French
Keyword cheesy seafood pastry braid
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Seafood Filling
Pastry Braid & Toppings
Hollandaise Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Seafood Filling
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with a fresh sheet of parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, minced garlic, lemon juice, Old Bay seasoning & chopped parsley until uniform & completely smooth. Gently fold the chopped shrimp & lump crab meat into the cream mixture. Work carefully so you keep the delicate texture of the seafood intact without breaking it down too finely.
Pastry
  1. Lay the thawed puff pastry sheet flat on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Mentally divide the pastry vertically into three equal columns. Spoon the seafood filling evenly down the center third column, ensuring you leave about an inch empty at the very top & bottom edges. Using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut matching diagonal strips (roughly 1 inch wide) down the left & right outer columns of the pastry, moving from the edge of the filling outward to the edge of the sheet.
Assembly
  1. Fold the top & bottom edges of the pastry slightly over the ends of the filling to seal them. Then, alternating from the left side to the right side, fold the cut pastry strips diagonally over the filling to create an overlapping woven braided pattern. Gently tuck & press the final ends under. Brush the entire surface of the braid evenly with the beaten egg wash for a high-gloss finish. Lightly dust the top with the extra tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese.
Baking
  1. Place the pan in the oven & bake for 22 - 25 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the pastry has risen completely & turned a rich, deep golden brown.
Hollandaise Sauce
  1. In a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (double boiler) or in a blender, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, water & a pinch of salt. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens slightly. Slowly stream in the warm melted butter while whisking vigorously until the sauce is thick & smooth. Stir in a a dash of cayenne or Tabasco.
Serve
  1. Let the baked seafood pastry rest on the counter for 5 - 10 minutes so the creamy filling can set slightly before slicing. Spoon or ladle the warm hollandaise sauce generously over the pastry braid or pass around so each guest can put their own on their individual servings. Finish with a scattering of fresh lemon zest & finely chopped parsley.
Recipe Notes

• Alternately, KNOOR makes a wonderful hollandaise sauce mix that could be used instead of making your own!

Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It’s hard to imagine we have already reached the end of October. Much like the leaves swirling in the crisp autumn breeze, we are reminded of the fickle nature of time. It really doesn’t wait for anyone. Brion and I were in a store around the end of September that already had Christmas displays up. For me, that really doesn’t work. Maybe it just comes as we get older, but I really enjoy trying to stay in the ‘moment’ and enjoy each day, season and year as they unfold. That time will never come again, so why do we feel the need to rush it so. I guess you could call it, ‘making the most of your own personal journey’.

Halloween means many things to different people. When I think back to Halloween when I was growing up on the farm, it was fairly ‘low key’. My mother did all that she could to make it fun for us — carving jack-o-lanterns, bobbing for apples and making a special treat of popcorn balls. My dad had his own point of view of such a holiday that being, ‘if he wanted his kids to have candy, he would buy it for them’, as opposed to us asking the neighbors for it. Nevertheless, the world didn’t end because of it. There were always school parties in grade school to ‘dress up’ for that were fun. Looking back at some photos of my sister Loretta and I in our costumes brings back some treasured memories.

For a Halloween treat this year I am making some salted caramel rice krispie treats. The salted caramel craze has become a ubiquitous flavor in the culinary world, appearing in everything from ice cream to coffee to cocktails etc. etc.

French chocolatier and caramélier, Henri Le Roux is credited with creating salted caramel in 1977. He was making caramel when he accidentally added some fleur de sel, a type of French sea salt, to the mixture. Instead of throwing the batch away, he tasted it and was pleasantly surprised by the combination of sweet and salty flavors. He went on to create a salted caramel confection, which he called ‘caramels au beurre salé’ or ‘salted butter caramels.‘

Salted caramel’s popularity grew in the late 1990s after Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé created a salted caramel macaron. Hermé’s macaron became popular with American food professionals, and a related trend of salted chocolate also began to gain popularity. In 1998, Michael Recchiuti, a chocolate maker from San Francisco, began selling fleur de sel caramels covered in chocolate. 

In addition to its popularity in the food industry, salted caramel has also made its way into the beverage industry. Salted caramel lattes and hot chocolates have become popular seasonal offerings at coffee shops, and some breweries have even incorporated the flavor into their craft beers.

Salted caramel may have started as an accidental combination, but it seems that over the last few years it has managed to infiltrate itself into every possible food and drink sector. From its origins in a French chocolate shop to its contemporary status as a flavor craze, salted caramel has proven that sweet and salty can be a winning combination. The appeal of salted caramel lies in its balance of flavors – the sweetness is offset by the savory notes of the salt, which not only adds depth to the taste but also accentuates the caramel’s buttery richness.

Salted caramel rice krispies treats are great for kids (and adults) Halloween parties and can be made in 15-20 minutes from start to finish. A simple way to transform a classic recipe into something special. 

Print Recipe
 Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword salted caramel rice krispie treats
Servings
Ingredients
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword salted caramel rice krispie treats
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Caramel Layer
  1. Line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper that hangs over the edges of the pan. Once the caramel & drizzle have completely set you will be able to lift the entire block out onto the cutting board.
  2. Place caramels & water in a saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Keep warm.
Rice Krispie/Pepita Layer
  1. In a medium pot, place butter & mini marshmallows. Melt on medium heat stirring constantly. When mixture is smooth, add vanilla. Turn off heat & add cereal, combine well. Place about 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared pan. GENTLY press into the baking pan. If you pack them down too hard the bars will end up hard & crunchy opposed to soft & gooey. Sprinkle the pepita seeds over the sticky rice krispies.
  2. Next, pour the caramel sauce over top of the rice krispie/pepita layer. Drop the remaining warm rice krispie mixture onto the caramel in dollops, quickly spreading it around carefully into an even layer as much as you can. Place bars into the fridge to chill.
Chocolate Drizzle
  1. In a saucepan add 1/2 cup heavy cream. Once it barely begins to boil remove from heat. Pour the milk chocolate chips in a cereal bowl. Slowly mix cream and chocolate by adding the heated heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time while stirring the chocolate chips. Add a little at a time until it is at the right consistency to drizzle. Then let it cool for a few minutes. Drizzle on top of the rice krispie bars then sprinkle with sea salt.
Chill & Slice
  1. Place pan back in fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. Cut into preferred size portions while cold. If you are returning them to the fridge at that point, remove at least half hour before serving.

Cheese & Green Onion Pancakes

Cheese & green onion pancakes, a savory version of Scotch pancakes or drop scones, make a great breakfast, lunch, or snack. The simple batter of flour, milk and an egg plus mature white cheddar and fresh green onions, is whisked together in seconds.

Drop scones are small, thick pancakes, made by dropping spoonsful of batter onto a hot griddle or a frying pan. Originally invented in Scotland, these fluffy treats quickly spread throughout the British Isles. Queen Elizabeth herself was very fond of drop scones – allegedly, she even prepared them for President Dwight Eisenhower during his visit to Balmoral Castle in 1959.

Although they are similar in ingredients and rise to North American style pancakes, they’re usually smaller in size.

Very often when the idea of putting green onions in a pancake comes to mind, Chinese green onion cakes are immediately thought of. These fluffy savory pancakes not only have onions in them, but a good amount of cheese. You can eat them with a dab of butter melted on top, plus extra cheese, eggs, crispy bacon or smoked salmon. Yum!

Print Recipe
 Cheese & Green Onion Pancakes
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword cheese & chives pancakes
Servings
Ingredients
Pancakes
Herb-Garlic Savory Syrup
Course Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword cheese & chives pancakes
Servings
Ingredients
Pancakes
Herb-Garlic Savory Syrup
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Herb-Garlic Savory Syrup
  1. Combine water & sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved & the liquid is clear.
  2. Whisk in the dried herbs & minced garlic. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil for 1 minute, then immediately reduce heat & simmer for 2-3 minutes to help the dried herbs soften & release their oils.
  3. Remove from heat, cover & let syrup steep for at least 20-30 minutes. Pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer to remove the fine particles of dried herbs.
Pancakes
  1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder & salt.
  2. In another bowl, beat egg, milk & melted butter.
  3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients & stir gently until JUST combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.
  4. Gently fold in the shredded cheese & sliced green onion.
  5. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake.
  6. Cook for 2-3 minutes until bubbles form on the surface & the edges set. Flip & cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
  7. These pancakes are nice served with the herb-garlic savory syrup if you enjoy a sweet/savory combination.

Pumpkin Maple Garlic-Herb Cornbread

It’s hard to think of Thanksgiving without pumpkin. Most pumpkins are harvested between late August and the end of October. This makes them a plentiful and inexpensive ingredient at that time. For us in Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated in October, so pumpkins are naturally associated with the festive fall feast in some way or another.

Pumpkin cornbread paired with garlic-herb maple syrup evolved from the blending of Indigenous agricultural staples, early American colonial necessity, and the modern culinary trend of ‘swavory’ (sweet-and-savory) flavor pairing. This specific dish represents a multi-century journey where rustic survival foods transformed into gourmet comfort food.

Maple syrup has an earthy, woodsy undertone that pairs naturally with pungent garlic and robust woody herbs. Infusing these savory elements into the syrup bridges the gap between the naturally sweet pumpkin cornbread and savory dinner mains (like chili, roast turkey, or holiday pork meals).

Today, this combination is celebrated because the moisture of the pumpkin keeps the cornbread from drying out, while the garlic-herb syrup cuts through the rich sweetness, creating a balanced, high-end culinary experience out of simple harvest ingredients.

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I thought this cornbread would be a great addition to our holiday meal.

Print Recipe
 Pumpkin Maple Garlic-Herb Cornbread
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course side dish
Cuisine North American
Keyword pumpkin cornbread w/ cinnamon honey butter
Servings
MINI LOAVES
Ingredients
Herb-Garlic Savory Syrup
Pumpkin Cornbread
Course side dish
Cuisine North American
Keyword pumpkin cornbread w/ cinnamon honey butter
Servings
MINI LOAVES
Ingredients
Herb-Garlic Savory Syrup
Pumpkin Cornbread
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Herb-Garlic Savory Syrup
  1. Combine water & sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved & the liquid is clear.
  2. Whisk in the Italian seasoning & minced garlic. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil for 1 minute, then immediately reduce heat & simmer for 2-3 minutes to help the dried herbs soften & release their oils.
  3. Remove from heat, cover & let syrup steep for at least 20-30 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine mesh strainer to remove the fine particles of dried herbs.
Pumpkin Cornbread
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 8 mini loaf pans with paper liners.
  2. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder & salt in a large bowl.
  3. In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk the pumpkin puree, garlic-herb savory syrup, melted butter, milk & eggs until completely smooth.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold with a spatula just until the flour disappears to avoid a tough texture. Spread the batter evenly into prepared mini pans & sprinkle pepita seeds on top.
  5. Bake for 23 - 28 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean but do NOT OVERBAKE. For a nice moist texture, lean to almost an underbaked cake rather than overbaked.
Recipe Notes

• Dried Cranberries are sweeter than fresh so toss them in hot water for 5 minutes to plump them up, then drain them completely before adding to batter.
• Toss your prepared cranberries with 1 teaspoon of flour (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the cornbread). Fold them into the batter at the very end, right after the wet & dry ingredients are just combined.

Grape & Gouda Cookies

It’s autumn and that means it’s grape season. Grapes come in a variety of colors and types such as seedless or with seeds, table grapes or wine grapes. One thing I’ve noticed on the internet is that there are unlimited recipes for everything imaginable using grapes except cookie recipes.

Red grape and gouda cheese cookies are a gourmet twist on traditional baking that transforms classic charcuterie elements into portable, sweet and savory pastry.

I have been doing a bit of recipe development to come up with a cookie recipe that used grapes without ending up with a soggy mess due to the water content of grapes. The approach I took was to first make a thick jelly from the grapes for the filling keeping it slightly tart. To give the cookie some texture, I used oatmeal and pepita seeds in the dough. By forming it into the classic ‘thumbprint’ shape gives you a nice depression for the jelly, gouda and fresh grapes. The experiment worked out quite well giving a very unique seasonal cookie.

Grape based baking such as crisp, tarts, cake, galette or pie strictly aligns with the fall grape harvest but since grapes are available all year long its nice to have lots of choices to make use of them, right?!

Print Recipe
 Grape & Gouda Cookies
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Grape & Gouda Cookies
Servings
Ingredients
Grape Jelly Filling
Cookie Dough
Gouda
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword Grape & Gouda Cookies
Servings
Ingredients
Grape Jelly Filling
Cookie Dough
Gouda
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Grape Jelly Filling
  1. Wash & halve the grapes. In a small saucepan, combine all filling ingredients. Stir everything together & bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Allow mixture to simmer for about 5-7 minutes until grapes soften & mixture thickens. When cooked, pour through a fine mesh strainer to extract the grape skins. Set aside until ready to use.
Cookie Dough
  1. In a bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt & pepita seeds. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter & sugars until light & fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes.
  3. Beat in eggs & vanilla until fully combined. Gradually add dry mixture to wet ingredients, mixing until JUST combined. Place dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Assembly/Baking
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If you prefer a bit of a fancier look for the cookies, use large paper muffin cups and just set them directly on the baking sheet.
  2. Halve the 42 grapes needed for topping the cookies. Cut gouda cheese into 1/2-inch cubes.
  3. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough either directly on the parchment paper or into the paper cups. In the center of each cookie make a fairly deep depression. Place grape jelly filling in the depression (don’t be afraid to use a generous amount of grape jelly in each cookie. Since the ‘jelly’ is very thick it adds flavor but doesn’t run out during baking). Top it with a cube of gouda cheese. Next place 3 grape halves over the cheese.
  4. Bake cookies for about 12-15 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven & allow to cook on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Remove paper cups (if using) to show the fluted edge.
Recipe Notes

• Cookies containing grapes soften after a few days due to moisture migration. Water inside the fruit slowly moves out into the drier cookie dough. Sugar in the cookies then traps this extra water, making the whole cookie soft and moist. Make sure to store cookies in the refrigerator & it is best to use them within a couple of days due to the softening of the cookie.

Wild Herb-Garlic Salmon w/ Veggies

The use of herb and garlic savory syrups over roasted salmon and vegetables has evolved over the years from ancient Mediterranean flavor principles and the Asian honey-garlic culinary tradition. They have been blended into a popular one-dish, western home-cooked meal.

This specific flavor profile is popular because it hits the ‘sweet and savory’ jackpot. The contrast between the sugary sweetness, umami-rich garlic, and Italian seasonings which add earthy, aromatic notes, neutralizes the natural ‘fishiness’ of salmon.

As the syrup reduces and roasts, it forms a glossy, sticky crust on the fish and glazes the vegetables perfectly in the same pan. The sugars in the syrup help lock in moisture, keeping the salmon tender and flaky while the edges get wonderfully crisp. Salt along with the aged cheddar enhance and elevate all the surrounding flavors.

This was one of those ideas that turned out to be so much more than I expected, I had to share it on the blog.

Print Recipe
 Wild Herb-Garlic Salmon w/ Veggies
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asia
Keyword wild herb-garlic salmon w/ veggies
Servings
Ingredients
Herb-Garlic Savory Sauce
Salmon/Veggies
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asia
Keyword wild herb-garlic salmon w/ veggies
Servings
Ingredients
Herb-Garlic Savory Sauce
Salmon/Veggies
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Sauce
  1. Combine water & sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved & liquid is clear. Whisk in the Italian seasoning & minced garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute, then immediately reduce heat & simmer for 2-3 minutes to help the dried herbs soften & release their oils. Remove from heat, cover & let the sauce steep for at least 20-30 minutes. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove the fine particles of dried herbs.
Salmon/Veggies
  1. Slice salmon fillets into 6 strips. Place them in a small bowl & marinate in some of the herb-garlic sauce for 30 minutes.
  2. Prick potatoes all over with a fork & microwave on HIGH until tender, about 3 min. Cool & cut in half. Set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  4. In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until golden, about 5 min. Stir in garlic, salt, pepper & mushrooms. Cook until no liquid remains, about 5 min. Cool completely.
  5. Arrange reserved potatoes in 2 au gratin dishes (oval lasagna dishes). Top with the broccoli, mushroom-onion mixture & drizzle with a bit of the herb-garlic sauce. Lay 3 strips of salmon across the top of each dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
  6. Bake uncovered until the cheese is golden, the salmon flakes with a fork & the vegetables are tender, about 25 min. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

Raspberry Custard Cinnamon Rolls

BIRTHDAY WISHES!

The small pleasures of life are found in the little things. In people who make us smile, in the people who understand us even without words.

The little pleasures in life lie in the things we almost always take for granted, just assuming they will always be there. As we grow older, it has become very clear to me there are so many ‘little’ things to appreciate and be grateful for daily and what a special privilege it is to simply have each other to share life with. The little everyday things seem to take on much greater importance. Maybe it’s the state of our world at this time that has made it very clear not to take anything for granted. Throughout our married life Brion has always gone above and beyond to look after us. I am grateful to have the privilege of such a loving and caring husband.

I find this quote from Steven Aitchison so fitting, ‘If I could give you one special ability in life it would be the gift of seeing yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you …. then you would realize just how amazing you truly are’.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRION, WITH LOVE!

Print Recipe
 Raspberry Custard Cinnamon Rolls
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword raspberry custard cinnamon rolls
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Raspberry Filling
Custard
Cream Cheese Drizzle, optional
Raspberry Glaze, optional
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword raspberry custard cinnamon rolls
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Raspberry Filling
Custard
Cream Cheese Drizzle, optional
Raspberry Glaze, optional
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Dough
  1. Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tbsp sugar & yeast together in a bowl. Allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy on top.
  2. With a handheld mixer, beat in the remaining 3 Tbsp sugar & softened butter until it is slightly broken up. Add eggs, vanilla & salt. Beat at a medium speed until combined. The butter won’t really be mixing into the mixture, so don’t be concerned if it stays in pieces.
  3. Using the mixer, add 1 cup of flour making sure it’s fully incorporated, then using a fork add the remaining 3 cups, mixing the dough by hand. It should only take about 3 minutes until the dough comes together & pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough will be soft.
  4. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
  5. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm place for 2 hours or until double in size.
  6. Butter the bottom & sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
  7. Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface & using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth & evenly thick.
Filling
  1. In a medium bowl, toss the frozen raspberries with sugar & cornstarch. Spread the cold sugared raspberries evenly over the dough. Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch long log. With an extra sharp knife or an unscented piece of floss, cut into 18 even rolls. Arrange in a buttered 9 x 13” glass baking pan.
  2. Cover the rolls with a buttered piece of plastic wrap & a tea towel. Allow to rise until puffy, about 20 minutes. The berries will release their juice at the bottom of the pan—this is OK.
Custard
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until the yolks & whites are fully combined. Add the whole milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & salt. Whisk until the brown sugar is dissolved & the mixture looks smooth & evenly speckled with cinnamon.
  2. Slowly pour the custard over the rolls in the glass baking dish, making sure to cover all the pieces so they soak up the custard. Gently press down any pieces that sit too high, so everything is lightly moistened.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  4. Let the dish rest on the counter for 30 minutes to allow the rolls to start absorbing the sweet mixture. This short soak helps the casserole bake up custardy rather than dry.
  5. Place the dish on the center rack of the preheated oven & bake for 30–40 minutes, or until the top is puffed & golden brown & the custard is set in the center. A knife inserted in the middle should come out mostly clean, with no liquid custard clinging to it.
  6. Remove the casserole from the oven & let it cool for about 10 minutes. If using, top rolls with cream cheese drizzle followed by the raspberry glaze.
Cream Cheese Drizzle
  1. In a small blender, place all ingredients & blend until smooth & of drizzle consistency.
Raspberry Glaze
  1. Place all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook while stirring until mixture is clear & bubbling. Remove from heat
  2. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days & reheat gently in a low oven or microwave before serving.
Recipe Notes

• If you prefer a custard with a slightly lighter texture, replace the heavy cream with additional whole milk & reduce the brown sugar to ¼ cup.
• Cream cheese drizzle & raspberry glaze are purely optional. Since none of the components of the rolls are not overly sweet, adding the extra toppings still works if you choose to use them.

Rhubarb Custard Cream Puffs w/ Craquelin Topping

Rhubarb elicits so many childhood memories. I love growing this so-called fruit that’s actually a vegetable. A perennial, rhubarb really grows itself.  It’s the first to poke through the soil in early spring, starting with little red bumps and furled, neon green leaves that stretch out dramatically in a few weeks. The Chinese were perhaps the first to use rhubarb for its medicinal purposes. In fact, it was one of the first Chinese medicines to be exported to Europe, sometime in the fourteenth century. The European colonists brought rhubarb seeds to the New World, and records show that it was grown and cultivated as early as the eighteenth century.

The popularity of rhubarb increased considerably in the twentieth century between the two world wars. Perhaps the fact that it grew anywhere and with little fuss, made it a good crop for the Depression years.

Call it my renewed passion for all things old-fashioned, to me, rhubarb is delicious and interesting. It’s known as ‘the pie plant’ but you can use it in so many applications sweet or savory. One such example are these rhubarb cream puffs with craquelin topping.

Cream puffs start with choux pastry, a heady mixture of butter, milk, water, eggs & flour. When you combine these ingredients, they become so dense and sticky that it seems impossible they’ll come together as soft, puffy, light, tender. Heat is what initiates the expansion of the dense paste. Steam from the milk and water expands the pastry’s edges, puffing up its capacity until the oven heat provides just enough crispness and structure to hold the puffs’ boundaries. A cream puff expands so dramatically in the oven that it creates a cavern inside to hold any number of things—whipped cream, pastry cream, ice cream or savory fillings.

Cream puff pastry (or choux pastry) is the base for profiteroles (smaller puffs filled with ice cream), éclairs (elongated puffs filled with pastry cream and glazed), croquembouche (a tower of cream puffs held together and drizzled with caramel) and savory appetizer puffs called gougeres with cheese and herbs.

Craquelin (pronounced kra-ke-lan) is a thin biscuit layer that can be added over choux pastries before baking them. It is used to create a crackly appearance, crunchy texture and a buttery sweet taste as well as helping the choux pastry bake evenly to form hollow rounds. This topping reminded me of a similar cookie-like topping used on Mexican sweet bread called ‘conchas’. It certainly dresses up ordinary cream puffs.

Print Recipe
 Rhubarb Custard Cream Puffs w/ Craquelin Topping
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword rhubarb custard cream puffs w/ craquelin topping
Servings
Minis
Ingredients
Stewed Rhubarb
Thick Custard
Craquelin Topping
Choux Pastry
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword rhubarb custard cream puffs w/ craquelin topping
Servings
Minis
Ingredients
Stewed Rhubarb
Thick Custard
Craquelin Topping
Choux Pastry
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Stewed Rhubarb
  1. In a small saucepan, combine the chopped rhubarb, sugar & water. Cook over medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes until rhubarb is soft, jammy & holds its shape. Remove from heat to cool.
Thick Custard
  1. In a small bowl, mix the custard powder & sugar with a splash of the cold milk to form a smooth paste. In a saucepan, heat the remaining milk & vanilla until just starting to simmer. Whisk the hot milk into the custard paste, then pour everything back into the saucepan.
  2. Cook over a medium-low heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture becomes very thick & glossy. Remove from heat & beat in the butter until melted. Press a piece of clingfilm directly onto the surface to prevent skin from forming.
  3. Allow to cool then place it in a food processor with the stewed rhubarb & blend to a smooth pudding-like consistency. Set aside to cool further until ready to use.
Craquelin
  1. In a food processor, process sugar, red gel coloring (if using) & butter until they form large crumbs. Add flour, salt & vanilla; process until a dough forms. Bring dough together to form a disk.
  2. Roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper until it is 1/16-inch thickness. Place in the freezer for about an hour then cut into (18) 2-inch circles & keep in the freezer until ready to use.
Choux Pastry
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a saucepot, combine milk, water, butter & salt; bring to boiling. Add flour, all at once, stirring vigorously. Cook & stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat & add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
  3. Place dough in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe (18) 1 1/2-inch circles. Cover each with a frozen craquelin round circle of dough. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until slightly golden, puffed & firm. Transfer to a wire rack & allow to cool.
Assembly
  1. Poke a hole in each cream puff. Fill a pastry bag with rhubarb custard & gently pipe filling into each cream puff. Serve.

Peachy Chicken

The original Peachy Chicken recipe has been printed on the back of the Heinz Malt Vinegar bottle for many years. Peaches paired with chicken just go together extremely well. The chicken cooked in peach sauce just melts in your mouth and the sauce itself has a sweet & sour flavor that is just amazing.

Malt vinegar transforms simple baked chicken into something incredibly special! Made from malted grains of barley, malt vinegar has a tart flavor and can help to enhance the flavors of other foods it is paired with. It is best known for topping fish and chips.

Malt vinegar is produced from the same grains that are used for making beer, and so it has a similar lemony, nutty, and caramel flavor profile as malted ale. It can range in color from light to dark brown while some distilled varieties are clear.

Usually found in condiment or bakery aisles at the grocery store, it’s become a culinary mainstay in British and Canadian cuisines.

Print Recipe
 Peachy Chicken
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine North American
Keyword peachy chicken
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine North American
Keyword peachy chicken
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, brown the chicken thighs, onion & garlic in the oil.
  2. Combine the reserved peach juice, orange juice concentrate, vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes (if using), basil, salt, cloves, cinnamon & pepper. Pour over browned chicken mixture. Cover & simmer 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  3. Add peaches; heat. Combine cornstarch & water; stir into sauce. Heat, stirring, until sauce is thickened.
  4. Serve chicken & sauce over rice.
Recipe Notes

• If malt vinegar is not available, try using apple cider vinegar as a substitute.