Dutch Baby

Alright, so I was drawn to this recipe because of the name. I mean who wouldn't want to eat a Dutch Baby? Anyways, I got this recipe from the Canadian Living Website and made it this morning. It was very unique - reminded me of the crust of impossible pie that my mom used to make! Mike and I really enjoyed them!

Dutch Baby

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

butter or margarine to grease pan

4 lemon wedges

2 tsp icing sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two round cake pans.

In a blender or food processor, mix the eggs, flour, and milk till smooth. When the oven has reached 400, place greased cake pans in oven until the marg/butter starts to bubble. Then pour half of the mixture into each cake pan.

Bake at 400 deg F for about 15 minutes or until really puffed up and edges are browned.

Quickly invert onto plates, squeeze lemon and top with icing sugar.

Vatrushky (Ukrainian Cheese Tarts)

So way back when I was living in that house full of grad students, one of my housemates, Sarah, found this absolutely delish recipe for Ukrainian Cheese Tarts. I believe she was going to a Ukrainian themed pot-luck, but that's besides the point. On second thought --yumm, I should look into holding one of those! Anyhow, with some coaxing, she shared the recipe with me and now I can enjoy them any way I want. This tart is actually the inspiration for my blog name!

Vatrushky

1 cup butter

1 cup + 1 TBSP sour cream

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup cottage cheese

2 eggs

1) Dough: chop butter and flour together until well crumbled. Mix salt with sour cream, then add to flour and butter mixture. Quickly knead the dough and place in fridge for 10-15 min.

2) Filling: Mix cottage cheese and remaining 1 TBSP sour cream. Add one beaten egg along with a dash of salt (NOTE: At this stage you can also add any other seasonings - dill, cayenne, pepper, etc.)

3) Once dough is chilled, roll out to about 1/2 cm thick and cut out circles from the dough with the rim of a floured glass. Line a tart pan with dough circles. Add filling to each tart until just level with pan rim (don't go above pastry edges). Beat the remaining egg and brush this on top of each cheese tart.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min or until tarts are slightly reddish in color.

**The dough can be kind of finicky, but well worth it!!

Slow cooked pulled pork, hashbrown casserole, and mandarin raspberry salad

Alright, so Mike had the brilliant idea of having people over for a game of risk, then watch the Canada vs USA game this past Sunday. I thought this was a great idea until I started to panic as to what to make for supper as everyone was showing up at 4:00 for games and the game started at 6:30! Well never fear, I figured out an easy menu that was equally as delicious, and fed 10 people! It all could be pretty much prepared before hand, so I didn't have to worry about taking time out from playing games and have to be a grown up and cook supper!

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

4-5lb pork shoulder blade roast **I used a hip or something as Sobey's was all out of the shoulder blade roast at 11pm Saturday night!

1 lg onion, chopped and fried in a bit of butter (chop and fry two onions up if you're gonna make the hashbrown casserole too!)

Add some chopped garlic to the onion mixture too while you're frying it.

1 1/2 cups water

your favorite bbq sauce

Layer onions, roast, and rest of onions in your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. (I started this at midnight). Remove roast, "pull" apart with two forks, and dump out the liquid from the crockpot (saving the onions if you want and adding it back to the meat). Mix the pulled pork with enough bbq sauce that it mixes easy, and cook on low for another 4-6 hours. Serve on fresh buns!

Hashbrown Casserole

1 kg hashbrowns

500 ml fat free sour cream

2 cans reduced sodium cream of chicken soup

1 onion chopped and fried (see prev recipe)

A few pinches of paprika

A few pinches of cayenne

some dill

2 cups shredded old light cheddar, divided

Mix up everything except the hashbrowns in a large mixing bowl. Spices are added to taste, ie if you like dill, put more in, if you don't, just omit it! Add a cup of cheese. (This can sit in the fridge overnight.) When ready to prepare, mix sauce with hashbrowns, pour into a 9x13 greased pan, top with remaining grated cheese, sprinkle a bit of parsley on top for color, then bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.

Mandarin Raspberry Salad

In your favorite salad bowl, add mixed greens, candied nuts, diced or grated cheese, a can or two of mandarin oranges (depending on how big your salad is), some croutons, and raspberry vinagrette. Add dressing right before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

Alright, so there's no real story to go along with this recipe, as it's just pure deliciousness! I found it on the Canadian Living website and it was a recipe from the chef at the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria. I'll just let the picture speak for itself...


Chicken Pot Pie

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup white wine (Smoking Loon=delish)

2 cups carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 cups cubed potato

1 bay leaf

Pinch each salt and pepper

1 lb (500 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed (I usually

use leftover chicken or turkey)

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup whipping cream (you can use milk here instead - still turns out fine)

1 cup frozen peas

Half pkg (397 g pkg) frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

In large saucepan, bring chicken stock, wine, carrots, celery, potato, bay leaf, salt and pepper to boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken; simmer, uncovered, until no longer pink inside, 10 minutes. Skim off any foam. Strain; set aside 2 1/2 cups stock, adding water or chicken stock if necessary. Set aside chicken mixture; discard bay leaf.

In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in reserved stock until smooth. Bring to boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream; cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken mixture; stir to coat. (Make-ahead: Transfer to bowl; let cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Reheat.) Add peas; transfer to 8-cup oval casserole dish.

On floured surface, roll out pastry to fit top of dish plus 1-inch (2.5 cm) extra all around; trim edges. Brush edge of dish with water. Centre pastry over filling; gently press overhang to adhere to dish. Brush with egg; slash 4 steam vents. Bake in 400°F oven until golden, puffed and filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

*I've used a pie crust before for the top, just kinda cutting it to fit a 9x13 pan, and it works great. I found that the puff pastry didn't taste as good as the pie crust did as leftovers. But it was definitely tastey the night I made it!

Sweet Potato Pie

To be honest, I had never considered, let alone tasted a sweet potato until I was down in Texas last March. What I mean is, the thought didn't even cross my mind. It was like one of those things that was from a mythical childhood story book. I was as likely to have eaten a sweet potato as I was as likely to have eaten my curds and weigh and had a spider sit down beside me. However, that all changed when I ordered a baked sweet potato when I was visiting Mike in Dallas. Then once I started, I couldn't stop.

When I found out that sweet potatoes were healthier than regular potatoes, I could've thrown a party! Not only do they have more vitamins, minerals, and fiber, but they are rich in antioxidants as well as having a lower glycemic index than regular potatoes. Plus that bright rich orange color is captivating, isn't it?? AND on my p90x diet I was on, I could eat lots of sweet potatoes but very little regular potatoes. Although, I doubt Tony Horton would very much approve of this recipe...

Sweet Potato Pie

3 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed (I use one extra lg s.p., cut it up in about 6 pieces (skin on), pierce the skin in a few places, and microwave it for about 10 min. To remove the skin after cooking is super easy - just gently slide a knife or TBSP under the peel and it loosens in a jiffy).

1/2 cup undiluted evaporated milk or 35% cream (I use partially skim evap milk)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar

dash of salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice. (Or if you don't have this, add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp ginger)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup sour cream

*Adjust the sugar to the sweetness you like

Now, whip all the above ingredients together. Should be nice and stiff, if you need to thicken it you can add more sweet potatoes or a little flour; to thin it, add more evap milk.

Pour the mixture into a pie shell (I cheat and use bought pie dough - can't get easier than unrolling the Pillsbury stuff out of a tube).

Bake at 425 deg F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 35 and bake for about 50 minutes longer or until tested and toothpick/knife comes out clean.

Serve with cool whip :)

Not sure where Mike found this recipe, but we've had it for a while and I just tried it last night! The mixture wasn't very smooth, with lots of little lumps of sweet potato as I mixed everything by hand. Next time I'd use either my kitchenaid or my food processor to get a smoother mixture. Still turned out perfect either way, just a lot more work to do it the manual way!

White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

These are an old gem that I've been making since first year university - yep that's all the way back in '02! Under the very positive influence of my housemates, who were all older and wiser than me, I suddenly desired to bake! This is Allison's recipe I believe. (*Side note: When I went to look at the room to rent, I didn't look close enough at the posting and I guess they were looking for a grad student - woops!) So as I was house hunting, a good friend of mine, Mike, came to look with me. It took him a few minutes to realize why everything looked so familiar - he lived in the apartment right next door! After I moved in, Mike would continually harass me with stories of dead girls being buried under the floor boards in my room.

White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

4 tsp* baking powder

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup grated white chocolate (I used white choc chips)

1 cup fresh/frozen raspberries

Topping: 2 TBSP brown sugar mixed with 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degress F. Grease and flour muffin tin. In large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Then add egg and mix well.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this to the creamed mixture alternatively with whipping cream.

Stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and the white chocolate. Gently fold in raspberries.

Fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake for 18-20 min or until muffins test done.

Made these last week but they were all gone before I could take a pic! This recipe only makes a dozen, so it's easy to double!

Mac and Cheese

I am obsessed with mac and cheese! I'm always in search of the best recipe and I find myself searching for hours and being drawn in by things like mac and cheese festivals and competitions and know that some day I need to attend to 'sample' and ensure that the best is indeed chosen.

When I found Maclarens Imperial Sharp Cold Pack Cheddar at Costco, I thought I remembered seeing a recipe using this for a mac and cheese recipe! To my disappointment, after I had bought it, I couldn't find a recipe using it for mac and cheese! So I made my own...

My version of an old classic:

Mac and Cheese

3 cups dry elbow mac

1/3 cup margarine (I use the Becel Olive Oil one)

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 cup reserved pasta water

Salt and pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/3 tub Maclarens Imperial Sharp Cheddar (you could use about two cups grated sharp cheddar if you don't have the tub stuff - I get this from Costco)

Old light cheese grated

Cook about 3 cups dry elbow mac according to package directions. Strain, saving the cooking liquid.

While that is cooking, melt marg, stir in flour, and let cook for about 2 min, stirring constantly. Whisk in the wine, chicken broth, milk, and reserved pasta water. *If you're going to be freezing some, add about 1/2 cup more liquid* Heat this to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until it thickens (about 5 min or less), stir in 1/3 tub of cheese, add spices.

Take off heat and stir in your cooked mac.

Pour into a 9x13 pan, top with grated cheese and pop into the oven on broil for about 5 or 10 min till the top gets a bit brown and crispy.

Yum! Even better the second day :)

Hello

Alright, so I must start by saying that my inspiration for starting a blog isn't original. My friends started one and I enjoyed reading them. However, they don't update them nearly enough to satisfy my reading needs (yes I mean you Amanda and Kelly). So I began to think, maybe I should start a blog... but I quickly realized that I am neither super interesting, witty, nor have much of a talent for writing. I do, however, love to cook. So I have decided to blog new recipes that I either try and love or make up on my own. And as I sit here writing this, I am snacking away at my mac and cheese that I made last night. So we'll start with that recipe!