3-4 cups of tomatoes with seeds removed

1 small onion or shallot

2-3 cloves of Garlic

Fresh herbs; Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano

Chicken or Vegetable stock

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

White sugar (1-2 tsp)

Heat up 1 tblsp of olive oil in a large sauce pan and add your onions and garlic, cook until glassy/fragrant (about 3-5 minutes)

Add in your fresh herbs and cook for another 2-3 minutes

Add in your tomatoes, cook them down until they are very soft, turning to liquid, add in 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth.

Note: I kept the skins on my tomatoes, they don’t bother me

Once the tomatoes are looking pretty “soupy”, remove your fresh herbs from the pot

Add the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth (2-3 minutes)

Add the mixture back to the pot and taste it - add in salt and pepper as needed, also a couple teaspoons of sugar can help balance out the acidity if needed.

Serve alongside a grilled cheese for a quick lunch or dinner!

Ingredients for the pork loin:

• 1 pork loin

• 1 shallot finely chopped

• 2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely chopped/grated

• 3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce

• 1-2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce

• 1-2 tablespoons of ketchup

• (optional) 1 splash of vodka (1-1.5 ounces)

• (optional) 1 dash of Sriracha

As of 2021, my husband and I have been ordering all of our meat and most of our fish from Butcher Box - if you’re located in Ontario Canada, I recommend checking them out as their products are great quality.

Chop the shallots and garlic, grate the garlic. Set aside.

Add your aromatics (shallot, garlic, ginger) to a large ziplock freezer bag

Add the liquid ingredients to the bag, close it tight and give it a good mix up.

Add your pork loin to the bag, close the bag with some air remaining in it and massage the marinade into the meat, then open the bag to take the remaining air out and sela tightly. Leave to marinate for about one hour in the fridge.

After marinating the pork loin for about an hour, remove it from the bag using tongs, being sure to reserve as much of the marinade in the bag as possible. Place the por loin in a baking train with a bit of oil on the bottom and bake in the oven covered with tin foil for 45 minutes at 375F.

Take the remaining marinade and place in a saucepan on the stove.

Bring the sauce to a boil and let it simmer for at least 5 minutes to cook off the raw juices from the pork.

Once the pork loin reaches an internal temperature of 145F, remove from the oven and set it aside covered with tin foil for 5-10 minutes. Resting the meat allows the juices to redistribute and keep the meat moist when you carve it.

Carve the pork on a 45 degree angle and serve with your preferred sides, I like mine with rice and a green veg (green beans, broccoli, asparagus or brussels sprouts)

Enjoy!

Equipment: You will need a sauté pan as well as a large stock pot

Step 1: Heat the oil in the a sauté pan and fry off the ground pork in batches until no longer pink, drain half the fat and then add the cooked pork to the stock pot

Step 2: Sauté the onion until soft and “glassy”, add to the stock pot

Step 3: Sauté the celery until soft, add to the stock pot

Step 4: Sauté the garlic until “aromatic”, add to the stock pot

Step 5: Add the parboiled potatoes to the stock pot

Step 6: Add the parsley to the stock pot

Step 7: Add the spice mix to the stock pot

Step 8: Add the beef stock to the stock pot

Step 9: Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly

Step 10: Bring the stock pot to a boil, then lower the temp and let it simmer uncovered for about 40 minutes

Step 11: Mix in the breadcrumbs

Step 12: Remove mixture from the stock pot and let it cool completely in the fridge overnight

Step 1: Rub cold butter into flour until reduced to irregular pea sized crumbs (cut the butter into smaller cubes ahead of this step)

Step 2: Dissolve salt and sugar in cold water and add to mixture all at once, mix just enough to incorporate, do not overmix.

Step 3: Transfer dough to floured table, shape into a ball, cover and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes* before rolling out.

Step 4: Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch and use your pie pans to cut the size of crust you need.

Step 5: Lightly press one of the crusts into the bottom of the pan pan and set aside the second pie crust for the top

Step 6: Fill the bottom shell with the cooled filling, ensuring it is getting into every nook and cranny

Step 7: Roll your second pie crust onto your rolling pin and then roll over the top of the filled pie shell.

Step 8: Press the edges of the pie crusts together using a fork to crimp and seal the pie, you can also do “finger pinches” to further seal the pie and give it that classic pretty scalloped edge.

*You can also wrap the dough and keep it in the fridge overnight/until you’re ready to use it. If you put it in the fridge, you will obviously need to give it 1-2 hours on the counter at room temp before you can start rolling it out.

Step 1: Preheat the over to 4oo

Step 2: Cut some vents in the top of the pastry

Step 3: Prepare egg wash (1 egg + splash of water)

Step 4: Brush the top of the pastry with Egg Wash

Step 5: Bake for 40 minutes - ensure the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling inside is piping hot.

Step 6: Remove and let rest a couple minutes

Step 7: Slice and serve

Enjoy! I like mine with ketchup :)

Note: The tourtiere will stay good in the freezer for a few months if properly wrapped/sealed in a freezer bag. When you want to enjoy it, be sure to thaw in the fridge 8 hours, or on the counter 1 hr before cutting the vents, applying the egg wash and baking.

Step 1: Mix dry ingredients into the softened butter
Step 2: Add the vanilla
Step 3: Form the dough into a ball, flatten it to about 1” and wrap in plastic wrap
Step 4: Chill ½ hour in the fridge

Notes from my mom:
You may need to add ¼ - ½ cup more flour in order to make a stiff batter
This recipe is adapted from my (her) go-to cookbook, The Joy of Cooking

The changes we make:
Adding the vanilla and the rice flour, the rice flour helps it make a malleable dough for cutting shapes, without it, the shortbread is more of a "scottish" shortbread that you can push into a pan and bake as one big cookie that can then be cut into squares.

Roll out dough on a clean, lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin to about half an inch thick.

Cut into shapes!

Place cookies that are the same size on the same cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper

A note on sprinkles:  I put mine on before baking so they get cooked into the cookie.  I press them into the dough slightly.

Also NEW tip my friend told me since making these: Use your rolling pin to gently press the sprinkles in - neat! 

Bake at 350 until only slightly golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes (depending on the size of the cookie, of course!)

Bakers Tip:  You may also want to rotate the cookie sheet half way if you feel your oven doesn't give you an "even heat", i.e. the back gets hotter.
 

CHOCOLATE TIME (this is my addition to the recipe from my mum): Once the cookies are cool I like to dip the bottoms of the trees into dark/milk chocolate for the "tree trunks" and then after that sets, dip the tops into white chocolate for snow covered tips, I also add additional sprinkles to the white tips to make them sparkly :)

This year I also made hearts and smaller "rounds" that I dipped half way in chocolate.

omg...sooo many cookies...

You can see in the top left, I also started making an army of chocolate dipped pretzels.

MORE sprinkles!!!  I added more sprinkles to the chocolate dipped cookies for an extra sugary crunch :)

I just love these little rounds I made with rainbow sprinkles.

Rainbows are just super appetizing to me for some reason...

This is what my kitchen table looked like at the end of the night.

Amazing.

The madness continues...

After letting the milk chocolate set overnight, I melted some white chocolate, put it in a "piping bag" made out of a ziplock bag and drizzled white chocolate over the pretzels and the cookies.

For the trees I added "snow" tops with the white chocolate and added multi coloured sprinkles :)

So pretty and tasty and they just sing christmas :)

I made up some gift bags with cookies and pretzels for friends and family - because this goodness is too good not to share.

Enjoy!

Assemble your Mirepoix; 2 medium sized cooking onions, 3 large carrots, 4-5 stalks of celery

Completed mirepoix.

Prepare stewing beef; sometimes you can buy pre-cut stewing beef at the store, but if it’s not available you can chop up a sirloin roast, bottom or eye round roast, or chuck roast into stew sized cubes - don’t worry if the meat pieces look too big, just make sure they’re all about the same size and the stewing process will make the meat tender enough that it pulls apart easily.

Brown the meat in a large pot - I use my enamel Dutch oven as it’s big enough to make the whole stew.

Remove the beef and set aside. 

Add mirepoix to the pot.

Aromatics; prep some garlic, thyme and rosemary.

Add aromatics to the pot. 

Add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste.

Hooray for wine! Add a cup of red. 

Add 1-2 cups of beef broth. 

Add a can of diced tomatoes.

Add a bay leaf. 

Bring it to a boil…

Add the beef back… reduce to a simmer…

After about an hour of simmering, 1/3 of the liquid should have evaporated and the meat should be easily pulled apart with a fork. If not - simmer longer!

I like mine with a side of buttered toast for dipping, you can also serve with biscuits or over egg noodles. You do you! 

For the Pork Chops: 2 pork chops, 4-5 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed), fresh herbs; thyme, rosemary, oregano even dill (all work great), 2 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper to taste, cooking oil

UPDATE (June 12 2019): I have added a MAGIC GLAZE to the chops that I apply after I remove them from the pan; it’s basically 1 part Dijon mustard to 3 parts maple syrup (make as much as you need/want)

For the Sweet and Sour Peppers: One Red, Yellow or Orange pepper, one small-medium sized cooking onion, salt and pepper to taste, white sugar and either balsamic or sherry vinegar.

UPDATE (June 12 2019): I don’t really make the peppers anymore, but feel free to give them a try!

For the salad: 1 large head of lettuce (Romaine or Boston lettuce are best), 1 large Mutsu or Crispin apple (golden delicious or Earligold could also work), a 1/4 cup of walnuts (unseasoned)

UPDATE (June 12 2019): Now I add some cubes of royal Canadian cheddar cheese to the salad - it’s A-MA-ZING

Dressing: 1/2 lemon of lemon juice, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of that magic glaze from above (dijon and maple) salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the pepper and onion into long strips, heat up a sauté pan, add some cooking oil and then the peppers and onion. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and let the peppers cook for about 2 minutes. Add 3 tsps of white sugar and a bit of balsamic or sherry vinegar. Let the sauce reduce to a more syrup like consistency, then remove the peppers and set aside.

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, heat pan to mid-high temp, add cooking oil and sear the pork chops on the fat cap and then one side.

Here’s a cheeky technique I developed over the years of making this recipe lol! I clamp the chops together with my tongs that have a ”lock” functionality so I can sear the fat cap on the side of the chops without having to hold onto them the whole time.

After about 2 minutes, flip the chops onto the other side and add the garlic and fresh herbs to the pan, cook for another two minutes on medium-high heat.

I like to gather the pan seared garlic and herbs on top of the chops before I add the butter and then I baste over the top of all the goodness.

Flip the pork chops once more and lower the heat to mid-low, add the butter in pieces around the pan, let the butter melt and baste the pork chops by lifting the pan on an angle and using a spoon to collect the melted butter and cooking juices to pour over and coat the chops. Cook for about 3-4 more minutes (you do not need to flip the chops again).

Remove the pork chops when they reach an internal temp of 160F/71C and let rest about 5-7 minutes (while you make the salad).

UPDATE (June 14 2019): Apply the MAGIC GLAZE - 1 part Dijon mustard to 3 parts maple syrup (save remaining glaze for salad dressing and dipping sauce)

Apple Walnut Salad: Add washed and chopped lettuce, finely sliced apple and crushed walnuts to a large bowl (I used my salad spinner, but make sure you remove the inside strainer...which I did not - oops, live and learn children!)

Make the vinaigrette for the salad inside the bowl by drizzling some extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a lemon over top, and then zest the lemon peel right into the bowl (with a zester or microplane), add salt and pepper to taste, give it a good toss and you're done!

UPDATE (June 14 2019): Add some cheese cubes to the salad and a tablespoon of MAGIC GLAZE to the dressing. I have also since acquired a “dressing shaker” that I make my dressing in and it’s awesome.

Pic from the first time I documented making this recipe… many moons ago now

This is closer to how I make it now - you can see the tasty glaze on top.

In THIS particular rendition I also sautéed some fennel in butter and added that to the salad as well as garnishing the dish with some of the fennel fronds.

I am the proud owner of Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course cookbook which features this original recipe. I highly recommend this cookbook of his as the recipes are diverse, easy to learn, easy to remember and easy to make your own - as I have done with this one!

Chop your onion and carrot into similar sized chunks, peel and smash your garlic, peel your ginger, assemble your spices.

If you have ready to use ground ginger, you can totally use that. However, fresh is always preferred so if you have a ginger root, take a moment to grate it - you’ll need about 2-3 tea spoons (based on how strong you like it).

Add a glug of cooking/olive oil, then your chopped onion to a large pot and let them sweat it out for a couple minutes.

Add your carrots and cook until they start to soften (about 2-3 minutes)

Garlic in - cook until aromatic, 2-3 minutes

Season to taste with salt and pepper, not pictured: Add your ginger, turmeric and curry power and cook for 2-3 minutes

Add your broth (or water + stock) and bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the carrots are nice and soft (3-5 minutes)

VERY CAREFULLY add the veg to a blender using a slotted spoon, then add about half the liquid. Blend until smooth - adding more of the liquid as needed until the soup is a desired consistency.

Garnish ideas: I like to add some coconut milk, it brings down the heat and adds a nice sweat creaminess to the soup, as well as some dried salted sunflower seeds for a little crunch.

I used my stand mixer for this recipe, but you can absolutely do the mixing by hand - I have outlined the steps below for both mixer and manual!

Melt butter and chop bananas, add to mixer/bowl

Mash bananas and butter together using mixer or a fork. 

Add eggs and vanilla, combine until no more yellow streaks from eggs remain. 

Add 1/2 cup brown sugar. 

In a separate bowl, whisk or sift the dry ingredients together; 1/2 cup granulated white sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt. 

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixer/wet ingredients.

Combine the dry ingredients gradually, in about four rounds. Also if you’re using a stand mixer, be sure to scape down the sides of the bowl after each round of mixing.

Combine until smooth - if using a mixer, be sure not to over mix or the batter will become glutenous and tough.

If adding chocolate chips and walnuts, add most of them to the batter now - save the rest for toppings. 

Pour the batter into a well greased bread pan (9” x 5”) and add remaining chocolate chips and walnuts as toppings, bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes. 

When a toothpick comes out clean, it’s ready! Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.

Storing: in order to keep the bread moist, be sure it’s cooled completely before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and keeping in the refrigerator. 

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pumpkin spice (a mix of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice)

1 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1.5 cups of pure pumpkin purée

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Follow the same steps outlined above for the banana bread.

I like to top mine with pumpkin seeds before baking.

Also, for this variation, I made a simple glaze of 1/4 cup icing sugar and a tablespoon of cream and drizzled it over the top.

For the best wings - it all comes down to the sauce. I’ve tried out quite a few different sauces and marinades over the years and I’ve discovered this combination is the most tasty (to me):

- 2 parts Franks Red Hot WINGS sauce*

- 1 part Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce; Medium or Garlic

- A sprinkle of Clubhouse La Grille “Montreal Chicken Spice”

*If you can’t find/don’t have the Franks Red Hot WINGS, use half and half of the Original Franks Red Hot and melted butter.

Mix it all up in a bowl big enough for all of your wings; for 1 pound or 10 wings I would make about a 1/2 cup

Mix the wings up in the sauce and let them marinate in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes

While your wings are marinating, pre-heat your oven to 425F

Lay out your marinaded wings on a greased up cookie tray - you can use tinfoil on your tray which makes for easier clean up.

Give your wigs a decent amount of space and lay them so the “skin-side” is facing up. YOU WILL NOT FLIP THESE WINGS EVER.

Reserve the rest of your marinade for later…

Bake your wings for about 20 minutes, depending on your oven you may want to rotate the tray at around 10 minutes.

After the first 20 minutes, take the wings out of the oven and brush them with the reserved marinade/sauce.

DO NOT FLIP THE WINGS!

Return the wings to the over for another 5-7 minutes (until a meat thermometer poked into the largest/thickest one reads 165F)

After the second round of baking, your wings should be cooked through but the tops may not be quite crispy enough - so, I switch my broiler on to crisp up the tops.

DO NOT FLIP THE WINGS!

Once your wings are crisp, remove from the oven and let them rest a couple minutes.

I like to serve my wings with a side of apple and celery sticks and some store bought ranch dressing - would love to figure out how to make my own dill sauce - like the kind you get at wing joints… I love that stuff…

For the marinade, combine:

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons minced ginger

(optional) 1 teaspoon sriracha/similar hot sauce 

(optional) 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 

Cut chicken into bite sized cubes and let sit  in marinade for at least 30 minutes. 

Prepare the rest of the stir fry ingredients; I use carrot, onion and a bit more minced garlic and ginger…

My recipe also uses broccoli, but you could use green beans, asparagus, snap peas - any fresh green veggie of your choice :) 

Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the marinade reserving as much sauce as possible in the bowl, and cook in a large wok until browned on all sides. 

Set aside the reserved marinade. 

Remove cooked chicken from wok and set aside. 

Sauté the onion, carrot, ginger and garlic in the wok in sesame oil. 

Once the carrots have softened, add the chicken back to the wok. 

Add the reserved marinade to the wok and bring to a boil (to cook out any lingering raw chicken-ness). 

Add broccoli to the wok and cover in order to steam it. Be careful NOT to overcook the broccoli, you want it to still have a bit of “fresh crunch”. 

If your stir fry is looking very liquidity after it’s come to a boil, and you want it to have a thicker sauce, mix together a teaspoon of cornstarch with a couple tablespoons of water to thicken… 

Make a well in the middle of the wok, add the cornstarch mixture and stir in until combined, the sauce should noticeably thicken quickly, if it doesn’t after stirring for a minute or so, add a bit more cornstarch solution until it reaches the desired consistency. 

Serve over rice and enjoy!

Optional Garnish: Fresh yellow pepper, scallions and sesame seeds.

1. Heat 3/4 cups of heavy cream in a sauce pan - DO NOT let it boil, or it WILL boil over

2. In a separate bowl; whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt

3. In a steady stream, add hot cream to the egg yolks/sugar/salt mixture and WHISK like mad - you don't want the eggs to cook and turn into a scramble...gross

4. Transfer mixture back to the saucepan and let it cook to 160C - use a digital thermometer, like a meat thermometer to check the temp

5. Pour custard (yes, you have just made a custard! cool, eh?) through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove any possible lumps/bits of scrambled eggs - 'cause no one is perfect

6. Add your Vanilla/Baileys/Other liquor of choice

7. Melt chocolate over a double boiler - using a large metal/glass bowl that will be able to hold all the mousse ingredients as this will be your mixing vessel for the rest of the recipe

8. Once the chocolate is completely melted, whisk the custard into the chocolate

9. Put this mixture in the fridge to cool while you prepare the heavy cream

10. Whisk the remaining cream (1 and 1/4 cups) until it holds "stiff peaks" i.e. if you can hold it up on the whisk and it doesn't fall or bend - that's stiff peaks - any more and it will turn Styrofoamy and then, into butter.

11. Now, whisk in 1/4 of the whipped cream into the custard to lighten it, then fold in the remaining cream in

12. Spoon into serving receptacles (makes about 8 individual servings) and chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

13. When you are ready to serve, prepare your whipped cream* and spoon or pipe ontop.

14. Garnish with additional chocolate/mini candy bars/chopped nuts..whatever

Notes:

You can keep the mousse in the fridge for about 24 hours before serving.

I made the mousse about 3 hours before eating it and it was completely chilled by the time I served it, so in the fridge for about 2.5 hours.

*Easy whipped cream: take one cup of heavy cream and mix in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of fine white sugar, whip to stiff peaks.

THE ORIGINAL STUFF:

Juice of one lemon
1 egg yolk
8 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
8 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 tsp of sea salt/kosher salt
1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup of olive oil

EXTRAS:

1/4 cup of fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1-2 teaspoons of horseradish mustard
a dollop of mayo (to thicken it up if desired)

To a blender, add the juice of one lemon and strain out seeds/excessive pulp.

Add the egg about 8 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce respectively, 1 tsp of sea salt/kosher salt, 1 tsp of fresh ground black pepper ( I usually just grind both about 15 times into the blender), and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.

Here's what you got so far...

*EXTRA* This is where I add the horseradish mustard.

Using a garlic press, add in 2-3 cloves of garlic. 

Or, if you have serious knife skills and want to dice them finely, go right ahead superstar.

TIP:  keep one of the hollowed out lemon halves to rub your fingers in after handling the garlic - it will help eliminate "garlic fingers". That stank lingers hours after using garlic -y'all know it. 

So now, we've got pretty much all the intense flavours together - time for a quick blend...

Pulse the blender to get the ingredients together- or set the blender to low for about  10-15 seconds.

Be sure to scrape down the sides of the blender so you don't lose those flavours! 

Add the olive oil a bit at a time, blend for about 20-30 seconds in between each addition.

Once all of the olive oil has been incorporated, let the sauce blend for another minute or two until it is smooth and creamy.  It will probably still be a bit runny, but ready at this point. 

MORE EXTRAS FOLLOW...

*EXTRA*

I like to add about 1/4 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese to help thicken the sauce up a bit and also it gives a nice cheese flavour to it...if you like that... I do.

*VERY OPTIONAL EXTRA*

If I'm eating the sauce right away, no time to chill/let it thicken,and it needs to be a bit thicker - I add a dolop* of mayo.

*yes, "dolop" is a technical term

ASSEMBLY - to make the  perfect Caesar salad, you just need some greens (Romaine lettuce and a touch of green onion), some croutons (home made or store bought - I won't judge) and some more fresh Parmesan and fresh black pepper for garnish.

TIP: To mix the salad thoroughly with the sauce, add the greens, croutons and sauce to a large freezer bag, only fill about half way and leave air in the bag when you seal it so it has so room to get tossed around and coated with that tasty, tasty sauce.

PROTEIN - you can add a protein to make this a whole 'Omnivorous' meal, grilled chicken is a classic - also steak, fish (salmon) and shrimp are great options.

So there you have it -  a phenomenal Caesar dressing that you can make your own!

What do you like in your Caesar dressing?  White wine vinegar instead of the balsamic? No egg? Maybe some anchovies? 

SCALLOPS: Scallops, seasoning of choice (i.e. salt, pepper, curry powder etc.), cooking oil, butter, fresh lemon, parmesan, prosciutto

SALAD: Boston lettuce, White Cheddar Cheese, Walnuts, Apple (Golden Delicious, Fuji, Crispin, Gala, Granny Smith),

DRESSING: 1/2 a lemon of lemon juice, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tsp Dijon Mustard, 3 tsp Maple Syrup, alt and Pepper.

Build your salad!

The scallops take minutes to cook and should be served right away, so make your salad(s) first.

Start by assembling your dressing - I use an awesome Salad Dressing Shaker for mine.

Add a bit of the Dressing to the bottom of the plate.

Boston Lettuce down.

Cheese!

My favourite to use is 2-year aged Balderson Royal Canadian Cheddar - so good.

Add chopped walnuts - I’ve also used pecans before.

Apple!

After adding the apple, you may want to dress the top of the salad as the lemon juice in the dressing will keep the apple from going brown.

Prepping the Scallops

Remove the “foot” of the scallop - it’s the little “flap” of firm flesh on one side of the scallop, usually pretty easy to find and peel off.

Be sure to dry your scallops by patting lightly with a paper towel, then season.

NOTE: I do not recommend using coarse seasonings as shown in this pic here as it makes the scallops kinda gritty - live and learn children, live and learn. Going forward I would advise a small amount of fine salt and maybe a bit of curry powder or paprika.

Cooking the Scallops

Get your pan hot and add cooking oil - make sure you have “Searing heat” before adding scallops to the pan (you can test your heat by using one of the discarded scallop feet to see if you get a “sizzle” on contact).

Place scallops from largest size to smallest in a clockwise formation from the top/12 o’clock position of the pan. Do not overcrowd your scallops and cook in batches if needed. Once all scallops are in the pan, count to 90.

Flip the scallops starting with the one at the top/12 o’clock (check to make sure the sear is good before committing to the flip!) once all scallops are flipped, count to 90 again.

After the scallops are seared on both sides, add a knob of butter and squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the pan, give them a quick “roll around” basting in the pan with the butter and lemon juice. Remove from pan after about 20-30 seconds and grate fresh parmesan over top.

Wrap with a bit of Prosciutto and serve immediately.

Serve with a glass of Prosecco and have yourself a lovely little evening!

This example uses left over chicken, you can also use turkey OR just make it vegetarian.

Not pictured first step: I like to start the soup by roasting the bones of the chicken or turkey in the pot first - adds a lot of nice extra flavour.

There’s a reason so many of my recipes use a classic French Mirepoix, it really is the holy trinity of classic flavours.

For a nice big pot of soup I usually dice 1 large onion, 5 stalks of celery and 2-3 carrots (depending on the size) into equally sized (small) pieces.

Hot pot, olive oil, onions in - cook them on their own for at least 5 minutes being sure not to brown them too much.

Celery in, cook for a minute or two…

Carrots in.

Bring the mire poix together and cook until all of the veg has softened.

Herbs! I like to add some fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme.

Add in your protein. Be sure it’s cut/shredded into small pieces first. Cook it along with the mire poix for a couple minutes.

Add 4 cups of chicken broth - or 4 cups water and add concentrated chicken stock to taste.

Bring the soup to a boil and let the flavours come together for a few minutes. Taste and season as needed.

Remove the rosemary and thyme stems.

Add your pasta! I usually put in about a 1/4 cup per two servings.

Types of pasta I’ve used: Rotini, farfalle, macaroni, cavatappi and small shells.

Pro tip - I like to freeze portions of the soup WITHOUT the pasta and then make fresh pasta when I reheat the soup. Makes for fresher al dente pasta when I’m ready to eat it again. 

This soup keeps in the freezer for 4-6 months! (If properly stored)

Remove the "silver skin" which is the tough membrane on the ribs, and any excess fat  - you want some fat still on there to render and stay moist while they cook.

Dry Rub:

Cut a full head of garlic in half and rub the ribs down with the exposed cloves.  

Apply a dry rub - mine changes from time to time, but a good standard is 2 parts brown sugar, 1 part garlic powder, 1 part onion powder, 1 part paprika or Cayenne pepper, 1/2 part salt, 1/2 part black pepper.

Place the ribs and "used" garlic cloves in a large baking tray lined with foil, cover the ribs with more foil on top of the tray. Bake in the oven for about 3 hours at 175F - low and slow.

TIP: I like to make little cuts in the meat and shove some garlic in there too - so good.

UPDATE: Individually double wrap the racks in foil, place on as many baking trays as necessary and Bake at 325F in the middle rack of the oven for 2 hours or until "fork-tender".

Remove ribs from the oven, set aside, remove the foil from the pan being careful to save as many juices as possible for the sauce.

OPTIONAL: Apply a  light brushing of Dijon Mustard to the top of the ribs.

Mustard brushed ribs.

After brushing the ribs with mustard, I wrap them in tin foil again and get them in the fridge to cool for at least a couple hours before getting them on the grill - if you have the time, you can leave them in the fridge overnight.

BBQ Sauce

Again, my recipe tends to change,  I usually add a basic "Rib and chicken" BBQ sauce to the reserved cooking juices and then add some more flavour with other splashes of this and that to taste.

Some favourite additions of mine are; maple syrup, Jack Daniels or Dark Rum, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.

Get your grill good and hot and get those ribs on there to heat backup and add a bit of char to the outside.

Brush all sides of the ribs with your tasty sauce to caramelize the ribs - flavour on flavour y’all!

Remove from Grill and cut into portions as needed.

Give those hours of delicious love to your favourite people and enjoy :)

Collards are a member of the same family as broccoli and kale, they have very stiff, fibrous stalks and firm leaves.  When cooked, they taste a lot like spinach.

In order to prep your collards, you'll want to cut the leaves into 2"x2" pieces or a bit larger and remove most of the stalk - you can keep a bit of stalk which has some leaf around it as this will soften while cooking.

Full Ingredients List:

1 pound/bunch of collards

1 small onion chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic chopped

4 strips of bacon (cooked)

2-3 cups of chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Hot pepper flakes or hot sauce (to taste)

Step 1: Cook the bacon until cooked to your level of "doneness" (I like mine to be a bit chewy), remove from pan and set aside.

Step 2: Add a bit of oil to the pan (if needed), add chopped onion and cook until starting to caramelize (turn brown), then add the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant.

Step 3: Chop or crumble the bacon and return to the pan

Add the chopped collards to the pan

Let the collards cook with the other ingredients until they start to wilt - see picture...

Once wilted, add 2-3 cups of chicken stock and bring to a simmer

After the liquid has reduced, taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.

Seasoning suggestions: Salt, Pepper, Hot Chili flakes, Hot sauce

It doesn't end up being a lot, next time I may use two bunches instead of one.

Also, a note on seasoning - I made the mistake of over seasoning - so make sure you wait until the chicken stock is completely reduced before tasting and adjusting.

Serve with fried chicken for a delicious southern style meal! 

Chicken!  I used drumsticks 'cause they were on sale, but you can use thighs and breasts too.

Coating: Buttermilk, 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 2 tbsp Paprika.

Soak your chicken pieces in Buttermilk for 10-20 minutes.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, pepper, paprika)  together in a plastic freezer bag for easy, thorough coating.

Put the buttermilk coated chicken in the bag with the dry ingredients, seal and shake to coat the chicken with the dry mixture.

Limit to 2 pieces at a time.

Let the chicken rest at room temp for about 20 -30 minutes so the flour becomes "paste like".

Fill a deep cast iron pan about 1/2 (half) way with vegetable oil.  Get it "very hot!"  I did not have a proper thermometer for this step, so to test my oil, I took a couple pieces of the coating that had fallen off the chicken and placed them in the oil a couple minutes apart, once the pieces were floating and bubbling vigorously at first contact with the oil (not sinking and staying at the bottom for too long), I knew my oil was ready to go.

Fry the chicken in the oil until golden brown all over, you'll need to rotate the pieces a couple times to make sure it cooks evenly.  My chicken was probably in the oil for a total of 20 minutes.  (It's hard to tell exactly how long I fried the chicken as I was pretty much watching it like a hawkl the whole time, making sure the oil didn't bubble too high and also checking the colour and "crispyness" often.)

Place the fried chicken on paper towel to drain excess oil, let it rest about 5 minutes before checking the internal temp with a meat thermometer.  Mine came out at an average of about 140F - you need it at 165F.

I cooked my chicken in the oven at 425 for an extra 10 minutes to get it to the right internal temp - 165F.

Serve with some kickin' sides like my collard greens and corn (if it's in season).

4-5 pieces of bacon cut into “lardons”

1 small-medium sized onion

2-3 cloves of garlic

A bundle of fresh thyme

1/4 cup of butter

3-4 tablespoons of all purpose flour

2-3 cups of milk

2-3 cups of shredded cheese; you can use a combo of different cheeses, go wild

A “short noodle” Pasta; Cavatappi, Rotini, Fusilli, Penne, Farfalle or good ol’ macaroni are all good

1/4 - 1/2 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs

Bacon, everything is better with bacon

Remove bacon, add chopped onions

Garlic, finely chopped or pressed. Yes gracious.

Fresh Thyme. Give me the business.

Show. Me. The butter!!!

Roux up! Sprinkle flour, mix together with butter so it forms a paste, cook it for a couple minutes (until it’s light brown).

Gradually add milk. 

Whisk after each 1/2 cup is added.

Keep whisking over low heat until muxture starts to thicken - but not too much! If it starts to look more paste like, add more milk. 

Start adding grated cheese - gradually! 

Ensure all cheese is fully incorporated before adding more. 

Cheese cheese cheese…

Keep adding that cheese - but be sure to set aside a third (1 cup) for layering in later…

Bacon back in 

Add cooked pasta to saucy goodness. 

Give it a good mix up. 

Put half of the Mac and cheese in a large casserole dish, cover with half of the remaining grated cheese. 

Add the remaining half of the Mac and cheese to casserole dish, top with the remaining grated cheese, top with seasoned breadcrumbs. 

Broil the top until cheese is melted and the top gets golden brown/crispy. 

Possible alterations; omit bacon, use a blend of various cheeses, use leeks instead of onion or no onion at all, add veggies, add shrimp, add chicken, add taco beef, etc! 

1 pound ground beef

2-3 Italian sausages (remove casings)

1 small onion finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tablespoon (8-10 dashes) of Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon (4-5 dashes) of Tabasco (as desired, also if your sausages are HOT, maybe don’t add this at all)

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

1 egg

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1-3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs (as needed/if the mixture is very loose)

Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Mix with hands (or using your stand mixer!), you want the mixture to be wet, but able to hold it's shape when rolled into balls - adjust breadcrumbs as necessary to achieve the right consistency.

I have found that using my stand mixer for this task is cleaner and cuts down on my prep time significantly.

Roll the meat into equal shaped balls - a trick for this is to rub your hands with olive oil first so the meat doesn't stick to them.

In a hot frying pan with cooking oil, brown the balls on all sides - they can remain squishy and raw in the center as we'll be finishing them in the sauce. A trick for this step is to place the meatballs in the pan like it's a clock - starting at noon and then going clockwise around the pan so you know which one went down first.  Be sure not to crowd your balls, you'll need room to flip them.

Once browned, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.

Add the meatballs to a non stick baking tray and cook them for about 20 minutes at 375-400F until they are brown/cooked through (reach an internal temp of 160F).

I have found this cooking method to be superior for a few reasons and do NOT fry my meatballs anymore.

• Less effort to cook them and less mess, no oil splatter on the stove

• Grease and Fat are pulled out of the meatballs making them healthier

• Cooking them all the way through allows them to be ready for the freezer if you’re cooking a large batch to save some for later

Whether you fry or bake your meatballs, be sure to place them on some paper towel to remove any excess grease on the surface.

The below is completely optional and what I like to do to “Jazz up” a can of my favorite store bought sauce, you can also use the below ingredients with a can of Strained Tomatoes:

1/2 small onion finely chopped

1-2 gloves of garlic finely chopped

1-2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning

1/2 cup red wine

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

5-6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

2-3 dashes of Tabasco

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a sauce pan, heat up your tomato sauce

Place the cooked balls in the sauce and let it come to a simmer before covering and letting the balls cook through in the sauce for about 5 minutes - they should be firm once cooked through, and you can also cut one open to be really sure.

Serve over cooked spaghetti or spaghettini (a thinner noodle) and cover with grated Parmesan cheese as desired.

These also make great subs! Get some nice rolls, top with the balls and sauce and lots of mozza - broil in the over to melt the cheese and ENJOY!

STORAGE

• Left over meatballs in or out of sauce can be kept in air tight containers in the fridge for about 3-4 days

• Left over meatballs not in sauce can be kept in air tight containers in the freezer for 2 months

• Always make fresh pasta! Leftover cooked pasta can develop nasty bacteria, don’t take the risk, only make what you plan on eating for each meal.

This is a ‘One Pan Recipe’, so be sure to use an oven safe cooking vessel like a dutch oven or a cast iron pan (as shown here)

It’s always a great idea to prep everything you need ahead of time!

Aromatics Galore!

Chicken Thighs seasoned

Bacon chopped into lardons

Step 1 (not pictured)

Render the bacon in a stainless steal pan or dutch oven

Step 2

Remove bacon and sear the chicken skin side down first, season the underside, then flip once the skin is golden brown and crispy and sear the other side for a couple minutes. Sealing in the juices.

Remove chicken from pan, set aside

A little more oil if needed and then onions in!

Celery Next!

Carrots!

PS: I saw other recipes that used mushrooms as well, but I didn’t have mushrooms. I’m sure you can add lots of different things - give it a try with some different ingredients!

GAAAARRRRRRLIC

FRESH Tyme - it’s smelling real good now!!!

Salt + Pepper

Bacon back in the pan

…back, back, back again!

Chicken back in the pan. Skin side up - gotta keep it crispy!

Add Wine, allow to simmer and scrape bottom of pan a bit, then add the chicken broth/stock.

Put the pan in the oven at 350 until chicken in cooked though (interior temp of 170F), about 20 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the pan from the oven (carefully! it’s hot!), and put back on the stove/burner, then remove the chicken and as much of the veg as possible and set aside. This is also a good time to remove the thyme stems and discard them.

Bring your liquid to a simmer and add about a tablespoon of “roux” - i.e. some melted butter and flour mixed into a paste. Whisk to avoid flour lumps and allow the gravy to thicken.

Once it’s a consistency you like, add the veg back in.

I served this over lightly buttered egg noodles since it’s a very rich dish on it’s own. You can also serve over tofu or veggie based noodles or on it’s own with a side of steamed beans - whatever you like!

Also, how about a nice glass of that red wine - one for the chicken and one for you!

Ingredients

1 cup cous cous

1/2 cup dried cranberries/crazins

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. turmeric

STEP 1

Add 1 cup of (dried, unprepared) cous cous, 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and 1/2 teaspoon each of allspice, cinnamon and tumeric to a large bowl

Add 2 cups boiling water, stir lightly

Cover and let stand until absorbed, about 5 minutes

Fluff with fork and let cool

Now that the base is done - time to add more colour and flavour!

Ingredients

1 Cup canned chick peas, drained, rinsed and patted dry.

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

1/2 cup minced fresh corriander or parsley (or more, to taste)

1 tsp. each salt and pepper  

Drain, rinse and pat dry a can of chick peas

Chop red peppers into small cubes

Chop or crush the almonds

TIP: You can crush the almonds easily by putting them in a Ziploc bag and hitting them with a hammer or rolling pin.

*I chopped mine as I like larger chunks of almond

Mince either coriander or parsely (I use parsely as my preference) and add to the bowl along with all other PART 2 ingredients

3 Tblsp. Lemon juice (1 lemon)

2-3 Tblsp. Olive Oil  

Add dressing to salad sparingly (to taste) and season with salt and pepper, toss with a fork to mix and cover.

Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

TIP: Adusut seasoning to taste.   Start with ½ tsp. then add more if you want after it is all put together.

This salad will stay good in the fridge, covered for about a week

TIP:  I like to make it the day before serving and let it fully cool as well as let the flavours intensify over night

This is the cake I made for my friend's birthday - it was an "Oreo" layer cake made with two layers of chocolate fudge cake and a middle layer of white cake with chopped up Oreos stirred in - so it was like an Oreo cookie on the inside!  I covered it with homemade vanilla buttercream frosting and decorated it with normal sized Oreos, Mini Oreos, Oreo crumbs, fresh whipped cream and sprinkles!!!

I'll post the recipe for this one day... 

To make the "cake pops" I used the tops of the cakes*, a container of store bough frosting (as I had no more buttercream left) and some chocolate and sprinkles.

Crumble the cake into a bowl with your fingers, add a little frosting and work the mixture with your hands, add little bits of frosting as needed -  you only NEED enough to make sure the mix comes together as a ball, don't over do it.

*tops of the cakes: the bit of round cake I shaved off from the top to make sure they were flat/stackable for a layer cake.

Roll the cake and frosting mixture into balls and place in the freezer to set.

NOTE:  These are WAAAYYY too big for cake POPS, and you'll see why...

I had more chocolate than "Oreo" cake left over

CHOCOLATE AND SPRINKLES!!!

A couple tips here:

1. Always cut your chocolate up into small pieces so it melts faster and evenly

2. For dipping the balls, use a tall skinny vessel to cover the ball completely on the first dip

3.  PRO BAKING SCHOOL TIP: If you're looking to have the chocolate set or "temper" properly, i.e. it will harden at room temp, keep the chocolate at a temp no higher than 27C-28C (81F-82F) by adding more chocolate or "seeding the chocolate" after it's melted

4.  Additional PRO BAKING SCHOOL TIP: A meat thermometer is actually better than a candy thermometer at getting an accurate reading .

Ok...so here's where I would tell you to take your cake balls out of the freezer, stick 'em with a wooden skewer, dip 'em in the chocolate, and then the sprinkles, and then set them in a piece of Styrofoam so they can be standing as they set in the fridge...

But as you can see from this pic; my balls were too big for my sticks and they fell down like the disco ball on new years eve in New York.

It was tragic, but hillarious...

...so yah, I dipped the rest of them, put them on a baking sheet and set them in the freezer.

I also did a drizzle of white chocolate 'cause damn straight I did.

They were crazy good and got gobbled up by my coworkers in less than an hour! Hooray!

Lesson Learned: If I ever plan to actually make cake POPS, I'll have to make them half the size if not smaller.

1-2 heads of broccoli, 1 large cooking onion, 1-2 leeks, 2-3 tblsp of flour, 2-3 tblsp of butter/margarine, 1 - 1.5 cups of milk, condensed chicken stock, the rind of a block of Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.

Chop the broccoli into equal sized pieces and steam for about 3-4 minutes in a small pot with a cup and a half of water.

Remove the broccoli from the water - keeping as much water in the pot as possible - and place in a blender - give it a quick blitz to chop it up into smaller pieces. 

Add a tablespoon of condesed chicken stock to the remaining water in the pot used to steam the broccoli.

Blitzed broccoli.

In a new larger pot, melt the butter (2-3 tablespoons).

Add the leeks and onion to the butter - cook for 2 minutes, until "glassy".

Glassy onions and leeks.

Add flour (2-3 tablespoons) to the butter, onions and leeks.

Mix the flour into the leeks, onions and butter and let it cook for about 1-2 minutes.

Add one cup milk (to start).

Switch from the wooden spoon to a baloon whisk to eliminate any lumps of flour from the soup.

Adding the milk, you can also see the remaining water from the broccoli that has had the condensed stock added to it.

Add the chicken broth - made with the brocoli water and a tblsp. of condensed chicken stock to the soup.

Add the broccoli.

Add a rind of Parmesan cheese - keep the rinds of your Parmesan cheese for creamy soups and sauces like this - it helps to make them savory and delicious.

Let the soup simmer on low to reduce and thicken - about 5-7 minutes uncovered
 

Be sure to remove the rest of the Parmesan cheese rind and serve with a buttered English muffin OR alongside a Croque Monsieu sandwich (a grilled ham and Swiss cheese sandwich with Dijon mustard)

If you’re using fresh chicken, cook it off first with a bit of salt and pepper in some olive oil

Butter

Add 1 chopped onion and cook until 'glassy', then add 3 cloves of finely minced garlic and cook until 'aromatic', then season with 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper and dry/fresh thyme.

(If you are using fresh chopped celery and/or carrots - add them now and cook for a few minutes).

Sprinkle about two table spoons of flour over the vegetable mixture (so the oil starts to get sucked up by it). 

The flour will form a paste with the butter and root vegetables/aromatics.  Let this cook about a minute or two, until you smell a "cooked flour smell" - smells a bit like shortbread to me..but with garlic and onions lol.

Add milk

Use a whisk, not a spoon to combine the milk to avoid lumps.

Once the milk is completely combined and the mixture has thickened, add chicken broth.

Add more broth as needed to get a good sauce together, taste and season as necessary.

If you’re using frozen veg, now is the time to add them.

Add cooked chicken, or turkey, or keep it vegetarian.

If using fresh green veg such as broccoli, beans, asparagus or peas, add now.

If using frozen crusts, allow to thaw while making the mixture. I like to place the crust in a proper pie plate to give the pie a reinforced bottom while it cooks and for serving.

Bottom pie shell filled - get your second raw/thawed  pie shell ready

Flip the second pie shell on top of the filled bottom and let it sit for a minute - the heat of the filling will help separate it from the foil.

Remove the aluminium tray from the top - from here, you can seal the pie shells together by pushing a fork around the edges, creating a "crimping" effect that will seal the pie and allow it to cook properly. Be sure to also add a couple slits on top of the pastry to allow steam to escape and properly cook the top crust. Crispy > Soggy.

Or you can get fancy with it....

For this pie, I decided to do some "finger pinching" around the sides to seal the crust.  I also cut a star pattern in the top - be sure to cut a couple slices/holes in the top of your pie as well to allow steam to escape/prevent the pie from becoming soggy.

Finger pinching is pretty and posh looking, but also ridiculously simple. The best way I can describe it is to take your index finger and push the crust into the center of the pie from the outside while using you index finger and thumb on your other hand to pinch that finger and the crust around it.

Other things you may want to try is cutting shapes out of the top of the pie, leafs are popular and very "autumn-esque", also hearts, or initials.  Use your imagination!

Bake the pie for 20-30 minutes at 400F, until the crust is browning and flaky.

UPDATE: You’ll see in the example below that I have since learned that egg wash is essential to getting a nice crispy glaze on top of your pie..

Shame that my pastry work here is better but the finished product looks a little anemic.

Give the pie 5 minutes to cool, then cut in and enjoy - this recipe feeds 4-8 people (depending on how big a slice you want).

ENJOY!  

For this next pie, I only had enough pastry for the top, so I transferred the mixture to a deep pie plate and placed the pastry on top. There was not enough to get fancy with the edges so I just added a couple “fancy bits” mostly to cover tears in the crust lol.

Such an important step to giving your pastry that golden glaze on top. Take one egg, mix with a bit of water and brush the top of the pastry. I also like to add a bit of salt on top.

400F for about 20 minutes, you may also want to broil the top to really crisp up the pastry.

You can see from the pic above that this pie was very saucy and I really just did not have enough pastry to contain the goodness.

Just as tasty - and lower carb!

Preheat the oven to 350F

Line a baking tray large enough for all portions with tinfoil

Ingredients: 2-3 chicken filets or 1 chicken breast with filet removed per person (I usually make extra portions so I can have left overs for lunch), 1 egg, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, cooking oil, tomato sauce (one day I'll make my own and outline the steps for you, but I used a pre-made sauce here), mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and of course a pasta of your choice - I used spaghettini as it's a thinner noodle than spaghetti and I like that.

Remove the excess fat and tendons from the chicken filets, season with salt and pepper
 

Prepare your "assembly line" - one plate has the egg and milk in it, the other has the breadcrumbs which are seasoned with some extra italian seasoning blend and freshly grated parmesan cheese

Assembly line complete - scramble that egg mixture, mix those crumbs

Dip the seasoned chicken first in the egg mixture...

...then into the breadcrumb mixture.

Tip: use one hand for wet (egg and milk) and the other for dry (breadcrumbs) - less mess!
 

Prepped chicken filets ready to be pan fried!

Pan fry the breaded filets so they are golden brown on both sides

Place pan fried chicken on paper towel to remove excess oil

Arrange chicken in a baking tray lined with tinfoil

Cover chicken breasts with tomato sauce....

...and mozzarella cheese...

...and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Place in oven to cook through for about 10-15 minutes or longer if you're using full sized chicken breasts and not just the filets, until the internal temp is 165F/74C.
 

Serve over spaghettini with tomato sauce and garnish with some fresh basil.

Tip:  Be sure to mix some of the tomato sauce into your pasta once cooked so it doesn't stick together.

So much ham...

Scotty's folks gave us the rest of the ham after Easter, I stuck it in the freezer for a couple weeks and then decided on a rainy evening it was time to attack the beast.

In addition to this large pot of soup, I also made 2 quiches, and there was still a bit left that I sadly had to toss after a few days.

2 cups of yellow split peas 1 cup of chopped ham, 1 cup of chopped onion, 1 cup of chopped carrots, 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, 1-2 bay leaves, 8-10 cups of water, salt and pepper to taste. (fresh parsley for garnish if desired)

Chop up all your ingredients, the ham, onion and carrot pieces should be close in size.

In a large pot, start cooking your onions and carrots in  a bit of olive oil

Add ham once the root veggies have started to sweat/onions have turned a bit glassy, season lightly (ham will add a lot of salt) 

Add herbs and bay leaves to pot, stir and cook for a couple minutes

Add all of your split peas

Add 8 cups of water - I got to 7 and then realized I had to switch pots - this recipe makes A LOT of soup

Bring everything to a boil, then lower heat and let simmer partially covered for about 1 hour

After an hour, I decided to add another 2 cups of water as the peas had started to get nice and soft, but my soup was getting a bit too thick.

Another shot of the soup after an hour of cooking, most of my peas had started to break down, but some were still quite hard and only partially cooked.  I added the extra water and let the soup cook another half hour

Soup is served! Tasty and relatively healthy - plus the giant bag of split peas I bought (and still have more than half left) was only $2 - so pretty cheap too!

NOTES:

This recipe made 8-10 servings (depending on bowl size)

My SO* enjoyed his with a zitz of sriracha, but I found it plenty tasty on it's own 

You could probably make this a veggie/vegan dish by swapping ham for yam (or another hearty vegetable that fares well in stews/soups, like potatoes, turnips, squash, parsnip or rutabaga - try it out and let me know how it comes out!)

*SO - significant other

Chop your veggies into similar sized pieces ahead of time.

For this recipe I used carrots, asparagus and onions.

I have used leaks, broccoli, peppers as well in the past - keep in mind that different veggies have different cooking times - see some notes on how to handle this below...

Clean the shrimp by removing the tails and deveining - pat them dry with a paper towel.

Season the shrimp with 'Slap Ya Mama' seasoning and cook in a pan with olive oil until pink on both sides, about 1 minute on each side. 

Shrimp almost done...

Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.  

Add your veggies to the pan based on cook time - i.e root veggies first, such as the carrots and onion, which take longer than green veggies.

Once the root veggies have started to soften, add the green veggies, i.e. asparagus.

If using more fresh garlic, chop finely and add at this stage as well (so as not to overcook)

Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook all the veggies together until soft...

Add the Alfredo sauce, let cook for a few minutes and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Cook pasta of your choice based on package directions and serve.

Garnish with more parmesan and pepper (as you like)

Tip: Immediately after the pasta is done cooking and drained - I add a splash of sauce and mix it in to keep the pasta from gluing together into a big clump.

Enjoy!

Here are the measurements in both imperial and by weight. 

(4 cups) 600g bread flour (all purpose flour)*

(2 tablespoons) 30g baking powder

(1/2 cup) 125g butter

(1 cup) 250ml milk

2 eggs

(1/2 cup) 125g sugar

(2 teaspoons) 10g salt

(1/2 cup) 125g dried cranberries

(1/2 cup)125g chopped white chocolate (I used a white chocolate Toblerone bar)

*you may need to add another 1/4 flour to get a drier dough

Tip: When scaling out by weight, be sure to have some varying sized containers to use for things like salt, baking soda/powder or vanilla.

Sift together flour and baking powder.

Combine flour and baking powder with butter in large mixing bowl - I use my stand mixer for this.

Combine milk and eggs, add sugar and salt to wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix until dough is loosely together - about 3 minutes.  If you're using a stand mixer, be sure to scrape down the sides at least once, half way through.

This is how you want the dough to look.

For this iteration of the recipe  I used a half cup of dried cranberries...

...and a half cup of chopped white chocolate "Toblerone" bar.

Add cranberries and white chocolate only long enough to incorporate.

Empty the dough onto a large, floured surface.

Roll out dough to about  1 and 1/2 cm thickness. 

***Be sure not to over work the dough or it will become tough.***

Use 2" and 1" cutters to cut out scones.

Brush Scones with a big of egg wash (one beaten egg).

Bake 2" scones for 12 minutes and 1" scones for 8-10 minutes at 420F, until risen and golden brown.

Let cool on a baking rack.

Make a pot of tea, and enjoy an afternoon snack!

Personally, I like these best when they're hot out of the oven with a little butter.  Yum!

This recipe yielded 20 2" scones and 18 1" mini scones.

I gave some away and froze a couple packs for a later date.  When packing them up, I used a straw to suck out any additional air in the bags before sealing them, so they would stay fresher, longer. 

Preheat the over to 425F

Ingredients: 1 frozen pie shell, eggs, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/2 tsp of parsley (fresh or dried), 1 large leek chopped (or 1 mid-large shallot), 1/2 cup of chopped ham, 1/2 cup of swiss cheese cut into cubs and salt and pepper to taste.

poke holes in the frozen pie crust with a fork

bake the empty pie crust at 400 for 8 minutes

chop the leeks, ham and Swiss cheese into equal sized cubes

if you're using deli sliced ham like in this example, a trick to cut it into equal sized pieces quickly is to roll 2-3 pieces up like a cigar, cut lengthwise down the middle, turn 90 degrees and cut lengthwise down the middle again, then chop across the width into squares

soften the leeks in butter in a saute pan for about 2 minutes (until the white parts start to become glassy or translucent)

add the ham to the saute pan with the leeks

combine the ham and leeks and cook another 3 minutes, season lightly with salt and pepper (extra saltiness from the ham and cheese will also season the quiche, so use salt sparingly)

fill the pie crust with the cooked ham and leeks, dot with the swiss cheese so the filling is equally dispersed.

combine the eggs and milk in a small bowl - I start with three eggs and then add as needed (depending on how full the pie shell is after pouring in the first 3)

stir in the parsley

pour the egg mixture into the pie shell

cook the quiche for 15-20 minutes at 425F

fresh out of the oven - smells amazing!

serve on it's own or with salad or fresh fruit depending on what time of day your eating it, great for day time parties (brunch/lunch), but if you have more than 3 people over, make 2 - it goes fast!
 

step 1: thaw tart shells for about 10 minutes

step 2: finely dice and sauté shallots in olive oil for a couple minutes, spoon into the bottom of each shell

step 3: chop up ham and add to the tart shells

NOTE:  making tarts over a whole pie also allows you more flexibility with your filling - so you can make some of the tarts vegetarian or use a different protein over the ham in case you or your guests are not down with the swine.

step 4: add some grated swiss cheese (or any type of cheese you like... or no cheese... it's your quiche!)

step 5: whisk up some eggs and a splash of milk and fill the cups (as with the large quiche, I generally start with three eggs and then add more as I see fit)

NOTE:  I added some tin foil to my baking tray at this point as egg was overflowing from my cups and I didn't want it to leak through the holes in the tray and burn on the bottom of my oven - which I literally JUST cleaned a few days before hand - if your baking tray has holes like this one - I advise you do the same and save yourself a smelly, smokey mess

step 6: season the quiches with a touch of salt and pepper and top with some fresh or dried herbs - I used some dry parsley here, but if I had fresh, I would have used that instead.

step 7: bake for 20 minutes at 375F - or until the pastry is slightly brown on the edges and the filling is bouncy but not liquid on top

ENJOY as office breakfast or hors d'oeuvres at a party or anytime at all!

Left over chicken (2 days old max)

Celery

Carrot

1 small onion or large shallot

Garlic

Ginger

1 egg

Soy sauce

Sesame oil/frying oil

2 cups cooked rice

The key to most Asian cooking is a a well prepped mis-en-place. For this recipe you’ll want to make sure that the chicken, celery, carrot and onion are all finely chopped to about the same size pieces, garlic can be chopped up ever finer (or put through a garlic press) and I usually grate the ginger.

in a large skillet, or wok if you have one, add a tablespoon of cooking oil (in this recipe I like to do about 1/2 a tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 a tbsp of sesame oil for extra flavour/fragrance), then add the celery, carrot and onion and cook until they start to turn soft/~5 minutes, then add in the garlic and ginger and cook another 2-3 minutes. Then add in your cooked chicken and give everything a good stir.

Add your cooked rice to the wok/skillet and give everything a good stir and let it heat through for 2-3 minutes

Season the rice with a bit of soy sauce, about 2-3 teaspoons

Make a well in the center of the wok/skillet and add in a whole scrambled egg, give it a scramble in the pan as well and let it cook about 1/2 way through before mixing it into the rice.

Give everything a final stir and taste - add additional soy sauce if desired.

Optional garnishes: If I have fresh parsley on hand I like to chop up some and mix it in for a pop of freshness and colour, also you could add a bit of fresh scallion and/or sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Preheat the oven to 350F

1 chicken breast (filet removed) for each person, 2 pieces of ham and 2 pieces of cheese per portion (In this example I'm using provolone cheese and black forest ham but you can use Swiss or Havarti and prosciutto as well), Dijon Mustard, seasoned breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste, cooking oil and a side veggie, here I use asparagus.

Butterfly the chicken breasts with a sharp meat knife and pound flat to increase the area space with the flat side of a meat tenderizer - don't have a meat tenderizer? You can also use a rolling pin, or even a can - but be sure to cover the meat with saran wrap if you go that method to prevent cross contamination.

Season the inside of the chicken lightly with a bit of salt and pepper and also a bit of the Dijon Mustard, place the ham and cheese slices on top.
 

Fold the chicken over carefully to ensure the ham and cheese stays inside, season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a hot pan with cooking oil, sear both sides of the chicken and the closed edge (opposite of the open one where the ham and cheese is hanging out).

Place seared chicken in a cooking pan lined with tin foil, brush the top of the chicken with Dijon mustard and cover with seasoned bread crumbs - place in a preheated oven (at 350F) and cook for about 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken until the internal temp is 165F/74C.

Serve the chicken alongside a green veggie - beans, brocolli etc.  In this example I did a quick blanche on some asaparagus and then pan fried them with some butter and salt and pepper.

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 1/2 cup butter (softened/room temp.)

- 1 egg

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 cup flour (All purpose is fine)

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 cup roughly chopped mini eggs

Cream together butter and both sugars.

Butter and sugar mixture complete.

Add egg and vanilla extract

Mix until "ribbon" stage (be sure to scrape down bowl half way through)

Sift together flour, salt and baking soda.

Add dry ingredients gradually, until fully combined.

Chop mini eggs and add to dough, I turned my dough out on a table to fully incorporate the chocolate eggs.

Portion out cookies and place on a lightly greased cookie tray.

Bake at 375C for 10 minutes (or until desired done-ness).

Soup:

- 2 large chicken breasts (or 6 chicken thighs)

- 1 cup chopped onions

- 1 cup chopped celery

- 1 cup chopped carrots

- 2-3 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)

- 2-3 teaspoons of dried thyme

- 4 cups chicken stock

- Water as needed

- ROUX: 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour

- Salt and pepper to taste

- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for searing off chicken

Dumplings:

- 2 cups flour

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley

- 3/4 cups of milk

- 1/4 cup of melted butter

Season chicken with salt and pepper, brown in a large dutch oven with olive oil.

Remove chicken from pot, add mirepoix (onions, celery and carrots) to pot and cook for a couple minutes, then add garlic and cook another few minutes until softened.

Add chicken back to pot, add bay leaves and sprinkle with thyme.  Add 4 cups chicken stock and 2-4 cups water (as desired).  Let the soup come to a simmer and allow chicken to cook through (about 5-10 minutes).

Remove cooked chicken from pot and shred with forks.

Remove bay leaves.

Add shredded chicken back to soup.  Taste and season as desired, add more water or thicken with roux (3 tablespoons each of melted butter and flour) - depending on how thin or thick you want your soup.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, add parsley.  Melt butter, whisk in milk and butter.

Completed dumplin' mixture.

Spoon dumplin' mixture into simmering soup.

Cook dumplins in soup for about 5-10 minutes, until firm.

Spoon a dumplin' into a bowl and add chicken, veggies and broth as desired.  Sprinkle with Parsley. Enjoy!

The Basics (cheese sauce): 2 tblsp butter, 2 tblsp white flour, 1.5-2 cups of milk, 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta suggestions; Macaroni, Penne, Shell pasta, I used "Scoobi Doo" pasta in this example - yes that's a real type of pasta.

Additions and nice-to-haves (used in this example): chopped onion, whole shrimp, 'Slap Ya Mama' Cajun seasoning, Parmesan cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs for the "crust".

Make your roux - equal parts butter and flour.
 

Onions are optional, you could also add some garlic at this stage as well - I like to add my aromatics to the butter to cook before finishing the roux with the flour.

Add flour to the butter/aromatics.

Cook that roux till it's golden and combined entirely.

Add the milk a half a cup at a time and whisk to eliminate lumps of roux.

All of the milk has been added, the bits in there are onion, not roux lumps.

Let the sauce come to a simmer and stir occasionally as it thickens - if it starts to look too "gluey" - add more milk.

In the background - cook your pasta!

Tip I should mention here is to use a large enough pot that will fit the pasta and the sauce to cook the sauce in, it's easier to add pasta to sauce then the other way around - you want to retain as much sauce as possible :)

Add 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese to the sauce and combine with a whisk.

Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper - it's important to do this after you add the cheese as the cheese will add it's own saltiness to the sauce and you don't want to over season.

Add the pasta to the sauce.

So for this recipe, I added some spicy Cajun shrimp, but you could add lobster, scallops and other sea foods, or either bacon or ham, even chicken, lots of varying veggies etc. to make it a full "mac and cheese bake". 

For the shrimp in this example, I used full shrimp, so they needed to be pealed and "deveined" which essentially means slicing down the middle of the back of the shrimp and removing the dirt and membrane  - or as Gordon Ramsay puts it - taking out the shit sack.

Spicy Cajun Shrimp brought to you by 'Slap Ya Mama' seasoning.

Saute the shrimp on high heat, in cooking oil or butter for about 45 seconds each side.  They'll cook more in the oven and you don't want them to be overdone.

Be sure to elimate excess grease by placing cooked shrimp on a paper towel to drain, then slice them into 2-3 pieces each and add to the mac and cheese.

Pour the mac and cheese into a cooking tray and cover with the rest of the grated cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup), finish with some Parmesan.

You could also add some seasoned bread crumbs to make it more "crunchy" but it's optional. (I didn't use them this time)

Broil in the oven at 450 for about 10 minutes, until the top is browned and crispy, let stand about 15 minutes so it's not completely molten cheese inside, then serve either as a side dish or a main with a side salad or cooked veggie of choice.

Bon Appétit!

Dry Ingredients:  All purpose Flour, White Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt

Wet Ingredients: Milk, Butter, 1 egg

2 thick slices of ham per serving

REAL CANADIAN MAPLE SYRUP for serving

Get a "warming tray" ready and heat your oven to about 225F - this will be used to keep the cooked pancakes warm while you make others.

Dry Ingredients ASSEMBLE!

Sift together 1.5 cups flour, 1 tablespoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 3.5 teaspoons of baking powder

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter...mmm butter...

Wet ingredients ASSEMBLE!

In a separate bowl, add the melted butter, 1 egg and 1.5 cups of milk - combine.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine with a wisk to elminate lumps.

Whisk until all ingredients are combined and there are little to no lumps.

Heat and butter up a skillet.

Using a ladle, add a spoon full of batter to the skillet.

Wait and watch for the edges of the pancake to become "dry looking" and for the batter to become very bubbly...

Flip the b*tch!

If it's golden brown like the above, let it cook for about a minute on the other side, then place on the heating tray.

Cook the ham for about 1-2 minutes on each side so it gets warm and also a bit crispy, then layer with your pancakes.

MAPLE SYRUP. EVERYWHERE. YEEEEAAAAHHHHH!

The candy!

The candy is basically 2 parts butter and maple syrup to 1 part Jack Daniels.

For 5 large yams, I used one cup each of butter and maple syrup and 1/2 cup of Jack Daniels.

Put all three ingredients in a large saucepan, I used a deep wok, and allow them to cook until they become bubbly and then frothy - about 15 minutes.  Once the candy starts to become frothy, add a teaspoon of salt - this may cause an "extra burst" of frothyness.

The yams!

Peel and cut the yams into equal sized, bite sized cubes.

"Par boil" the yams in salted, boiling water for about 8 minutes.

You want them to be softened but not "mashable" softness like a potatoe about to be used for mashing (they'll get softer in the candy)

Add the yams to the candy and cook until the yams get very soft and start to break down...

Once the candy is fully absorbed and the yams have started to break down a bit - they're good to go!

PS: This is veggie-friendly and the alcohol cooks off completely so fine for kids and those who do not imbibe alcohol - in terms of making this "vegan-friendly" - I'm not sure if replacing the butter with a vegan substitute will give the candy the right consistency,  but it you give it a try, I'd like to know how it turns out.

Crust - 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 cup of melted butter, 1 cup white chocolate chips

Cheesecake - 3 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, 1/2 cup white sugar, 3 eggs, 1 cup of melted white chocolate, 1 tsp of vanilla

Raspberry Sauce - 1 (10 ounce) bag of frozen raspberries, 1-2 tablespoons of sugar

Garnish - Whipped cream and fresh raspberries

Crust:

Add the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter to a bowl.

Mix crust ingredients together.

Spoon some of the crust mixture into tinfoil disposable muffin trays - or into a reusable muffin tray with muffin papers - and press down with your thumb.

Cheese cake:

In a new bowl, add the softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup white sugar

Blend

Add the 3 eggs, one egg at a time and mix thoroughly.

Add 1 cup of melted white chocolate and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, mix.

Add about 10 white chocolate chips to the trays with the crust, then pour the cheesecake mix in, leaving a bit of room (mainly to prevent spillage, the cheesecake doesn't rise like other cakes, so you want the mix close to the top.)

Bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes and let stand for another 30 minutes, then chill in the fridge for another 30-60 minutes ahead of serving.

Raspberry Sauce:

Add the bag of frozen raspberries to a pot on mid-high heat, melt of the additional ice.

Bring the berries to a simmer, add 1-2 tablespoons of white sugar (to taste) and let them reduce down so they're just sauce and seeds (you can strain the seeds out if desired - I like them personally) 

Spoon some sauce on the bottom of the plate, place one of the tarts on top, add a bit more sauce to the top and garnish with whipped cream and fresh respberries , make sure you have enough for seconds ;)

For this iteration of the steak sammy, I used some left over steak (cooked no more than med-rare) and half a carton of cremini mushrooms, as well as a cooking onion.   I made the sauce from a can of beef gravy, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper and served the deliciousness on fresh bread rolls from the bakery, rubbed down with a little garlic butter (butter + 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic).

In a hot pan with some olive oil, add the sliced cooking onions and cook for about a minute, until "glassy".

Slice the mushrooms and add to the pan with the onions.  Add the "grizzle" of the steak to the pan as well to get some of that fat rendered and add more flavour to the mix, season with salt and pepper.

Cook down the mushrooms for a few minutes, until they have released the bulk of their moisture/shrunk down by about a third of their original size. Taste test to check the seasoning and texture.

Add the sliced steak to the pan to re-heat, you want to be careful not to overcook the steak, especially if you've already cooked it to a perfect med-rare - wink wink.

NOT PICTURED:  Add a can of beef gravy and flavour it using Worcestershire and hot sauce and salt and pepper if needed.  Taste along the way and adjust as needed.  It's totally cool to use store bought, I am here, but if you made a roast, not steak, and somehow there's gravy left over - obviously use that.  

Bread - I bought these fresh Italian rolls for these sandwiches as they were nice and crusty, but you can top any bread you like with this mixture. I prefer tougher, crusty breads, and in fact this is a great recipe for bread that's a bit stale, cause you can toast it and the gravy will get soaked up into it oh so well, and be oh so delicious.

Melt a couple tablespoons of butter and add some finely minced/pressed garlic, brush onto the bread.

Put the bread under the broiler in the over for about 2-4 minutes so it gets nicely toasted... mmm

Get your toast, pile on some steak and shrooms - add more gravy, stuff it in your face, lick the plate clean. Hell yeah.

For just the Fritters: 3-4 cobs of corn, 1 sweet bell pepper, 1 small onion OR 2 french shallots OR 2-3 green onions (I used green onions in this example, but have used the other two options and they both worked well), 1-2 eggs, 3-4 tablespoons of white flour, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste. (Optional ingredients: Hot sauce and one small Jalapeño with the seeds removed)

For the Cool Lime Dip: Sour cream, one lime, salt and pepper to taste

*I served the fritters as an app ahead of a steak and salad dinner, so all those ingredients are in this pic as well.

Cut the corn from the cob using a serrated knife and a large bowl to catch the kernels.

Chop the bell pepper and onion (and jalapeño if you're using it) into corn kernel sized pieces or smaller and add to the bowl with the corn.

Add one egg and 2 tblsp of all purpose white flour to the bowl to start (you can add more "batter" mix if you feel you need it later on).

Give it a mix and add more egg and flour if you feel it's needed (the mixture is too "crumbly", you feel it won't hold together in the pan while cooking)

Add about a 1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper to the mix to season - you can also add a couple dashes of hot sauce at this point if you so desire.

In a hot, non stick pan, heat up 2 tblsp of cooking oil and then start forming your fritters in the pan - don't crowd them as you'll need room to flip them.

Give them a flip!

For the dip - add 3-4 tblsp of sour cream to a small serving pot, zest a lime over the top - cut the lime in half and squeeze one half of it's juices into the pot (save the other half a lime for margarita garnish or what have you), season with a bit of salt and pepper to taste

Be sure to place the cooked fritters on a plate with paper towel to remove excess oil before serving alongside the cool lime dip - enjoy!