Apples and Cinnamon Porridge

Porridge (serves 3 to 4)

1 large Apple

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup milk (or another cup of water)

1/2 cup apple juice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Wash apple, roughly chop, leaving skin intact and discarding core.  (You can use whatever kind of apples you have on hand, but if they are small - try using two!)  Toss chopped apple into a small to medium sized pan that has a fitted cover.  Add white sugar, cinnamon, salt, apple juice, milk and water.  (*note, you can opt just to use 3 cups of water without other liquid).  Bring to a rolling boil on top of stove over a medium heat.  Stir in rolled oats, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes.  Top with a light sprinkle of cinnamon and either white sugar, brown sugar or maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Nana's Scotch Cake

Nana's Scotch Cakes


These little gems have been in my family for generations.  My Grandmother's Mother taught her and so on.  My Nana (Grammy) used to make these especially for Christmas, but would ocasionally make them for church socials etc.  She would freeze some of them without icing and take them out for bridge parties - you would never know they came out of the freezer as long as they are wrapped well in wax paper and sealed in tupperware or a cookie tin.  Nana's claim to fame with these yummy mouthfuls of buttery love, was that they simply do not contain cornstarch.  My family have stamped them with a big seal of approval.  I have doubled the original recipe - feel free to cut it back to 1/2.
1 lb (2 cups) butter (room temperature & creamed)
1 cup icing sugar
2 egg yolks (try not to get even a drop of egg white in the mixture)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 cups flour
(plus about 3 Tbsp flour and 2 Tbsp icing sugar for method - see below note)

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees  (these cookies are chaulk full of butter - there is no need to grease your cookie sheets).

Cream butter and icing sugar together and add egg yolks and extracts, slowly beat in flour.  Freeze mixture for about 5 minutes (this was not part of the original recipe, but if your hands are naturally warm like mine - you won't have "the touch" that's needed without freezing for 5 minutes).

This recipe is not very forgiving, you must handle the dough as little as possible!

Use a little extra flour and icing sugar to dust rolling pin and rolling surface (as per note above).  Roll dough out 1/2 to 3/4" thickness.

Important *** DIP small cookie cutters between EACH cut in a mixture of flour and icing sugar.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Let cool on wire cookie racks and ice if desired.

Icing:
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp cream (or milk)
1 tsp almond extract

Method (Icing):
Blend with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Dab each cooled cookie.
*Option - use 1/8 marachino cherry slices ontop of icing for decoration.

Super Easy Mock Chocolate Mousse (6 to 8 large servings)

Photo Courtesy of Nicole Raynor

2 cups heavy cream
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 2 1/4 cups)
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 500 ml tub cool whip

Method:
In medium sized saucepan over low heat - gently melt together 1 bag of chocolate chips and 2 cups of heavy cream, salt and vanilla - stirring constantly.  Once chocolate chips are almost all melted, remove from heat and whip with electric mixer for about 2 minutes, then fold in 3/4 tub of thawed cool whip.  Immediately pour into serving dessert dishes.  Cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate for at least 20 minutes (and/or as long as overnight).  Just before serving add remaining coolwhip topping.

Special note, if you use 1/2 the cream and 1/2 the coolwhip - this recipe make a fantastic cake filling.

Enjoy!

Apple Carrot Pecan Cake (any day cake)

Cake:
1 Double Layer White or Yellow Cake Mix
3 Large Carrots (shredded)
1 Large Apple (chopped finely, with skin - without core)
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp mayonaise
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger (or all spice)
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup broken pecan halves (save 8 to 10 whole pecan halves for decorating top of cake)

Icing:
1 8oz package cream cheese (microwave on high for 20 seconds)
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
2  1/4 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)

Method (for cake):
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease (x2) 9 1/2" round baking pans and line with parchment paper. 
Mix all cake batter ingredients (except the pecans) with beaters on medium speed for about 2.5 minutes (scraping down sides of bowl) then fold in pecans, saving 8 to 10 for decorating top of cake after icing.  Divide batter between 9 1/2" rounds, bake for 42-45 minutes on middle rack of oven.  When you can smell the cake, and it starts to pull away from the sides of the pan - it is done.  Your toothpick will probably not come out overly dry as this is a very moist cake, being such, it will not rise very much either.  Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes before turning out to completely cool.  Don't forget to remove the parchment paper.

Method (for icing):
Remove cream cheese from packaging and place cream cheese in a glass bowl.  Microwave on high for about 20 seconds.  Add butter, salt and vanilla - cream together with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until well blended.  Once cake is cool, add 1/2 icing between cake layers and 1/2 on top.  This icing is rich so you need only cover the middle and top layers (ignoring the sides of the cake).  Place pecan halves on top to decorate.

Enjoy!

Dad's Cream Peas on Toast

Dad's Cream Peas On Toast

3 Tbsp Flour

2 Tbsp Butter

1 cup white milk (we use 2%, but anything goes)

3 cans of peas (10 fl oz) or frozen peas with a little extra sugar added (2 cans drained, 1 with water)

1/8 tsp of white sugar

1/8 tsp of salt

12 slices of bread (toasted) and cut into cubes

Method: 

Melt flour and butter together to form a roux.  Continue to stir so that it doesn't burn and/or stick. 

Should be a light golden brown colour and smell like Nana's shortbread is baking in the oven.  Allowing the flour and butter to sizzle together and lightly brown adds a rich flavour and removes most of the starchy taste.  REMOVE from heat and add milk 1/4 cup at a time until well blended.  Return to medium high heat.  Dump in 2 cans of drained off peas as well as the 1 can of peas that still is in water.  Add sugar and salt. Start toasting your bread.  Bring pea mixture just to a boil - don't over cook it.  Serve creamed peas over toast (cubed).

Enjoy!

French Toast

Tonya's Toast (French Style)

Egg Mixture

6 large eggs

2-3 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Other

8 to 10 slices of bread

1 Tbsp each of butter and vegetable oil for frying

1/4 cup icing sugar for decoration

maple syrup

Method:

Turn on electric frying pan to 375 degrees (or preheat frying pan on top of stove to medium high heat);

Add oil and butter to skillet.

*KEY* use an electric mixer to whisk the egg mixture (should be light and frothy).

Quickly dip bread into and out of egg mixture once, shake off excess and drop into the frying pan. Turning over only once when golden brown (roughly 2 minutes 30 seconds turn and cook about another 90 seconds).

Once both sides are golden brown remove from frying pan, plate, drizzle with maple syrup and a sprinkle of icing sugar. 

ENJOY!

Tonya's Tuna Melts

Tonya's Tuna Melts (2 dozen)

1 dozen english muffins (split into halves)
5 cans solid white tuna (170 g can) packed in water.
1 1/4 cups of hellman's light mayonaise
3 Tbsp light ceasar salad dressing
4 small stalks of celery finely chopped
1 small apple finely chopped
1 cup of finely chopped white onion (plus about 1/4 cup green onion if desired)
1 large dill pickle (about 1/8 cup finely chopped)
1/2 Tbsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of celery salt
250 grams grated old cheddar cheese

Method:
preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line two large baking sheets with tin foil.
Split 12 english muffins with a fork and place each half on the lined cookie sheets.

Bake plain english muffins in oven for about 5-7 minutes - you don't want them to brown yet, just very lightly toasted.  Rinse and drain tuna. Add about 1/2 of the light mayonaise and all the rest of the ingredients. Keep adding the rest of the mayonaise until the tuna salad reaches your desired consistancy.

Spread the tuna salad mixture evenly over all the split english muffins. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove from the oven and cover with the grated cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn your oven onto high broil for the very last 60 seconds. Serve with napkins!

These work well for supper and a couple for left over for lunches the next day. They are also good cold and can be split in 1/2 after cooking for a large party snack.

Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff (4 large servings)

1 Tbsp of vegetable oil
3 striploin steaks
4 large peeled carrots (cut into lengthwise strips)
4 medium stalks of celery (cut into lengthwise strips)
1 Package of washed and sliced mushrooms
1/2 large white onion sliced
(celery salt, pepper & steak spice to taste)
1 package egg noodles
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups hot water
2 pouches of beef oxo
6 drops of worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp of Oishi Sauce
2 Tbsp roasted red pepper cream cheese
1 Tub Sour Cream about 1 cup

Method:
Boil a large pot of water (keep on burner for egg noodles later).  Bring a skillet up to high heat (adding about 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil)

As soon as you place the 3 striploin steaks into the pan, REDUCE HEAT to medium - set a timer for 5 minutes, turn steaks, cook for about 4 more minutes.

While steak is cooking, peel 4 large carrots and 4 medium stalks of celery.  Wash mushrooms and set them on a paper towel to dry before slicing. Slice mushrooms & onions.

Remove steak from pan and let rest - add a little steak spice and celery salt & pepper to freshly cooked steak.
Add about 1 1/2 cups of cold water to hot pan (medium high heat) to deglaze. Toss in carrots.  Cook for about 5 minutes before adding celery. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

Place egg noodles in boiling water (takes about 10 minutes).

Add chopped onions, mushrooms and 2 Tbsp butter to stroganoff mixture - continue to stir ocassionaly.  Mix 1/2 cup hot water with 2 pouches of beef oxo, 6 drops of worchestershire sauce, 1 1/2 Tbsp ketchup, 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp of Oishi Sauce (if you don't have Oishi - use 2 Tbsp of soy sauce) - pour liquid into stroganoff mixture.  Add sliced steak (fat removed) - continue to cook with heat for about 5-7 minutes. Shut heat off.  Add 2 Tbsp roasted red pepper cream cheese (optional) to stroganoff and just as cream cheese has melted fold in:  1 Tub Sour Cream about 1 cup.

Divide Drained Egg Noodles onto plates, divide beef stroganoff evenly over the egg noodles and making sure all the sauce is poured over top.

Enjoy!