A Peek into Marg's Kitchen

It's always fun to peek into someone's kitchen.  Today I will share some nooks and crannies that will possibly make you smile.  Our home is more than just a kitchen, it's a place where people come together to share life. 

A hallway from the back door brings you right into our kitchen.  And I love to hear the kids walk through the back door and say..."It sure smells good."  As you can see the kitchen flows into the family room giving me a bird's eye view on all the activity.  My cabinets are solid oak from the 90's era.  Any home interior expert would say..."they need to go."  But for now...there are other important things.  Our home is a an L-shaped kitchen with an open floor concept which gives room for family and friends.   I also the love the windows facing west which give for natural lighting.

The kitchen island expresses who we are, it's functional, practical and the granite counter top serves as a beautiful place to cook and bake or fold laundry, with five bar stools tucked underneath.

 Off to the side of our kitchen is a rectangle wooden shaped table with 2 leaf extensions from the ends which can seat fourteen adults comfortably with maybe a squeeze, but that creates the energy.

As you can see, there is lots of natural light and the large patio doors swing open to our back yard where we love to entertain winter and summer.   A natural gas fire pit adds just the extra touch of warmth to any event. This is my happy place.

In the summer our back yard opens up to serve many guests for many celebration festivities.

Here's a more formal table setting for adults.  This table setting was prepared for Judy's 65th birthday in January.  I have to mention something funny about my husband as he was helping me serve.

While serving, he whispered to me in disgust, "You can't use these old pot holders.  They look horrible. Don't you have something better?"  Of course I had nice new pot holders.  So I gave them to him and he said, "They don't feel  right."  Meanwhile he burnt his hands and I said, "That's why we love the good old used ones because they flow with our hands."  So much for pretty potholders.

When I'm not entertaining, my dining room table can be used as an office.  It lends for a great place to spread out invoices, statements and organize them into folders.

A large pantry, with roll out cabinets is perfect and I love my double door fridge with the freezer below.  I like the freezer below except when a toddler opens it and the ice cream melts. I appreciate my double baking ovens with its electric glass cook top.  I value the sleek look of the stove and it's easy to wipe clean.  Just don't burn any sugar on the elements. They stain permanently. 

My large pantry serves more than one purpose.  Other than just storage it becomes a place where children love to explore.  One shelf is designated for children and sometimes I need to nudge them gently to find some other places to play.

My Island is the hub of our kitchen.    It is used for everything that you could imagine.  A Seacco coffee machine, is able to brew you a freshly ground cup of coffee from Johns own signature blend which he roasts in his shop.  

A simple child's chair is attached (chicco)  which is so practical.   And what I love about this is that there are no legs attached and it doesn't take up a lot of space.  Plunk the little one in it and you are set.  Easy to clean up and it's perfect for this stage of life.

The island is built with pull out drawers with full extensions.   I love this one drawer for my tupperware bowls with one compartment only for lids.  It's easy to keep organized, when I don't have toddlers, but for now they are having fun.   Obviously, they are both pulling in the wrong direction.

With three young children, safety is a must, so we installed an iron safety gate around the fireplace.  It's taken away the anxiety of seeing small children being burned. 

We have reclaimed oak hardwood flooring which came from one of our farms.  It adds a beautiful finish and I love the simplicity, as they are easy to wipe and clean after we've had a family event.  A large carpet gives way for the whole family to be seated on the floor as we all watch the little ones play.  There is lots of room for tussling and tossing.

Heated tiles in the kitchen add pleasure to our soles.  Once again with little ones playing on the ground they always notice how nice and warm it is.  How many times the kids come without socks. It's just perfect. I also have a vacumm toe kick plate in the Island and in my mud room, which is a must if you consider remodeling.  

Once again, as I said, our Island is the hub...and as you can see it serves well. 

• it can serve as a work bench for the men as they assemble rockets.
• a baking center for two little girls who love baked oatmeal
• a spot to grow an Easter garden
• wide open space to unpack all the Easter ornaments.
• serves as a buffet counter or an eating place for those hungry mouths.
• many times it serves as a place to change a quick diaper.
• it's also a spot that provides safety.

Last but not least, the other day I stepped out of the kitchen for a minute and came back inside with a girl on top of the island crying...and I said "What's wrong?"  Well she had seen a spider on the floor, so as you can see this Island has a special spot for all. 

Next week she'll be making Paska with me.
Our Island is our gathering place.

What's your favorite spot in your kitchen?

Flashback Friday / Toblerone Cheesecake

I posted this recipe waaaay back in 2008, and used the Kraft photo instead of my own. I have not made it in many years and it was high time to make this again. After having it again I wondered why I waited so long! Our dinner guest enjoyed it so much that even though it is a rich dessert, people asked for seconds.
I am sorry for the blurry picture but before I had a chance to retake pictures the cake was devoured in no time flat. The recipe originally comes from Kraft, but I revised it and included the changes I made.

Prep time:20 minutes Chilling time:8 hours or overnight

• 1 1/4 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 packages (250g each) cream cheese softened
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 bars (100g each) Toblerone Chocolate, chopped (I used 4 bars and divided the extra bar between the filling and the topping) 
• 1/2 cup, whipping cream equals about 1 cup whipped cream. Make a bit of extra if you want to decorate the top. (original recipe calls for a frozen whipped topping, but I prefer the real thing) 
• 1/4 cream for the ganache (original recipe said to use a 1/2 cup of melted coolwhip.

1. Combine chocolate crumbs and melted butter.
2. Press onto bottom of a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan.
3. Chill. Beat cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar on medium speed of electric mixer until very smooth.
4. Stir in chocolate one bar of the chocolate chopped into bite size pieces.
5. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
6. Spoon into springform pan. Chill 8 hours.

Ganache:

• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 bar (100 g) Toblerone Chocolate (milk or dark), chopped

1. Using a double boiler, bring cream to a simmer over low heat, remove.
2.  Add chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Cool.
3. Pour over cake and place in refrigerator, or pour over each slice as it is served.
4. Decorate with remaining whipped cream and chocolate bar.

Serves 8 - 12

Reuben Roll Ups

These reuben roll up are simple to make and very tasty. You can use crescent rolls from a package or try making them on the day you are baking buns and have dough available. These roll ups are good dipped in thousand island dressing. If you don't have the dressing in your fridge it's simple to prepare.
Adapted slightly..from the recipe found here.

• 1 package of 8 crescent rolls
• 1/2 cup (approx) thousand island dressing
• 8 slices of corned beef
• 4 slices of swiss cheese
• 1 cup sauerkraut, drained and lightly squeezed dry

1. Unroll and divide the crescent rolls.
2. On each roll spread approx 1 tablespoon of dressing, 1 slice of corned beef, 1/2 slice of cheese and approx 2 tablespoons sauerkraut.
3. Roll up like a butterhorn starting from the wide end.
4. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Bake in a 350º oven for 20 minutes or golden in color.
6. *Use any leftover thousand island dressing for dipping the roll ups.

Homemade dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 - 4 dashes of sriracha (hot sauce)
• 2 tablespoons hot dog relish

1. Whisk together ingredients until combined. 
2. Store in fridge until ready to use.
3. Yield: 8 roll ups

Pina Colada Sweet Rolls

 

Sweet rolls with a pineapple and coconut filling are a perfect spring time coffee break treat.

Pineapple Filling: (make first so it has a chance to completely cool)

• 1 14 oz can crushed pineapple, with juice
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp butter

1. Put crushed pineapple in a microwaveable bowl. 
2. Add remaining ingredients except butter. Stir well.
3. Heat in microwave 2 minutes at a time until mixture thickens.
4. Remove and stir in butter. Set aside and allow to cool while you make the sweet dough.

Sweet Dough: (Yields 14-16 rolls)

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp oil oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 3 1/2-4 cups flour
• 1 tbsp quick rise yeast

1. Place first 7 ingredients in a microwaveable bowl. Beat well. Heat until warm to the touch.
2. In a large bowl stir together flour and yeast.
3. Pour warm wet mixture over dry mixture. 
4. Stir until it begins to come together and then using your hand knead, adding flour as needed to make a soft but not overly sticky dough. 
5. Cover, allow to rise for 45 minutes or until double in bulk.
6. Roll dough out to 10"x18".
7. Spread with cooled pineapple mixture. Roll up. 
8. Slice rolled up log into 14-16 equal pieces and place on greased baking pan. 
9. Rolls do not require a second rise. Just let them sit while the oven heats up. 
10. Bake in 350º oven for 15-20 minutes.

Rolled up and ready to slice. My mom used to use thread to slice sweet rolls. It slides easily under dough and gives a nice clean cut...and you never have to worry about scratching your work service with a sharp knife. Just slide thread under roll, cross over and pull. Perfect slices!

Frosting:

• 1 tbsp soft butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp milk, plus 

1. Beat together all ingredients until you get a smooth spreadable frosting. Add a drop of milk more if too thick or a little more powdered sugar if too runny.
2. Spread frosting on slightly warm rolls. 

Farmer Sausage Soup

We have a restaurant here in the Fraser Valley that serves a great farmer sausage soup...using ground smoked sausage.  I recently discovered that one can remove the raw farmer sausage from the casing and then brown the meat as a base for this soup.  We quite enjoyed it!

• 1 pound raw farmer sausage (or any similar smoked sausage)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-5 cups water 
• 3 medium potatoes, cubed
• 3-4 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cups corn (frozen or canned, kernels or cream corn)*
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated cheese

1. Slit casing of raw farmer sausage and remove the meat by scraping it out with a tablespoon. (If the sausage is not 'raw meat', finely chop before sautéing.)
2. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, saute sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. 
3. Add the water, potatoes,carrots, celery, salt, pepper, basil and cayenne. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
4. Add the corn and heat through.
5. Using a wire whip, combine flour and milk and stir mixture into soup. Add grated cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until soup returns to a boil. Cook several minutes longer to melt cheese and thicken slightly.  

*I like to use one can of corn kernels and one can of creamed corn.

 

Peanut Butter Crinkle Cookies

We love the old-fashioned comfort of Peanut Butter Cookies.  Years ago I used to buy creamy peanut butter but now we prefer the healthy choice of natural peanut butter.  Some recipes lend themselves better to the processed peanut butter and crinkle cookies are one of those.  If you use processed peanut butter, the cookies will naturally rise and swell and crinkle but natural peanut butter needed some adjustments and help to get the crinkle effect.   The cookies are so tender and perfect with a cup of coffee!  They freeze beautifully.

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup natural unsalted peanut butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chopped salted peanuts*
• white granulated sugar
• icing/powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cream together the butter and peanut butter.   Add sugars and cream well.
3. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda, stirring until combined.
5. Add chopped peanuts.
6. Using a small ice cream scoop, shape dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Bake for about 9-10 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven and gently tap the balls down with your fingers.  The cookies will flatten into a crinkle effect.   
8. Once all the cookies have cooled,  sprinkle with icing sugar for effect.  

*peanuts are optional and if you wish to omit them, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the dough.

Yields: 4 dozen

Bread for the Journey

Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
    for our HOPE is in you alone.

Psalm 33:22

So often in our conversations the word "hope" is part of it. I hope you feel better, I hope you get the job, I sure hope I get a better sleep tonight, etc. 

 According to the webster dictionary the meaning of hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. As a Christ follower, I know the meaning of hope is beyond what the dictionary offers. Our hope lies with God alone, that HE is in all our circumstandes, even when we can't see Him or feel Him. Imagine how powerful our prayers are because of that Hope we place in God. Life doesn't always turn out as we hope for, does it? Challenging, unpleasant and unwanted things happen in life. May we find our true HOPE in the Him alone. 

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6