Tapioca Dream Pudding

Tapioca pudding takes me back to eighth grade Home Ec, one of the first things we learned to cook. More recently, my sister mentioned making it for friends for whom it is a favorite dessert. I just had to go back to it. The lightness in this recipe comes from beating the egg white separately and adding it at the end.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg, separated
• 4 tablespoons sugar, separated
• pinch salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons Minit Tapioca
• 3/4 teaspoons vanilla 

Method:

1. In a 4 cup glass bowl, beat egg white, adding in 1 tablespoon sugar as it gets foamy.
2. Beat until stiff peaks form.
3. In saucepan, whisk egg yolk and 3 tablespoon sugar. Add salt and gradually stir in milk and then tapioca. Let sit 5 minutes.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat.
5. Immediately, with hand mixer on low speed, slowly add hot tapioca mixture into beaten egg white OR fold beaten egg whites into hot tapioca pudding with spatula. Add vanilla. 
6. Stir after 20 minutes and scoop into dessert bowls. Serve warm or chilled, plain or with fruit. Yields 3 - 4 small servings

Note- naturally gluten free

Pfeffernuesse

Every year I am asked about this recipe, so this year, my sister called and said,
"I want to learn how to make Pfeffernusse." So we penciled in a calendar date and had a fun time in her kitchen making all sorts of recipes that we love, and learned how, too many fingers in the dough, can spoil everything.
Remember before you bake these cookies, you need to make sure your cupboard is stocked with those special spices from the deli. Find out, how disastrous it can be with two sisters in the same kitchen.

Pfeffernusse

Step One:

• 1 1/2 C honey
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon cardamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons /15 grams Neunerlei Lebkuchen Gewurz (this is a gingerbread spice purchased at Delicatessen)

1. Warm honey in microwave and add sugar and spices.
2. Cool mixture to room temperature.

Step Two:

• 1 cup margarine
• 1/3 cup sour cream

1. Melt margarine and add sour cream.
2. Now add to honey mixture.

Step Three:

• 6 cups cups flour(you may need to add 1/2 cup more as it needs to be thick)
• 3 teaspoons baking soda

1. Blend flour and soda into mixing bowl.
2. Sift together flour and baking soda and add the honey mixture and mix well.
3. I usually use my kneading hook, as this dough is heavy. One time I broke my cookie beaters.

1. Place in fridge overnight to cool. 
2. To bake, grease cookie sheets
3. Roll dough into rolls (snakes) and slice.(thickness of your index finger)
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake for 9 minutes. Just slightly browned.
5. When baked, leave cookies on sheet 2 minutes, then remove from pan.

Sometimes I leave the dough in the fridge for days and let the young ones make snakes together with me. It takes time rolling them out, but its fun if you do it with someone else and make an activity out of it. This yields about one ice-cream pail.
I actually bake a few pans every Advent Sunday, and that way they are fresh.

The best way to eat these are to dip them in a fresh cup of coffee.

Molasses Kissed Pumpkin Pie

I first posted this Pumpkin Pie in 2013.  It's still our favourite and I think you will find it easy to put together for your family too! 

There is no need to buy pumpkin pies from a bakery when they are really so simple to make.

If you don't have time to make your own pastry, purchase a package with two frozen deep dish shells and use one of the shells to cut out little leaves with the thawed pastry for garnish.

• 1 9 inch deep dish pie shell or make your own  (this can be done ahead of time)
• 1 3/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (about 1 -  15 ounce /398 ml can)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sweetened condensed milk  (can sizes vary between US and Canada)
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon*
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger*
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves*
• dash nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Adjust oven rack to second lowest level. Line a 9 inch deep pie plate with pastry. Decorate edge with leaf cutouts or crimp with your fingers or 
2. Whisk together the pumpkin with the remaining ingredients until smooth. If you have a blender, put all the filling ingredients in there and process until smooth.
3. Pour carefully into the pastry crust.  To prevent the crust edges from becoming too dark, use kitchen shears to cut out the inside of an aluminum pie plate and cover the pie as shown in the photo.  
4. Bake at 425 F. for 15 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 F and bake an additional 35 minutes.  Test by putting a sharp knife an inch from the edge. It should be clean.
5. Cool on rack.  Only refrigerate the pie if it is not being served the same day it is baked.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream.  Refrigerate leftovers. 

*if the cinnamon, ginger and cloves are not spices you use often, purchase pumpkin pie spice and use 2 teaspoons. 

Christmas Fruit and Nut Cake with Caramelized Pineapple

Fruitcake is our favorite small bite treat with a cup of coffee during the Christmas season.  Be sure that you use ingredients that are fresh.  Nuts and dried fruits that are even a bit stale will taint the fruitcake and will ruin all the work.   Fruitcake lovers will all enjoy this delicious Christmas treat.
Fruitcake improves in flavour and texture over time, so make it now to enjoy at Christmas.

• 1 cup slivered blanched almonds
• 1 cup whole blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup whole walnut halves
• 1 1/2 cups seedless raisins
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
• 1 cup / 225 grams glace cut mixed peel
• 1 cup / 225 grams glace fruit cake mix
• 2 cups 500 grams glace whole cherries
• 1 cup finely chopped dates
• 1/2 cup apricot brandy

1. Stir together all the fruit and nuts in a large glass bowl.  Stir in brandy and cover with lid or tightly with plastic wrap.  Stir occasionally and leave at room temperature until the next day.

Caramelized Pineapple

• 1 14 ounce / 398 ml can crushed pineapple with the juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 1/4 cup apricot brandy

1. Combine pineapple, juice and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir  occasionally to prevent scorching and simmer to reduce liquids, 30 - 40 minutes.  Once the liquid has mostly evaporated and the pineapple has started to caramelize, remove from heat, add jam and brandy.  Refrigerate overnight in sealed container. 

Fruitcake Batter

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup room temperature unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 7 eggs (should measure 1 1/2 cups)

1. Prepare 2 - 3 loaf pans by cutting brown paper bags to fit first lengthwise and then across the width, allowing the paper to come just over the edge of the pan.  Grease paper well. Alternately, for gift giving, use disposable paper bakeware.  
2. Preheat oven to 275 F. 
3. Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix 1 cup of the flour mixture with the fruit and nuts and set aside. 
4. In a large bowl, beat butter, then gradually add sugar and eggs with mixer. Add remaining flour mixture and beat to combine. 
5. Use a large wooden spoon to stir in fruit and nut mixture along with the pineapple mixture. Stir well to combine.
6. Divide into loaf pans and bake.  Baking times will vary depending on size of the pan. You can bake the fruitcake in small individual loaves or square pans.  Whatever you decide to use, check every 30 minutes to start if you use small pans.  The loaves will feel firm in the center when done. Test with a toothpick once you think the top feels firm.  Regular bread pan loaf pans will be up to 3 1/2 hours. Check several times to make sure the top of the cakes are not getting too brown.  If that happens, cover loosely with foil.   The bakeware shown in the photo held 3 cups of batter, measured 1 1/4 inch X 6 inch diameter and took just over an hour to bake. 
7.  Remove from oven, remove from pan, allow to cool for half an hour and then carefully remove brown paper.  Brush with additional apricot brandy before storing. Leave cakes in the disposable bakeware pans for easy gift giving.   Seal well in plastic bags and store in the refrigerator for several months or freeze.

Autumn Sausage Medley

I'm thinking it's definitely past Autumn in most parts of Canada now 

but the ingredients of this dish still speak to me of crisp Fall days.

Farmer Sausage, Butternut squash, apples flavoured with a touch of Rosemary - what's not to like?

• 1-2 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 2 apples, cubed
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 small can sliced water chestnuts drained (optional)
• 1 red pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
• 6 large mushrooms quartered
• 1 link Farmer Sausage cut into 1 inch pieces (you can use garlic or Kielbasa sausage if you like)

 Sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup apple juice

2-3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons chili sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups apple juice

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1. Saute' apple and squash in 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan until lightly browned.  Remove to 3 or 4 cup casserole dish.
2. Place onion, red pepper and mushrooms in pan, and saute' until wilted adding more oil if needed.
3. Remove to casserole dish. 
4. Add sausage pieces.
5. Mix cornstarch and 1/2 cup apple juice in a small bowl.  Set aside.
6. Add remaining sauce ingredients to pan  stirring well until sauce boils. 
7. Add cornstarch mixture and stir and cook until sauce returns to a boil and thickens. If you like a sweeter sauce, feel free to add more honey. Add more cornstarch mixed with a bit more apple juice if you'd like the sauce a bit thicker.
8. Pour sauce over ingredients in casserole dish and bake at 350˚ for 30- 45 minutes or until squash and onion are tender.
9. Serve over rice or noodles.
10. Serves 4-6.

School Lunches from the Kitchen

September is here with all of its joy of new school clothes and school supplies for the kids, while parents make renewed resolutions for organization toward a healthy and happy family lifestyle. I am a Grammy now, with all of that behind me, but still so clear in my memory. In fact, I have vivid memories of the lunches my mom packed for me and today, when I have thermos tea along with a ham, lettuce and mayo sandwich on a bun, my mind goes right back to my school desk at Sir James Douglas Elementary. The sandwich was always neatly wrapped in wax paper with a unique fold on top. If lunches can have such a lasting impact on a person, I like to think that it's food, not only for the body, but for the mind and soul. Maybe this is why I still like to help out my kids with a bag of pizza buns or pinwheels to put into the freezer, knowing that moms just get way too busy to keep up . . . and again, it's toward more than food for the body.

A variety of homemade buns, rolls, cookies and  muffins will take a few hours of focused time to prepare but will go a long way toward stress free lunch packing for the next month. All of the suggested recipes freeze well and are ready to pack into a lunch bag along with some veggies, yogurt, cheese and fruit.

With this post I just want to share a few favorite ideas. I'll add the links and more suggestions.

The pizza buns are made with a quick French bread dough, pizza sauce, cheese and bacon bits. One recipe makes about 30 buns. The banana chocolate chip muffins make a nice treat in miniature size for younger kids.

These sausage rolls are posted as a recipe on my personal blog, but I will give you the method here quick. You will need half of a skinny farmer sausage, quartered lengthwise, so that you have four long strips of sausage. Then, using 3 cups of the  the Basic Large Biscuit Mix, mix in 1 egg and 1 cup buttermilk. Roll it out to about 16 X 12 inches and divide it into four strips to roll the sausage up in. Cut these long rolled up sausage strips into small segments to make two dozen sausage rolls. Bake at 400 F about 15 minutes or until golden. The treat in this lunch is a mini chocolate zucchini muffin.

Cheese stuffed breadsticks are also made with French Bread dough. I made these with half whole wheat, half unbleached white flour. The recipe makes 24 to 32 bread sticks.

Maybe you have someone who prefers salads to sandwiches. A favorite pasta salad is a great idea. I added some left over rotisserie chicken into this lunch and some raisin oatmeal cookies which I have not posted, but there are a lot of cookies on this site to choose from. Plain mini meatballs (without the glaze or sauce) are also good in a lunch.

I was sure I had posted this quiche, but found out it's one I can still do in the future. A friend of mine told me her grandchildren love taking quiche in their lunch. They are easy to prepare. You can use frozen pastry tarts and simply fill them about 3/4 full with your choice of quiche filling. Bake at 400 F about 20 minutes.

Bev's Ham and cheese pinwheels have become a favorite just in this past year. If you love to roll out pastry and play with it, this is for you. These treats are a bit of work but very rewarding as the recipe makes about 60 pinwheels. Pop them frozen into a lunch bag and they will be good at noon. I use the cooked ham that comes cut square (375 g package) and quarter each slice for the perfect size on each pinwheel square. You can use only cheese if you like. If your school is not a peanut free zone, try the rice crispy chocolate rolls for a treat. Dried mango or apple slices might be something your kids like.

Biscuits, along with a few favorite things to nibble on may be a nice change for some. Split them to add butter or jam.

And last but not least, an old family stand by, are plain or whole wheat buns for sandwiches. Shape them large for bigger sandwiches or small, almost touching when you put them on the pan, so that they turn out more like a soft roll. Some kids love the "no crust" feel. Slice them before freezing, so that they can be filled on the day of, while frozen. If you want to minimize processed meats, use egg or tuna salad, homemade roast beef, chicken or ham. Home cooked meat is easiest to slice thinly once cooled.

I hope that lunch making can be an enjoyable time for whoever prepares it. Sometimes parents need for their kids to prepare their own lunch but again, to eliminate stress, prepare or delegate someone to peel and chop vegetables once a week and keep them in sealed containers with a bit of water. Ripen fruit on the counter, then wash and put in fridge when good to go. Have sandwich options and snacks readily available. If you pack a lunch and find out it does not get eaten, find out what needs changing. Sometimes younger children just feel like they do not have enough time to eat. Some like to know what is in their lunch in order to look forward to it. Some like a surprise. Know your own child to work toward a happy lunch experience. One day this too will only be a memory.

For more ideas, try a search of cheese straws, muffins, pizza muffins, vegetable muffins,wiener rolls, meat buns, baked oatmeal, cookies or school lunches in the recipe search window near the top of the sidebar.

Orange Peach Jam

Combine this jam, slightly runny and rich in citrus flavor, with cream cheese on a bagel OR with a barbecue sauce to use as a glaze on baked meatballs. I have given quite exact numbers when it comes to the fruit, but it does depend on size of fruit.

Ingredients for one batch:
(the goal is approximately 7 cups raw fruit blended before adding sugar, equaling 8 cups cooked, for one batch. I recommend doubling the amounts and cooking two batches)

• 9 ripe peaches
• 3 seedless oranges
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons Certo Light or 1 pkg regular pectin

 Method:

1. Wash jars and lids. Place clean jars in 225° F oven to keep hot. Place lids in small pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil and turn off element, covering pot to keep lids hot.
2. Peel peaches, quartering them to remove pit. In blender, blend only for a few seconds until barely smooth. Can have a few tiny chunks. Pour into large bowl. Stir in lemon juice.
3. Peel oranges with potato peeler. Remove pith (white part) and discard. Blend orange segments with the orange rind until thick and smooth, for about 1 minute.
4. Combine blended oranges and peaches. Measure out 7 cups (or at least 6) to pour into large stainless steel pot.
5. Measure 1/4 cup of the sugar, blend with pectin and stir into fruit. Stirring constantly with wooden spoon, bring to boil on high heat.
6. Add 4 1/4 cups sugar all at once and continue stirring until it comes to a full boil once more.
7. The whole top layer should be bubbling before setting the timer. Boil for three minutes, while stirring and making sure it cooks hard the whole time. If it splatters quite a bit, turn down the heat just a tad.
8. Using a canning funnel, ladle hot jam into jars and cover with lids to seal. Repeat process if cooking more batches.
9. Cool sealed jars at room temp before storing. Jam thickens as it cools.

I prefer storing jam in the fridge or freezer, so that it keeps fresh tasting, but you do not have to if it is sealed. You can tell if it's sealed if the center of the lid is slightly inverted rather than rounded. Do not push it in by hand.

Blueberry Lemon Loaf

This bread will have you thinking of coffee time, but not only that.  Serve it warm with ice cream for dessert or leave it out for breakfast. It's not very sweet, yet filled with lots of lemon and blueberry flavor. Switch it up with orange rind, if you like.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• rind (grated) from one large lemon
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream (I use 7% fat)
• 1/4 cups oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups blueberries. (fresh or frozen)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease or line with parchment paper, one 5x9 inch loaf pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients along with rind. 
3. In separate small bowl, mix wet ingredients and add to dry along with blueberries.
4. Stir until just combined and spread into loaf pan.
5. Bake for 60 - 70 minutes, until cake tests done with pick. Leave in pan for 10 minutes before removing.
6. If desired, drizzle with a mix of 3/4 cup icing (confectioners) sugar and juice of about 1/2 lemon. 

Alvina's Cinnamon Twists

For this Flashback I want to remind you of these sweet little twists I first sampled in Alvina's kitchen many years ago. Alvina is my cousin by marriage and lives about 1500 miles from us, but the visits we’ve had as families have been the best! Besides being an excellent cook and home-maker, Alvina has a wonderful warm personality and the best laugh!. I love reminders of our times together and when I make these I wish that the distance between our houses would not be so far.

More recently, this recipe came up when MGCC were invited to do a cooking class in Shipshewana, IN, and we demonstrated this simple biscuit pastry to be used plain, with a savory or a sweet filling.

Ingredients:

Your favorite biscuit or scone pastry. I use:

• 2 c flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
• 6 Tbsp butter, room temp.
• 1 c buttermilk or milk

filling and icing:

• 2 - 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 3/4 c brown sugar 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 3/4 c icing (confectioner's) sugar

Method:

 

1. In medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter with pastry blender. 
2. Add buttermilk, stirring with fork until dough holds together. Shape into a ball.
3. Pat into a rectangular shape on lightly floured surface and roll out to a 6 x 24 inch strip.
4. Spread with melted butter, then with sugar/cinnamon/flour (mixed)
5. Starting from long side, fold over twice, so that you have a 2 inch strip that has 3 layers.
6. Cut into 3/4 inch slices and twist each slice so that it looks like the figure 8. (right hand twists away from you and left hand toward you)
7. Place on greased and floured (or parchment paper lined) cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 400F until golden. About 12 - 14 minutes. Yield: approx. 30 mini twists

Icing:

Fill a 1 c measuring cup 3/4 full of icing sugar. Stir while adding a little water at a time, until it has an easy spreading consistency. Drizzle or brush over warm twists. (If you did not use

parchment paper, remove twists from sheet with lifter before sugar, that has run out, hardens.)

Rollkuchen Meatpockets

I remember the years when I was a teenager, we lived close to the church and my parents would often invite company home for lunch. My mom usually had a pot of soup ready and quickly made Rollkuchen to go along with the soup. It was pretty much the same, Sunday after Sunday, but she never stressed and everyone loved the meal. This recipe yields about 24 meatpockets or regular Rollkuchen ... you may want to double it. 

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• ¾ c milk
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups flour - could be more
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 generous teaspoons baking powder
• 3 - 4 cups oil for frying

Filling:

• 1 - 2 cups left over sloppy joe sauce or chili

Method:

1. In a small bowl, mix eggs with fork and then mix in the rest of the wet ingredients.
2. In another larger bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder, make a well and add the wet ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon, adding in the dry, until all ingredients are mixed well.
3. Dust with flour and knead slightly jsut to gather and smooth. Add flour as needed so it is not sticky. (Can be wrapped and refrigerated at this time to roll and fry later.) Roll out quite thin on floured board or counter. 
4. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling about one to one and half inches apart in a row, along one end.
5. Fold dough over top of filling and press with a cup (dipped in flour) to form a perogie like crescent. No need to pinch. Lay on floured cookie sheet until all done before proceeding to fry. (If making regular Rollkuchen, simply cut into two inch strips and cut five inch lengths.  Cut a slit and flip one end through it to make a bow tie)
6. Heat oil – test with a little dough to make sure it fries quickly, or throw in a few kernels of popcorn. Oil is ready when they pop. The trick to not have deep fried food soak up too much oil is to fry quickly in very hot fat. A cast iron works great. Use 2 forks or tongs and have a paper towel lined pan ready.