Bread for the Journey

Mexican Layer Dip

I first posted this recipe in 2010.  I've been making this appetizer which is perfect to take along to a pot luck for so many years, that I would almost consider it a vintage recipe.

You can use purchased salsa and guacamole to put it together quickly or you can use some of the larger recipes of my favourite fresh salsa and guacamole which I am linking in the ingredient list.

• 1 - 250 gram / 8 ounce light or regular cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 1 1/2 cups guacamole
• 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 small can black sliced olives
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1  1/2 cups finely shredded cheese

1. Mix together softened cream cheese with sour cream and taco seasoning.
2. Layer the cream cheese mixture into a 9 X 13 pan and then the remaining ingredients as listed.
3. Refrigerate until serving time and serve with tortilla chips.

Flashback Friday ~ Ukrainian Borscht

Is there any better treat than taking a walk to the garden and hauling in all your fresh vegetables to make Ukrainian Borscht.  When I was a young child, I can remember vividly, walking home from school, stepping into a kitchen filled with the aroma of dill. Right now it's August and it's feeling somewhat cool outside and it's time to bring back one of our traditional Borscht recipes.  Borscht was always served with a loaf of fresh bread or buns.  A few weeks ago I walked into Lovella's kitchen unexpectedly and she was about to serve her family soup and buns, just like my Mom did, in a big pot on the table and a pan of fresh buns.

Ukrainian Borscht

• 2 pounds soup bone with meat.
• 8 cups soup stock 
• 3 Bay leaves
• 1 tbsp salt
• 4 cups beets
• 2 cups carrots diced.
• 2 cups cabbage shredded
• 2 cups potatoes diced
• 1 large onion, cut fine.
• 2 cups tomato juice
• A fresh handful of dill

1. Cover soup bones with water and simmer for several hours until meat is tender.
2. Add seasonings.
3. Remove the bone and shred the meat and add it to the broth.
4. Clean, wash, prepare and cut vegetables and add to broth.
5. Cook till vegetables are tender.
6. Add tomato juice
7. Serve with sour cream and add fresh dill.

And we loved nothing more than dipping our bread into our soup.  But that was only allowed when we did not have company.  Were you allowed to do that?

Peach Clafouti

Here's a new-to-us treat that we discovered recently...a classic French country dessert.  It is rather like an oven-baked pancake...custardy and delicious...and called clafouti (kla-foo-tee).  It's great with berries...but our favorite is this peaches and cream version. 

• 3-4 cups of sliced peaches
• 1 cup whole milk (or light cream)
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Generously butter a deep-dish 9" pie plate or a quiche pan.
2. Place sliced peaches in dish. 
3. Put remaining ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth and creamy. 
4. Pour the mixture over the peaches. 
5. Bake in a 375°F degree oven for 45 minutes or until Clafouti is puffed up and golden.
6. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar (icing sugar) if desired.
7. Let cool, but serve when it is slightly warm...topped with whipped cream.

Simple and delicious! 

Rhoda's Bruschetta

This recipe comes from my sister Rhoda.

It's one of those appetizers you go back for.....if 

there are any left!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup miracle whip (salad type mayonnaise spread)
• 1 cup mozzarella, grated
• 3/4 cup black olives, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 Vienna loaf or baguette

Method:

1. Slice bread into 1" slices.
2. Combine other ingredients and spread onto bread slices.
3. Place on a baking sheet and bake @350º for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Nectarine Plum Jam

I love summer and one of the best parts of summer where we live is the fresh fruit we have access to in abundance. Freezing and making jams is one way to tuck summer away into the cold winter to come. I was inspired to try this jam when I took note of a similar one done with peaches. Like the one Lovella posted recently, this one also has no pectin, is low in sugar and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs soft, ripe nectarines
• 2 lbs soft, ripe red plums
• 4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water

Method:

1. Pit nectarines and plums and coarsely chop into small pieces.  No peeling required. You should end up with about 12 cups of fruit.
2. Combine fruit, sugar, lemon juice and water in large heavy pot (on near high heat) and bring to a foamy boil, stirring frequently.
3. Set timer to 20 minutes and cook fruit on medium high heat, stirring every few minutes. It should be bubbling, but not too hard. Meanwhile put a saucer in the freezer to check jam later.
4. After 20 minutes, or when jam starts to thicken up, set timer for 10 minutes. During the next five minutes gently use potato masher to mash and stir while simmering.
5. Check if the jam is done by dropping a teaspoon of jam onto the frozen saucer. Put it back in the freezer for a minute. If the jam looks a tad jelly like and you can run your finger through it and make it part, it's done. If it's watery and runs together, continue cooking for 5 minutes and test again. Thirty to thirty-five minutes seems to be average cooking time.
6. Pour hot jam into sterilized jars and cover with sterilized lids. When cooled, store in fridge or freezer for optimum fresh tasting jam. This recipe makes 8 - 9 (250 ml) jars.

 

chop fruit

 

 put in heavy pot with sugar, lemon juice and water

Cook about 30 minutes. Gently mash near the end.

Enjoy!!!

Fruit Crumb Platz - Gluten Free

This platz is as good as the real thing. In fact, I have served it to
non-Celiacs and they didn't know the difference. That is always my litmus test !
I remember what regular food tastes like and I want my
gluten-free food to taste like the real thing, or I'd rather just do without !!

Recipe for my Fruit Platz

Base -- use gluten-free pastry - recipe found here
Roll out pastry to fit 9"x13" baking pan.

Sprinkle bottom with minute tapioca (I'm sorry, I've never measured but probably about 2 tbsp) If fruit is very juicy, I will sprinkle on a little cornstarch too.)
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

Fruit - Cover with fresh or frozen fruit (Italian plums are my favorite!)
Then cover with crumb topping.

Crumb Topping

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown rice flour
• 1/3 cup Kinnikinnik bread/bun mix (can substitute brown rice flour)
• 1 pkg Oetker vanilla sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup butter
• cream (just enough to make crumbs)

Mix dry ingredients together, then using fingers rub in the butter... then slowly, little by little drizzle cream over crumbs mixing quickly , cutting the cream in with spoon, until you have crumbs forming. It doesn't take a lot of cream so make sure you add it slowly - mixing faster than you are adding!

Crumble the mixture over the fruit.

Bake at 375' until crumbs are golden brown.

(These crumbs can also be used for any fruit crumble dessert - yummy warm with ice-cream!)

Bread for the Journey

I love to see dark clouds and their different formations moving across the sky but I am not overly fond of the storm to follow. And the same goes for the storms of life which are just as unpredictable and uncontrollable as the weather. They are not pleasant to go through but we need to stay steadfast and trust in God to see us through.
Yet when God created the universe he said that all he had made was good so even these 'life storms' are good for us.
Genesis 11:31 (NIV) "And God saw all that he had made was good.."
Even in my 'stormy' days I realize that this is good for me. Through them God builds character and I learn to lean on Him even more. We live in stormy times and must keep our eyes on Jesus. He is our help in our time of need.
Someone once said "The bigger the storm the more we need to trust".
Psalm 107:29  (NIV) "He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed."
Trust him, He is there in your storm today.

7 Layer Greek Dip

 

It's nearing the end of summer, but there's still lots of time to use those fresh veggies. I love the flavors of Greek food and this dip will fit perfectly into that category. I have made this low-calorie dip several times over this past season and it's been a hit.  It's simple and easy to make. Prepare the ingredients ahead of time and layer it just shortly before serving as the cucumbers tend to get watery if they sit too long.

Seven Layer Greek Dip

• 8 ounces store-bought hummus
• 1 cup Greek yogurt, with or without fat
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1 cup English cucumber 1/2 inch dice
• 1 cup sweet cherry bell tomatoes 1/2 inch dice
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, sliced

Instructions:

1. Combine yogurt, dill, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.
2. Chop and prepare your vegetables and assemble just prior to serving.
3. In a 7x11 or your favorite serving dish, layer the hummus, yogurt mixture, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, and olives.
4. I have also prepared it earlier and carefully drained the excess water.
5. Serve together with whole grain pita chips or taco chips.

 

It's a perfect dish to serve prior to supper or to end off an evening around a campfire.

Pepper Relish

I love bell peppers, any colour - raw, roasted, saute'ed, pickled or grilled.
This pepper relish will make hot dogs and hamburgers a gourmet treat.
 It's also good served on sandwiches or alongside meatloaf and ham.

I am fortunate to have a greenhouse growing peppers in my neighbourhood
where they sell them by the bag full for a very reasonable price.

• 2 pounds red peppers*
• 2 pounds yellow peppers*
• 2 pounds green and orange peppers mixed*
• 2 pounds onions*
• 1/3 cup coarse salt

*(2 pounds prepared vegetables = 8 cups)

1. Cut peppers open, remove seeds and membranes and slice thinly into 1 ½ inch pieces.
2. Peel and slice onions into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
3. You should have about 32 cups prepared vegetables. 
4. Mix peppers and onions in a large bowl.
5. Add coarse salt and toss well.
6. Let mixture sit for 2 hours.
7. Drain and rinse well and place vegetables in a large stock pot.

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons mustard seed
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 2 teaspoons  dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt

• 3 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

1. Mix dry ingredients together and stir into vegetables.
2. Add vinegar and water to vegetables in pot and mix well.
3. Bring to a boil and cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes or just until vegetables are tender.
4. Mix cornstarch and water and stir into vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Bring snap tops to a boil in a small pot.
7. Ladle pepper relish into sterilized jars and wipe top edge of jar before topping with a hot snap top.
8. Add ring - screw it on firmly but do not tighten.
9. Bring water to boil in canner. Water should cover jars.
10. Immerse jars in hot water, bring to a boil and process for about 4 minutes.
11. Remove from canner and cool.
12. Store in a cool dark place. Makes 10 pints