Easy Cherry Apple Strudel

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I have had the privilege of visiting Germany several times when I was younger and wanted to recreate a strudel I tucked away in my memory. I think this recipe comes very close. It is so easy since you use store bought frozen Phyllo Pastry, thawed according to package directions.

• 4 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced thinly
  
• 2 cups of pitted sour cherries
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional), I did not use any
• 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur (optional), I used it
  
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 cup flour
• 12 Phyllo leaves
  
• 1 cup melted butter

1. Prepare the filling, by combining the first 12 ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Brush the 12 Phyllo Pastry leaves with melted butter.
   
3. Fan them out in to a circle, laying each piece so that it fits on a 12 inch pizza pan.
   
4. Place filling in the center and fold over the pastry leaves over the filling.
   
5. Brush the other side of the pastry leaves as you are folding them over the filling with the melted butter.
6. Sprinkle the top of the strudel generously with icing sugar.
7. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes then at 350 for 1/2 hour.

Serve warm or room temperature with ice cream if desired.

How to make Marg's Hazelnut Roll

Thank you to Global TV BC for the video clip of Saturday's cooking segment!

If you want to see exactly how to make Marg's Hazelnut Roll. ..Anneliese and Lovella will show you how.  It really is simple and quick! 

Chocolate crinkle Cookies

Years ago my co workers mom brought in a tray of

Christmas baking. This cookie was one of my favourites choices.

For the ones in the photo I used milk chocolate, but try them

with dark chocolate too.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup icing sugar

Method:

1. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl beat butter and sugar well, and then add eggs beating until creamy and smooth.
3. Add vanilla and melted chocolate. Beat well.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just to blend.
5. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
6. Lightly grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper.
7. Shape heaping teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and roll in icing sugar. Place at least 1 1/2" apart on baking sheets.
8. Bake at 350º for 12 minutes or until tops are puffed and cracked. Do not over bake!

The random number generator awarded  Jenn as the  winner of Saturday's Cookbook giveaway.

Here is her comment.  " Hey! My mom called and told me that today's show was awesome and that the Hazelnut log looked amazing. Would love to win a cookbook to try all the delicious delights!"  

  JennGrif  Congratulations!!  We will send the book out to you as soon as you email one of us with your address. .from the email address you provided.

Individual Frozen Peppermint Cheesecakes

With Christmas just around the corner, I've been envisioning 

trays of pretty little individual desserts.....just enough!

This cheese cake is so simple to make,

and the only last minute fuss is the garnish.

Ingredients:

• 1-8 oz brick cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 500 ml whipping cream, whipped stiff
• 1/2 cup crushed candy canes

Method:

1. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat will until very smooth.
2. Whip cream until stiff. Fold into cream cheese mixture until well incorporated. 
3. Fold in the candy cane pieces.
4. Fill glass ware with cheese cake mixture. Cover each serving with a good quality wrap. I then place mine into a box with some tissue to protect the glass. Carefully wrap the whole box with a large freezer bag. You do not want your dessert coming out tasting like it has been in the freezer! 
5. To serve, remove from freezer, garnish and serve immediately. 

Garnish with extra candy chips, whipping cream or shaved chocolate.

Serves 12. **for optimal flavour and texture keep in freezer for only10-14 days**

Today Lovella and Anneliese will be featured on

Global BCTV noon news.

They will be demonstrating Marg's

Hazelnut Roll which is a recipe in our cookbook.

We are also celebrating the sale of over 

20,000 books sold.

Everyone who posts a comment here today (Saturday)

up until midnight will be eligible to win a copy

of our cookbook.

It will be drawn by automatic number generator,

and the winner will be announced on Monday Nov 28, 2011.

Please add your email address to your comment.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I've been buying containers of ready peeled and cubed Butternut Squash this fall. It is very high in Vitamin A and Beta Carotene. We love Anneliese's Roasted Red Pepper Soup and so I thought I would use her basic recipe and change it into a spicy autumn soup that can be completely vegetarian or meatless depending on which broth you choose to add.

• 3 yellow bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2 pounds cubed butternut squash
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
• a good drizzle of olive oil...enough to coat the vegetables
• 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek (ground fresh chili paste found in Asian Food section)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste before serving. (if your Italian Seasoning has salt in it you want to taste your soup before adding additional salt)

1. Toss vegetables, garlic and herbs in a large heavy pot and drizzle with olive oil, cover with a lid and bake in a 400 F oven for an hour. Stir it several times in between. The butternut squash will turn dark during the baking and lose its vibrant color but the flavor of roasted vegetables is wonderful.
2. Stir in water and allow vegetables to cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to create a soup that has some texture. You can leave the veggies right in the heavy pot or put the roasted vegetables in the blender and puree in batches. If you use a blender return the roasted vegetables to the pot.
3. Add the chicken broth, tomato paste and the Sambal Oelek. If you prefer your soup with less spiciness, cut back on the chili paste.
4. Simmer for a few minutes and ladle into bowls.
5. Pass around a squeeze bottle of sour cream to garnish the top. ..and see what the artists in your family create.

Makes enough for 8 bowls.

Turkey Chow Mein Casserole

Let me take this opportunity to wish all our 'south-of-the-border' friends and family a most blessed Thanksgiving!  May your celebrations be filled with peace, love and joy...and may your thankful spirit go with you into the days to come.

Today I am thankful for my husband's sister, Anne...who I only got to know when I married into the family.  She was the oldest of the siblings...the tiniest...and the bubbliest.  She was a wonderful sister-in-law and became a favorite aunt to my children.  She was also a very good cook and I have many recipes in my file in her perfect handwriting printing.  She passed away suddenly eight years ago and now I treasure all those things which came from her.  We celebrated our Canadian Thanksgiving last month and I cooked up a whopping big turkey (33 pounds), which guaranteed lots of turkey leftovers!  I pulled Anne's Turkey Wonder recipe from the file and took it with me to the grocery store to be sure I had all the necessary ingredients.  I came home with a bag of celery, onions, chow mein noodles, soup and water chestnuts, but had somehow left the recipe card at Safeway.  It never showed up so I made the dish as I best recalled and we enjoyed it just fine.  I am documenting what I did right here on MGCC so that Anne's Turkey Wonder recipe will  live on!  If you are looking for a simple and delicious way to use up your leftover turkey in the coming days, try making turkey chow mein. 

Ingredients:

•  2 cups chow mein noodles
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
• 1/4 cup chopped onion (red onion adds a little colour)
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 small can sliced water chestnuts, drained

 Topping:  Crushed potato chips, sliced almonds or chopped cashews.

Method:

1. Put chow mein noodles in the bottom of a greased 2-quart casserole.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients and spread over the noodles.
3. Bake uncovered at 350° F for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and add desired topping.  Bake for 10 minutes longer.

I remember my sis-in-law serving this dish with crunchy crushed potato chips on top...so I have always done the same.  I'm sure cashews would be an excellent addition though!

Toasted Turkey Sandwich

If you are wondering what to do with leftover turkey this is a tasty treat for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

• Leftover roasted turkey
• Hearty bread sliced, I used Focaccia
• Cranberry sauce
• Havarti Cheese (or any cheese you prefer)

Method:

1. Layer the turkey on the bread.
2. Spread the cranberry sauce on the turkey.
3. Top with cheese.
4. Put second layer of bread on top.
5. Place in toaster oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

You can also add thin sliced onions or mayonnaise to the sandwich if you like.

When you have assembled the sandwich put it in the toaster oven till the cheese is melted. You can also spread a little butter on the outside of the bread and pan grill it on each side until the cheese melts.

Pfeffernuesse -Bev's recipe

I think when it comes to Mennonite food

there are as many recipes for each dish as there are Grandmothers.

My recipe for Pfeffernuesse is quite different than the ones posted previously.

These tiny cookies are quite hard and are meant to be sucked or dunked.

I was told that in years past, the grandmothers would bring them to church for the children to suck on - ensuring they would keep quiet during the sermon.

I like to bake them around this time of year so that the flavours have a chance to mellow

before serving them in December.

However, once my family knows I've made them, they disappear by the handfuls.

The original recipe is a very large one - I think it usually makes about 3 ice cream buckets full. I've halved the recipe to make it easier for smaller families.

Speaking from experience, it's good to read the whole recipe through once before starting.

• 2 cups golden cane syrup (in Canada it is made by Rogers) this has a unique flavour somewhat different than regular corn syrup.
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup margarine
• 1 cup milk

1. Place above ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Cool to room temperature.

• 1 beaten egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (yes that's right)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground star anise
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 7-8 cups flour

1. Add egg and extracts to sugar syrup mixture, mixing well.
2. Into a large mixing bowl, sift together 4 cups of the flour with the spices and baking powder.
3. Pour liquid mixture over and mix thoroughly.
4. Continue adding flour - dough will be sticky and still somewhat soft.
5. Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days.
6. Spoon out about 1 - 2 cups dough, leaving remainder in fridge.
7. On a floured board or pastry sheet, roll into long logs about the thickness of your index finger.
8. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces and place on parchment paper covered cookie sheets. (this makes it much easier to remove the cookies after baking.)

It's a good time to invite someone to help - there are a lot of very small cookies to put on the pans.

Bake at 350º for 15 minutes or until set. (if you have a convection oven, the baking goes much faster as you can bake 3 cookie sheets at a time)

Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

When cookies are baked, remove from cookie sheets and allow to cool completely before storing in ice cream pails.

These store best in a cool place like a garage. They do not need to be in the freezer. They will keep for months.

If you bake them early in November, the flavours have a chance to mellow.

Warning - these can become addictive.

Bread for the Journey

Don't Worry

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 NIV

Worry is like a rocking chair ~ it creates momentum and gets you nowhere!

We know that...but what can we do about it?  What is the prescription for a worry-free life?

1. We must realize that life is about so much more than food, drink and clothing.  Those things should not be fueling our passions.

2. We need to 'seek God first'...get our priorities in order.  Our part is to 'seek' God'...His part is to provide our quest.

3.  We need to let go and let God provide for our needs. 

I've been thinking about these things since I heard a pastor share a message on this topic awhile back.  Why is it that 3 A.M. seems a perfect time to worry?  I've found it is also the perfect time to pray!  When I awake in the middle of the night...the problems loom bigger than life.  But I have learned that worrying does not produce results.  Prayer does!  

 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness...
and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow...
for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own.  

Matthew 6:33-34 NIV

Pork Chop Skillet Dinner

This pork chop skillet is nice to serve up in a cast iron frying pan. It's delicious and pretty enough for company, in that case you need to have more pork chops on hand.

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups apple juice, divided
• 2 pork loin chops, approx 3/4" thick
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 apple, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1. Cook rice, as instructed on your package, using 1 cup chicken broth and 1 cup apple juice instead of water. Reserve 1 cup apple juice for later.
2. Spray a nonstick frying pan with cooking spray.
3. Cook pork chops on medium high heat until browned on both sides, approximately 6 to 7 minutes on each side. salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. In the same pan melt butter, add celery, apple slices, and thyme. Cook until semi tender.
5. Combine cooked rice, celery, and apple mixture, and pour into cast iron frying pan. Pour reserved cup of apple juice over this mixture.
6. Place pork chops on top, cover with foil and bake in a 375º oven for 30 minutes.
7. Remove foil and serve from frying pan. A salad or coleslaw is a nice addition to this meal.
8. Serves: 2