Crown Roast of Pork

A crown roast gets it's unique look when you tie a rack of pork rib chops into a circle with the meat facing the inside. If you cannot find one in the fresh meat section, you can ask the butcher to tie one for you. He will most likely want to know how many ribs you need. I would choose one rib per person plus a few extra. The tips of the ribs facing the top get trimmed to create the crown and when it is tied up, the top of the center will be hollow, ready to fill with stuffing. It looks beautiful on a platter and is definitely for a time you want to splurge and spoil some people in your life. I got the gist of this recipe from Good Housekeeping, December 2013. Our family loved the lemon and rosemary rub along with the fruit in the stuffing.

Ingredients:

for roast:

• 7 - 8 lbs crown loin of pork ( about 10 ribs)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves stripped from stem
• 1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
• 2  tsp salt 
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

for stuffing:

• 8 cups cubed bread, slightly toasted or left to dry for a day 
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 slices ready cooked bacon, chopped
• 2 pears, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves stripped from stem
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup broth (or apple juice)

Method:

1. Mix/rub together seasonings/spices for roast until well combined and then rub all over the roast. Place on plate, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 4 - 24 hours.
2. About three and a half hours before dinner, preheat oven to 400 F and place pork in roaster (sprayed with oil), roasting 45 minutes uncovered. 
3. Meanwhile, in large skillet, melt butter and cook onion and celery until soft, add garlic, pre-cooked bacon, pears, cherries (or cranberries) and spices and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. 
4. Transfer to large bowl, adding bread cubes, toss gently and add juice or broth a little at a time until moist but not soaked. Set aside.
5. After pork has roasted for 45 minutes, remove from oven and fill cavity with as much stuffing as fits, mounding slightly. Put leftover stuffing in a buttered dish or wrapped in foil, to cook alongside the roast later.
6. Turn oven temperature down to 325 F and continue roasting for about one and a half to two hours, until meat thermometer reads 155 F when inserted in several places. 
7. In the last half hour of roasting, put the left over stuffing to bake alongside the roaster, During this time, cover the top of the roast and tips with foil to prevent over browning.
8. When the roast is ready, remove from oven, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes during which time you can tie up the rest of the meal. Garnish roast on platter with cranberries, pear slices and sprigs of rosemary. Carve at the table. (Cut string and cut between each rib to serve.)

NOTE - It is valuable to have a meat thermometer on hand for assessing if the meat is cooked to perfection. After all the work and expense of this beautiful meal you do not want to slice into an under cooked or over cooked roast because of a wrong guess. Plan on about 20 minutes of cooking time per pound.

Greek Feta Dip

This tasty dip was brought to a Christmas gathering my friend hosted. It was so good I just had to have the recipe. Thanks Pat for bringing this great dip and sharing the recipe with the rest of us. You can lighten it up using light cream cheese and the Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream.

• 1-8oz package of cream cheese
• 1 cup of feta cheese
• 1/4 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• pepper and dried oregano according to personal taste
• cucumber, diced 
• red onion, diced 
• tomatoes, diced 
• colorful peppers, diced
• Kalamata Olives, diced

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a mixer and mix until smooth and creamy.
2. Spread onto a platter.
3. Top with the chopped vegetables and olives
4. Sprinkle with more oregano, dried or fresh.
5. Serve with pita or tortilla chips.

Bread for the Journey - 2nd Advent

Light in the Darkness

A Light in the Darkness

Second Advent

Matthew 4:16

 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and 

shadow of death, light has dawned.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

When we walk in the darkness of night our eyes gradually adjust 

and we see enough of what is around us to walk in reasonable safety.

However when a light shines, the darkness is revealed and our eyes look to the light.

So it is now during Advent.  

We have adjusted to the darkness of the world around us and think that we know where we are 

and where we are going. 

However, the birth of Christ illuminates our souls and turns our hearts to focus on Him

and the path He calls us to walk.

During this season of Advent - ask God to shine His Light on the areas

of your heart where darkness prevails.

Ask Him to reveal to you relationships that need mending,

To show you things that you can do to bless others .

And to make your life be a reflection of His Light.

Mac & Cheese Salad

This macaroni salad can be served hot or cold and it can also be kicked up by adding cooked and seasoned ground beef to make a more hearty meal.

1. 16 ounces of small elbow macaroni cooked in well salted water
2. 5 ounces of crumbled feta cheese
3. 4 ounces grated fresh Parmesan cheese
4. 1/2 cup or more of fresh baby spinach julienned
5. 3 green onions chopped
6. Olive oil
7. Salt and Pepper to taste

• Bring a big pot of water to boil with a good amount of salt. 
• Add the elbow macaroni and cook to a nice al dente stage.
• Drain water and add a little olive oil to slightly coat the elbow macaroni.
• Immediately add the feta and Parmesan cheese while macaroni is still hot.
• Add green onions and spinach.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Toss and serve hot or you can refrigerate to serve cold at a later time.

If you want a more hearty meal instead of a nice side dish add some cooked seasoned ground beef to the salad and top with a little more Parmesan cheese. If you want the dish to be cheesier just add more feta and Parmesan cheese. You can also add more green onions or spinach. It's up to you and your taste buds.

Jam Jam Cookies

  

These cookies are a special treat for Christmas or anytime. For flashback Friday I am bringing back my recipe for jam jams. I like to use homemade plum jelly for the filling but raspberry jam is very good too. These cookies freeze very well.

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 2 eggs
• Zest of a lemon
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 

1. Cream together butter, sugar, and syrup, add eggs and lemon zest and mix well.
2. In another bowl whisk dry ingredients. Stir into wet ingredients until combined.
3. Roll dough fairly thin, 1/8" and cut out rounds with 1 3/4" cookie cutter.
4. Place on cookie sheets, you can place them quite close together, they don't spread very much.
5. Bake in a 375º oven for 6 minutes.
6. Cool cookies completely.
7. When cookies are cool put a teaspoon of jam on one cookie and top with another one.
8. Yield: 52 jam jams.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

My friend Jan was the hero of the appetizer table when she served these at a BBQ this summer. 

She kindly gave me permission to share it with you.

Somehow wrapping bacon around something elevates the flavours to another level.

• 30 dates or prunes or both - make sure they are nice plump ones
• whole almonds - I used blanched ones.
• 10-12 slices bacon
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar

1. Remove the pit of each date or prune and replace it with a blanched almond.
2. Cut uncooked bacon slices into thirds. (crosswise)
3. Wrap each date or prune with a third of a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.*
4. Place close together in a baking pan and sprinkle with brown sugar.
5. Bake at 375º for about 30-40 minutes or until bacon is caramelized and crisp.
6. Remove to platter and serve.

* If you soak the toothpicks in water for a half hour or so before assembling the dates, your toothpicks will not char like mine did.

Cranberry Pistachio Trees

I was intrigued by this recipe from Canadian Living in the November 2013 issue. A shortbread cookie laden with cranberries and pistachios. I really like that it's not very sweet at all and just looks so beautiful, you have to take one and then one more. Although I've pretty well copied the simple ingredients, the method is slightly tweaked for the way it worked best for me.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pistachios with shell on
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1 egg white, for egg wash dip

Method:

Most of the work has to do with preparing the nuts. I love how pistachios are so easy to crack, even if it takes a bit of time.

• shell enough nuts to fill 1 - 1 1/2 cups
• place in a pot of boiling water and allow to boil for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water
• use a tea towel to loosen the brown skins and slip them off by hand. It's the beautiful bright green nuts that you want for these cookies and it's okay that they are slightly moist, because it protects them from toasting and turning brown while baking.
• Coarsely chop, using a food processor or nut grinder. Set aside.

1. In a mixing bowl, using wooden spoon, beat together butter, icing sugar, vanilla and almond extract until light and fluffy.
2. Stir in chopped cranberries
3. Stir in flour until well combined. 
4. Divide into three parts and roll each into a 4 - 5 inch log. Wrap tightly with saran wrap and place in fridge for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from fridge and, with wrap still on, shape into a triangle by pounding the sides on the counter. Shape as needed. Unwrap.
6. Roll first in whisked egg white, then in nuts, pressing nuts on to cover all three sides.
7. Re-wrap and place in fridge for 15 minutes or longer to set. Preheat oven to 325 F.
8. Cut into 1/4 inch thin slices and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 18 - 20 minutes, until edges just lightly begin to look golden.  Let cool on cookie sheets before removing. Yields 3 1/2 - 4 dozen.  These freeze well.

Bread for the Journey

It is that time of year when my music preference switches to Christmas carols. Silent Night, Holy Night is my favorite carol especially when sung in German. This calming and peaceful song ushers in the true meaning of Christmas.

Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant, tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth
Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake, at the sight
Glories stream from heaven above
Heavenly, hosts sing Hallelujah.
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born.

composed by Franz Xaver Gruber

That Last Minute Gift!

It's that time of year where each one of us begins to think about Christmas.

Baking, parties, shopping, banquets, family gatherings...

There is such a flurry of business which is connected to Christmas.
Do you really want to stand in those long line-ups? 

Let us here, at MGCC, give you a few extra good suggestions.

Let us help you do your shopping.

Over the years we have had sponsors who donate to our book projects.

These are great business partners and we want to highlight each one.

Let them help you with your Christmas shopping list this year.

Take advantage of these wonderful ideas.

How many times are you scratching your head thinking...

What should I bring for an appie or what about meal planning?

Let Neufeld Farms create their best meal planning solutions. 

Get the party started with their great seasonal appetizers.

 Just pop them in the oven and away you go.

Do you need a special platter with mixed cheeses, pickles and crackers?

Or maybe you want a special antipasto platter....

Lepp Farm Market's can customize your platter with a presentation that will dazzle your guests.

On December 5-6, you can join in the fun at  'Christmas Market at the Farmer's Table'
 

A visit to Winks is an all day ladies event.

Take a drive out, and wander through this charming shop

filled with linens, home decor, jewelry and beautiful products for bath or baby.

Let Winks take away the stress of wrapping gifts.

Their staff is more than willing to add that extra touch to your gift.

Sometimes you need something for that special girlfriend.

Take her to a 'high tea' at Tracycakes.

You can order Christmas cupcakes and Christmas Drinks.

Enjoy an eggnog with a freshly baked biscuit.

Some of you who have just completed your house renovations...
and I'm sure you will want to add a few new touches to your home.

 Take a quick trip out to Grand Pappy's in Chilliwack.
You can count on them for all your household furnishings.

They are celebrating 'Black Friday' till November 30th.

Are some of you thinking about remodeling your kitchen?

Let Wesley Ellen Designs and Millwork give you the custom look

that you've always wanted.

They are artisans and will design and hand build custom framed cabinets.

What is the perfect family gift?

 Swings provide treasured life-time memories for many generations.

Rosedale Swing Company wants you to enjoy the freedom of swinging.
Let them engrave your favorite name or quote on the cedar seat.
It will add the extra touch needed.

There's no better gift than using wooden spoons.

Last year Whetstone Woodenware gifted the MGCC gals a wide variety of spoons and ladles.

No kitchen can be complete with out a set of wooden spoons.

These woodenware utensils have been used by cooks and bakers for years.

You can order these on line and have them shipped to your home.

So sit back and relax.  You don't need to brave the crowds of shoppers.
Have you completed your shopping and baking? 

What are some of your helpful hints for unwinding  at Christmas?

Apple Pear Crisp

Warm fruit crisps are the perfect dessert for cool early winter nights. While I love baking pies, a crisp is a 'quick pie'.

• 6 cups of a combination of peeled and chopped apples and pears
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp flour

1. Wash, peel and chop fruit.
2. Melt together butter and honey. Pour over fruit and stir to coat.
3. Stir together cinnamon and flour. Stir into fruit until fruit is coated.
4. Place this mixture into a well buttered pie plate.

Crumble Topping:

• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter

1. Stir together dry ingredients.
2. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until the size of peas.
3. Sprinkle over fruit mixture.
4. Bake in 375º oven for 35-40 minutes, or until fruit is tender when poked and juices are bubbling, and crumble is golden crisp.