Weekend Burgers

Weekends around here are often home made fast food. You just can't go wrong with a good burger.
A good burger must start with a good meat pattie.
From there it's up to you.
Bun or crispy lettuce to wrap it all up in?
Swiss, blue cheese, cheddar, provolone? Everyone can choose their favourite.
Sliced or diced veggies? This one was served salad style.
Sauce? Mayo, spicy, BBQ? How about the works!
Always add a pickle..and you can see we love pepper!
When you eat out typically you'll order a side of fries....so why not bake a tray of fries.


Here are a few other great weekend burger recipes.
BBQ Burger Loaf
Tex Mex Burgers

Self serve ice cream sundaes would be a great way to top this weekend off.

Happy Saturday everyone!

Farmer's Chili ~ Flashback Friday

Let's guess....did you have snow last night?  I'm not even looking at the weather anymore.
Can you see the low snow line on the mountains?  That tells me that many of you may be thinking about heading out to the slopes, skiing, or sledding over spring break with your families.   Flashback Friday takes us back to the winter ski holidays.  Here's a perfect recipe to take with you.   This recipe has a smoked taste, which will guarantee you that there will be no leftovers.  

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 1/2 pound (half a ring)  farmer sausage cubed.
• 2 medium onions,  chopped fine.
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine.
• 1 can of canned tomatoes (28 oz.)
• 1 can tomato sauce (14 oz.)
• 2 cans tomato paste (6 oz.)
• 1 can kidney beans drained (19 oz)
• 1 can beef broth (10 oz.)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili
• 11/2 cups salsa
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt

1. Brown ground beef and saute onions and garlic together.
2. Drain off the extra liquids and pour the contents into a large pot.
3. Add all your canned ingredients and spices in order.
4. Simmer and cook for 2 hours on medium heat.

Add a loaf of artisan bread and a fresh salad and you are set to go.

Broccoli Apple Salad

Here's a salad I put together quickly with what I had in the fridge.

You can use a bottled coleslaw dressing or your favourite homemade coleslaw dressing.

• 2 cups raw broccoli chopped
• 1 large apple cored and chopped (I leave the peel on for added colour and the nutrition)
• 1/2 red pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 yellow pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 toasted pine nuts or almonds (not pictured)
• 1/4-1/2 cup coleslaw dressing - bottled or homemade. (a poppyseed dressing might be a nice option)

1. Combine all salad ingredients in serving bowl.
2. Add dressing and toss.
3. Refrigerate until serving.

Lemon Mini Biscuits

Lemon recipes are always a sign of spring for me. Although I love lemon any season. These mini lemon biscuits are delicious served with lemon curd. This recipe can easily be doubled or more for amount needed.

• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 1/2 an egg, beaten (equals 2 tablespoons of beaten egg, or you can use a small egg instead)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
2. Grate cold butter on top of the flour mixture and stir into dry ingredients, it will look like coarse crumbs.
3. In a small bowl stir together egg, milk, and lemon juice, pour over coarse crumb mixture and stir just until moistened. Gather dough into ball.
4. Flatten dough to approx 1/2" and use a 1 3/4" cutter to cut  biscuits.
5. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and sprinkle biscuits with topping.
6. Bake in a 400º oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.
7. Serve with lemon curd.
8. Yield: A baker's dozen.

Topping:

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Rub sugar and lemon zest together until combined.
2. Sprinkle on biscuits and bake.

Broccolini with Mustard Sauce

Broccolini may quickly become one of your favorite hot vegetables. What I like is that it's quick and easy to prepare without any trimming or cutting. It has a slightly sweeter, more delicate taste than regular broccoli and pairs up very nicely with this mustard sauce.

Ingredients:

• 170-200 g ( 8 oz) broccolini
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup milk
•  2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire's sauce
• dash of Cayenne or chili powder

Method:

1. In medium pot, bring broccolini to boil in half an inch of salted water. Cook until just tender. About 3-5 minutes.
2. In saucepan, melt butter, whisk in the flour, then the milk, mustard, Worcestershire, and spice.
3. Cook, stirring, until it bubbles. Can be made ahead and reheated. Serve over hot vegetables.
4. Serves 3-4

Warm Quinoa Salad

We have a meatless Monday recipe for you today. 

This is a recipe I watched my daughter in law make one day for lunch and I thought it was a brilliant idea and it was delicious.  Quinoa is high in protein and with the added egg and vegetables it is a hearty but healthy lunch! 

It's hardly a recipe as much as a combination of what you have in your refrigerator and pantry.

Mix it together on Monday, have it for dinner or enjoy it over salad greens for lunch throughout the week.

• 2 cups prepared quinoa (either with vegetable stock or water)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 portabella mushroom, gills removed and mushroom diced, or a handful of button mushrooms, diced
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can 10-ounce can / 284 ml diced tomatoes 
• 1 small can green chilis
• 1 teaspoon or more to taste of dried chili flakes
• 2 handfuls of kale salad

• Romaine greens for a salad bed
• fried soft eggs 

1. In a large saute pan, heat oil and fry onions and mushrooms together until tender.  Add remaining vegetables, seasoning and kale salad.  Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add prepared quinoa and heat through.
3. Arrange greens on a plate, put a large serving spoon of quinoa salad in the center and top with a soft egg.  

Bread for the Journey

Hope Amongst  Adversity

January has been a month of joy and adversity that I never would've imagined.  It all happened so fast.  On January 19th, I received the most beautiful 'face time' with my son-in-law Joe, letting us know with high hopes that he and Mikki, and Cannon had received all their Canadian documents allowing entry to Canada. They would be coming to celebrate our birthdays in February.  Excitement grew over the days as I so happily shared this news with family and friends.  Plans to celebrate were in place.

Then came the shuddering call on January 24th that there was an accident and that Joe was no longer with us.  His life had been taken to protect others.  You can read more about the details if you are interested.  
Yes, we have cried and mourned the loss of this wonderful family member.  Our hearts have been broken.
Why?  Why? Why would God take a charming young father, husband, uncle, and son?  How could this happen to our daughter?
Their life together was short-lived, and they did not waste their three years. It was a moment in time.
She knew that Joe and she had been living their dreams. And she responds, "I have no regrets."

Again, I was drawn back to the old scriptures from Isaiah 43:1-3 The promise that God will be with us through the dark hours.  Even though we know we will go through difficult times in our lives, walking with Jesus will make the load lighter. He promised protection and gives renewed hope to all. Now that we are walking through this time, it's sometimes hard to accept and understand all these promises.

But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Ah ... yes, I know there is grace and a turning corner came to me this week when a dear friend showed me the difference between 'why' and 'how'.  That gives a new perspective doesn't it?  How should I carry on in my brokenness?  How does it help us to hear the promises of God? How does my daughter raise a young man without her husband?  How do I as a mother give support to a daughter's brokenness?  How do we live this one broken life as Ann Voskamp would say?
What did Jesus do with his brokenness?  Instead of drawing back to protect Himself, He gives thanks, breaks, and gives away what he has to give.  Is this something possible for me?

"The seed breaks to give us the wheat. The soil breaks to give us the crop. The sky breaks to give us rain.  The wheat breaks to give us the bread.  The bread breaks to give us the feast ... Could it be that we, too, must fall to the ground, break, and die to ever bear much fruit?" -- Ann Voskamp
Being a farmer's wife and growing wheat on our farm, I can totally identify with Ann on this quote.

God, I thank you for your promises to be with us all the time and to walk alongside us giving new HOPE as we travel these uncharted waters.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may never come.  But we have this moment today.

No Matter How you Slice It

 While preparing vegetables for soup the other day I thought about all the ways I use to slice a carrot.

I love serving vegetables in new and different ways and how you slice them can
 completely change the appearance of a meal.

So today I'm presenting a simple tutorial on slicing a carrot.

Most of the methods can be used for other vegetables like zucchini, squash,
sweet potatoes, or cucumbers.

All you really need is a good chopping knife, a paring knife and a sturdy potato peeler but I've added two of my favourite specialty tools which I'll demonstrate.

I've taken a picture of 8 ways that I use to cut up a carrot.

   coins, diagonal cut, diced,1 inch pieces, 

shoestring or julienned, random cut, ribbons, and ripple cut

We all know how to slice a carrot into coins, and how to create diced carrots. 

And, I'm sure most of you have also cut them on the diagonal.

My mother in law used to cut up carrots by quartering them lengthwise and then cutting them into 1 inch pieces.  She claimed they were more nourishing than carrots cut into coins. 

I just remember that they were usually fresh from her garden and had a buttery sweetness.

When I have large carrots, I like to cut them into random shaped pieces by angling the knife 

and turning the carrot with each cut. Someone told me today that is the best way to cut them for stir-frying as it eliminates the chance of a burned surface.

This tool is a ripple cutter and is an old one which came from my Mother in Law.

 It's very sturdy and is used by pushing the rippled edge down into the carrot. 

 I've seen newer ripple cutters but they have a side handle and are used like a knife. 

I find this one easier to use on a hard vegetable like a carrot as I can get my weight into the slice.

You can use the ripple cutter to cut sticks or diagonal slices as well.

This julienne cutter is like a palm potato peeler but has a serrated edge. 

It does a lovely job of cutting thin shoestrings which can be cooked or used raw in salads.

I use it on the zucchini and carrots for Vegetable Linguini. 

I found mine at a kitchen specialty shop but I've seen them in major grocery stores as well. 

My last picture shows how to make lovely carrot ribbons using a sturdy potato peeler.

The cooked carrot ribbons can add interest to a plated meal.

So there you have it - a few ideas on How to Slice it Up!

Refrigerator Bran Muffin Mix ~ Flash Back Friday

I first posted this recipe for Refrigerator Bran Muffin Mix in 2008.  It is still a favorite in our house and it is a great recipe to mix and share, ready to bake complete with a new container and the baking instructions on the lid.   The muffins are not very sweet and have a touch of orange to brighten the bran! 

One important thing to remember about muffins is that you want to create crisp edges so do not use cupcake liners when you bake them. Paper liners are for cupcakes.  Invest in a good non-stick muffin tin.  I typically bake about 4 at a time and just put a little bit of water in each of the empty cups so that the pan isn't ruined.  

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups All Bran Cereal 
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 beaten eggs
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1 quart /1 litre buttermilk
• 1 large navel orange
• 3 cups fresh raisins
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 2 1/2 cups of white flour
• 2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 4 cups natural bran or 2 cups oat bran plus 3 cups Bran Flakes Cereal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder

1. In a medium sized bowl, pour the boiling water over the All Bran.
2. Cream together the oil, sugar,  molasses and the eggs in a large bowl. 
3. Peel the orange with a vegetable peeler.  Remove the white part of the peel and discard.  Chop orange and remove seeds. 
4. In blender jar, place peel, chopped orange and half of the buttermilk, and puree well.
5. Add the rest of the buttermilk, the egg/sugar and oil mixture and the orange mixture into the cooled All Bran mixture.
6. In another very large bowl,  mix together all the dry ingredients and the raisins.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.  It will be really runny to start but will thicken after a minute of stirring.
8. Pour the batter into a 5-litre  container with a lid.  Refrigerate.  Batter will keep well in the refrigerator for a month. 
9. To bake muffins, grease muffin tin well (if you do not have a non-stick pan) and fill muffin cups until nearly level with the top of the cup.  Bake in a preheated 400F. oven for about 25 minutes. 

Mediterranean Orange Salad

This has become a favorite pre-dinner salad over here recently.  Oranges are at their finest at this time of the year.  When paired with chopped dates, pomegranate seeds, red onions, feta cheese, almonds and salad greens they make the best salad!  The orange vinaigrette dressing adds the perfect touch.

Salad:

• 4 cups mixed salad greens 
• 2 navel oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/3 cup slivered pitted dates 
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Place mixed greens in large bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat leaves.
2. Line serving platter (or individual salad dishes) with mixed greens.  
3. Arrange orange slices and onion on top of greens.  
4. Sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds, dates, almonds and feta cheese.  

Vinaigrette Dressing:

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small serrano pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Combine all dressing ingredients in small bowl and whisk until smooth or process with hand-held blender.  Can be made in advance and kept in a jar in the fridge.  Shake before using.

*You will use less than 1/2 the dressing.  It keeps well in the fridge for a week or two.

Serves 4.