Curried Sweet Potato / Carrot Soup

I love any kind of creamed vegetable soup with exotic spices and flavours, whether ordering at a restaurant or trying them at home. This easy to make soup is sure to warm you on a cold day.

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes (yams) peeled, chopped  (4 - 5 cups)
• 5 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• pepper
• 1 onion, choped very fine
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated fine
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cury powder
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 cups chicken stock ( I use water and 3 teaspoons better than bouillon) 
• 1 cup half and half cream

Method:

1. Chop peeled yams and carrots into 1 inch slices. Bring to boil in salted water and cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Drain. Transfer to aluminum lined roasting pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and pepper. Roast at 400° F for 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, cook onion with the rest of the olive oil in the same pot as you cooked the vegetables. Cook until soft and golden.
3. Add vinegar, garlic, ginger and spices. Cook, stirring for a minute, then add 1 cup broth. Simmer until the roasted vegetables are done. 
4. Blend roasted vegetables along with the cream in blender (or add all to pot and use immersion blender.)
5. Add to pot along with enough broth to make the right consistency. 
6. Serve with a dollup of yogurt or sour cream, if desired. Pumpkin seeds, toasted coconut and chives are options for garnish.  Serves 6

Mashed Potato Waffles

Not sure what to do with leftover mashed potatoes?  Here's something you may not have thought of.  Pull out your waffle iron and cook up some savory waffles for a brunch treat.

• 2 cups cold leftover mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped chives (or green onions)
• 6-8 slices bacon, fried to a crisp and crumbled or cut into pieces
• sour cream

1. Preheat waffle iron on medium heat and spray with cooking oil.
2. Combine potatoes, eggs, flour and salt in mixing bowl. 
3. Stir in cheese and chives.
4. Place a small scoop of mixture onto each section of the Belgian waffle iron and close lid.
5. Cook until waffles are golden and crispy (about 5 minutes).
6. Remove waffles and repeat with remaining potato mixture. 
7. Serve waffles topped with sour cream, chopped green onion, and bacon pieces.

Yield: 8 small potato waffles

One-Skillet Steak for Two

This is a complete one-skillet meal for two that is satisfying. I found the idea in a magazine and I added my own twists to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 - (12 ounce) New York Strip steak 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 2 teaspoons, plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or any broth, divided
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup cream or half and half

Method:

1. Season both sides of patted dry steak with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Heat a 9 inch cast-iron or stainless steel skillet over medium high heat.
3. Rub seasoned steak with 2 teaspoons oil and cook, turning every 2 minutes, to desired doneness, about 7-11 minutes, depending on thickness of your steak.
4. Transfer steak to a cutting board to rest.
5. Heat remaining tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan adding 1/4 cup wine or broth slowly scrapping pan to de-glaze over medium high heat.
6. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3-4 minutes.
7. Add garlic 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
8. Continue to cook, stirring, for one minute.
9. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and cover to keep warm.
10. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, 1-2 minutes.
11. Add the other 1/4 cup wine or broth slowly.
12. Add half the spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted. 
13. Add remaining spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted.
14. Add the cream, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the cream has thickened slighty.
15. Return the mushrooms to the skillet and stir them with the creamed spinach mixture.
16. Remove from heat.
17. Slice the steak and serve on top of the mushrooms and creamed spinach.
18. Serves: 2

Tips: When I went to the grocery store boneless Rib-Eye steak was on sale at $5.00 less per pound than the New York Strip so I used it instead and it worked nicely. If you buy a small bag of baby spinach you can use the whole bag, dividing it in two. It wilts down significantly. Have all your ingredients ready and proportioned before you start to make the process work smoothly.

Bread For The Journey

                                                                                                                                                           (iStock)

I Believe 

It's been a year that we have walked through sorrow and grief of hearing the tragic news.
Grief has such an interesting way of defining itself.  Each day it wears a new face.
It's not the way I expected the year to unfold.
~~~~~~
This past week I have enjoyed watching the Olympics Winter Games in PyeongChang. As I watch and observe the Olympics,  I think of Joe and what it was like for him on his last day of work as he trudged up the Gold Coast Ridge at Squaw Valley to his job as a ski patroller. He was doing avalanche control work to ready the snow-drenched mountain for the day's onslaught of skiers. 
Did he know he was going to meet his maker that day?
Joe was the type of young man who loved nothing more than deep conversations
from politics to quantum physics, to theology.
He was not afraid to ask the hard questions.  But more importantly, he wasn't afraid to seek answers.
It was so special to hear how one friend shared his experience while he spent the day touring in the mountains with Joe when he asked a very direct question,
"Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?"
Out of fear of the tough questions that may have followed, hesitantly, the words followed
 "Uh-huh, yeah sure."
Joe quickly and confidently responded, with "Well, I sure do."
That statement gave the confidence beyond a shadow of a doubt that there would be many more deep conversations, and endless powder turns for all eternity with Joe.
What does your life represent....?
Can people say of you, that without a shadow of a doubt
  they will share more life with you in eternity?
Ask the tough questions in life and continue to seek answers.
He has left a legacy in his life.
Little do we know when our time will come.
When I think of Joe, I realized he stood proudly on his podium and declared his belief in God and
God took the Gold medal and draped it around his neck.
Do you believe?

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household."
Acts 16:31 NIV

Valentines Rice Krispie Treats

I had not planned on posting this here but when the date was free, I decided to take it, even if just for a super simple treat today. Maybe you have some littles in your family to do this with. As you can see, these three-year-olds can do it, so anyone can.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 cups miniature or 40 regular (250 g pkg) marshmallows
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• sprinkles of choice

Method:

1. In a large pot, over low heat, melt butter, then add the marshmallows, stirring until melted.
2. Stir in vanilla and cereal. 
3. Press onto wax or parchment paper lined pan to about 3/4 inch thickness.
4. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and insert lolly pop sticks. (optional) You can keep reshaping the cereal before it hardens.
5. Melt chocolate chips.
6. Put the melted chocolate in a piping bag (or small zip-lock with a tiny hole cut in it) to outline or cover part of the Rice Krispie cookies. (I quickly did this and then let the girls sprinkle to their hearts content.)
7. Refrigerate until set. Slip into tiny cellophane bags and tie.

If you do them without "help" you can perfect them a bit more ... but you'll miss out on the excitement of watching those sprinkles get dumped. I used a cookie sheet to work on for good reason.

Happy Valentines Day!

Ground Chicken Chili

This is an easy last minute recipe for a tasty chili if you have all the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil of your choice
• 1-28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) of white chili beans
• 1 can (7 ounces) of diced green chiles
• 2 cups frozen roasted corn kernels
• 1 jalapeno chopped (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Toppings:

• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Fresh tomatoes
• Sour Cream
• Grated cheese

Method:

1. Heat dutch oven with the 2 tablespoons oil then add the onion and cook till transparent.
2. Add the ground chicken and cook through.
3. Add the cans of tomatoes, beans, chiles, plus the corn, jalapeno, cumin and chili powder.
4. Bring all ingredients to a simmer and continue simmering for 15-30 minutes. 
5. Serve with toppings of cilantro, avocado, fresh tomatoes, green onions, sour cream and grated cheese. 
6. Serves: 4-6

You can omit any toppings you don't enjoy. If you don't have a source for roasted corn you can use any frozen corn.

Bread for the Journey

Honoring others in love.

 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

Romans 12:10

The kind of love that the Bible is talking about here is not a feeling of love but a choice of love. 

Recently, this little one slid her bowl of Cheerios across to me.  It was an unexpected gesture that filled my heart. This week, whether I show a random act of kindness to someone else or offer tokens of love to my sweetheart and family, putting others above myself is a way of honouring God.   

It is even more special when we show love to others in ways that they most feel loved.

 Dr Gary Chapman in his book The Five Love Languages explains how each of us feels loved in different ways.  

Words of affirmation

Quality Time

Receiving Gifts

Acts of Service

Affection

May you find joy this week in finding simple ways to love those around you! 

Do you have a sweet idea? We would love to hear it.  Let's pass on our ideas to one another.  

Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Bacon Pizza-Flash Back Friday

For flash back Friday I've chosen to re share one of the pizzas I bake for company that I'm pretty sure they have not tried.
I originally found this recipe one day looking at Pinterest. Strawberries on pizza? I had to try it, but I changed up a few things to make it my own.

-I added 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice to the sauce
-in place of cilantro, I used baby arugula which gives a slightly peppery taste
-I added feta cheese for that little zip...and I think it gives a pretty finish
**last time I made this I added a few pineapple chunks to the toppings**

During strawberry season I like to reduce good quality flavoured balsamic vinegar and once it's thickened and slightly cooled, drizzle it over skewers of fresh strawberries and pineapple. So it was no surprise to me when I saw this pizza recipe with it's unique combination of ingredients that I knew it would be a hit. I've also added my favourite pizza dough recipe.

Pizza Dough: enough for one 12-14" pizza

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons quick rise yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspooon sugar
• 1 cup very warm water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Place flour in a large bowl. 
2. Stir in yeast, sugar and salt.
3. Add water and oil. Stir until dough starts to come together.
4. Stir dough until it's too hard to stir and then knead until a soft none sticky dough pulls together. Form into ball and rub with a small amount of olive oil.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest on counter until double in bulk, approximately 35 minutes, OR cover with plastic wrap and let sit in refrigerator for 24 hours. This method of a longer rest time allows the gluten to relax and the result is a dough that is very easy to work with and produces a crisp airy crust. If you put dough in refrigerator, take out and allow to rest on counter for about half hour before forming crust.

Pizza toppings:

• 1 cup chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces. ( you can roast one chicken breast for this or use a rotisserie chicken breast from the deli)
• 4 slices apple wood smoked bacon, cut into 1" pieces and fried to tender crisp
• 1/4 cup thin slices of sweet onion, I like to use walla walla onions this time of year
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, or a blended cheese
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• fresh strawberries
• baby arugula

1. Cut up roasted chicken breast into bite size pieces. 
2. Cut up bacon and fry to tender crisp.
3. Slice onion into very thin rings.
4. Prepare pizza sauce, recipe below.

Pizza sauce - this is not your ordinary pizza sauce!

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup strawberry jam
• 1 tsp hot sauce, or to taste. I add a bit more as we like a bit of heat
• 1 tablespoon pineapple juice

1. In a small sauce pan heat the balsamic vinegar over medium heat until it begins to boil. Turn down and let cook until it reduces to about 1/2 the amount.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined.
3. Remove from heat and allow this mixture to cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients. As it cools it will thicken. (at the point dip a whole strawberry into the mixture and enjoy.

Assembling and baking pizza:

1. Place pizza stone in a cold oven and turn oven to 450º.
2. While oven and stone are heating up shape pizza dough to a round a few inches smaller than stone. Place dough onto a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with a bit of cornmeal. This will help the pizza to release and slide onto the hot stone easily.
3. Once you have your shell formed on the parchment, spread 1/2 the sauce onto the shell. 
4. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Set aside.
5. Sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese over the pizza crust and sauce.
6. Next add the chicken, then the bacon, onion rings and top with remaining cheese.
7. Carefully slide the prepared pizza onto the hot stone and bake for 20-25 minutes. 
8. Remove from oven, slide pizza onto a cutting board. 
9. Top with fresh cup up strawberries, baby arugula and feta cheese. Serve immediately.

Chocolate-O-Chocolate Cookies ... gluten free

For Flashback Friday I thought I would remind you of these delicious cookies I posted a few years ago .. you can find the original recipe here 

I have simplified the recipe somewhat in the update below ...

 Chocolate-O-Chocolate Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup shortening 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup white sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon  vanilla 
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 
• 1 (4 oz) package of instant chocolate pudding 
•  one cup Julie's Flour mix or your favorite GF all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 
• 1/2 teaspoon soda 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 3 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flakes 
• 2 cups chocolate chips 
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional) 

1. Cream together butter, shortening and sugars 
2. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. 
3. Add mixed together dry ingredients , stirring well 
4. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. 
5. Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. 
6. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until done. (Less time in oven  leaves cookies softer, baking longer makes them  crispier) .  Let cool slightly before removing from pan.   

** note -- this is quite a large recipe but it can easily be cut in half. 

Amy's Date and Nut Bars

This is my daughter's recipe and it uses whole foods and natural sugars coming from the dried fruit. I will share with you today two versions to show how easy it is to switch things up and add whatever you wish. The nuts don't have to be toasted but they do add a depth of flavor if they are.
Each variation makes one loaf pan cut into bars.

Coconut Date Bars: (Top Bar)

• 1 cup of toasted nuts (1/2 each of almonds and cashews)
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 cups of medjool dates
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Ginger Date Bars: (Bottom Bar)

• 1 cup toasted nuts (1/2 cup each of almonds and pecans were used)
• 1 cup of mejooled dates
• 1 - 2" piece of ginger peeled and shredded or finely diced if you like pieces of ginger in it. 
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Add the nuts into a food processor and pulse until you have small pieces.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until the mixture is well combined and sticky. 
3. Press into a parchment lined loaf pan.
4. Chill in the refridgerator until firm. 
5. Remove from pan and cup into bars. 
6. They keep well in the refridgerator for about a month or freeze.