Corn Chowder Soup

It's the time of year where we are known far and wide for our high-quality Chilliwack Corn.
Every fall I can't wait to dig in and pull the last of the fresh potatoes, carrots, onions and of course fresh corn. This year is been extra special, as we have our own fresh corn.
Corn Chowder Soup has been a favorite for years. It brings back memories to many ski vacations.
I will give you the original recipe, whereas I actually double all the vegetables. We all like our soup thick.

Ingredients

• 4 cups cubed potatoes
• 2 cups carrots, sliced
• 2 cups celery stalks, sliced
• 2 medium onions
• 2 green peppers
• 1 pound bacon or substitute 1 1/2 pound farmer sausage. ( approximately 1 ring) cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 - 10-ounce tins creamed corn ~ I use fresh corn from about 4 large cobs.
• 2 - 10-ounce tins cream of celery soup
• 2 - 10-ounce tins cream of mushroom soup
• 2 quarts milk
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Cook potatoes, carrots, and celery together in a small amount of water.  Drain. 
2. Saute' onions, green peppers and meat.
3. Place meat, vegetables, and remaining ingredients into a large soup pot.  If using fresh corn, cook and remove kernels.  Heat slowly as milk tends to scorch easily. Stir often.  

Tip: Reheat the chowder in the microwave to prevent scorching.

Cut, Chop and Saute'

You can almost taste this. Imagine the aroma in your kitchen. Hope you can all get out there and find some fresh Chilliwack Corn.  I freeze this soup. No soup tastes as good as fresh, but when one does not have the fresh produce in winter, this is second best.

French Apple Cake

It is not really a cake, but a custard-like fruit dessert served with whipped cream.  The French call it clafouti.  This recipe came from the Canadian Dairy Foundation (it has been somewhat revised)...a source of good recipes that use milk.  But it could just as easily have come from the B.C. Egg Producer's Association or the B.C. Fruit Growers Association, for that matter.  Chock full of good things and so simple to make...you won't be disappointed!

• 3 large apples, peeled and sliced
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• confectioner's sugar for dusting the top 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Grease a 9" round cake pan or pie plate. 
3. Arrange sliced apples evenly in the bottom of the pan.
4. Place all remaining ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
5. Pour carefully over the apple slices.
6. Bake for 50 minutes.
7. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan...or serve right from baking dish.
8. Serve warm or cold with a dollop of whipped cream.
9. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar if desired.

*A spring form pan works well, if you wish to remove the dessert to serve on a platter later.  Grease pan...line bottom with parchment paper.  However, be aware that unless your springform pan has a tight seal, the custard will drip into your oven!
 

BBQ'd Beef-on-a-Bun

If the guys in your life are wondering "where's the beef?"...here it is!

I was at a women's conference some twenty years ago...and attended a cooking workshop. The facilitator left me with some wonderful recipes that I've made my own since that time. One of our family favorites is the BBQ'd Beef.  I have brought it to potlucks...camping trips...and it was our dinner at the beach a few nights ago.

BBQ'd Beef

• 5 steaks (any kind)
• 1 28 oz. can tomatoes

1. Cook in slow cooker overnight (about 10 hours) on low.
2. Drain juices and shred the cooked beef with two forks.

Sauce

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. parsley flakes
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. prepared mustard
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne

1. Sauté onion and celery until tender.
2. Add remaining sauce ingredients and heat through.
3. Add shredded beef and simmer for about 1 hour. (I return meat and sauce to slow cooker until serving time.)
4. Serve on submarine or beef-dip buns.

The original recipe calls for five steaks...I use any beef I have handy. I often cut up large roasts...and if my crock-pot is chock-full, I make slightly more of the sauce. 

Best Ever Banana Muffins

The muffin is moist and great take along snack for packed lunches. I also like it served with a slice of cheddar cheese. Delicious.

• 1 1/2 cups flour (try 1/2 cup of whole wheat, and 1/2 cup of bran replacing 1 cup of all purpose flour, or replacing 1/2 cup of flour with 1/2 of oats)to increase fiber.
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt ( never double if you double the recipe)
• 3/4 cup sugar ( I have reduced it to 1/2 cup or even 1/3 cup)
• 1/2 cup melted butter or vegetable oil ( I cut it by half)
• 1 egg
• 3 mashed bananas
• Chocolate chips or raisins as desired.

1. Sift together, flour, baking powder baking soda and salt.
2. Combine sugar, oil, egg and mashed bananas.
3. Stir in the dry ingredients, batter should be lumpy.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips, or raisins.
5. Put into greased muffin tins
6. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or til golden brown.
7. Cool 5 minutes and remove from the pan.

Blueberry Cobbler

Fresh or frozen blueberries beneath a buttermilk biscuit topping. Serve it warm from the oven with a scoop of ice cream. A true comfort dessert for the fall.

Berries:

-5 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

-2/3 cup sugar

-3 tbsp corn starch

Place all ingredients in a microwaveable bowl. Heat for 3 minutes stirring once half way through. You just want to get them hot, but not bubbling. Pour hot berries into a 8" square pan or deep dish pie plate.

Biscuit topping

-1 cup flour

-1/3 cup sugar

-2 tsp baking powder

-1/2 tsp salt

-3 tbsp butter

-1/2 cup buttermilk (you can use regular milk)

Measure dry ingredients into bowl. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Add milk all at once and mix with a fork until moistened. Drop by spoonfuls over hot berries. Bake at 425º for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy.

Sally's Buttermilk Cookies

My mom by love has been making these cookies for our family for some time now. She got the recipe from her friend Sally who got the recipe from her grandmother.
They are soft and tender and freeze wonderfully. I usually take out one cookie from the freezer. . .putting it aside to thaw. ..but have yet to taste it completely thawed . .. .since I just can't wait.

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
• a few teaspoons milk
• dash lemon extract

1. Cream the softened butter and the sugars and salt. Add the eggs and stir well to combine.
2. Stir together the buttermilk and baking soda.
3. Combine the flour and baking powder.
4. Stir the flour and baking powder and buttermilk and soda into the creamed mixture.
5. Add the vanilla.
6. Drop by teaspoons onto the cookie sheet
7. Bake at 375 F for 7 - 10 minutes.
8. Allow to cool on baking rack
9. Stir together the icing sugar, milk to make a thin spreadable icing and a little lemon extract.
10. Spread over cookies and if you want to dress them up seasonally. . .give them a few sprinkles before the icing sets.

Applesauce . .simple and pure

100% pure farm fresh apples

I was just talking to Kathy on the phone. . and we were discussing the different ways to make apple sauce. . .and I was trying to explain my food mill .. .
well, it is so much easier to see than to explain.
In the collage, you can see the antique one that my mom used for 40 some years. . and beside it the new one that I purchased.
It is so easy .. .
Just wash your apples, put them in a pot with a 1/2 cup of water. . enough to cover the bottom of the pot 1/4 inch. Bring the apples to a simmer and simmer about 10 - 15 minutes or until soft and tender.
You don't need to peel the apples, nor core them nor remove the stems. . .
Just cook them.
Then, put the food mill over a large bowl and pour your apples into it and stir,
. . . once in a while you'll need to stir counter clockwise to scrape the peels off the bottom.
There is nearly no waste. . . .and leaving the cores and seeds in for cooking provides natural pectin to make a nice thick applesauce.
Once done. . .taste and add sugar to your liking.
Put the hot applesauce into sterile containers and freeze.

Chicken Pot Pie

We enjoyed a roasted chicken dinner with family last night and as usual I had lots of leftovers. And so I decided to make pot pie today.

Filling ingredients:
6 tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots diced
3 celery stalks diced
1 cup sweet peppers diced
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 tsp chopped thyme leaves
1/4 cup sherry
3/4 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 cups cooked chicken

In large skillet melt butter, add onions, carrots, sweet peppers and celery and cook until onions are translucent, about 10 min on med heat. Add the flour, stirring and cooking for 1 min more. Whisk in the chicken stock and the milk, decrease heat to low and simmer for 10 min stirring often. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and stir well.

Divide the mixture among six 10 oz ramekins and if you are like me and don't have ramekin dishes you just use the small deep dish aluminum pie pans. Or if you want to use regular size pie pans that would work too.

Pie crust ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, a dash of pepper, 1/2 cup chilled and cubed unsalted butter, 1/4 cup chilled and cubed vegetable shortening, 4 tbsp ice water

Combine the flour and salt in food processor,add the chilled butter, pulse 5 times to combine, add the shortening and pulse a few more times, then slowly stream in ice water 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing after each addition until dough sticks together. Remove dough and mold into ball. This dough can be made ahead of time and stored in fridge.

Roll out dough and cut 6 circles to fit your ramekins. I like the 'rustic' look and so just placed the rounds on top of the ramekins..you can tuck in the edges and press down with a fork to give them a nice look. Brush with egg wash...1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water.

Bake in a 400 degrees oven for 30 min or until golden and the filling is bubbling. Cool for 5 min before serving..serves 6.

School Lunches from the Kitchen

September is here with all of its joy of new school clothes and school supplies for the kids, while parents make renewed resolutions for organization toward a healthy and happy family lifestyle. I am a Grammy now, with all of that behind me, but still so clear in my memory. In fact, I have vivid memories of the lunches my mom packed for me and today, when I have thermos tea along with a ham, lettuce and mayo sandwich on a bun, my mind goes right back to my school desk at Sir James Douglas Elementary. The sandwich was always neatly wrapped in wax paper with a unique fold on top. If lunches can have such a lasting impact on a person, I like to think that it's food, not only for the body, but for the mind and soul. Maybe this is why I still like to help out my kids with a bag of pizza buns or pinwheels to put into the freezer, knowing that moms just get way too busy to keep up . . . and again, it's toward more than food for the body.

A variety of homemade buns, rolls, cookies and  muffins will take a few hours of focused time to prepare but will go a long way toward stress free lunch packing for the next month. All of the suggested recipes freeze well and are ready to pack into a lunch bag along with some veggies, yogurt, cheese and fruit.

With this post I just want to share a few favorite ideas. I'll add the links and more suggestions.

The pizza buns are made with a quick French bread dough, pizza sauce, cheese and bacon bits. One recipe makes about 30 buns. The banana chocolate chip muffins make a nice treat in miniature size for younger kids.

These sausage rolls are posted as a recipe on my personal blog, but I will give you the method here quick. You will need half of a skinny farmer sausage, quartered lengthwise, so that you have four long strips of sausage. Then, using 3 cups of the  the Basic Large Biscuit Mix, mix in 1 egg and 1 cup buttermilk. Roll it out to about 16 X 12 inches and divide it into four strips to roll the sausage up in. Cut these long rolled up sausage strips into small segments to make two dozen sausage rolls. Bake at 400 F about 15 minutes or until golden. The treat in this lunch is a mini chocolate zucchini muffin.

Cheese stuffed breadsticks are also made with French Bread dough. I made these with half whole wheat, half unbleached white flour. The recipe makes 24 to 32 bread sticks.

Maybe you have someone who prefers salads to sandwiches. A favorite pasta salad is a great idea. I added some left over rotisserie chicken into this lunch and some raisin oatmeal cookies which I have not posted, but there are a lot of cookies on this site to choose from. Plain mini meatballs (without the glaze or sauce) are also good in a lunch.

I was sure I had posted this quiche, but found out it's one I can still do in the future. A friend of mine told me her grandchildren love taking quiche in their lunch. They are easy to prepare. You can use frozen pastry tarts and simply fill them about 3/4 full with your choice of quiche filling. Bake at 400 F about 20 minutes.

Bev's Ham and cheese pinwheels have become a favorite just in this past year. If you love to roll out pastry and play with it, this is for you. These treats are a bit of work but very rewarding as the recipe makes about 60 pinwheels. Pop them frozen into a lunch bag and they will be good at noon. I use the cooked ham that comes cut square (375 g package) and quarter each slice for the perfect size on each pinwheel square. You can use only cheese if you like. If your school is not a peanut free zone, try the rice crispy chocolate rolls for a treat. Dried mango or apple slices might be something your kids like.

Biscuits, along with a few favorite things to nibble on may be a nice change for some. Split them to add butter or jam.

And last but not least, an old family stand by, are plain or whole wheat buns for sandwiches. Shape them large for bigger sandwiches or small, almost touching when you put them on the pan, so that they turn out more like a soft roll. Some kids love the "no crust" feel. Slice them before freezing, so that they can be filled on the day of, while frozen. If you want to minimize processed meats, use egg or tuna salad, homemade roast beef, chicken or ham. Home cooked meat is easiest to slice thinly once cooled.

I hope that lunch making can be an enjoyable time for whoever prepares it. Sometimes parents need for their kids to prepare their own lunch but again, to eliminate stress, prepare or delegate someone to peel and chop vegetables once a week and keep them in sealed containers with a bit of water. Ripen fruit on the counter, then wash and put in fridge when good to go. Have sandwich options and snacks readily available. If you pack a lunch and find out it does not get eaten, find out what needs changing. Sometimes younger children just feel like they do not have enough time to eat. Some like to know what is in their lunch in order to look forward to it. Some like a surprise. Know your own child to work toward a happy lunch experience. One day this too will only be a memory.

For more ideas, try a search of cheese straws, muffins, pizza muffins, vegetable muffins,wiener rolls, meat buns, baked oatmeal, cookies or school lunches in the recipe search window near the top of the sidebar.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Remember carrot cake?  Years ago it would have been a staple recipe that we depended on for showers, birthday cakes and lunch box treats.  It still is a great moist cake and perfect for this time of year when carrots are ready to be harvested from the garden.  It was carrot cake that introduced me to cream cheese frosting and that pairing still remains a duo that doesn't disappoint. 

Carrot cake freezes well.  I made these cupcakes for Anneliese's blast from the past party!  I made them a week ahead, decorated them and stored them frozen in containers, taking them out when we went to the party.  They naturally thawed during the dinner and were perfect to serve by dessert time. 

• 1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) packed finely grated carrots  
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup unflavoured thick greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (drained)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Line 2 1/2 dozen muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. Grate carrots with a fine grater or use a food processor with a fine blade grater attachment. If possible, weigh the grated carrots for accuracy.
3. Preheat oven to 325 F. 
4. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
5. In another large bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, pineapple, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, white sugar, brown sugar, and carrots.  Use a large spoon to beat together well.  
6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat with a mixer until just combined.
7. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full.  A large spring loaded ice cream scoop works well for this.  
8. Bake one pan at a time for about 20 minutes.  Test cupcakes with a toothpick.  
9. Allow cupcakes to cool while you prepare cream cheese frosting.  Be sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting has a tendency to become too soft and even runny if beaten too long.  In order to use it for decorating, I find it best to bind the icing sugar with the butter first, beating it until it is well combined and then adding in the softened cream cheese only at the end and beating it less than a minute and stopping as soon as no more lumps remain. It is important that the butter and the cream cheese are both room temperature.  Making the frosting with this method, will keep it from becoming too soft. If necessary, refrigerate for awhile before attempting to decorate with it.   

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
•  250 grams (8 ounces) regular cream cheese, softened

1. In a large bowl, combine butter with icing sugar and vanilla. Place plastic wrap over your bowl with the beaters tucked in the bowl. This will help the powdered sugar from dusting all over your kitchen. Beat until well combined.
2. Add in softened cream cheese and beat only until combined.  

To create sunflowers, I used a leaf tip, creating petals starting around the outer edge and working my way to the center.  I then used little oreos (divided and cream filling removed) for the center. 

Freeze in pans and then put into containers or refrigerate.