Pecan Raisin Tarts

Whether you call them butter tarts, raisin tarts or pecan tarts . . . doesn't really matter . . . the melt-in-your mouth taste always surprises me. You can make these quite easily if you use purchased frozen tart shells . . . using small ones can be a nice addition to a plate of assorted sweets. If you happen to have some time and patience you can make your own delicious, rustic looking shells . . . but it's not necessary.

Ingredients:

18 medium size unbaked tart shells

Filling:

• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cups corn syrup
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablspoons melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cups broken pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins, plumped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. If using frozen tarts, set them out on a cookie sheet.
3. If using homemade pastry, roll out quite thin, cut with a tart cutter or extra large cookie cutter and line muffin tins.
4. Pour boiling water over raisins to rinse and plump them. Drain.
5. Combine all ingredients and fill tarts to about 3/4 full. The filling will rise a bit.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden. Cool in pan on a rack.
7. Ease out gently by running a knife around the edges. These freeze well.

Black Bean Chicken wings

This recipe is from my friend Vicki. She is an amazing cook. Each time we are guests in their home I look forward to what she will serve. I am never disappointed! I have used this wing recipe for quite afew years now and the recipe is asked for almost each time. I usually buy 2-3 packages of fresh wings and mini drummettes at Costco and divide. When I need an appie it is so easy. Just thaw and bake.

25 chicken wings

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp black bean sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cloves garlic-crushed

1 tsp pepper

Marinade wings in sauce for several hours or over night. Line a baking sheet with foil. Bake @ 300 for about 2 1/2 hours. They get more 'sticky' and flavorful the longer they bake. Every half hour I base with the sauce in the pan and turn the wings. These can be kept warm on low in a crock pot. They are best fresh, but I have baked them the day before and heated in a crock pot or dutch oven.

Bread For The Journey

 The Necklace 

I was a young girl, I'm not sure how old but definitely under the age of ten. 

I was shopping  with my mother in the local 5-$100 Store. 

This was long before the popular dollar stores but it was a store filled with a great variety of goods.  

There was so much to look at.   

Not that I expected to be allowed to have anything.

 I knew that was not why we were in the store, but I loved to look! 

My mother was at the till paying for her purchases conversing with the owner's wife. 

I stood waiting, admiring the jewellery that hung from a stand at the end of the counter.

Daring to reach out and touch, I fingered the stone in a necklace pendant. 

To my horror as I pressed my  thumb across it, the stone fell out of its setting. 

My heart racing, I looked around to see if anyone was watching! 

It seemed no one had. 

If I told what I had done, what would happen?  Would they be angry ? 

Would they take me away from my family?  

My heart pounding, my stomach in a knot , I made my decision.  

I slipped the stone out of sight under the hanging jewellery and said nothing. 

I walked out of the store with the guilt and shame of what I had done. 

I spend a sleepless night, fearing that someone had seen me and even if they hadn't, would figure out it was me that had broken the necklace. The police would be called..  would I go to jail?  

Was the sin of hiding my crime worse than the crime itself?
Guilt is not always measured by the severity of the crime, and secret guilt magnifies itself.   

Over time, the guilt was not as deep or as heavy but I never forgot what I had done.
I never told anyone.

Over 20 years later, I had grown up, married and was working at Eatons. 

A new employee was hired to work part time in the fabric department. 

I recognized her immediately as the owner of that 5-$100 store. 

Had God given me another chance to do what was right ? 

  I was in conversation with her one day and I took a deep breath and said,  

"I have something to confess to you."  

She smiled, wondering what it could possibly be! 

And I told her the story. 

She laughed, gave me a big hug and said, 

"I'm sure we must have just glued it back in. 

But thank you for telling me !"  

I was forgiven !!   

Even after all those years it was a burden lifted  -  my heart felt so light !     

Forgiveness! 

What a gift to give or to receive. 

So often we live with the burden of guilt fearing someone's anger or retaliation, 

when it is so much easier just to confess and ask for forgiveness. 

I think of God's forgiveness that He offers as a gift to anyone who asks for it. 

No matter what we have done, He smiles, hugs us and says... 

"You are forgiven, your sin is gone, but thank you for your confession!"  

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

I John 1:9 

Meringue Spice Cupcakes Gluten Free

These spice cupcakes are baked with their own meringue topping! No need to ice.
They have a great flavour and melt in your mouth texture.
This recipe makes 2 dozen cupcakes or if you prefer a cake, use a 9" x 12"  cake pan.

• 1/4 cup room temp. butter 
• 1/4 cup shortening 
• 1/2 cup white sugar 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1 egg 
• 1 egg yolk 
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour 
• 1/2 cup millet flour 
• 1/3 cup white bean flour 
• 1/2 cup potato starch 
• 3 tsp baking powder 
• 1 tsp xanthan gum 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves 
• 1 tsp cinnamon 

for topping 

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• crushed walnuts 

1. Cream butter and shortening 
2. Add sugars and beat until fluffy 
3. Beat in egg and egg yolk 
4. Add milk 
5. Add blended dry ingredients Beat until perfectly smooth 
6. Divide batter into 24  muffin tins or cake pan as desired 
7. Beat egg white until foamy, beat in brown sugar until thick 
8. Smooth over top of batter -  about 3/4 tsp per cupcake 
9. Sprinkle tops with crushed walnuts. 
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Easy Bean Bake

I made this dish for a potluck at our church. It is quick and easy to put together and rarely are there any leftovers!
These beans are also great paired up with multigrain bread, buns, biscuits or as a side dish with grilled steak.
I usually make baked beans starting with raw beans that are soaked overnight and then cooked for hours in the oven on low heat. But every once in awhile I like to do this quick recipe.
Thanks Linda for the recipe.

• 3- 398 ml(14 oz) cans of pork and beans..my favorite are deep-browned beans in tomato sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine and cooked till tender..it's quite okay to omit this, it will still taste wonderful
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. I used a spicy sauce but any kind will do
• 2 tablespoons parsley flakes
• Optional: you can use crumbled bacon bits if you desire

1. Mix all these ingredients together and pour into a roaster.
2. Bake covered in 350º oven for 35 to 40 minutes so that they are heated through and the flavors have meshed.
3. A crock pot works great too.

Chocolate Mousse

Never fail chocolate mousse...that is what I would call it. But it is also known as the 'church mousse', since I became very familiar with this recipe at church functions where we would make up enough to serve 200-300 people. It can be made in pans and cut into squares...as a chocolate mousse pie or spooned into parfait glasses. Light and fluffy. Chocolate. It's hard to go wrong!

Crumb Crust:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (Oreo Baking Crumbs)

1. Melt butter; stir into crumbs.
2. Press into bottom and sides of a nine-inch pie plate or eight-inch square pan.

Mousse:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 envelope gelatin (Knox)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 carton Cool Whip - 500 ml

1. Combine sugar, cocoa, salt and milk.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.
2. Dissolve gelatin in cold water and add to boiled mixture along with vanilla.
3. Cool in fridge until almost set (needs to be quite firm).
4. Beat in Cool Whip until combined and smooth...using 'low' setting on mixer.
5. Pour into prepared crust.
6. Chill several hours before serving.

*To make a 9" x 13" pan, double the recipe for the mousse...and use 2 cups crumbs with 1/2 cup butter for the base.  This recipe can also be frozen for later use...and is great in chocolate cups for special occasions.
 

Yam Shepherd's Pie

 

Shepherd's Pie . . . what can I say about it? You love it or hate it. I think it's a great family meal if you introduce the kids to it early . . . that's the trick. It's also a great potluck casserole and just plain comfort food.

Ingredients:

• 3 large potato sized yams
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup green peas
• 1/4 cup water mixed with 2 tablespoons flour

Method:

1. Cook yams in salted water until soft. Drain. Mash, adding in milk and butter.
2. Cook meat until browned and crumbly.
3. Stir in onion, carrots, celery and green pepper, cooking until soft, about 10 minutes.
4. Add garlic, tomato paste, seasonings, bay leaf and water. Cook 45 minutes. 
5. Shake up water and flour in a small jar and add to meat. Stir in peas and cook another 5 minutes.
6. Spread into deep dish pie plate or 5 cup casserole dish.
7. Beat egg white and fold into mashed yams.
8. Spread over meat and bake 30 minutes at 350° F.

 

Can be made ahead, refrigerated or frozen and baked when needed.

If frozen, thaw in refrigerator for the day.

Big Batch Lasagna

We love Lasagna but  it takes time to make from scratch.  
So when I do make it, I like to make more than one.  
This recipe made  3 Lasagnas - one 11x13 inch pan, one 8x12 inch pan and one 9x7 inch pan.  The large one went to a birthday party the next day, 
The smaller one went into the freezer of a new mom and
 the third I brought for a potluck family meal at my sister's.
This time I added Italian sausage to the meat sauce for a hearty flavour change., 

For the sauce

• 2 pounds / 1 kg hamburger
• 2 pounds / 1 kg bulk Italian sausage meat
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 red peppers  or 1 red and 1 yellow pepper,chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2  8 ounce / 398 ml cans tomato sauce
• 3  5.5 ounce / 156 ml cans tomato paste
• 2 cups / 500 ml water
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml dried basil
• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons/ 8 ml salt
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml pepper or more to taste

1. Brown hamburger in large skillet, drain and remove to large Dutch oven.
2. Using the same skillet, brown sausage meat, drain and add to hamburger.
3. Add remaining ingredients  to Dutch oven and stir well.
4. Bring to a boil on medium high heat and reduce heat to simmer.
5. Simmer, stirring frequently, for about 1 hour or until sauce is thick. 
6. Note: This sauce can also be used for other casseroles or pasta dishes.

For the Cottage Cheese Mixture

• 1  24 ounce / 750 ml carton 2% cottage cheese
• 2  16 ounce / 425 g cartons Ricotta cheese
• 2 cups / 500 ml grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml chopped fresh parsley
• 3 large eggs, beaten

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Additional Ingredients :

• 1  16 ounce / 500 g box lasagna noodles, cooked 'a la dente' and drained.
• 2 1/2  16 ounce / 55 g packages mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 1  4 ounce / 125 g package shredded Asiago cheese
• 1  4 ounce / 125 g package shredded Parmesan cheese

To assemble Lasagnas: 

Note: Assemble one lasagna at a time.  That way you can determine what size the last pan should be according to how much sauce and cheese mixture is left after the first 2 pans are complete.

1. Spread a thin layer of sauce in bottom of pan.
2. Lay cooked lasagna noodles over sauce.
3. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over the noodles.
4. Spoon dollops of the cottage cheese mixture on to the sauce layer and carefully spread it to cover the sauce. (some sauce will still show through)
5. Add a layer of  mozzarella cheese slices.
6. Add one more layer each of noodles, sauce, cottage cheese and cheese slices.
7. Top with a generous handful of shredded Asiago and Parmesan cheese.
8. Repeat with the next pan(s).
9. Wrap tightly in foil and place in a plastic bag and freeze or
10. Cover lightly with foil and bake in preheated 350degree F / 125 degree C oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until bubbling.  (Remove foil for the last 15 minutes to brown top)
11. Set stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving. This ensures nice firm pieces when you cut it.

Tips:
1. When baking the frozen lasagna, it should be removed from the freezer about 6 hours before baking as directed.  Always give yourself plenty of time to bake a lasagna.  Sometimes it takes a bit longer depending on how cold it is when you put it in the oven.. 
2. Lightly oil the foil before covering the lasagna.  This will help to keep the cheese from sticking to the foil when you remove it during baking.

Apple / Pear Spice Muffins

I had two pretty sad looking pears in my fruit basket, so I decided to see if I could make some muffins out of them. So I stewed together two apples and two pears added some spice and it resulted in these delicious  muffins perfect for fall.

• 2 apples peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 pears peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger 
• 1/2 cup of hard margarine or butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup raisons

1. Cut  the apples and pears into small pieces. I left the peel on but you can peel it if you wish. No need to add water or sugar to the pot. Cook on low heat  until soft.
2. Add the cinnamon and ginger. Mash together.
3. Cream together the softened butter with the sugar adding the eggs one at a time.
4. Mix the dry ingredients together stir.
5. Add the raisins to the flour, add that into the creamed butter mixture.
6. Stir the stewed fruit and combine until all the dry ingredients are mixed in.
7. Place into 12 greased muffin tins.
8. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes.
9. Leave the muffins in the tins for 5 minutes, remove and cool on a cooling rack.
10. Serve with a warm cup of tea, perfect for those cool fall afternoons.

Big Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

There have been many versions of oatmeal raisin cookies here over the years since they happen to be hubby's favorite, but this is my tried-and-true old stand by!  We eat a few fresh from the oven and the rest go into the freezer.  Did you know they taste every bit as good straight from the freezer? Oatmeal raisin cookies and a good cup of coffee...the perfect treat anytime of day!

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3 cups old fashioned oats (large flake)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.
3. Add flour, oats, soda, salt and spices; beat until well blended.
4. Using a cookie scoop, drop dough in large mounds onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper or lightly greased.
5. Flatten cookies slightly.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden but center looks soft.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for several minutes on cookie sheet before moving to cooling rack.

Yield: 2 dozen large cookies