Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a New Orleans classic. Rice infused with lots of wonderful spicy flavour. Crusty bread is all you need as a side with this dish. If you need more spice serve with hot sauce on the side.

• 2 links spicy sausages, cut into thin rounds 
• 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small bite size pieces
• 1 dozen raw peeled and deveined prawns
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped red or green pepper
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 28 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes, drain juice into a two cup measuring cup
• 2 cups white long grain rice
• 1 tablespoon creole spice, or to your spice tolerance
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, for topping before serving

1. Place vegetable oil in a heavy dutch oven. 
2. Heat, and then add in the cut up sausages and chicken. Saute until well browned. Remove to a bowl.
3. Add vegetable to the dutch oven and saute, scraping up all the brown bits from the meat which will add nice flavour to your dish. If the vegetables stick or become dry add a small amount of the vegetable or chicken stock. 
4. Once vegetables are getting soft add the meat back into the pot. 
5. Add the drained tomatoes and the spice. Stir to combine.
6. Add stock to the tomato juice and add water to make 2 cups. Add this to the dutch oven. Stir well.
7. Stir rice into mixture.
8. Place lid on dutch oven and bake in 350ºF oven and bake for 20 minutes. 
9. Place thawed shrimp into pot and gentle mix in with a fork and quickly place lid back on. 
10. Bake another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions and enjoy.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

We really enjoyed this dessert while traveling in Great Britain so duplicating it for special meals here on the other side of the Pond was a fun adventure for me. It's a warm dense cake with a caramelized sauce. There are many versions of Sticky Toffee Pudding and this is one that has been successful and good. Don't let the pudding confuse you. It's not like our creamy soft pudding. This "pudding" is cake like.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 inch pan

Pudding:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 8 ounces dates (pitted and chopped into pieces)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups boiling water

Sauce:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 - 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups whipping cream

You will need extra whipping cream to top off the cake with when ready to serve.

Directions:

For the pudding:

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time and incorporate completely.
3. Fold in flour.
4. Put the chopped dates in a separate bowl.
5. Pour the boiling water over the dates and add the soda to this mixture.
6. Give the water time to be absorbed into the dates.
7. When water is mostly absorbed add the flour mixture and blend well.
8. Pour the mixture into prepared pan.
9. Bake for 40 minutes. Time may vary slightly depending on your oven.

Sauce:

1. Mix all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. When cake comes out of the oven poke the top of the cake evenly with many holes. 
3. Pour half of the sauce over the top of the cake evenly. 
4. Allow Sauce to soak into cake.
5. When ready to serve cut cake into squares and place the squares on your dessert plates. 
6. Top with remaining sauce that is hot onto the warm cake. 
7. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream.

 

Chocolate Banana Bread

The original recipe for this lovely bread comes from a Kraft Canada flyer. I improvised with what I had available, switching out a few items and adding baking powder and vanilla. It's a win - win situation with chocolate and banana. I love the density and moistness of this loaf!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1  1/2  cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp baking cocoa

Method:

1. Beat egg, mayonnaise and mashed bananas in bowl, using a whisk, until well blended. Add vanilla.
2. In separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. then stir into wet ingredients.
3. Spoon half  (or slightly over half) of the batter into prepared 8x4 inch loaf pan.
4. Sift cocoa into the batter left in the bowl, stir and drop by spoonfuls onto white batter.
5. Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, before removing to wire rack. 

Idea: Cut into thick slices (10), wrap and freeze for individual snacks to go with "someone's" drink at the drive through. 

Chili Sauce and Apricot Meatballs

I make these meatballs in short order by using a spring loaded ice cream scoop.  I resist the temptation to perfect each meatball by rolling it once I have scooped out the meat.  Once these meatballs bake and are covered in sauce, there is no worry that the meatball is not perfectly shaped and your family will know you made them yourself!

Meatball ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons chili sauce
• 1 yellow onion

• 2 pounds  / 1 kg lean ground beef
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Sauce ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups apricot jam
•  1 bottle chili sauce 455 ml or about 2 cups  (minus  3 tablespoons for the meatball ingredients) 
• 1 cup water

1. Combine the first set of ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Place ground beef and bread crumbs in a large bowl and pour blended ingredients over top and then use hands to mix thoroughly.
3. Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. Use a medium sized spring loaded ice cream scoop to make meatballs.  If you want to make appetizer sized meatballs make them smaller, about one inch.  Place in rows on the cookie sheet and bake at 375 F for about 20 minutes.  
5. Pour chili sauce, apricot jam and water into blender and process until smooth.
6. Place meatballs in a large casserole dish and pour apricot chili sauce over top and bake at 325 for 1 hour.
7. Serve over rice.

Hint.. use water to rinse out the chili sauce bottle

Oma's Goulash

This is the goulash that my Oma always made. It has very few ingredients but the flavor is so good. This recipe stems back from Russia, trekked across Europe to Germany, then to Paraguay and finally Canada. Needless to say that her family has been eating this for generations. You can serve this with rice or pasta your choice. A simple salad completes the meal.

• 1 lb round steak cubed, or use stewing beef cubed into smaller chunks
• 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 small can of tomato sauce
• 1 cup of cream, or if you must go lighter, milk, but it is so good with the cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 heaping tbsp flour

In a pot brown the beef cubes well. Add barely enough water to cover the meat and cook until tender. About 40 minutes to an hour depending on the meat.
Mix flour with cold water and add the paste to the meat. Cook for a few minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, and the cream.
Heat through and season to taste.
So Kinder jetzt essen (so children let's eat)!

No Knead Refrigerator Rolls

It is a nice recipe to make when you have company and want to serve fresh baked bread with out all the last minute fuss. You keep them in the fridge for up to four days, bake as many as you would like, and Voila fresh baked buns hot out of the oven. I made a Herb and Cheese variation here, but will give you the base recipe first.

• 4-41/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 pkg. or 1 tbsp. instant yeast
• 2 cup very warm water
• 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
• 3 beaten eggs

1. In a bowl combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Blend well.
2. Add warm water, butter and eggs.
3. Blend at a low speed til well mixed, continue beating for two minutes.
4. Stir in remaining flour by hand until you have a stiff dough.
5. Cover dough with a plastic wrap a refrigerate for a minimum of two hour up to 4 days.
6. Lightly grease two 8-9" pans.
7. Divide dough into 12 rolls for each pan.
8. Brush with 1 tbsp. of melted butter.
9. Cover and rise for one hour.
10. Bake in a preheated oven @ 375 for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Watch your oven since every oven temperature is different.

Herb and cheese variation:

• 2 cups of old/aged cheddar
• 2 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme or,

• 1 tbsp. dill with the cheddar to make them dill and cheese buns.

Just add the cheese and herbs in with the dry ingredients. This is a no fail recipe, because you don't need to knead them, they always turn out.

Italian Sausage Rolls

Did you know you can buy Puff Pastry frozen, thaw it and then make quick appetizers which you can  freeze  before baking?  It works wonderfully and we have been enjoying these little zippy Sausage Rolls since before Christmas.  I keep the Sausage Rolls frozen in long rolls, in a freezer bag and cut off sections to bake for a quick appetizer or light lunch!

• 1 450 gram / 1 pound  package puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator
• dijon mustard
• 8 ounces / 227 gram Hot Italian Sausages
• 8 ounces / 227 gram Sweet Italian Sausages
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup Panko (japanese style) bread crumbs

1. Roll out puff pastry to approximately 30 X 4 inches.
2. Spread lightly with dijon mustard
3. Break up sausage in a large bowl.  
4. Add remaining ingredients and combine with hands.
5. Fill a pastry bag with sausage mixture and cut a 2 inch hole at the tip. Squeeze sausage mixture down the center of the pastry.  Bring long edges of pastry together and pinch together.  Repeat with all the pastry dough and sausage mixture. 
6. Cut into 6 pieces and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Freeze until firm, wrap well in plastic wrap and store in freezer in containers or plastic bags.
8. To bake, preheat oven to 425.  
9. Slice each roll into 1 or  2 inch pieces (depending on whether you want them for an appetizer or a lunch tray). Arrange, still frozen on a parchment covered baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.   When the Sausage Rolls are lightly browned and the fat from the sausage has baked out, they are ready.  

Baked French Toast Extravaganza

This year we were invited to join our family for a night in the Manning Park Cabins, a favorite for all of us, seeing it was my birthday.  I was not to bring any food...but on the other hand, could I bring their  favorite chicken noodle soup and I quickly volunteered to bring my french toast recipe. Isn't that just what we do on ski vacations?  We made sure the right foods came along and that everyone had a wonderful time.

Baked French Toast

• 1 loaf Italian Style Bread (16 oz)  1 inch thick
•  8 large eggs
•  2 cups whip cream
• 1 cup milk
•   2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4  teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  Dash salt
• Maple syrup

Instructions

1. Lay bread into buttered 9x13 pan.
2.  Arrange bread in 2 rows overlapping the slices.
3. Mix eggs until frothy, add whip cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
4.  Beat with rotary beater until well blended.
5. Pour mixture over bread slices making sure it’s covered evenly.
6.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
7. It may feel like a lot of liquid for this bake, but it really fluffs up and gives that extra texture. 
8. Next day; preheat oven to 350 degrees
9. Prepare caramel sauce (below) and pour over bread mixture prior to baking.
10. Cook for 50 minutes.

Caramel Sauce

• 1/2  cup butter 
•  1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecan )
• 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Instructions

1.  Melt butter in the sauce pan.
2.  Add sugar and spices and ingredients to butter mixture and blend well.
3.  Pour over french toast prior to baking.
4. Sprinkle nuts on top.
5. Add any of your favorite sauces or fresh fruits with a dollop of whipping cream.

Boys can be so honest...my grandson said, "I'm not really a French toast person, but this is the best I've ever had."  The smile tells you everything. And don't forget the bacon!

Cabbage Rolls (Holubtsi)



This recipe takes me back to my Mom's kitchen and early years of marriage when I wanted to make something fancy. We called them Galopse ( a variation of the Polish name for them, while others call them by the Ukranian, Holuptsi). Although we don't have these that often any more, (mainly because we have so much to choose from today) I still do enjoy that "comfort food" flavor. It's a good make-ahead meal because they are always good re-heated. Cabbage rolls are great for pot-lucks and very economical. This recipe makes 12-18 rolls. Sometimes I form a few meatballs for those who don't care for the cabbage.

Ingredients:

Rolls / Filling:

• 1 head Savoy cabbage
• 1- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper
• 1/2 grated onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups cooked rice

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• ½ chopped onion
• ½ chopped pepper, any color
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups water (approx)
• 1 chicken bouillon cube (or 2 teaspoons better than bouillon)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste (according to taste)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can tomato soup (optional) 
• 1 bay leaf

Method:

1. Place cabbage in a large pot of boiling water and peel off leaves as they become soft. Set aside. If you are using regular cabbage, cut around the core before placing it in the water.
2. In a large frying pan, cook onion and pepper in a small amount of oil until tender. 
3. Mix flour and half of the water in a sealed container until well blended and add to onion/peppers. While cooking, add the rest of the water and stir until smooth and bubbly. Add bouillon and tomato paste. For more sauce, mix more flour and water and add another bouillon cube for flavor. Adjust amounts according to desired consistency and add salt and pepper according to taste.
4. Mix raw meat, salt, pepper, onion, sour cream and cooked rice. Place a few tablespoons of meat mixtureonto each leaf, fold ends and roll up. Place close together in roaster.
5. Pour sauce over cabbage rolls, tuck in bay leaf and bake at 350° F for 1 1/2 hours. 
6. Once cooked, remove rolls to serving plate. If there is not enough gravy, add a can of tomato soup to the liquids in the roaster and bring to boil. With the soup you can also adjust flavors by adding some milk or cream.

Bread for the Journey

In the past week or two I've been going through boxes in our crawl space.

We've lived in the same house for almost 36 years and things have accumulated down there.

It was time to review, reduce and recycle.

As I was rooting through the boxes, I came across a number of Bibles:

our first Bibles, presented to us by our parents when we were still very young,

his parents' family Bible, his mom's Living Bible,

a German Bible published in the early 1900's plus several more.

Seeing all these Bibles reminded me of the importance of this Book in my walk with God.

The next morning in Church, the speaker told a story that challenged me.

A missionary shared Jesus with a man who was a Shaman in his home village in Laos.

The Shaman prayed to receive Christ but the missionary had to leave that same day.

So he asked the missionary - "What do I do now?"

The missionary asked him if he could read. Hearing a "yes", he gave him a Bible.

"Start reading in John", he said, "and do it."

He did, and 2 years later when the missionary met this man again,

he had led 800 people in his village to Christ.

That is the Christian walk in a nutshell:

Pick up God's Word.

Read it and Do it!

Do not merely listen to the Word... Do what it says.

James 1:22