Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

My fabulous colleague Tasia Rivero wrote this very convincing post about why we should all be baking cookies immediately, plus listed her favourite fall cookie recipes - including Creepy Witch's Fingers for Halloween night. I know it will give you all the reasons you needed to turn your oven on, eat some raw batter, and bake up your own homemade cookies.

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The gloomy dark mornings and return of a nip in the air means fall's back and winter's on its way. It also means we're all in the mood for some comfort - who can resist a cosy night on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket catching up on a great book (or watching Cover Me, Canada - I won't judge).

For me, fall means baking and cookies are the obvious choice. I'll bring some to my fam, have one for breakfast and will probably take one or two to work. Spending a night in the kitchen - oven blazing with butter and sugar everywhere - is totally my idea of a good night.

So without further ado, I'll share my top 5 reasons to get in the kitchen and bake up something sweet:

1. You need something to dunk in your hot tea/coffee/whatever.
This fall I'll try my hand at making homemade biscotti, a cookie with substance and isn't too sweet to enjoy alongside a warming cup of tea.

Try: Almond Anisette Biscotti

2. Fall spices beg to be made into soft, chewy cookies.
What are fall spices? Nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice.

Try: Double Ginger Drop Cookies

3. Practice your holiday baking
Who bakes during a long, hot summer? As the cold weather settles in, now's the time to get back in your kitchen and practice holiday baking. Test a showstopping new recipe and perfect it before multiplying it tenfold and gifting to everyone you know.

Try: Glazed Almond Spritz Rosettes Cookies (from our Cookies Cookies Cookies collection)

4. Make something spooky for Halloween.
Rather than add to the mountain of prepackaged candy, make homemade goodies for the neighbourhood kids. Wrap in Halloween-themed goodie bags or cellophane, available at bulk and baking stores.

Try: Creepy Witch Fingers

5. It's relaxing.
Pick a quiet night and shoo the kids and the dog outside to play. Put on your favourite tunes. Bake your all-time favourite cookie recipe (and lick the bowl yourself). Enjoy. Repeat.

Try: Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

First on my list of recipes to bake will be Oatmeal Chocolate Chip - my fave. So tell me: What's your favourite cookie to bake?

I'm always shocked by how many seeds there are in a pumpkin after I carve my jack-o'-lantern.

(Note: No, I'm not as ambitious as Tina is, unfortunately -- I'm more of a triangle eyes and gap-toothed grin type of girl.)

But don't waste the seeds. Roast them! Trust me, it's not a pain and you'll end up with a very tasty, salty, spicy, nutty and extremely addictive little snack. They're kale-chips-good. And I mean that as the greatest compliment.

Here's how you do it:

• after you carve your pumpkin, save all the goop and seeds and plunk them into a colander

Scoop the goop

• rinse the seeds until they're no longer sticky
• also, try to pick off as much of the pumpkin flesh as you can at this point and throw it in the compost
• note: you should have about anywhere between 3/4 cup to 2 cups of seeds, depending on the seediness of your pumpkin
• spread the seeds out over a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to dry (two sheets if you have lots of seeds), separating and stirring once or twice and removing any remaining pulp (this should take 2 or 3 hours)

Dry the seeds out

• transfer the dry seeds to a bowl and toss with a fine drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch or two of whatever spices you like (I used a red curry powder I had in the cupboard)
• spread out on baking sheet again, in single layer, this time lined with parchment paper

Spice them up and spread them out on your baking sheet

• bake in 375°F oven, stirring once, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the seeds are golden brown
• let cool and store in airtight container

Tasty tasty pumpkin seeds

Do you roast your pumpkin seeds after carving your pumpkin?

I bought a juicer about a year ago. I did it because I have terrible knees and had heard from a few sources that celery juice is anti-inflammatory and good for joint health.

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but the celery juice works for me. My knees aren't 100%, but I notice a distinct relief in pain, creaking, snapping and popping when I drink a glass of celery juice a day.

Not to mention that having a juicer allows me to make any concoction I wish! And fresh juice tastes infinitely better than store-bought. That's reason enough alone.

Here are my three favourite celery juice combos:

Sweet celery:

6 stalks celery; 2 carrots; 1 apple

(The sweet carrots and apple mix it up, although I do like a glass of straight celery juice on occasion. Try it -- it's very refreshing!)

Pucker-Punch:

1 red or pink grapefruit, peeled; 1 orange, peeled; 4 stalks celery

(Citrus fruit is supposed to combat cellulite. I'm still waiting for this to take effect...)

Tropical Twist:

1 cup cubed papaya or mango; the core from one fresh pineapple or 1 cup cubed pineapple; 4 stalks celery

(Papaya is loaded with digestion-boosting enzymes and antioxidants. And this is a great way to use the core from a fresh pineapple!)

Green Goddess:

8 stalks celery; 1 bunch cilantro or parsley; handful of kale or collards

(OK, this one is a bit hardcore. The kale can be bitter. Start with just the celery and cilantro at first and work to the amount of kale over time, if you want a gentler introduction to kale juice. But the nutrients in this drink? Come on.)

I am enjoying a Tropical Twist right now. Look at that frothy top!

Drinking fresh juice really is an experience. It's very revitalizing. It's far more energizing than coffee. And I love my coffee. But if anything can get you off caffeine, it's a blast of fresh nutrient- and enzyme-rich juice, first thing in the morning.

Don't have a juicer? See our reviews for 3 different juicers here.

Do you juice at home? Tell us in the comments, below!

I sort of have a love/hate thing going on when it comes to slow-cookers.

I recognize that they're quite convenient, but there are only a few recipes where I feel that the result is actually better for having been prepared in a slow-cooker.

One of those things is meat stock.

Freezing delicious turkey stock from our leftover Thanksgiving turkey bones in an ice cube tray

Here's the thing: slow-cookers cook liquids at a magic temperature -- just hot enough to extract all the flavour trapped in the bones, but cool enough not to evaporate or boil up a scum.

And you don't have to babysit it, skim it, partially cover it, or any of the other annoying things that can come with making stock. Just bung in the ingredients, turn it on and leave. A slow-cooker is really a stock-making machine, if you ask me.

So here's how to make The Easiest Stock in the World:

• throw a bunch of chicken, turkey beef, veal or a combination of bones -- raw, cooked, refrigerated or even straight from frozen -- into your slow-cooker (the bones should come about 1/3-ish of the way up the side of the insert)
• fill up the insert the rest of the way with cold water
• add a tablespoon or two of white or cider vinegar (this supposedly helps extract nutrients from the bones. This may just be an old wives' tale, but whatever -- old wives know their stuff)
• put the lid on
• turn it on low and cook for 12 to 24 hours (depending on when you can get around to dealing with it -- the stock waits for YOU!)
• strain and season to taste with salt and pepper before using

That's it. Seriously.

Let's explore some questions that might be popping up in your mind, shall we?

Do I need to add seasonings to the stock before the cooking starts? If you have them on hand, and want to add a halved onion, a few peppercorns, a leek or two, a couple of bay leaves, some parsley stems... go for it.

Does it need any of that? No. No it does not.

Why? This bad boy cooks for so long that the rich flavour from the bones is enough to make it extremely flavourful. Nothing but the pure essence of the chicken, turkey, beef, veal, etc. is required.

And the intoxicating smell it'll create in your kitchen? Don't even.

What do I do with the fat that floats to the surface? Skim that delicious fat off the top and keep it for cooking! Chicken fat is a delicious fat for roasting potatoes, for example.

How do I store it? If you're planning on using the stock within a couple of days, leave a thin layer of fat on top -- it will keep longer in the fridge with that protective layer. If you're going to freeze it, you can skim all the fat off and freeze the stock in recipe-friendly portions in freezer-safe jars. Remember to leave a little headspace at the top of the jars, since liquids expand when they freeze.

You can also boil the stock down until it's syrupy and freeze it in ice cube trays (in photo, above). They're like little ready-to-add bouillon cubes! Just pop them out and freeze in airtight freezer bags.

I heart homemade stock. It's the best medicine for both body and soul. And it's the basis for so many good recipes. It was literally day 1 of chef school. For good reason.

Do you make your own stock?

Sugar Mice, from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (Adams Media, 2011)

I'm a big fan of making fun things with kids. When my normally reserved great aunt Lucy would turn cookies into happy faces I would squeal with delight, and developed a lifelong affinity for oatmeal raisin. I'm also a big fan of Halloween treats made from all-natural ingredients - chemicals and dyes really aren't good for anyone.

So I'm delighted to share this easy, cute and all-natural Spice Mice recipe from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (Adams Media, 2011), a New York Times best seller!

Sugar Mice
excerpted with permission from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz

Ingredients:
3/4 stick (6 tbsp) butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

1.    Combine the butter, corn syrup, and vanilla and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar slowly on the slowest speed until it forms a dough-like consistency. Add more confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the mixture is sticky. Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep for several months in the refrigerator.

2.    To make the sugar mice, pinch off a small piece of fondant and roll into a 1/2-inch ball. Roll the ball into an oval and pinch one end for the nose and two ends to make pointed ears. You can make two indentations for eyes with a toothpick. Pinch off another piece of dough to form a 1 1/2-inch ball and shape into an oval for the body. Attach the body to the head. You can stick a piece of licorice into the back for the tail. If the fondant gets too soft to work with, put it back in the refrigerator to firm up again.

3.    Repeat until all the fondant is used up. Line up the mice on parchment paper and leave out overnight to dry.

Makes about 20 Sugar Mice

Note about British culture: Making little animals such as mice or pigs out of an easy-to-make fondant is a popular activity for British kids. (Real fondant is a much bigger deal to make.)

Cover via Amazon

I'm also giving away my copy of the book!
This cookbook is full of easy, British-style recipes pulled out of the pages of the Harry Potter series: Treacle Tart (Harry's favourite dessert), Molly's Meat Pies (Mrs. Weasley's classic dish) and these Spice Mice, part of a the Honeydukes collection.

How to enter: Tell me your fondest childhood Halloween memory in the Comments section below. The most fun (gross/scary/funny) story will 1 (one) copy of the book.

Winner will be notified on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 via email.

And don't miss Canadian Living's Complete Guide to Ultimate Halloween Fun for party menus, homemade costumes, decorations, scary cakes, and spooky cocktails for adults.

So what's your fondest childhood Halloween memory?
October 19th update: Winner of the cookbook has been notified. Check your inboxes!

I love turkey pot pie. It's one of my favourite ways to enjoy Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers.

And you can certainly make a delicious one by making pastry from scratch, cooking a sauce, combining the ingredients and doing that whole thing. I usually do just that once I get to a point where the only leftovers I still have in the fridge are containers of roast turkey and all the other accoutrements are gone.

But while I still have all the other good stuff, too? I cheat.

This took precisely 2 minutes to put together

• chop leftover roast turkey and mix it with just enough leftover gravy to moisten it (I purposely make too much gravy, just so I can make this the next day)
• stir in frozen peas and finely chopped green onion (Want to add other veggies? Go for it!)
• scrape into a freezer- and oven-safe casserole dish(es), making sure the mixture doesn't come more than about halfway up the dish (I have 4-cup pyrex ones that come with plastic lids - so convenient for this type of thing)
• top with leftover mashed potatoes, spreading evenly and leaving a bit of headspace (Don't have leftover mashed potatoes? Use leftover stuffing!)
• sprinkle with a little grated old white Cheddar or whatever cheese you love
• cover and freeze for a rainy day

And that's it. So easy and talk about a nice surprise to find in the freezer one day, when you don't feel like cooking!

When it's time to reheat, just thaw the casserole overnight in the fridge and reheat at 375 F (190 C) until hot throughout and the potatoes are starting to brown on top. It depends on the size of the container you use, but it usually takes anywhere from 40 minutes to 1-1/4 hours.

The trick to making good use of your leftovers is planning for them ahead and dealing with them right away. Right after dinner, the last thing I want to do is cook, but since I have to pack everything away, anyway, I pick all the turkey off the carcass, make the pot pies -- they take 2 seconds, just do it -- and then I start a turkey stock in my slow-cooker, using the carcass. That way, I don't have to deal with a bunch of random leftovers that just sit there to get old in my fridge.

Do you plan ahead for leftovers, or do you fly by the seat or your pants?

I love sweet potatoes. But really, I've never been drawn to them at dinnertime. I'm one of those annoying people who is fussy about mixing my sweets and savouries. Not always...  and I am starting to get over it as I get older. There was once a time, however, when you couldn't pay me to mix meat and fruit together, for example.

But at breakfast time, a nice healthy, vitamin-rich, fibre-filled sweet potato, baked and topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey? Oh yes.

All the flavour of sweet potato pie -- at breakfast.

The thing I like best about it is that you can make them the night before. I love instant breakfasts that don't take any thought. I'm not a morning person, so anything I can do in a zombie-fied state is a bonus.

Just prick some sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and bake in a 425°F oven for about an hour, or until tender. Let cool and stick in the fridge for future breakfasts. Reheat or enjoy cold.

Do you only eat traditional breakfast foods in the morning? Or are you just as happy to eat leftover stir-fry or spaghetti, like me?

(Above: Canadian Living's Filled Chocolates recipe. Photo by Rachel Singer)

Amazing news, chocoholics.

Our content director Cath Gray alerted me to this earth-shattering scientific breakthrough from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Allegedly, researchers from this university have discovered - in mice - that consuming chocolate helps build mitochondrial cells in muscles. "Mighty mitochondria," my biology professor used to say. These little cells are the powerhouses of our muscles, and normally manufactured in the body through exercise.

Does eating chocolate really replace exercise? I cannot find the original press release from the Wayne State University, only dozens of articles from dozens of news sources online. This makes me nervous that the findings aren't true. UPDATE: the editors of our sister publication Homemakers magazine found the study for me (thank you Janet!). See it here in The Journal of Psychology.

Regardless, we all know chocolate is a great pick-me-up (mitochondria-building or not), so below is a fabulous Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe video starring our beloved food director Annabelle Waugh. This cookie batter can be frozen and baked later, making a tasty treat for lunches or a great recipe to make ahead for your holiday cookie exchange. Yes ladies & gents, December is creeping up on us!

Scoop & Freeze Double Chocolate Chip Cookies:

What kind of chocolate tickles your fancy - dark, milk, or white?

I love making preserves.

Like bread baking, it is one of the most satisfying endeavours in the kitchen.

One of my favourites is Crab Apple Jelly. It takes me back to memories of my Baba Sarah, who would hang a cheesecloth full of boiled apples to drain all night.  I never paid much attention to what happened after the juice drained, but adored her ruby apple jelly and spicy apple butter.

Here are my 10-steps to perfect crab apple jelly.

Crab Apple Jelly

Recipe from Canadian Living www.canadianliving.com.

1. Start with 6 lb crab apples

2.Remove stem and blossom ends from crab apples. Do not peel or core (I halved some of mine). In large Dutch oven, bring crab apples and 6 cups water to boil.

3. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until softened. Using potato masher crush crab apples; cook for 5 minutes longer.

Crush crab apples using potato masher Photo Adell Shneer

4. Wet and wring out jelly bag; suspend on frame over large measuring cup or bowl.

Transfer crab apples to jelly bag Photo Adell Shneer

5. Fill with crab apples.

6. Let drip, without squeezing bag (so your jelly stays nice and clear) for 2 hours or until juice measures 6 1/2 cups, adding up to 1 1/2 cups water if necessary.

Let juice for two hours without squeezing Photo Adell Shneer

7. In large clean Dutch oven, bring juice with 4 1/2 cups granulated sugar to full rolling boil (one that can't be stirred down) over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; boil for 15 to 18 minutes or until gel stage. (SEE MORE BELOW)

Full rolling boil Photo Adell Shneer

8. Remove from heat; skim off foam. (I love this foamy stuff, I keep it and eat it like candy.)

9. Using funnel, fill hot 1-cup canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. ( I got 5 - 1 cup jars full-exactly)

Fill hot 1 cup jars Photo Adell Shneer

10. Cover with prepared lids. Screw on bands until resistance is met; increase to fingertip tight. Boil in water canner for 10 minutes. (See canning basics). Remove to rack.  Let stand undisturbed for 24 hours.

Crystal clear and beautiful crab apple jelly

Ta Da!

Gel Stage Test

There are  3 different ways to test for Gel Stage. The one we use at Canadian Living, also known as a Plate Test.

Plate Test:
• Remove jelly from heat while doing test.
• Chill two or three small plates in freezer.
• Place 1 tsp (5 mL) hot jelly or jam on plate and freeze for 1 minute.
• Remove from freezer. Surface should wrinkle when edge is pushed with finger.
• If surface doesn't wrinkle, continue cooking and repeat test every few minutes.

Get Stage Test -Plate Test

Thermometer

You can also use a thermometer. Jelly should set at 220°F (103-105°C).

Sheeting Test (according to Bernardin)

Sheeting jelly breaks from spoon in sheet or flake.

Sheeting Test Photo Adell Shneer

What are you preserving this season? Are you a fan of  jams and jellies or pickles?

Here are a few of my favourite Canadian Living preserves.

Spiced Peaches

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/spiced_peaches.php

Spicy Dilled Beans

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/spicy_dilled_beans.php

Bread and Butter Pickles

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/bread_and_butter_pickles.php

Rhubarb Orange Jelly

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/rhubarb_orange_jelly.php

I'd like to say I make brown rice sushi because I'm super concerned with eating whole grains and I'm a health nut.

But the truth is, brown rice sushi is a lot easier to make than regular sushi. You can stir the rice as much as you want and it holds it shape and it never gets gummy. Those of you who have tried making sushi at home will know what I'm talking about -- it's very easy to gum it up, especially if you're new to making it.

The health thing? A bonus.

So let's get started.

Rinse, then cook some short-grain brown rice. (I use my rice cooker. This is a serious step toward making rice cooking a foolproof affair. If you don't have one, do yourself a favour and get one. I used 2 rice cooker scoops -- which is equivalent to 1-1/2 cups dry rice -- and added water to come up to the appropriate line. If you don't have a rice cooker, just follow the package instructions, leaving out any salt or butter. But seriously -- get one!!)

Hot cooked brown rice in rice cooker

Sprinkle with 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar and toss to combine.

Let the rice cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally to help release steam.

On a sushi mat or tea towel, lay down a sheet of nori, rough-side-up, with one short end toward you.

A sushi mat makes this easy, but a tea towel also works

Scoop up about 3/4 cup cooked rice and with wet fingers, sprinkle the rice over the nori

Sprinkle the rice evenly over the nori to nearly cover, leaving bit of a border

With wet hands, press down firmly on the rice to pack it into a dense layer

Wetting your hands makes them nonstick!

Arrange the filling of your choice in a strip at the end closest to you. (Get creative! Veggies, cooked egg, avocado, smoked salmon, cooked shrimp, spicy mayo... Make this sushi roll your signature creation! I know the pickled ginger is supposed to go on the side, but throw that in there, too, if you feel like it. I did. So what? There are no rules.)

I used a little pickled ginger, slivered carrots, red peppers and garden cucumber

Now just roll it up!

Roll it tightly using the sushi mat

With a sharp and slightly dampened knife, slice into rounds.

Wipe knife with a damp towel between slices

Enjoy your signature sushi roll with soy sauce and wasabi.

Have you ever made sushi at home? Are you, like me, a rice cooker fan?