Brownies

This recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics. It's really easy and possibly my absolute favourite brownies because they're perfectly moist and chocolate-y.

ingredients 
shortening or butter and flour to prepare the pan
1 1/2 C sugar
3/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C melted butter
1/2 C baking cocoa
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
3 eggs
 chopped walnuts (optional)

method
Heat the oven to 350F/180C/160C forced air. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9" round pan or 8" square pan. Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the greased surface, shake the pan to distribute the flour evenly, then turn the pan upside down and tap the bottom to remove the excess flour.

Mix the sugar, flour, butter, cocoa, vanilla, salt and eggs (and walnuts, if using) in a medium bowl with a spoon or wire whisk. Pour into the greased and floured pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until the top appears dry.

Cool the cake 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack. Or you can leave the cake in the pan.

White Chicken Chili

I haven't made this recipe for a while. But I made it for dinner tonight with a few modifications. Kepler had thirds and Jayna had seconds and told me I was the best cook in the world. :) I think I'll be making this again soon!

White Chicken Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilis
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 carton chicken broth (900 mL)
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast OR 1 whole rotisserie chicken, chopped
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans (I usually use 1 chick pea, 1 navy, 1 white kidney)
2 cans corn
1/2 tablespoon white sugar
1 small carton cream OR 1/2 cup milk
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, green chilis, cumin, oregano, cilantro and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken, corn, white beans and sugar. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add in the cream and simmer 5 more minutes.
3. Remove the mixture from heat. Top with cheese and sour cream.

Queen of Sheba's Cake

This is one of my all-time favourite cakes. It's so rich and chocolaty and not too sweet. We used to have it for dessert every time it was someone's birthday at IVP.

ingredients
100g (3.5oz) plain dark chocolate

60g (1/4C) butter
2 T water

125g (1/2C + 2T) sugar
50g (1/2C) ground almonds
2 T rice flour

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites
pinch of salt
pinch of cream of tartar

cocoa powder and/or icing sugar to garnish

whipped cream

method
Butter and line a 22cm springform cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C forced air).

Chop the chocolate. Melt it in the top of a warm double-boiler. Stir.
Add the butter and water. Keep.

Mix the sugar, ground almonds and rice flour in a bowl. Add the chocolate to the dry ingredients and mix. Add the egg yolks and mix.

Whisk the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar together until stiff. Fold into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake on the first rung from the bottom of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack.

Once cooled, sift cocoa powder onto the top of the cake. For a less chocolaty finish, sift icing sugar on top. Once, for Valentine's Day, I sifted cocoa powder on top, then icing sugar in the shape of a heart using a cutout piece of paper. It was really cute. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Here are two recipes from really good baking blogs. I used the first one for Zara's first birthday cake and it was delicious. I think the second one would be good too.

http://bestcupcakerecipes.blogspot.com/search/label/frosting%20recipes

http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com/2010/02/cream-cheese-frosting-recipe.html

Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I got this recipe from a friend who used to be a chef at Martha Stewart and who now develops recipes at Good Housekeeping. It's easy, versatile and very forgiving. It keeps in the fridge for a long time and can be frozen as well. If you need it to be stiffer, just add more sugar.

Makes about 5 cups.

You can substitute other flavourings for the vanilla, like almond. For coloured frosting, stir in food colouring drop by drop until desired colour is achieved. You can also use coloured paste, one dot at a time. If you don't colour it, the frosting is a light creamy colour.

ingredients
2 C unsalted butter, softened (do not let it get too soft or melt)
6 C confectioners' sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
dash of salt

method
Put butter in a bowl of an electric mixer or mixing bowl. Beat with paddle attachment or hand blender on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well, about 5 minutes total. Add vanilla and salt. Raise speed to medium high; beat until smooth, about 1 minute more.

Ganache Glaze

The longer the ganache sits undisturbed, the thicker it gets. Let it sit just long enough to remain easy to pour but not runny.

ingredients
1 lb bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 C heavy cream

method
Place the chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl.

Bring the cream just to a boil over medium-high heat; pour directly over the chopped chocolate. Allow to sit 10 minutes; use a rubber spatula to gently stir in the chocolate and cream until combined. Allow to sit at room temperature until it is the consistency of corn syrup, about 15 minutes. Use immediately.

Whipped Ganache

Makes 1 quart.

Ganache will not whip properly unless it is cold.

ingredients
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/2 C heavy cream

method
Place the chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl.

Bring cream just to a boil over medium-high heat; pour over chocolate. Allow to sit for 10 minutes; use a rubber spatula or a small whisk to gently stir the chocolate and cream until combined.

Transfer the ganache to the refrigerator to chill; stir every 5 minutes until the mixture is cool to the touch, about 30 minutes (watching carefully and stirring so that it remains a uniform temperature). Remove the bowl from the refrigerator; whip the ganache with a wire whisk until it just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in colour. Do not overwhip, or the mixture will become grainy. The ganache will keep thickening after you stop whisking. Use immediately.

Luscious Chocolate Cake

This cake is from the Martha Stewart cookbook that Cassandra gave me for Christmas a few years ago. I made it for Zara's first birthday, and it's really delicious! I used buttercream frosting between the layers and for the crumb coat, and cream cheese frosting for the outside, but I've used the whipped ganache for another cake and it's heavenly. The frosting and ganache recipes are posted individually.

Makes one 9-inch 3-layer cake; serves 8-10.

You will need 3 9x2-inch cake pans. If you want to use 8-inch cake pans for this (you will have batter left over), fill them halfway, and place them on a baking sheet before sliding them in the oven.

I used a 7-inch springform pan to make 2 layers, and it seemed to turn out ok, although I had batter left over.

ingredients
1 C plus 2 T unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans and parchment
1/2 C plus 1 T best-quality cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1/4 C plus 2 T boiling water
3/4 C milk
2 1/4 C sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 3/4 C sugar
2 t pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Whipped Ganache
Ganache Glaze
or
Buttercream Frosting
or
Cream Cheese Frosting

method
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C/160C convection with two racks centred. Butter three 9x2-inch cake pans, and line with parchment paper; butter and dust the bottoms and sides of the pans with cocoa. tap out the excess. Sift the cocoa into a medium bowl; stir in the boiling water until smooth; gradually whisk in the milk. Set aside to cool.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Set aside. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on low until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar, scraping down the sides twice. Beat in the vanilla.

Add the eggs, a third at a time, beating after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the reserved cocoa mixture a little at a time, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Divide batter evenly among pans; spread with an offset spatula until level.

Bake, rotating pans if necessary, until a cake tester inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer teh pans to a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, remove the paper, and return to the rack to cool, top-side up.

With a long serrated knife, trip the top of each cake layer until level. Transfer one layer to a cardboard cake round. (I transferred one layer to the bottom of my springform pan and it worked perfectly.) Spread about 1 1/4 C of the whipped ganache on the cake. Top with a second layer. Repeat. Spread the remaining whipped ganache evenly over the top and sides of the cake so seal in the crumbs and form a smooth surface. Chill until the crumb coat is firm, about 30 minutes.

Place the cake (still on the cardboard cake round) on a wire rack set in a baking pan. Pour enough ganache glaze over the cake to fully coat, shaking the pan gently to help spread the ganache if necessary. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. The ganache in the baking pan maybe strained through a fine sieve and added back to the glaze. Pour the remaining glaze over the cake; allow excess to drip off sides. If top is not smooth, gently shake  pan, or run an offset spatula quickly over the surface. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cheese Quiche

This recipe is very easy and delicious. The mustard, nutmeg and cayenne add a nice kick.


ingredients
1 deep-dish frozen pie crust
150g of gruyere cheese, grated
3 eggs
200mL of creme fraiche or sour cream (not low-fat)
1 pinch of nutmeg
1/4 t Dijon mustard
1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/160C forced air. Bake the pastry blind for 10 minutes, or until the dough is firm to the touch. Remove the beads and the baking paper and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the centre starts to brown. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the grated gruyere over the crust. Beat the remaining ingredients together, and add salt and pepper if desired. Pour the mixture over the cheese and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the mixture is firm and golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let the tart cool for a few minutes before serving.

Grilled Halloumi with Salad

salad ingredients
8 ripe plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 T chopped fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
450g (1lb) halloumi cheese, cut into bite-sized cubes
crisp lettuce or mixed greens

vinaigrette ingredients
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
juice of 1 lemon
120mL (4 fl. oz.) grapeseed or olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

method
Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Lay the tomato slices on a baking tray. Sprinkle with the garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Roast for 1 hour, or until their size had reduced by half. (I roast them for about 25-30 minutes.) Keep warm.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Bring a small pan of water to the boil, add the unpeeled garlic cloves and poach for 20 minutes. Drain and peel. In a blender or food processor, place the poached garlic, lemon juice and grapeseed or olive oil. Pulse-blend until smooth. Add water to achieve a pouring yet coating consistency and season to taste with salt and pepper. Or, omit the garlic and whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together for a quicker, yet still tasty, dressing.

Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Cook the halloumi on both sides until a nice crust has formed.

In a serving bowl combine the lettuce, roasted tomatoes and freshly grilled halloumi with the vinaigrette. Toss together and serve immediately.

note
I omit the garlic from the tomatoes and the dressing and it's still delicious!

Curried Rice and Lentils

Mom sent me this recipe when I didn't know what to make for dinner and called it "Hindi um jedderah".

ingredients
1 T butter
1 C brown basmati rice
4 1/4 C water
1 C brown or French green lentils
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cinnamon stick
4 1/8"-thick slices of fresh ginger
1-2 t red curry paste or 1 T curry powder
1/2 t salt
4 scallions trimmed and sliced

method
Place rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350F (180C or 160C forced air).
Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof Dutch oven or medium saucepan. Add rice and cook, stirring until lightly toasted, about 1-2 minutes. If using curry powder, add it now and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add water. Stir in lentils, garlic, cinnamon stick, ginger, curry paste (if using) and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve curry paste.
Cover the Dutch oven tightly with a lid or foil or transfer to an 8x8 baking dish and cover with foil. Bake until the rice and lentils are tender and all the water is absorbed, about 50-55 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Remove cinnamon stick and ginger slices. Garnish with scallions.

notes
This is delicious with yogurt. I like to mix grated cucumber, lemon juice, sumac and mint into the yogurt to make a kind of cucumber-yogurt salad to go with it. YUM!

Carrot Ginger Soup

My friend Sarah Chute and I invented this recipe in Montreal.

ingredients
5 large carrots, sliced (more if you want it to be extra carrot-y)
3-4 C chicken or vegetable broth
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 t dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 t allspice (or a mix of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg)
2-3" fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
1 C cooking cream
salt and pepper

method
Put everything but the cream and ginger in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Remove the bay leaf, add the ginger and blend the soup in batches until smooth. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat it up a little if necessary.

notes
I love this soup with a warm baguette and black pepper Boursin or a nice brie or camembert.

Cha Cha's White Chicken Chili

Jordana gave me this recipe when I couldn't think of anything to make for dinner, and now it's one of our favourite dinners.

ingredients
1 T vegetable or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 4oz. can diced jalapeno peppers (optional, makes it super spicy)
1 4oz. can shopped green chili peppers
2 t ground cumin
1 t dried oregano
1 t ground cayenne pepper
2 14.5oz. cans or 3-4 cups chicken broth
3 C chopped cooked chicken breast
3 cans white cannellini beans
1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapenos, green chili peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture for about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and beans. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in cheese until melted. Serve warm.

notes
I usually leave out the jalapeno peppers and halve the cayenne pepper or it's almost too spicy. I also leave out  the cheese and it's still delicious. I also use one small rotisserie chicken from the grocery store instead of the chicken breast, and it's the perfect amount for dinner and leftovers.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

I made this for dinner tonight with some leftover pumpkin puree. It was good and tasted like fall. :) I got this from AllRecipes and made a couple changes from the reviews. I also didn't have time to make the croutons, but I definitely want to next time!

• 3 tablespoons margarine, softened
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F(200 degrees C). Combine butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread butter mixture evenly over one side of each bread slice. Place bread, buttered side up, on a baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until bread is crisp and topping is bubbly. Cut each slice of bread into 8 small triangles or squares.
2. Saute onion in butter in a medium saucepan until tender. Add 1 can chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Transfer broth mixture into the container of a blender or processor. Process until smooth.
4. Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining can of broth, pumpkin, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground pepper, and brown sugar; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally..
5. Stir in whipping cream and heat through. Do not boil. Add more salt or pepper to taste. Ladle into individual soup bowls. Top each serving with Cinnamon Croutons.

Coconut Caramel Cookies

These cookies are quick and easy to mix up in a food processor. They can be stored in the frig for a few days or in the freezer. Enjoy!

COCONUT CARAMEL COOKIES

3 cups dried shredded coconut

1 cup pitted soft dates

3 tablespoons almond butter

2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

pinch sea salt

In a food processor combine dried coconut, dates, almond butter, honey or maple syrup, coconut oil or olive oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. Process until well combined. The dough should be moist but able to hold a shape. Add a bit more coconut if the dough is too moist.

Make approximately 30 balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each). I scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop to make the cookies uniform in size. The scoop is too big for the size of balls I want so I cut the scooped dough in half. Top each with a small piece of chopped date or coconut flakes, if desired.

Kathy's notes:

Coconut - I use unsweetened, desiccated coconut from Bulk Barrel. I only had 2 1/2 cups of coconut to use today and the cookies turned out fine.

Dates - I use Parnoush honey pitted dates from Food Basics. I soaked 1 cup of dates in about 1/2 cup of water and added the soak water to the cookies.

Almond Butter - I buy almond butter at Bulk Barrel. It is also available at grocery stores near the peanut butter.

Coconut Oil - I buy coconut oil from Bulk Barrel. It is also available at Health Food stores.

Sour Cream Orange Rolls

1 pkg. dry yeast (about 3 tsp)
1/2 cup warm water
1 3/4 cup sugar (divided)
2 eggs
1 cup melted butter
1 orange
1 cup sour cream (divided)
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Stir yeast into warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup sour cream, eggs, 6 Tblsp. melted butter, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat well. Gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough that can be kneaded. Knead until smooth and elastic.
Place dough in greased clean bowl, cover and allow to rise until double in bulk. Knead dough to remove excess air. Divide into 2 parts. Roll each portion into a rectangle, 1/ inch thick.
Spread with orange filling. Roll up and cut like cinnamon rolls. Place slices on well greased baking sheet, allow to rise 10 to 15 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Ice with glaze after baked.

Orange filling:
Cream together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cu butter, and grated zest of 1 orange. Spread over rolled out dough before rolling and cutting.

Orange glaze:
Combine 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup sour cream and 2 tsp orange juice in sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Pour glaze over rolls immediately after removing rolls from oven.

Three Cheese-Stufed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce

This is another Pioneer Woman recipe I tried while mom was here and we loved this one too!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces, weight Jumbo Pasta Shells
• 30 ounces, weight Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 8 ounces, weight Parmesan Cheese, Grated, Divided
• ½ cups Grated Romano Cheese
• 1 whole Egg
• 12 leaves Basil, Chiffonade
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• ½ whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ½ pounds Italian Sausage
• ½ cups Red Wine
• 1 whole 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 whole 15-ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta shells for half the cooking time; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add Italian sausage and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Pour in red wine and let it cook for a minute or two.

Pour in cans of crushed tomatoes and stir. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check for seasonings; can add crushed red peppers if you like a little heat.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, half the Parmesan, Romano, egg, salt and pepper, basil, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Stir until combined.

To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Place face down on the sauce. Repeat with shells until cheese mixture is gone. Top shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle on extra Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with crusty French bread.