Mother’s Day
It’s Mother’s Day weekend!!
I didn’t have enough of them before tragedy struck our lives. Now, Mother’s Day is bittersweet. Bitter, because I’m reminded of my angel baby boy who I don’t have physically with me, and so many other moms do. It’s a reminder I try to avoid because it makes me sad, and I’m trying to be less sad these days.
Mother’s Day is also very sweet for me. For one, I still have my mom on this earth to celebrate. I know many don’t and I am blessed we still have time together. A friend of mine was reflecting about Mother’s Day on her blog, as she lost her mom when she was only 13 years old. That struck me. I took life for granted before we lost David. But, for my sweet friend, life got all too real at a time in her life when it should’ve still been a fairy tale. We need to never forget how very precious life is and how quickly it can change. My mom lives in Windsor and I’m in Toronto. Unfortunately, I won’t be seeing her this weekend, but we are never far apart. I will make sure she knows how much I love her. Not just on Mother’s Day, but every day!
I, also, have my sweet, sweet little 4 year old girl who brings me more joy than even I sometimes realize. Yesterday, I joined her at her Montessori for their Mother’s Day tea. If I could’ve taken pictures, I would have! Each mom was given a time slot, so that the room wasn’t overwhelmed with people, as this school’s philosophy is to remain calm and quiet. There were four other moms in the class with me, and I could not hear them or their child, let alone what they were talking about! Leila met me at the door, held my hand and walked me to our table, which was reserved for us. Cute touch.
She set up the table, poured my tea, poured herself some milk, put a plate of pastries on the table, and together we sat and visited. She summed it up perfectly when she asked me, ‘Best day ever?’, and I answered, ‘Best day ever’.
At the end of our tea, Leila got up and went to get me her present.
This sweet clay mold of her little hand, cupped perfectly for my rings or other jewelry.
It really is the simple things that matter. It’s times like these that put life into perspective. I may have lost, but I have also won. My baby girl needs to know that.
To all the angel moms, especially those that don’t have any living children, and will be celebrating this Mother’s Day in their hearts. I see you. Happy Mother’s Day!
Yummy Chicken ‘Stroganoff’
Guys, this dish is a new go-to!!! It’s soooooo satisfying to the palate, but so easy!!! Just account for the cook time, and this is a great weeknight meal!! A perfect Sunday dinner, though.
I’m still working on my photo quality. Don’t judge this dish on my poor picture-taking! It almost looks like a stroganoff, which in some ways, it is. But, also, not. The original recipe calls for sour cream, but I used plain yogurt, as that’s all I had. It was soooooo goood!! My 4 year old had seconds!!! The mustard flavor is really secondary. So, don’t be scared off if you hate dijon.
I’m in love with my newest Le Creuset pan. Look how good the chicken looks inside of it! I’m biased…
For the noodles, the original recipe calls for ‘super noodles’, and they sound delish! But, I didn’t have chicken bouillon on hand, so I couldn’t do them. I simply added butter and parsley to my egg noodles and that was plenty good! Although, I do plan to try the original method, if you don’t have all of the ingredients for the noodles, don’t let that stop you from cooking this chicken!
I PROMISE you will enjoy this dish.
Yummy Chicken 'Stroganoff'
Ingredients
- 6-8 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 to mato chopped, juice and seeds removed (I used a beefsteak tomato)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt
- *Buttered egg noodles with parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and brown chicken on both sides, working in batches, if necessary, so that the chicken doesn't steam. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Add remaining oil to the same pan, and sauté the onions till translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook down for about the same amount of time. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute, stirring often. Add in the tomato and flour, and cook for about 1 minute, to cook off the flour flavor. Add the dried tarragon. Deglaze the pan with white wine, allowing it to cook, so that the alcohol can burn off. Return the chicken to the pan, and add your chicken stock. Cover, and place in the oven for 45 minutes (30 minutes covered and 15 minutes with the lid removed).
- When finished, remove the chicken from the pan and add the mustard and yogurt, and whisk until blended. Return the chicken to the pan, and spoon some of the sauce over the chicken, so that it is well coated. Serve with butter and parsley noodles.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Crazy Easy Quick Bread
I haven’t made a post in a while because I updated my website! It’s kind of exciting. 🙂 Now, I need to work on my picture taking abilities. Yikes!
I made this bread the first time I introduced my daughter to salmon, so that she would have something on her plate that I knew she’d like, in case her salmon experience was a catastrophe! This bread really is true to its name. It’s crazy easy!! And, it’s also yummy. Two super important factors when cooking a weeknight meal!
The secret ingredient in this bread is beer! Any ol’ bottle of beer will do, except maybe Guinness. But, hey, if you’re so inclined, give it a go! 🙂 Beer has yeast in it. A perfect pairing for bread making. Another really important ingredient in this bread is self-rising flour. Don’t substitute for another flour, as self-rising flour has salt and baking powder already in it, which is why we don’t need to add any of that stuff into this recipe! This bread is a bit dense. It’s definitely not for sandwich making. But, along side a meal, it’s perfect!!
Enjoy!
Crazy Easy Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 can or bottle of beer
- 1 heaping tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- butter for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Generously grease your bread pan with butter. Place all of your ingredients (minus the butter) into one bowl and stir until combined. Transfer to your greased loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove loaf from the pan and let cool slightly before slicing.
Notes
Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta
I have been making this dish since I saw Giada making it on her Food Network show a few years ago. She tops this yummy sauce over baked potatoes, but I far prefer it served with pasta. This dish looks really similar to another dish I made, Cheesy Sausage Pasta, but it is very different. I just like to use shells as my pasta of choice. 🙂
There are many things that I like about this dish. It’s a great weeknight meal, because it comes together quickly. The sausage adds so much flavor on it’s own. It’s almost fool proof! You can easily switch out the arugula for spinach, should your local grocery store not carry it. Like I did this time around. I do prefer arugula, though, as it doesn’t go mushy as quickly as spinach. But, my daughter loves both, and that’s enough for me!
In a pinch, you can use pork sausage for this recipe, as it is more readily available, but be sure to drain off the fat. Sweet sausage is also much more kid friendly than the spicy variety. My daughter picked up on the spice in this dish right away when I couldn’t find sweet sausage, and she wasn’t as big a fan. So, I stick to the sweet stuff now.
The arugula or spinach will look like too much when you first add it to your dish. But, it will wilt down really quickly.
See? Mmmmm….this is yummy stuff.
Here’s what you need to do:
Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta
Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium white or yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 package of sweet turkey sausage about 4 or 5 sausages, casing removed
- 1 jar tomato basil sauce 2 cups
- 3 cups arugula or spinach
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound pasta your choice of noodle
Instructions
- In a large skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium high heat until translucent. Add minced garlic and salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the turkey sausage and cook until the meat has cooked through. Add in the tomato sauce and arugula. Let the arugula cook into the sauce until it reduces in size. Add in the mascarpone cheese and stir till combined. Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the parmesan cheese. Add pasta into the sauce, and finish with more parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
As I sit here at 7am on a Saturday morning with a tea in my hand, the fire lit and debating eating an oatmeal raisin cookie that I made last night, I thought it might be a good time to write a post about them! And eat a cookie. It’s basically breakfast ingredients, right??
For Christmas, my husband got me a Le Creuset cookie jar! Cute gift, since cookies are kinda my thing. At least at Christmastime. Little did I know, he had a plan that I should keep this cookie jar full of cookies all the time! Sneaky.
He’s been asking for oatmeal raisin cookies for weeks! I promised him I would make them once the jar was empty of the rice krispy treats I had made previous. Now that report cards are done, the pressure is off, and it’s the start of the weekend, I thought that last night was the perfect night to make them!
I found this recipe over 10 years ago on a bed and breakfast site that I can no longer locate. I have tweaked this recipe quite a bit over the years. At Christmastime, I make these cookies, with cranberries and white chocolate chips. They have been a long time favorite.
The original recipe is made with shortening, which I generally don’t like to bake cookies with. I’ve tried this recipe with both salted and unsalted butter. Either is fine. I, honestly, don’t notice much of a difference. In truth, I think I prefer these cookies made with salted butter. I have also cut back on the sugar in this recipe, as I found 2 cups to be way too much. I opted to add more brown sugar, because I like my cookies chewy. But, if you like a crispier type of cookie, just switch the amounts of white and brown sugar.
Oatmeal Raisin Cokies
Ingredients
- 1 cup or 2 sticks, butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups quick cook oatmeal
- 2 cups raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit
- Cream butter and sugars together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly add flour, baking soda and salt until combined.
- Add oatmeal and raisins until all is combined.
- With your cookie scoop, or spoon, drop cookies onto a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes - A medium sized cookie yields 3 dozen.
- Enjoy!
Weeknight Beef Stroganoff
My mom used to make beef stroganoff for special occasions when I was young. It’s still one of my brother’s favorite dishes. I came across this recipe that is so similar to my mom’s, and such a cinch to make! I’ve made it several times now. Mid week! Easy and so tasty! And a great way to introduce steak to your littles.
Speaking of steak, this dish doesn’t require an expensive cut. Sirloin is what most people use. I used Rib Eye because that is what I had in the freezer. Any cut would work.
The first time I made this, I used a whole can of tomato paste, because I didn’t want to throw away what was left in the can. I could instantly tell that the sauce was too tomato-y, so I added more broth and it turned out just fine. The second time I did this, I only used the recommended amount, and it was also very good. So, you can’t really go wrong.
Weeknight Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 2 Rib Eye Steaks thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Medium onion diced
- Mushrooms sliced (8 ounces)*
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Cups beef broth
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 Tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 Cup sour cream**
- 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cook egg noodles in boiling salted water until al dente (soft but still a bite); toss with butter once cooked (about 2 tablespoons), and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat oil and add the beef in batches, so that the meat doesn't overcrowd and boil. The beef will cook very quickly. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, depending how thinly you sliced your steak. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the mushrooms and cook until soft, another 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute.
- Stir in the beef broth and tomato paste and stir until the sauce thickens a little, about 2 minutes.
- Return the beef, and all its juice, to the pan.
- Add in the sherry, salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the sour cream.
- Sprinkle chopped parsley into the sauce, reserving some for garnish.
- Serve over buttered egg noodles.
- Enjoy!
Notes
**You can use whatever type of sour cream you like, but full fat makes this dish much more scrumptious
Nonna’s Tiramisu
Years and years ago, I made tiramisu for a boyfriend, with the help of a good Italian friend from high school. It turned out great, but I haven’t made it since. About a month ago, my husband, and some family and I went to a wine club that we are new members of for a private dinner, and tiramisu was for dessert that night. The tiramisu was good, but the cookie still had some bite to it, and I felt like I could make it better.
Fast forward two weeks later, over my lunch break, I found myself at McCall’s Cake Decorating store in Toronto for some Christmas baking ingredients. Surprisingly, they were selling ladyfingers, and since I wanted to make tiramisu, I bought them. I asked the girl behind the counter if she thought I could make two pans of tiramisu with the amount of lady fingers I had. She told me she would ask the woman that was in the basement, as she makes them all the time. From the basement, a lovely, little Italian Grandma comes up, and proceeds, in broken English, to tell me the recipe she has used for 30 years! 1 egg, 1 spoonful of sugar, and 100 grams of mascarpone, is what she said. She told me that for an 8×10 pan, she uses 5 eggs, 5 spoonfuls of sugar, and 500 grams of mascarpone. I thought that was all she was going to share, but then she kept going! She told me to separate the eggs, and beat the yolks with the sugar and then the mascarpone.
Till it looks like this.
In a separate bowl, beat your egg whites until they reach a soft peak.
Like this.
Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.
This is what you end up with. Just the right amount of sweetness.
I will tell you, that the container of mascarpone that I bought was only 475 grams, which I knew was 25 grams short from what Nonna told me to use! But, I figured, I’d be fine. In truth, and this is just between you and me, I think 6 eggs, 6 spoonfuls of sugar, and 600 grams of mascarpone would have been better, as we all felt that it tasted a bit heavy on the coffee and could have used a bit more custard. BUT, it was still damn good and needs to be shared.
Nonna's Tiramisu
Ingredients
- 3 cups of espresso cooled
- 1 package of ladyfingers about 50 ladyfingers
- 5 eggs separated
- 5 tablespoons of sugar
- 500 grams of mascarpone
- Cocoa for dusting
Instructions
- Working quickly, dip each lady finger, one at a time into the espresso, on both sides. Don't let the ladyfingers sit in the espresso, as they will absorb way too much liquid. A quick dip.
- Place each ladyfinger side by side, to fill in the space of the pan.
- Once your bottom layer has been filled with ladyfingers, put half of your custard on top and spread smooth.
- Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers.
- Finish with the remainder of your custard.
- Dust generously with cocoa to finish.
- Enjoy!!!
(Source: Boss Of The Apple Sauce)
Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
I’m visiting my parents over the holidays right now. Nothing was planned for dinner tonight, and since we had a lot of leftovers, I got to thinking of what I could do. My mom happened to have everything at home to make this dish, so it was a no brainer. This is really easy, and tasty!!
For the pie crust, I used store bought. It’s quick and easy. Don’t fuss over making your own for this dish.
Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients
- Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup each diced onion diced carrot, and diced celery
- 3 cups shredded turkey
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- Splash of white wine optional
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1 whole unbaked pie crust
- 1 whole egg
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until the onions become translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Add the shredded turkey and mix into veggies. Stir flour into the meat and veg. Cook for about 1 minute, to cook off the flour flavor. Add the broth and wine and cook until the sauce thickens. Add the turmeric, salt, and pepper.
- Add half and half, and let mixture bubble. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a casserole dish.
- Prepare pie crust according to package instructions.
- Place pie crust over top of meat mixture.
- Brush with egg wash (whipped egg and 2 tablespoons water).
- You won't need to use all of the egg wash.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust has browned.
- Enjoy!
Whipped Shortbread Cookies with Raspberry Jam
I have been making shortbread cookies since I was a kid, helping my mom press out the molds and decorate the cookies. But, I never liked eating them. I’m sure my taste buds have changed since then, but my memory of shortbread cookies is that they taste like flour. Blech!
10 years ago at work, we had a cookie exchange, and my good friend and colleague, Alex, made these whipped shortbread cookies, minus the jam. Since I had my preconceived notions, I didn’t try them at first, but took them home to my mom, who I knew would love them. She liked this recipe enough that I tried one, and I liked them enough to ask my friend for the recipe! I have been making them ever since.
When I was a kid, we always made two kinds of shortbread cookies – ones that the kids could decorate and ones that my mom, especially, liked to eat, with jam. So, ever since I was given this recipe, I have made these shortbread cookies for my mom. And other people too, but my mom is my motivation.
So, let’s get to it!
After forming the cookies into balls, I use the handle of a wooden spoon to help make the centers for the jam. I dip the wooden spoon in icing sugar, so that it doesn’t stick to the cookie dough. BUT, you could easily use your thumb to make the indent.
This is what the cookies look like before they are baked. Be more generous with the amount of jam than you might feel comfortable with. The water in the jam evaporates and the jam spreads out. More is more, in this case.
Baked. Cooled. Yummy!!
Whipped Shortbread Cookies with Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 1 pound of salted butter
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 F.
- In a mixer, cream butter.
- Slowly add all the dry ingredients.
- Blend until combined.
- With a tablespoon scoop, measure each cookie, and roll into a ball.
- Using the end of a wooden spoon, or your thumb, dipped in icing sugar, make an indent for the jam.
- Fill the center of each cookie with about a 1/4 teaspoon worth of jam, depending on size of indent. Don't be afraid to be generous with the jam.
- Bake for 15 minutes. They are fragile, so allow to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Merry Mints
I was given little cookie cutters several years ago, that I have never used for cookies. Last year, I had the thought of using them as chocolate molds. I did a little research, because I was worried that, given there was nothing to secure the melted chocolate, it would all seep out from underneath. As long as I hold the cookie cutters in place as I put the first layer of chocolate in, it works!!!
It’s important that you use a good chocolate for this. After all, it is the only ingredient, minus the peppermint. I used Lindt chocolate.
Speaking of peppermint, it is (also) important. You can certainly use peppermint extract, but if you can get to your local cake decorating store, they will carry what you need. Peppermint oil.
You do not need to add much of this stuff to get the right amount of mint in your chocolate. For 4 bars of white chocolate, I used 6 drops. Also, I only added mint to the white chocolate, and left the milk chocolate alone. I add crushed candy cane on top of the chocolate, so between that and the mint in one of the chocolates, it’s enough!
Here’s a breakdown of what I did:
To get started, get your candy canes ready. I wish I had taken an after pic of these suckers. No pun intended! Just bash them babies up small enough that the chunks aren’t too big.
Picture a bottle of melted milk chocolate in a similar bottle. Oops!
FYI….I melted the chocolate, slowly, in the microwave (30 seconds at a time, until melted) and then transferred the chocolate into these bottles. So easy!
I dipped the cookie cutters in oil before I put the chocolate into them, so that they would release more easily once frozen.
After dipping cookie cutters into oil, fill them up halfway with chocolate, and put them into the freezer to set. About 5-10 minutes. You’ll notice the ripples in the chocolate in this picture. You can bang those out if you want to, but its only the first layer, so it’s no big deal.
Second layer! Bang the ripples out now!
Finish second layer with candy cane and put back into freezer to set.
Ta-da! So good! Try them!
(Source: Boss of the Apple Sauce)
Recent Comments