Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches

12 Saturday Sep 2020

Posted by in Appetizers, Main Dishes

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups cubed cooked chicken breast (or dark meat blend)
  • 1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced (or use 2 Tablespoons of chives or sweet onion)
  • 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
  • 1 cup fat-free mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup chopped sweet pickles
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 16 dinner rolls (Brioche or soft rolls
  • Butter

Directions

  1. Put chicken, cranberries, celery, green onions, pickles into a bowl
  2. Mix honey, curry powder and mayonnaise together in a separate bowl
  3. Blend together the mayonnaise and chicken mixture
  4. Butter the split rolls and spoon the blended chicken mixture onto the rolls

Enjoy

Note: you can also serve this chicken salad mixture on top of a salad instead

“Buttermilk” Biscuits

19 Wednesday Aug 2020

Posted by in Baking

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups of All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup of ice cold butter (Frozen the better)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk (I make my own by adding 2 or 3 tsp of vinegar to milk and stir well)

Directions

I use a food processor but you can mix in a bowl

If using a bowl

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients into a bowl
  2. Slowly add the milk and mix till well blended

If using a food processor

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients into the food processor
  2. Turn on food processor on low and mix till all the butter is combined
  3. Slowly pour the milk into the processor while mixing til it forms a ball of dough

Forming biscuits

  1. Place ball of dough onto a floured surface
  2. Roll out down about 1/2 inch
  3. Fold in half and roll again to 1/2 inch
  4. Fold the rolled out half from bottom to the top and roll out to 3/4 inch
  5. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter or large mouth glass cut out biscuits
  6. Place on a silicon lined tray
  7. Brush top of biscuits with buttermilk or melted butter
  8. Bake at 400 – 425 degree F. for 10-15 minutes (check to ensure they don’t burn)

Enjoy

Carrot Cake

21 Tuesday Jul 2020

Posted by in Baking, Dessert

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp (2.50 ml) ground ginger
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) fine salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups (500 ml) white sugar
  • 1 cup (250 ml) canola or vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) melted butter (optional for firmer cake, I leave this out)
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (500 ml) grated carrots
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) pecan chopped
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) walnut chopped
  • 1 cup (250 ml) canned crushed pineapple (drained)
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins (optional)

Icing

  • 1 pkg (250 g) cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) softened butter
  • 1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups (750 mg) icing sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
  2. Grease and flour a 9″x13″ baking pan
  3. Sift together, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt, set aside
  4. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, oil, butter and vanilla extract
  5. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until moistened
  6. Sir in carrots, pecans, walnuts, pineapple and raisins (optional)
  7. Pour batter into baking pan
  8. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean
  9. Remove from oven and cook in the pan on a rack

Icing

  1. Beat together, cream cheese and butter until smooth
  2. Add vanilla extract and then icing sugar a little at at time until smooth and creamy
  3. Spread over cooled cake and serve

Enjoy

Easy Zucchini Cake

15 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by in Baking

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 2 Cups Shredded Zucchini
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 cup of chopped Walnuts

Icing

  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup Powder Sugar
  • 2 tsp Water
  • 1/3 cups chopped Walnuts

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine all ingredients and mix well
  3. Pour into an 11″ x 7″ baking dish
  4. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
  5. Cool and prepare icing
  6. Combine icing sugar and water until it is well mixed
  7. Drizzle over the cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped walnuts

Enjoy

Cake Box Cookies

05 Sunday Jul 2020

Posted by in Baking

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This is the easiest way of making cookies and you can do so with any of your favourite cake box recipes

Ingredients

  • Your favourite cake box
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp of vanilla (optional)
  • 1 cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
  • 1/4 cup of sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Open up the cake box and put into a mixing bowel
  3. Add eggs, oil, vanilla and optional nuts or chocolate chips
  4. Stir until well mixed
  5. Put into the refrigerator between 1/2 to 1 hour for firm up batter
  6. Using a 1 1/2″ cookie scope or table spoon, roll batter between hands for make a 1 1/2″ ball of cookie dough
  7. Roll in sugar and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silicon pad
  8. Bake for about 10-12 minutes
  9. Remove and let cool about 1 minute before placing on the cooling rack
  10. To keep moist place cooled cookies in an airtight container

Enjoy

Curry Comfort

05 Sunday Jul 2020

Posted by in International Dishes, Main Dishes

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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs (.907 kg) beef or chicken
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic (finely diced)
  • 1 medium onion (diced)
  • 3 inch piece of ginger (finely diced) or 1-2 tsps
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how “hot” you want it)
  • 2-3 Tbsp curry powder
  • 2 (13 oz.) cans of unsweetened coconut milk (or use beef or chicken broth)
  • Salt and Pepper

Directions

  1. Add oil, beef or chicken to a skillet and season with salt and pepper
  2. Cook meat on medium heat until golden brown and both sides
  3. Remove meat and set aside
  4. Add onion and cook til transparent
  5. Add ginger, garlic and spices and cook to release fragrance (1 minute)
  6. Add coconut milk or broth and simmer.
  7. Return meat to skillet and simmer for about an hour
  8. Serve topped with yogurt and a slice of naan bread

Enjoy

Easy Focaccia

01 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by in Baking

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Foccacia3

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon yeast, active dry or instant (1 gm) or use 1/8 teaspoon yeast and mother from previous bake – see how to make
  • 1 teaspoon salt (6 gms)
  • 1 1/2 cups water not boiling (354 mL)
  • (about 2 Tablespoons extra flour for shaping)
  • Rectangular pan or casserole dish
  • wrks4me_terry_tested-11Parchment Paper
  • Olive oil and herbs of your preference (ie. Herbs Provence, Italian Seasoning or Rosemary)

Directions

FIRST RISE

  1. Put all of the ingredients except for the Extra flour into a bowl
  2. Mix all together til well blended
  3. Put plastic wrap over top and put in a non drafty place for 8-12 hours

SECOND RISE

  1. After 8-12 hours the dough mixture should have risen and appears bubbly
  2. Remove plastic wrap and with a spatula gently fold the dough over itself a few times. 
  3. Line a rectangular pan or casserole dish with parchment paper
  4. Turn out dough onto parchment paper and gently spread out with fingers to edges
  5. Cover with a dry towel and let rise 35 minutes to 1 1/2 depending on how dense you wish the bread. The longer it rises the more airy it will be.
  6. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. (I use 400, others use 450 depending on your oven)
  7. Prepare olive oil mixture (olive oil and herbs, I use Herbs Provence but you can use Rosemary or Italian Seasoning)
  8. foccacia1After dough has risen a second time, now is the time to create “dimples” in the dough by dipping your finger in some olive oil and press them all over the dough to create “dimples”.
  9. foccacia2Brush the olive oil mixture over top of dough and sprinkle with some Kosher salt is you like.
  10. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered or until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F.
  11. Remove bread to cool for at least 15 minutes.

Enjoy

Tortellini & Sausage Soup

25 Monday May 2020

Posted by in Soups, wrks4me - Recipes

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sausage tortellini soup3

IngredientsCovid Comfort Food

  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
  • 8 oz (225 g) Italian sausage meat (casing removed)
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves (chopped) or 1 tsp chopped garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 can (28 oz/796 ml) diced tomatoes with juice
  • 6 cups (1.5 L) chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
  • 1 can (19 oz/540 ml) lentils, rinsed and drained or 1/2 cup 125 ml dried lentils
  • 1 lb cheese or meat filled tortellini
  • 3 cups (750 ml) lightly packed baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) grated Parmesan cheesewrks4me_terry_tested-11

Directions:

  1. In a large saucepan add oil,sausage and onion cook over medium heat until meat is cooked
  2. Add garlic and carrots and stir for 5 minutes
  3. Add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tomatoes, chicken broth and vinegar.
  4. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low for 5 minutes
  5. Stir in canned lentils (note is using dried pre-cook them) and tortellini and simmer until tortellini is tender
  6. Stir in spinach, cover and turn off heat. Let stand for a minute or so until spinach is wilted

Instantpot Version

  1. In the Instantpot add oil,sausage and onion to Instantpot and saute until meat is cooked
  2. Add garlic and carrots and stir for 5 minutes
  3. Add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tomatoes, chicken broth, dried lentils and vinegar.
  4. Cover and select “soup”
  5. After soup has finished, manually vent and remove lid when completely vented
  6. Add tortellini as well as spinach and simmer until tortellini is tender
  7. Serve, once tortellini and spinach is cooked

Serve with a sprinkling of cheese.

Yeast – How to save yeast for another loaf

26 Sunday Apr 2020

Posted by in Baking, Home

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Covid Comfort FoodIf you’re finding yeast a hard commodity during this pandemic,  think of this technique of stretching your existing bread yeast to last and last.

Technique

  1. If you have started making bread (try my recipe for no kneed bread), allow the dough to rise the first time. Then before the second rise, take a good pinch (about a heaping tablespoon) and put it in a clean container with a top.
  2. Add 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of lukewarm water
  3. Mix very, very well and put it in the fridge with a lid on (can be stored for up to 2 weeks). Make sure there is no mold development otherwise you have to discard it.
  4. When you are ready to make another loaf add the mixture to the batter instead of adding dry yeast.
  5. Let it rise as usual and repeat procedure (1) as taking a pinch of bread dough and putting in a container with equal amounts of flour and water, then store in the fridge.

NOTE: If you find your bread does not rise as high as you’d like, you can give a little boost to the yeast, just add 1/8th to 1/4 tsp to your bread batter after you have added this starter.

Step 1: Dough that has risen overnight (first rise)
Step 2: Take out a walnut size (heaping tablespoon) and put it in 1/2 cup each of water and flour
Step 3: Mix all into a slurry (If not required put in the fridge)
Step 4: Add slurry to your new loaf and following your bread directions
Step 5: Enjoy your new loaf of bread (repeat procedure each time you make a new loaf by saving some risen dough in the fridge