Garlic cheesy bread doesn’t sound all that complicated to make, and it’s really not. But if you try to just spread some garlic butter on a bun or a piece of bread, sprinkle cheese over top and throw it in the oven, all you’ll end up with is soggy bread that can barely stand up to the melted cheese on top. But do it this way instead, and you’ll end up with that delicious snack or appetizer you were hoping for. I start it on my indoor grill because I like the grill marks (no, you can’t see them once the cheese is on, but it makes me feel better,) but you can also use a skillet or frying pan.
Ingredients:
2 sub rolls, or a baguette cut into pieces about six inches long 1/2 cup butter 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon dried parsley Pinch of salt Pinch of pepper 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
Directions:
1.) Make a compound butter by combining the butter, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper. Spread this butter generously over the surface of the buns, rolls or baguette (making sure that the buns have been split open, of course.)
2.) Heat a dry indoor grill, skillet, or frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, place the sub buns or rolls face-down on the pan. Press down gently to get the buns toasted very well so that they are brown and just slightly crisp.
3.) Preheat the broiler and place the toasted bread on a baking sheet. Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over top the surface of each bun, roll, or baguette.
4.) Place the bread into the oven and broil for 1 – 2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown. Keep a close eye on it so that the bread doesn’t burn – it can happen in an instant when using the broiler!!!
Amid all the crazy Christmas stuff this week, we also had a very special occasion to celebrate in our house this week – it was Brent’s birthday! Oreo cheesecake has become kind of a tradition in our house for his birthday. This year, it was too little too late when I remembered – the day before his birthday and just as I was about to run out to work – that I no longer had a springform pan. It had gotten all bent out of shape during our last move and would have been useless to me even if I had kept it. But what was I going to do now? All the ingredients were spread out on my counter, they had all come to room temperature (a must when making cheesecake,) and there was no time (and no accessible car) to run out and buy another pan.
But guess what? You don’t need a springform pan to enjoy cheesecake! All you need is a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish and some parchment paper to help you lift it out when it’s finished baking. After enjoying this delicious cheesecake, which had turned into cheesecake bites, Brent told me that he actually enjoyed these better because he didn’t “get sick of eating it halfway through.” I don’t know what that means for the other cakes that I made him – that were actually cakes – but I know that it turned out well this year; and that I might be making him bites next year, too.
(If you want to make these bites as an actual cheesecake, springform pan and all, follow the instructions as they are but leave it in the oven to bake for about 10 – 15 minutes longer, until the centre is almost set and has just a bit of jiggle left to it.)
Ingredients:
40 Oreo cookies, divided (1 package was more than enough) 1/3 cup butter, melted 3 packages cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 eggs 1 cup chocolate (milk or dark, whatever you prefer), melted
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with parchment paper, making sure that it sticks out the ends some to give you handles to take it out with once it’s done baking.
2.) Place 26 cookies, cream and all, in a food processor and pulse until they turn into fine crumbs. Coarsely chop about 10 cookies, and set aside in a bowl. Cut remaining cookies in half and place these in a separate bowl.
3.) Mix the cookies you’ve turned into crumbs with the melted butter. Press this mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish and up the sides a little bit, about half an inch or so.
4.) Place cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer with the sugar and beat until everything is well blended. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat the mixture thoroughly after each addition, making sure the egg is totally incorporated before you add another.
5.) Fold in the cookies that have been coarsely chopped (not chopped in half,) until they are also well blended with the rest of the mixture. Pour the entire thing over top of the crust in the casserole dish.
6.) Place in the preheated oven and bake for 35 – 45 minutes, until the centre is almost set and jiggles just a little bit. The rest of the cake should be entirely set.
7.) When the cake is finished baking, remove from the oven and run a knife along the edges to loosen it a bit. Let the cake cool completely at room temperature before placing it in the oven for 4 hours to let it cool and set completely.
8.) Remove the cake from the fridge and gently lift it out of the pan, using the parchment paper. Cut into small squares and using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate over top. Place half an Oreo cookie into the centre of each square.
We make a breakfast burrito at the restaurant when we serve brunch on the weekends and I have to tell you, it’s delicious. I strongly suggest you use the larger 10″ or 12″ tortillas, but if you don’t have them you can take the much longer, slightly more difficult route that I did – lay out two small tortillasso that they just overlap each other slightly. Place some cheese in between the portions that overlap and heat it slightly in a frying pan over medium heat. The cheese will act as a glue and will keep your shells together while you roll them up. Or, just make a quick trip to the store to buy large tortillas. I promise you it will be much easier that way.
Ingredients:
6 eggs 2 tablespoons heavy cream 6 strips of bacon 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup salsa 2 12-inch tortillas 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) Place bacon strips in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning every so often, until bacon is brown and crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. (Once some of the oil has drained from the bacon, you can choose whether to leave it as is or chop it up. I personally like to give it a rough chop, as I find it easier to eat and don’t end up pulling the entire strip out so that it hangs out of my mouth while I try to eat somewhat gracefully.)
2.) While bacon is cooking, heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. While heating, beat the eggs lightly with the heavy cream and add these to the frying pan when the pan and oil are hot. Make scrambled eggs by letting the eggs sit for a few minutes, then scraping and turning them until they are set. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
3.) Assemble the burritos. Lay the tortillas flat and in the centre of each place half of the scrambled eggs. Top each with three pieces of bacon, salsa, and Cheddar cheese.
4.) Fold one of the longer ends of the tortilla up and over the filling inside, tucking it in underneath the filling as you do. Then pull up both of the shorter ends as far as they will come without breaking the tortilla. Keeping your hands on the seams as best you can, roll the tortilla up as much as you can, keeping the burrito tight as you go. (Keep in mind that if you’ve used two smaller tortillas, you may not be able to roll up the shorter ends as you would be able to with a larger shell.)
5.) Once the burritos are made, you can toast the outsides of them a bit in a dry frying pan over medium heat, turning regularly, or you can simply cut them in half and serve.
I think these might be the only cookies I’ve ever made that get better tasting the longer they sit after being cooked. I’ve experienced this a lot with savoury dishes, but don’t think I’ve ever come across it in a cookie. My mom was the first to notice, for instance, that the orange zest becomes much more detectable the day after these cookies have been baked so if you want to add more, just beware that they might end up tasting more like chocolate orange cookies than they dosugar cookies. And even though I do love the orange zest, the thing I love the most about this cookie is that one batch makes 7 or 8 dozen, which is perfect when it’s this time of year and you’ve got a lot of cookies to bake for a lot of people.
Ingredients:
2 cups butter (1 pound) 4 ounce semi-sweet chocolate (if you buy the kind that comes in two bars, this is one full bar) 2 cups powdered sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 teaspoon salt 4 1/4 cups flour 1/2 cup white sugar
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two (or more, depending on how many you have) baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the 1/2 cup white sugar in a small bowl to use later.
2.) In a double boiler or a microwave, melt the butter and the chocolate together, stirring occasionally as you do. Once melted, stir the mixture smooth and transfer them to a large, cool mixing bowl. Add the 1 cup of white sugar and the powdered sugar and stir the entire mixture thoroughly. Set aside to cool.
3.) When the chocolate mixture is cool to the touch, add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating them after each addition.
4.) Add the vanilla, orange zest, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Stir to ensure that the entire mixture is thoroughly mixed together.
5.) Add flour in roughly half cup increments, making sure that the entire is mostly mixed together after each addition. The main reason for doing this is so that you and your counter don’t end up wearing the flour after adding it, so don’t be too worried about getting the measurement exact when you add it.
6.) Once all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together, use your fingers to roll it all into one-inch balls and then roll in the bowl of sugar you’ve set aside. Make sure the cookies are entirely coated in sugar and then place on your baking sheets. Flatten them slightly, just so they won’t roll off the tray or move too much when you go to put them in the oven.
7.) Bake the Chocolate Sugar Cookies for 10 – 15 minutes, until the bottoms just begin to brown. Remove from oven, let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack or plate to cool completely.
Oatmeal raisin cookies aren’t your typical Christmas cookie. They don’t include any icing or chocolate, and you don’t roll them and cut them out into cute holiday shapes. But, when people heard that I spend many afternoons baking cookies at this time of year, I actually had quite a few requests for oatmeal raisin. Being that this is my very favourite type of cookie, I was happy to oblige. But I did want to do something different with them, just to make them a little more special than your average oatmeal raisin cookie. I mean, it is still the holiday season, after all.
My plan was to also add chopped pecans to them. But after all the cookieshad already been spooned onto baking sheets, with some already in the oven baking, I realized I had left the nuts on my cutting board and not one had made into my cookies. Not one to give up so easily, I decided to make a second batch, this one with pecans in them. But, when it came time to make that second batch, I realized I had very few raisins left. Still deciding to forge ahead with the task at hand, I instead used some toasted coconut along with pecans, honey, and the handful or so of raisins. I was left with a culinary dilemma of the best kind – I couldn’t decide which batch I liked best! The moral of the story here is to use whatever sweet treat you have on hand. Butterscotch and chocolate chips work, as does candy such as M&M’s, or even small bits of fruit, like bite-sized pieces of apple.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, at room temperature 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup honey 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal 1/2 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or other sweet treat 1/2 cup nuts such as pecans, walnuts, or almonds (optional) 1 cup boiling water, if using raisins
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two (or more, depending on how many you have) baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.) If you’re using raisins, place them in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them sit for 10 – 15 minutes, until they are soft, plump, and reconstituted a bit. Then, drain and set aside.
3.) Mix the softened butter, the brown sugar, and the white sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high until the three ingredients are thoroughly mixed and starting to become light and fluffy. Add the honey and beat on high again for two more minutes.
4.) Turn the mixer to medium and add the eggs. Beat until the eggs are fully incorporated.
5.) Turn the mixer to low and add the vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
6.) Add the flour, half a cup at a time, making sure that everything is fully blended and incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry about being exact here. The main reason the flour needs to be added slowly is so that it doesn’t fly out of the bowl and end up all over you and your counter while you’re trying to incorporate it.
7.) Keeping the mixer on low, add the oatmeal, then the nuts and sweet treats.
8.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl, remove the bowl from the mixer, and give it a final stir by hand.
9.) Wet two tablespoons (so that the mixture doesn’t stick) and use one to scoop some of the mixture out of the bowl. Use the other spoon to scrape down the back of the first one, releasing it from the spoon. Continue with the rest of the mixture, placing about 12 tablespoons on each baking sheet, giving you one dozen for every sheet.
10.) Bake for 9 – 15 minutes, depending on how large you’ve made your cookies. The cookieswill be done when they are fairly brown on the bottom and just beginning to brown on top.
11.) Remove from oven and allow cookiesto cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Of all the cookies I’ve made this holiday season, I have to say that these are my favourite, and not because they happen to be the most festive. They are soft and crumbly, full of chocolate and espresso, and the icing sugar they’re coated in can’t help but remind one of snow – even with the green Christmas that surrounds us this year. They come together quick, which is good, because you’ll want to make another batch soon enough.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon instant espresso 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped 2 cups icing sugar
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the icing sugar in a bowl and set aside.
2.) Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed just until it’s completely softened, about 1 minute. Add the white sugar, vanilla extract, instant espresso, cocoa, and salt. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are completely mixed together.
3.) With the mixer on low speed, add the flour in half-cup increments, waiting until the flour is mostly mixed in before adding more.
4.) Turn the mixer off, take out the bowl, and give the mixture a final stir. Add the pecans and stir again, trying to make sure the nuts are evenly distributed.
5.) Form the dough into one-inch balls and place them on the lined baking sheets. Place them in the oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until they are completely set (some may start to crack on top, don’t worry about it.)
6.) Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
7.) When the cookies are completely cool, roll them in the icing sugar. Do not try to do this when the cookies are still warm, as the sugar will become completely absorbed and make the cookie much denser.
Chicken pot pie is the dish I always turn to when I have leftover chicken on hand. I turn to it so much in fact, that sometimes I need to find different ways of playing it up, to keep me and my family’s taste buds from boredom. Using phyllo dough instead of pie dough definitely isn’t my own invention, but I used it for the first time just last night and, with pie dough being my least favourite part of any pie, I was very pleased with the results. I also divided the pot pie filling among four souffle dishes, giving us each our own individual chicken pot pie. That along with the phyllo dough substitution made the entire thing quite elegant, I must say.
Ingredients:
3 cups chicken or turkey, cooked 1 large carrot, peeled and diced 1 onion, diced 1 cup frozen peas 3 tablespoons rosemary, chopped 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 tablespoons butter, softened, plus more for dishes 1/2 cup butter, melted 3 tablespoons flour 2 cups chicken stock 6 sheets phyllo dough Salt Pepper
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the souffle dishes with butter.
2.) Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. When hot add the onion, carrot, and frozen peas. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes, until the vegetables are just softened. Then add the cooked chicken and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper, and cook just until everything is warmed through.
3.) Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to the frying pan. Let it melt, turn the vegetables in it, and then add the 3 tablespoons of flour. Stir the flour so that everything is perfectly mixed together and let cook for about 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour.
4.) Slowly whisk in the chicken stock. Bring up to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the entire mixture is thickened. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Once the mixture is thickened, ladle it evenly into the four souffle dishes.
5.) Lay out the six sheets of phyllo dough and cut them in half. Place one half over top of one souffle dish. Brush with the melted butter, then lay another half sheet right over top. Brush this one with butter as well, and lay another half phyllo sheet on top. Brush this third one with butter and season with salt on top. Repeat this process of layering three half sheets, brushing with butter in between each layer and topping with a pinch of salt, until all souffle dishes have been covered. After each pot pie has been topped with phyllo, use a small pairing knife to cut a small “x” in the centre of each, just to let the steam escape.
6.) Place the souffle dishes on a baking sheet and place them in the oven. Bake for 18 – 25 minutes, until the phyllo is crisp and golden.
I’ve had a lot of luck lately, choosing to fly by the seat of my pants in the kitchen rather than follow a recipe. Last night, I pulled out a pound of ground beef from my fridge and thought I’d turn it into meatballs that were similar to Meatloaf with Bacon Gravy. While I did include bacon and onions, the resulting dish was something different entirely. That might be because I took suggestions from my girls as I went along, turning the original thought of rice to buttered noodles (thanks, Paige!) and topping everything with fried onions, as per Maddie’s request. Everything ended up working really together, just like me and my girls.
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
1 pound medium ground beef 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup milk 1/2 onion, diced very finely 2 slices of bacon 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Salt Pepper
For the mustard cream sauce:
1/2 onion, finely diced 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 slices bacon, cooked very crisp and crumbled 2 tablespoons of your favourite mustard 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 cups water, plus 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons cornstarch Salt Pepper
For the noodles:
1/2 pound of any pasta you’d like (I chose spaghetti broken in half for the slurp factor) 1/2 cup butter Salt
For the fried onions:
1 onion, cut in half and sliced thinly 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll need it to keep the meatballs warm while preparing the rest of the meal on your stovetop.
2.) Start by preparing the meatballs. Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot add the two slices of bacon and lightly cook for about 5 minutes, turning once. You want the bacon to be slightly cooked, but not crisp. The fat content will help keep your meatballs moist. Remove bacon from skillet and set aside. Into the hot pan add the finely diced onion. Stir them around in the bacon fat, cook for about 2 minutes until soft, and then set aside with the bacon. Allow ingredients to cool and turn pan off while preparing the rest of the meatballs.
3.) In a large bowl place the ground beef, cooked onion and bacon, bread crumbs, milk, egg, garlic powder, paprika, dill, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together very thoroughly. I know there’s a lot of fuss about not over-mixing your meat but I find that if you use enough ingredients to keep it moist (slightly cooked bacon, milk) you don’t need to worry about this and that thoroughly mixing them can actually be very beneficial.
4.) Form the meat into two-inch balls and roll lightly in your hands, setting them aside on a plate as you do.
5.) Heat the cast iron skillet over medium heat and when hot, place meatballs into the bacon fat. Cook for about 5 minutes to develop a nice sear, then turn over and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Repeat this process with all sides of the meatballs. When they are finished cooking, transfer them to a casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil, and transfer them to the oven.
6.) While meatballs are cooking, make the fried onions. Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, turn them in the fat, and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes, until they are completely softened and carmalized. Remove from heat, place in a round casserole dish, and place in the oven to keep warm with the meatballs. Don’t worry about overcooking them; the oven is just warm enough to keep everything hot, but not cooked.
7.) Once the meatballs have been transferred to the oven, keep the heat under the skillet turned to medium. Add the other diced half onion and turn in the fat to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes until just softened, then add the white wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and allow the wine to boil for 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and a pinch of salt and stir everything together.
8.) Add 2 cups of water to the skillet, along with the honey, and whisk everything together. Bring to a boil then lower heat and gently simmer. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the cornstarch and whisk together until smooth. Add this cornstarch mixture to the skillet and whisk again to fully incorporate. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened. Turn heat to low, add the heavy cream and once again whisk to incorporate. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary.
9.) While the sauce is cooking, make the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil then add pasta, stir, and cook for about 8 minutes, until just al dente. Drain and return to pot. Add the butter, cover to let the butter melt, then stir everything together.
10.) Remove the meatballs and fried onions from the oven and plate. Divide buttered noodles among four plates and top with meatballs. Spoon the sauce generously over the meatballs and top with fried onions.
It’s winter. It’s cold, and now there is actually snow on the ground. And because it’s so cold, the top layer of snow has actually turned to ice. So you don’t only get to walk through it (taking three times as long as it normally would), you get to stomp with every step so that you can actually walk through the snow instead of slipping and sliding through it. Needless to say, it’s miserable. Okay, so what does this have to do with food?
A lot, because in the middle of January, there are no Farmers’ Markets. There are no vegetable stands that you can run out to just before dinner to get your farm fresh vegetables. And those tomatoes you see in the grocery store? They’ve come from some unimaginable place like California or Florida – a place where a bright orb still shines in the sky, and they’re actually able to grow fruits and vegetables. Right now. Unfortunately, if you’re still daydreaming of snow shoes instead of sunny skies, the tomatoes you eat won’t taste nearly as good as they do when they come right off the vine. But, there is a way to make our grocery store tomatoes taste almost – almost – like the ones grown in the middle of summer. And all it takes is a little bit of sugar.
First, cut up your tomatoes. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using plum tomatoes, vine tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes. Just chop them up however you’d like, making sure that there is a bit of surface area showing the flesh of the tomato. Place them in a bowl and sprinkle a bit of sugar over top; I used about a teaspoon for every cup of tomatoes. Turn and toss the tomatoes so that the sugar is evenly distributed throughout and then set the bowl aside for about 15 minutes. Just like when you macerate strawberries, doing this will release some more juices from the tomato and sweeten them all up. You can then drain the tomatoes and use them for whatever you need, or spoon the entire thing over a Spring Mix Salad and it acts as its own ready-made dressing.
It might not be a skyrocketing temperature, a sunny hot beach, or an afternoon perfect for bike riding, but when it’s this cold, I’ll take any taste of summer that I can get.
If you ever make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, bake with oatmeal, or just like a nice steaming bowl of it for breakfast, you know just how many different kinds of oats are out there on the market. But do you really need to buy steel cut, quick-cooking, and regular large oats to make sure you have just the right kind whenever you need them? Nope ya don’t!
Okay, if you want steel cut oats, you’re going to have to buy them – and probably only use them for making bowls of oatmeal or crunchy granola. But if you want oatmeal for cookies, baking or cooking, you can just buy a bag of large flake oats and turn portions of it into quick-cooking oats when you need them, just by placing some into a food processor. Pulse them once or twice, don’t grind them up completely; you just want them smaller, not complete mush. That’s really all it takes to turn regular oats into those that are quick-cooking.
Even though I measure the oats before I place them into the processor, I also measure them after pouring them out. The change in texture and shape may cause the measurement to be slightly different, and so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the right amount for your recipe.
