Cherry Bomb Cookies

This past week at work, we held a fund raising bake sale and I volunteered to bake. In doing so, I managed to use up all the corn starch and butter I had in my apartment. And I was mighty glad I decided to pick up a 2nd bag of flour.

One of the cookies that I made for the sale are ones that are being a staple of mine when it comes to Christmas baking. They're called Cherry Bomb Cookies. Basically, you wrap cookie dough around a maraschino cherry that still has the stem attached (usually called cocktail cherries) and you bake it like that. They do look like little bombs when they're done.

I can't take credit for the recipe though. I came across it in "Sugar Cookie Murder" by Joanne Fluke. I did tweak the recipe a little though. Not only are the cookies awesome, but so is the book. It's a whole series by Joanne Fluke where recipes are included in the story.

Anyhow, the cookies were a bit hit and I sold them all, which meant I didn't have to bring any home, thus helping my waistline :)

Here's the recipe:

3 cups of Flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Power
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter, softened
2 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
2 jars (16oz) of Maraschino Cherries with the stems still attached (you can find them at Bulk Barn and Metro!)
Icing Sugar

A lot of recipes call for un-salted butter. I figure it doesn't really matter. If you're using salted butter, just omit the salt that's called for in the recipe. If you're using un-salted butter, include it. Even sweet foods need a tiny but of salt to bring all of the flavours together.

Before starting, open both jars of cherries and drain in a strainer. Let them sit in the strainer while you make the dough.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F

In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

In another bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add in the sugar and still until it's mostly dissolved. Add in the vanilla. You can also use almond extract instead.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring well after each addition. Once mixed, take a small ball of dough and wrap it around one of the cherries, allowing only the stem to show. Roll it in your hands until a ball forms around the cherry.

Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. They'll still be light in colour (slightly browned on the bottom). You want them to be light. If they've browned, bake them for less time. Transfer them to a rack to cool.

Once cool, put icing sugar in a bowl. Dip the cookies into the icing sugar so that they're all white. Gently shake off the excess sugar.

Now pop one in your mouth and enjoy! Just try not to eat the stem :)

Enjoy!!

Sarah

Lasagna - with lots of garlic!

It's a cold, damp and rainy day here. A perfect day to make some comfort food. I haven't had lasagna in quite some time so I decided it would be a perfect dish to make for dinner.

Lasagna looks complicated, but it really isn't. I even opted to make my own tomato sauce. Since it is December, canned tomatoes are a must. I'm not a fan of tomatoes, but I like to cook with them. I started my sauce with a special kind of tomatoes. A lot of the cooking "pros" and "experts" swear by them so I said "why not". That and I got them at a good price at a local Italian grocery store. They're called San Marzano tomatoes. I could only find whole ones, so I just poured the can into my food processor, gave it a few pulses and I had the base for my sauce.

Here's what you'll need:

1 medium onion
4-5 gloves of garlic chopped,  plus 1 tsp garlic puree
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 tsp salt ( I used a special sea salt that I have, which has garlic and basil in it)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 28oz can san Marzano tomatoes (with liquid - crushed or pureed. Unless you like them chunky, then used diced)
1 tub (500ml) of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
1 cup (or more) of mozzarella or cheddar or whatever you have in your fridge, grated
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (maybe a little more)
1 package of fresh mushrooms (or one can, rinsed and drained)
1 lb lean ground beef (if you don't use lean, cook it first and drain the fat off or you'll end up with greasy lasagna)
12 Lasagna Noodles (I use whole wheat ones)
2-3 tbsp Olive Oil (I use extra virgin, but use what you have)

In a large, deep sauce pan or pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the Italian seasoning and chili pepper flakes. Stir. Add in the garlic (not the puree!) and continue to cook until everything has softened and smells wicked.

Add in the mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes until the mushrooms have cooked through. Add in the ground beef. Continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink. Pour in the tomatoes. Add salt and pepper. Stir well to combine everything. Allow the sauce to simmer for 20-30 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken as you cook it. If it gets too thick, add some water to thin it out.

While it's cooking, take the 12 noodles and soak them in warm/hot water. Make sure they're completely covered by the water.

Next, make the cheese filling. Take the cottage cheese and place it in a bowl. Add the parm reggiano and half the parmesan cheese and stir. Add in the garlic puree and some pepper. Stir well and set aside. You can use light or regular cheese, it doesn't matter and in my experience, it doesn't change the taste all all.

Once the sauce has cooked for about a half hour, take it off the heat and allow to cool a little. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray.

To assemble the lasagna, you're going to need 4 layers of sauce, 3 layers of noodles and 2 layers of cheese sauce. Start by spreading some of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. Top with 3 noodles. Top that with half the cottage cheese mixture. Top that with some more tomato sauce. Repeat (noodles, cheese mix, sauce). The top layer will just be noodles and sauce and then your grated mozzarella/cheddar and any additional parm reg that you might want to add.

Cover the dish with foil and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked through and are tender. Remove the foil and top with the rest of the parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and allow it to cook for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is all melted, bubbly and browned lightly.

Remove from the oven and allow the lasagna to rest for 15 or so minutes before you cut it. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a couple of day or if wrapped well, you can freeze it for a couple of months. Frozen individual pieces make a great lunch or quick evening dinner.

Just so you know, my apartment smells amazing right now! LOL.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

Sarah

Roasted Half Chicken and Brussel Sprouts

This week my local Metro had half chickens on sale, which got me super excited. Roast chicken is one of the easiest dishes to make and it can be dressed up into something special, or kept simple. And it delicious.

Since it's just me, I often find that roasting a whole chicken is too much for me. There's often too much left over and I get sick of eating it after a few days. So I'm thrilled when they have half chickens on sale.

Now for the brussel sprouts. I've never been a fan of them. When I was little, my grandpa tried to get my brother and I to eat one. He first put a piece of cheese on it. We wouldn't eat it. He then tried adding, chocolate sauce, then whipped cream and finally a cherry. My brother and I still wouldn't eat it. At this point, my grandma looked at him and told him to eat it. My poor grandpa did it and I still remember the look on his face. LOL. Credit to him for actually eating it and keeping it down. Anyhow, back in May, I got to go out for an amazing dinner at a very fancy place. My meal came with brussel sprouts. I gave them a try and LOVED THEM! Turns out they were either oven roasted or pan seared. So yesterday I was in the Byward Market and some of the stalls had brussel sprouts, so I decide to try roasting them in the oven.

First up is the chicken.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

I gave the chicken a quick rinse and then patted it dry. I rubbed about a tsp of olive oil on the chicken and then liberally sprinkled it with some Mrs. Dash (trying to reduce my salt in take).

 





I put the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes and then turned down the temp to 325F and cooked it for another half hour. You pretty much need to roast it for 20 minutes a pound.

While the chicken was cooking, I prepped the sprouts. I just cut the bottoms off, peeled off the touch outside leaves and then rinsed them off and dried them. I then tossed them with some olive oil, garlic power, pepper and a little bit of salt.

Once the chicken was out of the oven and resting, I put the brussel sprouts in the oven. I roasted them at 425F. You should roast them for about a half hour. Mine were small and I kind of over cooked them so they were on the crunchy side. LOL. But they still tasted really, really good. I will definitely make them again and keep a better eye on them next time.

The chicken was great too. It came out with a nice crispy skin and the inside was moist. The Mrs. Dash gave it a nice flavour too. I made a box of Idaho Potatoes Au Gratin to round it out (pretty damn good for potatoes from a box).

So there is it. A very simple, easy and super yummy Sunday dinner. And I have enough chicken leftover to take for lunch tomorrow. Now if only the dishes would magically do themselves, I'd be set.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe!

Sarah

Pumpkin Cake (low fat) with Cream Cheese Icing (light)

Since it's still fall and pumpkins and such are on sale, I decided to make a pumpkin themed dessert. I found this recipe on Pinterest. It uses fat free greek yogurt and it came out so yummy and moist!!

Here's the link to the recipe:

http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/846547/3-non-pie-thanksgiving-pumpkin-desserts

Just scroll down the page a bit to find the recipe.

It was pretty easy, especially since I used canned pumpkin puree this time. It was on sale for $1.99 so I couldn't beat that.  LOL.

I added my own twist on the icing - I put 1/2tsp of pumpkin pie spice in the icing. So yummy!

 

Instead of toasted almonds, I garnished it with roasted pumpkin seeds

 

SO YUMMY!!!!!!!!

 

You can still eat healthy and have treats at the same time :)

Enjoy!


Sarah

 

Pork Loin Roast with Garlic Maple Marinade

Being a cool and rainy Sunday, it was the perfect day to crank up the oven and make a nice dinner.

I'm not a big fan of pork (except for bacon. Seriously, who doesn't love bacon?) but it was on sale this week so I decided to give it a try. I ended up with a boneless centre loin roast. Since it's a pretty lean cut, I made a marinade for it.

To make the marinade, I mixed the following in a large Ziploc freezer bag:

White Zinfandel wine (use whatever you have on hand) roughly 1/2 cup
Low Sodium Soya Sauce roughly 1/4 cup
Rice Wine Vinegar about 2-3 tbsp
Pure Maple Syrup about 2-3 tbsp
Olive Oil about 2 tbsp
Water about 1/4 cup
Good squeeze of Dijon Mustard
Good sized pinch of pepper
Garlic Power - about 2 tbps

All of the above are just a guess. I pretty much just poured whatever I thought looked right.

 

 

Place the roast in the fridge for a few hours. Flip it every hour or so. Don't worry if the whole thing isn't submerged. Take it out of the fridge an hour before you're going to cook it and allow it to warm up.

Put it in a roasting pan with the fat side up. Throw out the marinade. Do not use it! Roast in at 350 for 30 mins an lb.

 



When it's done, take it out of the oven and place it on a cutting board. Cover with foil and let it rest for 10-15 mins. Carve and eat. The leftovers make good sandwiches.

Enjoy!!

Sarah

Pumpkin Pie - from scratch!

Have you seen those cute little pumpkins in the grocery stores and road side market stands? Not the super tiny ones that people like to paint faces on but the ones that are 3-5lbs?
You know, the ones like this:

Anyhow, it's those little pumpkins that make amazing pumpkin pie. They're often called Pie Pumpkins or Sugar Pumpkins. In order to make a pumpkin pie, you need pumpkin puree. Here's how to make that:

Get a 3-5lb pie pumpkin. Cut it in half. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop and clean out all of the seeds and the stingy bits (you can save the seeds to roast if you like). Put the pumpkin halves into a large glass dish or pan and cover with 1/4" of water. Bake at 350F for 45mins-1 hour. Poke the pumpkin with a fork or knife to check and see if it's done. Let cool. Once cool, scoop the flesh away from the skin. Using a blender or food processor, puree the pumpkin until cool. Put the puree into a mesh strainer and let it sit while the excess water drips out. You can use the puree right away or keep it in the fridge for 5 days. You can also freeze it.

Now for the pie!

You'll need:

2 cups of Pumpkin Puree (fresh or canned - just becareful not to buy pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 cups of Evaporated Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Sugar
1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar
2 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 tsp Salt
1 pre-made pie shell ( I can't make pie dough to save my life. So I use the Pillsbury one that comes in the box - you just let it warm up to room temp and un-roll it and press it into the pie plate and you're done! )

Pre-heat the oven to 425F

In a large bowl, beat the 2 eggs together. Add in the pumpkin puree and evaporated milk. Stir together with a whisk. Add in the sugars, spice mix and salt. Whisk well to combine. Pour into the prepared (uncooked) pie shell.

Put it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn down the temp to 350F and bake for another 35-40 minutes. When the pie has set and is firm, it's done. Since this is a custard style pie, it won't be firm like a cake but more like a set pudding. Let cool and enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah

Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

This is one of my "go to" soups. It makes a great weeknight dinner because most of the cooking is done in the crock pot. I can toss everything in and turn it on before I got to work and then when I get home, it's almost all done. I just have to puree it and add a few things and it's done!

1 med-large head of cauliflower (all depends on the size of your crock pot)
1 med onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped (more if you're using a larger cauliflower)
1 rib of celery, chopped (more if you're using a larger cauliflower)
4 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. The amount depends on the size of your crock pot. I used a nice, sharp 4 year old raw cheddar. So good!
2 cups half and half or light cream or milk
salt and pepper
chopped chives (optional)

Combine the first 5 ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Puree in a blender in batches or use an immersion blender. Blend it to your desired consistency. I like it really well pureed. Return to the slow cooker. Add in the cream/milk, cheese and Worcestershire sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Turn the slow cooker onto high until soup is heated through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped chives (optional) or more shredded cheese. This serves about 6 people.


Enjoy!
Sarah

Garlic Top Sirloin Roast and a Baked Apple

Another some what chilly fall day and I was back to cooking. After yesterday's soup success, I decided to experiment a little tonight.

For dinner, I cooked a top sirloin roast and made mashed potatoes and mashed turnip with carrots.

1 Top Sirloin Roast (whatever size you need to feed your group)
3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
Olive Oil

An hour before cooking, take the roast out of the fridge and let it warm up. When ready to go, pre-heat the oven to 325F. Cut the garlic cloves into several thin slices. Puncture the roast in several places and slip a garlic slice into each over. Generously sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper. Heat a couple tbsps of olive oil in a large frying pan. When hot, put the roast in the frying pan and sear it for about 5 minutes a side. Transfer to your baking dish and put it in the oven.

Cook for 22-25 minutes per pound for med rare. Drop to 18-22 minutes per pound for rare. You can use a meat thermometer and cook to your desired level. When done, transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes.

For the side dish, I did turnip with carrots. Turnip can be a little bitter so if you add in some carrots, it sweetens it up a bit and cuts the bitter. Just drain and mash with some butter or margarine.

Slice the roast and serve with your veggies and enjoy!

Dessert was the experiment. I didn't have the time to peel applies for an apple crisp, so I decided to attempt a baked apple.

1 large baking apple
1 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp instant rolled oats
1 tbsp real maple syrup
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
water

Hollow out the core of the apple, leaving the bottom in tact. Use a melon baller or small spoon for this. Put the apple into a small baking dish. Mix all of the above together except for the maple syrup. Put the mixture into the middle of the apple. Put a few tsps of water in the bottom of the dish. Bake at 375 for about a half hour. With 10 minutes left, pour the maple syrup over the top of the apple.
When done, us tongs to carefully transfer the apple to a plate or bowl and then pour whatever liquid is left in the bowl over the top of the apple. Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy.

I have to say, that  experiment turned out really well!

Sarah

Pasta and Lentil Soup

I've had so much fun with my other blog (Shenanigans, Nonsense and other Miscellaneous Ramblings) that I decided I would start a second blog solely dedicated to cooking! I should warn you, I'm no pro. I've never had any formal training, other than Family Studies Food classes in high school. My success rate is somewhere around 50/50 and I am a bit of a klutz. I do still have all of my fingers though, so that's a plus.

My apartment smell so amazing right now. It's the first day of autumn and I have a pot of my favourite homemade soup simmering on the stove. How awesome is that??!! It's a rather simple Pasta and Lentil soup that I got out of the October 2011 issue of Food Network Magazine. It's so good, that I had 2 bowls for dinner.

Here's the recipe and my take on making it:

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion chopped (or finely chopped if you're like me and don't like onions! But the flavour is great)
4 cloves of garlic, smashed. I sometimes chop them into chunks. If the cloves are small, I use more.
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes - the soup is not spicy. This just adds flavour.
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (use regular if you want, just be careful with the salt later)
4 cups of water
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1 piece cheese rind (optional) - adding the rind adds crazy flavour. I know it sounds odd, but it's good. If you buy parm cheese that hasn't been shredded, you can get a piece with the rind still on it. Just cut it off (you can see a colour difference where the cheese ends and the rind begins) and toss it in!
8 ounces (just over 2 cups uncooked) orecchiette or other small pasta ( I went to a speciality Italian shop to find orecchitte. I've used wagon wheels and small shells before and they all work).
2 14oz cans of lentils  - 1 with liquid and 1 drained and rinsed (Problem I have is that I can only get 19oz cans and it makes a difference when cooking - too thick if you use the 19oz. So I just take 5-6 tbsps, liquid and lentils,  out of each can. I then drain one and continue).
1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley (or cheat like me and use the dried stuff. LOL).
Kosher salt (or just normal salt)

1.Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is slightly soft, 2-3 minutes. If you want, you can remove 1 tbsp of the oil and reserve it to drizzle over the soup later. I skip this. I usually end up burning myself :)
2. Once onion is soft, stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the chicken stock, water and cheese rind if you're using it. Bring to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add in the lentils and lentil liquid from one can. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

5. If you saved the oil, mix it with 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of fresh parsley. If not, just skip this!
6. Remove the cheese rind (if you added it). Stir in 1/4 cup of the grated parm cheese and the parsley. If you're using fresh, I add about 2tbsp of dried. Stir. Taste the liquid. Add salt to taste.

7. Ladle into bowls and top with the remaining parm cheese and drizzle with the oil if you did that step.
Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

This takes 35-45 minutes to prepare and feeds 4-6 people. It freezes well. Sometimes when you re-heat it, the pasta gets mushy. If you're going to freeze a lot of it, omit the pasta and freeze. When you're re-heating it, add the pasta and boil for 10 minutes.

I hope you like it as much as I do!

Sarah