Inspired by this pin on Pinterest, I decided to make some homemade pappardelle pasta for lunch today. Carb loading for Adam before his first ball hockey game of the season and post-Sun Run lunch for Neil!
I just made a small batch: 2 eggs, 2 cups AP flour and a good dash of sea salt. It was the perfect amount for lunch for us and the boys gobbled it up.
I loved the way the herbs shone through the sheets of pasta. So pretty and yummy.
I recently had a pro-d event catered by Salishan Catering and everyone really enjoyed the amazing bannock. I knew I wanted to make bannock this spring with several groups of students so I thought I should give it a go at home first. There are several sources online with good information about the history of bannock (both aboriginal and Scottish origins) and the slightly different ways of making it. I researched it HERE and HERE. I also found a great little video from a cafe in the Okanagan HERE and hope to visit there this summer when we make our trip up there.
Last summer when we went camping, I prepared a bannock mix to take with us and we made bannock on sticks over our campfire. I wanted a stove top version and in the end, I used the recipe from a children's book.
Bannock Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
dash of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons lard or bacon drippings (I used vegetable shortening)
1/2 - 3/4 cup water (enough to make a stiff dough)
Instructions:
1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, cutting in shortening.
2. Make a little well and pour the water in (I used 3/4 cup).
3. Mix into a dough and turn out onto counter and knead well.
Instead of flattening it out and putting it into the pan whole, I cut it into small pieces and then flattened each piece out to about the size of my palm.
4. Heat a small amount of oil in the bottom of a frying pan and place pieces of bannock in te hot oil, turning when first side is golden brown and then cook until both sides are golden. Alternatevely, cook over a campfire in a frying pan or bake in the oven at 350 degrees.
5. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.
For one batch, as I took it out of the pan, I tapped each piece of bannock to let any excess oil drip off and then placed it a bowl with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, tossing to coat. I had bannock this way for the first time at an event at the UBC Longhouse and knew the boys would like it this way!
The bannock can be served plain, with jam or maple syrup or cut open and filled with savoury fillings or topped with smoked salmon and a bit of sour cream and herbs.
Next time I make this recipe, I think I will add more water and maybe some milk instead and a bit more salt. I was really happy with how the bannock turned out though!
thanks Nicky!
It is back to school week this week. January is even harder on the boys and I than September because we have to wake up in the dark. Boo. I knew the mornings this week were going to be rough so I wanted to be prepared. Breakfast is often on the run...as we run out the door. Robin Hood sent me this timely recipe and I made a batch on Sunday. They were a huge hit and I will make them again.
Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup Nutri Flour Blend
1 cup oats
1 tsp each: baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped dried fruit
3/4 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, applesauce and vanilla.
4. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then mix into wet ingredients.
5. Stir in fruit and nuts.
6. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Makes 36 cookies.
Notes:
I used unsalted butter and light brown sugar. You could use regular AP flour but I bought the Nutri Flour Blend and will be buying it again for sure. I used it for scones as well and they turned out really well. I added an extra 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and added a tablespoon of ground flax seeds. I used a fruit mixture of chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries and dried blueberries. I used a nut mixture of chopped cashews and pecans. Next time, I'll probably add some unsweetened coconut too. The cookies do get softer being stored in an airtight container (all that moisture from the fruit I think). Next time, I will probably put half in the freezer and pull them out as needed.
The boys and I have been grabbing two or three each for the road each morning this week. Mission accomplished!
For the final installment of holiday treat week, I bring you Gingerbread Muffins! Now, these aren't really healthy muffins and are more of a cupcake which is why they are a treat. But they are so yummy and the boys particularly like warm baked goods when they wake up over the holidays.
I adapted the recipe that I found here because I thought it had a few wonky directions and ingredients like self-raising flour and "mixed spice". I used regular sized muffin pans instead of the jumbo pans and they worked out great!
Gingerbread Muffins
adapted from www.cookrepublic.com
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened, unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 390 degrees and line muffin pan with paper liners.
2) Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
3) Add eggs and milk and beat to combine.
4) In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and spices. Add to wet mixture and beat until combined.
5) Using an ice cream scoop, spoon muffin mixture into muffins liners until about 2/3 full. Sprinkle a cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.
6) Baked for about 12-15 minutes until risen and golden brown on top.
7) Remove from muffins pan and cool in muffins liners on a wire rack.
Makes 12.
Happy holiday baking!
I wanted to add some more gluten-free treats to our Christmas dessert table so am going to add a platter of fudge. Our family has a very favourite secret recipe for peanut butter fudge that is a bit finicky to make but I will make that for sure as it is a family favourite! I also wanted to have a more festive fudge alongside it and liked all the images I saw on Pinterest of chocolate fudge sprinkled with crushed candy canes.
I chose this super easy fudge recipe from here. This is really a "cheater" fudge as it uses sweetened condensed milk and no candy thermometer is involved! But nonetheless, it is chocolately, creamy and smooth! More on that story later...
Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge
Ingredients:
4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
2 cans (14 oz each) of sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup crushed candy canes
Directions:
1) Line 8x8 pans with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang so you can pull out the fudge easily later.
2) Melt chocolate and condensed milk together over low heat in a medium saucepan. Stir often until mixture is smooth.
3) Remove from heat and add butter, stirring to melt in to mixture.
4) Add salt and vanilla and stir in.
5) Spread mixture evenly into prepared pans and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
6) Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
7) Lift fudge out of pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the fudge into 1-inch squares.
Hmmm...didn't quite work out that way. The fudge was very very smooth and creamy and we all liked how it tasted but it did not firm up the way I expected. After much chilling, we were able to get some squares cut from the outside edges, but they didn't hold their shape for long.
The texture of the fudge was more like a ganache so, using that as inspiration, I transformed the fudge mixture into dipped candy cane truffles. I melted milk chocolate and using the two spoon technique, coated the ball of fudge (wishing that I still had my truffle forks from twenty five years ago!), set the chocolates on parchment paper, sprinkled crushed candy cane on top and then put them in the fridge to harden the coating.
Well, the filling was so soft that the ball shape didn't hold for long and they really just became what we will call "candy cane fudge chocolates" and these have been a big hit around here!
A few insider tips...
I only made half a batch of this and we had LOTS! Just used one 8x8 pan.
I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. (Maybe that was the problem...not enough cocoa content?)
The sweetened condensed milk I had in my pantry came in 300 ml cans. 14 ounces is about 414 ml so I used one and a third cans.
When the boys were younger they loved using a hammer or a rolling pin to crush candy canes! We just put them in a thick, freezer ziplock freezer bag and then they went at them. This year, I used some "peppermint crush" that I found at Galloway's.
The fudge can stay in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
You can use small cookie cutters to cut the fudge into different shapes but then you will have some leftover bits...but I'm sure someone will eat those ;) This fudge was in no way firm enough to use cookie cutters with...others fudge yes, but not this one!
Clearly I did something wrong...maybe all the halving and converting from American to metric and not using the exact ingredients listed had something to do with it ;)
As well as the truffles, I used some of the leftover fudge (there was so much, even as a half-batch) and melted it down for a very yummy hot fudge sauce for ice cream!
When life gives you too soft fudge...transform it!
It has been many many years since I have made nut brittle. It was something I thought was too dangerous to make with the boys when they were younger and I'm a little meh about peanut brittle myself but in my quest to find more gluten-free treats for our family holiday dinner coming up, I thought I would give it another go.
I was inspired by Martha Stewart's nut brittle recipe and used almonds, cashews, macademia nuts and added some coconut as well. There's a great little video on her site showing the different steps and what the syrup should look like at different stages. Her guest for that episode just happened to be Thomas Gibson who is on one of my favourite shows, Criminal Minds. The photos below were taken late afternoon in December...not the best lighting and I don't like using a flash unless absolutely necessary.
Nut Brittle
Ingredients:
unsalted butter, room temperature, for baking sheet
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup cold water
pinch of table salt
2 1/2 cups dry-roasted nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
1) Brush a 9x13 rimmed baking sheet with butter including the sides of the pan.
2) Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil.
3) Continue to cook, swirling pot occasionally to stir. Using a pastry brush and cold water. brush away any sugar crystals on the sides of the saucepan to prevent recrystallization. Use a candy thermometer and keep cooking until syrup reaches soft ball stage (238-240 degrees F).
4) Stir in the nuts, continuing to cook stirrring often, until the mixture is a golden amber in colour.
5) Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda. The candy mixture will foam up.
6) Pour the mixture into the pan. Set the tray aside on a cooling rack until completely cool.
7) Turn brittle out onto waxed paper and break into pieces.
A few insider tips...
The syrup is very very hot. Be careful while cooking or syrup is pouring. Make sure to use a wooden spoon to avoid a rubber spatula melting or a metal spoon conducting the heat.
Cooking the solution to softball stage took about 10 minutes.
Cooking the candy with nuts to a light amber colour took about another 10 minutes.
Try not to spread the mixture out in the pan as you will deflate all the lovely bubbles that make the brittle crispy and tender to eat!
The brittle can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
All different kinds of nuts and seeds can be used!
Have a sweet Christmas!
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