Mini Meatloaf -- Muffin Size

Portion control is particularly important for two groups of people -- people watching their calories and people watching their budgets. Meat is one of the most expensive items in the grocery basket (not that you needed us to tell you that). By portioning out this expensive item and filling up the rest of the plate with cheaper fare (vegetables, potatoes, salad, etc), it can really help stretch a dollar without leaving your family feeling deprived. One muffin is a full adult-sized serving of meat (4 oz - 100 grams).  

This cooks much faster than a traditional meatloaf -- so it saves money and time. Hard to beat that combo. Better yet, these freeze very well, so make up the full batch and put some away in the freezer. They'll keep for 3 - 4 months.



Ingredients:  Makes 20 x 100 gram muffins

• 1.5 kilos (approximately 3- 3 1/2 lbs) ground beef (or use a combination of ground beef/ ground pork) 
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup bread crumbs or finely crushed crackers... if going gluten free, use ground oatmeal and/or crushed Cornflakes. 
• 1 cup salsa 
• 1 tsp hot sauce (optional) 
• 1 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning or any favourite herb/spice. 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Oil or use a cooking spray to lightly grease the muffin tins. 
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients by hand until well combined. In this case, we literally mean "by hand". Roll up the sleeves and really mix those ingredients. 
3. Pack each of the muffin tins fully. 
4. Cook for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees. 
5. Let stand for 5 minutes and remove from muffin tin. 

Serving suggestion:  Top each muffin with a tablespoon of salsa for an extra burst of taste. Many recipes like this call for cheese to be added to the top. We think that in this recipe, it's a waste of cheese which is an expensive (and calorie laden) ingredient. Save the cheese for meals where it's going to have more punch.

Fiddlehead Soup

Image courtesy Creative Commons

The only thing tastier in the spring in NB than a “mess of fiddleheads”, is pairing them with a bit of potato and some cream in the form of soup. Tuck into our simple and quick version of this gourmet classic. It can be made with either fresh or frozen fiddleheads. Alternatively, if you’re making it later in the year, you can substitute 16-20 asparagus stalks for the fiddleheads. The soup base can also be frozen to enjoy later in the year.

Ingredients

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed (3 cups or more) or shredded
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup of diced onion (about a medium sized onion)
• 1 – 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
•  1-2 cups of chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2 ½  cups cleaned fiddleheads, tightly packed into the cup
• Water as needed
• 1-2 cups of cream (2 cup coffee cream or 1 cup whipping cream)
• Salt to taste
• Croutons (optional garnish)
• Parmesan cheese leaves (optional garnish)

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes, celery, onion and garlic in a heavy bottomed pot. Add stock and enough water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Cover pot and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until potatoes are starting to get tender.
3. Add fiddleheads and recover pot. Simmer for 10-12 minutes. Fiddleheads must be thoroughly cooked. Potatoes at this point should be very done – mushy and falling apart.
4. Remove a few of the fiddleheads and set aside for use as a garnish. Using an immersion blender or in small batches in a regular blender, puree the soup until smooth.
5. Return to pot and stir in enough cream to give it a creamy texture without overwhelming it. You probably won’t use the full amount called for in the recipe.
6. Salt to taste
7. Ladle into bowls and garnish with reserved fiddleheads and/or croutons or parmesan cheese leaves.

Keeping it for later: After step 4 (before adding cream), this soup base can be packaged into freezer safe containers and frozen for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and heat the next day in a pot. Add cream, salt to taste and serve.

Poached chicken -- Kitchen style

Image courtesy Creative Commons 

Poaching chicken is a wonderful way of cooking chicken that keeps it moist and flavourful. We use poached chicken a lot here in the Kitchen when we are catering events. The meat can be used in sandwiches, soups, casseroles, salads or sliced by itself. This recipe gives a delicate flavour to the meat. 

Most important -- don't throw out that cooking liquid. This is an extremely flavourful soup base. Freeze it in gallon sized freezer bags and use for soups or stews. We always keep 4 or 5 litres of it on hand at all times because once this broth is made, a kettle of fresh homemade soup needs very little work -- and about 45 minutes to the table. 

Ingredients: 

• 3-4 lb whole chicken (or chicken parts). Legs and thighs are preferred over breast meat if using parts. 
• 3 litres chicken stock (either in ready to use box or bouillon powder) 
• 1 large onion, chopped -- include the yellow skins if possible 
• 1 large / 2 medium sized carrots, scrubbed and chopped 
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped including leaves
• 2 cloves garlic chopped or 1/4 teaspoon dried garlic powder (not salt) 
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 black peppercorns 
• sprig of rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• sprig of thyme or 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme 
• 2 clove buds or pinch of ground cloves 
• 1-2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil for sauteing 

Directions: 

1. Using medium high heat, heat the oil in a large heavy bottom pot 
2. Add chopped onion, carrots, celery and cook for 5 minutes. Stir frequently. 
3. Add fresh garlic and stir well, cook for an additional minute. If using dried, skip this step. 
4. Add spices (powder garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and cloves) 
5. Place the whole chicken (or chicken parts) on top of the sauteed vegetables and add enough stock to cover half of the chicken (about mid way up the thigh). Don't cover the chicken. 
6. Bring the pot contents to a boil and immediately reduce to a slow simmer. Cover the pot. 
7. Cook for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, until meat is falling off the bones 
8. Separate the meat from the carcass, discarding bones, cartilage and skin. Reserve for later use. 
9. Strain vegetables from the remaining broth and refrigerator for a maximum of 3 days or freeze for up to six months. 

Cholent, the meatless version

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Cholent is a Jewish stew that was made for the Sabbath. Traditionally, Jewish people did not cook on their Sabbath and this stew was simmered overnight to be eaten at noon on Saturday.  Originally, this would have been done in a big community baker's oven. The "Crock Pot" itself was invented by Irving Naxon to replicate this process in the home. Although this dish is frequently made with a tough cut of beef, like brisket, it is also frequently done without meat. This recipe was adapted from Judith Finlayson's great cookbook  -- The Vegetarian Slow Cooker. It's really a great book for anyone wanting to explore meatless cooking.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried white navy beans

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 stalks celery diced

2 parsnips, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp minced ginger root

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

4 cups vegetable stock

2 potatoes cut into cubes

4 large (12 oz/375 g) Portobello mushroom caps, cut into large pieces

1 cup pearl barley rinsed.

Directions:

  

1. Soak beans either overnight or put in a pot with at least 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and allow to sit for 2 hours. Drain, rinse
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and parsnips. Cook until softened.
3. Add ginger, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper corns and cook for about a minute.
4. Put half the contents of the skillet in slow cooker.
5. Spread potatoes over the mixture.
6. Layer the cut mushrooms
7. Spread barley over the mushroom layer
8. Spread the presoaked beans over the barley layer
9. Top with the remaining onion/vegetable mix.
10. Pour vegetable stock over the contents.
11. Cover and cook on Low for 10-12 hours or high for 5 to 7 hours.

Coffee Cake Basic Baking Mix Recipe

Quick and easy, this coffee cake can be in the oven in under 10 minutes. It's ideal for those times when you need a last minute addition to a meal or when you need something to take to a potluck. 

Feel free to experiment. Add nuts, sunflower seeds, switch out the vanilla for almond, lemon or rum flavouring. Use caramel sauce instead of jam. The recipe is meant to be a basic canvas for you to work with -- enjoy the bit of sweet. 


Ingredients

Dough
• 2 cups Bisquick or use our “Homemade Biscuit Mix”
• 2/3 cup water or 2/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Jam – several teaspoons to dot the top of the cake (optional)

Topping  (or use our “Strudel Topping Mix” )
• 1/3 cup “Homemade Biscuit Mix”
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease a deep pie plate or 8"x8" square pan with Baking Release. 
3. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. 
4. Mix water, egg and vanilla together in a cup. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix by hand until ingredients are just incorporated. It will be a fairly stiff dough. Spread in baking dish.
5. Optional step: dot top of dough with a few teaspoons of jam 
6. Mix topping ingredients with a fork or pastry mixer until crumbly or use our Strudel topping mix (about 1-1/2 cups) 
7. Spread topping mix over dough and drag a butter knife through it like you were making a tic-tac-toe board several times. This will swirl the topping and the jam (if used) into the cake dough. 
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes clean.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out on a serving plate. 

Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Image courtesy Creative Commons 

These quick and easy drop biscuits make a perfect accompaniment to a chili or chowder. This is a copy cat recipe for the Red Lobster restaurant chain's biscuits. The secret to them is the extra butter added to the baking mix. It adds a lightness to them that is particularly good. Freezing the butter makes it possible to grate into the biscuit mix and it's much faster than cutting it in using other methods, such as a pastry cutter. Additionally, the butter pieces remain separate until they melt in the oven, making the biscuit even lighter in texture.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Homemade baking mix or a commercial brand such as Bisquick.
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 3/4 cup cold milk
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (optional)

Brush on top

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Put the butter into the freezer for 15 minutes so it can get really cold (frozen even).
2. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F.
4. Grate the frozen butter into the baking mix and combine lightly. There should be small chunks of butter about the size of peas. Add cheese and garlic powder
5. Add milk and quickly combine by hand. Don’t over mix.
6. Drop 9 equal portions onto greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops are light brown.
8. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a bowl. Stir in 1/2 tsp garlic powder and parsley flakes.
9. As soon as they come out of the oven, use a pastry brush to spread garlic butter over the biscuit tops. 

French Salad Dressing

© 2007 Andy Melton, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio

The term "French dressing" refers to different things in different countries. In Germany and Switzerland, it refers to a white dressing made with mayonnaise or cream. In England, it's an off-white dressing made from vinegar, oil, Dijon mustard and garlic and frequently various fresh herbs. In North America, it refers to a tomato based recipe that is slightly sweet to the taste.  We've cut the sugar in this recipe to suit our tastes but feel free to make it according to how your family likes it. That's the great thing about home made dressings over bottled ones -- you can customize them and they're a whole lot cheaper than commercial bottled ones.  

Ingredients: 

1 10 oz can of condensed tomato soup 

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

3 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 clove garlic minced or 1/4 teaspoon of powdered garlic (not garlic salt) 

pinch salt 

Directions: 

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. If you prefer, you can put them all into a large measuring cup and process using a stick blender. Pour into a jar with a tight fitting lid. This stores in the refrigerator for a week. Shake well before using. 

Basic Vinaigrette Dressing

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By and large, commercial salad dressings are not the first choice here in the kitchen. The exception to this general rule is Caesar dressings.

This basic vinaigrette is a classic "go to" recipe that can be whipped up in minutes at a quarter of the price of bottled dressings.

For the ultimate in "minimal equipment" put all the ingredients in a jar (like a Mason jar) with a tight fitting lid and shake it vigourously until everything is combined. You'll have to re-shake it before serving as the oil will separate out. Also, if you use olive oil in any dressing, it will solidify at refrigerator temperatures. Just take out of the fridge for a few minutes to allow it to re-liquefy before serving.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil 

Directions:

1. Whisk together the wine vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of olive oil.
2. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 7 days in a tightly sealed bottle. Allow to return to room temperature before serving and shake to incorporate ingredients again. 

 

Baking Pan Release

This is used instead of cooking sprays for baking pans. It works very well, at a fraction of the cost of cooking sprays or professional Baker's Release sprays. It also doesn't gum up on the pan edges like the sprays. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour

1. Mix ingredients either by hand or with a mixer until everything is well incorporated.

2. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.

Home Made Baking Mix -- Like Bisquick

Ingredients

• 6 cups all purpose flour 
• 3 Tablespoons baking powder 
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 cup shortening 

Directions: 

1. In a medium sized bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk, mix the ingredients thoroughly.

2. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening until it is in small pieces. If you don't have a pastry cutter, use two butter knives and pull them across the contents of the bowl in opposite directions to cut the shortening into very fine pieces.

3. Store in an airtight container.