Buffalo Chicken Thighs

These thighs are a tasty and saucy alternative to chicken wings - minus the deep frying and the bones. Use a bbq sauce of your choice with as much heat (Tabasco) as you would like. Pair with raw vegges and dip, steamed or roasted veggies of your choice.


Ingredients
6-8 chicken thighs, skinless & boneless
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 tbsp Tabasco Sauce
1 tsp Franks Red Hot Sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions
Cut chicken thighs in half, so that they resemble the shape of chicken wings. Lightly coat a large frying pan with vegetable oil and set over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook until golden, 2-3 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together bbq sauce, Tabasco, and Franks.

When chicken is golden on both sides, remove to a larger plate. Pour 1/4 cup water into pan. Stir water in pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in bbq sauce mixture, then return chicken to pan.

Turn pieces to coat with sauce. Reduce to medium-low. Cover and simmer, turning chicken occasionally until cooked through 8-12 minutes.

Place on plates and pour sauce over top. Serve with a side of veggies. I roasted green pepper slices tossed in Greek salad dressing and fresh ground pepper.

Poached Rainbow Trout in Browned Butter Sauce

Poached fish sounded scary to me at first, too, but it was quite tasty! I served the trout with steamed vegetables.

Ingredients
about 1 pound of rainbow trout (either one fillet or separate fillets, mine is one large fillet that I have cut in half to fit in the pot)
1 onion, quartered
2 handfuls of baby carrots, halved (or 1 large carrot, chopped)
1 tsp celery seed
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp thyme, dried
4-6 whole peppercorns
sprinkle of salt
6 cups of water
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 tbsp vinegar (white wine vinegar if you have it, I used regular white vinegar)

Directions
Place water, onion, carrots, celery seed, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and salt into a pot; bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add trout to liquid. Cover and cook with water just boiling for about 6 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.

Remove fish from liquid very carefully (I used an egg flipper to keep the fish from flaking and breaking apart), peel off skin, and transfer to a plate.

Meanwhile in a small skillet melt butter over medium heat until foamy and golden brown (about 5 minutes). Whisk in vinegar, drizzle over fish and serve.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with a hint of Peanut Butter

This was the first time I tried this recipe. It made delicious chocolate chip cookies but the peanut butter was sort of hidden (hence the name), which I found slightly disappointing. Don't get me wrong, they were absolutely delicious and perhaps the chewiest cookies I've made! Next time I'll double the peanut butter and for a festive twist might add green and red M&M's. Mmmmm. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp corn syrup
2 tbsp water
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached)
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, brown and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in corn syrup (or replace with honey), water and vanilla.

Combine flour and baking soda; Stir into peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoons full of batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cook before storing them in a sealed container.

Sunny-side-up Eggs over Crispy Home Fries

Crispy potatoes, runny yolks, and hollandaise sauce - mmm brunch! I think this would be even more delicious with poached eggs, though I was too lazy to make them this time. Try your own variations on this yummy meal!

Instructions
2 large potatoes
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
sprinkle of dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
hollandaise sauce (I used 1/2 a packet just had to add butter and milk as package indicated)

Directions
Wash potatoes and microwave them on high for 3-5 minutes.

Chop potatoes into cubes and set aside. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. When oil is heated (glossy looking) add potatoes, pepper, parsley, rosemary, and garlic to pan.

Fry potatoes for 10-15 minutes, flipping occasionally so that all sides brown. Place potatoes in an oven-safe bowl and store in a 200 F oven until eggs are cooked.

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Crack eggs in pan and cook until the whites of the eggs are cooked, but yolks are still runny.

Prepare hollandaise sauce as indicated on package.

Serve eggs atop potatoes, then drizzle hollandaise sauce over the top.

Nana's Favourite Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze

My Nana's favourite lemon loaf - a lovely treat with tea. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour (I used unbleached flour)
1 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
2 eggs
juice and grated rind of one lemon, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Lightly grease 4 mini loaf pans with butter then sprinkle with flour or use 1 regular-sized loaf pan.

Cream butter and 1 cup sugar together. Add eggs into mixture one at a time until fully combined.

Combine flour and baking soda and add dry ingredients alternately with milk, then add lemon rind.

Pour batter into pan(s) and bake for 30 minutes (OR if using a regular loaf pan, bake for 40 minutes).

Meanwhile, mix lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Heat slightly. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, slowly spoon over topping until all is absorbed. Allow to cool in pan before removing.

Saturday Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

I love how easy it is to make a deliciously tender, fall-apart roast. Try adding potatoes and carrots to the bottom of the crockpot to create a full meal in one pot. Also, the leftovers make a great shepherd's pie!

Ingredients
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 medium onions, chopped
1 beef roast (between 2-3 pounds)
salt and pepper

Directions
Mix cornstarch and water in the bottom of the crock pot until combined and smooth.

Add onion to bottom of crock pot. Toss with salt and pepper. Top with roast.

Pour Worcestershire sauce over roast and cook on LOW setting for 10 hours OR on HIGH setting for 6 hours.

Chocolate-Covered Bacon

A special treat for my favourite guy - bacon for dessert!

Ingredients
6-8 slices maple bacon
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening
slivered almonds, optional garnish

Directions
Turn on broiler to high. Spread almonds on cookie sheet and roast under broiler for 2-5 minutes. Watch carefully as the almonds could burn quickly! Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay bacon on sheet, cover with a second sheet of parchment paper and top with another cookie sheet (bottom pressed against parchment-covered bacon to keep the bacon from curling up).

Bake bacon for about 45 minutes, or until it reaches your desired crispiness. Allow bacon to cool a few minutes, then transfer to a plate with paper towels to cool further.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Heat chocolate chips and shortening in a heat-proof bowl over a pot with boiling water until melted, smooth and shiny (the shortening gives the chocolate a shiny finish).

I ripped the bacon strips in half then dipped them in chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip for a few seconds before dipping some of them into crushed up slivered roasted almonds.

Place bacon on the pre-lined baking sheet and place in the fridge until chocolate has hardened and enjoy!

Note: If you have leftover chocolate and almonds, like I did, mix them together while the chocolate is swill warm then spread onto parchment paper and refrigerate. When chocolate has hardened, break into pieces and store in fridge until you're ready for a sweet treat!

Soft German Pretzels

The pretzels came out much too puffy (like a dinner roll) and not nearly dense enough. I have yet to perfect these. I welcome any tips you may have. Makes 6 large pretzels.


Ingredients
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk (microwaved for 1 minute on high)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions
Combine all ingredients (except the egg) in a bowl and mix together until a ball forms. (I used my stand mixer.) Then mix for 5 minutes in a stand mixer or knead with hands for about 10 minutes, or until a smooth ball is formed.

Place dough ball into a lightly greased bowl and set in a warm place (oven top). Cover with a damp towel to sit for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Bring a pot of water to boil.

Divide dough into 6 equal sections. Roll each ball into a short log, cover with wet towel and let sit for another 5 minutes.

Roll dough logs into about 15-inch long, thin logs. They should be about the width of the a finger. Then fold into a pretzel (folding one end into the middle of the log of dough and the other end over the first loop - see picture.) Press the ends firmly, but not too hard as you don't want to flatten the dough.

Using two spatulas, dunk each of the pretzels into the water for 5 seconds, then place onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. Brush with egg and sprinkle with salt (coarse salt is best here) or other toppings.

Bake pretzels for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with sweet mustard.



*Recipe credit http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pretzels

Carrot and Parsnip Soup

On a fall or winter day, paired with fresh bread and a salad, here's a quick and easy meal! This soup lends itself to many vegetables such as squash or pumpkin. Try experimenting with ingredients to make the soup your own, just keep the ratio of liquid to vegetables approximately equal for a nice thick puree soup. Makes about 6 servings.

Ingredients
about 5 1/2 cups carrots, roughly chopped
about 1-2 parsnips, roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
few sprinkles of chili flakes
fresh ground black pepper to taste
feta cheese for garnish

Directions
Place onion, parsnip(s), carrots, and spices in a large pot with stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 20-25 minutes (or until vegetables are tender).

Blend vegetables using a hand-held stick blender or transfer to a food processor/blender and blend until smooth or until it has just a few bits left - makes for a nice texture if you like. Sprinkle each serving with crumbled feta and black pepper then serve.