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butter and jam

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I almost didn’t make jam this year.  I  had made it the last two years and loved the process but I was feeling a bit lazy.  After seeing the plump cherries and the lovely blueberries in the store though, I knew that I would regret not making it once the fruit season was gone.

I did a lot of experimenting the last couple years, figuring out what I liked, what worked and what didn’t.  I discovered that my favorite is cherry.  It is so delicious but the process of pitting all the cherries makes me only make one batch a keep it all for myself.  The resulting jam is totally worth the effort.

Another fave is blueberry, and really the easiest jam to make.  The color stays the same as the months go by and I can make this one faster than any other.  Sort through the berries, stick it in the food processor and you’re ready to roll.

I always use a low-sugar pectin so I’m not adding loads of sugar.   To prep the jars, I sterilize them in the dishwasher and make sure the jars are still hot when I fill them with the hot jam mixture.  You will soon hear the delightful popping of the lids, telling you that the jars are properly sealed.

The day after making the jam, I was chatting with friends about how their family makes butter in the blender.  Whip cream until it separates and you’ve got an amazing sweet butter.  Of course, after talking about this, I just had to go home and try it.  I used the stand mixer and in 10 minutes, I had fresh butter to go with my homemade jam and some scones.  It was the easiest thing, but I felt like Martha Stewart.

The last few days have been filled with fresh jam, making me so happy that I didn’t let my laziness get the better of me.

celebrating 37 years with a turtle cheesecake

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My parents just celebrated their 37th anniversary!  This definitely called for a celebration, and every celebration calls for cake.  Tired of making the usual though, I wanted to do something different.  I decided to do a cheesecake, a dessert that my dad loves.

I knew this cheesecake needed nuts, chocolate and caramel and after doing a search, this recipe was found on the Kraft website.  The layers of caramel and pecans are divine.  As good as it tastes when you first make it, it tastes even better the next day, if there’s any left!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  Love you lots!

 

Ultimate Turtle Cheesecake

2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
6 Tbsp.  butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg. caramels
1/2 cup  milk
1 cup chopped pecans
3 pkg. cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 eggs
2 squares chocolate, melted

Heat oven to 325°F.

Mix crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and 2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan.

Microwave caramels and milk in small microwaveable bowl on high 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Stir in nuts; pour half into crust. Refrigerate 10 min. Refrigerate remaining caramel mixture for later use.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over caramel layer in crust.

Bake 1 hour 5 min. to 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Microwave reserved caramel mixture 1 min.; stir. Pour over cheesecake. Melt chocolate and drizzle over cheesecake.

mini pink cupcakes with chocolate icing

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We are slowly recovering from my sister-in-law’s week long wedding extravaganza.  It was a great week spent with close family and friends.  It was also a week surrounded by lots and lots of food!

Most of the cooking was done by family and they fed crowds of up to 500 people!  I tried to do my part and made items such as quinoa salad, couscous salad, kulfi and smores on a stick.  One favorite were these little pink cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing.  They were really supposed to be red velvet cupcakes, like the ones I had made last month for my sister’s birthday.  In my hurry though, I forgot to add the cocoa and out from the oven came these little pink morsels.  I figured since I missed out on the chocolate in the cake, we must add some on it.

Congratulations to R2.  Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!

Mini Pink Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup homemade yogurt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoons red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg beating until a creamy texture. Add 1/4 of the flour and mix, then add 1/3 of the buttermilk mix .

Continue adding the flour and the buttermilk until all the ingredients are mixed.

Use two teaspoons and carefully scoop the batter into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Transfer the baked cupcakes to a wire rack to cool. Chocolate Buttercream Icing

6 tbsp. butter
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tbsp. cocoa
2 to 3 tbsp. milk

Cream butter.  Add sugar and cocoa mixture to butter and mix again. Add milk to the butter mixture until a proper consistency is reached.

kulfi two ways

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In our house, we love kulfi.  Kulfi is a popular indian ice-cream. It is 3 types of milk mixed together and frozen in a mold.  It’s easy, and can be made by anyone since an ice cream machine is not needed.

Using my mom’s recipe, I made some kulfi and froze it in a glass dish, topped with some roasted almonds.  I got to thinking though (since I’ve kidnapped my dad’s ice cream machine) – would it taste better if placed in an ice cream machine?  Would the addition of air actually change the taste?  Using the same recipe, I placed it in the machine to compare.

The answer – YES!  The ice cream that came from the machine was more decadent than the kulfi that was just frozen.  Hubby was convinced that I used a different recipe since it tasted so different.  Don’t get me wrong, we love the kulfi that I have been eating for most of my life.  The machine version though, turned it into something very different, in a good way.  I just love ice cream experiments!

Kulfi

1 cup whipping cream
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
3 splashes of kewra essence
roasted almonds

Mix the milks and essence together and pour into a shallow dish and top with almonds.  The mixture can alternately be put into popsicle molds.  If using an ice cream machine, add the almonds in the last five minutes.

chicken kebabs

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I can’t believe it’s already July.  Time is just flying by!  We spent Canada Day at Calaway Park which Q totally enjoyed.  Luckily he enjoyed the rides, unlike his mamma, and he can’t wait to go back.  We just had to finish the day with a bbq.  I wanted something easy, that would take a few minutes to pull together.  I made the meat mixture for the kebabs before we left for some amusement park fun.  Food didn’t take long once we got home and threw the chicken on the grill.

Chicken Kebabs

1 lb ground chicken
1/2 onion, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
handful cilantro, finely chopped
handful mint, finely chopped
2 TB yogurt
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
salt
pepper

In a large bowl mix all ingredients together.  Let the meat sit for an hour or two in the fridge.  Make small logs out of the meat mixture using the back of a wooden spoon.  I placed the kebabs in a grill basket and placed it on the grill to avoid it from sticking and falling in.  Serve with pita and tzatziki.

jalapeno hummus

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With my sister-in-law’s wedding coming up next month, we took the time last week to celebrate with a bridal shower.  It was a wonderful afternoon with her close friends and family spoiling the bride-to-be.  I think no party is complete without a great dip, so we made sure there were two.  I made my usual Roasted Red Pepper Dip.  I also made hummus which was served with mini pitas. 

A couple months ago, hubby was obsessed with a jalapeno hummus we had at a party so we made a few batches, trying to perfect the recipe.  This is the recipe which we came up with, although I did leave out the jalapeno for the party.  It’s easy peasy and perfect with bread or veggies.

Jalapeno Hummus

1 28-oz. can chick peas
1 cup yogurt
3 cloves garlic
1 TB tahini
zest of one lemon
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Dump everything in a food processor and blend until combined. 

mini red velvet cupcakes for my sister’s birthday

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My sister’s coming for a visit!  S currently lives in Tajikistan, a mountainous country in Central Asia.  It’s a long way to travel and her visits are always way too short!

With yesterday being my sister’s birthday, we definitely need cake to welcome her home.  I had some cream cheese icing in the freezer, just needed a cake that we could slather it on.  Besides carrot cake, the only other thing that came to mind was red devil.  I had never made it before and on my hunt for a recipe, many had full bottles or more of food colouring!  The recipe that I finally settled on only had 1 tablespoon.  This recipe for mini red devil cupcakes comes from Simple Recipes.  I didn’t have buttermilk so swapped it out with some homemade yogurt (which my mom makes for us weekly – I know, I am so spoiled!).

This was a simple recipe and these cupcakes were delicious!  Hope S loves them too!



Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup homemade yogurt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoons red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg beating until a creamy texture. Add 1/4 of the flour and mix, then add 1/3 of the buttermilk mix .

Continue adding the flour and the buttermilk until all the ingredients are mixed.

Use two teaspoons and carefully scoop the batter into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Transfer the baked cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.

For the frosting, I used this cream cheese icing.

father’s day and passion fruit ice cream

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This year, we celebrated Father’s Day with a Mexican Fiesta!  Fried fish, tortilla chips with fresh salsa and guacamole started out our meal alongside some margaritas.  Our main was fajitas with shredded, barbecued chicken with grilled peppers and onions.  It was a simple menu but packed a lot of flavour and our families were full and satisfied.

For dessert, we cooled our palates with homemade ice cream.  I’m a bit addicted to my dad’s ice cream machine.  It was supposed to be a weekend loan but I’m having too much fun, I haven’t given it back.  This time, I experimented with passion fruit!  Using only one passion fruit gave the ice cream a subtle flavour.  It was a hit and this recipe is definitely a keeper.  Hope all the fathers had a great day being spoiled by loved ones!

Passion Fruit Ice Cream

1 cup whipping cream
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 – 2 passion fruit (pulp and seeds)

Mix the above ingredients together and follow the instructions of your ice cream machine.

chocolate cupcakes for graduation

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It’s convocation day!!  Hubby is getting his Masters today! S has worked hard for this degree.  It took a few years, with him squeezing it in while working many hours at a demanding job.  He also had a baby at home wanting to play and a wife wanting some attention too.  It was hard work, with sleepless nights, so this calls for some celebration.  As with any milestone, cake is definitely in order!   

I think this might be my new favorite cupcake recipe.  It’s Martha Stewart’s One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes.  No need to separate the dry ingredients from the wet and they were ready in 20 minutes!  I didn’t have buttermilk so I substituted that with yogurt mixed with some water and I used canola oil rather than safflower.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
  
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

potluck at julie’s

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This weekend, we attended a community potluck at Julie’s house.  Inspired by a potluck she attended in Tofino, Julie, from Dinner with Julie, bravely invited the internet (!) to her house for a fun little get together.

Julie and her husband Mike were gracious hosts and made everyone feel welcome.  It was great to meet her devoted readers and eat their delicious assortment of food.  It was also nice to catch up with fellow food bloggers, Cheryl from Backseat Gourmet and Gail from The Pink Peppercorn.

Q had a lot of fun with the kids in the back yard and hubby enjoyed himself as well.  The food was amazing!  Ranging from cookies, salads, vegetables and even fresh bread, it was nice to try a little bit of everything.  I especially loved the quinoa salad which we made tonight and had for dinner.  It will definitely be a regular at our house!

It was hard trying to decide what to bring to a potluck, and at Julie’s house no less.  I brought along dhokra, savoury steamed cakes made with wheatlets.  I figured it was something different for everyone to try.  I also made some red pepper shrimp which I stuffed in to puff pastry shells.  For those that asked, the recipe for the shrimp can be found here.  For the shells, I cut little squares of ready made puff pastry which I put into muffin molds and baked at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes until they were golden.

Thanks again to Julie for the great gathering!