Family favourites (old and new)
If you don’t like ginger, don’t make these scones. Back in the day, I had the pleasure of managing Urban Yarn’s first location in Point Grey. One of the perks of the job (besides a dangerous yarn discount) was that the shop was just down …
I got this recipe courtesy of Paul Pettersen, a member of The Cooks Community Forum on Facebook, and a fan of Chicago’s ethnic bakeries. You can’t beat this group for inspiration, and camaraderie. I thank you and my stomach thanks you.
I first made these meatballs with corn flakes and ground beef like the original Kellogg’s “Good and Spicy Meatballs” recipe (Google it – for some reason the link keeps timing out on me so I’ve removed it). It makes a very nice and light meatball. However, I had a whole whack of focaccia bread that was about to go stale, so I made this batch with breadcrumbs. I will say that 2 C breadcrumbs produced a tougher and slightly dryer meatball so I would reduce the bread crumbs to 1 cup next time or go back to the corn flakes version.
A note about breadcrumbs, they are much cheaper to make than to buy. I find it annoying that grocery stores charge $4+ for what is essentially stale bread. Got stale bread? Make breadcrumbs. See the instructions below. I promise, it’s not rocket science and if you are a student on a budget it’s an easy way to stretch a few bucks.
1 lb meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork, veal) or 1 lb ground beef
2 C bread crumbs (or crushed corn flakes).
N.B. If you are using corn flakes sticke with the 2 C if you are using bread crumbs use 1 C.
1 egg slightly beaten
2 Tbsp ketchup
15 oz tomato sauce (any kind will do, I’ve used Ragu, Newman’s, Mutti strained tomatoes etc)
1 small onion (diced fine)
2 Tbsp dill pickle relish (not hotdog relish which is gross. If you don’t have dill pickle relish, skip it altogether)
1/2 C ketchup
1 Tbsp Worscestershire sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Fresh ground pepper to your taste
Slice your bread (if it’s not already sliced) into 1/4 ” thick pieces. Preheat oven to 250 F, place bread in a single layer on cookie sheet and toast for 20 minutes, turn and toast another 20 minutes. You should end up with something dry like bruschetta toasts or rusks. Allow to cool and run the works through a food processor until you get the crumb you want. Store in an air tight container. If you don’t have a food processor, put the baked slices into a plastic bag and use a rolling pin (or a wine bottle) to crush the slices into crumbs.
Who isn’t trying to eat more colourful vegetables these days? I got this lovely recipe from Doug Hellman via The Cook’s Community Forum Facebook group but Doug also has a YouTube channel (Doug Cooking). Thanks, Doug!
After going to the Autumn Fair 2017 at Kits Neighbourhood House and buying three very interesting jams and looking at Sheila’s Easy Delicious Marmalade recipe which she was kind enough to share with me on Facebook’s The Cook’s Community Forum (thanks, Sheila!), I decided I’d …
Guyanese chicken curry has more flavour than heat. It’s easy and delicious but you do need to invest in some Lalah’s curry powder (it is simply the best). You will also need a large deep frying pan with a lid. Continue reading Guyanese Chicken Curry
I’m sure everyone thinks their mom makes the best mashed potatoes ever, but mine really does ;). My kids call these “Mummu Mashed Potatoes” and they are a classic for the holiday table. They also count as major comfort food at my house.
It’s cranberry season, and you can’t beat buttermilk for adding that little extra something to any muffin recipe. This recipe for Cranberry Buttermilk Muffins is a variation on the recipe for Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins in Tom Douglas’ The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook: Sweetness in Seattle.
It’s getting chilly outside, and I wanted comfort food. I had arborio rice and no parmesan, but I did have cheddar and a bit of leftover Rosé that needed to be used. Experiment time. If worse came to worse (it was Friday the 13th) there was always PB and J. N.B. I didn’t need to break out the Skippy.
Continue reading Rosé Risotto with Cheddar Cheese (Say what now?)
Homemade cranberry cause is super easy and can be made the day before to free up time when you are roasting a turkey and preparing all the other dishes that go with a holiday meal. This recipe is simple and (tempting fate) fool proof. Ingredients …