VEGETARIAN MINCEMEAT

  THought it would be good to add some pictures to this mincemeat recipe that I posted last blog. Doesn't hurt to repost it again. Really is easy to make, and tastes soooo much better than store bought. I puree the finished result so that it is not so chunky.

MINCEMEAT (VEGETARIAN) 2011

2 large apples, grated
1 12 ounce can frozen apple juice, thawed
1 cup dried apples, chopped
¾ cup dark raisins
¾ cup golden raisins
3/cup dried currants
¾ cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup mixed candied peel
1/3 cup candied lemon peel
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup dark rum ( maybe a little more)
½ cup brandy ( this time I used 1 cup brandy since there wasn't any rum in the house)
4 tablespoons butter
½ tsp gr. Cinnamon
½ tsp gr. Allspice
½ tsp gr nutmet
½ tsp cloves
Pinch kosher salt

Combine in large pot. Cook till it boils, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often for about 30 minutes, till liquid is almost evaporated. Transfer to large bow. Cool.Puree to smooth out . Use immediately, or can , or freeze. If you leave in fridge, it will keep for about a month, but stir in a ¼ cup brandy every week. Wow! That would be rich!

Mincemeat Tarts with homemade Mincemeat

Not Christmas without Mincemeat Tarts.......andthey have to have little hats sprouting from their juicy, mincy heads, AND be sprinkled with icig sugar. Mum always served them on the antique cake plate I use now. She used to make her own pastry ( I do that sometimes) , and stuff them into muffin tins.  But, I've found that it is a lot easier to just use the frozen tart shells from the grocer's freezer. I take my own pastry to make the "hats" or circles, then back them at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes,  till golden. Makes a pile of tarts that I can freeze in baggies with  a ribbon, for gifting, or to keep in a ziploc bag in the freezer for us........but they don't last long, and that's a good thing. Cause then I just have to make more litle tarts with hats.........

MINCEMEAT (VEGETARIAN) 2011

(Mum used to make this with a tad of suet......can use olive oil for the fat portion instead)

2 large apples, grated
1   12 ounce can frozen apple juice, thawed
1 cup dried apples, chopped
¾ cup dark raisins
¾ cup golden raisins
3/cup dried currants
¾ cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup mixed candied peel
1/3 cup candied lemon peel
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup dark rum ( maybe a little more)
½ cup brandy
4 tablespoons butter
½ tsp gr. Cinnamon
½ tsp gr. Allspice
½ tsp gr nutmet
½ tsp cloves
Pinch kosher salt

Combine in large pot. Cook till it boils, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often for about 30 minutes, till liquid is almost evaporated. Transfer to large bow. Cool. Use immediately, or can , or freeze. If you leave in fridge, it will keep for about a month, but stir in a ¼ cup brandy every week. Wow! That would be rich!

Apple Pie

CHRISTMAS APPLE PIE (2011)    (PASTRY RECIPE FOLLOWING)

5-6 cups  thinly sliced apples        
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup melted butter
3 tblsp flour
Sprinkle of cinnamon

1.      Combine everything ( except pastry), pile into shell.Taste apples. They are wonderful with sugar and brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled.  Note to self: make apples like this for snack. Yum.

2.      Dot with margarine.

3.      Cover with pastry and turn edges up.

4.      Wash with milk, or water , sprinkle with coarse sugar.

5.      Bake  at 375 degrees for about an hour. Test with knife to see if apples are done.

Serve with good French vanilla ice cream, sit by the Christmas tree, and enjoy

VANCOUVER ISLAND PASTRY: (Never fails. Good frozen in flat discs for later on)

6 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 lb chilled shortening
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
1 cup ice water

Combine flour, salt and cut up chilled lard into this mix.
Cut in with pastry cutter, till the mix resembles peas.
Mix the liquids together with the egg. Make a well in centre of dry ingredients, and dump in the liquids.

 Stir together , quickly, with a fork will a soft , and combine into a soft ball.

Divide this ball into 6 segments, flatten each one and wrap in plastic wrap. So easy. So convenient.

(These can now spend their short lives in the fridge, for 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.)

Greek Christmas Party

 Christmas party with Greek Menu. Table settings with old china and yardages of fabric as tablecloths.

 Menu included Apple Wine and Red Wine, both gifts from guests..............

 Rosemary bread for dipping in Skordalia (Garlic Sauce).................

 Fruit, Chilled Ice Water, Fasolakia me Tomates ( Green beans in tomatoes), Spanakorizo (Spinach Rice with veggies).........

 Pastitsio, Pstites Patates ( Lemon Potatoes), Salata, Lemon and Olive Oil Chicken............

 Manitario Xithata ( Marinaed Mushrooms).......

 FOR DESSERT:  Melomakarona (Greek Shortbread)...................

 and Bougatsa, with Rooibos Tea................

                                                                  Merry Christmas.........

GREEK GARLIC SAUCE

 GARLIC SAUCE........................as much garlic as you like........or less, if you like..........recipe down below............

                                                                 Soaking bread

                                                                            Liquids

 Bread combined with liquids. You can use white vinegar, but I only had red wine vinegar....

                                                                  Blending, blending.....

GREEK GARLIC SAUCE ( non dairy) from Maria 1991

Garlic, crushed, to taste….can use up to one head of garlic.
1 cup olive oil
1 loaf white bread, with crusts removed
½ cup red wine vinegar
Kosher salt to taste

In large bowl add garlic, oil, vinegar.
In another bowl soak white bread in cold water.
With a Blender, or Braun blender, combine liquids with the bread till smooth. This will keep in for a few days in fridge. Do not freeze. Wonderful on any  sort of greek food. If too runny, add more bread, if too stiff, add more vinegar or olive oil.

BOUGATSA (Greek)

 BOUGATSA....wonderful stuff. Perfect to have with company coffee at Christmas.

 Take one pack phyllo pastry. Accordion pleat ALL of it into cookie sheet. Brush with a bit of melted butter, just enough to cover pastry.

 Bake at 35 about 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Watch it so it does not burn.

Combine 1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, and 1 cup of water. Pour over baked phyllo pastry. Put back in oven and bake about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.........

BUTTERSCOTCH CONFETTI

 Butterscotch Confetti. Freezes great. Contains peanut butter...........make a big batch.....good for gifties.

 Take 5 bags of butterscotch chips, melt with a cup of good peanut butter ( not the sugary kind), and 1/2 cup of margarine. ( Actually I don't measure everything.....but it is approximately these measurements)

 Beat till smooth after 2 minutes in the microwave to melt evenly.

 Take 2 bags of jet puffed marshmallows.....

                                                         Fold into chip mixture

Spread into wax paper line 13 x 9 inch pan. Let set in fridge. Cut into squares, freeze or enjoy immediately. Rapture..........

Reindeer Poop Pops

Don't you just want to say that five times, real fast? Poop Pops, Poop Pops.........Easy and different.

METHOD: Bake an ordinary cake mix in a 13" pan. Let cool slightly. Crumble up cake. Make a nice soft buttercream frosting, any recipe you wish, add the crumbled cake. Roll into balls. Freeze for a few hours on a wax paper lined tray.

                             Dip in melted chocolate wafers.............................ooey and gooey.

Swirl with melted whte chocolate. Makes a nice sized treat. A little rich.......but kidn of fun. And you can say Poop pops over and over while you eat them.........

Melomakarona ( Greek Shortbread)

MELOMAKARONA ( Maria Zoukis 1998…Greek Honey Shortbread. Another wonderful recipe from Maria. She made these Every Christmas, when we lived in Petawawa, and St. Albert. It’s not Christmas without them.)

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda                                            SYRUP: 1 cup honey, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup water
1 cup olive oil
¼ cup sugar
½ cup brandy
¼ cup orange juice
1 tbsp grated orange rind
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon

1.In a bowl, Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and mix well.

2.Combine oil, sugar, brandy, orange juice and orange rind. This concoction will smell incredible...

3.Mix this into the flour. Dough should be soft and pliable when kneading.

4.Roll out and cut in oval shapes about 2 ½ - 3 inches . I shape them by hand.

5.Place on greased baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes till browned

6.To make syrup, mix all ingredients in small pot and boil for 5 minutes. Let cool.

Dip HOT shortbread into cooled syrup, place in container or on serving plate and sprinkle with chopped walnuts and cinnamon.

**Store shortbread without syrup. Freezes great. You can make the syrup for a later date. But I have found that they taste great without the syrup as well.

This recipe comes from my wonderful friend, Maria Zoukis, who I first met in Petawawa, Ontario, when we were first married. Her oldest son, Kimon, used to take piano lessons from me. One of my first memories of Kimon was at his first lesson, where he promptly stood on the piano bench and tried to climb in, so he could get a better look………and we’ve all been “family” ever since……

BROWN SUGAR TRUFFLES

Soooo easy. Take a can of Eagle Brand Condensed milk, add a cup of brown sugar, and a cup of butter. Heat to boiling point in microwave. (You can do this in a saucepan, but the mixture has less chance of burning in the microwave. Beat for 5 minutes with a mixer. This will help dissolve any remaining sugar crystals. Pour into a pan to somewhat harden. Melt chocolate wafers in microwave ( use a glass bowl). Take a melon ball sized scoop of the filling which has been firming up in the fridge. Plop into the melted chocolate. Swirl in the melted chocolate. Plop on wax paper. Sprinkle with any desired topping......nuts, sprinkles, coconut or leave plain. Place in fridge to firm up. These freeze well. I do not fuss over the shape.....but you can if you want. I like the uneveness of the truffle. More interesting.......besides , they don't seem to last long. Great as gifties in little cellophane bags.

RASPBERRY ALMOND SHORTBREAD

RASPBERRY-ALMOND SHORTBREADS ( 2011 100 Best Cookies)

(This doubles really well for larger cookies)

1 cup butter
2/3 white sugar
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
½ cup seedless ( important) raspberry jam

TOPPING: Coarse sugar or coloured sugar

Beat all cookie ingredients together. Chill 1 hour.

Form into balls. Indent with thumb. Drop into a dollop of raspeberry jam. Sprinkle with sugar of choice. Bake at 350 degrees fo about 10 minutes. When cooled can be frozen. When ready to serve you can mix up a little white icing sugar drizzle and sprinkle over top, or serve without.

BIG PAN SHORTBREAD

BIG PAN SHORTBREAD (2011  100 Best Cookies)

2 cups butter
1 cup icing sugar
3 ½ cups flour
½ cup cornstarch

Blend all together.

Press into parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes at 325 degrees (check and add time as needed).

When done, take out of oven, slice the warm dough into squares or rectangles. Let cool completely.

Drizzle with dark and white chocolate. Package up in little clear bags for yummy treats.

GREEK NUT FILLED SWEET

NUT-FILLED SWEET (possibly from Crete) (1991 from Maria Zoukis, in Petawawa, Ontario, Canada)

                                                                       

FILLING:
1 cup ground almonds and pecans or walnuts ( use coffee grinder)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar
¾ cup water

PASTRY:
½ cup butter
½ cup olive oil
½ cup milk
¼ cup water
½ cups plain flour ( more or less)
1 tsp baking powder

Icing sugar to dust with after baking

Grinding almonds and walnuts or pecans

FOR FILLING: Combine ingredients and microwave at high till thick. Takes about 8 minutes. Do at two minute intervals and stir in between. Set aside to cool slightly.

PASTRY: Melt butter, add oil, milk, water, baking powder and mix. Add  enough flour to make a soft, elastic dough that is not dry and not sticky. I do not measure the flour, I just guesstimate and see how much is needed.

     Roll out dough to ¼” thickness and cut with 2” round cutter. 

     Place little dabs of filling in centre of circles. Fold together and press with tines of fork.

      Bake at 350 degrees about 10-15 minutes.

      These freeze great, without the icing sugar. When ready to serve, dust with icing sugar and enjoy.

       I first tasted these when we lived in Petawawa, and my good friend Maria was introducing us to all sorts of yummy Greek dishes. When I make these, I think of her,and all the wonderful days we had together, when our families would get together. We may be across the miles but kindred spirits are never far away.....I really believe that.