Red Velvet with Stars

 "Stars upon Thars" as Dr. Suess would say. Red velvet cupcake ( from a MIX!) then decorated up to be really pretty. Used a toothpick to hold the Star Fruit in place and topped with raspberries, or blackberries. So easy.

 Betty Crocker (yes, it IS a MIX! Isn't tht cool?!) finally has come out with a red velvet mix that tastes great.

Breaking it apart...nice texture, good taste, not really red. More like a devil's food........ nice.

Stars and Apples

 Also known as Carambola, the Star Fruit is native to Indonesia, Phillipines, Malaysia,  India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It has been cultivated in many other countries, for hundreds of years. Once in a while, we see it here, when grocers are able to get the fruit.

 The entire fruit is edible, including the waxy skin.Ripe Carambolas are sweet, kind of like grapes, without being overwhelming. I think they are just beautiful, and use them to decorate. Makes everything more of a feast to the eyes.
      On the other hand, have found a new use for apples. This is a Potatoe/Apple dish I plop into the crock pot and let cook for hours, till dinner time. I use a number of potatoes and quartered apples, with the skin....better texture. I added a 1/2 cup of leftover wine ( you can use apple juice, but it's not the same. Add about a cup  of veggie broth, a cup of spaghetti sauce ( not canned tomatoes, real spaghetti sauce), a sprinkle of sugar, a pinch of kosher salt, a grind of pepper. Lastly add cilantro in the mix and let cook. The apples will soften to a nice consistency. So good a side dish or as a main.

My Potatoe-Parsnip Soup

 One of favourite things is Potatoe Soup. But I love to tweak it up a notch. It isn't exactly what it appears. There is no milk, cream, eggs, etc in the broth. Also, no salt added. I love it with garlic toast, or with a tortilla wrap for dipping.Pure heaven on a windy, cold winter's night.

 The ingredient amounts are kind of up to individual.  But here are the rough estimates, for making in  good sized stock pot:

2 cups water to thin out
1 carton veggie broth ( use two if you are making a bigger batch)
handful chopped onions
handful chopped green onions
handful chopped celery
12-14 medium potatoes, some with their skin on, some peeled
7 carrots chopped in chunks
7 parsnips chopped in chunks
handful of cilantro
pinch or two of garlic
pinch of basil. thyme, rosemary
Goodly grind of black pepper
2 cups of homemade pea soup , or half  large can of Habitant pea soup

 Chop potatoes and parsnips well. Leave some skin on a few potatoes

 Carrots make for a great colour in the  broth

 Let ingredients bubble in pot for about 40 minutes till veggies are tender. Then whiz soup until you reach desired consistency......

 Serve in bowls with a garnish, can even add a dollop of yogurt or sour cream. The soup has a lovely taste, slightly sweet, from the parsnips. Needs no salt. The additionof the pea soup helps bind it together. You can also throw in dried peas, or lentils to cook, but I find it works better with soup already on hand.

GREEK STYLE COFFEE CAKE

GREEK STYLE YOGURT COFFEE CAKE

(I use this a a bread, by lowering the sugar content, below half of what it asks for, or even more. Very nice with  potatoe soup)

CAKE:
1 cup greek style yogurt (I used the one with honey )
1 tsp baking soda mixed in the yogurt

½ cup softened margarine
¾ cup sugar, or less, if you wish
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour, half whole wheat
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt

TOPPING: ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon

(You can add nuts if you wish, but I don’t)

DIRECTIONS:  Combine everything for cake , except the baking soda infused yogurt. Once the rest is mixed well, then fold in the yogurt mixture.

Pile  half in an 8 inch cake pan, then sprinkle half the Topping mixture, top with rest of cake batter, and sprinkle with rest of Topping.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Just be sure to test for doneness at about 30 minutes. It may surprise you! This is lovely to use as a bread….just lower the sugar content a little. Does not hurt the cake at all.

CUPCAKE DECORATING

 Some of Morgan's creations, for a client in town. Cupcakes with spring like headpieces....

 Made from mini-marshmallows, the variegated colours just pop out like spring flowers.

 Hundreds of little spring hats, just waiting to be admired.

Double the exitement....dual hats for each cupcake.Spring is springing....

Finnish Nissua

FINNISH NISSUA

(tender, soft  bread to have with coffee, or just because…..can be smothered with a glaze or left plain, as shown. Makes 3 loaves)

2 cups milk
½ cup marg
Pinch salt
4 ½ tsp fast rising yeast
¾ cup sugar
½ cup warm water
3 eggs
1 tsp Cardamom
7 ½ cups flour ( half whole wheat/half white)

Combine milk, water, marg, salt and heat to melt margarine.

Add sugar, yeast, and three eggs. Beat well.

Toss in cardamom (Cardamom is from the ginger family.and has been used in Asia as an antidote to snake venom. It is often used to treat digestice issues. Guatemala is the biggest export of cardamom)

Add half the flour and beat till spongy.

Add rest of flour, carefully, making sure you do not add too much or the dough will be too stiff. Dough should be wonderfully light and elastic after kneading.

Let rise until double, then pull apart into three pieces. Divide each piece and make 3 braids.

Place in three, greased loaf pans ( or you can place on a cookie sheet). Let rise. They will rise qickly. Bake at 35o for about 35 minutes.

rising

before brushing

After brushing.....

Unmold from pans and immediately brush warm Nissau with melted margarine. This keeps the crust tender, and gives it a fabulous sheen.

Pan de Muerto

PAN de MUERTO ("Day of the Dead "Bread) (makes 2 loaves but next time I  would make only one large loaf.)

(In Mexican tradition, this sweet, buttery read is a fixture at Day of the Dead Holy Celebrations, Nov. 1 and 2nd. This bread is eaten at the altar or graveside of the deceased, in remembrance. The strips of dough on top are to represent the bones..........Serve the sugar toped loaves with Mexican Hot chocolate, or coffee.)

½ cup milk                                      TOPPING: 4 tbsp melted butter

6 tbsp butter                                                     ¼ cup white sugar
Zest of one orange
3 large eggs
1 ¾ tsp fast rising yeast
3 ½ cups flour
¼ white sugar
Pinch kosher salt

Spray two cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt butter in  ½ cup milk
Add zest of orange, eggs, sugar , salt and yeast. Beat well.
Add flour.

Combine and knead. Dough should be slightly stiff, and springy.

Let rise till doubled in bulk….I usually put on the preheating oven.

Divide dough in half. Pull off a little bit of dough to make the cross on the top of each loaf. In reality, true Day of the dead bread has a  dough ball at the top and rosary shaped "beads" of dough down the side, and look kind of like bones.  I opted to just do a cross...... Shape dough and place in pre-greased cake pan(s). Take remaining dough and form crosses on top . Brush with milk or egg.Let rise till doubled. Bake at 350 degrees about 30-40 minutes. Should be golden all over.

TOPPING: Brush warm loaves with melted butter, then sprinkle sugar over all. Let cool. Best the day of baking. Can be frozen for 2 months.

Pera y los Molletes de Arandano

Or........Pear and Blueberry Muffins.......but I must say it sounds ever so exquisite in Spanish.

1 cup unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
¼ tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup pureed pears
1 ½ tsp zested orange peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup buttermilk

 1 ½ cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Spray 12 cup muffin pan

PUREE PEARS after draining off juice.

Combine  everything, except berries, and fold together.

NOTE: Zest of One orange is good for this recipe

Add blueberries and fold together.

Bake about 20 minutes. Check for doneness. Add extra time if needed.  Lovely, tender muffin.

DANISH FLATBREAD

 THis is lovely stuff. anish Flatbread. Full of oatmeal. Wonderful with honey, or with dinner, or with any spread you desire. But honey seems to be the best. It is not rollable, and is best broken into pieces. The oatmeal can be ground up in a  coffee grinder, or a small food processor. Easy, easy.

3 cups rolled oats, ground
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup margarine

 Grind oats till crumbly.

 Measure all ingredients ito large bowl. Mix well to form soft but fairly stiff dough. Let rest 20 minutes.

 Divide dough into 8 portions, and form into balls.

Roll out each ball into flat circles, to fit fry pan. Fry on hot, greased pan till brown on both sides. When brown spots appear it is ready. They are rather fragile, but that's okay. They have a  wonderful, almost nutty taste.

WHITE VEGETARIAN SPAGHETTI

 WHITE VEGETARIAN SPAGHETTI
   I'm not big on tomatoe based spaghetti. I am not sure why. But I love white sauce spaghetti. As long as there are tons of veggies in it. This one uses rice pasta ( I am big believer in rice pasta) and an entire bunch of Kale.......oh yum, yum, yum.Most of the ingredients are approximations. I'm not big on measuring. Just go with how you feel. Do everything to taste.

1 pkg rice pasta, cooked and drained
3 cups ( or more) of sliced mushrooms
Handful of the following veggies: onions, variegated peppers, carrot  slices, broccoli
1 large bunch of Kale, chopped
1 can of cream of mushroom soup, plus 1/2 a can of water.
1/2 cup cream or 1/2 and 1/2
Cooked white beans, if you wish
Swiss cheese, grated and sprinkled throughout.
Cheddar cheese, grated and sprinkled on top.
Salt, pepper, basil, marjoram, cilantro, garlic ( all to taste)

1. Cook Pasta.
2. Saute veggies.

Combine cooked pasta, with veggies, mushroom soup, herbs, etc. Pile into greased casserole. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. I am not a big believer of using soup in recipes, but once in a while, it makes it a lot easier. If I was to do this without the soup, I would either make a white sauce, or use veggie broth. But today I was lazy.....I really must get over this laziness.....makes me use cans of soup.....

DARN GOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE with BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

For when you have unexpected company, or you just gotta have that chocolate fix......

DARN GOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE with

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 pkg devil’s food cake mix
1 box instant pudding mix ( vanilla or chocolate)
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

Beat all together, Batter will be very thick.
pour into two round greased cake pans. Bake at 350 about 29 minutes.Frost with Buttercream

BUTTERCREAM (Creamy and not overly sweet)
1 cup butter
2 and 2/3 cups icing sugar
1/3  cup whipping cream
½ tsp vanilla
Add Cocoa powder to suit your taste:
1/3 cocoa for light
               or

½ cup for medium

                or

¾ cup for dark

Beat all together. Comes together nicely, is creamy and lovely to spread on cake. Cut cake layers in half to make four layers.

 Serve with fresh berries to some special company.......

 Going.......................................

 Going..................................

Gone..........

Roasted Root Veggies

 ROASTED ROOT VEGGIES
   Line a large ( and I mean large) roasting pan with foil. Turn oven on to 350 degrees. Need also: 1 cup white wine ( I  freeze leftover wine to cook with), 1/4 olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, 1/ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 cup veggie broth ( if you wish, or 1 cup water),garlic, thyme, fresh rosemary sprigs, cilantro. You can use a little of the seasonings, or a  lot, depending on your preference.

 Gather a number of root veggies...carrots, potatoes, squash ( also turnips, beets, etc). Whatever amount you wish. Peel away at carrots and squash. Leave potatoes with skins on.

 Love this Butternut Squash (Curcurbita moschata), also known in Australia and New Zealand as Butternut Pumpkin.It is also commonly used in South Africa and is a favourite.

 A good source of  fibre, Vitamin C,  manganese, and potassium. Excellent source of Vitamin A and E
Pile all veggies int pan and cover with the other ingredients. Turn over a few time to coat evenly.

 Fresh rosemary. Can't get fresher than this. Picked fresh rosemary covered in snow. Rapturous scent.

Bake for a hour and  a half approximately, till potatoes are knife tender...they take the longest to bake. Be sure to turn veggies over once in a while so they cook evenly.Amazing scent from the herbs.