Measure or not to Measure Pastitsio

 No Measure Pastitsio.....I'm not a big fan of accurate measuring, well, unless it's reallllly necessary. I kind of like the "dump and pour" method....go my sight and feel. So this is how I make Pastitsio without really measuring........especially fun when I have a new oven to bake it in! You can use meat or  veggies to make this. I like both. Or you can mix them.

FIRST: Cook up a large packet of ground beef with a handful of onions. Or, stir fry any veggies that you like ( I love root vegetables with pinto beans)  till softened. Add a jar of really nice spaghetti sauce, toss in a small amount of sugar to take the acidic taste from the tomatoes. 

SECOND: Boil up a package of rice noodles, more or less. when they are cooked properly, drain, then toss noodles into a 13 x 9 inch pan or casserole dish that you have sprayed with veggie spray.

THIRD: Pour on the spaghetti sauce (meat or veggie or both) over the noodles, till below the rim . Make sure you leave space to add the white sauce. Any leftover sauce that you do not use can be frozen to use in soups, stews, etc. I do this all the time.)

FOURTH: Make white sauce by putting a small  amount of margarine in a large skillet to melt. Add a good shake of flour.....a handful possibly and stir to make a roux. After the flour has incorporated into the margarine take skim milk, or veggie broth, but the skim milk is better, and pour into the pan. I let it go almost to the 3/4 point in the pan. Stir till thickened. You can always toss in a little more flour, and whisk like crazy. Break two eggs into a bowl. Ladle in a little of the white sauce into the eggs and stir....this will stop them from curdling. Then take the egg mixture and dump into the white sauce in the skillet. stir until it thickens. Add a sprinkling of nutmeg. This is very important. Gives the sauce a lovely flavour. Pour the sauce contents over the veggie/meat mixture in the 9 x 13 pan. Discard the leftover sauce. It will not freeze. Sauce will come to top of pan.

FIFTH: Put pan of Pastitsiio on cookie  sheet. Place in 350 degree oven. Bake about 45 minutes till bubbling. Take out, add something green to each plate. I love these sushi veggie rolls ( like in the picture) No, I don't make them...I get them from the  store, once in a while....there is one place that makes them and it is a real treat. Beautiful, green and fresh.)
    And the Pastitsio is not too bad either...................

Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK MUFFINS (these double very well)

(these are incredible….the flavour is that of fresh strawberries mixed with cream)

2 cups flour                 TOPPING: 1/3 cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar                                 3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp baking soda                            pinch gr. ginger
Pinch salt                                      ½ cup flour
1 cup buttermilk                            **sliced strawberries for presentation
½ cup veggie oil                                           (or blueberries)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries (or blueberries)

1.     Line muffin tin with paper liners. Spray with Pam. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.    Combine all ingredients and fold together swiftly and deftly, without over mixing.

3.    Divide batter, evenly, between all muffin liners. This batter doubles great….makes two 12 muffin tins.

4.    In small bowl, combine everything for Topping. Sprinkle on top of muffins.

5.    Bake at 375 degrees about 18 minutes till a sharp knife inserted in centre, comes out clean.

6.    They are very nice served slightly warm, with tiny slices of fresh strawberries ( or blueberries) on top.  The taste is  lovely.

 BEST CHEESE BISCUITS   (So good, and so easy!)
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
pinch salt
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup milk

Grate the cheese..........I actually like doing it by hand.  Then measure all dry ingredients into bowl. Add grated cheese. Make a well in centre, then add wet ingredients. Combine roll or pat out to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place on silpat lined baking sheets. bake in 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Very quick. Very good.   Makes about a dozen.

Recital Goodies ...Triple Whammies

 Recital next week. End of the year shingding rerquires some sort of baking extravaganza. Decided on things that could be made ahead of time, then frozen till required. These big batches are great on large cake trays. Kind of of a triple whammie this time....Banana Muffins, with orange juice, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, and Mrs. O's Scotch Shortbread....

BANANA BREAD MUFFINS (I doubled this recipe)
1/2 cup margarine, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 3 medium mashed up bananas,2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, pinch salt, a splash or two of orange juice so batter will not be too dry.

 Beat all together, pile into greased muffin cups. I topped each one with half a pecan.  Place in preheated 400 degree oven and bake about 18 minutes. Check for doneness and add time if you need it.

 The Muffins come out looking perfectly uniform . This new Convection oven is something else. Mega baking takes on a  whole new meaning.....

 NEXT: OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP CROWD COOKIES( also good doubled)
1 cup margarine, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 cups flour, 2 1/2 cups regular oatmeal, of 1/2 needs to be ground up into the texture of flour ( see picture), pinch salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 14 oz chocolate nibs ( or chips)

 Grind up half the oatmeal into flour..........

 Use Chocolate Nibs ( they are quite decadent). Combine everything together in large bowl. Use your hands to mix.

 Place on cookie sheets with Silpat liners, or parchment paper. Bake at 375 for 6-9 minutes. Should be browned slightly.

Very, very nice cookie.....good for crowd baking. Nice uniform shape and golden in all the right places.

 LASTLY: MRS. O's SCOTCH SHORTBREAD ( I double this as well)
1 pound butter ( NOT margarine), 3 cups flour, 1 cup cornstarch, 1 cup berry sugar ( NOT icing sugar), 2 egg yolks. If doubling recipe, prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Have oven at 335 degrees.

 Combine everything by hand. If doing two batches, so NOT mix together. Keep each batch in their own separate bowls.

 Should reach the consitency as seen in the picture. Nicely kneaded soft dough

 Roll into a ball and then place on cookie sheet parchment paper. Use your fingers and heel of hand to press out towards edges of cookie sheet.On batch will do one cookie sheet.

 Once pressed out to each edge, prick with tines of fork. Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes, adding time, as needed to dry out the shortbread, but not to make it too browned. Just tinged.

Now you have everything ready for goodie trays. Place on goodie trays and let the masses enjoy....

HootyCreeks

Hurray for a convection oven.....cookies bake up  with the proper gooiness intact.....be prepared for people to pounce on them.

HOOTYCREEKS

1st column:                                          2nd column:
1 cup margarine                                  4 cups plus 8 tbsp flour
1 cup butter                                          2 cups rolled oats ( not quick)
1 1/3 cups brown sugar                        2 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cups white sugar                          2 cups dried cranberries
pinch salt                                              3 cups chocolate chips
4 tsp vanilla                                          1 cup chopped pecans ( if you wish)
4 eggs

Beat together 1st column, till well combined.
Then add everything in 2nd column to mixture in large bowl. Use your hands to mix, if you wish, Jsut before you wash them well, before and afterwards.
Plop large teaspoonfuls of dough onto Silpat lined baking sheets ( or use parchment paper). Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.  Just until edges brown. For a more chewy cookie let bake a little longer. Cool on wire racks, then devour at will..................

NEW OVEN...Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

 New Convection Oven.....at last! Ahhhh, it's sooo good to be able to bake again. Tonight we decided to make Lemon Blueberry Muffins for Morgan's work tomorrow. It has been a couple of months since they have had a treat. we cheated, somewhat, taking a lemon cake mix, and making it according to directions on the box, but adding some extras, like 4 eggs, and a cup of greek yogurt. Did not have the ingredients on hand for cupcakes from scratch.......and if you just add a few things, here and there, it will taste like homemade.

 Gold farm eggs in the batter....................

              Use a small melon scoop to ladle batter into paper lined muffin tins.

 Nothing like  convection oven...can bake multiple layers at one time, and still get everything perfectly browned and even. Wow, have I missed that........this is heavenly. Bake at 18 minutes.

 The cupcakes come out perfectly browned and lemony.

Top with a glaze of icing sugar mixed with water and topped with blueberries....fresh, fresh, fresh. Wonderful..............now gobble it up.....

Things to make at your Neighbour's house........

 Today is Morgan's 22nd birthday. we were itching to bake something. She decided she wanted to make banana cakes with peanut butter buttercream. The only problem......no oven. So I called up the neighbours. We only know the neighbours beside us. They are incredibly sweet. They had offered the oven once before, so I decided to take them up on the offer.   They said we could truck over with cake pans and batter and use their oven.  At 8:30 am. Yes, they are very nice neighbours........
     Both and Cake and the cupcakes are banana ( just like  a banana bread, only a little fluffier) and frosted with peanut butter buttercream. The flowers are made from marshmallows, cut into petals, tinted with frosted sugar, and cemented together with white chocolate and a centre that is a smartie or M and M.

Only problem: I really do NOT like bananas cooked into breads or cake, and I do NOT like peanut butter frosting. But that's okay, everyone else will love it........and we brought some over to our sweet neighbours. They said I could bake bread or anything else I wanted at any time........some day my oven will come along, but not today.

Big COOKIE

Things you can kinda make in a toaster oven, but were afraid to ask......especially if it's Day 45 or 46 of not having an oven. It's very difficult not having an oven, especially when you want to try new recipes,and bake and bake till the  flour is gone.  But we do have the toaster oven. Not exactly the same. But  when you get a hankerin' for a chocolate chip cookie.........go grab the refrigerator dough, pile it into the toaster oven tray and bake away.
   Only problem..you have to watch that the dough does not leak over the side. Otherwise, there could be a slight fire and smell of burnt cookies will fill the air.....