Eat Your Veggies

I could not resist taking a picture of these veggies....so colourful, so beautiful in their steam bucket. Carrots, Butternut Squash, and shredded broccoli................
  In one of my old cookbooks, from 1887, they term vegetables as "potatoes and not much more". Apparently that is all that was available. There were tons of recipes for potatoes. Some cookbooks even had recipes for Turnips, peas, parsnips ( which were considered only good for horses), string beans and asparagus, if you lived in the city. Tomatoes seem to appear off and on, more likely in season, but mostly stewed, baked, stuffed and fried with potatoes ( there's that staple once again), A few years into the 1890's and a few other veggies made there appearance, usually stewed, or boiled: Cauliflower, beets, egg plant ( fried of course), and Oyster Plant, which would have been washed, scraped and boiled,  then dipped in egg and fried ( of course).
   At times, the more adventurous cookbook would dare the new cook to boil up macaroni and toss in some tomatoes with potatoes ( of course), making sure all of it was boiled ( of course) to perfect donenss.
  I think I kind of like the veggies we can  find today.......bright and happy, and less boiled....

ORANGE PUMPKIN LOAF RECIPE

ORANGE PUMPKIN LOAF ( 2011)

Make in two full size loaf pans, or in 11 mini loaf pans. Adjust time accordingly….(Be sure to double recipe to do this) Below is given ingredients for one regular loaf pan.

1/3 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup orange juice
1 grated and pureed orange
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ cup chopped nuts ( I use pecans)
½ cups dried cranberries ( I toss in a bit more for good measure)

Cream all wet ingredients, then add ground up orange. Add all dry and combine together..do not beat, or you will be sorry…gets tough that way. Plop into pans. The mini loaf pans are great. Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour with larger loaf pans. Bake for about 30 minutes with mini pans. Just be sure to check after 20 minutes, with a sharp knife plunged into the centre to test for doneness.

Cool and wrap to freeze. Serve with anything and everything…..

SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES ( 2011)

(double the recipe for 5 cookie sheets of cookies)

½ cup margarine, not butter or shortening
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
2 eggs
1      tsp vanilla
One 8 ounce container sour cream
2 ½ cups flour
2     cups semi sweet chocolate pieces

Combine wet ingredients, then add dry.Drop by rounded teaspoons , rather chunkily, on silpat lined baking sheets. Bake in 375 oven for about 9 minutes. Should be a gold brown on the edges of the cookies, and tender to touch, not wet or dried out. They are quite nice and the sour cream keeps them moist.
   I found they were a little "firmer" than my favourite Award Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies.....but freeze well. Would do great on any plate, provided they last that long...

Small Loaf tins

 Today it's not so much about the recipe as about the cute little pans I found. This way I can make indivdual loaves, freeze them, and not waste any part of the loaf. How many times have I taken out a larger loaf, cut off a few slices, and left it in the fridge to die.......The little loaves are 4" x 2", and the pan houses 8. So cute......Found them in a kitchen store, but have seen them in hardware stores and Superstore as well.  And they are so darn cute.......

Orange Pumpkin Loaf with real orange smooshed up and added to the batter.

ULTIMATE MAC and CHEESE with ANGEL FOOD CAKE

 ULTMATE MAC adn CHEESE....great birthday fare. Boil water, dump in rice pasta, cook till tender. Make a white sauce, pour in about 3 cups of grated cheese. Combine with cooked pasta, sprinkle a cup of bread crumbs over the casserole ( 9x13) . Bake 20 minutes at 350 then enjoy......

 Really nice. Morgan made it with a touch of garlic. I found it to be quite rich...just had a small portion, but I wanted to inhale the entire casserole......

And  what would a birthday be without cake? Stephen's facourite is Angel Food.  This is layered with jam, a very old fashioned way to do things. Makes its insides all pretty......

SOUP in a BOAT

Picked up these great little Lasagna boats at the kitchen supply store. Unfortunately, I do not like lasagna, so they will never see fat noodles  and sauce, in their lifetime. BUT, it is amazing how creative you can be when strapped for time, and ideas for dinner. I had  leftover soup ( any chunky soup will do, with lots of veggies and beans )....Plopped a serving in each boat, topped it with cheese. Just like in the commercials, cheese DOES make it better...........then broiled them on cookie sheets for a short amount of time. Added a salad, and voila, felt like we were eating at Boston Pizza.
    Amazing what a white glass "boat" can do..........

WHOOPIE PIES

 WHOOPIE PIES ( Contrary to popular belief , NOT named after Whoopi Goldberg). When we lived in the Maritimes these were a staple at any gathering. Neighbours would make them on a frigid Saturday and then invite us over to have hot tea, coffee and as many whoopie pies as we could muster.  Basically, they are sandwich cookies  slathered with a lovely buttercream filling. Morgan made these this afternoon to take to work. I doubt she will bring any back.....

 MORGAN'S RECIPE: 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups self rising flour ( add in 2 tablespoons bakingpowder to plain flour, or you can buy self raising flour),  1/2 tbsp cocoa, 1 tbsp baking powder, pipnch salt, 1 cup buttermilk ( the real thing), 2 tsp red food colouring paste ( organic, natural, paste found in good kitchen stores, not the liquid stuff. ), 1/2 cup hot water from tap.

Combine everything, except the hot water and whisk till well incoporated. Add hot water at the end. Put large spoonfuls into greased/sprayed whoopie pie pans, like in the picture above..... ( available at kitchen stores). Make tons. Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes.

 These are your finished whoopie pies. Aren't they lovely?

Use your favourite buttercream recipe, put a dollop in centre of one pie, top with another and squish down. But be gentle, as they will complain bitterly if broken.... Stack on plate, as in first picture, drizzle with melted chocolate and voila....you are a Maritime Whoopie Pie maker.  Everyone on the block with run to yur house to try one....