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Happy Easter Dear Reader. I hope you shared good food and good times with those nearest and dearest to you! It was a busy weekend in my household.....Good Friday was a beautiful day. My youngest son is learning to drive so every weekend him and Dad head out early and tour the city for some driving practice. Lucky for me this time as they ended up at Kensington Market , a favourite haunt of ours, which was surprisingly open! Lots of surprises were brought back for me....Two beautiful pots of orange lillies (one for me and one for my friend Brenda who hosted a potluck Easter dinner on Saturday). A chunk of lovely feta from my favourite cheesemonger in the market, beautiful buns and a lovely pesto danish from the bakery. Spoiled am I! But it wasn't all about me...while they were out I made another loaf of wheaten bread for my man. I'm on a mission Dear Reader. My husband is from Belfast, Northern Ireland which makes him an expert on wheaten bread. Apparently, the texture is not quite right in mine so it has become a thing with me. Quietly, behind the blogging scene, I will be making loaf after loaf, until I find the winner. I'll keep you posted. But fyi, this last effort was close. Anyways, later in the afternoon sunshine, my lobster (husband), barbecued some awesome burgers that he made from scratch and I threw together a bowtie pasta salad made up of garlic, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and balsamic vinegar. Quite yummy indeed on a day that teased of summer patio parties to come.
Saturday afternoon we headed over to our good friends Don and Brenda's for the potluck. I couldn't wait to get there as their daugher Becky had recently had her first child Max and I was desperate for a squeeze. Many moons ago, Becky used to babysit my boys and here she was a mother now too. Max was a lovely little bundle in my arms but the competition was fierce amongst the women to have a squeeze so I had to share. Boo hiss. Anyways always a good time to be had with that clan and we went on to share a lovely Easter meal. I had taken a ham, bacon wrapped stuffing balls (always a favourite), and sweet and sour mustard sauce for the ham. Now Dear Reader, there is a story behind this sauce. My family calls it "magic sauce" which is what my dear Auntie Ann calls it. I'm quite sure the more we get to know one another you will hear alot more about her. Way back in 1989, my Auntie Ann gave me my first copy of "The Joy of Cooking" (I own four different copies) for Christmas and it is from that edition that I share this gem of a recipe today. It makes boring old ham magical. Behold the simplicity people! Sweet & Sour Mustard Sauce Adapted from "The Joy of Cooking" 45th printing, September 1988 1/2 cup sugar 1 tbsp flour 4 tsp dry mustard 2 cups cream ( I use half and half) 2 egg yolks 1/2 cup vinegar Combine in double boiler (I use a metal bowl resting over a pot of boiling water) the sugar, flour and dry mustard. In measuring cup whisk together egg yolks and cream. Gradually add to dry ingredients in metal bowl. Whisk continuously until thickened. Be patient. Once thickened, stir in vinegar. Pour into your best gravy boat or fancy little jug and serve with ham. The leftovers thicken considerably overnight in the fridge and spread like mayo....quite nice on some nicely toasted bread with some of the leftover ham. Happy Easter!
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Well it started with with one epic sneeze....quickly followed by 14 more equally impressive sneezes. And then that was it. My darling husband was really sick. Poor guy. So for a few days he had no interest in eating much of anything and then all of a sudden he was ravenous. Now with me, I always know when I am on the mend because I want to eat junk. That's me. Iron Guts Mallone. One minute at death's door, and in the blink of an eye, craving potato chips and chocolate and feeling great. But I digress. So what to make for the hungry bear....hmmmm. I decided to make a recipe I had I clipped a while back and added to my box of tricks to try later (more on that box in a future post). It's sort of a take on a chicken pot pie without the pastry and instead, wait for it Dear Reader....a scallop potato crust. Now here in Ontario, our liquor stores are government run and are known as the LCBO and bi-monthly they have a lovely magazine called "Food & Drink" that they give away for FREE. I have to tell you...I would pay for this publication without a word of complaint. It is a fabulous read with entertaining tips, interesting articles, info about new products and best of all.....wonderful recipes that never fail to please. I am such a fan of this magazine that when I pick up the latest issue, I put a reminder in my blackberry calendar when the next issue is coming out. What a nice surprise that is on an otherwise ho-hum Wednesdsay morning, Hump Day at work when my blackberry beeps the good news. I know this sounds a little OCD of me....however, I recently found out that a good friend of a friend does the exact same thing so it's official. I can start a club! Anyways, I think it was much better than chicken soup and so did the patient. Probably had something to do with the bacon. Orchard Chicken and Bacon Pie with Scalloped Potato Crust Adapted from Julia Aitken, Food & Drink Magazine Filling Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 4 slices thick-cut double-smoked bacon, coarsely chopped 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 2" cubes salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 onion, diced 2 carrots, thinly sliced diagonally 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bay leaf 1 cup late-harvest Riesling or other fruity white wine 1 cup homemade or low-sodium chicken stock 1 large Northern Spy or Gala apple, peeled, cored and cut into 16 wedges 2 tbsp each cornstarch and cold water 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon 1 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard Scalloped Potato Crust Ingredients 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled 1 cup homemade or low-sodium chicken stock 1 cup whipping cream 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ tsp each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 bay leaf 1 tsp dried parsley Heat oil over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside to drain on paper towel. Pour off all oil from pan, reserving one tbsp. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown on all sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside on separate plate from bacon. If needed, add reserved oil to pan and heat. Add onion and carrots, stirring often until onion has softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add bay leaf and garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so. Add wine to pan and bring to boil, scraping all the tasty brown bits from bottom of pan. Continue to boil until the wine has reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and simmer over medium heat. Return cubed chicken to pan and cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add prepared apples to pan and simmer for another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender. In a small cup, mix cornstarch and water together. Add to pan, bring to a boil and stir constantly until sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove pan from heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the bacon, mustard, and tarragon and carefully pour filling mixture into an 8 cup casserole. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. If you have a mandoline, use it to slice the potatoes very thinly. I do not have one (yet) so I used a very sharp knife very carefully. Combine cream, stock, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to boil over medium heat and then add potatoes. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender, gently stirring occasionally, taking care not to break potato slices. Using slotted spoon, remove bay leaf and carefully arrange cooked potatoes in an even layer on top of chicken mixture in casserole. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until chicken mixture is bubbling and potatoes are lovely golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving to 6 to 8 of those nearest and dearest to your heart. Nice to see you again!
Whew! I made it. I was really starting to wonder if I would find my way here as I got lost along the way. This little blog of mine has been a while in the making.....living on the backburner of my brain for the last couple of years. Well here we are...finally (with a special thanks to my very own home grown IT department) Welcome Dear Reader. I'm so glad we've found each other! As today is St. Patrick's Day I thought it would be fitting to share with you a recipe for Irish Wheaten Bread. This hearty moist bread is lovely slathered in butter and a few slices of cheddar with a cup of tea to chase it down. Irish Wheaten Bread adapted from Judith McLoughlin, the Irish Foodie 1 1/2 cups stone ground whole wheat flour 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 cup quick cooking oats (plus 2 tsp to sprinkle on top) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 Tbsp honey 2 Tbsp butter 1 cup buttermilk (plus 2 Tbsp) 1 egg (beaten) 1 tsp flax seeds (to sprinkle on top, optional) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 x 4 loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Using your fingertips, cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. Mix together the buttermilk, egg and honey and fold into the dry mixture. Pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with oats and flax seeds (if using). I skipped the flax seeds as my husband doesn't like them. Bake in centre of oven for 50 minutes or until inserted skewer comes out clean. Thanks for dropping by.....come back soon!
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