Twice-baked Potatoes

             When I was a kid, we had baked potatoes at every.single.meal. Paired with sausage & beans, or steak & veggies. They were an absolute staple in our house. We would even turn leftover baked potatoes into potato salad, or fried potatoes with paprika & butter (which is delicious, by the way!) My mum was a genius at figuring out creative ways to "change things up", but it still involved potatoes. 
           Needless to say, this abundance of childhood potatoes means that I rarely buy the spuds now. Once or twice a year, tops. So when I do, I make it worthwhile. They are absolutely loaded. This recipe for twice-baked potatoes comes from my sister, Tracey. She is amazing in the kitchen, so chances are good she figured out what to do on her own. If I find out later she used a recipe, I will post appropriate credits.
           I served these potatoes at a dinner with friends, and they were perfect. They can mostly be made ahead of time, and can easily serve 8+ people.  I highly recommend them for a dinner party or gathering with friends. Just note that the total cooking time is almost 2 hours - while the prep is minimal, make sure to allow adequate cooking & cooling time. Bon Appetit!

                                      
Ingredients:
6 large baking potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup butter
dash of salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup cooked bacon (crispy!)
green onion (optional)


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Scrub baking potatoes and prick with a fork. Place in oven and bake for 60-70 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, and carefully remove flesh, leaving a small layer of potato to ensure that skin stays firm (if you take out too much, they will be hard to stand).
3. In a large bowl, beat potatoes, sour cream, milk, butter, salt & pepper until fluffy. Use an ice-cream scoop to fill potato skins.
4. Top each potato with cooked bacon, green onion, and grated cheese.
5. Bake in oven for an additional 20-30 minutes. 


Serves 6-12 people. (Each potato technically serves 2 people).

Fabulous Bean Salad

            Now that spring is here, the darling husband & I have been BBQing a lot. Burgers, steaks, chicken, pretty much anything that could possibly go on the grill, does. So I have been trying to come up with good spring side dishes. This bean salad is absolutely delicious, and makes the perfect accompaniment to an outdoor meal. Another plus is that because there is no mayo or egg, you could take it to a potluck or outdoor event without worrying about spoilage. Have fun with the ingredients - you could easily substitute another type of bean, or try a different type of onion. 

                         

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can six-bean blend, drained & rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can green beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 
  
• Directions

1. Mix beans with onion, peppers & celery in a large bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, oil, sugar, and herbs. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves; do not boil.
3. Pour warm dressing over bean mixture, and marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Source: Adapted from "Super Duper Bean Salad", Allrecipes

Lemon Lust Bars

            When I was in high school, I worked at the most magical bakery on earth. The Disneyworld of bakeries, called Ragueneau. It was named after the baker in Cyrano de Bergerac for those literature fans out there. Ragueneau was a meeting place for friends, families, and the go-to coffee shop for workers in the area. There were two things it was famous for: pizza and the desserts. There were Rocky Road bars, brownies, chocolate peanut-butter squares, raspberry turnovers, and my personal favourite: lemon lust bars. 
            I haven't been able to find a duplicate since the bakery closed several years ago, though this one is quite close. It makes a good-sized batch, so its perfect for entertaining or family gatherings. Be careful not to overcook the filling - it will settle and continue to solidify after it comes out of the oven.
            If anyone has a better recipe, please send it my way!! I'm looking for one with a slightly 'gooier' filling, and a coconut top. Thanks! 

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Filling:
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 lemons, juiced (about 2/3 cup)
• Powdered sugar, for dusting.
• 
  
• Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool, be careful not to overbake filling. When completely cool (3 hours) dust with icing sugar. Bars keep 3 days. Serves 16+.

      
Source:
Adapted from www.allrecipes.com
         

Artichoke, Spinach & Sun-dried Tomato Linguine

           I feel like I have hardly posted the past few weeks, life has been so busy. As most of you know, I passed my phase 3 real estate exam, so I'm able to officially apply for my license! I should be a licensed real estate agent in the next 4-6 weeks - so please keep me in mind if you are thinking of buying or selling a home :) I will post my work website on here when it is up & running.
            When life gets busy, and I don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen, I often turn to quick pastas to ensure a delicious yet speedy dinner. This pasta can be on the table in about 10 minutes from the time the water starts to boil for the linguine, so its a definite go-to when time is of the essence. You could easy substitute various ingredients - I would try cherry tomatoes, arugula or black olives!

Ingredients:

1 box of whole wheat linguine noodles

2 cups fresh spinach

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp oil

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (if dry, soak in hot water first)

1/2 cup roasted red peppers or pimento

1 small can artichokes, drained & lightly chopped

1/3 cup store-bought pesto sauce

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil & add linguine noodles & 1 tsp salt. Cook according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil & garlic in a frying pan over medium heat. Add spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, and artichoke & cook until spinach wilts & everything is warm. Turn down to low and keep warm until pasta finishes.

3. When pasta is cooked, drain & add pesto sauce and remainder of ingredients. Mix well & serve immediately.

      

Frozen Mocha Latte

          Sometime last year, my mother bought me a fridge magnet. It was the most fitting gift for me, because of what it said: "Latte is french for you paid too damn much for that coffee."
          Those who know me well, know that I absolutely love lattes. To me, they are the Filet Mignon of coffee. The Paris of hot drinks. Basically, they are perfect. Except for their price tag. A grande latte at Starbucks will run you at least $4 a drink, and if you get the specialty frozen version in the summer, it can easily be $5. Not affordable for a student like myself! Plus, there aren't very many places to get one in the small town that I live.
         So when I crave a frozen blended drink in the summer, I make my own frozen latte. Here is a fast & easy, tried & true recipe. This recipe makes 1 - but you can easily quadruple it and use a blender. I use a Magic Bullet to make an individual portion when its just me.

Ingredients:
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
1/2 tsp pure cocoa powder
2 tbsp instant hot chocolate mix
4 ice cubes


Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend for about 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Black Bean & Rice Cakes

              Lately I have become obsessed with black beans. And I don't mean "I enjoy them" obsessed, I mean "I make them for every meal" obsessed. I am always trying to find ways to incorporate black beans into a recipe. You might have noticed this with the Mango & Black Bean Salad, or Black Bean & Avocado brownies...and if you didn't, well I'm admitting it now.
             Every few months I receive Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine in the mail. I know the exact date it will arrive, and I wake up in the morning giddy with excitement at the thought of the run to the mailbox. I have no time for neighbourly chit-chat on these days - I wait until no one is in sight, and dash across the lawn to the mailbox, grabbing the magazine and running back inside to read it. I call these days "Martha Mondays" and I must say, it makes every 8th Monday worth experiencing.
                On page 110 of the latest issue, my love affair for both Martha AND black beans grew just a little bit - she had a recipe for black-bean & rice cakes - perfect to use for vegetarian burgers. And, even better - I had ALL of the ingredients on hand!  Paired with my mango & black bean salad, I knew before even making it that we had a winner on our way.
                The only thing I was nervous about was the darling husbands' reaction. He really, really likes your typical man-burger: greasy & cheesy, with ketchup & mayo. What would he think of these veg burgers? Would he refuse to let me experiment with black beans ever again?
                 The most amazing thing happened. He LOVED them. Praised them the entire meal, then went back for seconds. Asked if they were vegetarian, and got EXCITED that they were! When I told him how many calories per burger (about 1/2 of a beef burger) I thought he was going to leap for joy.
                 I made the recipe exactly as written. My only complaint would be that they were slightly messy - next time I will try adding some egg whites to hold them together.

Ingredients:

2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, drained & rinsed well

3/4 cup cooked brown rice

2-3 green onions, chopped 

1 small jalapeno, seeded & chopped 

1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup plain yoghurt

1 tbsp + 1 tbsp fresh cilantro

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 

2. In a food processor, pulse 1/2 the beans with the green onion, jalapeno, cumin and 1 tbsp cilantro until a paste forms (about 2 minutes).

3. In a large bowl, combine bean puree with rice & remaining beans (this is where I would add 1 tbsp egg white).

4. Divide mixture into eight patties. You could place in fridge at this point to firm.

5. Brush a large baking sheet with the oil; place patties on sheet. Bake in oven for 8 minutes, then rotate and bake an additional 5-7 minutes. Let rest on sheet for a few minutes before removing.

6. Meanwhile, combine yoghurt, cilantro & lime juice, season with salt & pepper. Serve patties topped with yoghurt sauce.

Source: Martha Stewart Every Day Living, spring 2010.

Mom's Pumpkin Bars

    


           Long before I ever started baking or cooking on my own, I still loved to eat. Which was pretty convenient growing up with my mom, who was (and still is!) and excellent baker. Her recipes are no-fuss - made with simple, pure ingredients. And they are fabulous!
           This recipe for pumpkin bars, which I got from my mom, is my go-to recipe when I am asked to bring something. First of all, its a big recipe - it makes enough for at least 25 people (I took it into my old work, with about 30 people, and it was perfect). Secondly, it freezes PERFECTLY. And last, but certainly not least, its DECADENT!
         One word of advice - don't substitute. At all. Please. If you are going to try to make it healthier, just make something else!! Cause this recipe is perfect, and needs no substitutions. :)

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Bar:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

4 eggs

2 cups canned or fresh pumpkin 

1 1/2 cups oil

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup butter (NOT margarine), softened

2 tbsp cream

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups icing sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon together. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and oil together.
4. Mix together until combined, but do NOT over-mix. 
5. Pour into an ungreased jelly roll pan (17" by 11")
6. Bake 25 minutes until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
7. Blend cream cheese, butter, cream and vanilla (can use a beater, but best if use wooden spoon. This will take at least 5 minutes). Add the icing sugar and mix until well blended.
8. When pumpkin bars are completely cool (possibly overnight), spread cream cheese icing over and cut into bars. Freezes perfectly (with icing ON) and serves at least 25. You could certainly serve up to 40.

  

Bran Muffins

          As most of you have probably noticed, I love muffins. They are probably the next best thing, after coffee of course. Which is quite convenient, since the two go so well together! Unfortunately, most cafe or store-bought muffins are absolutely terrible for you - close to 500 calories for a good Raisin Bran muffin (you could have TWO donuts instead!!) So I usually make my own, and try my hardest to get them to be as close to bakery quality as possible, but without compromising on calories. 

         These raisin bran muffins come in at less than 150 calories each, and with almost 1/3 of your daily fibre intake. Plus, they are still moist and they keep for about 5 days in a good Tupperware container. And they mimic any good cafe muffin. This recipe makes 12 muffins and doubles easily.


  
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
1/3 cup applesauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Beat together applesauce, oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to buttermilk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into buttermilk mixture, until just blended. Fold in raisins and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Source: Adapted from "Classic Bran Muffin" recipe, Allrecipes

Cookbook Recommendation

            A lot of people ask me where I get my recipes from. I get them from everywhere!! I have some favourite cookbooks that I have been given as gifts, some recipes from friends & family, and I also frequent cooking websites like AllRecipes and of course, Martha Stewart Living. 
         This cookbook was recommended to me from an old (as in former, not an age reference!) teacher that I lived next to for several years. I picked it up at the library, and it is just fabulous! I still have some posts to publish with recipes from the book, but so far, everything is amazing. It reminds me of something my grandmother would have used to cook with, because the recipes are classic & simple, like they were before the invention of reality TV & cooking blogs made everyone crazy with their recipes :)
          So here is a shameless plug for The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge. If you click on the title it will take you to Amazon, where you can buy it for as little as $12!  I recommend it, and "Ms Turner" from Stratford Central ALSO recommends it! 
           This is also a hint to my darling husband, should he read this, that my copy is from the library, should he need a good gift idea :) For $12, its cheaper than a date to McDonalds.

Crustless Asparagus & Chicken Quiche

          I'm often looking for ways to cut back on calories & carbohydrates - two things that I usually over-consume :) So for breakfast last week, I made a crustless asparagus & chicken quiche ahead of time, and had leftovers for breakfast each day. It was satisfying & delicious and you didn't miss the crust at all. I served it will sliced fresh tomato, but you could also serve it with fresh fruit or baked beans.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup egg whites

1 cup full-fat milk or light cream (don't use skim milk or it will be watery)

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken

1 cup cooked, diced asparagus

1 small diced onion

1 cup shredded cheese (I used light mozzarella)

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 9" pie pan with Pam or another non-stick spray.

2) Put chicken, asparagus & onion in bottom of pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.

3) Combine eggs, egg whites, milk, pepper & nutmeg. Pour into pie pan, mixture should come about 1/8 inch from the top. 

4) Bake in oven for approximately 45 minutes, until centre is cooked. Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.