::Thai Meatballs::

The ingredients sound like an odd mix, and the sauce takes on this unsettling grey colour as it comes together, but it all works. Promise. It's just a different kind of meatball. Note: I double up the sauce to meatball ration, but I'll leave the quantities as they were written.

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 unseasoned bread crumbs
3 tbsp minced green onions
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 egg
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced gingerroot
1 tsp sesame oil
salt and pepper

Sauce:
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut butter {I add way more.}
2 tbsp minced cilantro or basil
1 tbsp minced gingerroot
1 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non stick spray.
Combine all meatball ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Form mixture into 40 small (1 inch) meatballs and place on sprayed pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cooked through.
While meatballs are cooking, prepare sauce. Whisk all sauce ingredients together in skillet or pan and heat over medium-high, stirring, until mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes until thickened. Add meatballs to sauce and serve hot.

Chicken Enchiladas with an Avocado Cream Sauce

Chicken & Avocado Enchiladas

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• Enchilada Ingredients:
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 poblano peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (remove seeds for less heat)
• 8-10 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2-3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
• optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese

• Avocado Cream Sauce Ingredients:
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 California avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of one lime

Method

To Make The Enchiladas:

Prepare the "Avocado Cream Sauce" as listed below. Preheat the oven to 375? F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, poblano and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent. Remove from heat.

To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixture, shredded chicken and cheese. Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce, then cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden.

Remove from the oven, then serve individual enchiladas drizzled with the remainder of the avocado cream sauce. You can also garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.

To Make Avocado Cream Sauce:

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, salt, garlic powder and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Add avocados, cilantro and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended. (Be very careful blending hot liquids -- the heat will expand! So be sure to remove the lid occasionally so that the heat can escape.) Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.

Recipe comes from here: Chicken Avocado Enchiladas

::Thai Salad::

A refreshing, tart salad that pairs well with any Thai dish.

Thinly sliced:
Pear
Green apple
Tart mango
Red pepper
Red onion

Fresh cilantro

Dressed with:
2 parts rice vinegar
1 part real maple syrup

::Yellow Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream::

I'm a white cupcake kinda gal. But the very best white cupcake is a yellow one, if you know what I mean. More butter and egg is a good, good thing. Then, top it off with fresh berries whipped into icing and, well, YUM!

Yellow Cupcakes
1 3/4 cup flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1 cup butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter, eggs, milk, vanilla.
Add dry mixture of flour, baking powder and salt until smooth.
Line 12 muffins cups and divide batter.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden and dry in the middle.

Strawberry Buttercream {This recipe is doubled}
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup butter
3-4 cups icing sugar
1 T vanilla
3 to 4 T milk

Boil down 1 cup fresh strawberries until reduced to half or more. Cool.
Whip together butter and icing sugar in food processor.
Add vanilla and milk.
Add reduced berries.

::Sunnyside Up Cupcakes::

Lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd and topped with lemon cream cheese icing. . .

Cupcakes:

1/2 melted butter

4 t lemon zest

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 T lemon juice

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

3/4 cup milk OR 1 cup whipping cream

1/2 t vanilla

pinch salt

Bake at 350 for 16-18 

Lemon Curd: Over the heat, whisk for 6-8 mins:

1 yolk

1 egg

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 T sugar {or less}

pinch salt

zest 

Strain and chill for 25 mins.

Lemon Icing:

1/2 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1/2 t vanilla

3 cups icing sugar

lemon zest

Assembly: Scoop out middle of each cupcake and fill with a scoop of lemon curd. Then ice each cupcake.

::Strawberry Napoleons::

Strawberries
Slice and toss with a little Grand Marnier and sugar. Set aside.

Custard
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
3 T sugar

Whisk all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat for ten minutes, until thickened. Pour into a glass jar and store in the fridge.

Puff Pastry
Roll out puff pastry into a square. Cut into 1" to 2" squares and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Napoleons
Split the puff pastry into two or three and layer with berries and custard. Sprinkle with icing sugar and eat before they grow soggy.

::Lime Poppy Seed Cake::

This was one of the first cakes I learned how to make. It is a tea-sipping kind of cake, I think.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) poppy seeds (optional)
• 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 2 limes
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp (5 mL) almond or vanilla extract
• 1 cup (250 mL) Balkan-style plain yogurt (not low-fat)
• Fresh berries

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly butter or spray a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan. In a small bowl, using a fork, stir flour with poppy seeds, if using, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Finely grate peels from limes. Squeeze out juice. You should have about 2 tsp (10 mL) peel and 1/4 cup (50 mL) juice (do not use more than this).

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula. Beat in eggs and almond extract until well blended. Beat in yogurt, lime peel and juice. Using a large wooden spoon or spatula, gently stir in flour mixture until blended. Batter will be quite thick. Scrape into pan, then smooth top.

Bake in centre of 350F (180C) oven until a cake tester inserted into centre comes out clean and centre of cake springs back when pressed, from 45 to 50 minutes. If top becomes golden before cake is baked, loosely cover with foil for remaining baking time. Let cake cool on a rack 5 minutees before removing springform sides. Slice into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature with berries. Cake is best eaten the day it's made.

Source:

::Chatelaine Magazine::

::Lemon Crinkles::

Thank you Alanna for bringing these sunshiney morsels into my life. We used this recipe, but there are thousands out there.

::Tomato Peanut Soup::

Peanut Butter in soup?!
Yes. Absolutely, yes.
{via Canadian Living}

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
  
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 tsp (5 mL) grated ginger root, or 1/4 tsp/1 ml ground
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground coriander
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  
• 1 can 28 oz/796 ml diced tomatoes
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 5 cups (1.25 L) vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) smooth peanut butter
  
• 2 cups (500 mL) chopped fresh kale or spinash
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

Preparation

In large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; fry onion, celery, garlic, ginger, salt, coriander and cayenne, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes, sweet potatoes and stock; bring to boil. Whisk in peanut butter; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

::DIY: Three-tiered platter::

One of the funnest things about Tea parties is the food display. Three-tiered platters are classic. I made my own using glassware from the dollar store.

~ Three-Tiered Tea Platter
1. Pick out large plate as a base.
2. Pick out a small plate for a middle.
3. Pick a small bowl for the top.
4. Finally choose two candle holders, small cups, wine glasses or, in my case, candy dishes.
5. Glue each layer on top of the other using Super Glue.
Voila! Load it up with pretty food.

::Banana Praline Scones::

I made these to be served with tea on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately we finished them all a few days before that.

Makes about 8 scones.

• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• ¾ cup lightly salted macadamia nuts (or any other nut that appeals to you)
• 2-½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2-½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons sugar for glaze (optional)
• Generous dash of ground cinnamon for glaze (optional)

Lightly oil a 10-inch diameter circle on a baking sheet or use parchment paper. In a heavy saucepan, stir together the sugar and brandy. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook without stirring for 4 minutes, or until the mixture turns amber and caramelizes. Immediately stir in the macadamia nuts and stir to coat the nuts with the syrup. Quickly scrape the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Cool for 20 minutes or until hardened. Transfer the mixture to a cutting board and chop the praline.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt & butter, cut into ½ inch cubes. Run the blades until the mixture resembles course crumbs. In a small bowl, stir together the bananas, eggs and vanilla. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. The dough will be sticky. Stir in the praline.

Spread the dough into a 9-inch diameter circle in the center of the prepared baking sheet. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture over the tops of the scones, if desired. With a serrated knife, cut into 8 wedges. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until lightly browned and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean.

Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the scones to the wire rack to cool. Re-cut into wedges, if necessary. Serve warm.

{Recipe: "Simply Scones" Photo: "Jenny Bakes"}

::Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins::

These are so delicious. I know Starbucks does a version of these, but fresh is best!

{Recipe Credit: AllRecipes}

::Honey Oatmeal Bread::

I made a few changes to this recipe. First, I prepped my yeast by adding it to my honey/water mixture once it had cooled to a temperature of 115 degrees. I substituted out 2 cups of white flour for whole wheat. Also, I formed the dough into one round "Artisan-styled" loaf and baked it on stoneware with a small bowl of water on the floor of the stove. This is what gave my crust crunch. (And I brushed it with butter instead of egg white.)

Ingredients

5-6 cups all purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages active dry yeast (2 tablespoons)
1 3/4 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 egg white
Oatmeal

Directions

place 5 cups flour, oats, salt and yeast in bowl. Attach bowl and dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and mix for 15 seconds.

Combine water, honey, and butter in saucepan, heat to 120 degrees. On speed 2, slowly add warm liquids to flour mixture, about 1 minute. Add eggs and mix for an additional minute.

Continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Knead on speed 2 for 2 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place each loaf in a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch pan. Cover, let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk about an hour.

Combine water and egg white. Brush tops of loaves with mixture. Sprinkle with oatmeal. Bake 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire rack.

Yield 2 loaves.

Creamy white sauce

This sauce is a combination of a few different recipes in my search to find a good dairy-free alternative to a cheese sauce.

1/4 cup coconut oil or margarine
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups of liquid; either chicken broth, water, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk or some combination of them
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon paprika

(1) Melt oil in a medium sized sauce-pan, add onion & garlic. Cook until fragrant (2~3 min)
(2) Whisk in flour until a thick paste is formed with no lumps. Cook 1~2 minute, stirring continuously
(3) Slowly add the liquid, whisking the whole time until smooth.
(4) Whisk in the remaining ingredients, stirring until smooth.
(5) Bring to a boil, stirring often to prevent lumps from forming.
(6) Continue to simmer until desired thickness is reached.

::Pear & Cabbage Slaw::

{via Food & Drink}

Toss vegetables with mayonnaise the night before.

Ingredients:

2 Asian pears
3 tbsp (45 mL) lime juice
1red pepper
1small red onion
1small head Napa cabbage (6 cups /1.5 L shredded)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Option: I added Rice wine vinegar to taste.

Chili Mayonnaise
½ cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
1 tsp (5 mL) Asian chili sauce
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) grated ginger

1. Thinly sliver Asian pears and toss with 1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice. Very thinly slice red pepper and red onion. Thinly slice Napa cabbage.

2. Toss vegetables together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

3. Combine mayonnaise, chili sauce, sugar, ginger and remaining 2 tbsp (25 mL) lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with vegetables.

::Spiced Roasted sweet Potatoes::

{via Food & Drink}

I love the licorice flavour of fennel. My kids do not tend to appreciate black licorice, but even they loved these potatoes. These potatoes can be made ahead of time and reheated in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes just before serving.

Ingredient:

6 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp (15 mL) coriander seeds
1 tbsp (15 mL) fennel seed
½ tsp (2 mL) chili flakes
¼ cup (50 mL) vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp (25 mL) melted butter
¼ cup (50 mL) chopped chives

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450ºF (230ºC).

2. Cut sweet potatoes in half and slice each half into thirds lengthwise to make long French fries.

3. Combine coriander seeds, fennel seeds and chili flakes in a plastic bag. Crush seeds with the back of a pot or a rolling pin until coarsely cracked. Alternatively, place spices in a coffee grinder and pulse until just cracked.

4. Place potato slices in a bowl and toss with cracked seeds, oil and salt and pepper.

5. Lay potatoes on baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Turn over and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden and tender.

6. Place in a serving dish and drizzle with melted butter and extra salt if needed. Sprinkle with chives.

::Pear & Gorgonzola Tart::

Ingredients:

2 pears (peeled and cut in half and cored)
2 cups sugar
2 cups white wine
1 cup water
4 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
4 ounces gorgonzola (room temperature) OR Goat Cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
1 large egg yolk
1 walnut pie shell (fitted in tart pans and pre-baked)

Directions:
1. Place the pears in a large sauce pan with cut side down followed by the sugar, wine, water, peppercorns, and bay leaves and simmer covered until the pears are tender, about 10-30 minutes. (Note: The simmer time can vary depending on how ripe the pears are.)
2. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature in the liquid.
3. Slice the pears thinly.
4. Mix the gorgonzola, sour cream, honey, thyme and egg yolk inf a food processor until smooth.
5. Spread the filling out over the tart crust and top with fanned sliced pears.
6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the filling is set, about 10-15 minutes.

Walnut Butter Pie Crust :

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground walnuts (toasted before ground)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter (cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
4-5 tablespoons water (cold)

Directions:
1. Pulse the flour, ground walnuts, salt and sugar in a food processor to mix.
2. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 6-8 times.
3. Add a tablespoon of water at a time pulsing in between until it starts to clump together.
4. Place the dough on a clean surface and shape it into a disc.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.
6. Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle about 1/8 of an inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
7. Place the dough into a 9 inch diameter spring form pan with the edges going up the side of the pan.
8. Place a piece of parchment paper in the pie and fill it with rice or beans to hold it down.
9. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes.
10. Remove the parchment paper and weight and poke the bottom of the crust with a fork a few times.
11. Bake until a light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

::Pecan and Warm Apple Salad::

Ingredients

1 cup (250 mL) pecans
1 head romaine lettuce
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) cider vinegar
½ tsp (2 mL) liquid honey
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
2 to 3 grindings black pepper
2 oz (60 g) old cheddar, shaved about ¾ cup (175 mL)
3 red apples such as Cortland, Braeburn or Spartan, divided
1 tbsp (5 mL) butter
1 tbsp (5 mL) granulated sugar

1. Spread pecans in single layer on baking sheet. Toast in a preheated 350ºF (180ºC) oven 8 to 10 minutes or until very fragrant; cool. Meanwhile, tear or cut lettuce into bite-size pieces; there should be 8 to 10 cups (2 to 2.5 L). To make dressing, whisk oil with vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Use a vegetable parer to shave cheese. Set both aside.

2. When ready to serve, core and slice 2 unpeeled apples into wedges about ¼-inch (5-mm) thick. Heat butter in a large nonstick or well-seasoned frying pan over medium heat. When hot and bubbly, add apple slices. Stirring frequently, sauté for 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; sprinkle apples with sugar. Turning frequently, sauté apples another 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly golden.

3. Meanwhile place romaine into a large salad bowl; toss with dressing. Set aside 8 perfect pecans. Core and slice remaining raw unpeeled apple for garnish.

4. Add hot apples and remaining pecans to lettuce; toss. Serve immediately, garnishing each serving with raw apple slices, cheese shavings and reserved pecans.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I will never go back to store bought tortillas after making this recipe

::Ontario Bean Soup with Basil::

Caelah and I made this recipe while studying the pioneering days. It is autumn comfort food. I made a few changes: I used celery salt, instead of celery. No potatoes. And just navy beans.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 large onion (Chopped )
• 1 garlic clove (Chopped )
• 4 medium potatoes (Cubed )
• 4 medium carrots (Chopped )
• 2 stalks celery (Chopped )
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes (Chopped )
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 bunch fresh basil (Chopped )
• 1 cup peas
• 2 (14 ounce) cans romano beans
• 2 (14 ounce) cans white kidney beans
• 1 cup pasta shells
• 2 tablespoons parsley (Chopped )
• romano cheese (Grated)

Directions:

1. Saute onion in butter for 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
3. Saute for 5 minutes.
4. Add stock, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and basil.
5. Boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add green beans, peas, both beans and pasta.
7. Simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Add parsley and serve sprinkled with cheese.