Appetizers

Warm Sweet & Salty Rosemary Cashews

November 8, 2018 by Danielle 2 Comments

Ok guys the holidays are coming! As I write this we are less then 7 weeks away from Christmas! That’s so crazy! Coming over the next 7 weeks will be lots of Christmas and Thanksgiving recipes. Canadian Thanksgiving may be over, but I know American Thanksgiving is right around the corner and there is some great sides a desserts coming for all my American friends. I also have some bonus posts coming up and even a new series coming in December! The next 7 weeks are going to be jam packed with Holiday content!

Today I’m kicking off my holiday content with a perfect holiday appetizer. These Warm Sweet and Salty Rosemary Cashews are so simple, but make a big impact. I’m all about impressing guests with as little effort as possible. The Holidays are so busy we really don’t need any fussy appetizers. With all the food that gets served on Thanksgiving and Christmas I like to keep things pretty simple. I also love that these can be made in advance and just warmed for a few minutes in the oven on the day of your party!

This recipe can be customized to your tastes. Don’t like cashews? Swap in some almonds. Hate the taste of rosemary? Throw a little chili powder in with the butter, sugar and honey mixture. You can really make it your own. I think I may even make a trio of nuts for my next party to go along with a super simple cheese board. How delicious would that be? The possibilities really are endless. Also the possibilities are really delicious and addicting… just saying!

I hope this helps jump start your holiday menu planning!

Warm Sweet & Salty Rosemary Cashews

Yields: 8 Servings

1 Pound Raw Unsalted Cashews
2 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Honey
2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, finely minced
Flakey Sea Salt, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the over to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a saucepan melt butter, honey and brown sugar over medium-low heat. Once combined remove from heat. Add cashews and stir to coat.

Transfer cashews to the lined baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.Bake cashews for 10 minutes tossing the cashews half way through the cooking time.

Remove from the oven. Add chopped rosemary and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss to combine. Allow to cool for 5 minute before transferring to a serving dish.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. To re warm the cashews bake in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.

Adapted from Entertaining with Beth.

Skillet Cornbread

September 20, 2018 by Danielle 1 Comment

I remember the first time I ever had a piece of cornbread. I was at a random BBQ restaurant by SeaTac airport. Although I’m sure it was one of the wort places to try cornbread I still loved it. It’s my favourite side to soup and chili. It would also be great alongside some BBQ Chicken. I also can’t wait to try using this cornbread as a base for stuffing. I bet it would be amazing!

I like making cornbread in a cast iron skillet because the hot skillet creates a really nice crust. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet any oven safe skillet or baking pan will work for this recipe.

This recipe is great plain but it is also great with mix ins. For savoury mix in’s I like fresh corn, cheddar cheese, jalapeños and chives. If you like a sweet cornbread try some dried cranberries, blueberries, or even swirl in raspberry jam. My favourites are Jalapeno and cheddar, or raspberry jam. I recommend adding 1 cup of which ever mix in’s you choose.

Skillet Cornbread

Yields: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Egg
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Cornmeal¹
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/8 Tsp Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt butter in a 12 inch cast iron skillet over low heat stirring occasionally. Pour melted butter into a medium-sized bowl and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. In a large bowl whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Add honey, egg and butter milk to the melted butter. Whisk to combine. Pour when ingredients into the dry, and whisk until combined.

If adding mix in’s fold them into the batter careful not to over mix.

If your skillet is no longer warm heat it on low for a few minutes to warm up. Once skillet is heated pour in the batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a tooth pick comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing.

Adapted from, Sally’s Baking Addiction

Apple Cheddar Pecan Salad

September 11, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I’m not a huge salad fan. I like restaurant salads, but homemade salads aren’t really my thing. They often taste too earthy and they never seem to have the correct amount of dressing. There are a few exceptions… anything with arugula, Kale Caesar Salad and this Apple Cheddar Pecan Salad. This salad is my go to for the fall, I love the refreshing fresh crunch the apples give. I’ve been making this salad for years and everyone who has tried it loves it.

The homemade dressing on this salad really ties together the salad and really boosts the fall flavour. It has apple cider and pure maple syrup as two of the ingredients. I love to blend my dressings up in my magic bullet to emulsify the olive oil, but you can of course just use a whisk.

I like to serve this salad on the side of marinated chicken, or add a grilled chicken breast on top and take it to work for lunch. If you give it a try it will soon become your favourite fall salad.

Cheddar Apple Pecan Salad

Yields: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

Salad:

8 Cups Baby Greens
1 Apple, thinly sliced
1/4 Cup of Pecans
1/4 Cup of Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Dressing:

1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tsp Pure Maple Syrup
Pinch of Salt & Pepper

Directions:

In a blender, or small dish add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Blend or whisk until the dressing comes together and emulsifies.

Add baby greens, apples, pecans and cheese to a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Kale Caesar Salad

August 28, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

We eat a lot of kale in my house. We sauté it, we put it in smoothies, and it into soups and casseroles. And of course we make salads out of it. When it comes to kale salads I am partial to a creamy dressing since kale can be such a tough green.

For a while I was buying a creamy parmesan dressing from the store for my kale salads. Making a creamy dressing at home seamed fussy and intimidating, but now that I’ve made this recipe I can’t go back to the bottled stuff again.

Now this salad is not a week night salad for me. I can handle making the dressing, but on a weeknight I skip the bacon and use store-bought croutons. It’s still delicious, but if you have the time to make your own it will be so much fresher and tastier!

I love to serve this salad in the summer with grilled chicken, steak, or my BBQ-less Barbecue Chicken. In the winter I love to serve this along side lasagna, spaghetti or any roasted meat.

I also love kale because it’s the only salad you can toss in advance. I like to wash and prep my kale, and then toss it in dressing a few hours before serving. Then just before serving I’ll toss in the croutons and bacon. This helps the kale soften and not be as tough.

In addition to dressing the salad in advance I like to massage my kale. I know it sounds funny, but it makes your kale more tender. Once you kale has been washed, dried and chopped. Massage the leaves with your hands until they become a bright green colour. Then coat the leaves with dressing, this will make your kale more tender.

Even if you are not a kale salad lover, you’re going to love this salad!

What’s your favourite salad?

Yields: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

1 Bunch Kale
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
2 Gloves of Garlic
1 Teaspoons Capers
4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
4 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
2 Lemons, juiced
Salt & pepper, to taste
4 Strips of Bacon
Optional: Additional parmesan cheese for topping

For the Croutons:

4 Slices of Seeded Multi Grain Bread
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

Method:

In a blender combine, olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, garlic, capers, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Wash, dry and chop the kale. Place in a large salad bowl. Massage the leaves until they are bright green. Toss the kale in the dressing and set aside. If prepping the salad in advance, cover the tossed salad with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.

Cook the bacon using your preferred method until crisp. Blot off excess grease and allow to cool completely. Once cool crumble the bacon, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, place the bread on a sheet tray. Drizzle olive oil over the bread and toss to coat. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper over bread and toss to coat evenly.

Bake the croutons for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Be careful to brown the croutons and not burn. Allow the croutons to cool fully as they will continue to harden and crisp as they cool.

When ready to serve, add bacon, croutons and parmesan cheese (if using) to the dressed kale. Toss the salad together. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Jillian Harris

Guacamole

August 9, 2018 by Danielle 1 Comment

Today I’m sharing with you my favourite recipe for guacamole. There has been a lot of trial and error to get here. On this mission I once dumped about a tablespoon of salt into a bowl of guac 5 minutes before party guests were to arrive. Everyone politely told me they liked salty guac, but it was barley eaten so I know they were a bunch of liars! But I have finally nailed it and we have been enjoying this recipe along side of our favourite Mexican dishes all summer.

I like my guacamole to be fresh and cooling with a hint of heat, but feel free to add extra jalapeños if you like yours extra spicy. I also don’t add cilantro to my guacamole since I am in the percentage of people who hate cilantro and think it tastes like soap. It actually makes me sick. When I was in high school I was a cashier at a grocery store and whenever I would ring through cilantro I would hold my breath because even the smell made me feel sick, crazy right. Of course if you are a cilantro lover go for it! I wish I could join you!

This recipes is the perfect amount for 2-4 people, I like to serve it with chips, hot salsa, fajitas and a margarita.

So do you love or hate cilantro?

Servings: 2-4 people

Ingredients:

2 Medium Avocados
1 Jalapeño, stem and seeds removed, minced (more or less to taste)
2 Tablespoons Red Onion, minced
Juice of 1 Lime
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Dash of Cumin
Optional: 1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

Directions:

In a bowl mash together avocados, minced onion, minced jalapeño, lime juice, salt, cumin and cilantro if using. Mix together until well combined and reaches your desired consistency. Serve with tortilla chips or alongside your Mexican favourites.

Adapted from, Saveur

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