Holiday Recipes

Mulled Wine

December 6, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Today I have a super quick post today for the perfect warming cocktail. This is the perfect beverage for cold weather. You can serve it at a party, it’s a great post skiing warm up. Or even take it with you on a snowy walk (always remember to be responsible!). I read somewhere that of you want to party like it 1877 make some mulled wine. Clearly someone in North America wrote that since mulled wine is still very popular in parts of Europe. They sell mulled wine at most of the Christmas markets and festivals near me and I love it. It makes things so festive!

This mulled wine has brandy, orange rind, a few fresh cranberries, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. It’s so warming and have so many traditional Christmas flavours. I will be whipping up another batch this weekend to have while we watch Christmas movies and wrap presents.

So since I said I would keep this quick I should probably get into the recipe!

Mulled Wine

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Red Wine
1/4 cup Brandy
1/4 cup White Sugar
3 Whole Cloves
1 Whole Star Anise
1 Whole Cinnamon Stick
Peel of Half an Orange
1/4 cup Cranberries, fresh

In a medium sized pot over medium heat add 1/2 cup of wine and sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar fully dissolves. Add the remaining wine, brandy, spices, orange peel and cranberries to the pot. Reduce heat to low. Continue to heat the wine for 20 minutes. Garnish with additional spices or orange slices. Serve in mugs, or heat proof glasses

Adapted from The Kitchn

Garlic and Thyme Roast Potatoes

December 4, 2018 by Danielle 1 Comment

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Ok so I know these aren’t the prettiest pictures, but this is an amazing recipe so I had to share it anyway. This recipe is for a classic English roast potato, kicked up a notch with garlic and thyme. They were so tasty!

This is a riff on my Mom’s roast potatoes. She always makes them with roast beef dinner and they are amazing! She even get chunks of beef fat from the butcher to roast her potatoes in… just like her mom did. Personally that’s a bit much or me. Plus I like to try to make as many side as I can vegetarian, so everyone can enjoy.

I like to use half butter and half olive oil to roast my potatoes. This way you get delicious flavour from the butter, but a slightly higher smoke point for the oil. This will help stop things from burning. And both make for a crispy potato! Yum!

This recipe calls for russet potatoes.. I have not experimented with any other type of potato. This is what my mom and Grandma used, so why mess with a good thing?

The most important part about working with potatoes is to let them steam in the colander after cooking, this is the only way you will get crispy potatoes.

The second rule of this recipe is patience. These potatoes roast for an hour and a half! Yes they do! It takes a long time to get the texture of a signature roast potato! Believe me when I say it is so worth the wait. Patience is a virtue right…. And believe me it will all be worth it!

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Garlic and Thyme Roast Potatoes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

5 Russet Potatoes
2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Bunch Thyme
6 Garlic Gloves
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes for 8 minutes. Strain potatoes and set aside to steam for 5 minutes.

In a large baking dish or roasting pan add butter and oil (2 tbsp each). Place in your preheated oven for a few minutes until butter is melted (2-5 mins). Remove pan from the oven and add potatoes. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and toss to coat in fat. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl place garlic cloves. Tear thyme bunch in half or thirds and add to bowl. Drizzle with oil (about a tbsp). Toss to coat. Remove potatoes from the oven and sprinkle garlic and thyme over the pan. Give the pan a good shake to evenly distribute and return to the oven. Bake for an additional hour.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately…. hopefully with lots of gravy!

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

December 1, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

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Happy December 1st! It is officially the Christmas season and that means this blog is going to be full of lots of holiday content and bonus posts from now until Christmas. Technically I kicked off the schedule a little early by coming out with 4 posts this week, and that will be continuing until Christmas. So in addition to my regularly schedules 2 recipes per week you will also see gift guides and edible gift posts on Wednesdays and a brand new Christmas cookie series on Saturdays. Yes that’s right weekend posts!

So every Saturday until Christmas you will see a new Christmas cookie recipe hit the blog! I am so excited about this cookie series as you have already been told I love cookies they are my favourite dessert, so this post is near and dear to my heart. Also Christmas cookies and Christmas baking in general brings me so much nostalgia and happiness. My mom has never been a big Christmas baker, but both my Grandma’s were. So baking at Christmas makes me think of making minced meat tarts with my mom’s mom and sitting at the kitchen table scarfing down cherry shortbread with my Dad’s mom.

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Today’s recipe is one I have made many variations of over the years. These are a thick and chewy oatmeal cookie jammed packed with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. I would love to say that this batch of cookies is still in my freezer waiting to be pulled out for Christmas, but these are long gone and are probably the most beloved Christmas cookie that I make. This weekend I’ll be making a double batch and immediately putting them into the freezer…. hopefully this batch makes it until Christmas (finger crossed!).

I love this recipe because it’s so easy… I love a drop cookie. They are my preferred type of cookie because I simple am busy (and LAZY!). I’d much rather scoop and bake then roll out dough and cut out shapes. So many Christmas cookies are cut outs and it’s nice to have a few Christmas cookies that are quick and easy! Also the flavours of cranberry and white chocolate scream Christmas to me. I think these are a great cookie to include on your cookie tray!

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Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Yields: 36 cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter on high until pale yellow and fluffy. Add sugars and cream on medium speed to combine. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and the oats to the bowl mix on low until just combined.

Add cranberries and white chocolate mixing on low speed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chip in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. The centres will look slightly under baked (that’s what makes then chewy!). Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake

November 29, 2018 by Danielle 2 Comments

Today we are talking all things Christmas morning breakfast. Growing up my Christmas mornings were very different then most kids. We would travel to visit my Dad’s family for Christmas Eve. And then on Christmas morning we would wake up in my Grandma’s house and would drive home to our house. We wouldn’t get home to open our presents until 2pm! That’s right my Christmas morning was more like a Christmas afternoon. I still have yet to wake up in my own bed on Christmas Day. Yes we still travel on Christmas Day. When my husband and I started dating he claimed he would never travel on Christmas, but here he is with 4 travelling Christmas’ under his belt (he skipped the first year).

Christmas morning is a big deal for my husband’s family. His whole family goes to his parents house to open presents and eat brunch. Now when I say whole family I mean aunts, uncles, grandparents… the works. There is no Christmas dinner on the 25th, his family saves that for boxing day. So Christmas morning is the big event. Finding a way for me to still visit my family while make it home in time for his families brunch has been tricky we have managed to make it work. It means a very early morning for us and a long drive after a late night with my family. But this year is the last year we will be going away at Christmas… I’m sad about it, but I know it’s time for us to make new traditions now that we are our own little family of two.

Since I’ve done my fair share of travelling at Christmas I know a thing or two about making things in advance and travelling with food. So today I am sharing the perfect treat for Christmas morning that can be made well in advance. It would also be a great hostess gift. Cranberry orange Coffee Cake. I’m actually planing to make this for my in-laws Christmas brunch this year. My plan is to bake the cake far in advance and give it to my mother-in-law a few days before Christmas. It can defrost while were out of town for Christmas Eve.

I think that this cake would be perfect to put out with some coffee and hot chocolate on Christmas morning. Every one can nibble at it while they open presents. I know it’s how I’d like to start my morning.

Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake

Serves: 16

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

4 Eggs
1 Cup Vegetable oil
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
Zest and Juice of 1 Orange
1/2 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 2/3 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

For the Crumb Topping:

1/2 Cup Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Butter, melted
1/3 Cup Pecans, chopped

For the Glaze:

1 Cup Confectioners Sugar
4 Tablespoons Milk (adjust for consistency)
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a springform pan (or a high sided cake pan), set aside.

In a large bowl whisk to combine eggs, oil, sugar, orange zest and juice, water and vanilla. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Fold in cranberries. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.

Topping:

In a small bowl whisk flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter and whisk with a fork until a crumb forms. Add chopped pecans. Sprinkle crumb topping into cake, gently pressing the topping into the batter.

Bake the cake for 50-75 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.

Glaze:

In a small bowl whisk together confectioner sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Drizzle glaze over the cake. Allow to set for a few minutes before serving.

Adapted from Entertaining with Beth.

Baked Brie Braid – 2 Ways!

November 27, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

It’s officially the holiday season, so you know what that means. Lots of holiday entertaining! Today I’ll be sharing a super quick and easy appetizer idea for your next party.

Baked Brie Braids are the perfect way to impress your guests without a lot of effort. It looks fancier then your standard cheese wheel, but it really doesn’t take much effort. I’ll admit it’s barely a recipe.

The two flavours of Bakes Brie Braids I’m sharing today are a classic fig jam and a savoury sun-dried tomato pesto. This couldn’t be easier since all you have to do is assemble and bake… like I said barely a recipe.

Even though it’s crazy easy it’s also crazy delicious and is a really show stopper at any party! Put it alongside some roasted cashews and you’re ready for cocktails!

Baked Brie Braid – 2 Ways

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

2 Sheets Puff Pastry
6-8 Slices of Brie Cheese
2 Tablespoons Fig Jam
2 Tablespoons Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
1 Egg, beaten
Optional: Pine Nuts or Walnuts for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Gently mark your puff pasty with a knife to section off the pastry into thirds vertically. Do not cut through the pastry.

Spread fig jam down the center of the puff pastry. Top with 3-4 slices of brie. Using a small knife cut the outer sections of the puff pastry into 1 inch strips. Fold the strips into the centre to cover the cheese and jam, alternating sides to form a braid. Brush the braid with egg wash.

Repeat the steps with the sun-dried tomato pesto.

Place the two braids on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and top with nuts if desired. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Entertaining With Beth.

The Perfect Steak

November 22, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

The first time I ever cooked a steak was for my now husbands 24th birthday. I was 20 years old and we had only been dating about 8 months. I wanted to make his birthday really special. I took on a pretty ambitious menu; steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, homemade bread and peach cobbler for dessert. I had literally never cooked any of these items before. I’ve always had confidence in the kitchen and after reading many recipes I thought I could do it.

I decided I would make the steak by searing in a fry pan, finishing in the oven and I would top it all off with compound butter. Pretty ambitious. So armed with my list of ingredients I went to the store. Since I was a broke college kid you can imagine that this dinner was costing me quite a bit of money. So when i got to the meat section to pick out my steaks my heart sank. All I could afford was the fast fry steaks… no sirloin or rib eye here. I was disappointed, but figured steak was steak and bought them anyway. It would still be the best steak of his life right?

I hate to spoil the ending, but the steak was not the best he had ever had. It was dry and overcooked. Not my best, but we both had budget pallets so it wasn’t so bad. Ever since then I have been on a mission to cook the perfect steak.

For me the perfect steak is:

Top Sirloin, Rib Eye or Fillet
Seared in cast iron
Medium Rare
Seasoned with salt, pepper, butter and garlic

I am obsessed with cooking my steak this way… maybe its all the butter and garlic. Whatever it is I really enjoy it. And my husband defiantly doesn’t miss the days of over cooked, tough fast fry steaks.

The Perfect Steak

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

2 Thick Cut Steaks (Top Sirloin is my fav!)
2 Teaspoons Canola Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
3 Garlic Cloves, smashed
Salt and Pepper

Season the steaks liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Rub canola oil on both sides of the steak. Set aside to come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Place your cast iron pan in the oven to preheat. Once your oven has preheated remove the pan from the oven. Place the pan on your stove over high heat.

Once your skillet is smoking add your steaks. Sear the steaks on he first side (30 seconds – 1 minute). Flip the steak and repeat. Add smashed garlic and butter to the cast iron pan. Place the pan in the oven cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, flip the steak and baste with melted butter. Repeat this process until the steak is cooked to your preference. Personally I cook mine for 4-6 minutes depending on thickness. For accurate cooking I highly recommend an instant read meat thermometer.

Allow steak to rest uncovered for 5-10 minutes before serving. I place garlic cloves and pour basting juices over the steaks while they rest for extra flavour.

Holiday Recipes

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