Seasonal Recipes

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.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

November 20, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I love all carbs, but noodles are my favourite! I always get cravings for Baked Macaroni and Cheese in the fall and winter. It’s just so comforting. I know the box stuff is convenient but it’s not the same. I have also tried all of those trick for making a single serving in the microwave and I’m sorry but that just wont cut it! Homemade with a roux and cream sauce os the only way!

I have been making homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese since I was a teenager. In high school I used to make it every Monday night for my brother and I to have for dinner before heading off to dance and soccer. I used a recipe out of one of my mom’s well used cookbooks and would top the whole thing with ritz crackers instead of breadcrumbs. It was good, but even back then I knew it wasn’t perfect.

It was dry, there wasn’t enough cheesy flavour and the noodles were way too soft. For years I didn’t make Baked Macaroni Cheese. There is a store by my house that sells a decent Baked Macaroni and Cheese, so when I need my fix my husband runs out and grabs some (he knows to keep me well fed!). Since it’s just the two of us it seemed like over kill to make a whole pan. But one morning I was watching cooking videos on Youtube and got inspired to perfect my Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe.

This recipe it perfect. It solved all the issues I had in the past and I really learned a lot about making Baked Macaroni and Cheese.

Undercook your pasta. Always undercook your pasta when making a Baked Macaroni and Cheese. Then you won’t end up with bloated macaroni
Use the strongest and highest quality cheese you can afford. You want to get the most flavour out of your cheese as possible. Find the best old cheddar cheeses you can find, you wont be disappointed.
Make way more sauce then you think you need. The sauce to noodle ratio should alarm you, you should be terrified that your making soup instead of macaroni and cheese. All kidding aside you need a lot of sauce!

If you can remember those three things your Baked Macaroni and cheese will turn out perfect. I hope that this recipe makes it to your table this fall.

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

8 Ounces Elbow Macaroni

1/4 Cup Butter
1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
3 Cups Whole Milk
8 Ounces Aged Old White Cheddar (crumbled or grated)
4 Ounces Sharp Orange Cheddar Cheese (crumbled or grated)
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Cup Plain Breadcrumbs
2 Tablespoons Butter, melted

Directions:

Cook macaroni according to package directions, but reduce the cook time by 2 minutes. You need very al dente pasta for this recipe. Drain pasta and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease an 8 inch baking dish with butter or oil.

In a large sauce pan melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to cook for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk milk into the roux. Whisk constantly to combine the mixture and prevent milk from burning. Continue to cook the mixture until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Whisk sauce occasionally.

Once the sauce has thickened reduce the heat to low. Add the cheese to the sauce, stir to combine. Season the sauce with salt, chili and garlic powder.

Fold cooked macaroni to the sauce to coat. Transfer the mixture to your prepared baking dish. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix together breadcrumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle the mixture over the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden and the macaroni and cheese is bubbling.

Adapted from Seasons and Suppers

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

November 15, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Every year I make butternut squash soup and every year I’m underwhelmed. It never turns out very flavourful. Over the past year I’ve been cooking with all kinds of squashes a lot more then I used to. We love eating acorn, butternut and delicata squash. I’ve been roasting, mashing, topping salads and making sauces out of squash constantly. So when I made soup this year I was ready to get it right. And I did just that! This recipe is rich is flavour, easy to make and great for work day lunches.

In this recipe I roast butternut squash, onions and garlic in the oven until caramelized and browning. I also add fresh sage and delicious brown butter which takes the soup to the next level!

I like serving this soup with so super fast homemade croutons or to make it a really filling me some cooked apple sausage. Both are great options.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 Medium Butternut Squash, peeled and chopped
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1/4 Teaspoon of Pepper
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Butter
2 Teaspoons Fresh Sage, chopped
6 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
Optional: Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Spread out chopped butternut squash, onions and whole garlic cloves on a large baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until soft and squash begins to caramelize.

In a large soup pot melt the butter on medium heat. Continue to cook the butter in medium heat until it becomes golden and brown buts form on the bottom of the pot (3-5 mins). Reduce heat to low and add chopped sage. Sauté sage until fragrant and starting to crisp, about a minute.

Add onions, butternut squash and garlic to the pot. Stir mixture to combine. Add the vegetable stock. Bring soup to a simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender blend soup until completely smooth (If using a traditional blender allow soup to cool before blending). Return soup to pot. Taste the soup, add salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Serve with your favourite soup toppings and sides.

Homemade Lasagna

November 13, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

IMG_20181109_121152

If I could eat Italian food for every meal I would. Pasta for breakfast sounds way better then oatmeal or eggs to me. I have always loved Lasagna. My mom would always make it when my grandparents came to visit. It’s such a great crowd pleasing meal that can be made in advance.

Now this recipe is not my mom’s. Her recipe came from the back of the pasta box. Although delicious you wont see me make a lasagna recipe that contains cottage cheese in place of ricotta…. sorry mom! This recipe has, ground beef, Italian sausage, ricotta, fresh basil and lots of cheese!! I’ll also share a trick for avoiding soggy noodles. Believe me this recipe is worth the effort.

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So my tips for this recipe are….

Find the biggest pan you can! If you can get a pan thats actually called a lasagna pan that’s the best this to use since this makes a large quantity. I use the deepest 13×9 baking dish I own and always have a little bit left over. SO the bigger the better!
Double or even triple the recipe. Make up a few lasagnas in foil baking dishes and stock your freezer. I wouldn’t call this recipe hard, but it is time consuming so you might as well batch cook.
Throw a parmesan rind into your meet sauce. Now this is totally optional, so if you don’t have one no worries. If you do have a parmesan rind (I freeze my leftover rinds) throw it in to simmer with your sauce it will add incredible flavour.
Either use fresh lasagna noodles or quick soak your dried pasta. Ok so I hate cooking lasagna sheets, they always tear and my largest pot is already being used to simmer the meat sauce. So I have two options for you, the first is using fresh pasta. This stuff cooks so fast you don’t need to boil it! It can be pretty pricy though so I normally opt for option two, quick soaking regular lasagna noodles. I put the noodles in a large pan, cover the noodles with boiling hot water for 2-3 minutes. This will soften the noodles but they will still have a nice structure, and they don’t soak up too much sauce as the lasagna bakes.
My fifth and final tip is that fresh is best! Fresh cheese and fresh basil! Get your self a basil plant, they are the best! Basil is one of the only herbs I refuse to use dried. In my opinion if you only have dried basil you might as well not use any at all. Secondly your cheese should be either deli sliced, or freshly grated by you! Pre grated cheese has a weird powder on it and it impacts the flavour of the cheese so buying a block is best (and cheaper!)

So now you have a fews tip on how I make this lasagna, its really so good!

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Homemade Lasagna

Yields: 12 Servings

Ingredients:

1 Pound Italian Sausage (I use spicy, but sweet is also delicious!)
2 Pounds Lean Ground Beef
1 White Onion, finely diced
6 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
2 (28 oz) Cans Crushed Tomatoes
2 (6 oz) Cans Tomato Paste
1 (15 oz) Can Tomato Sauce
1/2 Cup Red Wine (Chianti and Pino Noir are my favourites)
1 Tablespoon White Sugar
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil, chopped
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
Parmesan Cheese Rind (optional)
1 Pound Lasagna Noodles
16 Ounces Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Pound Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 1/4 Cups Fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven brown sausage and ground beef over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until translucent, browning and fragrant (5 minutes). Add red wine to deglaze the pan. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato past and tomato sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer. Add sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and parmesan rind to the pot. Cover and simmer on low heat for at least 1.5 hours. Remove parmesan rind before using.

In a medium sized bowl combine ricotta, egg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Mix to combine and set aside. Place noodles in a large pan, pour boiling water over the noodles and soak for 2-3 minutes. Remove noodles from the pan, place in a colander and rinse with cold water. Place shredded mozzarella and remaining shredded parmesan together in a bowl, Mix to combine and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 ° F.

Assemble your lasagna. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1 cup of meat sauce. Cover sauce with 6 lasagna noodles. Layer one half of the ricotta mixture, gently spread. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese mixture. Top with 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce, and sprinkle another layer of cheese. Repeat layers. Top the final layer of noodles with remaining meat sauce and cheese.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Adapted from All Recipes.

Seasonal Recipes

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