Category Archives: Food

Shoveling the Hodgepodge

Here are the latest questions Joyce From This Side of the Pond has come up with for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. What’s a change you’d like or need to make this year? 

Physically, I need to be more active throughout the year, not just in fair weather. Mentally, I need to be less selfish.

2. Break the ice, on thin ice, ice skating, tip of the iceberg, ice cold...which icy idiom applies to your life right now? Explain. 

I’ll go with ‘tip of the iceberg’. I need to continue my efforts in getting rid of many of my possessions! Decluttering the storage areas in our home.

3. What’s a project you’ve been putting off? Will you get to it this month? This year?

See #2

4. Of the fruits that grow well in winter which ones have you tried? Which is your favorite? 

pomegranates, clementines, persimmons, passion fruit, pears, grapefruit, lemons, pomelos, kumquats

I believe I have tried all but a pomelo which looks like it’s pretty close to a grapefruit. Since I’m supposed to pick a favorite, I’ll go with lemons.

5. What do you think it means to be courageous? 

To fear God rather than man and have my actions, words and lifestyle reflect that.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We had 6 inches of snow fall Monday night into Tuesday. Snow Hats are in fashion…

Roasted Cranberry and Goat Cheese Flatbread

This easy to make flatbread appetizer would be a nice addition to your Christmas or New Year’s Eve festivities. I found this recipe in a grocery store flyer.

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon chopped leeks
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
  • salt to taste
  • 2 flatbreads (14.1 ounces)
  • 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided
  • For topping: freshly chopped arugula, pomegranate arils, and honey

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Mix cranberries, maple syrup, leeks, thyme and salt in an 8 inch square baking dish.
  3. Roast, stirring every so often, until the mixture begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and stir until cranberries are broken down and the mixture is thick.
  5. Cool for 5 minutes.
  6. Divide the cranberry mixture and spread evenly over the flatbreads.
  7. Top each with goat cheese and pecans.
  8. Bake directly on oven rack for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is warmed and the flatbread is crispy.
  9. Remove from oven.
  10. Garnish each with freshly chopped arugula, pomegranate arils and a drizzle of honey.
  11. Cut into small wedges or strips and serve.
  12. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Serves: 8 generously as an appetizer

I used the Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads for this recipe. They come 2 in a package.

Monday Catch-Up

Reading up on the weather forecasts we decided that last Friday would be a good day to do our last Christmas shopping in Spokane. The roads were clear and sun was shining. We went to our usual stores, Home Depot, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Hobby Lobby, Trader Joe’s and Costco. After we got done with most of the stores we decided to enjoy an Anniversary lunch at Clinkerdagger. It was fun for us to read that Clinkerdagger was established in 1974 so they celebrate the same anniversary year as us. When we were done we made our last stop at Costco and headed home.

A dear friend of ours with whom we enjoyed card nights with was called up to heaven on Monday the 4th of December.  Her memorial service was at our church on Saturday. Greg and I along with other helpers managed the reception for the family. The service was lovely and her love for Jesus was testified to by her children, grandchildren and husband. We will miss her.

On Saturday Evening, Dear and I finished this difficult jigsaw puzzle that my sister Lana and I started when she was here over Thanksgiving.

Our Colville kids enjoyed Bethlehem Revisited at Colville Community church and our Grands got to enjoy animals and crafts.

Sunday we woke up to 6 inches of snow.

I tried to get artsy…

We drove to church slowly and carefully. Our adult Sunday School sessions are on the topic of forgiveness. Sunday sermon was from Isaiah and all about our Lord Jesus Christ. ‘We must worship the Babe in the Manger.’

After church we enjoyed lunch up at our Colville kids’ home. We got to see the lassos and dreidels and mallets our grands enjoyed making at Bethlehem Revisited. Here’s a shot of the views from their driveway as we drove home.

The fog had settled down on us. Thankful that our son had plowed his driveway before they left for church.

Our Christmas Cards are all addressed and sent, always a good feeling of relief.

This new week I’m hoping to deck the halls and share the decked halls soon.

O Come let us adore him…

MGCC Christmas 2023

We drove to Abbotsford on Thursday November 30th a day early for our Mennonite Girls Can Cook annual Christmas party. We were graciously invited to stay an extra day with Terry and Lovella who were hosting the party this year. We arrived late afternoon and had some test runs on different drinks we might be serving at our party. Wonderful conversations were enjoyed in their home and at the restaurant where we had dinner that evening.

On Saturday morning we were invited to Anneliese and Herb’s for breakfast and again enjoyed gracious hospitality. Lovella and Anneliese live just around the block from each other. We were back at our hosts by noon to help set things up for our Appetizer and Dessert evening.

 

As each of the other girls arrived the ‘buffet island’ was filled to the brim.

The guys chatted as we finished up setting out the appies.

The ‘girls’ loaded up their plates and enjoyed time in the living room.

We all brought one gift and then got to choose one to take home with us. Soon it was time for dessert.

In case anyone is wondering…these girls can still cook. We enjoyed our dessert in the family room. Good times together and we talked well into the night.

After a quick sleep it was time for our car to head back over the border into the USA. We are thankful for our ongoing friendship with the Mennonite Girls and their husbands. God is good to us.

Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

These cookies started with a basic Butter Cookie Dough that could create a variety of cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 1-3/4 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons soft butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

  1. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth but not fluffy.
  2. Beat in egg.
  3. Add flour and mix until incorporated, using hands if needed.
  4. Chill dough for one hour.
  5. On floured parchment, roll half the dough into a rough rectangle about 10 x 8 inches.
  6. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
  7. Slide rectangles on parchment to baking sheet.
  8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  9. Meanwhile mix 3 tablespoons soft butter, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in small bowl.
  10. Spread half of this mixture over one of the rectangles of refrigerated dough and distribute well.
  11. With long side facing you, use parchment paper to help you roll into log.
  12. Repeat for the second rectangle adding the rest of the filling.
  13. Chill until firm.
  14. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  15. Cut logs into 1/4 inch slices.
  16. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
  17. Bake until lightly browned, 12-17 minutes.
  18. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

You can freeze one of the logs for future use if you don’t need this many cookies at once. Just wrap them in parchment and put the log into a freezer safe zip loc bag until ready to bake.

Brie, Pear, and Arugula Pizza

This Brie, Pear and Arugula pizza would be great for an appetizer. I used a pound of store bought fresh pizza dough found in the deli section which really made this easy to make. If you want to make your own dough here’s a link to one of Kathy’s recipes for pizza dough.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of pizza dough
  • 1/2 cup red onion sliced thin
  • 1 small round of Brie (4 oz.) sliced.
  • 2-3 fresh pears cored and sliced
  • A handful of Arugula
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Olive oil

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Prepare pizza pan with a little olive oil to coat.
  3. Prepare a surface with a little flour to roll out your pizza dough to fit your pan.
  4. Transfer dough to pan and stretch to fit nicely.
  5. Top dough evenly with the red onion slices.
  6. Bake in oven for up to 12 minutes until the dough is golden.
  7. Remove from oven and turn the oven to broil.
  8. Carefully add the Brie and Pears evenly on the dough.
  9. Salt and pepper these ingredients to your taste.
  10. Scatter the Arugula on top of the Brie and Pears.
  11. Sprinkle with olive oil.
  12. Place pan back in oven set to broil and watch very carefully removing just after the Brie melts.
  13. Cut into serving portions and enjoy.

Toasted Turkey Sandwich

If you are wondering what to do with leftover turkey this is a tasty treat for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

  • Leftover roasted turkey
  • Hearty bread sliced, I used Focaccia
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Havarti Cheese (or any cheese you prefer)

Method:

  1. Layer the turkey on the bread.
  2. Spread the cranberry sauce on the turkey.
  3. Top with cheese.
  4. Put second layer of bread on top.
  5. Place in toaster oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

You can also add thin sliced onions or mayonnaise to the sandwich if you like.

When you have assembled the sandwich put it in the toaster oven till the cheese is melted. You can also spread a little butter on the outside of the bread and pan grill it on each side until the cheese melts.

If you want to use the whole loaf of Focaccia to make enough for 4-6 people slice through the whole loaf so you have two large rounds of bread. Layer the bottom round with the same ingredients and then put the 2nd round on top and place on a roasting pan and put it in the oven to toast until the cheese melts.

Pumpkin Praline Trifle

I found this recipe in a magazine and have made it for two very special gatherings. It’s a great trifle for our fall and winter celebrations.

The most time consuming part of the recipe is making the praline. The praline recipe yields enough to make 2 trifles. The creamy layers and pumpkin layers are very simple to make and assemble. If you have a large gathering with lots of preparations I would suggest making the praline up to a week ahead and then preparing the trifle a day or two ahead of your gathering.

Praline:

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 1 cup packed golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup half and half
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-2/3 cups pecan halves or pieces (about 6 oz.)

Mascarpone Cream:

  • 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 1- 8 oz. container chilled mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

  • 1 – 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (I used already ground)
  • 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 – 3 oz. packages of soft ladyfingers. (I bought a 4.75 oz. box of soft lady fingers at Trader Joe’s and it was enough for 1 trifle)
  • 4-1/2 tablespoons of dark rum, divided (optional)

Praline:

  1. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.
  2. Bring both sugars and half and half to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium high heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
  3. Add butter, vanilla, and salt.
  4. Attach candy thermometer to pan. Simmer without stirring until temperature registers 260 degrees F, about 8 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat; immediately mix in pecans.
  6. Transfer to prepared sheet, spreading in a single layer.
  7. Cool completely. Chop into 1/4 inch pieces.

Mascarpone Cream:

  1. Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in large bowl until firm peaks form.
  2. Set aside 1/2 cup mascarpone cream for pumpkin filling.

Filling:

  1. Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, whipping cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt to blend.
  2. Whisk in reserved 1/2 cup mascarpone cream.

Assembling the Trifle:

  1. Spread 1/3 cup mascarpone cream over bottom of 8×5 inch trifle dish (12-14 cup capacity).
  2. Place layer of lady fingers over cream. Sprinkle 1-1/2 Tablespoons of rum over.
  3. Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin filling over ladyfingers, spreading to edges.
  4. Sprinkle 1/3 cup praline over.
  5. Spread 1 cup mascarpone cream over.
  6. Cover with another layer of lady fingers.
  7. Sprinkle with 1-1/2 tablespoons rum, then spread 1 cup pumpkin filling over.
  8. Sprinkle 1/2 cup praline over.
  9. Repeat 1 more time with 1 cup mascarpone cream, lady fingers, rum, 1 cup pumpkin filling and 1/2 cup praline.
  10. Spread remaining mascarpone cream on top.
  11. Cover and chill overnight.
  12. DO AHEAD. Can be made 2 days ahead.

Uncover trifle. Sprinkle 1 cup praline decoratively over top (reserving any remaining praline for another use)

The Dales Way ~ Part 2

This continues the post of our walk over hill and dale from Grassington to Hebden and back to Grassington along the River Wharfe. The whole walk was closer to 6 miles than 4 miles but the steps that Laura’s device clocked were 20,077! This was on Thursday September 21, 2023.

We left our cozy Pub and headed through the village towards the River Wharfe.

The Old School Tea Room, Hebden. Family run, traditional but quirky tea room. Gifts, crafts and cards also available. School dates back to 1874 and the old bell still chimes every hour! (Laura, we missed going in here)

Hebden suspension bridge: The bridge, next to stepping stones, was built in 1884 to connect Hebden with Thorpe after a man drowned trying to cross the Wharfe. Nearby Burnsall Bridge, also on the river, had been swept away in a storm the previous year. The new bridge was built by the Hebden blacksmith using 262 yards of redundant steel rope from the old lead mines. It was restored in 2014/15.

If my hips were any bigger I wouldn’t have been able to squeeze through here! 🙂

 

The water at Linton Falls was in full force due to the storms the day before.

It was tempting to go down this lane and investigate Linton Church and village but our feet said no.

Back in town we treated ourselves to some famous Love brownies and got a recommendation for dinner and made reservations. As if we didn’t have enough steps in already to strolled in town and did some last minute shopping before we got ready for dinner.

Our dinner this evening at the Grassington House would be in honor of Greg’s 70th birthday, a treat from Josh and Laura.

Cheers to Pops on 70 years!

It was a lovely dinner and an American couple from Utah stopped by the table for conversation since they noticed we were from the States, too.

After dinner we took some evening shots for our memories.

We were thankful for being able to walk in sunshine with glorious blue skies and fluffy clouds and to see the wonderful landscape of a portion of the Dales. Capping the evening off with a delicious meal was a nice treat.

Although there was talk of taking part in Quiz Night at The Devonshire we all opted to tuck in and rest our feet and legs and get ready for Day 8 of our trip.

Turkey Pepper Chili

This chili is a great alternative to beef chili and one with some added ingredients that are considered to be a healthy alternative.

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound white meat ground turkey
1/2 onion chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
1 Anaheim chile seeded and chopped
2 cups chicken stock (or more if needed)
1 can 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
1 can 15 oz. white beans or black beans (drained)
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. each of salt, cumin, and dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 cups of chopped Kale
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large pot, add onion, celery and all peppers and saute till onion is translucent. Add turkey and season with salt and pepper and cook through. If needed add a little of the chicken stock during this process if the turkey starts sticking to the pan. Add remaining ingredients, including Kale. Bring to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer. Simmer till the vegetables are cooked through. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve with corn bread.