Wednesday 25 February 2015

Valentine's Dream Cookies

These are called Dream Cookies because they do taste like some kind of delicious sweet dream. They are better than sugar cookies with the addition of custard powder. I made them in hearts for Valentine's Day but of course any shape will do.
Gather all the ingredients and mix, don't let the mess of a two-year-old make you too crazy!
I separated the dough into a few sections just to make working with it a bit easier. Keep the other sections on the fridge until you are ready for them.
Roll out to about 1/4" thickness. Cut out your cookies.
On to the sheet pan and into the oven.
They come out looking golden and beautiful!
Now, the original recipe from my Mom says to sandwich them together with jam in the middle, which is delicious and likely something you have on hand, but for our Valentine's party I made a strawberry buttercream frosting.
Just make a regular buttercream and add a couple tablespoons of jam. So yummy and nice colour for the party. Spoon it into a bag and cut off one corner if you don't have a piping bag.
Now the assembly line can begin! I topped a few with more buttercream just to use it all up.
And Miss R helped me with a few...
Perfect treat for the Valentine's Party!

Dream Cookies

1 c       butter or margarine
3/4 c    sugar
1          egg
2 c       flour
1 tsp    baking powder
2 Tbsp Birds Eye Custard Powder

Cream together softened butter and sugar.
Add in the egg.
Add dry ingredients.
Mix completely.
Roll to about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut out cookies.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min.
Makes about 48 cookies, so will be 24 when sandwiched together.

Enjoy!
~Jess

Thursday 19 February 2015

Raspberry Sticky Buns

This is another of those random finds that I thought I should try out. I think a friend first shared the link on Facebook, which I then tracked down the website and added it to my Pinterest boards. Not my original idea for making these buns, but this is my take on the experience.
http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2014/03/raspberry-sticky-buns.html

Very few ingredients required since I started with the pre-made bread dough. This was how it was written in the recipe and I thought I'd give it a try because I'd never used frozen dough before.
- 2 loaves frozen bread dough
- 10 bag frozen raspberries
- 8 oz cream cheese (or mascarpone)*
- 6 tbsp sugar, divided
- zest of 2 lemons, divided
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup whipping cream

*There is a note on the original post that cream cheese puffs into a creamy layer filling the swirls, while the mascarpone cheese absorbs into the dough, leaving spaces but making a moist texture. I used cream cheese and haven't tried with mascarpone yet.

1) Place the frozen loaves in the fridge and let them thaw overnight. In the morning, set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 2-3 hours. When ready, press the loaves together and roll the dough out on a well-floured surface, into a 12" x 24" rectangle.
(I was baking these at night so they'd be ready to go the next morning. So I started the process mid-morning figuring that "overnight" equates to about 8 hours. And the frozen dough is a pretty good deal - I think I paid $6 for 5 loaves.)

2) In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, half the lemon zest, 3 tbsp sugar, and vanilla. (I did this in with my ancient Sunbeam mixer so it would be well mixed.) Smear this mixture over the dough, leaving 1 inch  border on the long ends.
3) In a separate bowl, stir together the frozen raspberries, remaining 3 tbsp sugar, cornstarch, and pinch of salt. Sprinkle the raspberry mix over top the cheese spread. (I didn't use the cornstarch or salt in this step because I didn't have any cornstarch and usually I think the salt is unnecessary. I had extra sugar in the bowl that didn't stick to the raspberries, so I sprinkled that over too. And I forgot to take a picture.)

4) Roll the dough into a log, then use a serrated knife to log the log into 15 equal rolls. Place the rolls in a parchment lined 9" x 13" pan and allow them to rise 30-45 minutes. (The didn't seem to get too much bigger for me during the rise. I had the two extra little ends, so that's why I have an extra pan here.)
5) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops are golden. Allow the rolls to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then lift out by the edges of the parchment paper.
6) Whisk together the powdered sugar, remaining lemon zest, and whipping cream. Drizzle or brush over the tops of the sticky buns.
7) Enjoy!
They were quite good. The one main change I'd make is to be sure to tuck in any raspberries that are falling out the bottom of the roll when you put them in the pan because when the baked any raspberry touching the parchment paper burned a little.

When I see these recipes, they usually serve a lot of people, so I always want to try and feed a group since I don't need to eat 15 sticky buns on my own. So I made them for our staff PD Day and they were great for the breakfast before the meetings started.
Then there were leftovers, so they went with me to the farm the next day for a tea party.
In this picture you can see homemade jam (link here), the candle holder decoration (see here), and clotted cream (which is so delicious and I'll have to get Jess to write about since she's the one that makes it).
~Lisa


Thursday 12 February 2015

Santa Fe Chicken Stew

I made this Santa Fe Chicken Stew today and it is so good, I have to share this recipe!

Use a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven on the stove, OR you can even make this in a Crockpot!
Use a bit of oil to saute the chicken and the onion. 
Once the chicken is mostly cooked and the onion is looking translucent, add the beans, corn, canned tomatoes, salsa, and liquid. Mix all together. Add in the rice and simmer for 30 min.
Serve topped with sour cream, cream cheese, or shredded cheese. 
Full bowls will quickly be emptied, even the kids like it!


Santa Fe Chicken Stew

2 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into pieces
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp oil
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1/2 jar of salsa
2 cups liquid - chicken stock, vegetable stock, water
1 handful of rice
Sour cream/ cream cheese/ shredded cheese for topping

Using a heavy bottomed pan, saute the chicken and onion. Once the chicken is mostly cooked and the onion is looking translucent, add the beans, corn, canned tomatoes, salsa, and liquid. Mix all together. Add in the rice and simmer for 30 min. Keep an eye on it and add more liquid if needed.
Serve topped with sour cream, cream cheese, or shredded cheese. 

Using a crockpot, put all ingredients in together, come back in a few hours and enjoy. 

As a make ahead freezer meal, mix everything together, raw chicken, raw onions, all the canned goods, the liquid, and rice. Put into a ziploc bag, lay flat in the freezer. When you want an easy dinner, put the entire contents into the crockpot on low for 6 hours. DONE!

Now, let's be honest....these measurements do not have to be exact, remember this is a stew! Use what you have on hand in the proportions that will work for your family.

Use beef instead of chicken, or go for a Meatless Monday dinner and just add extra beans. You can omit the rice in the stew and serve over a baked potato. Or serve with tortilla chips. Or use it as a filling for quesadillas.
It freezes really well, too. Double the recipe and put half in the freezer to have on hand as an easy weeknight dinner. Enjoy!
~Jess

Thursday 5 February 2015

60 Years Young!


My Dad is 60! 60 years young!
We had a party this weekend, complete with hats and candles and a coffee chocolate cake. 
I made this card for him. I like the mix of olive green, brown, and beige.
I think it is a nice masculine combination. 
I added some dimension with pop-up dots on the "60" and also on the end of the "happy birthday" banner, it makes it look like it's kind of waving in the wind. 
Happy 60th to our wonderful Dad!
The best thing about having him for my dad is that he also gets to be my daughters' Grandpa!
~Jess