Lemon Squares

Lemon Squares...soooooo good....

I had the pleasure of hosting friends for lunch today and served these delicious squares.  I wasn't sure what to make for dessert, which followed my Rutabaga Soup, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Frittata and Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes (recipes coming soon!).  I thought dessert should be something light, fresh and easy so headed to my library for inspiration. 

The first book I pulled out was one given to me by Mom, entitled, The Canadian Living Christmas Book.  I've been making recipes from that book for ages and find them to be easy, reliable and delicious.  One of my favourites is for Citrus Squares, which I like to make with lemon though they're also lovely with orange or lime.  The base is a soft shortbread and the top gets slightly crunchy from the sugar caramelizing in the oven.  The centre is soft and oozy sweet lemon...so good.

One of my friends brought a box of beautiful Greek sweets to share, so I served them along with the Lemon Squares on Mom's china dessert plates with tea in tea cups and saucers passed down from my grandmothers.  My friends seemed to enjoy it, and I particular loved the warm and loving energy of friends - and ancestors - sharing a meal together.

Lemon Squares

Base:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Topping:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp grated lemon rind
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Garnish:
Confectioners sugar

In food processor or in bowl and using pastry blender, blend flour, butter and brown sugar until crumbly.  Press into ungreased 9" square cake pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping.  Stir together sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice, flour, baking powder and eggs.  When base is cooked, pour topping over base.  Return to oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch (note: oven temperatures vary so watch closely so they don't burn).

(Recipe can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months; thaw completely).

Just before serving, cut into squares.  Dust with icing sugar.

Makes 36 small squares or 18 larger ones.

African Peanut Soup - again!

Seems everyone I meet lately is asking for this recipe, so I figured it would be easier to simply re-post it.  Best. Soup. Ever.  I've continued to refine it (now I add even more red lentils and a bit less broth) since I first posted this recipe in 2009.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my loved ones do!

Photo courtesy of The Reluctant Gourmet

Tomato soup has always been comfort food to me. When I was little, Mom used to make me tomato soup when I came home from school for lunch. She'd also give me a few crackers to crumble into the soup, and I can still feel the crunch of them as my fingers mushed them into my palms, their dusty bits adding a salty crunch to every mouthful of the tangy, sweet liquid. The very thought of it takes me right back to loving, happy memories of sitting with Mom on our couch, my feet dangling off the edge, eating from a TV tray and watching The Flintstones.

I was inspired to learn how to make this soup after ordering Moroccan Tomato soup a number of times at a local lunch spot. Their version was quite rich, so I looked at a variety of recipes and, after making some adaptations, I came up with a version that is healthy and hearty. You can add chunks of chicken breast to this soup, but be sure to remove them before pureeing. For vegetarians, the lentils and peanut butter provide good sources of protein.

This recipe is truly an homage to childhood lunch times with Mom. Imagine tomato soup and peanut butter all in the same mouthful...what better tribute to childhood could one ask for?

African Peanut Soup

2 medium onions, chopped
2 large red peppers, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, mashed
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
5-6 c. vegetable broth (or a mixture of vegetable and chicken broths)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot)
1/2 c. uncooked basmati rice, washed
1 c. red split lentils, washed
2/3 c. crunchy peanut butter
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

In a large soup pot, saute onions, peppers and garlic in oil. Add salt & pepper and cook until onions become translucent, stirring frequently.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, 4 cups of broth, peppers and red pepper flakes, and rice. Simmer, partially covered, over low heat for 30 minutes. Add more broth during the cooking process if soup is getting too thick. After 30 minutes, add half the peanut butter, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.

Puree half the soup in a blender or food processor. Add the pureed mixture to the rest of the soup and mix well. Add more broth, depending how thick you like it. Reheat soup and add remainder of peanut butter, whisking until smooth. Adjust flavour with salt and pepper, if necessary.

To Serve:

Ladle soup into bowls and top with chopped cilantro.

Potato Cheddar Soup with Fresh Dill

POTATO CHEDDAR SOUP WITH FRESH DILL

Low-Fat Zucchini, Banana & Flax Muffins (Wheat Free Option)

(Adapted from Everyday Food, September 2011 - Double Batch Pictured Above)

I discovered this recipe last fall, at the perfect time for zucchini recipes.  I was also trying to adapt most of my wheat flour recipes to spelt flour at the time, and found it worked well with this recipe by adding a little extra spelt.  I reduced the fat, which was already minimal, and also added wheat germ which seems to give the muffins a slightly crunchy crust.  

This one has become a favourite in our home.  These muffins freeze well in an airtight container for a month.

Low-Fat Zucchini, Banana & Flax Muffins

Nonstick cooking spray

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour (or 2 c. spelt flour)
1/2 c. ground flax seed
1/4 c. wheat germ
1 c. lightly packed golden brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c. grated zucchini (from 1 large zucchini)
1/3 c. mashed ripe banana (from 1 large banana)
3/4 c. milk (any kind)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.  In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, vanilla, then add zucchini and banana.  Add milk mixture to dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined (do not overmix or muffins will be tough).

Using a medium ice cream scoop, divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Let muffins cool about 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack, then remove from pan and allow them to continue cooling on rack.  Serve warm or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes 12 yummy muffins.  Enjoy!

Spelt Pizza

Pizza is a Friday kinda food.  Eating pizza was a really big deal when I was a kid.  It wasn't like it is now, where you can get a slice on any corner and families haul big boxes full of it home for dinner on a regular basis.  Not when I was a kid, at least not in my family.  Maybe it wasn't such an easy thing to get back then, and probably it was more expensive than my parents could afford.  But I remember, when we did have it, it was a special treat.  Sometimes we would have it on a Friday night and were allowed to eat in front of the TV on folding "TV tables" (ours were plastic and I think they were decorated with a western theme, oddly).  I seem to recall a background of episodes of the Brady Bunch, Donny & Marie and Love Boat...a lifetime ago.  

On the rare occasion that we had pizza, it was often homemade and Mom and I would make the dough from scratch.  Something about the smell of the yeast and the softness of freshly risen dough brings back such comforting memories, like Mom excitedly pointing at the bowl and telling me to watch the yeast "come to life" as it began to bubble and froth, feeding on bits of sugar in its warm bath, and her encouraging me to"punch" the risen dough back down, my hand sinking into the soft, warm ball.  In the midst of a lot of upheaval in my life lately, making homemade pizza for my husband seemed like the perfect way to feed my hungry soul. 

I love to modernize old family recipes and, after having delicious spelt flour pizza at a restaurant a few months ago, I decided to try an updated version of an old favourite.  I found a promising looking recipe on Quantum Vegan for Spelt Pizza Crust, and it turned out beautifully (thank you, Quantum Vegan!).  Link to the recipe here or you can follow along below. http://quantumvegan.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/recipe-spelt-pizza-crust-vegan/ I doubled the recipe, which worked perfectly and gave us tons of leftovers for lunches during the week. 

Oh, and why spelt? Because it's much higher in protein and more easily digestible than regular wheat flour.  So it's pizza that's good for you!

A double recipe of Spelt Pizza

(Toppings: pepperoni, pineapple, red onion and mozzarella on the left; sundried tomato, zucchini, red pepper, red onion and goat cheese on the right)

Spelt Pizza

2 1/4 c spelt flour

3/4 c + 2 tsp warm water

1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast

pinch sugar or 1/2 tsp honey

pinch kosher salt

olive oil (for greasing the bowl)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together yeast and warm water until yeast is dissolved.  Set aside.

Add the sugar, salt, then stir in the flour to form a dough.  Add more water if too dry and more flour if too sticky (I had to add more water).  It should be slightly tacky without sticking to your fingers.

Knead the dough in the bowl until it's smooth and springs back slightly when you press a finger in it.  Form the dough into a ball and remove from bowl.  Lightly grease inside of bowl with olive oil and then roll the ball in the oiled bowl to coat all sides.  Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place (like a sunny window) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Gently punch down the dough and proceed with pizza making.  I lightly oiled a baking sheet and spread the dough out using my hands, ensuring it was quite thin and as even as possible.  Add whatever toppings you like and bake at 400 degrees in the centre of oven for about 15-20 minutes (oven temperatures vary so keep an eye on it and check underneath the pizza to make sure it doesn't burn).  Let pizza rest for 5 minutes or so before cutting.

Short & Sweet Oat Cakes

It's been a long hiatus from blogging...too long.  My desire to write and share recipes and food memories has only grown as I've taken this time to reflect and refocus.  No matter what else draws my curiosity, food and the warm memories it elicits keeps calling to me to write, share recipes, develop new ones and to nourish a community of food lovers. 

I'm in the process of redesigning my blog to have the "look & feel" that reflects my vision and invites others in.  Stay tuned and do share your ideas too!

In the meantime, here's what I've been cooking and thinking about on this warm Sunday afternoon...

Short & Sweet Oat Cakes

Have you noticed how people light up and sort of soften when they talk about their favourite food memories?  I feel the same way, and today was thinking about my Aunt Clara and Uncle George while making these Short & Sweet Oat Cakes.  Aunt Clara tells me they were Uncle George's favourite.

Aunt Clara's kitchen is one of the warmest, soul-loving places on the face of the earth.  Gathering around her table has always been love to me, shared through stories, advice, poems, prayers and food to fuel her loved ones. 

She always served tea with dessert after her hearty lunches, often an assortment of sweets presented on one of her prized Petit Point china plates.  On a recent visit to Montreal, she treated us once again to tea and sweets, and told stories about the past, including how she loved visiting Uncle George's mother - many years ago - who would serve these oat cakes.  She said the smell of butter, brown sugar and oats when she walked through the door was unlike anything else, and it always made her hungry and happy to be there (I shall have to remember that when my son brings his girlfriend home).  

A few days after our visit, the recipe arrived tucked inside a letter from Aunt Clara, printed in her impeccable penmanship.  I have a number of her handwritten recipes, and I love them.  I love looking at her writing as I measure and stir, imagining her sitting down at that kitchen table I love so much to share her secrets with me.  I love the little scratches she made with her pen when she wrote "tsp" but really meant to write "tbsp".  I love her tips and tricks, written in parentheses, passing along lessons from generations before me. 

I love to imagine Aunt Clara baking these oat cakes for Uncle George, and him enjoying one with a cup of strong tea.  He was full of beans (or malarkey, as Mom always said). He loved to hide, then jump out and scare the living daylights out of us.  He loved to make crazy faces and talk in funny voices, just to make us laugh.  It made him happy to see us laugh.  He ate neapolitan ice cream.  He drove his car like a mad man.  He cursed with a French accent.  He had 17 locks on every door.  He gave huge hugs for a small man, and you knew he loved you. 

He's gone now and Aunt Clara is on her own.  She misses him and we talk about him when I call.  When I called her last Sunday, she asked me to hold on a sec so she could take her cookies out of the oven.  She was making Uncle George's favourite oat cakes. 

Short & Sweet Oat Cakes

2 cups flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter + 2 tbsp Crisco
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and Crisco with brown sugar till smooth.  Add almond extract.  Add flour, oats and salt, mixing well until a dough forms.

Sprinkle flour on a board and shape the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2" thick, and cut into fingers 1/2" x 2 1/2".  Prick with fork.

Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.  Allow to cook 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. 

These cookies will store well in a container, and can be frozen for up to 1 month in a freezer bag.

Soul Food: Slow Cooker Chicken Stew & Mom's Tea Biscuits

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew with Biscuits

(Photo courtesy of Real Simple Magazine)

While running to catch the subway on Friday, I suddenly realized that I had left my Metro Pass at home. Despite frantically scraping every inch of my purse and even turning it upside down in search of coins, I was still short of the $3 I needed to board the train.  So, I figured, this can only be a message from the Universe telling me to ditch my budget and buy a fabulous new magazine, so that I could turn that last $10 bill in my wallet into desperately needed change.  I mean, it would have been wrong to do otherwise, right?

An occasional special splurge for me is a brand new copy of Real Simple magazine, which beautifully depicts inspiring ideas for your home and which, this month, includes slow cooker recipes that I just had to try out http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/index.html.  I love using my slow cooker during the winter months, when soups and stews can slowly bubble away while we are at work or play, greeting us with great aromas and flavours as we come in out of the cold after a long day.

I started by playing with a fairly traditional chicken stew recipe, to which I made a few adjustments, and whipped up a batch of my Mom's incredible Tea Biscuits that fully doubled in height to become light, flaky and delicious morsels of happy memories.  The stew filled the house with the most comforting, Sunday afternoon kind of aroma, and its long cooking time gave me time for a long walk in the ravine with my husband and a few hours of solitude in my art studio creating these fun Valentine's Day cards for my husband and son (I'll post how-to information soon):

While the Stew Cooked...A Soul-Soothing Afternoon in the Art Studio

Now back to the recipes...

Mom used to make Tea Biscuits quite often for my Dad, who loved to smother them with butter and molasses.  I always found that odd, though now it makes me feel warm inside to remember the way he'd gently rub the back of his molasses-coated spoon against the fresh biscuit that he held so tenderly with the tips of his fingers.  At that time in my life, I was pretty sure that molasses was gross unless it was baked inside a ginger snap, so I preferred to eat mine with Mom's homemade strawberry jam. 

Sometimes, when I was having a particularly rough day (or, now that I think of it, maybe it was she who was having a bad day), Mom would pull together a batch of this dough and form it into a rectangle, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar, then roll it into a log and slice it up into little cinnamon rolls which she'd bake on a cookie sheet.  Now THAT was an incredible treat!  Tonight though, I kept the recipe plain and simple to compliment our savoury dinner.  It was a huge hit. 

What's even better?  There's enough for our dinner tomorrow night, when it will no doubt taste even better after 24 hours of those soul-soothing flavours hanging out together.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
(adapted from Real Simple magazine, March 2011)

3/4 lb. carrots (about 4), cut into 1-inch lengths
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed
1 tsp. Italian seasoning*
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 c. low-sodium or salt-free chicken broth
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. frozen corn kernels
1/2 c. half-and-half cream (optional)

In a 4-6 quart flow cooker, toss together the carrots, celery, onion, sweet potato and flour.  Place the chicken on top and season with the Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Add the broth (you can substitute half the broth with white wine, if you prefer).

Cover and cook until the chicken and vegetables are tender, about 5 or 6 hours on low or 2.5 to 3 hours on high.  Twenty minutes before serving, add the peas, corn and cream (if using) and stir.  Replace the lid and cook 20 minutes or until peas and corn are just tender. 


*A note on Italian seasoning: Be sure to read the label on the package before purchasing.  I picked up one that had salt listed as the first ingredient, and included yeast, cornstarch, dehydrated vegetables and other processed fillers.  Look around for a blend of herbs without any salt or additives.  The one I found is a lovely mixture of Italian herbs, like oregano, basil, rosemary and thyme.


While the peas and corn heat up, you'll have just enough time to make these delicious biscuits!

Mom's Tea Biscuits

2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
2/3 c. cold butter (or shortening, or half of each)
2/3 c. milk (or a little more, if necessary)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.  Add butter and, using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of tiny peas.  Add milk and use a fork to mix very gently (do not overmix or the gluten will start to develop and the biscuits will be tough).

Once the dough comes together, lightly flour a board and pat or roll the dough into a rectangle.  Keep the dough fairly thick, about 1" or so.  Use a cookie cutter, the top of a glass, or a knife to cut out biscuits, then place on an ungreased, lined cookie sheet.  I use a Silpat http://silpat.com/ (which make fantastic gifts for the foodie in your life).

Brush milk on top of each biscuit, and to make them extra sweet and special, dust them with a little white sugar.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about a dozen yummy, amazingly tall and flaky biscuits.

Soul-Nourishing Food: Jamaican Rice & Peas

Jamaican Rice & Peas

I've been working on this recipe for a while now, and I think it's finally ready to share. Adapted from The Real Jerk cookbook by Lily & Ed Pottinger, this version of Jamaican Rice & Peas is made with brown rice.

Brown rice is a natural cleanser for your body, and contains more nutrients and fibre than regular white rice. The cleaner we keep our bodies, the better they serve us on our journeys.

This recipe even carries my Jamaican husband's stamp of approval!

Jamaican Rice & Peas

4 cups water
1 19 oz can red kidney beans
1 400 ml can coconut milk
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
3 cups uncooked, organic brown rice

Soak rice in cool water, changing water a few times until the rice is clean.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring water to boil. Add all ingredients except for the Scotch bonnet pepper and rice. Boil for 5 minutes. Add Scotch bonnet pepper and rice, and cook for 1 hour, covered, on lowest heat. After 1 hour, remove Scotch bonnet pepper and fluff rice with a fork.

Enjoy!

Contemplating Next Steps

I've been on a blogging hiatus for the past few weeks as I contemplate next steps on the journey. I have also been working on perfecting a beautiful spicy garlic shrimp & lemon pasta recipe that's nearly ready to be shared.

I'm very interested in hearing from people who want to share their memories of the women in their lives and being loved by them through food and cooking together. I recently received an email from a woman from South Africa who said she could completely relate to the feelings I've described about my connection with my mother, grandmothers and aunts...I suspect this is a fairly universal experience, even if the bond wasn't with a mother but a neighbour or some other female caregiver.

If you'd like to share your stories and are willing to have them published here or in a book at some point, please email me at jinjahcookie@sympatico.ca.

Vision Board

As the year winds to a close (and what a year it has been!), I have the rare pleasure of a few quiet days of reflection. This morning, I took some time to finish my vision board (in this case, a collage) which captures some of my thoughts, dreams and plans for the year ahead.

Creating a vision board is a great way to allow yourself to reflect upon your life and plan your next steps and longer term goals and dreams. It becomes a visual reminder of the things that matter to you in your quiet moments, and a beacon to pay attention to those parts of your heart and soul when life gets crazy. Pick any image for your meditation practice throughout the year and allow yourself to reconnect to yourself.

My friend, Patty, introduced me to her "prosperity chart" several years ago, and I've been creating my own ever since. Every January 1st, I spend a few hours charting out my path to prosperity for the coming year and beyond. Developing my vision board first has really inspired me to think differently about my goals for the coming year, which I'll reflect in writing in my 2010 prosperity chart.

I highly recommend these tools for keeping your life on track, under your own terms. They also become wonderful archives of the journey, the barriers faced and overcome, the dreams made into reality, and even the little tasks that amount to a lot over the course of a year.

Take some time to leaf through your magazine pile and look for inspiration on their pages. You might be surprised what new ideas and dreams are whispered to you!

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Jam Thumbprint Cookies
(recipe by Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa)

Our son adores these cookies. Just when I thought I might be nearly finished my Christmas baking, he called from university with a few requests, including these delicious little treats.

I watched Ina Garten make these on her show ("Barefoot Contessa") a few years ago, and they've been a regular in our home during the holidays ever since. These cookies pack really well in a cellophane bag tied with a beautiful ribbon. They make perfect hostess gifts and stocking stuffers.

You can probably use any kind of jam you like to fill the "thumbprints". I usually use seedless raspberry and apricot or mango. The cookies freeze well for a month and will last a couple of weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

3/4 lb (1 1/2 c.) butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash
7 oz. sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry and/or apricot and/or mango jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until combined; add vanilla. Sift together salt and flour, and add slowly to butter mixture. Mix until dough comes together. Turn out on floured board and roll with hands into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.

Roll dough in your hands into 1 1/4 inch balls (about 1 oz each). Dip each ball in the egg wash, then in coconut (press coconut a bit to help it stick to ball). Place ball on parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet. Press a small indentation at the top of each ball with finger, and fill with 1/4 tsp. jam. Bake 20-25 minutes, until coconut is golden brown and cookie is cooked through. Cool completely and store or serve.

Holiday Biscotti

Holiday Biscotti
(adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentis)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter (room temperature)
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs
3/4 c. pistachios or pecans, coarsely chopped
2/3 c. dried cranberries
1 c. white chocolate chips (to add to dough)
12 oz. white chocolate, melted (for dipping)
Coloured sugar crystals for decoration


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour and baking powder to blend. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat until just blended. Gently mix in cranberries, nuts and white chocolate chips.

Form dough into a log about 12" long and 3" wide on the baking sheet. Bake until light golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, place the log on a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, carefully cut into 1/2" to 3/4" thick slices. Place slices flat on baking sheet. Bake about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.

Melt chocolate gently in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly. Dip half the biscotti in the chocolate, removing excess. Place on rack set over a baking sheet to catch the drips. Sprinkle with coloured sugar crystals. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.

Enjoy with hot chocolate, tea or coffee.

Special Delivery

Special Delivery:

Warm Banana Bread & Deluxe Chocolate Chip Cookies

A dear client contacted me yesterday to request a special catering order for her friend who is recovering from heart surgery. A few years ago, when my client's father died, I arrived at her door with a similar package courtesy of my brother. She was hooked, and has ordered this special treat for friends in need ever since.

There's nothing quite like having warm, fresh baking delivered to your door. For me, seeing the delight on the faces of those receiving the gift is deeply rewarding.

To place an order, email me at jinjahcookie@sympatico.ca.

Lemon Almond Muffins

Lemon Almond Muffins

Continuing on the lemon theme from earlier this week, I pulled out a recipe I used to make quite often for Lemon Almond Muffins. I think Mom recorded this one while watching a cooking show many years ago.

It's almost unfair to call these little babies "muffins", as they are more like little cakelets (is that a word? If not, I think it should be). Dense and moist, these are unusual muffins. You'll notice the batter is different from any muffin you've made, as it is very dense and looks almost like bread dough when it comes together. This could be because there are no eggs in this recipe, plus it calls for cream of tartar, so the texture is quite different. You'll also note there is no salt in the recipe, but I use salted butter and find it works well. Be sure to not overmix the batter as you'll end up with tough muffins (that made me giggle...).

You can use two teaspoons to put the batter in muffin tins, but I find the tops look a little prettier when you use a medium sized ice cream scoop.

This is a lovely recipe to prepare as company is about to arrive. The fragrance of warm lemon and almond will permeate your house and create a welcoming, comforting atmosphere...and a hungry group of guests!

Lemon Almond Muffins

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. milk
1/8 c. lemon juice
1 tsp. almond extract
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 c. slivered almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease muffin pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and cream of tartar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, milk, almond extract, lemon juice and zest.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add liquid mixture, stirring gently with a fork until just moist. Do not overmix.

Fill muffin cups to about 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with slivered almonds, if desired. Bake 20-25 minutes or until edges turn brown and tops of muffins spring back when touched. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pans and place on rack to cool completely, or serve when still warm.

Ever Lovin' Lemon Loaf

Mom's Ever Lovin' Lemon Loaf

My brother recently picked up a bunch of lemons on sale, then called me to ask what he should do with them. He truly has begun to channel our Mom.

He was thinking of trying Mom's Lemon Custard, the inaugural recipe on this blog (http://jinjahcookie.blogspot.com/2009/09/lemon-custard.html). I also recommended that he make Mom's wonderful Lemon Loaf, the best recipe for this loaf I've found so far.

I've adapted many loaf recipes by replacing shortening with vegetable oil, to remove the saturated fat. I find it usually works quite well in loaves, but decided to test on this recipe to be sure. You'll notice in the photo below that the loaf made with vegetable oil (left) turned out to have a much nicer shape and a lighter texture than the loaf made with shortening (right).

Loaf made with vegetable oil (left) and shortening (right)

My husband and fellow taste-tester agreed that there was no difference in flavour between the two loaves. Plus - and this is a bonus - you'll save yourself about 40 calories per loaf and a whack of saturated fat if you choose the vegetable oil option.

EVER LOVIN' LEMON LOAF

Loaf Batter:

1/3 c. vegetable oil or shortening
1 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon

Glaze:

1/4 c. white sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

To prepare cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat insides of a regular loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter. Set aside.

Beat together oil or shortening with sugar; add eggs one at a time, then add salt. Reduce mixer speed and add milk, mixing gently until combined. Add flour, baking powder and lemon rind all at once. Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping sides of bowl with spatula. Do not overmix or cake will be tough.

Pour batter into loaf pan and let sit for 2 minutes, then place in oven and bake for 50 minutes or until done. Remove cake from oven.

To prepare glaze:

Squeeze juice from 1 lemon and strain seeds and pulp. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Spoon glaze over hot cake while still in loaf pan. Let glaze soak into loaf in pan for 30 minutes, then remove to a rack until completely cooled.

To store:

Wrap in foil and refrigerate. Serve cool or bring to room temperature.

Aromatic Cream of Root Vegetable & Lentil Soup

Aromatic Cream of Root Vegetable & Lentil Soup

This weekend has blessed us with warm, sunny days - a rare pleasure for early November. I somehow managed to keep myself inside long enough to develop this incredible soup - modified from a recipe from the Holiday 2008 issue of Food & Drink - and I must say, it is absolutely fabulous.

I'll admit that I'm not a fan of parsnips, so was a little unsure of how they'd taste in this recipe. Mom used to cook parsnips to accompany roasts, but I never ate them as I didn't find their strong aroma very appealing. However, the sweetness of the sweet potato and cinnamon in this soup seem to welcome the sharpness of the parsnip, resulting in a wonderful balance. The addition of the lentils adds a dense creaminess and a hearty dose of protein.

Aromatic Cream of Root Vegetable & Lentil Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. chili pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 c. sweet potato, peeled & chopped
2 c. Yukon Gold or red potato, peeled & chopped
1 1/2 c. parsnip, peeled & chopped
1 c. split red lentils
7-8 c. chicken or vegetable broth
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

In a large pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes; add garlic and spices (except bay leaf), stirring to toast for a minute.

Add sweet potato, potato and parsnip; stir. Add broth, lentils and bay leaf, stirring well. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft.

Discard bay leaf. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Add more broth to loosen, if necessary. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Reheat gently; do not boil. Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy.

Oatmeal White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

Oatmeal White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

I invented this recipe a few years ago as a Christmas treat for my son, who loves white chocolate. Mom always named recipes after the people who shared them to her, and this recipe is based on one called Dorothy's Crispies, a wonderfully crunchy oatmeal cookie made for her long ago by a dear family friend.

These cookies are dense and delicious, and chock full of complimentary flavours and textures. I add pecans to mine because I like the nutty crunch, and the cranberries are chewy, tangy and sweet next to the smooth, rich white chocolate.

Oatmeal White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. white chocolate chips
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Set aside.

Cream butter and brown sugar together in mixer. Add egg, vanilla and salt. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula. Add flour, oatmeal, baking powder and soda, and mix till just blended. Scrape bowl again. Add chocolate, cranberries and pecans, and mix gently until well combined.

Using a medium ice cream scoop, drop balls of batter on cookie sheet, spacing an inch or two apart. Using the palm of your hand, press down gently on the top of each cookie to flatten slightly.

Bake for 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies can be frozen for up to a month.

Roasted Squash and Apple Puree

Pepper Squash

Sundays are sometimes a little melancholy, as they were comforting days at home when Dad watched football while Mom prepared a roast beef, pork or chicken dinner that perfumed the house all afternoon. As a kid, the side dishes were my favourite part of the meal. Freshly whipped potatoes, turnip mashed with butter and brown sugar, and little baby peas were frequent guests at our Sunday table.

In the spirit of old-fashioned Sunday dinners, I recently created this sweet and savoury side dish and served it for our Thanksgiving meal, to great accolades.

I was looking for something a little different for our holiday meal, and knowing we all love roasted squash as well as apple sauce, I decided I'd try to combine those flavours together. To our delight, it turned out beautifully. I made it a day in advance, and we had to hold ourselves back from devouring it.

I used pepper squash, but you could also use butternut or buttercup squash. I wouldn't recommend trying it with spaghetti squash, though. For the apples, I used Cortlands but you can also use Macintosh or any other good baking apple that will get soft when cooked. The first time I made this, I used a very hard apple (Fuji) which took longer to cook and a little more effort to puree, but it still tasted incredible.

Roasted Squash and Apple Puree

1 winter squash (pepper, butternut or buttercup), seeded, peeled and cubed
2 large apples, chopped
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. cream
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

To prepare squash:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and rub with 1 tsp. olive oil.

Cut squash in half vertically and scrape out seeds and strings. Place cut side down on cutting board, and cut both halves in half again. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut off the peel (if using a pepper squash, cut the grooves off rather than trying to cut around them). Once peeled, slice each piece in thirds lengthwise, then chop the slices into cubes.

Place cubed squash on baking sheet and top with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper. Using your hands, toss well to coat the squash, then spread evenly on the baking sheet. Place in oven and cook 40-45 minutes (or until very soft), tossing well every 10 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. brown sugar, tossing well.

To prepare apples:

While squash is roasting, peel, core and chop the apples. Heat a saute pan and melt 1 1/2 tbsp. butter, 1 tbsp. brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Add apples and toss well in the butter mixture. Saute over medium heat for about 12-15 minutes, or until very soft. Set aside.

To make puree:

Place roasted squash and cooked apples in food processor or blender (or, if very soft, you can use a potato masher and whip well). Puree until creamy, adding cream one tablespoon at a time until smooth and silky. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

Serve as a tasty, nutritious side dish with meat, poultry or fish. This dish can be made a day or two before serving, and reheated for 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven when needed.

African Peanut Soup

*Note: Recipe revised Nov. 21/09 to include 1/2 c split red lentils - a wonderful texture improvement plus added protein and nutrients.

Tomato soup has always been comfort food to me. When I was little, Mom used to make me tomato soup when I came home from school for lunch. She'd also give me a few crackers to crumble into the soup, and I can still feel the crunch of them as my fingers mushed them into my palms, their dusty bits adding a salty crunch to every mouthful of the tangy, sweet liquid. The very thought of it takes me right back to loving, happy memories of sitting with Mom on our couch, my feet dangling off the edge, eating from a TV tray and watching The Flintstones.

I was inspired to learn how to make this soup after ordering Moroccan Tomato soup a number of times at a local lunch spot. Their version was quite rich, so I looked at a variety of recipes and, after making some adaptations, I came up with a version that is healthy and hearty. You can add chunks of chicken breast to this soup, but be sure to remove them before pureeing. For vegetarians, the lentils and peanut butter provide good sources of protein.

This recipe is truly an homage to childhood lunch times with Mom. Imagine tomato soup and peanut butter all in the same mouthful...what better tribute to childhood could one ask for?

African Peanut Soup

2 medium onions, chopped
2 large red peppers, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, mashed
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
8 c. vegetable broth (or a mixture of vegetable and chicken broths)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it hot)
1/2 c. uncooked basmati rice
1/2 c. red split lentils
2/3 c. crunchy peanut butter
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
Cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

In a large soup pot, saute onions, peppers and garlic in oil, salt & pepper until onions become translucent, stirring frequently.

Add the tomatoes and juice, broth, peppers and red pepper flakes, and rice. Simmer, partially covered, over low heat for 30 minutes. Add half the peanut butter, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.

Puree half the soup in a blender or food processor. Add the pureed mixture to the rest of the soup and mix well. Reheat soup and add remainder of peanut butter, whisking until smooth. Adjust flavour with salt and pepper, if necessary.

To Serve:

Ladle soup into bowls and top with chopped cilantro.

Rutabaga Soup

Rutabaga

What a wonderful time of year to celebrate the harvest by making great soups.

After enjoying a fabulous hike along the Bruce Trail this past weekend, we picked up some wonderful local vegetables and headed to the kitchen to turn them into soups - Rutabaga, African Peanut, and Lentil (recipes for the latter two to be posted in coming days). Our freezer is now happily packed with healthy and delicious treats to last us a while.

This recipe came from my brother, and I have to confess, at first I didn't think I'd really enjoy soup made from rutabaga. How pleasantly surprised I was to savour this interesting flavour combination, made perfectly complete by a drizzle of maple syrup on the top of each serving! Everyone who tries this soup says they are surprised that it's actually delicious.

While this recipe calls for 1 cup of whipping cream, I don't use it because I find that it gets creamy and smooth enough by being pureed. However, it certainly is delicious with cream, if you don't mind the extra calories. I've also reduced the fat and added part olive oil, as the original recipe calls for 1/4 cup butter. You can easily omit the butter and use only olive oil, but the butter adds a nice flavour that we like.

Also, a word on sodium counts in prepared broth. I recommend checking the amount of sodium, and if available, try the low-sodium option and simply adjust the salt yourself. I was shocked by the sodium counts in the various vegetable broths, and was especially disappointed that the organic brands contained 38% of the recommended daily maximum amount of sodium per serving. If you have time and are so inclined, it's definitely worth making your own; otherwise, just choose the prepared options cautiously.

Rutabaga Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 c. leeks, sliced and well cleaned
3 c. rutabaga, chopped (about 1 medium)
4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. whipping cream (optional)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Saute leeks in olive oil and butter until slightly translucent. Do not brown. Add stock and rutabaga. Bring to boil. Reduce and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the rutabaga is tender. Bring to room temperature and puree in blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle with maple syrup. Savour slowly...