Sweet Potato with Bacon

This savory and sweet side dish pairs well with chicken, duck, pork or turkey dinner. But would go equally well on your breakfast or brunch plate! 

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, chopped

1 large sweet potato, diced

sprinkle of cinnamon

2 tbsps maple syrup

vegetable oil

Cook the bacon in a non-stick skillet on medium heat, then remove to a plate. Reserve 2 tbsps of bacon fat in the skillet. If you don't have enough fat then top it up with vegetable oil.

Add the diced sweet potato to the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon. Toss together and cook 10 minutes.

Stir occasionally but let them sit a bit to brown nicely on the sides. After 10 minutes cover the skillet and cook another 4 or 5 minutes or until tender.

Return the bacon to the pan and add the maple syrup.

Serves 2 (but truthfully, I ate it all myself!! 😃🐷)

No Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake Log

When I was a kid my Mom would often make a dessert similar to this with chocolate wafer cookies and whipped cream. 

In this version I used a cheesecake style filling and when the gingersnap cookies magically turn into cake overnight they add a spiciness to the sweet cheesecake and caramel!

Ingredients:

250 g (24 small) gingersnap cookies

1/2 tsp lemon zest

2 tbsps fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup milk

125 g cream cheese

1 can dulce de leche caramel sauce

(I found this can of Eagle Brand condensed milk dulce de leche that I used.  Only needed a little so will need to find another use for the rest of the caramel 😋)

Soften the cream cheese and beat in the lemon zest. Add the condensed milk and lemon juice. Chill 2 hours or put in the freezer 20-30 minutes.

Crush some cookies to use as garnish later.

Spread a smear of cream cheese mix on the platter you're going to use. Pour the milk into a small bowl. Dip one side of a cookie in the milk, then  spread the other side with cheesecake filling. Dip another cookie in milk and spread with dulce de leche. Stand the cookies on end in the smear and continue alternating filling and caramel on the cookies.

Frost the outside of the log with the rest of the filling mixture. If you need to, chill the filling again a little while before frosting.

Add some cookie halves and crumbs to garnish.

Now into the fridge to let this dessert do it's magic turning cookies into cake!

Chill 8 hours or up to 2 days before serving and drizzle with more caramel.

Don't forget to cut slices on the diagonal to see the striped effect. 

Because this is quite sweet you only need a small slice so this should serve 6 people.

Cranberry Apple Pie

Grab some cranberries at the grocery store now while they're still around and throw them in your freezer. Then in the spring when there isn't a cranberry in sight, and you have a craving for this pie, you'll be glad you squirreled some away!

Ingredients:

3 cups sliced apples, about 4-5 medium apples

1 1/2 cups cranberries

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 - 1/2 tsp allspice

2 tbsps cornstarch

2 tsps instant vanilla pudding powder OR 2 tsps vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter

pie dough for 9" pie

egg white (optional)

Toss the apples, cranberries (fresh or frozen), sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cornstarch and vanilla together.

Roll out the pie dough larger than the cast iron pan and place it on the bottom of the pan with the extra hanging over.

Dump the filling in and distribute chunks of butter on top. Then draw the sides of the dough up over the filling, folding it as you move around the pie.

Brush the dough with egg white for a glossy, golden crust when baked.

Then bake in a 400°F oven for 35-40 minutes.

The smell is amazing!!

Cool 3-4 hours before slicing.

Always good with a scoop of ice cream!

Bacon Wrapped Turkey

I've seen these bacon wrapped turkeys on the internet but was hesitant to try one.  Since it was just going to be us for Christmas this year (no one from another household allowed because of Covid🙁) I thought I'd give it a try. 

It was a nice change... the meat stayed moist and tender without an overwhelming bacon taste that I was expecting. And there's no need for basting!

Ingredients:

Bacon Butter:

1/4 cup butter

2 slices bacon, chopped

2 tsps thyme

1/2 tsp sage

8 lb turkey, thawed

1 onion, quartered

1 lemon, quartered

12 slices of bacon

So first off you need to make the bacon butter. Add the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth but with little chunks of bacon still visible. This will be the "glue" that holds the bacon weave in place.

Now to the weave...

Lay 6 slices of bacon down close together on a piece of parchment paper. I did this over a cutting board in case I wanted to move it.  Lift every second piece and lay the first cross piece on top keeping the pieces close. Does this make sense? It's the same as making a lattice pie top.

Once it was finished it reminded me of the construction paper placemats we all made in elementary school, but in a Lady Gaga meat dress sort of way! And my turkey wasn't quite as thawed as I thought so I covered the bacon weave with waxed paper and lifted the cutting board and all and put it in the fridge until the turkey was ready.

Next step, smear the turkey cavity with some of the bacon butter and add the quartered onion and lemon. then spread the rest of the butter over the turkey breast side. To place the weave just lift under the parchment and flip it over onto the turkey, not square but like a diamond with a corner at the neck and a corner at the butt end. Peel off the parchment and adjust the placement if you need to.

Because this was a small turkey the blanket covered the whole bird, but for a larger turkey you may want to wrap the legs with separate pieces of bacon. The original recipe says you can cover the turkey well and refrigerate for up to two days with it's blanket on. If you do refrigerate it just remember to bring it to room temperature before roasting.

Also, I wasn't 100% sure the bacon would stay in place so I put a few toothpicks in to hold it. I took them out halfway through cooking and don't think that I needed them after all.

Place a large pan on the rack below where the turkey will go and pour 2 cups of water in. This will create steam preventing the bacon from cooking too fast.

Put the turkey in a 425°F oven for 30 minutes, then turn down the heat to 325°F for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until the internal temperatue reads 165°F.

Let rest 30 minutes before carving and use a sawing motion to score through the bacon first.

Original turkey recipe from: thekitchn.com

And for an awesome stuffing give this a try:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2020/12/succulent-steamed-stuffing.html

Succulent Steamed Stuffing

This steamed stuffing "pudding" is a game changer! I mean, stuffing in your turkey is ok but then you've got to dig it out and roasting time is a little longer. And whenever I try making stuffing in a casserole it comes out on the dry side. This way it comes out so moist and the presentation is great don't you think?! Also, using a slow cooker frees up space in the oven.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups dry seasoned croutons

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp dry savory

1/2 - 1 tsp salt (less if the croutons are salty)

1/4 tsp celery seed

pinch of pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tbsps chopped celery

1 tbsp butter

1 cup chicken broth

1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl combine the croutons, all the seasonings, onion and celery. Put the butter on top. Then microwave the broth about 1 minute, warm enough to melt the butter, and pour over and mix well. Let cool before adding the egg.

Butter a 4 cup pudding bowl or any heat proof bowl. Press about half the stuffing into the bowl, then add the rest and press again.

Cover the top with a piece of parchment paper then completely cover and seal the bowl with foil. Place a rack, or rolled up piece of foil to form a rack, in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the bowl on it, fill with water to about two thirds up the side of the bowl, cover cooker and set to low for 3 hours. If you're in a hurry then set it on high for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Remove from slow cooker and unwrap. Let rest about 15 minutes then run a thin knife around the edge, place a plate on top and turn it over. TahDah! Savory steamed pudding! If you are not quite ready to serve it then just place the pudding bowl back on top to keep warm. You can even microwave it if you need to .

Then just slice and serve!

I don't think I'll ever go back to stuffing a bird again!

Lemony Chicken with Asparagus and Brussels Sprouts

Another one pan meat and veggie beauty ready in about 30 minutes! Perfect for a quiet evening in over the holidays!

(Aren't we all having quiet evenings in? #Covid 😠😒)

Ingredients:

3 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsps butter

1/4 lb asparagus, cut in thirds

1/4 lb brussels sprouts, halved

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 cup diced onion

3 tsps minced garlic

1 cup heavy (35%) cream

2 tbsps lemon juice

zest of 1/2 a lemon

2 tbsps parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, sprinkle the chicken all over with salt and pepper and brown 5-6 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Add butter to the pan on medium heat and placed the brussels sprouts cut side down. Cook 3 minutes and turn for 3 minutes. Add onion and brown 2 minutes.

Then add the red pepper and asparagus cooking for another 3-4 minutes before adding the garlic in the last minute.

Pour the cream, lemon juice, zest and parmesan in and stir together.

Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat. 

Cook 4-5 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through.

Serve with rice or noodles.

A little fancy, eh?

Buttery Scottish Shortbread

Traditional Scottish shortbread is crisp, crumbly and just barely sweet. Delicious in it's simplicity!

Ingredients:

2 cups salted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsps vanilla

4 cups flour, sifted

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixer bowl and beat 2 minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla, then add the flour in 4 additions mixing until a soft dough forms.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill. The original recipe said to chill it for 1 hour but I found it too hard and had to leave it out on the counter before using it so don't chill too long. 

Line 2 - 8 X 8" baking pans with parchment leaving enough to use as "handles" later. Divide the dough in half and press each into the pans. Cover with plastic then use something flat, like this mini loaf pan, to smooth out the surface.

Score the bars about halfway through the dough and poke with a skewer or fork. Also at this point you can score the ragged edges so that once baked you will have nice clean edges on your cookies. And, oops, those cookies in the foreground didn't get smoothed out very well. Guess they'll be the "testers"!

Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven to cool for 20 minutes, leaving the oven on during this time.

Now using the parchment handles, carefully lift the whole thing out onto the counter. Using a serrated knife, and using a sawing motion, cut through the cookie score marks and place the individual cookies on a cookie sheet. 

Now turn off the oven and put the cookies back into the warm oven for 20 minutes to crisp.

Cool and store in an airtight container.

Original recipe from RockRecipes.com

Awesome Oven Baked Ribs

 First day of winter, but wishing it was summer...

Ingredients:

3 lbs pork side ribs

Dry Rub:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

2 tsps onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp celery seed

1 lemon

your favourite BBQ sauce

2 apples

1 or 2 tbsps brown sugar

cinnamon

rosemary

2 tbsps water

To prepare the ribs, slide a knife under the silverskin of the ribs until you can grab it with a paper towel. It may take a few tries to find a spot that will lift but once you find it just pull the membrane off. It usually comes off in one piece. This ensures fall off the bone tenderness! Pat the ribs dry and start making the rub. Oh and at this point I like to cut the ribs into 2 or 3 bone portions or you can leave it whole.

Combine all the rub ingredients together and coat both sides of the ribs, placing them meat side up on a foil lined baking sheet. Make sure to have a good amount of overhanging foil. Don't do what I did! You'll see why in a bit.

Slice the lemon, squeeze some juice over the ribs and tuck the slices in between the pieces of meat. Take another large piece of foil to cover everything and seal well with the bottom piece of foil. Refrigerate 2 or 3 hours.

Note: This ↓ is what happens after cooking if you don't seal the foil well.

Put the sealed pan in a 350°F oven for 2 hours, then uncover and slather on some of your favourite BBQ sauce. We used Bull's Eye Guinness sauce this time around.

Then stick the ribs under the broiler for 2 or 3 minutes or you can give them a quick grill on the barbecue.

If you'd like some apples on the side, simply cut a couple of apples each into 8 wedges leaving the peel on. Sit them peel side down in frying pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and rosemary to taste. Add the water and heat to simmering. Cover 5 or 10 minutes until apples are tender and serve alongside the ribs.

And it's only about 181 days 'til summer 😏