Ground Beef, Tomato & Potato soup to keep us warm during the Atmospheric River

 Ground Beef  (1 1/2 lbs.) - if you use fatty ground beef, drain off the fat before continuing.

1 large onion

2 garlic gloves - chopped ( if fresh garlic is not available use dried)

1 large tin ( 796 ml) diced tomatoes

1 tin tomato paste

3 russet potatoes - peeled and diced

6 bay leaves

1 tblsp. oregano

2 tsp. paprika

1 cup orzo pasta

8 -10 cups of water or beef broth

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Saute ground beef and onions in a large soup pot. Break apart the beef so that the large chunks are gone.

Add 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of tomato paste. 

Peel potatoes and dice and add to the soup pot.

Add herbs and broth or water.

If using water, add your bouillion of choice.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add seasoning if desired.

Add orzo to the finished soup.  Let the pasta absorb before serving.

Yummy!

Carrot Squash Ginger soup for Ailish

1 large onion & oil

1 butternut squash roasted first - don't bother to peel because in the end it all purees beautifully

9 carrots  pealed and chopped

slivers of fresh ginger ( to be removed before pureeing)

8 cups of chicken or veg stock or water (if using water I add 2 tbsp.+ of "Better than Bouillion" beef base.

1 large potato - cut up into chucks (this is an added thickening for this soup

3/4 cup of basmati rice

Salt & pepper to taste.

Method:

 oil to a large soup pot.

Add diced onion - any size or shape will do.

Add 2 tsp. ginger powder

Add fresh ginger - keep these slices big as they are not going to pureed.

add roasted butternut squash and chopped up carrots (again the shape doesn't matter as all of the soup will be. pureed)

Add stock or water and season with bouillon to taste.

Add rice and potato and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Turn off heat and cool slightly.

Puree with an immersion blender ( I put the pot in the sink to avoid splashes)

To serve add stock to thin down if the soup is too thick.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pies made easy for Thankgiving!

 I cannot take full credit for these recipes as the originals are my Mom's recipes that she has used ever since coming to Canada as a war bride. I have tweaked the recipes slightly but the essence remains the same.  Thank you Eileen Little for these. To go to my original pumpkin pie YouTube video please click here.

Pastry for Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients :  full recipe  (can be cut in half if it is too much pastry at one time)

1 Lb. vegetable shortening - cold

5 Cups all- purpose Flour

1 Tsp. Baking powder

2 Tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Brown sugar

3 Tbsp. Vinegar  (white or malt or apple cider - whichever you have in the cupboard at the time will do)

1 Egg 

1 cup of Cold water 

This is my 98 years young Mom who taught me how to bake. Her pumpkin pie recipe is delicious.

You will need a total of 1 1/4 cups of fluid so here is how we make up the fluid. Add one egg to a 2 cup measure. Beat with a fork. Add vinegar and whisk again. Then add the very cold water  and bring the combined fluid up to 1 1/4 cups.  You may not need all this liquid, but sometimes you do depending on the moisture content of the flour and shortening.

Prep: 

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Whisk together to remove the lumps.

Add shortening to the flour mixture and cut up shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter (see photo to the right).

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ I now realize after making pastry for so many years that the flakiness of your pastry is directly correlated with how well your shortening is cut into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter helps with this process. The shortening should disappear into small chunks while keeping the flour powdery.

Prepare liquid and add 90% of the liquid to the flour mixture. Combine the liquid until it is incorporated and the pastry starts to come together into a ball. Do not over mix at this stage or your pastry will be tough. Continue to mix with your clean hands and if it is too dry add the rest of the liquid.

Roll dough up into a disc and wrap in parchment paper and then in a clean plastic bag and store in cooler until needed.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ Making this pastry ahead is a great time saver. It keeps well for over a week in the fridge as long as it is wrapped well. After making pies. Freeze the leftover

pastry for use later.

Pumpkin Filling:

1 can pure pumpkin (796ml or 28 oz.) 
6 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
2 cups milk
2 tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. ginger
¾ tsp. allspice
¾ tsp. nutmeg
½  tsp. salt

Procedure:

Heat milk until hot but not boiled.
In a large bowl or with a stand mixer whisk eggs and sugar until well blended. You can easily do this by hand....a mixer is not necessary.

Add pure pumpkin from the can, spices, and salt. Mix until well combined.
Add hot milk to the pumpkin & spice combination. Stir or whisk until combined.
Pour into unbaked pastry pie shells (recipe above) just up to the fluted edges (don’t
overfill).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake pie on the middle shelf of the oven for approximately 40 minutes until the filling is baked and set. Usually the filling when set has a slight convex appearance to it.
Serve hot or cold.  Refrigerate unused pie after cooled to preserve the freshness.

Foodsafe Tip: to ensure your leftover pies are safe to eat the next day, always refrigerate pies after dinner. Any harmful bacteria will be minimized by properly cooling and storing of your pies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEAlJG0w06U

Roasted cream cheese & tomato pasta bake

My friend Susan really wants me to post this recipe...it is a winner for sure and so easy. So here it is. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

 1 large baking dish - spray baking dish with non stick spray

1 block cream cheese - any kind ( or use 2 'borsin' rounds)

cherry tomatoes - 2 small baskets - washed and left whole

1/2 red onion - sliced thin

herbs & spices of choice ( I use salt and pepper, fresh thyme if available, Italian seasoning, garlic)

olive oil - 1/2 cup

whole garlic bulb

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth.

pasta of choice - 3/4 lb. around 300G. - boil ahead to 3/4 done, drain and set aside. I have used bowtie, tortellini filled pasta, spiral, linguini 

options:  mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach work well.

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees

Add cream cheese to the center of the coated baking dish. Sprinkle tomatoes & onions around the edge.

Add options vegetables here  to roast if desired.

Pour olive oil over tomatoes etc.

Add herbs and spices of choice.

into the hot oven for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare pasta but do not cook all the way,

Drain pasta.

When tomato mixture is roasted remove from oven. Remove garlic bulb and squirt roasted garlic into tomato mixture and stir well. Discard the casing of the garlic bulb.

Add cooked pasta and broth and stir again and return to oven for 25 minutes. 20 minutes into this time is the time to add the fresh spinach if using, stir well and continue roasting for 5 minutes.

Serve hot.

Honey & sweet potatoe Muffins for Eileen & Robert.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. cinnamon

dash of nutmeg (1/16 of a teaspoon)

1/2 cup milk (almond milk works well too )

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup veg. oil

1 1/2 cups cooked mashed potatoes

1 apple crated 

Bake or steam sweet potatoes first. Peel when cooled and then mash the sweet potatoes.

Grate one apple (no need to peel).

Add dry ingredients into a bowl. Stir well.

In a separate bowl add all the wet ingredients including the mashed sweet potatoes and grated apple. Stir well until well combined.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Spray muffin tins with 'baking' spray.

Bake for approximately 18 minutes.

Gingerbread Angel Food Cake from cousin Susan F. for Christmas

 

Bake at 375 for 35- 45 minutes

1 cup cake flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cream of tartar
2 cups egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1 1⁄2 cups sugar divided
2 tsp orange peel grated fine

Sift together 3⁄4 cup sugar with flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice
Beat whites until frothy, Beat until light and opaque. Slowly add 3⁄4 cup sugar, add vanilla and orange peel and beat until very light Gently fold flour mixture into egg whites in 3 additions. Careful to not overfold (don’t want to deflate the egg whites)

Delicately spoon mixture into ungreased 10” tube pan
Bake for 35 - 45 minutes until cake tester comes to clean and top of cake springs back when lightly touched
Leave cake in pan and invert on cake pan feet until cool (air needs to circulate underneath)
To remove cake from pan, use a long thin knife to loosen edges of cake from pan. Then loosen bottom of tube from pan with knife

Serve with Caramel Sauce and Whipped rum cream.

Caramel Sauce

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1.5 cups heavy cream 1/4 cup butter

Stir the water and sugar together in medium sized saucepan. Cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Remove lid and cook without stirring, until the mixture turns a light golden colour (this takes about 40 minutes at a med-high heat). Remove from heat. Pour cream through sieve, standing well back. When sputtering subsides, whisk in butter.

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Whip Cream Sauce Base

Base can be made day before. Whip the cream just before serving the cake and mix base and whip cream together

4 Tbsp butter
2 cups icing sugar
1 egg yolk well beaten 2 tsp vanilla
1 1⁄2 cup whipped cream

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla. Fold in whipped cream add brandy or rum.

Borscht inspired by Auntie Baba

Aunty Angie (Auntie Baba as wee Eileen calls her) is one of the best cooks around and this is an adaptation from her cook book she compiled and gave to members of the family. Her cook book is safe in Vancouver but because I am in Calgary I am doing my best to remember how her recipe goes.  Thanks Auntie Angie for the best recipes ever! Lots of love!

3 tbsp. olive oil

All vegetables are always rinsed, peeled and diced before using.

 2 small onions - diced

4 stocks celery - diced

2 carrots - peeled and diced

3 Yukon gold potatoes - not peeled and diced

8 cups fresh beets peeled diced or spiralized ( This time I bought fresh spiralized beets from the Coop. These are fresh beets that are already cut up which makes making soup so much easier. I have also seen these fresh beets at Whole Foods) SAVE 2 CUPS OF FRESH BEETS to add at the very end. When the soup is finished....open the lid of the pressure cooker safely and add the fresh 2 cups of fresh diced beets.  This will add color and flavor to your already completed soup.  No need to cook any more.

fresh dill or 2 tbsp. dried dill

2 bay leafs

salt & pepper

4 cups chicken stock (use vegetable stock if desired)

4 cups water

1 tbsp. 'Better Than Bouillon' chicken concentrate.

This time I used an instant pot as it is so much easier and quicker to make soup.

Turn instant pot onto sauté first.

Add diced onion, carrots, celery and sauté until onions are semi transparent.

Add beets, potatoes, dill and bay leafs.

Continue to stir in all the vegetables.

Add chicken stock and chicken concentrate and water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turn off instant pot and then press 'pressure cook' setting. Set the timer for 20 minutes and close the lid.

Allow to pressure cook for 20 minutes and then allow to cool down or press the lever on the top to release the steam carefully as this can scald very easily.  

Open the lid and add 2 cups of fresh cup up beets.

Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl of Borscht when serving.  

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes thanks to Derek

Derek's Christmas morning pancakes 

2 lemons

2 cups flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

3 tbsp. melted butter

2 cups fresh blueberries - wash and set aside as these go on top of the pancakes on the griddle.

Zest lemon into a bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix well

Add all the wet ingredients to another bowl including the juice of 2 lemons. Beat well.

Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Set aside while the griddle or pan is heating up.

Ladle 1/4 cup of the batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake. Sprinkle the raw pancake rounds with blueberries and cook until little bubbles form on the batter.

Flip over each pancake and cook until golden brown.

Serve hot with syrup, jam, whip cream, or any topping you desire.

Thanks Derek for the tasty Christmas Morning pancakes.