Ginger & Fruit Smoothie for Eileen

Eileen on her 89th birthday in July 

Recipe: Ginger & Fruit Smoothie for Eileen 

Recipe By: Miriam Borys
 

Dedicated to my Mom Eileen Little who is just recovering from a full knee replacement at 89 years young. Good on you Mama!

Servings: 2 large smoothies 

Yield: 3 2/3 cup of delicious smoothie (approximately)

Ingredients:

1 banana (the browner the better)

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 apple (I use up old apples that have gone soft but not bad yet and don't peel the apple)

1 piece ginger - fresh & organic if possible

peeled & in a chunks or grated 

1/4 cup parsley - fresh - washed well

3 tbsp. protein powder 

1 2/3 cups cold water

option:

1 tsp. flax seeds - ground

1 tsp. flax oil or omega 3 oil

Method:

Peel ginger and cut into chunks. Add to blender

Wash and cut up apple into large pieces. Add to blender.

Remove banana skin, discard and add fresh banana to blender.

Add remaining ingredients and blend well until chunks are liquified and your smoothie is blended to your liking.

Pour into 2 large glasses and enjoy.

This smoothie is very useful for anyone have digestive problems. It seems that the fresh organic ginger helps to sooth. 

Chef Miriam Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com 

Kale, Cauliflower & Zucchini with Curry Chicken Pieces

Recipe by: Kelsey Schmautz

Kelsey cooks up a delicious & healthy dinner

This is a great recipe for busy people who get home late from work. Kelsey wanted to cook Jonathan and myself a healthy yet quick meal. This recipe is perfect! She put this together in about 1/2 an hour and it was simple, delicious and healthy...can't get any better than that.  Thanks Kelsey for sharing this great recipe.

Yield: 6-8  portions

1 head of cauliflower (small) - cut  into small pieces

1 zucchini (no need to peel a zucchini )

1 bunch kale - stems removed - ripped off the stem into small pieces

1 basket cherry tomatoes (approx. 20)

3 chicken breasts

1 small onion - peeled & diced small

1-2 tbsp. curry 

1/4 cup olive oil 
1 small pkg. goats cheese (4 oz.) - crumbled into tiny pieces

salt  & pepper - sprinkle a bit on the cooking chicken pieces.

Rinse chicken under cold water to remove surface pathogens. Pat dry with a paper towel. Cut up into 1 inch cubes.

Heat a skillet and when heated add oil. Wait until pan is pre-heated to cook the chicken or it will stick to the pan. Cook chicken until the juices run clear. 

While the chicken is cooking, in another large skillet sauté onion in 4 tbsp. oil. When the onion is transparent add diced cauliflower and zucchini. Cook until almost tender.

Add kale and tomatoes and cook until the kale is wilted.

When the kale is cooked add the cooked chicken and goats cheese. Stir in and serve.

saute chicken first

saute diced onion in another larger skillet

prepare kale

saute cauliflower & zuc first

add kale to cooked vegetables

allow vegetables to cook for 5 minutes, lid on

kale & cherry tomatoes

allow to cook until kale is dark bright green and wilted...this doesn't take long

add chicken, cook for 4 more minutes & serve

Chef Miriam Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com

Easy Butter Tarts with Sophia

By: Miriam Borys

Yield: 21 small tarts 

Marie-Terese always has pastry in the freezer ready because when I come to visit I always leave an extra batch. This proves especially useful in case someone gets a craving for butter tarts. Our Daddy Ernie loved butter tarts and baking these delicious little tarts reminds us of him. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.

Butter Tarts

Ingredients:

1 pastry recipe (please click on this link to go directly to this recipe or YouTube video) You will only need a portion of the pastry but pastry freezes well for another day.

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter - melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup raisins or currants (do not add the raisins to the sugar mixture)

Melt butter first and add to a mixing bowl.  Whisk in egg, sugars, vanilla until well mixed.

Roll out pastry and cut out pastry rounds as seen n the video.

Press down slightly so that there is a definite bottom to the tart. 

Drop a few currants or raisins (5 - 7) into the bottom of each pastry tart.

Spoon in approximately 1 heaping tablespoon of the butter tart mixture into each pastry tart. Do not over fill the tarts or they will bubble over into your oven.

Preheat oven and then bake at 375° for 20 minutes.

Remove from pans immediately or the tarts will stick and you will not  be able to get them out.
Serve with a nice cup of tea.

Chef Miriam Little Borys, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com

Flapper Pie for Eileen's 89th

These pies are so delicious...but they have to be made a day ahead as the custard cream filling needs time to set. Recipe to follow.

Flapper Pie Ingredients

yield - 1 pie

1 graham wafer crust

3 cups   milk
4            eggs ( separate eggs and save both the yolks & egg whites)
1 tsp.     vanilla
1/4 cup  corn starch
1/2 cup  white sugar
dash of salt

egg whites
cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar

Add all of the above into a heavy sauce pot. Whisk well and put on the stove to start heating. Turn heat to a medium high and continue to whisk while it heats up. It will take some time for the  flapper pie filling to thicken but be patient and the custard cream will thicken as it comes to the boil.  The custard cream will burn if it is left to thicken without stirring

Blueberry Lemon Pies (making easy pastry) with James

It's blueberry season and what a perfect way to stock up on desserts! James and Wendy bought the fresh blueberries from a local farmer and now James, Wendy and I are filling our pie shells with the blueberries and a simple sugar/flour mixture to help thicken the juices while baking.
For a recipe to the easiest pastry ever...just look below and carry on down the page to see how to make the easiest and tastiest Blueberry Pies ever.

Best pastry recipe in the world made all by hand...no machines needed. To view my original video on YouTube on how to make pastry please click here.

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 

Cold water (approx. 1 cup)

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 ice 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. With your hands incorporate 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 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 remaining pastry for use later.


Blueberry Filling:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour, minit tapioca or Clear Jel (from bakery supply distributors)
1 tsp. lemon zest
Mix the sugar, flour & zest together in a bowl.

2 tbsp. lemon juice
5-6 cups frozen blueberries

Roll out the pastry as shown below and line one pie plate. Cut off the excess pastry off the edges to tidy up the pie.
Pour half the blueberries into the pie shell. Add sugar mixture, lemon juice and the remaining blueberries.
Top with a pastry lid. or with a lattice design.
Finger Flute the edge and Egg wash** the pastry. Top with a sprinkle of white sugar.
Bake for approx. 75 minutes at 350 degrees. Always preheat your oven before baking your pie.

**egg wash - 1 egg with a drop of milk...mix well with a fork first