Salmon Wellington Bites with Jaida

These appetizers are delicious and easy enough that a child can also enjoy the baking experience.
Jaida helped with the rolling of the pastry (click here to go to the recipe) and was an expert at filling each bite with salmon, steak and the cream cheese mixture.
If salmon isn't your favorite try some left over steak (see below) for Steak and Cream Cheese Bites (Jaida's favorite).

Cut up small chunks of fresh salmon and prepare the cream cheese filling that is used in the Salmon Wellington.
Roll out pastry and cut rounds with a large cookie cutter. Spoon a tsp. of cream cheese filling (see recipe by following this link) and a salmon piece into the center of each pastry round and roll up like a perogy. Pinch the ends so that all the filling stays inside the bite.
Egg wash the top of each bite.
Bake in a 400 ° for 20 minutes or until the tops of the bites are slightly brown.
Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice or use the recipe below.

it is amazing what one can do with a toy childsized rolling pin 

steak bites with cream cheese filling and left over steak 

Jaida and Tristyn making a few Steak Bites with remaining cream cheese and pastry

Easy Dipping Sauce
1 cup Mayo
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce
2 tsp. worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp. finely chopped chives
pepper

Egg Wash
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
Whisk together until well combined.
Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the top of

Pastry - Easy, Delicious and Very Versatile

lemon merigue pie

5 cups all-purpose flour      
2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 lb. vegetable shortening
3 tbsp.  white vinegar
1 cup ice water 
1 tbsp. brown sugar

Pastry Assembly

1. Mix together flour, salt and brown sugar in a large, heavy mixing bowl. Whisk together or shift to remove the lumps.
2. Add shortening to flour mixture and cut up shortening into small chunks with either a knife, a pastry blender or your hands, cutting the shortening in to the flour until all the shortening is broken up and about the size of a quarter and mealy.  Be aware that if your hands are hot you can start to melt the shortening.
3. Measure out vinegar and egg into a two cup liquid measure cup. Whisk with a fork to blend.
   
4. Add enough ice cold water to egg/vinegar mixture to make a total of 1 ¼ cup of liquid.
5. Once flour and shortening is cut up into small chunks add liquid mixture to the flour mixture. Combine with your hands until the pastry just comes together into a large ball of pastry. Do not over mix at this stage or your pastry will be tough. 
6. Form dough into a flat disc and wrap in parchment paper and place in a clean plastic bag and store in the fridge to cool until needed. If not used this pastry can be frozen and kept frozen for several months.

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.

No Garlic Hummus for Wes of Lifespace Projects

Wes Hooper from  Lifespace Projects really enjoyed this hummus at last nights dinner. I hope you enjoy this too.

By: Miriam Borys

Ingredients:

1 can chick peas (well rinsed under 

cold water & drained) 540ml

1/4 cup Olive oil 

3 tsp. basil pesto (or fresh basil if available)

1 tsp. coriander  

1 tsp. cumin

2 green onions

1 tbsp wasabi mayo

1/2 cup parsley 

1/2 cup cilantro

1/4-1/2 cup water (depending on how thick or thin you want the hummus to be)

cracked salt & pepper to taste

Drain chick peas. Rinse with cold water in a wire mesh sieve and drain well.

Rinse parsley, Green onion, and cilantro first. Remove root end of green onion.

Add remaining ingredients into the food processor.

Processes until large pieces are gone. Scrape the sides of the processor bowl down.

Continue to process until the hummus is at the desired consistency. This stage is up to you and your personal taste. If too thick add more water or  broth (vegetable or chicken) until the hummus is at the right consistency.

Store in the fridge in a covered container until serving.

Great with a vegetable tray or with crackers and cheese.

Chef Miriam's Time Saving Cooking Tips: Hummus is an easy, care free, no worry recipe. It is your choice to follow the recipe exactly or if you don't have an ingredient ...substitute. For example, if  you don't have wasabi mayo, add plain Mayonnaise and a bit of wasabi powder or hot sauce. It will be delicious however you make it. 

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

Slow Cook Brown Beans - Easy and Delicious!

By: Miriam Borys 

Yield: for a BBQ party with 16 people
Time:  the slow cooking takes 4 hours if you have the time

1 red onion

3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. green thai curry powder (or use any curry that you have in the house)
1 tsp. ginger powder
3 dashes cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup ketchup

4 tbsp. BBQ sauce 

2 cans brown beans in tomato sauce (796ml 28 fl. oz.)

1 can black beans (540ml  19 fl.oz.)

2 cans six bean blend (540ml  19 fl.oz.)
1 can kidney beans (540ml  19 fl.oz.)

Get your crock pot or roaster pan ready on the counter top.

Open all the beans and first rinse the black, six bean blend and kidney beans under cold water. Drain well and add to crock pot. 

Add brown beans in tomato sauce (don’t rinse) to the rinsed beans and stir well.

In a small, pre heated sauce pot melt butter and coconut oil.

Dice onion and garlic and add to melted coconut oil and butter. Sauté until just transparent.
Turn heat to low and add chilli powder, cumin and curry to the onions. Continue to Sauté until the spices are well mixed in.

Transfer the onion/spice mixture to the crock pot with the beans.

Add all remaining ingredients to the crock pot including 3 dashes of cayenne pepper (add more if you want it hotter) and approximately 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Stir well.

Turn crock pot onto high and allow the beans to heat up for 1 hour. Then turn the crock pot to low and allow to simmer away for approx. 4 hours if you have the time. Once during the day stir the beans well, but DO NOT PEAK during the cooking process as you will loose all the heat and the cooking will be delayed.

This is great for a family/friend BBQ dinner. Serve with french bread, BBQ ribs, Red Cabbage Salad (click here to go to this salad) or coleslaw and Carol's sweet pickle potato salad (click here to go to that recipe). 

options: if a crock pot is not available put all the ingredients into a dutch oven or a large casserole dish and bake in the oven at 300° F (150° C) for 2 hours. This will work just as well.

Enjoy!

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

Meal Plan for 16 people:
Slow-Cook Beans
Potato Salad
Coleslaw
Tossed Green Salad
Port Spare Ribs
Pacific Salmon

red onion sauteed with garlic

from top clockwise....curry, chilli powder, cumin

mollasses is a key ingredient for delicious beans

Sneak Preview behind the scenes at KCTS9 Cooks: All Time Favorites

Set your PVR for  Saturday, May 16th, 2015 at noon KCTS9 COOKS: ALL TIME FAVORITES
for some amazing recipes!

KCTS 9 Cooks

All-Time Favorites! #144

Saturday, May 16, 12:00 pm on KCTS 9 HD
Seattle/Yakima

Duration: 3:00:00

Description: KCTS 9 COOKS: ALL-TIME FAVORITES shares recipes that stir your soul! Celebrating the best cooks we know, our Washington and British Columbia viewers! Join hosts Mark Christopher and Chef Bridget Charters of the Hot Stove Society, our talented home cooks and local celebrity chefs for some fun in the kitchen as they prepare their favorite dishes. The companion cookbook contains more than 400 fabulous recipes, from appetizers to luscious desserts, and everything good in between. Available at www.KCTS9.org/cooks.

http://kcts9.org/programs/cooks

the camera is rolling and Chef Bridge is helping me get started 

Marcus Trufant and Terry Hollimon in the house and cooking! Hosts of http://kiroradio.com/barbershop/g

https://www.facebook.com/CookingUncovered

Best breakfast ever at BLVD BISTRO, North Van Proud

Owner, Eric Smith with good friend Ally

How about deliciously prepared Steelhead Lox Benny, Huevos Rancheros, or the best French Toast I have ever tasted.  Meet on the Boulevard for a leisurely, well priced brunch, sip aromatic coffee (with refills) and relax while the delectable aromas from the kitchen entices your palate. The very busy owner and local North Van boy, Eric Smith greets customers with a warm smile and a friendly handshake all the while ensuring your meal is out in a timely fashion and piping hot. Best breakfast ever!

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  Steelhead Lox Benny

  
  

  

  French Toast Flights

  

  custom-made bar stools by http://www.lifespaceprojects.com/projects

  

  Huevos Rancheros

  
  

  

  Steelhead Lox Benny
  
  

  OR S'WICH IT UP!

  
  

  Step 2 doors up the Boulevard to S'WICH CAFE  for an amazing assortment of amazing sandwiches, tasty coffees, and great prices. Check out the S'Wich Board by clicking on this link to view the menu.

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  • 644 Queensbury Ave
  • North Vancouver BC
  • V7L 3V6 CAN
  • Google MapUs

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Easy Fruit Pancakes with Sophia and Uncle Carl

Nothing like good old-fashioned pancakes to start the day.  These traditional pancakes are a perfect recipe for cooks of all ages.
The secret to great pancakes is not over mixing the batter. Remove frozen fruit from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. Sophia carefully adds the semi-frozen berries (as you see below) to each pancake as it cooks. Adding the fruit to the pancake batter can work but the frozen berries melt very quickly and can turn the batter red or blue.
I have adapted this time-test recipe (no sugar necessary) borrowed from Joy of Cooking (Rombauer, Irma, 1983) and has been used by our family for many year.

be patient, don't flip more than once

Uncle Carl and Sophia making breakfast

Guess who's the boss?

Yield: 10 pancakes (using a 1/3 cup measure)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
3 tbsp. melted butter
1 1/2 cup milk (room temp. is best)

coconut oil or butter for greasing the skillet

Procedure:
Shift dry ingredients together with a wire mesh strainer in a bowl.
Whisk the eggs, milk and melted butter together in a larger mixing bowl.
Add dry ingredients to the milk mixture and combine (not whipping) until flour disappears but the batter is still lumpy.
Use a 1/3 cup measure to scoop batter out of the mixing bowl onto the greased, pre-heated skillet. This will give you 10 perfect pancakes.
Serve hot with lots of butter and your favorite syrup. Fresh berries and whip cream also make for a more decadent breakfast.

Miriam's Time Saving Cooking Tips♥ 

• Don't over beat the batter or the gluten from the flour will develop and the pancakes will be tough not light and fluffy. A few small lumps in the batter is ok. 
• Always pre-heat the skillet on medium high heat first while you are in the final stages of mixing the liquid into the dry.
• grease with coconut oil or butter. Melt coconut oil on the skillet and take a clean paper towel and remove the excess while greasing the entire pan. Keep this paper towel to re-grease the skillet.
• Avoid heating the pan on high as the pancakes with burn the minute they hit the pan and the middle will be raw. Preheating the pan also allows for the pancakes to cook evenly so the finished product is gold brown on the entire surface (see pic below).
• Be patient while cooking...DO NOT FLIP pancake until the bubbles have formed and they start to pop...you only need to turn a properly cooked pancake once.

pre heating the pan allows the pancake to cook evenly