Gingerbread Cookies for kids of all ages!

Decorating gingerbread men & ladies is a family tradition and kids of all ages have fun decorating their special cookies. Please follow this link for the best recipe ever.

It's gingerbread time again!

 This recipe is simply the best for your gingerbread cookies this season. Each 4 cup flour recipe makes approximately 34 gingerbread cookies. You don't need fancy equipment but a hand mixer  helps with the creaming of the butter, sugar and molasses.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas. For the best recipe ever please click here to follow the link.

dry ingredients with the ginger, cinnamon, allspice & cloves

What's Chef Miriam up to?

If you click here you can follow this link to see what's going on in my life at the moment. A new chapter in a Chefs life.  I also want to wish everyone the happiest Christmas of all and the best that 2017 can offer.
Check out 'Cook Culture' by clicking here...an amazing kitchen store.

Chili Beef Vegetable Soup for a Chilly Fall Night

Chili Beef Vegetable Soup (please click here to go to my YouTube video of this recipe)

Recipe By: Miriam Borys Busby

Yield:  large pot of soup for 6 

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. olive oil 

1 large onion

2 garlic gloves - large

2 cups leeks - washed and diced 

2 cups celery

1 zucchini

1 1/2 cups cauliflower (save to the very end when the soup is cooked) 

2 cups beef (I have used an inexpensive steak which works well in this recipe)

1 tbsp. beef stock concentrate (I am using 'better than bouillion beef base'

2 tbsp. chilli  paste ( I use Harissa but any tomato chili paste will work)

2 tbsp. chili powder

8 cups beef stock from beef bones (if not available use store bought beef broth 

pepper to taste (there is lots of salt in the beef concentrate so taste first, then salt.

Directions:

Add oil to your soup pot and heat up the pan first.

Cut beef into small cubes and then sauté in the hot oil until the redness disappears.

Next, sauté garlic, onions, celery & leeks with the beef until the onions are transparent.

Add zucchini and continue to sauté for a few minutes.

Add tomato paste, chilli powder and beef stock concentrate.  Stir well to mix and continue to sauté for 4 minutes.

Add beef stock and allow to come up to the boil.

Once boiled reduce heat and simmer on medium for 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ I like my beef chunks small and beef is hard to cut into small chunks when fresh. So I freeze the meat first and then 1/2 thaw as it is so much easier to cut up beef if it is semi-thawed. 

Miriam's FOODSAFE Tips: always store leftover soup in the fridge as soon as it has cooled down enough. Never leave leftovers cooling out of the fridge for more than 2 hours as this will encourage those pathogenic microbes to grow and could cause foodborne illness. 🍲

‘Cooking Uncovered’ © all rights reserved

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

The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Vegan Recipes To Glow From The Inside Out

The Cookbook author Angela Liddon is truly an inspiration and her lasagna recipe is delicious. My daughter Alexandra cooked this rice pasta dish for a family dinner (yes including meat eaters) and it was a big hit.  Please follow this link to my YouTube video preparing this amazing dish.  Yummeee   is all I can say.
For a complete recipe of this vegan lasagna please go to Angela's link when you click here.

Five Star Homemade Pizza

 Pizza - homemade and delicious...great taste and great for the budget! (please click here to go to my video of this pizza)

Recipe By: Miriam Borys Busby

Yield:  1 pizza 

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough Prep

1 cup warm water

1 tsp. instant yeast

1 tsp. white sugar

2 1/8 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. rosemary

1 tsp. sage

3 tbsp.         olive oil (this oil goes into the bowl after the dough is kneaded. This prevents the dough from sticking to the bowl.

First, add yeast and sugar to the warm water. The water cannot be too hot or it will kill the yeast. Allow to stand until the yeast blooms in the water.  Please see the photos of this process.

Add flour, salt, rosemary, and sage into a large bowl. Mix well.

Add warm water/yeast mixture and stir by hand until a ball of dough.

Continue to knead until the dough is smooth.

proofed pizza dough....it has doubled in size 

Add oil to your bowl and roll the dough around until  all coated with oil.

Cover with parchment paper and allow the pizza dough to rest and proof in a warm place for 30 - 40 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ I use my oven to proof my pizza dough. Turn oven on for 2 minute ONLY (I always set my timer because I usually forget) and then immediately turn off and leave the oven door closed. You will find that the oven is a perfect warm place.

Pizza Assembly

1/4 cup dry cornmeal 

3 cubes basil cashew flavour bursts (please click here to go directly to this recipe in my blog)

1 can 113g black olives

1 1/2 cups marinated artichoke hearts 

3 tbsp. red onion

1 can 50g anchovies 

1 cup goat feta cheese

Poor 1/8 cup of dry cornmeal onto the baking pan to be used for your pizza.

Stretch once-risen pizza dough onto the cookie sheet on top of the cornmeal. The cornmeal gives the pizza crust a tasty crunch as well as it helps to prevent the pizza form sticking to the pan.

Spread three cubes of the pesto cashew spread (thawed) onto the entire surface of the dough.

Add toppings of your choice.

Second Proof

Pizza has to proof for a second time until the dough has risen again. After you have finished dressing up your pizza with toppings allow for approximately 30 minutes for this to happen. Use your warm oven again for this.

After the second proof bake at 400° F (205° C) for 25 - 30 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

‘Cooking Uncovered’ © all rights reserved

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

Superstore Click & Collect Grocery Shopping - Amazing

It is 8:37 am Monday morning and I am enjoying my second cup of coffee in bed.
But, I have just finished my grocery shopping and I haven't even left my home
and I pick up today!

The process of signing up for online grocery shopping is new so therefore
a bit of a pain, but once you sign up and you have linked your PC rewards card
it is as easy as 'click & collect".

I am picking up my groceries between 3-5pm today and the friendly staff
put the groceries in the car for you.

The best feature is that on your screen you see all the choices available
and the prices including all the sales...it can't get any easier.

If your Superstore location choice is the Seymour store in North Vancouver
talk to Brennan who should
be 'employee of the year'...nice young man, very helpful and knows what he is
talking about.

Good luck everyone.

ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING NOW AVAILABLE AT SUPERSTORE

Click & Collect Now Available at Your Nearest Superstore. Shop Now!

In-Store Prices · Weekly Flyers & Deals · Easy In-Store Pickups

Basil & Cashew ‘Flavour Burst’ Pesto

Recipe By: Miriam Borys Busby 

Yield:  12  portions

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh basil

1/2 cup raw cashews 

1 garlic glove (large)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Wash basil in cold water to remove any grit and spin dry.

Remove large stems first and then add to the food processor. 

Add all the ingredients to the food processor. You might find that you have to process the basil in two batches.

Process until pureed to a smooth consistency. 

Spoon into a clean ice cube tray to freeze.

Once frozen solid remove from the ice cube tray and store in a freezer bag in the freezer until needed.

Use this delicious favour burst pesto as a  pasta topping, for salad dressing, over chicken or to add flavour to soups.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥  Make ahead and freeze so the you always have your fresh pesto available on those days you want a simple quick meal.

‘Cooking Uncovered’ © all rights reserved

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

Vegetarian Stuffing for every occasion!

Please click here to go to my short video of this vegetarian stuffing recipe. 

4-5 large portions

My lovely niece Sarah, from Edmonton was asking about a vegetarian stuffing for Thanksgiving.  Here is a very quick and tasty version. Sara you can always add a chopped apple to this dish but as is it is really tasty.  Happy Thanksgiving!

1/4 c          butter

2 tbsp.       olive oil
1                onions – large
1 cup          celery - diced
1 c             carrots - diced

3 c             bread cubes (I am using Kamut Bread)
1/4 c          sunflower seeds
1/2 c          fresh sage leaves - chopped 
1 tbsp.        sage powder
1 tsp.          salt
cracked black pepper to taste
3/4 cup       vegetable broth 

Procedure:

Melt butter in olive oil in a sauté pan on medium heat.
Add onions. Sauté diced onions until slightly transparent.
Add diced celery and carrots and continue to sauté. Remember all the ingredients will continue to cook in the oven.

Cut up bread in chunks and add to a bowl. Add salt, pepper, sunflower seeds and fresh sage to the bread chunks. Mix together in a bowl.

Add bread mixture to the onion mixture on the stove.

Mix well in the pan while continuing to cook. 

Add sage powder & 3/4 cup of vegetarian broth to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

mandolin for chopping

Allow to continue to cook for a few minutes and then transfer the stuffing into a small greased casserole dish with a lid.
Cook at 350 degrees for approx. 45-60 minutes until internal temperature is 165•. 

Serve Hot.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ I use a mandolin to cut up the onions and the carrots which is an amazing time-saving tool.

Pumpkin Pies for Thankgiving

I cannot take full credit for the two recipes in this blog 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