French Toast - Baked - overnight easy recipe

 serves 6 for breakfast

left over bread of any kind

10 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tbsp. vanilla

1-2 tbsp. cinnamon (our family loves cinnamon so I tend to use the 2 tbsp.)

1/4 cup maple syrup

Grease a 8 X 13 glass baking dish and line the bottom with the leftover bread that has been sliced.

Beat eggs, milk, vanilla, and syrup well. 

Sprinkle cinnamon onto bread first and then pour egg mixture on top of the bread.

Cover well and hold in fridge overnight. In the morning remove from the fridge and let stand on the counter for 1/2 an hour.

Bake at 375° for 30 minutes until the eggs are not runny.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for Aunty Angie

Today I am baking with a treasure that Aunty Andrea found on the top shelf of her downstairs cold room. Anna Borys (Baba), my kids grandma, kept her original 'Sunbeam Mixmaster' in mint condition and I have the pleasure of using it today to mix up a batch of these cookies for Aunty Angie who is recovering in the University hospital. 

Baba's Sunbeam Mixmaster

Yield:  80 small cookies

Ingredients:

1/2  lb. butter (1 cup) - room temperature (I use salted or non salted, which ever one I have in the house at the time)

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar 
2 cups flour 
2 eggs
1 tbsp. Vanilla
2 cup large oat flakes (not instant) 
1 cup coconut flakes
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1  tsp. Salt
2 1/2 cup of chocolate chips 

1. In a mixer, cream butter and sugars together.
2. Add eggs and vanilla and continue to mix. 

3. Add all the dry ingredients and mix well with your mixer of choice. I am so very happy to be using Baba's today.

 4. Add chocolate chips and mix well again.

5. Scoop to bake

Bake cookies at 350° for 10-12 minutes (bake for 12 min. if you like them crispy)

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥

Bake the cookies or for a great time saver roll the dough in parchment paper and store in a large zip lock to freeze for later use.

Frittata for World Cup Game Day for Auntie Andrea

Serves 6 people

12 eggs

1 cup milk

1 1/4 cups shredded cheese - save 1/4 cup  for a garnish before placing in the oven

tomatoes (any kind) 1 cup diced (I used cherry tomatoes that were left over from last nights charcuterie tray)

Left overs from the fridge included: 

sliced ham & salami 6 slices - sliced thin

bell pepper - 3/4 cup diced

artichoke hearts (from the jar) - 1/2 cup

green onion diced - 4 - save a little for a garnish before going into oven

baguette - dried and left over from last night - 12 slices

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp. hot sauce (optional) 

Process:

grease the 8 X13 baking dish

Line the bottom of the dish with leftover bread or baguette (thin sliced bread)

In a large bowl add eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt & pepper. Whisk together and set aside.

Sprinkle evenly onto the bread in the baking dish the diced green onion, meat, artichokes, peppers, cheese.

Pour the egg mixture on top of the bottom layers, gently so as not to disturb the placement of all of the ingredients.

Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese and green onion.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350°F (180°C). You will know it is properly baked when the eggs have risen and are puffy and the center is firm and not runny.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ This recipe is a crowd pleaser and can be prepared the night before and held in the fridge overnight. Cover with plastic wrap first. 

Remove from the fridge 1/2 an hour before baking time and bake as per above instructions.

Aunty Andrea enjoying the World Cup.

Shortbread Cookies - melt in your mouth

Thanks to 'The Endless Meal' for this recipe that I have just tried and believe me it is delicious and so easy. I add a bit more powdered sugar to my recipe and I used a little touch of almond extract as I ran out of vanilla. Either flavor would be awesome in this recipe.

Please click here to go to the original recipe on 'The Endless Meal' blog.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour - sifted flour is better
• 2 cups butter (1lb.) - room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar - always sift icing sugar when using it in baking
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/4 tsp. almond
•  coloured sprinkles (green & red) for Christmas adds a nice touch.

Mix flour, butter, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla/almond together in a bowl. I use a stand mixer but this equipment is not necessary.

Mix well and when the dry ingredients are mixed in beat until light and fluffy and it looks like cookie dough.

Scooping/Rolling 

I rolled my dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut into rounds, or Christmas trees.  Just before baking I sprinkle with the red and green sprinkles.

Bake at 350 ° for 10 -12 minutes.

 

Herb Spatchcock Turkey for Christmas dinner

 This recipe is so easy and my turkey using this method is probably the best I have tasted. 

I would suggest that you get your butcher to spatchcock the turkey as you really do need strong hands to remove the back bone. 

Once the back bone is removed place the turkey (skin up) on a large baking sheet. Rub the entire skin surface with olive oil as this helps to hold the herbs in place once you sprinkle them on.

In a small bowl, mix together dried or fresh (I use both) 

1 Tbsp. rosemary (fresh and diced)

2 tbsp. sage

2 tbsp. thyme

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 tbsp. sea salt

1 tbsp. pepper

Italian seasoning optional but tasty ( 2tsp.)

herb de Provence if you have it.(2tsp) optional but tasty.

Sprinkle the above herbs all over the skin of the turkey.

Place the turkey in the fridge overnight.

On serving day, preheat oven to 400°. Once preheated place the turkey in the hot oven (middle rack) for 25 min.

Reduce the heat to 350° and continue to roast until the internal temperature of the breast is 165°F. Once the bird is out of the oven the internal temp. will climb to around 173°, which is recommended. I use a probe thermometer to ensure the internal temp. is correct.  See pic below.

Remove from oven and let rest before carving.

The following video from 'taste of home' shows exactly what to do to spatchcock your Turkey. Please click here to see the video.

Gary's favourite...cheddar onion chive biscuits!

Gary and I have something in common...again! Besides his wife and one of my best friends Devon, he loves my cheddar onion chive biscuits and so do I.  This is the recipe just in case you want to join us for the best biscuits ever!  Thanks Gary and Devon for sharing. 

Stay safe out there!

 https://cookinguncovered.blogspot.com/2016/08/light-fluffy-cheddar-onion-biscuitsthe.html

Gary loves to bake these biscuits

Carla's one pot beef stew

serves 6-8

This recipe is Carla's go-to beef stew recipe which is so easy to put together and so delicious. The fact that nothing has to be pre-cooked is amazing and the result is a very tasty stew for family or friends. This can also be put together the day before and refrigerated. No need to dirty other dishes as this can be mixed right in the pot you are cooking it in.

Pre heat oven to 350°. Top rack will be placed in the middle of the oven.

In a large dutch oven or stainless steel pot (with tight fitting lids) add beef chunks, salt & pepper, tomato paste, flour and vinegar. Stir well. 

Prepare the vegetables by peeling where necessary (no need to peel the yellow potatoes) and cutting into the same size of chunks. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the beef chunks and stir well. Place the pot onto the stove top and bring the beef broth up to the boil. 

Open the oven and place your stew pot into the pre heated oven. Cook for 2 hours.

Serve hot with your favorite fresh bread or Yorkshire puddings.

I whipped up a batch of Yorkshire puddings to serve with this stew and it was excellent for sure. Click here to go directly to my recipe for Yorkshire puddings.

1 kg. stewing beef (cut into bite sized chunks)

1/4 cup flour

tomato paste - 1 small can

4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper ground to taste

1 large onion - peeled and chopped 

4 yellow skinned potatoes - washed well but not peeled

4 carrots - peeled

1 small rutabagas - peeled

4  cups beef broth  

6 garlic cloves - peeled and smashed

3 bay leaves

1 tsp. thyme 

Carla in her element in her lovely Campbellford kitchen

turnips (on the left) are white fleshed, rutabagas are yellow fleshed

Best Ever 'closed oven' Prime Rib Roast Beef

I first learned of this roasting method from friends of mine (Donna and Mike Teasdale) in North Vancouver years ago. It has only been recently that I use this method and it is the best roast beef ever. 

The roasting time depends on the weight of your roast. This cooks the prime rib to a medium rare. If you wish the prime rib to be more well done, leave the roast in the oven at 500° for longer.

So, if you buy a 2 pound roast, you multiply 2X 5 and the roast will stay in the oven at 500° for 10 minutes plus add 5 minutes to make up for opening the oven.  When I am cooking for a crowd I roast my prime rib earlier in the day and slice it when it is cooler and then just before serving I reheat the roast just slightly to serve.

Decide when you want the roast to be ready for carving. If you want dinner served at 6pm, preheat your oven to 500° at 3:20pm (oven rack in the center of the oven). When the oven is ready, place the roast on a shallow roasting pan of your choice and place the roast quickly into the preheated oven at 3:45pm. Close the oven quickly so that the heat doesn't escape. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Roast for 15 minutes at 500° only. Then TURN OFF THE OVEN and allow the roast to remain in a closed, undisturbed oven, for 2 hours. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING these  2 HOURS. I often tape the oven shut with a paper reminding myself not to open the oven (this seems a bit picky but you will be surprised how many times I go to check on my roast). The paper reminder is also a warning to guest who may want to peek too. After the 2 hours remove the roast and carve the roast to serve. My family and friends are always thrilled to have Yorkshire puddings with this perfectly cooked roast. Please click here to go directly to my recipe for my Mom's Yorkshire puddings.

I hope you enjoy this easy recipe, because every time I am serving roast beef I use this fail-proof method.  

Rub for the prime rib:

1/4 cup soft butter

1/8 cup olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. dried herbs of choice (I like to have rosemary, oregano, herb de Provence, Italian seasoning ) or any combination you choose.

Allow the prime rib roast to sit at room temperature for 4 hours. Dry off the roast with a paper towel and 

1 hour before roasting time rub the butter/oil/herb mixture on all surfaces of the roast to marinate. 

A good example of this recipe can be viewed on Chef John's post as well on   https://www.allrecipes.com/ and is the very good  explanation of how to do a perfectly roasted prime rib.

Marinating the roast for 1 hour before roasting

This is a 2 lb. roast which is perfect for 3-4 people who are not big eaters. Dry off the
 roast with paper towel and allow it to come to room temperature for 4 hours before roasting.

perfectly cooked medium rare

the 'Aunties' with my daughter in Ottawa