Make-ahead mashed potatoes

Serves: 6-8
please click here to go to my YouTube video of this easy recipe

5   large russet potatoes

1 yellow onion

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup hot milk (heating the milk will prevent the potatoes from become gooey)

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. paprika

sprinkle of Italian Seasoning as a garnish

Peel potatoes and remove the nasty bits.

Rinse well in cold water.

Chop up the onion after peeling and add to the large pot with your potatoes.

Fill the pot up to 3/4 full with cold water, sprinkle with salt and bring the potatoes up to the boil on the stove.  Once at the boil turn down until it is still bubbling but not over flowing until just done...try not to overcook.

Once the potatoes are cooked, strain potato water out and save the water for soup or your gravy.

Add butter and warm milk.  Mash to the consistency you desire.

Spoon potatoes into a greased casserole dish and garnish with paprika and Italian seasoning. Allow to cool with the lid off and then store in fridge.

About 1 hour before your dinner remove the potatoes from the fridge to allow the potatoes to warm up to room temperature.

Cook the potatoes in the oven @ 350 for approximately 25 minutes.

Enjoy.

Rivendell Retreat Centre

I spent the day on Bowen Island with the lovely Rivendell folks at their beautiful retreat centre just up the hill from the Snug Cove Ferry at the top of Cates Hill. Foodsafe was the agenda for the day but it turned out to be much more. Beautiful scenery, fantastic views, serene and peaceful atmosphere....and such nice people. Thanks for the great day and for the delicious lunch!

the view from the front deck

front entrance

the large cozy living room with a spectacular view

Yorkshire Puddings

Yield: 24 delicious Yorkshire Puddings

Equipment needed: 2  muffin tins

6 eggs

1 1/2  cup all-purpose flour

2  cups milk

1 tsp. salt

This mixture works best if made 2 hours ahead and left on counter until it is time to bake in the oven.

In a bowl beat eggs with a whisk to start Yorkshire pudding batter.

Add milk and whisk until well mixed.

Reserve half of this liquid in a second measuring cup or bowl.

Add salt to flour together.
Add the flour mixture to the first half of the milk. Whisk together...this batter will be thick but keep stirring.

Miriam'sTimeSavingTip♥ Keep stirring until the batter becomes smooth and all the lumps are gone. Slowly add in the reserved milk and whisk until it is all combined. This procedure is the only way you will have a batter that is lump free.

Set aside on the counter to rest until ready to bake puddings.

To bake Yorkshire Puddings:

Pre heat oven to 400° F (205°  C).

Spoon 1 teaspoon of oil into each muffin cup (24) in the muffin tins.

Heat muffin pans (with oil) in a preheated 400° oven until smoking hot (approximately 10 minutes)

Miriam'sTimeSavingTip♥Time to shock your batter. Run the cold water at the sink and quickly add 2 Tbsp. ice-cold tap water into the Yorkshire pudding batter. Stir well. This is a tip from my Mom and her Mom on how to ensure you  bake perfect Yorkshires every time. 

Remove one muffin pan at a time from the oven, close the oven and pour batter into muffin cups up to ¾ full. Do the same for the second hot muffin pan.

Bake for  35  minutes until puddings are light golden brown and are large and light and fluffy. 

Miriam'sTimeSavingTip♥ Warning, the puddings will collapse if not baked long enough...don't take them out too early. This is how I tell if they are baked properly. Open the oven and flick at the Yorkshire puddings. If the pudding pops out of the muffin cup all by themselves, they are ready.

Remove from the oven and serve hot.

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