• Goat cheese with pistachios and cranberries
  (I made this ages ago when I had friends over for dinner. Looks impressive but is super simple and delicious)
• Protein Power Goddess Bowl
  (A great packable lunch.)
•  Jamie Oliver’s Perfect Roast Beef and Gravy
  (I made this for a holiday dinner with friends and it was outstanding. The beef was cooked to perfection and the gravy might have been the best I’ve ever had, if I do say so myself)
• Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos
  (These were delicious with lots of leftovers. To make it even easier, I used frozen cubed butternut squash.)

Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Adapted from Whole Foods 

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 14-oz can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, pepper, jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add turkey and cook until browned.

Add tomatoes, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and add beans.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.

Serves 8.

Given that we had an extra-long weekend and I only had to work one of those days, there was time and will for groceries and cooking. The weekend was also full of dinners out and much imbibing, so I wanted to cook something fresh and light. This curry was chock full of veggies and quick to make.  Very delicious and enough left over for lunch tomorrow.

Shrimp Green Curry
Adapted from fitsugar 

4 cups mixed veggies (i used broccoli, red and yellow pepper and frozen stir fry mix)
1 can (400 mL) light coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 – 3 tbsp. green curry paste
1 1/2 tsp. sambal oelek
pinch chinese five spice
1 cup shrimp (pre-cooked)
couple handfuls of spinach
bunch of basil, thinly sliced

In a large saute pan, whisk together the coconut milk, broth, curry paste, sambal oelek and spice.

Add veggies and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer.

After a few minutes when the veggies are nearly done, add shrimp, spinach and basil.  Cook a few minutes more.

Serve over rice.

I have wanted to attempt a peppermint bark recipe ever since reading the buzz about Williams Sonoma’s version in multiple magazines and blogs. However, at $30 a tin, buying it was not an option. Luckily recipes for a homemade version abound on the internet. I picked and choosed from a bunch to come up with this super easy and very delicious recipe. I included it in my baking packages for friends and served it on several Christmas treat platters. It was always one of the first to go (in part, I think, because it is so pretty on a plate).

So when next Christmas rolls around relieve some of your holiday stress, bash up some candy canes and make this peppermint bark.

Peppermint Bark

3 cups chocolate chips (your choice of milk, dark or semisweet)
4 cups white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3/4 cup peppermint candy or candy canes, crushed

Preheat oven to 250F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil and put in the oven for 5 minutes until almost melted. Remove from oven, smooth with a spatula. Put in refrigerator until firm, about 20 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler. Stir in the peppermint extract and let sit for two minutes.

Remove the chocolate from the fridge and pour the white chocolate on top, spreading to cover in an even layer.

Sprinkle the crushed candy over top.

Chill until hard and break into pieces.

My mum has made this for as long as I can remember. She says it tastes just like the kind her grandmother used to make. Every December, she pulls out her cast iron shortbread mold and makes batch after batch to deliver to all her friends and neighbours. And of course a few batches for us.

Last Christmas, I attempted the recipe in my own kitchen. Mum loaned me the mold and I started baking. Then I packaged up my own shortbread to deliver to all my friends. They loved it, just as everyone does. A precedent was set; when this December rolled around they were all waiting for their shortbread and when I delivered it at a party, very little of it actually made it out the door.

So here it is, the most delicious shortbread ever…

Scottish Shortbread

From my mum
Yield: approx 4 rounds

1 pound butter
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour

Place your shortbread mold in the freezer until ready to shape the shortbread. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Cream the butter until soft.

Add the sugar gradually, blending until very light and creamy.

Add the flour gradually, again blending carefully.

Remove the mold from the freezer and dust it lightly with flour. Press the dough into the mould and turn out onto a baking sheet before baking.

Dust lightly with sugar

Bake at 375 F (190 C) for about 5 minutes, then lower the oven to 300 F (150 C) and continue baking for about 45 – 60 minutes.

Shortbread should be golden but not brown when done.

These brownies taste exactly like the two-bite brownies you buy in the brown paper packaging. Even better, in the time it would take you to run down to 7-Eleven to satisfy a chocolate craving, you can whip up a batch. I have made them quite a few times to take to parties. When I have nothing planned, these are quick and I usually have the ingredients on hand. They are the perfect brownies – dense and chewy with a crusty top. Mmmmm. In fact, I think I might just whip up a batch for a get together with my girlfriends on Friday…

Brownies

Adapted from Inside a Black Apple
Yield: 16-20 brownies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 390F. Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking dish.

Melt the butter in the microwave or over the stove.

In a large bowl, mix together the butter and white and brown sugar. Once combined, add the eggs and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking as you add the vanilla, salt, flour and cocoa.

Pour the batter into the baking dish (it will be quite thick). Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before digging in.

This recipe is very seasonably inappropriate, so just remember it when October rolls around. I remember my mum making these cookies from Canadian Living when I was younger for Halloween. I think there may have also been punch with ice cubes made in rubber gloves to look like hands. So when our friends invited us over for a Halloween party, they seemed like the perfect snack to bring. Surprisingly, they are very tasty and were a big hit among the party goers – by the time The Shining was over so were the cookies.

Witch Finger Cookies

Adapted from Canadian Living
Yield: approx. 40 fingers

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon  vanilla
2-3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole almonds
1 tablespoon jam

Vegetable Chili

Yield: 8 servings

1 onion, diced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 carrots, diced
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 19-oz cans kidney beans
1 14-ox can crushed pineapple
1 packet of chili seasoning

Crockpot Instructions:
Throw in all the ingredients into the crockpot and stir well.

Cook on high for 6 hours.

Stovetop Instructions:
In a large saucepan, sauté onion, green pepper and carrots until just soft.

Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Mustard Sauce

Adapted from Auntie Yvonne

2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1/3 cup white vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook gently for a few minutes. Serve.

(Also stores well in the fridge for a few days)

German Pancake

Adapted from Sherbet Blossom
Yield: 2 to 4 servings (depending how hungry you are)

3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 400F. Put butter in a 9×9 baking dish and place in the oven while it is preheating.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour and salt until smooth.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour in the batter. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

Serve immediately with lemon and powdered sugar, or maple syrup.