Oh my poor post-festivities FWA...

FWA, for those of you who haven't read Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series, is an acronym for Fine Wide Arse which I have at the best of times but, after the holiday season, it has the propensity to enlarge.  I do the baking around here and that means tasting and eating.  *sigh*  The suffering I do for my family and friends...  *wink*

Just because the tree is taken down and all the trimmings put away until the next season of revelry doesn't mean that I don't hanker after nummy sweet things but the brakes have to be stepped on.  Well, mostly....

The other night, a friend, Carol Strombeck raved on Facebook about a cheesecake she had made and it sounded so good that I asked her to send a picture and I would post the recipe.  She did and I am ~ especially since she found she was able to use a sugar substitute for part of it and partially substitute a lower fat cream cheese.  And we all know what a healthy things blueberries are... 

In the FWA school of thought, cutting down on even a fraction of calories isn't a bad thing.

So here is Carol's version of :

Double Chocolate Cheesecake

(from the December 2010 issue of Real Simple)

Makes 16 Servings:
18 creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed (about 1 1/2 c.)
2 T. butter, melted
4 pkg (8oz. each) Philly* Cream Cheese, softened
1 c. granulated sugar**
2 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted cooled slightly***
4 eggs
1/2 c. blueberries, optional
1 T powdered sugar, also optional

Heat oven to 325 F.  Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.  Bake 10 min.  Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour and vanilla with mixer until well blended.  Add melted chocolate; mix well.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended.  Pour over crust.  Bake 55 min to 1 hour or until center is almost set.  Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours.  Top with berries just before serving; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

(Carol‘s notes:

* used different brand and used 2 pkg. 1/3 lower fat and 2 pkg regular
** used Splenda
*** screwed up and used chocolate chips but tasted great anyhow!!!)

Marriage of Mr. Pork to Ms. Apple

Apples and pork are two foods that were made for one another.  Add in a myriad of spices and the same dish can be be changed over and over again.  I like getting past the pork chop and apple sauce repertoire with a recipe I had found thirty years or so ago for Pork and Apple Pie.

It's been a favourite with my family and I've added and subtracted spices and flavourings over the years as a matter of experimentation ~ cinnamon is a good one ~ but I'm adding the recipe just as I originally found it.

Pork and Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry for a 2 - crust pie (I strongly recommend a deep dish pie crust!)
4 tart apples, peeled and sliced (Or diced in large pieces works as well ~ I seldom peel ‘em.)
1 lb.  lean ground pork
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon powdered sage
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon milk

Prepare pastry dough and line a 9” pie plate.  Combine the apples, pork, thyme, sugar, sage, salt and pepper and place the mixture in the pie shell.  Dot with butter.

Roll out remaining dough and place on top, crimping the edges.  Make several slits in top and brush the top with egg/milk mixture.

Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for one hour.  Serve at room temperature.

Tiptoe through the tofu...

(Photo courtesy: google.com)

Tofu was not common where I grew up.  Well, to be truthful, it was non-existent and it took traveling to the other side of the country to be introduced to it.  Over the years I have heard people state 'but it's so bland' and I think that is one of the best things about it ~ you can make it taste any way you want.

I'm not going to go into the history of tofu, nutritional benefits, etc...  You're reading this on a computer and I know you can research that yourself (though I found interesting information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tofu).  What I want to do here is give the recipes for two tofu dishes I have run into over the years that my family liked and that my daughter remembers with fondness.  Both of them are yummy and easy...  :)

 The first one is for a great dip to use at home or parties and potlucks.  I made it for years and not once did anyone guess that the principle ingredient is tofu. The recipe is from 'The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook', The Book Publishing Company, 1978.  (The Farm is a commune founded in Tennessee in 1971 and is still in existence.)

Tofu Onion Dip

2 C soft tofu
1/4 - 1/2 C oil
1/4 C vinegar
1 t salt
1 - 2 T sugar
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 t soy sauce
2 t garlic powder
2 T nutritional yeast flakes (opt.)

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend to a creamy consistency.  Add a couple tablespoons of liquid if necessary.  Variation:  One package of onion soup mix can be used in place of fresh onion and spices.

That it ~ doesn't get much easier than that.  I've played around with using fresh garlic as well but, since I believe that there is no such thing as too much garlic (most of the time), I'll leave quantity to your own imagination and taste.

(http://www.vancouverhoods.com/gastown/sunrise-market/)

 The second recipe is from a booklet put out by the Sunrise Market tofu manufacturers.  The Sunrise Market, itself, is on the corner of Powell and Gore in Vancouver and it is an experience unto itself that you can't really quite grasp until you've navigated your way through it.  For years, no matter where I lived in Vancouver, it was where I went for my fruits and veggies and many interesting condiments.

 

Zucchini - Herb Casserole

454g firm tofu, mashed well
1 1/2 lb zucchini, cut into 1/4 in cubes
1 1/2 C chopped green onions
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 T oil
2 t garlic salt
1 t each: basil, oregano
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t pepper
2 C chopped tomatoes
1 C cooked rice or millet
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 C grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

In a large, oven-proof skillet, sauté the zucchini, green onions and garlic in the oil.  Cover and simmer gently for 7 - 10 minutes, until the zucchini is barely tender.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the remaining ingredients except for 1 cup cheddar cheese.  Sprinkle the 1 cup of cheese over the top.  Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Suits me to a 'T'...

Everyone needs a few tricks in their culinary repertoire that are quick and simple to whip up for unexpected company, enjoy for a simple snack or portage along to potlucks, etc...

One thing I have found that people really enjoy is tea biscuits (aka baking powder biscuits).  For some funny reason, folks think that they are an arduous item to make when nothing could be further from the truth and, as long as you have the ingredients around, these can be whipped out in less than half an hour.

My dad used to make biscuits to go with his homemade baked beans and I can still remember the time he didn't have enough milk and decided to use tomato juice instead.  Pink biscuits for supper!  Needless to say,  memories of tea biscuits always make me think of my dad.  :)

When I was learning to cook, lo! these several decades ago, the very first cookbook I picked up was the Five Roses Flour Cookbook which covered a lot of simple, basic recipes.  Over the years I've worn out several copies (they were a standard in grocery stores for years but not so now *sigh*) and I have one very beaten up old copy left that is falling apart, smudged and stained in the most heavily used areas.

One of the first recipes I memorized from there was the biscuit recipe and I have used it with multiple variations for so long that it may end up engraved on my tombstone.

Tea Biscuits

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening (I use butter)
1 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together and cut in the shortening until the consistently of coarse cornmeal.  Make a well in the center and add the liquid slowly.  When all the liquid has been added, stir the dough vigorously with a fork until it comes away easily from the side of the bowl.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured board and knead LIGHTLY (I find about half a dozen times is usually enough).  Roll out about 1/2 inch thick and cut with a two inch cutter, placing on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in a hot oven (450F) for 12-15 minutes.

Variations:

Cheese - Decrease shortening to 3 tablespoons and salt to 3/4 teaspoon and cut in 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese with the shortening.

Buttermilk - Decrease baking powder to 2 teaspoons and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.  Substitute 1 cup of  buttermilk (or sour milk) for regular milk.

Personal notes:

People who turn out 'fluffy' biscuits are said to have used a 'light hand'.  I remember the original recipe said to knead the dough for a minute or so but I find that 5-6 turns is enough.  The more you work the dough, the tougher they are.  Once I roll it out, I let it rest for a minute to 'relax'.  As well, make sure your baking powder is not out-dated.

I have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled the recipe and it’s turned out just fine.  In fact, during the holiday season when I am likely to be making a lot, I have done all the preparation except adding the milk and kept the mix handy in a covered bowl.

You can fill them with meat and cheese for mini-sandwiches or use them to showcase your homemade jams and jellies but your family and friends will think they are sooooo yom! yom! yom!

Simple Simon's Pieman and more!

 Last Wednesday was a beautiful, warm and sunny day (of which there have been few lately), so I called up my friend, Lukas, and we agreed to meet at the Surrey Farmer's Market near the Surrey Central Skytrain.  Being late in the season, there weren't a lot of stalls open but we had fun poking about.

Feeling a bit peckish, I decided to pick up a sweet treat for us and went over to a stall that had baked goods which was being run by this very gracious gentleman who explained that the goods were the work of his partner and himself.  He said she was an excellent pastry chef and they had not yet found a permanent location but invited me to check out their website.  (I have an awful memory for names so, having pored over their site, I am so hoping that his name is Laurie.)

Let me tell you the choices there were killer!  But I narrowed it down from rhubarb streusel (lower left), almond (center) and pear (upper left) tarts to the rhubarb and two absolutely deadly ginger cookies.  (There was much, much more but I didn't get a picture of everything.  :)


Except...

Pies!  Ohmigawd, how I love pies and the only reason I got out of there without going amok at their pie counter is that I had prudently only brought a limited amount of money with me.  (I may go back this Wednesday to see if the market is still open and rectify that error!)

Anyway, I went to their website today and yom! yom! yom!  Folks, it's worth the visit just to drool your way through the photos in the galleries.  Sweet Thea looks like a going concern (especially with their custom designed wedding cakes) and I can tell you that they taste like a winner.  I don't know where they will ultimately open up their outlet but I am sooooooo going to add them to my list of gotta-go-to places.

Meanwhile, go to http://sweetthea.com/ and tell me if there are not some of the most droolworthy goodies there!

November 23 ~ Up-date:

Sweet Thea had a booth at the Circle Craft Co-operative Christmas Fair and I bought a package of their Lebkuchen (a traditional German cookie baked for Christmas, somewhat resembling soft gingerbread.)~ absolutely delish!  Definitely two nom! nom!'s up. 

Imitation, flattery and all that good stuff...

I was at my roomie's grandson's birthday 'do' the other day and was telling a couple of people there about my new blog.  Since I had made up 'business' cards with the blog address, etc... I gave a few out more than broadly hinting that I would be happy if they contributed articles..

Later, in my email, I got this from one of them: ' Looks good Nana!! You've inspired me to create my own blog.'   'Oh, too funny,' I thought and went to the address he had sent.

Well.........  Good stuff, Verno.  Funny *and* yummy!  Great BBQ ribs recipe and commentary ~ more!  Encore!

So, folks, I look forward to future postings by Verno at http://guyeats.blogspot.com/!  Hopefully so will you.  :)

Bugged by bananas...

For whatever reason, I have never liked raw bananas.  My brothers and sisters would eat them with glee but the closest I would get is when mom would mash bananas, peanut butter and honey together for sandwiches.  Until one winter in the early '60's she fried banana halves with a little brown sugar for breakfast and I discovered that I very much liked cooked bananas.

Some Vancouverites might remember the My Tan restaurant that was on Broadway in the '70's where they had the *best* deep fried bananas that I have ever had.  Lay a scoop of vanilla ice cream up against those suckers and I was in heaven...  Yom!

Anyway, I don't buy a lot of bananas except now and again when I get some for my roommate.  Occasionally he forgets about them and they do not rise again in my consciousness until I become aware of the scent of ripe bananas wafting about the kitchen.  In my world, there's only one thing to do with 'em.  Yup ~ cook something with them.

 So I took one of my favourite pans...  (http://www.nordicware.com/)

And one of my favourite recipes...
(Banana hat courtesy of Ladies of Lallybroch *g*)

Invited a special friend...

And had Banana Bugs for a rainy afternoon snack!  Yom! yom! yom!

Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 medium bananas, finely crushed
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Cream together butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs, crushed bananas and nutmeg.
3. Combine well.
4. Sift together flour, soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture.  Add vanilla.
5. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes (About half that time for muffin-sized portions.)
7. Keeps well, refrigerated.  (Assuming they last that long!)

These can be frozen too.

(Just as a side note:  I used this recipe to bake in one of those cupcake/muffin pans that produce 24 mini's and found that baking for 20 minutes gave me the best results.  They are excellent topped with a chocolate cream cheese icing.  Yom!)