Table 4 6 Recipes

Welcome to my new page!  I have a very intimate relationship with food.  I love trying new things and seeing what I can come up with on my own.  The secret to most of my recipes is taking something old and putting a bit of the "secret ingredient" in it.  If you have watched Kung Fu Panda, you know the secret ingredient is YOU!

Here is the latest from my kitchen!

Pancakes with Pear Syrup

Buttercup Pie

Butter Cup Chicken Soup

Pina Colada French Toast

Gushy Green Salad with Avocado Dressing

Very Very Blueberry Jam

Cream of Corn

White Corn Bread

Pancakes with Pear Syrup

Pretty isn't it?

I have recently found a great bisquick recipe.  Now I am constantly looking for things to make with the bisquick.  The natural choice is pancakes.  We make pancakes often in our home.  It annoys me that it took me this long to start making bisquick in large batches.  It makes pancake making a breeze.  I use this bisquick recipe from cooks.com.  It is super easy and doesn't require powdered milk.

That's all folks!

As for the pear syrup- well that was completely accidental.  We usually use maple syrup (yeah Canada).  But we ran out and I had to think fast on my feet.  My mother had given us some freshly picked pears.  Voila pear syrup!  Make the syrup before you start the pancakes and you will have the syrup ready when the pancakes are ready!

I use 1/4 of a cup of batter.  It makes the perfect size.

1 cup of bisquick mix

3/4 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 egg

Mix ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.  Pour a 1/4 cup of batter per pancake.  When bubbles appear flip over.  Pile pancakes so they stay warm.

Saucy Syrup

Pear Syrup

4 pears peeled and sliced (3/4 of an inch thick)

1/4 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons of apricot jam (optional)

2 tablespoons of butter

Add the ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer on low until it thickens.  Take pot off stove.  Stir in cold butter.  Pour syrup on your beloved pancakes and smile sweetly.  At least that's what the children and I did!

Pile it on to keep them warm.

From our kitchen to your table!

Buttercup Pie

Uncooked buttercup squash bathed in a yummy orange colour!

We have been visiting our favourite farm stand like crazy.  Hy Hope Farms is in Ashburn, Onatario.  Very close to where we live.  We have developed a serious addiction to this place.  (It's because they make the best butter tarts...oh my I just had one.)  Anyway, we cannot get enough of those little tarts and those beautifully coloured Buttercup squashes.  My mom usually makes this savoury pie that we have at Christmas and I thought why not make a similar pie but with buttercup squash instead.  My mom's pie is soft and fluffy with just the right amount of seasoning.  We usually use a caribbean fruit called breadfruit to make the pie.  Breadfruit is closer to the texture of sweet potatoe but white in colour.  It has a natural sweetness and nutty flavour similar the buttercup squash.

I also have developed a liking to making my own Bisquick recipe.  I use this one from cooks.com.  Because I made a lot, I like to find ways to use it. I store it in a large air tight container and keep it with the other flour products.

2 Buttercup Squash

1 Cup of milk

3 eggs

1 cup of bisquick mix (Make your own- so so so easy!)

3 tablespoons of sugar

3 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of pepper (I love white pepper but you can use black)

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut the squashes in half and place on a cookie sheet.  Roast until cooked.  (Approx. 35 minutes).  Remove from oven. (Do not turn the oven off.)  Peel the skin that forms on the inside and outside.  Mix until smooth.  Whisk the milk, eggs, bisquick mix, sugar, salt and pepper until smooth.  Add mixture to buttercup.  Whip this mixture on medium speed until combined.  Do not over mix.  Pour mixture into pie dish.  (You can add some cheese if you like.)  Bake until mixture is set and top is crisp. (20-25 minutes).  Remove from oven and serve.

From our kitchen to your table.

Butter Cup Chicken Soup

One of my favourite things about living in our town is the multitude of farms around us.  I love living here because we have all the conveniences of a city and all the luxuries of a small town.  Today we went to The Cottage Hospital.  You know you are going to get good service when you go to a hospital with that name.  It is in a nearby town that I have to say I have a little crush on.  The hospital is probably the size of my house, but the town is beautiful.

These tiny onions melt in the soup. No chopping.  Love it!

These are regular onions.  I didn't use them in this recipe.

More fresh local goodies.

On our way back from the hospital I wanted to stop at a little farm shop that sells fresh produce and the best butter tarts ever.  My friend Libby was coming over and I wanted to get something I know she would love.  We saw what I thought was butter nut squash.  It happened to be butter cup squash.  The squashes were the most beautiful colours of orange and green.  Each one was absolutely perfect.  I also picked up some small cooking onions, smooth potatoes, long green leeks, cabbage, and fresh garlic.  I also caught something else I have never heard of before - sweet potato squash.  It was a light creamy colour with green strips. I couldn't wait to introduce these ingredients to our kitchen.

You have to love the lush oranges and yellows.

All these ingredients were screaming to party in my chicken soup.   I love how new ingredients produce surges of inspiration for the kitchen.  Here is my recipe for Butter Cup Chicken Soup.  This recipes made 3 pot fulls.  (I borrowed 4 slow cookers for our children's blessing ceremony and I wanted to return them full rather than empty.)

Butter Cup Chicken Soup

I challenged myself not to use anything out of a package for this recipe.

2 whole chickens cut into quarters

4 cups mini or cut carrots

6 celery sticks chopped

2 bunches of garlic smashed

1 large bunch of fresh thyme  (You can use dried thyme (4 tablespoons))

6 small cooking onions peeled and cut in half

1 butter cup squash peeled cut into large chunks (I suppose you can use butter nut squash)

3 sweet potato squashes peeled and sliced into large chunks (optional)

3 leeks washed and cut in half

water

salt and pepper to taste (I do love my white pepper but you can use black)

Fill a large pot with water to cover all of the ingredients.  You might need to make this in three batches or in a very large pot.  Add all the ingredients and let come to a boil over medium heat.  Cook until all the squashes have dissolved and chicken is falling away from the bones when you stir the pot.  The onions should have dissolved by this time. Continue to simmer on low-medium heat until the soup thickens.  Taste the soup to ensure you have enough salt and pepper.  You are ready for some awesome chicken-squash goodness.  You might want to cut up some of the chicken if you prefer chicken in every spoonful.

From our kitchen to your table!

Pina Colada French Toast

I use a slip mat to place toasts on and keep in the oven to keep warm.

Lately I have been a little obsessed with coconut, banana, and pineapple.  I have started putting one or all of these ingredients in everything.  Can you tell I am still breastfeeding and dying for a girlie drink?

Okay here is the easy to make recipe:

Our family friend makes this whole wheat bread for us every week!

-bread (I use whole wheat)

-1/4 cup of shredded coconut

-1/4 cup of icing sugar

-3 large eggs

-1 crushed banana

-1  1/2 cups of milk

-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-1 teaspoon cinnamon (grounded)

-1/4 cup veg. oil and some for cooking (you could use butter for the batter instead)

We always use maple syrup!

Mix all the ingredients (except the bread- of course) together until combined.  Oil a skillet and turn heat to medium.  Dip bread in picture and make sure you pick up the bits of coconut and banana too.  Cook each side until golden brown.  Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

Note:  If you are really in the Pina Colada Mood then make a shake with the banana, milk, pineapple, and coconut juice.

From our kitchen to your table!

The kids loooooved this!  Yours will too!

From our kitchen to your table.

Gushy Green Salad with Avocado Dressing

Are you gushing yet?

I love living near so many fruit and vegetable stands, and not to mention our "neighbourhood farms".  Today my mom was having a few friends over for a barbecue.  I was in charge of desserts and salads.  I love playing with colour and food so I decided to make an all green salad.  We also had red and yellow tomatoes so there would be lots on vibrant colours at the table.  

Chop asparagus with the rubber bands still on to hold it in place.  Leave the dry woody bits at the end for the green bin.

2 large English cucumbers diced

2 bunches of asparagus steamed and chopped (1.5 inches)

4 ripe avocados diced (see below for instructions)

snippets of fresh basil and oregano finely chopped

salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Our herb garden is always close by.  Essentials include (in order) parsley, lavender, oregano, sage, basil, and chives)

Combine olive oil, 1/4 crushed avocado, basil, oregano, salt, pepper in a small bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Set aside.  

Combine cucumbers, asparagus, and the rest of the avocados in a serving dish.  Be very gentle with the avocados.  Pour dressing over vegetables and serve.  

Shrimp with Avocado Dressing

Variation:  Pour the avocado dressing on raw shrimp and barbecue.  

How to dice an avocado:

Smack the knife into the seed so it pierces it.  Twist the seed and it should come out clean.  Try not to squeeze the avocado too much while you are doing this.

Score the flesh with horizontal and vertical cuts with a knife.

Scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

From our kitchen to your table. Enjoy!

Do you dream in colour with food?  Write a comment at the bottom of this page.

Very Very Blueberry Jam

Every year I buy 8 quarts of freshly picked blueberries from my friend's mother.  They are the tastiest blueberries around. I am told that they come from a special line of blueberries that Gerber commissioned for babies back in the day.  Well parents didn't like black poop so now they are available for all generations!  I hope you didn't just lose your appetite.   Anyway, my friend and her family always eat theirs fresh.  She thinks it is a waste to freeze them.  I disagree, I love them fresh but I save some for my blueberry-nectarine-peach pie, pancakes and jam!

I save my jars for days like this!

Before I give you the recipe let's chat for a minute.  Actually I want to pick on Pectin for a minute.  You know the stuff you add to jam to make it set?  Well I have been making jam for a while now (4 years) and I have never used pectin.  I always use a fruit that has natural Pectin and this has worked out fine for me.  Remember earlier I told you that the secret ingredient in recipes is YOU?  Okay well not always.  Today I didn't have any apples or peaches (they have natural pectin).  So I used 2 jars of baby food (peach and apple).  By the way, I never buy baby food either, it was a gift. 

Yum!

6 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2 cups or more (I used about 3) of granulated sugar (which also helps it set)

sprinkle of cinnamon

a dash of vanilla

(Sorry to all the techie cooks- this is how I cook- with abandon)

1 small jar of apple baby food or 2 large apples grated 

1 small jar of peach baby food or 2 large peaches grated

I wanted to drink this when I was done!

Add ingredients to a medium size pot.  Let the mixture come to a boil for a minute under high heat.  Lower and let simmer until mixture thickens.  Cool and pour into jars to cool further.                            

From our kitchen to your table! Enjoy.

Use a hard bristle food brush for removing those irritating fine hairs of the corn.

Cream of Corn with White Corn Bread

Sometimes I like to go through everything in the freezer and try to make a meal.  Today I went through the fridge and found lots of corn.  Hence my menu- Cream of Corn with White Corn Bread.

One of my favourite ways to cook is to use one ingredient for two completely different dishes.  I was able to use the Cream of Corn for my White Corn Bread.

Cream of Corn

6 cups of fresh or frozen corn (Sorry but fresh is sooooo much better!) 

3 cups of cream or milk (I used 2% milk)

4 tablespoons of butter

4 tablespoons of sugar

salt and pepper to taste (I love using white pepper with corn!)

2 tablespoons or more of flour

Add corn, 2 cups of milk, butter, sugar, salt and pepper to a medium size pot. (Make sure the milk just covers the corn.)  Mix flour and remaining milk in a small bowl.  Add flour and milk mixture to the pot.  Cook stirring on medium heat.  Make sure you watch the pot.  It will boil over if it is not stirred enough.  Remove from heat when mixture thickens.  

Wasn't that easy?  

 

This is me being fresh as usual!

White Corn Bread

  (I got a yellow version of this recipe from cooks.com and made it my own.)

1 cup white/yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4-5 tablespoons brown sugar

1 cup sour cream or milk

1/2 cup of oil (sunflower, corn, not olive)

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 cup of cream of corn

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat sour cream and eggs together.  

Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar in a bowl.  Fold dry ingredients into sour cream mixture.  Fold in cream of corn.  If cream of corn is hot fold it in as quickly and gently as you can.  Pour batter into 8x8 pan.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes.  

Notes to self:

If you are using white cornmeal, the top of the cornbread will not brown as much.  Try not to over mix or over cook this recipe.

Folding: Using your spatula to gently lift ingredients from the bottom to the top so it mixes but doesn't lose volume. 

Funny thing happened on the way to the meal:

I thought I had enough yellow cornmeal- I was wrong.  My mother (who lives with me) had white cornmeal.  I used 1/3 yellow and 2/3 white.  I found the flavour a little milder and the texture smoother. 

From our kitchen to your table! Enjoy!