Category Archives: About

About, Cakes

Farmhand Cake

Leave a comment

I have been making Farmhand Cake for years! I started making it for Girl Guide camps and soon it was accompanying us on all our family camping trips and picnics!

Simple Farmhand Cake

1 cup Butter
2 cups Sugar
4 – 6 Eggs (depending on size of eggs)
1 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Flour
pinch of Salt
2 – 3 cup Fruit Pie Filling

– Apple Pie Filling, Cherry Pie Filling, Blueberry Pie Filling, 6 Passion Fruit, Lemon Curd

Preheat oven to 350F.
No need to grease Jelly Roll pan, but get it out now and have it ready.

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add well beaten eggs, one at a time and continue beating.
Stir in  flavourings.
Stir in flour and salt; beat well, until smooth and creamy looking.

Spread 1/2 to 2/3 of batter over the bottom of an ungreased jelly roll pan.

Top with Fruit Filling – Apple Pie Filling, Cherry Pie Filling, Blueberry Pie Filling, 6 Passion Fruit, Lemon Curd or fruit filling of your choice, being careful not to mix the two together.

Spoon dollops of remaining batter on top and spread out as evenly as possible.

Bake in 350F oven for 30 to 40 minutes (start checking it at 25 mins) or until the top feels dry to the touch and springy.

While still warm, sift a little icing sugar over top of cake OR mis a small amount of milk and icing sugar into a thin glaze and drizzle over top.

To store – Do NOT cover – Just leave in pantry, will keep for one week. <—NOT, it will be well and truly gone before a week is up!

About, Quick Breads

Bannock – Fried Bread

Leave a comment

2 cups Flour (sometimes I use half whole wheat flour, half white flour)
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Enough warm water to make a soft dough
1 cup Vegetable Oil, for frying

In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Using a fork, stir in enough warm water to make a soft dough; start with about a 1/2 cup of water, stir, add a bit of water, stir.
Continue adding water a little at a time until you achieve the right consistency.
Heat about 1 cup of vegetable oil over high heat; drop a bit of dough in the hot oil, if it sizzles and floats to the top of the oil, it is ready to go.
While the oil is heating you can start forming your bannock; you can cook up to four bannock in the pan at one time.
Using a fork, scoop out about 1/4 cup of dough and drop it into a mound of flour.
With lightly floured hands, pick it up and gently toss it between your hands to lightly coat with flour and start shaping.
Place the dough on a very lightly floured surface and gently flatten to about 1/4inch thick.
Carefully place in hot oil, cook until golden.
 Flip and cook for another minute.
Remove from oil to paper towel lined platter.
Continue this procedure with the remaining dough.
When you are first starting to make Bannock, I recommend you have a partner in crime to give you a hand; one person can form the bannock and the other person can cook it. Heaps less stressful!
Enjoy your bannock!
Oh, and there are a gazillion and nine Bannock recipes and methods of cooking bannock…this is just how I was taught to make it.
PS…making Bannock is messy work! But well worth it!
About, Pasta

Macaroni and Cheese

Leave a comment

There is nothing quite so comforting as Home Made Macaroni and Cheese. Everyone has there own twist on the recipe.  Sometimes I will add things, use different cheeses, sometimes add a breadcrumb topping, sometimes not…create your own heartwarming, soul soothing Mac and Cheese.

Mac and Cheese - Creamy Delicious Cheesy Delight

Just a note, I often double the amounts so that I can have leftovers for lunches.

6 ounces Pasta (Cavatappi is my new fave! Sea Shells are great, Bow Ties and sometimes                                 you just have to go with good ol’ fashioned Elbow)
1/4 cup Butter (Margarine)
1 small Onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 cup Flour
1 3/4 cups Milk (Soy Milk)
8 ounces Shredded Old Cheddar or a combination of cheeses: a bit of parmesan, cheddar,                  mozza.
1 – 3 teaspoons Mustard
1/4 teaspoon Paprika

Bread Crumb Topping:
2 slices Multigrain Bread
1 Tablespoon Butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon “The Mix” <- my blend of spices that I use for a lot of things

Put bread slices in processor and pulse until no chunks of bread remain.
Add melted butter, pulse for a few seconds to coat bread with butter; set aside.

Preheat oven to 375F.
Lightly butter or spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish; set aside.

In a large pot cook pasta according to directions on package.
Pour into colander to drain; leave sitting in colander.
In the same pot, melt butter; add onion, garlic,  salt and pepper and cook until onion is soft.
Blend in flour.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.
Stir in milk.
Heat to boiling over medium high heat, stirring constantly; maintain boil for about a minute, and keep on stirring.
Remove from heat; stir in mustard, paprika and cheese. Stir until all the cheese is melted.

Pour macaroni into the cheese mixture and stir to coat all the pasta.
Pour macaroni and cheese into prepared casserole dish.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.
Bake uncovered in 375F oven for 30 minutes.

About, Poultry

Chicken Pot Pie

Leave a comment

Such an easy meal to prepare and this one can easily be made Vegetarian by subbing in  Yves “Chicken Tenders”.

Chicken Pot Pie

 

1/3 cup Butter
1/3 cup Flour
1/3 cup Chopped Onion
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1/3 cup Chopped Celery
2 medium Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1 3/4 cup Chicken Broth (Vegetable Broth)
2/3 cup Milk (Soy Milk)
2 cups cooked cut up Chicken
1 (10 ounce) pkg Frozen Peas and Corn
1/2 teaspoon each Sage, Thyme and Parsely

Heat butter over low heat until melted.
Sautee onion until softened and translucent; add garlic and continue sauteing.
Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixute is smooth and bubbly.
Remove from heat.
Stir in broth and milk.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
Boil and stir 1 minute.
Stir in cut up chicken,  frozen peas and carrots and herbs.
Set aside.
In a microwaveable casserole dish combine chopped celery and diced potatoes. Add about an inch of water and cook on High for 5 minutes.
Drain and stir into chicken mixture.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Prepare Celery Seed Pastry.
Roll 2/3 of the pastry into a 13″ circle on lightly floured cloth-covered board.
Ease pastry into a 9″ deep dish pie plate.
Pour Chicken Filling into pastry lined plate.
Roll remaining dough into  10″ circle; place over filling.
Roll edges under; flute.
Cut slits in center to allow steam to escape.
Bake uncovered in 425F degree oven until crust in golden brown, about 30 – 35 minutes.
*If you like you can brush the chicken pot pie with an egg wash before baking – 1 egg, lightly beaten stirred together with 1 Tablespoon water.

Celery Seed Pastry

2/3 cup Lard or
2/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Shortening
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Celery Seed
1 teaspoon Salt
4 – 5 Tablespoons Ice Cold Water

Cut shortening into flour, salt and celery seed until particles are the size of small peas.
Sprinkle in water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. (1 to 2 teaspoons water can be added if necessary)
Gather pastry into a ball.
Use as directed in Chicken Pot Pie recipe.

About

Reeses Bars

2 Comments

Reece Bars

 

 

 

 

 

When I first started making these I would make them in a 9X13 pan because I was a very busy mum of four kids. Now I have more time on my hands and I like to make them in a mini muffin tin to make lil peanut butter cups!


1/2 cup Butter
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 3/4 cup Icing Sugar
3/4 cup Graham Wafer Crumbs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
6 oz pkg Chocolate Chips
Milk, to right consistency, about 1 Tablespoon

Skor bits, garnish (optional)

If using a 9X13 inch pan, just set it out now, no need to spray with vegetable oil spray or line with paper liner.
If making the peanut butter cups, prepare a mini muffin tin by lining 24 – 30 cups with paper liners.

Melt butter and peanut butter in large saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in icing sugar.
Add graham wafer crumbs and vanilla and stir well, ensuring there are no lumpy bits of graham wafer crumbs remaining.
Using a 2 ounce Pampered Chef scoop, scoop out 2 ounces into each prepared cup.
Firmly press down and even out each cup.
In a small clean saucepan, melt 6 ounces of chocolate; I use whatever I have on hand which is sometimes a combination of milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate.
You will probably have to add about a Tablespoon of milk to get that spread/pour consistency that you are looking for.
Using a small teaspoon, put a dollop of melted chocolate on each cup and spread over the top.
If using, garnish with Skor bits.

Once set, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator if it is hot and melty out. Otherwise, just in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.