I wanted to make something special to honor my father on Father's day this year. Although he may be thousands of miles away physically . . . he is never much more than a breath away in my heart. He has always been my biggest fan. He calls me the "Apple of His Eye." He probably says the same thing to my sister and my brother too . . . but that doesn't matter to me. When he says it to me, I feel like the only apple of his eye, and that's what counts . . .
My father taught me many things when I was growing up. He taught me the value of laughter and the value of tears . . . yes, my father was never afraid to show his heart to any of us. I am grateful for that.
I get my love of reading from my father. I have lovely memories of him telling me stories when I was a very small child, and reading to me from my books . . . I am just like him. He is always reading more than one book at a time, and so am I. I am grateful for the gift of the love of reading. If you love reading, you are never alone . . . and there is no end to the places you can go and see in your mind. He taught me that books are your friends.
He also taught me to love music. My father has a deep love of music and plays several musical instruments. When I was a young teen I learned how to play the clarinet and I have many many fond memories of us playing duets together on rainy afternoons. Those were truly special times for us, and I keep them in my heart like the treasures they are.
It's from my father that I get my love of fish and chips, and toasted cheese and bologna sandwiches . . . and the combination of maple and walnuts. We are both nuts about maple and walnuts together (no pun intended). It is our favourite flavour combination, and we will take it any way we can get it, Maple Walnut Ice cream being one of our greatest loves of all . . .
And so . . . in honor of that great love which we share with each other for all things maple walnut, this Father's Day I created a special Maple Walnut Scone for my dad. They are stogged full of maple syrup and toasted walnuts . . . and buttermilk, wholesome oats . . . and love.
Oh, I know . . . he's thousands of miles away and he can't really taste them . . . but I honored him in making them. The Toddster says it's ok that Dad can't eat them from that far away . . . he'll eat his for him. Yep . . . the Toddster loves Maple and Walnuts too . . .
They do say you marry men like your fathers. Happy Father's Day!
*Maple Walnut Scones*
Makes 8 large scones
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
50g of golden caster sugar (1/4 cup)hot water
Chopped toasted walnuts to garnish
Note:
In order to make oat flour, put several cups of old fashioned oats into
the food processor and blitz until finely powdered. Store in an
airtight container in the freezer.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Set aside.
Measure
the plain and oat flour into a bowl along with the salt, baking powder,
soda, sugar and nuts into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to
combine. Drop in the butter and pulse several times until the mixture
is grainy. Beat the egg, maple syrup, and extracts together in a
measuring cup. Add buttermilk to measure exactly 240ml/1 cup. Add the
wet ingredients slowly while you pulse the machine, mixing only until
the dough begins to come together. Tip out onto a lightly floured
surface. Bring together into a circle 8 inches in diameter. Cut into 8
wedges. Carefully lift the wedges onto the prepared baking sheet. The
dough will be wet, but don't worry about that. Try not to add too much
flour when you are working with it.
Bake the scones for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and firm on top. Remove to a wire rack to cool.To make the glaze whisk the icing sugar together with enough maple syrup, a few drops of maple extract and enough hot water to give you a thick glaze. Spoon over top of the scones and sprinkle with a few toasted walnuts if desired. Store in an airtight container.
Can she bake a cherry pie Billy boy, Billy boy??
Can she bake a cherry pie charming Billy?
She can bake a cherry pie,
quicker than you can wink an eye,
but she's too young and cannot leave her mother!
Familiar words from an old folk song coming from the early 1900's . . . from an age when a woman's cooking prowess was one of the first things a man looked for when he was searching for a wife.
They do say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I am not sure how true that is, but I know my husband isn't complaining. Especially when I bake him up treats such as this tasty Cherry Crumble Pie! The Toddster is a big fan of pies!
I found some jars of morello cherries in the grocery store the other day and I snapped up a couple of them to make my man a homemade cherry pie for Father's Day! I know we don't have a family, with there being just the two of us, but I think Todd would have made a fabulous dad and so I like to treat him on Father's Day just because . . . I think he's swell!
If you have never made a cherry pie using real cherries, you need to get with it. You are missing truly out on one of the finer things in life! And this cherry pie is really something special . . .
Tinned cherry pie filling is always sadly lacking in one of the things it should be stogged full of in my opinion . . . cherries! There just aren't enough of them. That's not the case with this filling. It is jammed full of cherries and nicely flavored with a bit of lemon and almond . . .
It has a single crust on the bottom . . . which has the unique addition of ground almonds for even more almond flavor . . . and . . .
instead of a top crust, I cover it with a brown sugar, oat and almond crumble topping for even more flavor and a buttery almond crunch!
Altogether it is a cherry pie which puts a big smile on my Toddy boy's face and keeps him coming back for more.
Go on . . . bake the man in your life a tasty cherry pie for Father's Day. You know he deserves it! (And you do too!)
Go on . . . bake the man in your life a tasty cherry pie for Father's Day. You know he deserves it! (And you do too!)
*Cherry Crumble Pie*
Makes one 9 inch pie, or 8 servings
A
delicious cherry pie with a filling made from scratch and baked in an
almond pastry, topped with a delicious oat and almond crumble topping.Makes one 9 inch pie, or 8 servings
For the pastry:
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ground almonds (almond meal)
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
3 to 4 TBS cold water
1 1/2 cups of caster sugar
3 TBS cornflour (corn starch)
2 TBS all plain flour pinch salt
10 drops red food coloring, optional
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 TBS butter
the finely grated zest of one un-waxed lemon
For the Crumble Topping:
2/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup soft light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ground almonds (almond meal)
4 TBS cold butter
few drops almond extract
Drain the cherries, reserving the juice. Whisk the sugar, corn flour, plain flour and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the cherry juice. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. Cook, stirring for a further minute. Add the almond, butter, lemon zest and food coloring if using. Stir in the drained cherries and set aside to cool.
Whisk the flour, salt and almonds together in a bowl. Drop in the vegetable shortening and cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of small peas. Using a fork, toss the mixture together with the water, until the flour mixture is all moistened and the mixture begins to form a ball, using only as much as you need to use. Shape into a flat disc.
Roll the disc out on a lightly floured surface which is large enough to line a 9 inch pie pan, leaving some overhang. Trim it to 1 inch overhang all the way around, fold under and then crimp all around the edge as you like. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil. Measure the oats, flour, sugar, salt and almonds into a bowl for the topping. Drop in the butter. Rub it into the flour mixture until the mixture begins to clump, adding a few drops of almond extract. You will have more than you need for this recipe, but it can be frozen for later use in a tightly covered container. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the cherries from the saucepan into the prepared pie crust. Pour over only as much of the liquid as you need. You should just barely see it through the cherries. Sprinkle as much oat topping as desired over the top. Place onto the lined baking sheet. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp on the bottom and the crumble is crisp on top and the juices are bubbling through. Allow to cool completely before serving. Cut into wedges to serve.
I was recently sent some samples of the Laughing Cow light range cheese triangles in the newest flavors Emmenthal and Blue Cheese. Did I mention they are "light?" Yes, they are light, with there only being 25 calories in each triangle!
I have a confession to make. I am a Laughing Cow virgin. Yes, tis true. I have never eaten Laughing Cow triangles. I suppose because we don't have any children in the house, they are just not something I have ever bought, or even thought about buying. They just haven't been on my radar I guess.
I guess I am a bit of a cheese snob, which sounds really wierd coming from the mouth of a person who only ever ate Kraft Singles American Cheese or Velveeta the whole time I was growing up. Real cheese never passed my lips. I was afraid to even try it. I just thought I wouldn't like it. I was an adult before I tried real cheese and I have to say that once I tried it, I fell in love with it, and have been ever since.
I love Emmental cheese. It has a lovely nutty and fruity taste. I was intrigued at the thought of a Processed cheese triangle flavoured with Emmental . . . what would it taste like? Would it be close to the real thing? hmmm . . .
It tasted really good . . . and just like Emmental! Sweet and nutty!
I adore Blue Cheeses . . . Stilton, Danish, Gorgonzola . . . I love them all. Would the Laughing Cow Blue Cheese triangles measure up???
I was most pleasantly surprised. They most definitely did taste good and most definitely had the beautiful tang of a mild blue cheese. I enjoyed them.
Spreadable and a good source of calcium the new Laughing Cow triangles are available in grocery shops throughout the country, and at only 25 calories and 1.5g of fat per triangle they make a nice low fat snack! I think they would also be a great addition to children's lunch boxes and with picnic season here, they would be great in the picnic basket as well!
Knowing that they are spreadable I was really wanting something crisp and tasty to spread them on and so I thought this would be the perfect time to make my own crackers . . . well, for two reasons really . . . one: homemade always tastes better than store bought and two: I didn't want to ask Todd to pop down to the shops to get me any. Besides he never comes back with what I wanted him to get . . . it's a man thing I think.
It also gave me a chance to use my favourite cookie cutter . . .I love the little dimples it puts into things . . . so cute. I found the perfect recipe via the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Book. I love wheat thins, so wholesome and tasty. I thought I would give their recipe a try, never guessing that . . .
I would fall completely and utterly in love with them. Believe it or not these taste even BETTER than the original Wheat Thin crackers. Tis totally true. These are fabulous!
They were really, really tasty spread with both flavors of the Laughing Cow triangles! That's what Todd and I had for lunch today, and it was a really scrummy, light lunch . . . you get a lot of mileage out of one of those triangles I have to say. The flavor is so nice that a little goes a long way.
And those crackers . . . so crisp and tasty. Almost addictive to say the least. Do give them a try. Thank you King Arthur . . .
*Homemade Wheat Thins*
Makes about 3 dozen crackers
Easy to make and even more delicious than the store bought ones. Adapted lightly from a recipe on the King Arthur Baking site.Makes about 3 dozen crackers
Many thanks to the people at Three Pipe (Charlotte) and The Laughing Cow for spreading the love and sending me these tasty samples!
I was a little late in life in coming to the macaroni salad table. It wasn't something that my mother had ever made when I was growing up.
In fact we only ever very rarely had macaroni at all, and when we did it was in a hot dish or casserole, not a salad.
As an adult I have come to love pasta salads, and none better than plain old macaroni salad. There is so much you can do with it.
Macaroni is the perfect canvas on which to play with your favourite flavour combinations.
I have one pasta salad recipe that has somewhat of a pesto type of dressing, but those types of dressings are better suited to a fluted or ridged pasta . . . one that will hug onto the dressing and tuck it into all of it's crevices.
I have one pasta salad recipe that has somewhat of a pesto type of dressing, but those types of dressings are better suited to a fluted or ridged pasta . . . one that will hug onto the dressing and tuck it into all of it's crevices.
Macaroni calls for something a bit more sublime . . .
In fact it is well suited to a creamy type of dressing . . . nothing over stated, and yet . . . rich.
A dressing which will cling generously and coat it without overpowering the value of the macaroni . . . or else why even use macaroni or anything else for that matter.
You want something which will enhance all of macaroni's properties.
And of course something which dresses up well with a bit of crunch and colour, which you get from the liberal use of fresh vegetables here . . . celery, carrots, radishes, onion and peppers . . .
The dressing itself is not overly mayonnaise-y . . .
it's lightened a bit with the use of salad cream, and some fresh and tangy lemon juice, with just a hint of sugar to counteract the tartness of the lemon so that it doesn't smack you in the face and make your jaws ache . . .
Quite, quite delicious actually. This recipe combines all of the elements of several macaroni salad recipes I have taken to through the yeas, and comes out as the perfect salad for me.
My husband seems to enjoy it as well . . . even if it does have the dreaded macaroni in it! ☺
*Marie's Creamy Macaroni Salad*
Serves 6 to 8Whisk together all of the
dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Fold
this dressing into the macaroni and vegetable mixture. Smooth over and
cover. Chill for about 3 hours before serving. Stir again just before
serving. If desired sprinkle with some more parsley.
Note: A chicken stock pot is a small plastic pot, holding about a TBS of stock concentrate. There are a variety of different ones on the market. I normally use the Knorr ones. You could also turn this into a main dish salad by adding cubes of cheese and meat or fish to it. Ham, Tuna and Salmon are each one very nice additions. One stock pot makes 500ml of 2 cups of chicken stock.
Salad Cream is a thin mayonnaise type of dressing sold over here in the UK. The North American equivalent would be Coleslaw Dressing. Kraft makes one as does a company called Marzetti.
I found this recipe the other day for a Courgette loaf which sounded really delicious and quite healthy as well. There is only 1/4 cup of butter in the whole loaf, which isn't bad.
It uses applesauce to make up for some of the fat. That can't be bad, plus the addition makes for a nice moist loaf. Too often when you remove the fat from something you end up with something that is either too sweet, or had a wierd texture . . . this isn't the case here.
This loaf is moist, delicious, not too sweet and stogged full of things which are good for you, like old fashioned oats, toasted walnuts . . . grated courgettes . . .
It makes a really large loaf which doesn't rise really high. I was a bit worried when I got it into the pan as it almost filled it up all the way, but it was ok. There was no overflow onto the oven floor. Whew!!
We quite liked this. I always love to have butter on my quick breads, and the fact that there was very little fat in the actual loaf took away some of the guilt I usually feel in doing that! Adapted from Best Loved Reader Recipes, a BHG special interest publication.
*Courgette and Oat Bread*
Makes 1 large loaf
Makes 1 large loaf
This
makes a really large loaf that is low in fat and full of things that
are good for you like oats, nuts, raisins and courgettes!
290g of caster sugar (1 1/2 cup)
Spoon into the prepared loaf tin. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely. Wrap tightly and store overnight before cutting. Store in an airtight container.
I had bought the Toddster a smoked Haddock and Prawn Pie for him to have for supper one night while I was away in Canada. He forgot all about it, which really worked out quite well actually as it gave me a chance to indulge myself with some pasta tonight when I heated it up for him! Win/win!
I love it when that happens.
I really love pasta and I need to indulge myself every once in a while. Todd will eat it if pressed, but if I don't have to feed it to him, he's quite happy with something else.
Today I cooked myself a fresh and tasty and light pasta dish, filled with lovely crispy tender pieces of courgettes . . . just gently sauteed . . . and sweet cherry tomatoes, again just wilted . . . with a delicious and creamy sauce that was low fat.
Yes, you hear that right. This rich and creamy looking sauce is quite low fat. Amazingly there are only three ingredients . . . freshly grated lemon zest . . . and a bit of the pasta cooking water. It tastes fabulous and complicated, and yet . . . tis so simple!
I love it when that happens. Don't you? Coz . . . I am rather lazy, and I am always watching my waist line . . .or at least trying to at any rate!
This feels and tastes utterly indulgent, and yet . . . it's not! Yay!! Scrumdiddlyumptiously low fat delish!
This feels and tastes utterly indulgent, and yet . . . it's not! Yay!! Scrumdiddlyumptiously low fat delish!
*Pasta with Courgettes, Tomatoes and Lemon Cream*
Serves 4
This
recipe serves four but is very easily reduced to feed less if you
wish. Low in fat and high in vitamins. Who knew low fat could be so
delicious!Serves 4
each about 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick
Freshly grated Parmesan for topping finished dish,if desired
Whisk together the yoghurt, cheese and lemon zest. Set aside.
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