Killer Apple Strudel

i was making this special treat, while listening to the Killers "Hot Fuss" album.

Great album, great music. David walked in, and promptly (after hugging me and thanking me profusely for making apple strudel) told me that i should name it Killer Apple Strudel. After staring at him blankly for a while, he explained..."because you are listening to the Killers while you make it!" Duh!! i felt more than a bit silly. and, with the size of this sucker, i don't doubt that you could club someone with it, and cause some serious damage!! Owen asked if i was making a loaf of bread! lol! so, here is.

"Killer" Apple Strudel

Recipe From: The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook

2 lbs tart cooking apples, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

1/2 cup dark seedless raisins

1/2 cup chopped california walnuts or pecans

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

about 1 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/2 lb phyllo (about 1/2 a pack from grocery store)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Method:

•grease a 15.5" x 10.5" jelly roll pan

• in large bowl, mix first 7 ingredients and 1/2 cup bread crumbs. 

• set apple mixture aside

•cut 2 25" lengths of waxed paper, overlap two long sides about 1/2", fasten with tape

•on waxed paper, place 1 sheet of phyllo, brush with some butter and sprinkle with scant tbsp of remaining bread crumbs

•preheat oven to 375ºF. Layer remaining sheets of phyllo to make an 18" square, brushing each sheet with butter and sprinkling with crumbs

• about 3" from one edge of phyllo, evenly spoon apple mixture in a 12" x 1" row, leaving 3 inches of phyllo at each end.

• fold ends over apples. starting with edge by apples, roll phyllo jelly-roll fashion, lifting waxed paper as you roll. 

• place roll in jelly-roll pan, seam side down

•brush with melted butter

•bake 40 minutes

•remove cooked strudel from oven and allow to cool in pan on wire rack about 30 minutes

•with a sharp knife, cut strudel crosswise into individual serving pieces. serve warm or cold

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SO what did i think? it was...ok. it wasn't quite sweet enough for my taste, and because of all the breadcrumbs, it kept it's shape, but there was no sauce or liquid, so i found it kind of dry. what i did like was our idea to add a little somthing to the strudel before eating it. we drizzled honey on it. quite a bit of honey...it made it taste like Bakalava-Apple Strudel. it was fabulous after that. i would maybe try to make it again, but i would make the phyllo in bakalava fashion...with the honey already in it, and see how that would work.

Stars:  3 Stars as-is, but 4 stars after the honey was added. it is full of apple, and has a nice texture. it is a great starter recipe. lots of fun to play with and make your own. i mean, how can you go wrong with apples, spices and phyllo??

cheers, and enjoy!

all american "food"

ok, time for something icky. i was at the mall today, and was blessed to eat whatever my 2 year old wanted. she wanted chicken fingers. ok, so let's get them. not so bad right? well, we went to a&w, got the chicken strips and fries and sat down. she ate ALL the fries, and continued to not want any of the strips that she so desperately cried out for not 10 minutes before...so i ate them...and now?

i feel icky...and the chicken strips are repeating, so i get to enjoy them again and again.

don't fall for the cute face and pouty mouth of your 2 year old...just get what you want for lunch, and don't regret it later. they won't remember anyway. :)

cheers.

dinner with friends

the other night we had a full house of friends and laughter. it was a blast. we got to meet a new friend (Hi Sol!) and got to spend lots of quality time with 2 friends who don't qualify as friends, but as family (Love to Heather and Shannon!!)

MUSIC: we continued with Harry Connick Jr. since he was already in the cd player. can't go wrong with Harry...

One of my favourite standby meals for a crowd is Mexican Pulled Pork. it is super easy to prepare, and impressive to serve. It is a Pork Butt/Loin Roast, dry rubbed with mexican seasonings and cooked low heat all afternoon, filling your house with the smell of yumminess, before filling your tortillas with the taste of it.

here is how to make Mexican Pulled Pork:

in a bowl, combine: 

1/4 cup chili powder

1tsp oregano

1tsp taco or fajita seasoning

1 1/2 tsp salt.

line a roasting pan or casserole with foil

put thawed roast in pan

sprinkle seasoning over the entire roast, front and back, and rub in with your hands, making sure to get it in every crevice and corner.

put the roast "Rind side up" in the pan (the fat/skin will be facing up) so that as the fat melts in the oven, it will make the meat jucier.

wrap the foil tight around the roast, so it will steam and loosen as it cooks

put lid on casserole/roasting pan, and put in a 325 degree oven for 4-5 hours

wait

 wait

 wait

 wait

ok, so here is where i was having fun with my guests, and forgot to photograph the completed dish in the pan. i took photos of it in  my tortilla, but you will have to just make up the next few pictures. :)

Once done:

remove roast from foil, and remove fat/rind and bones from meat. pull meat apart with 2 forks, so it shreds.

serve with the pan drippings on tortilla wraps with rice and your favourite toppings.

  

and beware...you WILL eat too much of this. it is soooooo good!!

Cheers!!

dinner a la Julia Child

alright folks, here it is...i made it. Julia Child's world famous Beef Bourguignon. and just so everyone knows, EVERY time i have to spell Bourguignon i have to google the darn word...its too hard for me. :p

first off: MUSIC  Harry kept me company today in my kitchen, as he does many days. *sigh*. :) this is my favourite album of his...other than his christmas album...but that's not allowed to come out till after halloween. :)

I began this recipe with trepidation. Not only is it a "Julia" recipe, but from all of the reviews and ratings that i could find, everyone said it was SOOO labour intensive!! so, i thought to myself, "self? let's get ready for a LOOONG day of cooking". then i began, following all instructions to a T, and i was done with the prep in under an hour. by that time, the meal was in the oven, and i was finishing dishes, and making sock munkys for tomorrows orders! So, if you compare the difficulty of this recipe to, say, making frozen chicken nuggets and french fries, then yes...it is very labour intensive. BUT if you compare it to  making Thanksgiving dinner? it's super easy! i guess if i had to stoke the fire under the pot for 6 hours, yes, it would be a 6 hour recipe...but i call this a 1 hour recipe, because the oven does the rest of the work.

so, i got the recipe online from THIS wonderful recipe on Food.com. it has 45 steps...but don't let that intimidate you. steps can be anything from browning meat to turning on the oven. so, made the recipe according to instructions...almost. these are the changes i made:

i only had 2 lbs of stewing beef, which was totally fine in the end.
i only had 2 cups of red wine, which, again, was totally fine in the end.
i didn't use fresh thyme, or bay...dried was fine.
i had no pearl onions, nor did i have time to get said pearl onions, so i just left that part of the recipe out.
i did not strain it at the end...my sauce was so thick that i didn't feel that step was needed...and i didn't mind the carrots and onions in the stew. 

so, fast forward 6 hours to the finale of my dinner prep, and i had a amazingly delicious beef stew to serve with noodles, rice, potato...whatever. i chose noodles, because i knew that my kids wouldn't eat the beef stew, so they could have plain 'ol red sauce on their noodles if they wanted. (which they did...)

now, i took photos...i tried different angles, and different lighting...and i could NOT make this look like anything but Alpo on my plate...which, i guess it did ...a bit. lol! BUT it sure didn't taste like it. it was so rich, and thick and delicious...it was almost TOO  much flavour. it seemed a bit salty, which could be remedied by using low sodium bacon and beef stock i suppose. but other than that, the beef was beautiful, the sauce was to die for...and all together i think it was a success!! yay me!! so, i'll post the photos, but please...no digs on how it looks like dog food...you've been warned. :) trust me, i even searched online for another photo, thinking i could trick you into thinking that was mine...ALL of the photos of this meal look like Alpo. lol!!

and yes...that is a Pillsbury Croissant on my plate with my delicious Beef Bourgin-whatever...don't mock me. hahaha!!

so, enjoy, good luck, and God's speed. let me know if you try this...it was well worth "all the work".

cheers!

Holy Panko Batman!!

ok, so it's going to sound so borning, but i'm going to be sharing in my joy of Panko Bread Crumbs today. I've never used them before this weekend, and i've always thought to myself...just because they put a Japanese name on them, they think they can charge more for them...Inconceivable! not so my friends, not so...

 Panko bread crumbs are made from bread, without crust. i think that must mean that they remove the crust, because i don't know how you would make bread WITHOUT crust...but those japanese come up with some crazy stuff!! they are much coarser than regular supermarket saw-dust breadcrumbs...and they actually keep their crisp texture when cooked!! they were lovely, and added much desired crunch to our otherwise ordinary oven baked chicken on friday. yum! AND i found them at bulk barn, so they cost next to nothing. Have i mentioned i love bulk barn? :)

so, there you have it...panko bread crumbs rocked my world this weekend.

on the menu tonight for dinner...watch out julia child!! i'm making your signature BEEF BOURGUIGNON! recipe, reviews and photos to follow folks!

cheers.

artichokes with parmesan dipping sauce

How many of you have eaten artichokes. i don't mean the little tiny artichoke hearts in marinade that you get in the canned veg section of the supermarket. but the fresh, green leafy things you get in the produce section? well, i knew what they were, but i have to admit...they were a bit of a mystery to me...until tonight. Tonight i purchased 3 artichokes. Not the huge globe ones...couldn't find those. just the small, plain old artichokes. 3/.99 cents to be exact! so i figured...what's the worst that can happen. i had seen recipes for them, i just hadn't gotten there yet.

before i start, did you know that artichokes are a member of the sunflower family? yup. i didn't know that either. the things you learn in the kitchen....well...online. :p

so, i cut the top 1/2 - 1 inch off the top and cut the stem to be flush with the bottom. i then clipped all the thorns off of the remaining full petals and put them in a small pot of about 1" of water. i added lemon juice, garlic and salt to the water. i then boiled them for around 15 minutes. (if they had been big globe artichokes, it would have taken 30-45 minutes)

i made a parmesan cheese sauce (like a vegetable sauce, or a fondue sauce) and served that with the cooked artichokes.

to eat an artichoke, you pull off the petals, dip in the sauce, and scrape the inside white flesh from the outer woody part of the petal, with your teeth. once you get closer to the center of the artichoke, you can just bite the petal in half, or eat the entire thing. the heart is the tight bulb of yellow young leaves in the centre, and is delicious! just don't eat the choke, which is the fuzzy part of the artichoke, that sits below the petals, right at the base of the artichoke. (where the stem meets the artichoke).

so, i liked it! david on the other hand, thought it was far too much work for what you got, and said that it was just a way to eat dip. now...agreed...i probably did taste more dip than artichoke on most bites, but once you get to the heart, it is really tasty! it is worth trying for sure. you can find instructional videos on how to prep and cook your artichokes on youtube. that's where i got most of my information.

yum!! i love trying new, strange things.

cheers everyone!

Honey Glazed Chicken & Bulking Up

Hey y'all! ok, so dinner last night was a success...other than feeling lousy after it...but i was the only one, so i am pretty sure it wasn't the dinner. :)

MUSIC: Stroke 9 Nasty Little Thoughts - wonderful little band...makes me happy to listen to them. hadn't listened to that cd in a long time!

So, here is the recipe!

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Honey Glazed Chicken

From: Orchard Park Bible Church Cookbook (Recipe by Wendy Franz)

Tools/Appliances needed: 9"x13" baking pan, large bowl, oven

Preheat oven to : 350F

Ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 lb chicken pieces

1/2 cup margarine, melted (and divided)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup lemon juice 

1tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

Method

In a bowl, combine flour, salt and cayenne pepper; add chicken pieces and turn to coat.

Pour 4 tablespoons of melted margarine into a 9"x13" pan

Place chicken in pan, turning to coat with the margarine

bake, uncovered at 350F for 30 minutes

Combine 4 tbsp of melted margarine and the remaining ingredients

pour over chicken

bake 45 more minutes or till cooked through

Baste several times with pan drippings.

 

Did I like It? Yes, BUT, i found the curry in it, although slight, was a bit much for me. I like curry, but i think i would rather have seen this as a honey garlic sauce instead of a honey curry sauce. try it...it might be up your alley. i just didn't appreciate my clothes, breath and home reeking of curry all night. think it got to me.

Did I change anything? No. I made the recipe exactly as instructed.

Would you make it again? I did enjoy it, but i would probably choose a different recipe next time. it's a good base recipe, and the method is good, but it could use some tweaking. it is quite sweet as well, so you have to be in the mood for that.

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Ok, so as far as that goes, dinner was alright. like i said earlier, something was making me feel ick, but it was only me, so i'm pretty sure i didn't poison my family with dinner. *phew!!*

"BULKING UP"

I just got back from the Bulk Barn. I LOVE bulk barn. It's affectionately known to my kids as the "candy store" but i do get more than just candy there. :) today i picked up some yeast, cream of tartar, brown and icing sugars, whole nut nutmeg, and of course, some suckers for the kids. (ella's choice) the only thing that was different than usual in that shop was the cream of tartar. i have often passed recipes because they called for it, but i never had it on hand. I finally remembered to pick it up, so i no longer have an excuse. 

My new cookbook looks great! it is wonderful to look at, with all the hand drawn illustrations and how-to's. (would have hated to be that illustrator...hope they got paid enough!!) it's from 1980, but looks like it could have been from the 60's. :) it is filled with all sorts of traditional recipes, and i can't wait to try some. not sure what will be first on my list, but i'm sure i'll decide soon, and i'll be sure to let you know!!!

if anyone has any really great cookbooks that they could recommend, that would be great!!

 cheers!

Oliebollen - Dutch New Years "Donuts"

ok, one more for today, but it's just a link to another blog i once started long ago, but failed to continue....whatever...
but i did a ROCKING tutorial on how to make Oliebollen which are, quite possibly the most delicious thing to ever be created!! i took photos, explained in DETAIL, and hopefully, let others in on the trade secrets of creating the perfect yummy, deep fried treat known to all us Dutchies as Oliebollen.

all you have to know is that it takes an ENTIRE DAY, and some practice. i learned from watching my mom, and really, seeing and copying is the only way you can learn to make these perfectly. (hence, all the photos.) I may one day get the recipe on to this site, but for now, if you are planning on making these this holiday, feel free to go to my other blog and borrow my recipe! you won't regret it!!

Click here for the link! 

JUST FOUND A NEW COOKBOOK!

i am so excited! i just scored the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook for a whole $2 on kijiji!! i'll get it later today!! hooray! i love old cook books!! they are so much more fun than the hoity toity cookbooks there are out today. mmmm......recipes to follow.

Also, ive decided that i'm going to be making Honey Glazed Chicken today for dinner, with couscous and a salad with home made (of course) raspberry balsamic vinegarette. mmmm.....recipe for chicken will be posted tomorrow with reviews, photos and of course, the music of the day!
cheers!

The first recipe!! Spiced Apple Coffee Cake

So, yesterday i started a blog....yeah. done that before. but, today i'm making a second post. that's new! well, it's still new, so we'll see.

last night david and i were on "snack duty" for our wednesday life group. so, i asked david what he thought i should make. he...without hesitation...reminded me of this delicious spiced apple cake recipe that i had found YEARS ago. i han't made it in forever...but remembered it being awesome. so, out came the ingredients, and away we go!

oh....and, a VERY important note...i was listening to Harry Connick Jr.'s "Only You" CD, and swingin' away!! AND it was raining...such a great afternoon. :)

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Recipe Name: Spiced Apple Coffee Cake

From: I think this guy came from a "Taste of Living" magazine...not positive though.

Appliances/tools needed: bowls, spatchulas, knife, springform pan or 9" square pan, and an oven. No special appliances needed!!

How I Did It:

PREHEAT oven to 350 (325 if you are using a glass dish)

Grease and flour a 9" springform cake pan, or a 9" square dish

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cardamom

1 tsp cinnamon

Peel, core and slice

3 tart cooking apples

add 2 tbsp apple juice, orange juice, 

(or whatever juice you have on hand. 

i used white cranberry juice)

sprinkle with 1 tbsp white sugar

In a different large bowl, cream together till smooth:

1/2 cup room temperature butter or margarine

1 8oz package room temperature cream cheese

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Add 2 eggs, one at a time

slowly add dry ingredients to sugar/butter mix and beat till smooth.

Gently fold in apple slices. 

Do Not Overmix!

Spoon into prepared Pan

Bake 60-70 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze while warm. 

GLAZE RECIPE

Whisk together till smooth:

3/4 cup icing sugar

2 tbsp warm cream, milk or evaporated milk

1/2 tsp vanilla 

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WAS IT GOOD? oh yeah.  just like we remembered it. it is so rich and delicious...hard to stop at one piece. probably not great for the hips, but heck...who cares when it tastes this good?!

DID I MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE RECIPE? yes. the original recipe called for the cardimum and cinnamon to be added to the apples, and not to the dry ingredients, but i like the taste of a spiced cake, and thought that by adding it to the apples, the spices might get "clumped" together, and you would get a mouthful of cardimum. as much as i love cardimum...no one wants that. so, i sifted it into the flour, and the cake was beautifully spiced. yum!

WOULD YOU MAKE THIS AGAIN? YES!!! this is a staple in our desert menu now. (again). thanks to my hubby for reminding me that it was amazing  and for asking me to make it again!!

STAR RATING? this sucker gets 5 stars baby!! yu-um!!!!!!

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my babes being so good while i was making cake. although they did move the chair particularly close to the T.V.... :)

So, there you have it. my first recipe. wow. that took longer than i thought. i will have to get faster at this if i want it to become something that i do regularly. *sigh* well, it was at least enjoyable!! i WANT to do it again. :) hopefully you do to. 

who are you and why are you dancing in your kitchen?

hello world. my name is cherie...and i LOVE cooking. i like to think that in some ways i'm old fashioned. i don't own a microwave (to the shock and awe of everyone i tell), i HATE using pre-made, pre-cooked, "convenience" foods of any sort, and i think being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen is a beautiful thing. so...call me old fashioned. i don't care. i'll take it as a compliment.

ok, so back to the cooking...that is, after all, what this blog is about right? oh...and the dancing thing. right. no, i am not a dancer. i do however dance and sing to just about every music there is, while cooking in my kitchen. if i'm cooking/baking, and there is no music, either the radio is broken, or something is wrong, and you should duck to avoid a rolling pin being hurled at your head.

so, this blog is going to be filled with recipes that i love, or ones that i am trying for the first time...whatever!! i'm not too picky. all i know is that i want to keep track of what i cook, what kind of changes i made, what worked, what didn't, what i did wrong, and what i think i should try next time. i'll try to incorporate photos when at all possible, and i'll also try to let you know where i got the recipe from. i can't always promise to do that, as i don't always know myself...but in those cases, i'll just change the name, and no one will be the wiser...right??  :)

so, other than that, you may want to know some things about this strange person that you will be taking cooking tips from. maybe...or maybe no one is there, and no one cares. either way, here i am. black and white, and a million shades of grey.

 in addition to the first paragraph, some things that you may like to know are as follows:

1. i am a 31 year old wife, and mother of 2 incredibly fabulous children. owen is 5 and ella is 2. they are the world's cutest, and don't even try to argue with me on this...it's just that way.

2. if i could go back to a time period, i would go back to the 40's. women were feminine still...fashionable, but feminine, and cooking didn't need to be quick. it contained ingredients that hadn't already been assembled, and it took time and effort and LOVE to cook your family's food. you could wear pearls in the kitchen, and people didn't call you "julia". it was just what you wore that day...and the food was amazing. or at least i like to think it was.  <3

3. i do not own a microwave. i think they make your food taste awful, and they remove any trace of nutrition. they radiate...radiation, and i just don't like it. it's a $100 counter clutterer that society has made you think that you need...when all you really need is a bit of foresight, and some hope that what you are going to make for dinner will take more than a push of a button...and will taste incredible.

4. my husband David is my best friend. why is this important? well, it is. he supports me, loves me, and brags about my cooking to everyone he knows. :) that makes me feel like all the hard work and effort i put in it, is TOTALLY worth it! he is funny, and charming, and romantic. he helps me clean up, and take care of the kids. he is super husband extrordinaire, and i felt like he deserved his own paragraph. i could continue, but i would need an entire new blog to explain how incredible he is. :)

5. I am NOT a professional chef. (although my profile on allrecipes.com says i am an "expert"). I merely have a passion for cooking, baking, and everything involved.

6. I am your average, ordinary, fun loving gal. i don't have a giant house, with a huge kitchen. i don't have all the latest gadgets and gizmos. I used to try to "keep up with the jones'...until i discovered that the jones' are nuts. i try to keep my life and my kitchen simple and uncomplicated...but my kitchen is usually the one who wins that fight. i will post photos of my kitchen in the not too distant future, and you will see for yourself.

i'm sure there is more i could tell you, but i'll just leave that till later. once i've cooked something and i'm sharing it...i'm sure all sorts of stuff will come up.

thank you for sharing in my blog. i don't know if i'll actually have anyone read it, but hey...it's good for the soul.

cheers and happy dancing.