Baked Baby Beets Appetizer

Clean multi colored baby beets, scrubbing with a brush, removing blossom end (so it can stand up on a plate). Do not peel. 

On a lined with parchment baking tray, add a bit of olive oil to set the beets on, sett beets at least an inch apart, drizzle w a few drops of olive oil, sprinkle with a teaspoon of course salt, and course ground pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees until tender, 

Remove from oven, then, when beets are slightly cooled, remove the skin, (it should just slip off). Set out on decorative plate, lightly drizzle with olive oil, and a little balsamic glaze. Toss a few coarsely ground coriander, makes it taste divine!

 Taste profile: sweet beet, salty, sour, umami(balsamic glaze)! Enjoy!

Crazy Corn Bread aka Johnny Cakes

Oven 350 degrees 

Using an 8x8 inch square pan 

Grease and/or line with parchment 

 INGREDIENTS 

Dry Ingredients

 Whisk together: 

1 cup All Purpose Flour 

1/4 cup sugar 

4 teaspoons Baking Powder 

1/2 tsp salt 

 Whisk in 1 cup yellow cornmeal 

 Add ons: a few drops of hot sauce- I like Jalepeno or habanero-just adjust amounts to taste,

 

Use any or up to 3 choices:

1 or 2 chopped a BABY red, orange, or green pepper 

1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed,  extra finely chopped 

3/4 cup shredded cheddar,Pepper Jack, or mozzerella, shredded 

1/2 cup crispy bacon bits 

1/4 cup chopped green onion using all 

1 cooked slice of peameal bacon, (or any other family favorite)  even chunks of blue cheese or camembert cut into small chunks to poke into the batter before baking-(hidden surprize)

if using any add ons -ie, cheese, peppers, bacon bits, etc, stir these in with the dry flour mixture, to be distributed evenly 

Wet Ingredients

stir together: 

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine, cooled 

1 Egg, beaten 

1-10 ounce can of creamed corn 

 Method: 

to the dry mixture, add the Butter/corn/egg mixture, gently stir together until well mixed, if mixture is too dry add 

up to 1/3 cup milk or half and half 

Once mixed, fill pan, spreading the batter evenly, into the corners, bang the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles 

HIDDEN Surprizes-

Now is the time you'd add the bits of cooked peameal, or any other choice bits as desired, poke each bit all over, smooth with a spatula. 

 Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes, check with a toothpick after 25 minutes leave it in a couple of minutes more, if necessary. 

Serve Warm, with Cilantro Butter (see recipe)

Although although I havent posted in awile,I would like to add a few recipes for the cook who loves a little adventure in the kitchen...and no, I dont mean clearing off the counters to fool around with your paramour! This recipe I just thought up, while wondering what to do with a couple of bunches of cilantro, which i bought to use in butter chicken... I have a few of suggestions of ways you can use the cilantro butter; slatherd on hot corn bread or, in place of regular butter for any kind of omelet, Spanish or herb, cheese, or veggie...so many ideas..or how about Garlic bread? Or Shrimp, suaté till pink in a little oil, with garlic and finished with a little cilantro butter... or on a toasted bagel and cream cheese with a slice of tomato or on a baked potato....the world of flavour for you to be adventurous with! Method: The first thing is to wash the cilantro well,I get mine from a farmmarket so there's usually alot of sand; rinse thouroghly, dry with salad spinner, or a clean dish towel, Into a small food processer, or a hand blender w the chopper bowl: ADD: 1/2 pound salted butter softened, (I microwave the butter under 'speed defrost' for 20 seconds) 1/2 bunch of cilantro, add leaves and stems (remember the stalks need to be trimmed a bit just so you only get the green stem, no brown spots) pulse together in the food proccesser until you have a chopped cilantro mixed well with the butter, butter and cilantro must be thoroughly incorporated. using a piece of cling film, scoop out the butter onto the middle of the plastic wrap with a spatula, in a rough log, wrap the butter and squeeze gently to form a log, roll up the ends like it was a candy. I put mine in the freezer, then I can take a little at a time as desired

Dutch Girl Dinners: Easy Sausage Rolls

Dutch Girl Dinners: Easy Sausage Rolls: I have always liked the British version of a good sausage roll, they make a great snack, or the basis of a lunch with soup or salad, and of ...

Easy Sausage Rolls

I have always liked the British version of a good sausage roll, they make a great snack, or the basis of a lunch with soup or salad, and of course make great hors'd'oeuvres!

Begin by defrosting a sheet of puff pastry, from the grocers frozen aisle, it takes about 2 hours in fridge or 30 minutes on the counter, but make sure you cover it well to keep it from drying out. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Use a sheet pan covered in parchment paper

The best sausage to use in this is Oktoberfest, mild Italian, or pure pork sausage, you must remove the casing, keeping the shape of the sausage intact, it is easier if the sausage is very cold or partially frozen. Use your kitchen shears to cut a little way down the casing, then peel it off the rest of the way. Set aside.

Once the puff pastry is ready to roll out a little, just enough to make it smooth, and easier to handle, flour just the rolling pin, if it sticks use just a little on the pastry itself. Once you have rolled it out a bit, it will be bigger by an inch or two on all sides, take two or three sausages, set out in a line edges touching, on top of the short edge of the pastry, then roll pastry and sausage over until the pastry covers the sausage with 1/4 inch overlap, cut down through the sheet of puff pastry there, then with a pastry brush and a little cream, brush the inside seam of the long sausage roll, pinch edges together, then with a very sharp serrated knife, cut the long sausage roll into 2.5 cm or 1" pieces, making sure that sausage is showing at each end of the little sausage roll. Continue in this way until you have used up your sausages, or pastry or both. fill the sheet pan covered with parchment or silpat, with the 1 inch sausage rolls,seam side down, leaving an inch all around each for the pastry to puff up. Put pan in fridge for 30-45 minutes, keeping the puff pastry cold will make the pastry puff into double its thickness due to the reaction of steam from the ovenheat/butter in the pastry. Once everything is very cold, brush each sausage roll with a little cream, then put into preheated 375 degree F oven for about 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Dutch Girl Dinners: Better than store bought Salad Dressings

Dutch Girl Dinners: Better than store bought Salad Dressings: Last year, in one of Ray's travels, he brought home a bottle of very delicious garlicky oil and vinegar dressing, everyone loved it, inc...

Better than store bought Salad Dressings

Last year, in one of Ray's travels, he brought home a bottle of very delicious garlicky oil and vinegar dressing, everyone loved it, including me, but all good things end, so did this great dressing. But I figured out how to make a salad dressing just as good or even better than the one in the bottle, in fact I used the same bottle, filling it with my own version, no one could tell the difference....Note: just know that if you use Olive oil, then refridgerate left overs, the oil solidifies, just be sure to take left over dressing out at least an hour before using it, to bring the oil back to liquid.

Easy Salad Dressing

Makes 3-1/2 cups

3/4 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cracked black pepper
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced with garlic press
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1-1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a quart sized mason jar with a close fitting lid, measure in all ingredients, tightly close the jar, shake until ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Let stand for 20 minutes to meld flavours together, shake again, then taste for seasoning, here you can adjust for more vinegar or oil, making sure it it more or less 45% vinegar to oil, adding more salt or cracked pepper.
The very best and really only way to test if your salad dressing is right is to pour it on a few varieties of lettuce leaves, then you know if you have the correct acid to oil ratio.

Another great Olive oil Salad Dressing

1/2 cup red or white wine, or white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
3/4-1 cup extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of hot pepper flakes, or a few torn leaves of fresh thyme, or basil, optional

Measure all ingredients into a 2 cup mason jar, close lid tightly, shake thoroughly, let stand for a while, shake again, then taste for seasoning. I have left you the choice of vinegars and with that choice, depending on the sweetness of the vinegar, to add a bit of honey or not. this is the basis of many flavours that you can add, including hot peppers, fresh basil, fresh thyme, or any other fresh herb in season. This dressing is great on a variety of leafy lettuce including romaine. I often add curls of Parmesan to this salad, just to give it a bit more earthy saltiness, the umami, if you will.

Caesar Dressing
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
3-4 oil cured anchovies, smashed with mortar and pestle
2-3 cloves of garlic, also smashed with mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Using you mortar and pestle, or a small grinder, toss in the anchovies, garlic, salt, and a tablespoon or so of the olive oil, smash/ grind with the pestle until a paste forms, scrape out into a quart size mason jar, add the rest of the ingredients, including the grated Parmesan cheese, tightly close the jar, shake well, let stand for 30 minutes, shake again, then taste on a piece of romaine lettuce. Adjust for pepper, add more parmesan cheese to the finished salad.
Don't like anchovies? Use bacon bits to achieve the same sort of salty/smoky flavour.