Christmas Left-overs

What to do with left-overs? You can re-heat and eat but that just gets boring after a couple of repeats. I came home with left-over broccoli and mash potatoes after no one stepped up.

The other day I made Broccoli, Bacon and Cheddar Quiche with a Mash Potato Crust. There are tons of recipes out there on the world wide web for different versions of mash potato crusted quiche. Here is my version:

I just brushed the pan with olive oil, filled with mash potatoes, brushed with more olive oil and baked in the oven until it started to brown.


Then I added a layer of bacon, broccoli, 6 eggs seasoned and a splash of milk before adding on top of the crust. Then I topped with cheddar cheese before baking for 30 minutes.

Mighty. Fine. Quiche. And gluten-free too!

Ham and Sausage Jambalaya

This is one of my favourite meals on a chilly winter day... actually, it is one of my favourite anytime meals.

 I started with 1/4 cup of lard. Yes, I said lard, or bacon drippings if you prefer. Trust me on this one. I once made this dish with olive oil. It is not even close to the level of deliciousness that lard brings it to.

Add one small onion, and several shallots. You can use garlic instead of the shallots if you prefer.  Add three celery stalks. If I had a green pepper on hand I would have added 1/2 pepper. Saute for about five minutes or until the vegetables are starting to soften.

Add about 1 cup of diced ham and 1 cup of spanish chorizo or a homemade spicy smoked sausage. Continue to cook for about 8 minutes.  Add 2 cups basmati rice that has been rinsed. Cook for about five minutes. Add 2 diced tomatoes and 3 cups of stock. If I had used homemade sausage, I would use the reserved cooking liquid.  Season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Reduce heat. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, approximately 45 minutes. Add green onions, adjust seasoning if needed and enjoy!

Home-made Salsa

Salsa is easy to make, just take a look at what is available in the garden. Well, in this case I raided my parents' garden. I made this batch mild for my Mom and she loves it. Dad thinks it needs more black pepper. Mom's grand-sons think it needs more salt and garlic. Everyone is a critic. 

Cherry tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped by hand

White onions, diced

Yellow and Red peppers, diced
Garlic, minced

Zest of 2 limes

Juice of 2 limes

Cumin, toasted and then a toss in the grinder

Freshly cracked Sea Salt

Freshly cracked Black Pepper.  

Red Snapper Curry

Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour 2 lbs of cut red snapper, a handful green onions, 3 Tbsp. curry, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper.

Meanwhile chop 2 large tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 shallots, 2 white onions, 1 scotch bonnet pepper.

When you are ready to cook the red snapper, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter and 2 Tbsp. Olive oil in a deep wok.  Add red snapper and cook at medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add chopped vegetables, along with 2 cup coconut milk.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes until snapper is cooked.  Finish with fresh cilantro.

Serve with Basmati rice.

Apple Honey Lemon Jam

This is so yummy, I could eat it by the spoonful.

6 cups of apples
1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add in a large saucepan and bring to boil over medium low heat.  Cook for about five minutes then add:

1 cup honey
1 1/2 cup sugar

Cook more.... when you end up with a jam remove from heat and add zest from two lemons.

Scoop into sterilized jars.

Gooseberry Jam

Comfort Food

Mmmm, Mac & Cheese

Sometimes you have to spoil yourself...

... and cook up some veal parmesan with sweet potato fries.  

Re-visiting the best Chicken Pie Recipe ever!

Janet & Greta's Starvin' Guy Chicken Pies. Mama R's favourite, she's going to freeze them. Did I mention they freeze well?   Shhh, we substituted cream of mushroom soup for the buttermilk and flour.

With the left over sweet potato biscuit I made these.

Mmmm.

Happy Easter!

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I think these eggs are the cutest, they are dipped in segments into dye.  Clever, eh?  

I was too busy to be dyeing Easter eggs, instead I used eggs in my recipe for Tiramisu.  

Wishing everyone a joyous Easter celebration if that is your thing.

If not, Happy Egg Day!

It is a good day for experimenting!

I'm making for the first time a batch of gluten-free lady finger cookies and they have turned out lovely!

I love it when that happens. Here is how they came together:

Do you want to try them? You can find the recipe here.

White Bean Chicken Chilli

Peel and wash tomatillos, roast in 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Meanwhile... 

saute 2 large onions and 6 cloves of garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until soft. Add 2 peppers (green and red). Add 2 tbsp cumin and oregano.

Using a potato masher, mash the tomatillos. Add to the stock pot with the onions and garlic.

Add white beans.

with 3 cups of chicken stock, 3 chopped tomatoes, 1 cup of corn, green chillies, and 1 lb. chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces.

Added bonus, this freezes well!

Spaghetti Squash

I don't know about you but it hurts to dish out over $4.00 to $9.00 (Cdn) for gluten-free corn spaghetti--it is just a little too rich for my blood. I know that rice pasta is cheaper but I'm just not a fan of rice pasta.

I do love pasta so, I'm giving spaghetti squash a try.   This squash is a variety of the winter squash and goes by many aliases. It is also known as vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash spaghetti marrow, squaghetti, gold string melon, and kinshiuri.

What a delicious treat!

And it is healthy too. Check this out: 42 calories based on 1 cup, it is low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol. It is a very good source of dietary fibre and vitamin C along with a good source of niacin, vitamin B6, and potassium.

I roasted the spaghetti squash in a 375 degree oven. Use a sharp knife to cut into the squash and place flesh down on a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Looks good! Take a fork and scrap, it comes together like spaghetti. 

I enjoyed it with my homemade Red Pepper Tomato Sauce.  Yum!

Happy Cooking.  

Is it still Gumbo if I didn't add the Okra?

My friend Chris thinks I should call it "Gumb". He said the "o" in Gumbo stands for okra. And hense his logic. Works for me. Anyway, here is how it came together.

Cook onions, celery, red pepper, parsley, and garlic with 1 tbsp. olive oil for about 8 minutes. Add 1/4 cup gluten-free flour, stirring constantly. Add cumin, paprika and oregano.

Add Italian hot sausage, tomatoes and 6 cups of seafood stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until it thickens slightly.  

Add tiger shrimps. Season with salt, freshly cracked black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Sunday morning coffee

Doi Chaang Coffee is a single-estate, premium Arabica coffee. It is certified organic, shade grown, hand picked, fresh water washed and sun dried. Each bean is hand sorted and freshly roasted to ensure the highest possible quality for each cup of Doi Chaang Coffee. Naturally low in caffeine, it has a complex and flavourful profile that is enhanced and released through detailed cultivating, processing and roasting methods.

I have to say that this is my new favourite coffee.
http://doichaangcoffee.com/

Baked Mac & Cheese

Boil gluten-free macaroni in salted water until done.
When it has reached desired doneness remove from heat and drain.
Set aside.  Meanwhile... 

over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons butter, stir in 2 tablespoons of gluten free flour,
stir until it bubbles and thickens.
Add 1 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk stirring constantly until it begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and season with a pinch of paprika and freshly cracked black pepper.
Add 2 1/4 cups of cheese (I like to use about 1 3/4 cup marble cheddar and the rest parmesan cheese).

Pour sauce over cooked macaroni, toss to mix well.  Pour into a buttered baking dish.  

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. 

Roast Lamb and Vegetables

Sunday dinner have always meant roast meat and roast vegetables. I guess it is the idea of Sunday dinner that came from my childhood in the 1960s. Both my parents were are excellent cooks and contributed to the family meal. Mom would cook the roast and Dad would come by later to use the pan drippings to make a baked rice dish. As I child, I always looked forward to Sunday dinners.  

Today's Sunday dinner is roast lamb. I trimmed off most of the fat before I seasoned it with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  

And then I went to work making a marinade for the lamb.  The zest of one lemon, the juice of one lemon, dried rosemary, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of port.

And for the roast vegetables chop 3 red potatoes, 1 sweet potatoes, 1 large white onion, a handful of shallots. Season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and dried rosemary.

Roast the vegetables in a 400 degree F oven until tender to the fork. Be sure to give them a toss now and then. Cook the lamb in a 400 degree F oven for the first 20 minutes.  Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and finish roasting to your desired doneness. Lamb should be between 170-175 degrees F when tested.