Christmas Recipes from Years Gone By…

How in the world can it be less than a month until Christmas?? HOW??

Seriously this year has flown by…

I sat down today to decide what to make for Christmas Baking this year and man, I am having a hard time choosing…

Here are a few of my all-time favorites, not all of them will make it on the list this year because well I would like my pants to fit in January!

I always, always, always have to make at least 3 dozen Butter Tarts. They are our absolute favourite!

I always make at least one cookie, but which one??

Ginger Krinkles are always a winner!

But then I could always do Sugar Cookies, or Whipped Shortbread or 

Cranberry Pistachio Cookies??? How do I decide!

I always make some kind of square, last year I made these amazing 

Nanaimo Bars.

Other great recipes from previous years are Butterscotch Marshmallow Squares, Hello Dollies, OACB’s and Sugar Cookie Bars! I love them all!

I always make a batch or 2 of Puppy Chow, it is MY must have. I love this stuff!

Almond Bark is always tasty, so are Peanut Butter Balls, and Mini Cheesecakes!

This Gingerbread Cake with Warm Lemon Sauce would be great for a family dinner! So delicious.

And it wouldn’t be Christmas without my perfect holiday beverage,

The Cranberry Sparkler!

This Holiday Sangria is pretty darned good, and if you want something different this Egg Nog Banana Smoothie is to die for!

I thought making this list would make it easier to decide what to make but I think it has only made it harder‼

Oh well, I am sure I will figure it out!

What are you all making for the holidays?? Any must have family favorites?

I am always looking for a new recipe to add to the repertoire so throw out your ideas!

I can’t wait to get in the kitchen and start baking!

Jen

My Favourite Slow Cooker Recipes

As the weather is getting colder I am starting to crave warm hearty comfort food.
Using your slow cooker is a great way to get all the comfort without all the work!

Here are 5 of my all time favourite slow cooker recipes.

Butter Chicken 
This version of the classic Indian dish is just fantastic. It is creamy and tomatoey and full of spice. This is one of my in house taste testers favourites!

 

Corn Beef with Potatoes & Cabbage
This is the BEST version of corn beef ever! It is so easy and it tastes amazing, great for any cold winter night.

 

Hearty Beef Stew
Stew is always a classic, this version is full of veggies and tender juice beef. Bake up some fresh bread or biscuits and you have a perfect comforting meal.

 

Mac & Cheese
There is no more perfect food for me than Mac & Cheese. Hot creamy cheesy noodles. I love this version!
 
 

Spaghetti Sauce
This spaghetti sauce is my all time fav. It has such a deep rich hearty flavour. Some hot spaghetti noodles and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese, pasta perfection!



So there you have it, 5 great slow cooker recipes. I hope you will try one the next time you need to warm up on a cold winter night.

Enjoy!

Jen

Butternut Squash Angelotti with Roasted Tomatoes & Mushrooms

My in house taste tester got called in to work nights the other day. I had planned to make homemade pizza for dinner, but since the poor guy had to go to work, I wasn’t going to make him miss homemade pizza too.

I decided to whip up some single girl pasta for myself instead.

When he works I get to use all the things he hates, like roasted tomatoes and goat cheese‼

This pasta turned out even better than I expected. I couldn’t stop eating it. It was so very good.

What you need,

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1 pkg. fresh butternut squash angelotti, or ravioli or whatever

8 smallish button mushrooms, quartered

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled

¼ cup parmesan cheese

2 large handfuls of mixed baby greens, kale, chard, spinach etc.…

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

3 tbsp. butter

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt/Pepper

Start by heating the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the mushrooms and tomatoes with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a good amount of salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until tender and starting to brown up a bit. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter.  Melt over medium heat until the butter begins to foam and turn brown. Watch it carefully, so it doesn’t burn. 

Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add in the greens and cook for 1 or 2 minutes until they are wilted.

Stir in the roasted mushrooms and tomatoes.  Add the drained pasta to the pan and stir everything to coat well.

Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and basil. Season the pasta with salt and pepper to your taste.  Add the goat cheese and stir gently to mix everything together.

Serve right away.

I dare you not to eat the whole beautiful pan of this amazing pasta. It is so tasty. The sweet butternut squash angelotti goes so well with the nutty brown butter and roasted veggies. The goat cheese melts and makes a nice creamy sauce, it is ridiculous.

AMAZING!

Hope you like it as much as I did! I will be making it again FOR SURE!

Enjoy.

Jen

Chocolate Banana Zucchini Muffins

As usual I had a couple ripe bananas on the counter, so I decided to make some muffins. I also still have a ton of zucchini in the freezer that I grated up this summer so I figured I would put the two together and then add some chocolate for another great muffin recipe.

What you need,

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1 cup ripe banana, mashed

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 cup granulated sugar

1½ cups grated zucchini, excess liquid squeezed out

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Coarse sugar for topping

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and zucchini.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently fold together, don’t over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about ½ teaspoon of coarse sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

You can store these muffins in an airtight container for a day or two, but they freeze well too.

These muffins are seriously good. They are crisp on the outside and tender and moist on the inside.

Enjoy!

Jen

Recipe slightly adapted from Chef in Training

Breakfast Quesadillas

I know I can’t believe it either; I am posting a recipe that doesn’t have pumpkin in it. It’s a Fall miracle!

The coffee shop next to my office sells breakfast quesadillas. They are OK in a pinch but I knew I could make them even better at home.

They are simple to make and super filling. They make a great breakfast on a cool fall day!

What you need for each quesadilla you wanna make,

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2 small flour tortillas

1 large egg

1 tsp. milk or cream

Salt/Pepper to taste

2 slices, cooked bacon, chopped

¼ cup grated cheese, I used jalapeno jack but anything you like would be good.

1 tbsp. butter

In a large non-stick skillet heat half the butter over medium heat. Whisk the egg with a little salt and pepper and a splash of milk. Scramble the eggs in the butter, remove from the pan and set aside.

Wipe the pan clean and melt the remaining butter. Place a tortilla in the pan and sprinkle on half the cheese, then top with the scrambled eggs and top with the bacon. Top with the remaining cheese and place the second quesadilla on top. Cook the quesadilla until brown and crisp on the first side, then carefully flip and cook until the second side is brown and crisp.

Serve with a little salsa.

These quesadillas are to die for! The crispy tortillas and the warm soft egg with stringy cheese and salty bacon is fantastic. The cold spicy salsa just makes them even more awesome.

You can put whatever you like in the quesadillas. If you like green onion or sliced mushrooms or chopped green pepper… all of those things would be really good.

Happy Breakfasting!

Jen