Butter Tart Squares

One of my favourite Christmas treats is a butter tart! Love ‘em!

The last time I was at home in Regina I was going through all my Dad’s old recipe boxes. I opened up an old folded piece of paper and found this Butter Tart Square recipe.

YES Please! Now I don’t have to wait until Christmas for a butter tart!

What you need,

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For the crust,

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ cup softened butter

In a bowl whisk together the flour and sugar. Cut in the butter using a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Press the dough into a well-greased 9x9 inch pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, until set and just starting to turn golden brown.

For the filling,

2 tbsp. butter, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup raisins

In a large bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the filling until well combined.

Pour over the baked crust and spread into an even layer.

Bake again at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the filling is almost set.

Remove from the oven and let the squares cool completely on a wire rack.

Cut into pieces and scarf!

These bars are delicious and super easy!

I put mine in the freezer because I love me a frozen butter tart! These squares taste JUST like my mom’s butter tarts.

I am so glad I unfolded that piece of paper!

Enjoy!

Jen

Friday Summer Cocktail - Raspberry Corona Cocktail

I don’t really like beer. I can drink the occasional REALLY cold Corona with lime on a VERY hot summer day.

When I saw this recipe I thought hey, now there is a better way to drink beer!

What you need,

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1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries

1 710ml bottle of Corona (or you could use 3 smaller bottles)

1 can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

½ cup vodka

Lemon slices and raspberries for garnish

In a large pitcher crush the raspberries with the back of a spoon or potato masher. Add in the pink lemonade concentrate and vodka. Stir to combine. 

Stir in the beer.

Serve over ice, garnish with lemon and extra berries.

What a refreshing cocktail this is, I loved it!

I will be drinking a lot more Corona this summer.

Enjoy your first weekend of summer everyone!

Jen

Recipe from Key Ingredient

Pineapple Marinated Pork Chops

I love to grill in the summer, it doesn’t heat up the house and I love the flavour of grilled meat.

Marinades are a great way to add some extra flavour into your BBQ!

My in house taste tester said it smelled like Kraft Caramels when I was cooking these pork chops. The sweetness of the pineapple and honey goes so well with the garlic and spices.

The chops stayed super moist and tender.

What you need,

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1 cup crushed pineapple (from a can)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup honey

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground cloves

3-4 boneless pork chops, you could use any pork you like, and even tenderloin would be good.

Combine the pineapple, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, garlic, ginger and cloves in a large zip top bag. Shake well to combine.

Trim any excess fat from your chops and add them to the marinade. Seal the zip top bag up tight and massage the marinade into the chops.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

When you are ready to cook the chops, heat your BBQ to medium high heat. Remove the chops from the marinade and shake off any excess. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side until crisp and cooked through.

I served mine with fresh peas and baby potatoes, both of which I got at my local farmers market! YUM YUM!

We LOVED this marinade! It would be great on chicken too!

I can tell I am going to use it a lot this summer.

Jen

A Lemon Jelly Roll for My 500th Post!

I can’t believe that this is my 500th post!

It feels like yesterday that I finally got up enough nerve to log onto Blogger and  start writing.

I have come a long way since that first post. Man, those pictures were terrible!

I decided to do something special for this milestone. I know that a simple Lemon Jelly Roll doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is for me.

I have always loved Lemon Jelly Rolls and when I was 14 or 15 years old I decided I was going to make one. Not a great idea considering I could barely turn on the oven and open a box of fish sticks.

Needless to say it didn’t turn out well, it was an epic fail! The jelly didn’t set and ended up on the plate the roll was on, the cake was dry and crackly. It was terrible!

I didn’t step foot into a kitchen for years after that.

I have learned a lot about cooking/baking since I started this blog, 500 posts ago, so I figured I would give my jelly roll nemesis another try!

Luckily this time it all worked out just fine.

What you need,

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For the cake,

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp. cold water

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

For the filling,

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

¾ cup water

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Line a baking sheet or jelly roll pan with waxed paper and grease well with non-stick spray.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment beat the eggs until light and pale in color, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat for another 2 minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes a lemony color. Stir in the water until combined.

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

Using a spatula fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

Spread the batter evenly on the prepared pan and bake for 12-14 minutes until the cake springs back when touched, be sure not to over bake.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Meanwhile sprinkle a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar. Carefully invert the cake onto the towel and peel off the wax paper.

Gently roll the cake up in the towel and let it cool completely on the rack.

While the cake is cooling make the filling.

In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, flour, egg, water and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Once the cake has cooled, carefully unroll it from the towel. Spread the lemon filling all over the cake, staying about 1 inch away from the edges. Roll the cake back up and place seam side down on a plate. Let the cake rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.

Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

This Lemon Jelly Roll tastes just like the ones I used to eat as a kid. The cake is soft and moist, and the lemon filling has the perfect tartness.

I am so very thankful for all of you who take time out of your busy lives to read my posts. I know there are a ton of food blogs out there to choose from and it really means a lot that you choose to visit me!

I love doing this little blog; it has filled my heart with so much joy!

I am really looking forward to my next 500 posts!

Jen