As we gently slide through our Canadian winter, tune in to your food cravings. Many of us adapt to the temperatures we are living in, and right now we want warm comfort food with lots of flavour and spice.
Bacon pickle fries
An interesting “face cringing” appetizer.
- 12 pickle spears 12
- 12 strips of bacon 12
- 1/4 c. ranch dressing 60 mL
Preheat oven to 425°F (220 C).
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper to make for easy cleanup. Wrap each pickle with bacon. Place the wrapped pickles on a baking sheet, seam side down.
Read Also
Farm equipment dealership chain expands
This summer, AgWest announced it was building two new dealership buildings in Manitoba to better service its expanding market area — one in Brandon and the other in Russell.
Serve warm or at room temperature with ranch dressing, if desired. Serves six. Source: www.delish.com.
One Dish Cheesy Pasta Skillet
That’s right, only one pot. Easy preparation, delicious cheesy taste and quick cleanup. Serve a green salad on the side, if desired. For a real indulgence, serve with warm fresh bread for dipping.
- 2 tbsp. oil 30 mL
- 2 lb. ground beef or turkey 1 kg
- 1 medium onion finely chopped 1
- 2 garlic cloves minced or equivalent of garlic seasoning (about 1/2 tsp.) 2 mL
- 1 pepper, any colour, finely chopped 1
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh mushrooms, chopped 60 mL
- 1/2 c. chopped fresh spinach, optional 125 mL
- salt and pepper to personal taste
- dash cayenne pepper 1 mL
- splash red wine, optional
- 2-24 oz. jars pasta sauce of your choice 2-700 mL
- 2 c. water 500 mL
- 3 c. uncooked pasta of your choice 750 mL
- 2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded, or cheese or cheese mix such as Tex Mex, of your choice 500 mL
Add oil to a large skillet and place on medium heat.
Add hamburger, onion, garlic, pepper, mushrooms, spinach if desired, salt, pepper, dash of cayenne and splash of wine.
Brown and drain.
Increase heat and stir often until the mix is gently bubbling.
Cover and turn down heat to low/medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Top with shredded cheese. Cover for about one minute until cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Note: If you do not have a large skillet, use a regular-size skillet and halve the recipe ingredients.
After sharing a comforting cheesy main course, I would like to offer gluten-free desserts. Usually, I offer dessert at least 30 to 60 minutes after a main course. I think that we enjoy it more, after we have taken a break from eating.
Old-fashioned rice pudding
At this time of year, I often crave warm desserts to get through the chilly winter evenings. Almost always I take my dessert accompanied by a steamy cup of tea. I love this pudding for breakfast and for a snack as well. It’s so versatile.
- 3 1/2 c. 2% milk 875 mL
- 1/2 c. uncooked long grain rice 125 mL
- 1/4 c. sugar 60 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1/2 c. raisins 125 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 mL
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 5 mL
- dash nutmeg 1 mL
Preheat oven to 325°F(160 C)
Cover and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Stir in raisins, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; bake, covered, until rice is tender, about another 15 minutes. Top with whipped or ice cream if desired, sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold. Serves six.
Note: if you want a rich, creamier pudding, add one or two egg yolks to the pudding mix. Whisk and then blend in with the other ingredients. Source: www.tasteofhome.com.
Raspberry Sauce
This two-ingredient sauce is a family favourite meal ending. At this time of year, or any time, fresh fruits are important to maintaining a nutritious diet. Unfortunately, fresh choices, especially berries, can be expensive when they are not in season, so use frozen.
Add 4 c./1 L frozen raspberries to a small saucepan. Sprinkle with 1/4 c./60 mL of sugar, stir and place over low to medium heat. Stir occasionally until berries are warm. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream, frozen or Greek yogurt or chocolate cake. Garnish with a chunk of dark chocolate, if desired.
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
A spicy treat on a winter day. Not gluten free, this antioxidant rich muffin combines sweet and sour tastes.
- 3 c. flour 750 mL
- 4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or a combination of 2 1/2 tsp./12 mL cinnamon, 1 tsp./ 5 mL nutmeg, 1/2 tsp./2 mL cloves and 1/4 tsp./1 mL ginger) 20 mL
- 2 tsp. baking soda 10 mL
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt 7 mL
- 3 c. sugar 750 mL
- 2 c. canned pumpkin 500 mL
- 4 eggs 4
- 1 c. oil 250 mL
- 1/2 c. orange juice 125 mL
- 1 c. fresh or frozen cranberries 250 mL
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease and flour muffin pans.
Combine the flour, spice, soda and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and orange juice. Beat until well combined, then gradually add the flour mixture. Fold in the cranberries and fill muffin pans to about three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and remove from the pans.
*Variation: substitute dark chocolate chips for the cranberries if desired for a different taste experience. Makes 24 muffins. Source: www.allrecipes.com.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
- 1/2 c. plus
- 2 tbsp. butter, chopped 155 mL
- 4 oz. (1/2 c.) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 125 mL
- 1 c. sugar, divided 250 mL
- 2 tbsp. brewed coffee (or 2 tsp. of instant coffee, dissolved in 2 tbsp. hot water) 30 mL
- 3 eggs, separated 3
- 2 c. ground almonds, raw unsalted 500 mL
- 1 tbsp. icing sugar 15 mL
- 2 c. fresh berries, your choice (strawberries or raspberries) 500 mL
Prepare a nine-inch spring-form pan with parchment paper.
Heat oven to 325 F (160 C).
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter, chocolate, 3/4 c. granulated sugar and coffee on medium heat 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until butter is melted and chocolate is almost melted. Stir mixture until smooth.
Beat egg yolks. Add to chocolate mixture with nuts; mix well.
Beat egg whites in a small mixing bowl on high speed until bubbly. Gradually beat in remaining granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently stir into chocolate mixture just until blended. Spoon into the pan.
Bake one hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Cool two hours. Sprinkle with icing sugar and top with berries just before serving. A dollop of whipped cream would also add to the chocolate slice. Adapted from www.kraftcanada.com.
Jodie Mirosovsky is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and a member of Team Resources. Contact: team@producer.com.
