Everyday Heroes

I always try and keep an array of old Ellen episodes on my PVR for when I have some sewing or crafts to do because she’s full of light, funny entertainment. It was in watching a very old such episode that I came across this story of a group of people who lifted a burning car in order to pull out a motorcyclist who was trapped underneath. It’s so easy to get bogged down in all the badness that goes on in the world so it’s really nice to be reminded that when it comes down to it, human beings can get together and do amazing things. For all this random group of people knew, the car could have blown up at any second but they put that fear aside in order to save a man’s life. Wow. I can only hope that if I ever come face to face with such a challenge, my instincts guide me as well as theirs did.

 

Californian Stuffed Mushroom

I have experimented with stuffed mushrooms in many forms – plain cheese and breadcrumbs, feta and spinach, goat cheese and garlic. But this one really is something new. I named them Californian Stuffed Mushrooms because Roasted Red Pepper and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms seemed a tad long winded. They’re a nice, light, healthy way to start off any party so you aren’t too full when the main course comes along!

Californian Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 20

Ingredients:

- 20 button mushrooms (medium to large ones are best)

- 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons oil

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1 tablespoons parsley

- 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes

- 1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper

- A fistful of roasted almonds, crushed (I toasted mine in the oven and then chopped them finely by hand but if you have a food processor that works well too)

- salt and pepper (to taste)

- a pinch of saffron

- a pinch rosemary

- 1 teaspoon lemon juice

- shredded parmesan (optional)

Directions:

1. Gently pull stems out of mushroom caps. If this is too hard you can use a small knife so that caps don’t break.

2. Warm butter, oil and garlic in a non-stick pan. Toss in mushrooms and let cook, stirring frequently until mushrooms seem slightly softened – about 8-10 minutes on low-medium heat. (You don’t want them to get too soft, you just want them to lose some water so they don’t leak mushroom juice all over your guests.) Add in parsley. When done, remove caps and lay them, top down on a pan.

3. Chop mushroom stems finely. Cook them in frying pan with a dot of olive oil until shrunken. Add in roasted red pepper, sundried tomato, almonds, salt, pepper, saffron, rosemary and lemon juice. Once well combined, remove from heat.

4. Scoop mixture into mushroom caps. Top with parmesan cheese if desired (I think it adds considerably).

5. You can keep them like this in the fridge until ready to serve. Then simply heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake them for 10 minutes. They’re good to go!

The Book of (Holiday) Awesome: Real Bearded Santas

Well, Christmas day may be over officially – but the joy lives on! For one: because my immediate family has Christmas with our extended family today so the x-mas cookies and holiday spread will be making a comeback. But also because my sister gave me The Book of (Holiday) Awesome. So even when Christmas may seem like it’s a million days away, I can flip to a page and smile over the thought of Real Bearded Santas. Cause let’s face it, who doesn’t love it when they walk through a mall and see a jolly old man who actually looks like the real deal? Some other highlights:

Just barely wrapping a gift with that tiny scrap of leftover paper. (A joy that can come at any time of the year even.)

Staying up so late that everything becomes funny. (Exhibit A: My sisters and I spent until midnight last night faux-bickering over who would get each item of my still-very-with-it mother’s jewelry box. Sounds morbid but I guarantee three girls decked out in rings that don’t fit and jewels the size of a big toe is purely comical.)

And, finally…

Eating anything with oil in it. (Although I would alter this to Eating Everything. Period. Because when else can you realistically justify to yourself that, yes, you do need that ninth Christmas cookie?)

So, Christmas lives on! And I highly suggest you get yourself a copy of The Book of (Holiday) Awesome because it is just too excellent to pass up.

It’s Christmas Eve!!

Well it is officially Christmas Eve and my child-like mind has of course woken me up at 7 in the morning. Am I surprised? Not in the slightest. Because this brings us to the final item on my weekly countdown of why I love Christmas:

When It’s Finally Here!!

The average person might spend a few days, maybe a couple weeks getting excited for the holidays – but when us Christmas enthusiasts spend the better part of two months listening to carols and watching Frosty the Snowman on repeat – there is an intense appreciation for when the day finally arrives. This appreciation is so intense that, like a 6 year old, I likely won’t fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning tonight and be up at the crack of dawn.
I think what excites me most about when the actual day arrives is all the traditions finally unfolding. You can get excited about them all you want before hand but it isn’t until the day arrives that you really get to experience them. And sure, things always change and they don’t necessarily unfold just how you think they will. For instance, our usual calm, slow unwrapping of the presents was paused briefly last year after my two year old niece spun herself in circles proclaiming “I’M NOT TIRED!!!” before collapsing face first and conceding “I’m ready for my nap.” But these unique occurrences only add to the stories of how awesome Christmas is for years to come.
So I wish everyone a very merry Christmas Eve and hope you are all just as excited as I am for tomorrow!!

Holiday Lemon Squares

My mother initially got this recipe from The Canadian Living Christmas Book years ago and has been experimenting with and perfecting it every Christmas since. It makes for a nice, light, citrusy addition to the heavy doughy cookies that pervade the majority of the dessert tray. And so long as you have a food processor or blender, they aren’t too hard to make at all. The only problem is that the batch makes 20-25 cookies but they’re so darn good you just might have to double it!

Lemon Squares

Makes 20-25

Ingredients:

For crust:

- 1 cup all-purpose flout

- 1/2 cup salted butter

- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

For filling:

- 1 cup granulated sugar

- 1 lemon

- 3 tablespoons lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 2 eggs

For garnish:

- Icing sugar

- zest of 1 lemon

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Blend ingredients for crust in a food processor until crumbly.

3. Press dough into an un-greased 9 inch square cake pan. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. When done, remove from oven and let cool.

4. While crust is baking you can begin to prepare the filling. Cut lemon into eighths and remove seeds. Blend slices in food processor until well broken down. Add in eggs. Pour sugar, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons flour and baking powder into food processor and blend until all combined.

5. Pour filling over crust and bake in oven at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes (I cook mine closer to 30).

6. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle on icing sugar and lemon zest. Let cool completely before cutting into squares and storing in a cookie tin.

Note: If you want to try something different you can trade lime or orange for lemon.

 

Smoked Salmon Crepe Rolls

These rolls are a nice twist on the usual mini wraps or finger sandwiches. They’re the perfect addition to any hors d’hoeurves assortment. Hope you like them!

Smoked Salmon Crepe Rolls

Serves 15-20

For crepes:

The recipe I used recommends the following quantities which is great because you end up with a ton of leftovers  and who doesn’t love having crepes lying around? But if you want to save some time you could easily just do a third of the recipe.

Ingredients:

- 3 eggs

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 2 cups milk

- 1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Beat eggs and salt in a large bowl.

2. Alternate gradually adding the milk and flour and whisking well. Once it is smooth, stir in the melted butter.

3. Transfer to a large measuring cup for easy pouring. Refrigerate for an hour.

4. Pour a small amount of batter into a crepe pan and swirl until it makes a large flat circle. Once the top side has dried (i.e. all changed to a cooked colour and edges begin to turn up) flip the crepe and let sit for 10 seconds before removing from heat. Repeat until batter is all used up.

5. Let crepes cool a little before using in rolls.

For rolls:

Ingredients:

- 3 oz cream cheese

- 2 tablespoons sour cream

- 1 tablespoon horseradish

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 tablespoon minced chives

- 6 cooked crepes

- 6 thin slices of smoked salmon (or more if they are two narrow to cover size of crepes)

- chives (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Soften cream cheese. Stir in sour cream, horseradish, salt and minced chives.

2. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture on crepe.

3. Lay a single layer of smoked salmon that covers the whole crepe. Spread another thin layer of cream cheese mixture on top of salmon.

4. Roll crepe tightly. Slice roll width-wise to create small circular rolls.

5. For an added decoration chop chives twice the height of the roll and place two in the center of the roll.

6. Repeat this process until you run out of one of the ingredients. Then refrigerate until you’re ready to use!

My thanks to Cooking Nook for the recipe. Enjoy!

Spanikopita Bites

I absolutely love spanikopita but this was my first time using phyllo dough and the thought of wrestling it into triangles seemed a bit overwhelming. If you happen to feel the same – these are the perfect alternative. And it’s also really nice because everyone can see the inside of what they’re picking up. This recipe is really easy to do but looks very fancy so it’s great for your next holiday party!

Spanikopita Bites

Serves 15-20

Ingredients:

- 1 package phyllo dough (about 450g) – thawed

- 1 tablespoon oil (I used olive oil)

- 1 small onion (finely diced)

- 3 green onions (finely chopped)

- 1 package chopped frozen spinach (about 285g) – thaw and drain excess water

- 6 oz crumbled feta cheese

- 1 cup cottage cheese

- 1 egg

- salt and pepper (to taste)

- 1/4 cup butter (melted)

Directions:

1. Heat oil on medium-low heat. Fry both onions until tender. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Combine spinach, feta, cottage cheese, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl.

3. Roll out phyllo dough and slice into squares (2 inches by 2 inches).

4. Brush some melted butter into each of the mini muffin cups. One at a time push two pieces of phyllo into a muffin cup. Brush with melted butter. Lay in two more pieces of phyllo and brush with butter again. Lay in a final two pieces and brush entire top with melted butter. Repeat with all cups.

5. Scoop a large spoonful of spinach and cheese mixture into each cup.

6. You can keep these in the fridge until ready to cook or bake them immediately at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Now try and stop at just eating one!

Easy Deviled Eggs

I think deviled eggs are a great appetizer because they’re more filling than chips and dip and look great too! This recipe is super easy and delicious so definitely give it a try.

Deviled Eggs

Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients:

- 12 eggs

- 1/2 cup mayonnaise

- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard

- 1 tablespoon horseradish

- 1 teaspoon vinegar (apple cider or white wine are good options)

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/8 teaspoon pepper

- finely diced chives (for garnish)

- paprika (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Bring a pot full of water to a boil. Place eggs in water and let cook for 10 minutes. Remove eggs from heat and cool under cold water immediately.

2. Let eggs cool. Remove their shells. Cut eggs in half lengthwise.

3. Pop yolks into a small bowl and cream well. Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, vinegar, salt and pepper.

4. If you have a piping bag, pipe yolks into egg whites through a star shaped tip. If not, simply use a spoon.

5. Garnish with chives and paprika.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

This has been my family’s go-to appetizer for as long as I can remember as it is incredibly easy to make and tastes wonderful. The ingredients are basic and it takes less than 15 minutes to prep and then you can leave them in the fridge for a day or two until you’re ready to serve. There’s nothing better!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Serves 10-20 people

Ingredients:

- Package of bacon

- Can of whole water chestnuts

- Soya sauce

- Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Lay water chestnuts in a shallow container and cover in soya sauce. Let sit while you cut the strips of bacon in half.

2. Remove water chestnuts from soya sauce and cut in half.

3. Roll a piece of water chestnut in a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

4. Lay tinfoil over a pan and place wrapped water chestnuts on it. You can store this in the refrigerator or cook immediately in an oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

10 Days Until Christmas

Well, there’s no denying it – I’m stressed. Not Christmas related stress – I don’t believe in engaging in Christmas related stress. I don’t care how many presents I have to wrap or cookies I have to bake or pounds of turkey I have to defrost in a minimal amount of time – I will not let holiday festivities turn me into a bundle of nerves. However, tomorrow is filled with consecutive stressful activities that I want to have go well and that makes me stressed. Not to mention, I have a tickle in my throat which keeps warning me that I have been pushing myself too hard and if I don’t slow the heck down and rest up, I’m going to wind up sick on the big two-five – which would be absolutely disastrous. So yes, my friends, things could be going better.

However, knowing that once I make it through tomorrow I will be surrounding by my loving family is quite the relief inspirer. And so to take my mind off tomorrow’s stress I am going to continue my weekly countdown by being a complete hypocrite and contradict everything I said last week about presents not mattering. Haha I’m kidding…mostly. Because today’s great thing about Christmas is…

Giving Presents!!

Still present related but in a very different realm than the getting of presents, I think. It’s funny because I can still remember when I was little asking my mom or dad what they wanted for Christmas and having them reply “It really doesn’t matter, I just like watching you and your sisters open your gifts”. To which I promptly thought – “Ha! I don’t buy it for a second!” But I will concede now and admit that perhaps my parents weren’t in fact lying as I once thought. Because it really does seem that the further I get from the days of Barbie Dreamhouses and Magic Kits, the less getting presents matters to me – and the more that giving presents starts to take precedence.

I literally dream about what my family member or friend will exclaim when they open the gift that I selected just for them and I do a little seal clap when I finally come up with the perfect present for that really hard-to-buy-for person. The visa bill slowly starts to stack up and the cash keeps flying out of my wallet but that’s okay because I know what will come of it is waaaaay more important.

So getting presents may not matter to me anymore in my wisdomous older years (I refer to myself as old since I was called “mam” twice at work today and can therefore only assume I have crossed the threshold into spinsterdom…I’m not bitter) – but giving presents sure still does. So get excited family and friends reading this because I’ve picked some real winners this year! And I hope anyone else reading this is equally excited for gift giving this season because it’s just 10 days away!!!