I had a craving for baked beans a few days ago and I decided to act on that impulse.  It’s probably one of the most rewarding things to do as a human, is it not?

Since the weekend is upon us I figured this would give me plenty of time to soak the beans overnight, prepare the beans and then slowly cook them for 8-10 hours.  Getting up on a Sunday at 7AM is just plain wrong, but for some reason I was compelled to do it. Sigh. And now I present to you the final product!

Read on for more juicy details…

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 quarts fresh spring or tap water.
• 2 lbs dried Great Northern, Navy, Pea, or other small favorite dried bean if available.
• 1 large fresh vegetable garden onion, peeled. (Step 1) or dried onion flakes.
• 2 large fresh vegetable garden onions, peeled and cut in quarters. (Step 2) or 1-1/3 cups fresh chopped onion.
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Sea salt.
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar.
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.
• 1 Tablespoon fresh garden garlic, finely chopped.
• 1 cup tomato ketchup or BBQ sauce.
• 1/3 cup pure New England maple syrup.
• 1/2 cup dark molasses.
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar.
• 2 bay leaves.
• 1 Tablespoon dry mustard.
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns.
• 1/4 lb. Fresh salt pork in one piece, with rind left on. (Optional!)
• 1/2 lb. Fresh Hickory Smoked Bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F. Alternatively, get your crock pot ready.  You will want to have the beans cook on high for 1-2 hours before settling into a low cooking 4-6 hours.
2. Pre soak the beans overnight in water, making sure to cover with 3 inches of water above the beans.
3. In a large pan, place 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the dried beans and boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the beans soak for 20 hour.
4. Add one (1) peeled onion (Step 1) and 1 teaspoon sea salt, and bring to a boil again.
5. Reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Or place in the slow cooker on HIGH and allow the beans to become tender.
6. Drain the beans, saving (reserving) the liquid. Pick out and discard the boiled onion.
7. Add more water to the saved cooking liquid, if necessary, to make 2 quarts.
8. In a deep bowl mix the molasses, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, maple syrup, ketchup, dry mustard, 1 Tablespoon sea salt, apple cider vinegar, chopped garlic, cinnamon, ground cloves, bay leaves, freshly ground pepper, the boiled beans and the saved (reserved) cooking liquid.
9. Stir gently to thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
10. Place the other two onions (quartered) in the bottom of a 4 to 5 quart Bean Pot, large Dutch oven, slow cooker or oven-proof baking dish and pour the bean mixture over them.
11. Score the fresh salt pork. This is done by cutting diagonal, criss crossing slits about 1/2 inch deep through the fatty side. Push the salt pork and cut bacon pieces into the beans.
12. Check the beans during the cooking process, adding water as necessary and occasionally stirring up the beans.
13. Then remove the lid and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar evenly over the top of the hot bubbling beans, and bake uncovered for an additional 1 hour, to thicken up the delicious sauce.I didn’t need to bake uncovered in my slow cooker, it thickened up nicely…
    

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I love baking cheesecakes, but most of all I really enjoy watching the reactions from people as they take that first bite of a cheesecake baked by me.   During a recent team meeting at work, a conversation was had regarding the fact that I really enjoyed baking.  A teammate of mine also enjoys baking, and it was quickly decided that a bake off would occur with each subsequent team meeting being the place for the judges, my other teammates, to taste test.  Saying all that, this is the first dessert for the bake off.  I can say that it went over very well – deliciously wonderful!

Ingredients:

Crust

• 18 graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 4 ounces imported white chocolate (such as Lindt), chopped
• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries or frozen unsweetened, thawed, drained

Topping

• 1 8-ounce container full fat sour cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Directions:

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 8 or 8 1/2 inch spring form pan. Put graham crackers and sugar into a food processor and pulverize until very fine. Add butter and blend until mixture forms very moist crumbs. Using plastic wrap as aid, press crumbs firmly onto bottom of the pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool. Maintain oven temperature.

For Filling:
Melt white chocolate in a bowl set above pot of gently simmering water until smooth, stirring often. Remove from over water and set aside to cool. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and peel in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined. Beat in white chocolate.

Spoon half of batter into crust (for me it was about 2 cups). Top with 3/4 cup berries, being sure to evenly stagger the berries evenly. Carefully spoon (don’t pour!) remaining batter over the berries and smooth out the surface. Bake until edges of cake are set but center 3 inches still moves when cake is shaken, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Using fingertips, press down gently on edges of cheesecake to flatten slightly.

For topping:
Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Spoon over cake, spreading to edge of pan. Bake 5 minutes. Transfer cake in pan to rack. Run small knife around sides of cake. Cool completely. Chill cake overnight.

Carefully remove the outer ring off the cheesecake. Transfer cheesecake to platter. Bring jam to simmer in small saucepan, stirring often. Gently pour over the cake. Can be served right away or prepared up to 3 hours ahead; (be sure to chill it before serving.)

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Pork tenderloin . . . there’s so many things you can do with this simple cut of meat.   Smoke it, bake it, barbecue it – so many options.   This particular time I decided to go a little fancy and make a crust for the tenderloin.  The end result was a delicious dijon mustard and fennel seed encrusted pork tenderloin.  I’m sure this recipe would do just as well if you used a smoker to cook the tenderloin.

Ingredients:

• 1 large pork tenderloin (about 14-18 ounces) 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
• 2-3 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 large onion, sliced roughly
• 2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (use apple cider if you are avoiding alcohol)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.  Season pork with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the pork tenderloin and sear until all sides are brown, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes total. Transfer pork to plate.
4. Cool the pork slightly. Spread mustard over top and sides of pork; then press the fennel seeds into mustard.
5. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add the onion slices and apple.  Sauté over medium heat until everything is golden, about 5 minutes.
6. Spread evenly in skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pork atop apple-onion mixture.
7. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until apple-onion mixture is soft and brown and meat thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 145°F, about 15 minutes.
8. Then transfer the pork to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 5 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, pour the white wine over apple-onion mixture in the skillet. Stir mixture over high heat until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.

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I had the day off and had Andre randomly pick a page number in an ancient LCBO Food & Drink recipe book, and this is what he chose.  The dish seemed a little strange at first, but as soon as that first spoonful hit my tongue I knew this was a hit.  Read on for the ingredients list and directions!

Ingredients

Cauliflower Puree

• 1/2 cup peeled, diced Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 small potato)
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cups milk
• 1.5 lbs cauliflower cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Mushroom Compote

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1.5 lbs mixed mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
• 2 tsp chopped thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 cups low sodium chicken or beef stock
• 1/4 cup butter cut in cubes
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 6 slices baked bacon

Directions

1. Place potatoes, garlic and milk in a pot over medium-high heat. Bring to boil and add cauliflower.  Boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes and cauliflower are very tender.  Drain liquid and reserve separately
2. Place vegetables in a food processor with 1/2 cup drained liquid and whipping cream and purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Add more cooking liquid if needed to make a soft purée. Reheat when needed.
3. Place oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add shallots and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and thyme and sauté fir 4 minutes or until the mushrooms lose their juices. Season with salt and pepper.  Remove mushrooms from skillet, reserving all the yummy juices and bits of flavor.
4. Add wine to the reserved juice and bits and bring to a boil. Add stock and reduce for 5 minutes or until stock thickens slightly. Reduce heat to low and stir in butter. Sauce will thicken a bit more. Stir in reserved mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes or until mushrooms are coated in sauce.  Adjust seasoning if necessary and stir in parsley.
5. Place a ladleful of cauliflower purée in a soup bowl. Top with mushrooms and some sauce.  Garnish each dish with a slice of baked bacon laid across the dish. (Use our Oven Baked Bacon recipe!)
6. Enjoy with a nice french wine!

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Sometimes you just get tired of big, typical meals.  I know we do!  So this past Sunday I decided to whip up a simple nutty salad and some tender crab cake appetizers.  The recipe calls for 26 mini cakes, but I decided to make 6 large ones.  The crab cake recipe called for 1/2 cup of Mayonnaise, but since we all know how fattening that would be, I heeded Melanie’s advice and used Natural Yogurt instead!

Read on past the break for this light, tasty and perfect Pinot Gris pairing!

Ingredients

Tomato Ginger Jam

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1 tbsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 lb plum tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 1.5 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

Crab Cakes

• 1/2 cup of natural yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (apparently this is seafood spice???)
• 1.5 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lb jumbo lump crabmeat
• 2 cups cornflake crumbs
• 2 cups panko crumbs

Directions

Tomato Ginger Jam

1. Melt butter in a 10 in skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and cook, stirring until dissolved.  Add the tomatoes and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Cool the jam to room temperature, then stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

Crab Cakes

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg, mustard, seafood seasoning, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Gently stir in the crabmeat, taking care to break up the lumps.  The original recipe asks to do the opposite, but we found we needed to shred the meat some with a hand blender. Chill covered for 2 hours to stiffen the mixture, or do what we did, add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs.
2. Mix the cornflake crumbs and panko crumbs together in a shallow dish. Form 6 balls of mixture, flatten and cover them in crumbs.  Don’t be shy.
3. Place the patties on a cookie sheet and place in preheated 400F oven. Bake the crab cakes for 8 minutes then broil them for 4 minutes at 500F.  You want them crispy and golden on top.
4. Transfer to plates and top with jam.
5. Enjoy!

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Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh or frozen blueberries (3 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 to 1 cup sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Combine the blueberries, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and one tablespoon of the lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Taste the mixture and, if necessary, add more sugar. Continue to heat until any additional sugar is dissolved. Strain the coulis through a fine-mesh sieve. After Straining, place the coulis in a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Make a slurry by blending 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 teaspoons cold water. Drizzle the slurry into the simmering coulis gradually, adding just enough to lightly thicken the sauce.

Makes about 2 cups

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Well, I originally made this lasagna for a boys night at a friends, and when Melanie got wind of just how great it was, she rather politely demanded that I make her a fresh batch the following weekend.  I added spinach to the recipe, as per the general consensus, and what came out of the oven was moist, meaty and tasty.

Directions after the break.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
4. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
6. Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half thepasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta , mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce.
7. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

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I was hankering for some Caribbean inspired eats last weekend, so I decided to whip this up.  This is another of my completely random and 100% unique creations, and I must say it turned out fabulously!  Marinating the fish for 24 hours allowed the simple and refreshing flavours to thoroughly burrow themselves into the fish.  Add to that some lovely Mango salsa (recipe here) and you’ve got just the thing for a healthy meal.

Read on for my ingredients and directions lists.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of diced cucumber
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• rind of 1 lime
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/5 cup of yogurt
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme
• 2 pickerel fillets

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and then cover the fillets with the marinade in a sealable container.
2. Place the fish in the fridge over night, for up to 24 hours.
3. Cook the fish as you wish once you remove it from the marinade.  We chose to cook it on our new skillet for about 8 minutes on each side, over medium heat.

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Steak and Potatoes.

Well, last Sunday was Valentine’s day, or as Melanie likes to call it, Love day.  We decided it was about time we dove into the wonderful world of cast iron cooking, and since I had some amazing local striploin steaks to make for supper, I just had to try Alton Brown’s oven cooked steak recipe.  The recipe uses a cast iron skillet, so we decided to pay Kiss the Cook a visit since they had all Le Creuset cookware on sale at 25% off!

If you’re looking for a dead simple steak recipe and don’t feel like standing outside with your barbecue, this is exactly what you want.  Make sure you have the kitchen well ventilated, this does tend to create quite a bit of smoke.

we chose this Shiraz for the steaks, it was perfect!

Directions

Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature.

When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)

Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.

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I made four mini tarts (4-inch diameter pans) instead one large and topped them with blueberries, but stuck to the recipe otherwise.

For tart shell:
2 tablespoons almonds with skins, toasted and cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
3 1/2 tablespoons fruity olive oil (preferably French)

For lemon curd:
3 large lemons
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons fruity olive oil (preferably French)

Directions:

Make tart shell:
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Pulse almonds with flour, sugar, and sea salt to a fine powder in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Add yolk and oil and pulse until just incorporated and a very soft dough has formed.

Spread dough evenly over bottom and up side of pan with offset spatula. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Bake shell until golden brown all over, about 13 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Make curd:
Grate enough zest from lemons to measure 1 tablespoon, then squeeze 3/4 cup juice from lemons.

Whisk together lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking, 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.

Assemble tart:
Pour lemon curd into cooled shell and chill until set, at least 2 hours.

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