Rock Recipes -The Best Food & Photos from my St. John's, Newfoundland Kitchen.

Corn Flour Biscuits with Maple Butter

2012-01-27T06:43:00.001-03:30

Here's a scrumptious addition to any brunch. Your guests are sure to appreciate these warm, golden, light and fluffy biscuits with sweet maple butter melting through them. Make these using a large biscuit cutter and they make the ideal base for your favorite breakfast sandwich. I made this one last weekend with some of our Maple Chipotle Pulled Pork and an over easy egg on top. Sure, it was a

Easy Steak and Onion Pie

2012-01-26T07:47:00.000-03:30

Sometimes a great winter warm-up comfort meal takes only a few ingredients shown at their absolute best. This recipe is a prime example of that truth. A very flavorful braising broth becomes a fantastically rich onion gravy to go with the tender braised steak and light crispness of puff pastry. When making this for the family I usually drape the puff pastry over a square baking dish but I've

Maple "Butter Tart" Pie

2012-01-24T07:49:00.000-03:30

I've taken the butter tart, a national favorite, added the distinctly Canadian flavor of maple syrup and stretched the whole lot into a full sized pie. Our family usually sends leftover dessert out to friends and neighbors but not a crumb of this one left the house; we all scarfed the entire thing down in 24 hours. Absolutely delicious! For the pie crust Pastry: Sufficient for two 10 inch pie

Maple Chipotle Barbeque Baked Beans

2012-01-23T08:44:00.000-03:30

As promised, here is that recipe for Maple Chipotle Barbeque Baked Beans that go so well with the Maple Chipotle Pulled Pork recipe featured yesterday. Begin by soaking overnight in water: 1 pound white beans In a saute pan heat over medium low heat 3 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves chopped garlic 2 large red onions cook slowly together tossing often until the onions are well caramelized and the

Maple Chipotle Pulled Pork

2012-01-22T09:17:00.000-03:30

Pulled pork is a favorite of my son's and when he tasted our delicious Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce, he knew it would be a terrific base for a new pulled pork recipe. To add to our experimentation, we also made baked beans using the same sauce and with some corn flour biscuits added, this was a very flavorful comfort food meal. It sure was appreciated by all as we watched the snow blowing

Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce

2012-01-21T09:20:00.000-03:30

My back yard is covered in snow this morning after a winter storm yesterday, smack dab in the middle of our Canadian winter. Memories of summer barbeques are months old and anticipation for more still months away, so some oven roasted chicken glazed with this very simple but incredibly flavorful maple syrup based barbeque sauce was particularly appreciated earlier this week. This sauce is very

Lemon Marshmallow Coconut Cake

2012-01-20T09:54:00.001-03:30

I've had this idea for a while now and with Spouse's help, put one together yesterday which I shared with the folks in my office, where it got rave reviews. The recipe incorporates elements from some of my other favorite desserts, including a gorgeous light moist vanilla cake, a tangy, homemade lemon curd, toasted coconut and my kids favorite marshmallow frosting. These all combined to make a

Fig and Apple Chutney

2012-01-19T07:56:00.000-03:30

This quick cook version of a very tasty fig and apple chutney was a big hit at a family dinner recently when I served it to my dinner guests as an accompaniment to our favorite Dijon Mustard and Demerara Sugar Glazed Ham. Here's a photo of that great baked ham recipe. Some steamed vegetables and rice or some roasted potatoes would round out a great baked ham dinner; perfect for mid winter

Double Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread

2012-01-16T17:57:00.000-03:30

We live just around the corner from the Junior High School that our kids attend. Almost daily we have a parade of kids visiting over their lunch break and there is almost always a steady supply of freshly baked banana bread on hand to feed the hungry teens. After hundreds of loaves of banana bread we decided to experiment with a different version that incorporates cocoa in the batter as well as

Marinara Meatloaf with Provolone

2012-01-15T12:28:00.000-03:30

Some of those predicting food trends for 2012 point to a resurgence of the classic comfort food meatloaf. This particular recipe includes great Italian flavors in the meatloaf itself and gets an additional flavor boost from a simple marinara sauce before being topped with provolone cheese. Food trend or not, this is a great family meal that deserves to make repeat visits to your dinner table...

Easy Leftover Turkey Tomato Curry

2012-01-12T07:27:00.000-03:30

For over a dozen other leftover turkey recipe ideas, check out this PHOTO GALLERY over on our Facebook page. Yet another recipe in our expanding collection of great leftover turkey meal ideas. I've been tempted to try leftover turkey in a curry for a while now and I think it works very well in this simple and pretty mild tomato curry. We enjoyed it with some homemade naan but I served up the

Low Fat Turkey Italian Sausage Mixed Bean Soup

2012-01-08T09:30:00.001-03:30

With so many doing the post Christmas healthier eating thing, today Spouse made this very delicious low fat, healthy soup with the bold flavor of turkey Italian sausage and the heartiness of mixed beans. Tasty and satisfying, this soup is a complete meal in itself and very quick to prepare as well. Serves 6Grill or fry until fully cooked1/2 pound low fat turkey Italian sausage Cut sausage into 1/

Leftover Turkey Turnovers

2012-01-07T10:36:00.000-03:30

For over a dozen other leftover turkey recipe ideas, check out this PHOTO GALLERY over on our Facebook page. In the post Christmas haze, I still managed to add to my growing collection of leftover turkey recipes and this one was a real winner. I made these with leftover turkey, gravy and stuffing from a roast turkey dinner on New Years Day and they couldn't be simpler to make, especially with

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake

2011-12-31T09:49:00.001-03:30

This was one of the desserts that I served to my guests at Christmas dinner this year. The flavors of lemon and raspberry were very good together and were appreciated by all who sampled it. This would make a terrific New Year's dinner dessert too and may just make a repeat appearance on my table. A word about baking a cheesecake in a bain marie before starting the recipe. A bain marie is

Cherry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

2011-12-24T09:47:00.000-03:30

For dozens of other cookie ideas, check out this growing photo gallery on our Facebook Page with links to all the recipes for all the photos. Click Here for Our Cookie Album on Facebook. It's Christmas Eve and time to put out the cookies for Santa tonight. Make sure Santa remembers your house by treating him to these amazing buttery shortbread cookies stuffed with chopped dried cherries and

A Newfoundland Saltbox Christmas

2011-12-23T17:07:00.000-03:30

A Newfoundland Saltbox Christmas - Happy Tibb's Eve! Our latest gingerbread house pays homage to the day before Christmas Eve, traditionally called Tibb's Eve here in Newfoundland. In some parts it is known as Tips Eve or even Tipsy Eve. Popular opinion on it's origin goes back to when men made their own home brew in the weeks running up to Christmas and this was a night when they would go

Pineapple Oat Bars

2011-12-23T08:36:00.000-03:30

For dozens of other cookie ideas, check out this growing photo gallery on our Facebook Page with links to all the recipes for all the photos. Click Here for Our Cookie Album on Facebook. Fresh cut pineapple adds a tropical touch to these delicious oat crumble bars. <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE

Carrot Cake Cookies

2011-12-21T06:59:00.001-03:30

For dozens of other cookie ideas, check out this growing photo gallery on our Facebook Page with links to all the recipes for all the photos. Click Here for Our Cookie Album on Facebook. I know for certain that there are a lot of carrot cake lovers out there. Our Pineapple Pecan Carrot Cakehas consistently been one of the most searched read since it was

Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies

2011-12-20T06:43:00.001-03:30

For dozens of other cookie ideas, check out this growing photo gallery on our Facebook Page with links to all the recipes for all the photos. Click Here for Our Cookie Album on Facebook. Look what Santa's getting this year! Won't he be pleased? I might just get off that naughty list after all! Simply rolling a great chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe in

Dark Fruitcake Spice Cookies

2011-12-18T16:19:00.000-03:30

For dozens of other cookie ideas, check out this growing photo gallery on our Facebook Page with links to all the recipes for all the photos. Click Here for Our Cookie Album on Facebook. My dark fruitcake adoring spouse proclaims this the best cookie she has ever eaten. Here is another great cookie twist to celebrate the traditional Christmas fruitcake. My own

Chewy LightFruitcake Cookies

2011-12-17T12:17:00.001-03:30

For dozens of other cookie ideas, check out this growing photo gallery on our Facebook Page with links to all the recipes for all the photos. Click Here for Our Cookie Album on Facebook.Even if you are not partial to fruitcake you should try these amazing spicy and chewy cookies; they are delicious! Cut back on some of the dried fruit if you like but even you

Black and White Cheesecake

2011-12-16T07:57:00.000-03:30

Inspired by the famous cookie, I wanted to create a simple, elegant cheesecake presentation featuring a two tone look with chocolate and vanilla. I think it looks much nicer than just marbling the two flavors. To perfectly bake a cheesecake, I have come to insist on a low oven temperature and baking the dessert in a bain marie. A word about baking a cheesecake in a bain marie before starting

Cherry Chocolate Cream Cheese Bars

2011-12-14T13:54:00.000-03:30

Cream until light and fluffy: ½ cup butter 1 cup brown sugar Add 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract Beat well. Sift together 1 cup + 3 tbsp flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp baking soda Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, folding to combine well. Fold in 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped Spread in a parchment lined 9 inch square baking pan and bake for 35

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert Bars

2011-12-12T19:10:00.000-03:30

These are a quick way to make small servings of a delicious cheesecake which I especially like to have on hand in the freezer during the holiday season. I either pre-cut them into bars and freeze them in airtight containers with each one nestled inside a paper muffin tin liner to easily pluck out as many as you need to thaw at a time. I also freeze an entire batch, uncut, in case I need larger

Nutella Crunch Cookies

2011-12-10T11:27:00.001-03:30

For dozens of other cookie ideas, check out this growing photo gallery on our Facebook Page with links to all the recipes for all the photos. Click Here for Our Cookie Album on Facebook. Here is one cookie that is sure to be popular. Everybody loves Nutella so why not enjoy it in a soft chocolatey cookie with the crunch of hazelnuts that toast as the cookie bakes.