Closet Cooking

Thanksgiving Ideas

2009-11-21T16:42:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorites times of the year! Of course it is the Thanksgiving dinner that hold a special place in my heart. Roast turkey has to be one of my favorite meals but I only seem to have it during the holidays so I am always looking forward to it. Though the turkey is the star of the show, I find that I spend more time thinking up what to do for sides and without great sides the turkey gets kind of lonely. A great Thanksgiving dinner is of course topped off with a great dessert and for a holiday meal it is acceptable t go all out!

With the US Thanksgiving coming up this week I thought that I would round up a few of my favorites Thanksgiving meal ideas.

Parmesan and Sage Roasted Turkey Breast - Most recently my favorite roast turkey recipe was this one which turned out nice and moist and full of flavour and the gravy was also amazingly good. In the past I have also enjoyed a thyme and rosemary roast turkey breast and last year I went with a texmex theme and I enjoyed a maple and chipotle roast turkey.

Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce - In my opinion, a Thanksgiving turkey dinner would just not be complete with out some cranberry sauce and this pinot noir cranberry sauce is a great place to start. A simple maple cranberry sauce is also a great idea as the maple adds a really nice hint of flavour to the sauce.

Cranberry Chutney - This year I went with something a little different when I made this cranberry chutney which has an amazing balance of tart, sweet, tangy and spicy. I will be making this cranberry chutney many more times!

Green Bean Casserole - When it comes to sides you really can't go wrong with the classics and this made from scratch green bean casserole is definitely a classic. If you want to change things up a bit try a blue cheese green bean casserole or even a broccoli casserole.

Sweet Potato Casserole - Another great classic is this sweet potato casserole which is practically a dessert disguised as a side! I find that sweet potatoes and squash/pumpkin is pretty much interchangeable and this pumpkin casserole is another great take on a sweet potato casserole!

White Cheddar and Garlic Mashed Potatoes - Speaking of potatoes, mashed potatoes commonly make an appearance on my holiday dinner menus and it is hard to beat these white cheddar and roasted garlic mashed potatoes!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes - These are another of my favorite ways to do mashed potatoes! You just can't go wrong with lots of sweet creamy roasted garlic!

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries and Pecans - I am always trying to work more green vegetables into my meal plans and during fall and winter brussels sprouts are a nice way to do so. These brussels sprouts fit right in with the holidays with their dried cranberries and pecans. Feel free to add some bacon as well! I also recently enjoyed some brussels sprouts and bacon covered in melted gorgonzola

Onion Gratin - Another side that I have been enjoying lately and that would make a excellent showing at any holiday meal are these slow roasted onions covered in cheese. If you like this idea but want something a little lighter then how about some herb roasted onions?

Roasted Apple Sauce - Apple sauce is a perfectly seasonal side or condiment for a holiday dinner but this time how about trying roasting the apples to pack in even more flavour!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Crispy Fried Sage - This is my new all time favorite side!!! The title says it all! It was derived from an earlier version, the roasted squash with gorgonzola and maple syrup.

Pumpkin Pie - This is one of my favorite fall treats and this time I made it with a gingersnap crust and topped it with drizzled caramel sauce.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie - How can you go wrong by combining two great pies? This combo turns out even better than the sum of its parts!

Maple Pecan Pie - Speaking of pecan pie, a pecan pie is a perfect dessert for that special holiday meal!

Medjool Date Pecan Pie - Medjool dates are currently in season and they go so well in a pecan pie!

Maple Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake - You really can't go wrong with a classic like cheesecake! Why not spice it up a bit, and add some seasonal pumpkin for a pumpkin pie cheesecake?

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream - I hope you haven't put your ice cream makers away yet because this is another great way to enjoy some of that pumpkin.

Maple Pecan Ice Cream - If you are a maple fanatic like me then this will quickly become one of your favorite ice creams! Serve it with any of the pies above for even more decadence. :)

Have a great Thanksgiving dinner!

Pomegranate Molasses and Pomegranate Syrup

2009-11-20T19:27:00.002-05:00

After my pomegranate and pistachio couscous I got a few questions about where to find pomegranate molasses or what could be used as a substitute for it. You should be able to find pomegranate molasses at your local middle eastern grocery store but if you cannot find it, it is easy enough to make if you can get your hands on some pomegranate juice. Making the pomegranate molasses is as easy as mixing some sugar into some pomegranate juice and simmering to reduce it to the desired consistency. You can also make pomegranate syrup using the same method, only stopping when it has the consistency of a syrup. This pomegranate molasses ends up with a nice level of tartness or tanginess but if you want a sweeter version you can easily add more sugar.

Pomegranate Molasses

(makes 1/2 cup)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 splash lemon juice

Directions:
1. Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until it has reduces to a quarter, about 40-50 minutes. (At this point it should have the consistency of a syrup.)

Use in:
Pomegranate and Pistachio Couscous
Muhammara (Middle Eastern Pepper and Walnut Dip)
Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb with a Pomegranate Port Sauce
Dukkah Crusted Cod
Lamb Chops with Pomegranate and Red Wine Sauce

Pomegranate Syrup

(makes 1 cup)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 splash lemon juice

Directions:
1. Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until it has reduces to half, about 20-30 minutes. (At this point it should have the consistency of a

Medjool Date Pecan Pie

2009-11-19T19:55:00.004-05:00

I came across medjool dates for the first time last year and since it was the first time that I had seen them I only picked up a few. They were so good! I ran back to the grocery store but alas, they were all gone. Since then I have been impatiently awaiting their return and when I came across some recently I picked up a ton of them immediatly! I used the first of them in the pomegranate and date lamb tagine and I knew that the next thing that I would make was this medjool date pecan pie that I had come across on The Cooking Photographer which sounded so amazingly good! You just cannot go wrong when you start with an already great pecan pie and then you add the soft and sweet medjool dates!

I used the recipe pretty much as it was, though I could not resist replacing some of the corn syrup with maple syrup. The medjool date pecan pie was almost as easy to make and a regular pecan pie which is to say that you mix the wet ingredients, pour the mixture over the pecans in the pie plate and bake. For the medjool date pecan pie you also have to pit the dates but that is easy enough as well. The medjool date pecan pie turned out fabulously well! The medjool dates worked really well with the pecans in the sweet pie filling and the hint of maple was the perfect finish to the pie. You could easily serve this pie with some whipped cream or ice cream but it was so good that I ended up just eating it plain each night so that I could more fully enjoy the medjool dates. I am really looking forward to desserts over the next few days!

Medjool Date Pecan Pie

(makes 1 pie)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (melted)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of salt
1 pie crust
1 1/2 cups soft Medjool dates (pitted and coarsely chopped)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Mix the eggs, sugar, butter, corn syrup, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Place the pie crust into the pie plate and form the edge.
3. Place the dates and nuts into the pie and pour the mixture from step one into the pie plate.
4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until set, about 40-50 minutes.

Roast Pork and Peameal Bacon Sandwich (A Canadian take on a Cuban Sandwich)

2009-11-18T21:40:00.005-05:00

The Cuban sandwich has been on my to try list for a long time and with the last of my roast pork leftovers on hand I kept thinking about it. A Cuban sandwich is typically made with layers of roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard and it is grilled until it is nice and toasty and the cheese melts. Never mind that my roast pork was a Montreal steak spiced seasoned maple bacon wrapped roast pork rather than a mojo marinated roast pork. Never mind that I did not have the ham on hand. I could not get the idea of the Cuban sandwich out of my head. After a bit of thinking I decided to use the roast pork that I did have and I simply replaced the ham with some peameal bacon that I did have on hand. That is three kinds of pork in one sandwich with the roast pork, maple bacon and peameal bacon! You just can't go wrong with starting out with that combo! From there I finished the sandwich off as it should be with the swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. I guess in the end I had a kind of Canadian take on a Cuban sandwich and it turned out really well! The salty peameal bacon went well with the tender and slightly sweet maple roast pork and the melted cheese, pickles and mustard finished off the sandwich nicely. With this version of the sandwich being so good I can imagine what the original tastes like and I am going to have to try it soon.

Roast Pork and Peameal Bacon Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 bun (sliced in half)
2 slices leftover roast pork (warmed if you like)
2 slices peameal bacon (sometimes called Canadian bacon, fried)
2 slices swiss cheese
3 long slices of pickle
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Assemble sandwich.

Pomegranate and Pistachio Couscous

2009-11-17T20:54:00.004-05:00

I often like to serve my tagines over a bed of light and fluffy couscous to soak up all of the extra tasty gravy. Normally I like to keep the couscous nice and simple so that it does not steal any of the thunder from the tagine but this time I wasted to dress it up a bit. I just could not resist adding some of those beautiful pomegranate jewels to the couscous and with a the red there already I just had to round it out with some green in the form of pistachios. Couscous can sometimes be a little on the dry side so I thought that tossing it in a vinaigrette would help keep it nice and moist and a pomegranate vinaigrette using pomegranate molasses was the perfect fit. I finished the couscous off with some fresh chopped mint and parsley. The pomegranate and pistachio couscous went really well with the pomegranate and date lamb tagine but it could also easily be served as a side for any number of dishes or even as a salad all by itself.

Pomegranate and Pistachio Couscous

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup water (or broth)
1 cup couscous (I used whole wheat)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup pistachios (chopped)
2 tablespoons pomegranate vinaigrette
1/4 cup mint (chopped)
1/4 cup parsley (chopped)

Directions:
1. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Remove from heat, mix in the couscous, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Fluff the couscous and mix in the remaining ingredients.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

(makes 1/4 cup)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 clove garlic (grated)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix everything in a small bowl.

Similar Recipes:
Tabbouleh

Pomegranate and Date Lamb Tagine

2009-11-16T19:38:00.004-05:00

Pomegranates are in season and the grocery stores have been full of them. I had been looking forward to the pomegranates as I had been wanting to explore with them some more. Despite the fact that a lot of the recipes that I have been seeing that use pomegranates are for sweet dishes for my first recipe I was thinking about something savoury. I was remembering the pistachio crusted rack of lamb with pomegranate and port sauce that I had made a while ago and I was thinking that another take on the lamb a pomegranate combo would be just right. I was also remembering a slowly braised lamb tagine that I had recently enjoyed and the thought of the falling apart tender lamb combined with pomegranates would be really nice. For the pomegranate ingredient I decided to use pomegranate juice to braise the lamb in and then to garnish the finished dish off with pomegranate seeds. Pomegranates can be a little on the tart side so I wanted to include something sweet in the recipe to balance things out. As luck would have it, medjool dates also seem to be in season and they fit in perfectly with the Mediterranean theme that was quickly developing. From there I went with the usual components from my previous tagine dishes making sure to include some fresh mint as a part of the herb blend. The pomegranate and date lamb tagine turned out great! I made absolutely sure to simmer the lamb long enough that it was falling apart tender and this gave time for all of the flavours to mingle. The tart pomegranate and sweet medjool dates balanced and complimented each other perfectly and they went really well with the lamb and the mint finished things off perfectly. I served the pomegranate and date lamb tagine on some light and fluffy pomegranate and pistachio whole wheat couscous.

Pomegranate and Date Lamb Tagine

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound lamb (cubed)
1 tablespoon oil
2 onions (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/4 preserved lemon (pith removed, and peel rinsed and sliced)
1/2 cup dates (pitted and coarsely chopped)
1 tablespoon harissa
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch saffron
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup mint (chopped)
1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
1/4 cup pistachios (chopped)
1/4 cup pomegranate

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan.
2. Add the lamb, brown on all sides and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan.
4. Add the onion, and saute for 3 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
6. Add the pomegranate juice, preserved lemon, dates, harissa, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, saffron, salt and pepper, cover and simmer until the lamb it tender about 2-3 hours.
7. Remove from heat and mix in the mint and parsley.
8. Serve garnished with pistachios and pomegranate.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Coffee Cake

2009-11-15T22:59:00.003-05:00

I certainly have been into the pumpkins this season and next on my list was this recipe for a sour cream pumpkin coffeecake that I recently saw on Megan's Cookin. You just can't go wrong with coffeecakes and with the layer of pumpkin and a streusel topping I immediatly knew that I would have to make this one. I used the recipe pretty much as it was, though I replaced some of the flour with whole wheat flour and of course I used my own home made pumpkin puree. The ingredient list may be a little long but this coffeecake is pretty easy to make with the hardest part being waiting for it to cool down enough to get into it. The coffeecake was nice and light and the layer of pumpkin kept it nice and moist. I really enjoyed the layer of pumpkin pie filling and using part of the streusel topping with the pumpkin layer was a nice touch. I am looking forward to breakfasts this week!

Sour Cream Pumpkin Coffee Cake

(makes 9+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
3 cups pumpkin puree
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter (melted)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
1. Mix the flours, baking powder and soda in a bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in another bowl.
3. Mix the vanilla extract and eggs into the butter and sugar.
4. Mix 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the wet followed by 1/2 of the sour cream and repeat.
5. Mix the pumpkin puree, egg, sugar and spices in yet another bowl.
6. Mix the flour, rolled oats, cinnamon and butter until they for crumbs.
7. Mix the nuts into the streusel.
8. Pour half of the batter into a greased baking dish.
9. Sprinkle on half of the streusel.
10. Pour the pumpkin mixture on next.
11. Pour the remaining batter on top.
12. Sprinkle on the remaining streusel.
13. Bake in a preheated 350F until a toothpick pushed in to the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Roast Pork Sandwich with Apple Chutney

2009-11-14T16:08:00.003-05:00

When I have leftovers from a roast, one of the first things that I think of to use them in is almost always a sandwich. With my newly made bacon wrapped maple roast pork I was looking forward to a nice roast pork sandwich and the best part was that the bacon was already covered. The next component is the one that really makes this sandwich, the spicy apple chutney, which went so well with the bacon wrapped maple roast pork. From there I finished the sandwich off with the standard lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. One of the best things about leftover roast sandwiches is that they are so easy to put together and they make for great quick meals. This roast pork with apple chutney sandwich was really good! The sweet and spicy apple chutney went really well with the salty and maple-y pork in sandwich form. As I had recently learned in my curried chicken salad sandwich with apple chutney the apple chutney and mayo flavour combo is also a great one and it really finished this sandwich off perfectly.

Roast Pork Sandwich with Apple Chutney

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 bun (sliced in half)
2 slices leftover roast pork (warmed if you like)
2 tablespoons apple chutney
2 slices tomato
2 leaves lettuce
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions:
1. Assemble sandwich.

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Covered in Melted Gorgonzola

2009-11-13T18:56:00.004-05:00

While I was enjoying the brussels sprouts with bacon, cranberries and pecans that I recently made, I thought that they would be even better with some crumbled blue cheese. Since I did not have any blue cheese on hand at the time I filed the idea away for later. When I had more time to think about it, I thought that instead of just having chunks of blue cheese with the brussels sprouts, why not use a softer blue cheese like gorgonzola dolce and let it melt completely? That way the yummy, creamy, melted gorgonzola-y goodness would completely cover the brussels sprouts! I just had to try it!

When I was thinking of sides for my bacon wrapped maple roast pork there was no question that creamy gorgonzola covered brussels sprouts would be included. In the end I decided that I wanted to more completely enjoy the gorgonzola and brussels sprouts flavour combo so I decided to drop the distractions of the cranberries and walnuts but you can't go wrong with bacon so that stayed in. The creamy melted gorgonzola covered brussels sprouts were so good! Each bite met you with the tangy gorgonzola followed by the natural sweetness and juiciness of the brussels sprouts which cut through the creamy gorgonzola perfectly refreshing your palette readying you to enjoy your next bite of perfection. The creamy, tangy and salty bacon and gorgonzola brussels sprouts went nicely with the sweet maple roasted acorn squash and the roast pork rounding off one amazing meal!

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Covered in Melted Gorgonzola

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 slices bacon (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
1 pound brussels sprouts (cleaned, quartered, blanched and drained)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup gorgonzola dolce (crumbled)

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a pan and set aside reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease.
2. Add the brussels sprouts to the pan, season with salt and pepper and saute for a minute.
3. Remove from heat and mix in the gorgonzola.

Maple Roasted Acorn Squash

2009-11-12T19:34:00.003-05:00

Acorn squash are still really cheap and after the success of the roasted acorn squash with green tomato and jalapeno jam I just had to try roasting some more of them. This time I wanted to try a sweet filling rather than a savoury one and since I already had maple in my meal, continuing the theme with a maple filling sounded perfect. This recipe is deceptively simple for how good the end results are. I filled the acorn squash halves with some maple syrup and a touch of butter and then I let the slow roasting in the oven do the rest of the work. The maple flavour went so well with the sweet roasted acorn squash and if you are a fan of maple syrup like me then these will disappear quickly! I served the maple roasted acorn squash with the bacon wrapped maple roast pork and they went really well together. Though I served them sliced with the meal the first night, I scooped all of the remaining squash and maple filling from the leftovers and turned them into maple mashed acorn squash. The maple mashed squash leftovers were even better the next day!

Maple Roasted Acorn Squash

(makes 4+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 acorn squash (cut in half and scooped clean)
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. Place the acorn squash halves in a baking pan with the cut sides up.
2. Place 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and 1/2 tablespoon butter into each acorn squash half.
3. Cover with aluminum foil and roast in a reheated 400F oven for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the foil and roast until tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Roast Pork with Apple Chutney

2009-11-11T18:56:00.008-05:00

Ever since I first heard about wrapping a pork loin in bacon before roasting it I have been wanting to try it! Now that the cooler weather is here it is time for more comfort food and the bacon wrapped pork loin quickly made it to my meal plan. I was thinking that I would keep the roast pork loin nice and simple and just go with a rub of some Montreal steak spice but when I was at he grocery store picking up the bacon they had maple bacon on sale and I could not pass up on adding a maple theme to the roast. So I covered the pork loin in maple syrup followed by the spice rub and then I wrapped it all in the maple bacon. After the pork roast was almost done cooking I glazed it in some more maple syrup. The bacon wrapped maple roast pork turned out so amazingly well! The bacon wrapping helped keep the pork loin nice and moist and juicy and good. The sweet and salty bacon went so well with the spice rub and the maple flavour! I found myself going back for seconds and thirds of the roast pork before I knew it. I had planned on making the bacon wrapped roast pork at the same time as the apple chutney as apples and pork are always a nice combo and I thought that the spicy apple chutney would go well with the bacony pork. I also served the roast pork with some maple roasted acorn squash and some brussels sprouts and bacon covered in melted gorgonzola.

Bacon Wrapped Roast Pork

(makes 6+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pork loin (3-5 pounds)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons steak seasoning ( I used Montreal steak seasoning)
1/2 to 1 pound bacon (I used maple bacon)
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:
1. Brush the maple syrup onto the pork and rub the steak seasoning into it.
2. Wrap the pork loin in the bacon and place in a baking dish.
3. Roast in a preheated 350F oven until a meat thermometer reads 140F, about an hour.
4. Brush the maple syrup onto the bacon.
5. Roast until the meat thermometer reaches 150F, about 10 minutes, and remove from oven.
6. Let rest for 20 minutes.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich with Apple Chutney

2009-11-10T20:03:00.003-05:00

Now that I had my apple chutney I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it but first I wanted to take a quick detour. I had recently made and really enjoyed a turkey salad sandwich where I included some apple and I thought that using apple chutney in a turkey, or in this case, a chicken salad sandwich would be even better. I also remembered making a mango chicken salad sandwich a while ago that was so good! There is just something magical about the fruity chutney and tangy mayo flavour combination! This sandwich is pretty much just a basic chicken salad sandwich with the addition of some curry powder, the apple chutney and some dried cranberries and toasted pecans to give the sandwich a holiday feel to it. The curried chicken salad sandwich with apple chutney was so good! The chutney and mayo combination was amazing and it worked just as well in apple form as it did in mango form. I have a feeling that I will be enjoying a few more of these sandwiches over the next little while.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich with Apple Chutney

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked chicken (or turkey)
1 stalk celery (sliced)
1 green onion (sliced)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons apple chutney
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1 tablespoon pecans (toasted and chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
2 slices of bread (optionally toasted)

Directions:
1. Mix everything but the bread in a bowl.
2. Assemble sandwich.

Apple Chutney

2009-11-09T21:27:00.006-05:00

The farmers market has been bursting with apples over the last few weeks and it was time that I got around to doing something with them other than just snacking on them. I have been getting into chutneys lately and I was thinking that a spicy apple chutney would be a great idea. After searching the web for apple chutney recipes I decided to just go with a variation of the recipe that I have been using for chutneys. One thing that I did notice about the recipes that I did find was that most of them called for the use of tart green apples. I thought it would be a shame to not use some of those amazing varieties of apples available at the farmers market and so I used a mixture of a few of them. From there I added some onion, garlic, ginger and a jalapeno for a bit of heat. Cider vinegar was the obvious choice for the vinegar component and I went with brown sugar for the sweet component. With this being an apple chutney I could not pass up on adding raisins and a few spices that I remind me of apples. The chutney was as simple to make as throwing everything into a pot simmering it on the stove until it thickened. My apartment was filled with an amazing aroma of apples and spice while it simmered. The apple chutney turned out great! It was sweet and savoury at the same time with a nice blend of spices and a touch of heat. I am now looking forward to using the apple chutney in other dishes.

Apple Chutney

(makes 4 cups)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound apples (peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
1 small onion (diced)
1 jalapeno pepper(diced)
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon ginger (chopped)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Directions:
1. Bring everything to a boil in a large sauce pan, reduce the heat and simmer until it thickens, about 45-60 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate

2009-11-08T22:35:00.003-05:00

I certainly have been enjoying a lot of pumpkin lately and in particular I have been enjoying transforming the pumpkin pie flavours into different dishes. When I came across the idea of a pumpkin pie white hot chocolate recently on The Luna Cafe I knew immediatly what my next pumpkin pie experiment was going to be. Not too long ago I had tried a pumpkin pie milkshake and a hot version of a pumpkin pie drink sounded perfect for the chilly weather that we have been having. This drink is pretty much as simple as making some white hot chocolate and adding the pumpkin puree and pumpkin spices and it is so worth making! The pumpkin pie white hot chocolate was excellent! It was nice and hot and the white chocolate added the perfect amount of sweetness that went really well with the pumpkin pie flavours. Lesson learned: Don't try to top a hot drink with whipped cream before photographing it as it melts pretty much right away.

Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces white chocolate (roughly chopped)
pinch salt

Directions:
1. Heat the milk, pumpkin puree, and spices in a sauce pan until it just starts to simmer and remove form heat.
2. Add the chocolate and stir until it has melted.
3. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream and garnish with cinnamon.

Roast Beef Quesadillas

2009-11-07T19:44:00.003-05:00

While I was enjoying some of the leftover roast beef in the grilled roast beef and cheese sandwich I thought that all of the ingredients in the sandwich would make for a great quesadilla and I just had to try it. You can't really go wrong when you start with nice and tender roast beef and I often use sauteed peppers and onions as quesadilla fillings so it was perfect match. In my opinion quesadillas need to incorporate some kind of heat and with horseradish going well with the beef it wasn't even a decision to use it. Of course the glue that holds a quesadilla together is the cheese and I went with some swiss that I had leftover from the sandwich and since I also had some of the coffee gravy from the roast beef leftover I added a tablespoon of that to the quesadilla as well. The roast beef quesadilla turned out great! The tortillas were grilled until lightly golden brown and slightly crispy and good! The cheese melted nicely and went well with the roast beef, peppers, onions, horseradish and gravy flavour combo. I served the roast beef quesadillas with some coffee gravy for dipping.

Roast Beef Quesadillas

(makes 1 quesadilla)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon oil
1/2 onion (sliced)
1/4 green pepper (sliced)
1/4 cup roast beef (shredded)
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon gravy
2 tortillas
1 handful cheese (grated, swiss or provolone)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the green pepper and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Melt a touch of butter in a pan.
5. Place a tortilla into the pan, swirl it around in the butter and repeat with the second tortilla.
6. Sprinkle some cheese on the tortilla followed by the beef, onions, pepper, horseradish and gravy and top with more cheese and finally the other tortilla.
7. Cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted. (I placed a plate onto the quesadilla and flipped it from the pan to the plate and then slid it back into the pan.)

BBQ Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwich

2009-11-06T20:16:00.004-05:00

While I was enjoying my grilled roast beef and cheese sandwich I could not help but think of other roast beef sandwiches. Although I have not been to Arby's in a long time I still remember their roast beef sandwiches all covered in melted cheese and very often with a tangy barbecue sauce. With this idea I knew exactly what I wanted to do for my next leftover roast beef meal, a tangy bbq roast beef sandwich smothered in melted cheese.

I had been wanting to try making my own bbq sauce for a while and now was the perfect chance. As it turns out, making your own bbq is pretty easy and you probably have all of the ingredients that you need already. Bbq sauce starts with a tomato base such as ketchup and adds some sugar for some sweetness, some vinegar for some tang and some kind of heat. You can play around with the basic ingredients and you can add other ingredients to come up with whatever flavours that you want. I stuck with a pretty simple bbq sauce for my first attempt and it turned out pretty good! It was a nice blend of tangy, sweet and spicy and it was full of flavour. Feel free to toss in a touch of that leftover coffee gravy from the roast beef dinner while you're at it.

For the sandwich I warmed up and shredded some of my leftover roast beef and mixed it in with the bbq sauce and placed it on the bottom of the bun. Next came the cheese followed by a few minutes under the broiler to melt the cheese and it was done and ready to be eaten. This bbq roast beef sandwich was so good! How can you go wrong with moist, falling apart tender roast beef drenched in a tasty bbq sauce and covered in melted cheese?

BBQ Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooked roast beef (shredded and warmed up)
1/4 BBQ sauce (see below)
1 bun
1/4 cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Mix the shredded beef and bbq sauce.
2. Place the roast beef n your bun and top with the cheese.
3. Place the open faced sandwich under the broiler until the cheese melts. (Watch this as it can burn easily.)

BBQ Sauce

(makes 1 cup)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 small onion (grated)
2 cloves garlic (grated)
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix everything.

Grilled Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich

2009-11-05T20:30:00.008-05:00

With the roast beef dinner and sides down, now, arguably, comes the best part; enjoying using the leftovers in new ways, often even better than the original meal. With the leftover being roast beef the first thing that came to mind was a roast beef sandwich. When thinking about a roast beef sandwich, the first thing that came to mind was peppers and onions which always pair well with beef. Of course there just had to be some cheese in the sandwich and I went with some swiss. With a bunch of that great coffee gravy from the roast beef dinner on hand I could not resist adding a bit to the sandwich for even more flavour and I also added a bunch of horseradish for some bite. To finish the sandwich off I decided to butter it up and grill it until it was nice and warm and golden brown and the cheese had melted. Although the original roast beef dinner was really good, this sandwich took the roast beef to a whole new level! Feel free to serve the sandwich with a bowl of that tasty coffee gravy for dipping.

Grilled Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon oil
1/2 onion (sliced)
1/4 green pepper (sliced)
2 slices roast beef
2 slices cheese (swiss or provolone, etc.)
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon gravy (optional)
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
2 slices bread

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the green pepper and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Assemble sandwich and grill until golden brown on both sides.

Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin

2009-11-04T20:47:00.003-05:00

Having decided to go with goat cheese mashed potatoes as the first side for my roast beef dinner I had go with a healthier vegetable dish as the second side and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I had come across this recipe for a spaghetti squash and chard gratin on Kalyn's Kitchen not too long ago and it sounded really tasty in addition to being healthy. Spaghetti squash and chard are two vegetables that I do not use often enough and with the spaghetti squash in season now it was the perfect time to try this gratin. In addition to the vegetables there is of course some cheese in the form of some parmigiano reggiano and there is also a touch of sour cream for some extra creaminess. I was a bit surprised by the use of the cottage cheese but I really liked the sound of it being in there. With having to roast the spaghetti squash before baking the gratin this dish takes a bit of oven time so you will have to plan accordingly when making it. Other than the time it takes it is really easy to make and so worth making. The spaghetti squash and chard gratin was nice and light and moist and full of flavour. This recipe definitely makes a lot but the leftovers have certainly been the highlight of my leftover lunches so far this week. I have a feeling that this gratin will be making a regular appearance during squash season.

Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin

(makes 8+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash (cut in half lengthwise and scooped clean)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 bunch chard (rinsed and cut into 1 inch thick slices)
4 green onions (chopped)
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

Directions:
1. Roast the spaghetti squash halves in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 1 hour.
2. Scoop the strands out of the skin.
3. While the squash is cooking heat the oil in a pan.
4. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
6. Add the chard and saute until it has wilted, just a few minutes.
7. Mix the squash, chard, green onions, egg, sour cream, cottage cheese, parmigiano reggiano, salt and pepper and pour it into a baking dish.
8. Top with the parmigiano reggiano.
9. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until it is bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 30-40 minutes.

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes Smothered in Coffee Gravy

2009-11-03T19:40:00.004-05:00

With a roast beef dinner one of the first sides that I think about is almost always potatoes. Potatoes are so versatile and you can do so many things with them but my favorite way to serve them is mashed. There is just something that is so addictively good about simple creamy and buttery mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes never get boring and they are like a open palate just waiting to have flavours added to them. A while ago I had tried some white cheddar and garlic mashed potatoes and I really liked how the cheese worked in the mashed potatoes and this time I was thinking about using some goat cheese.

Mashed potatoes are pretty easy to make; you simply boil the potatoes until they are nice and tender and then you mash them. One good thing about mashed potatoes is that they are done on the stove top so you don't have to worry about trying to fit the potatoes in the oven with the roast. The goat cheese mashed potatoes turned out great! They were so nice and creamy and the goat cheese added an amazing tanginess that kept me coming back for more. I served the goat cheese mashed potatoes smothered in the coffee gravy made with the drippings from the roast beef and they went really well together!

Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound potatoes (your favorite)
2 cloves garlic (peeled)
4 ounces goat cheese (room temperature)
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
salt and pepper to taste
milk to taste (optional)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
coffee gravy

Directions:
1. Boil the potatoes and garlic until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20-30 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and mash.
3. Mix in the goat cheese, butter and season with salt and pepper.
4. Optionally add milk to bring the mashed potatoes to the consistency that you prefer.
5. Mix in the parsley.

Roast Beef with Coffee Gravy

2009-11-02T19:41:00.005-05:00

I recently received some samples of Starbucks new instant coffee VIA to try. Now, I may not be the worlds biggest coffee drinker I do like the flavour of coffee and I enjoy cooking with it so I was pleased to receive the samples. I wanted to try a savoury dish and a quick search of my bookmarks gave me this recipe for a pot roast with a coffee gravy that sounded really good. You can not go wrong with beef that is slow roasted to perfection and the coffee gravy sounded nice and tasty. The original recipe was for a pot roast which I generally associate with cooking the beef until it is falling apart and shredding it whereas I was looking for something more like a roast beef that was sliceable so I roasted the beef until it was nice and tender but not falling apart. Despite the long cooking time this roast beef was pretty easy to make and the results were great! The roast beef was nice and moist and tender and the coffee gravy was really tasty! The coffee flavour in the gravy was more like a subtle hint and not overpowering and the coffee aroma was really nice! I served the roast beef with coffee gravy with some goat cheese mashed potatoes and spaghetti squash and chard gratin. Overall it was a really nice comfort food kind of meal and I am looking forward to coming up with ideas to use the leftovers.

Roast Beef with Coffee Gravy

(makes 8+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3-5 pound chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil
2 onions (sliced)
2 cups beef broth
2 cups coffee
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon flour mixed into 1 tablespoon water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the beef and brown on all sides and set aside.
4. Add the onion to the pan and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the beef stock and deglaze the pan.
7. Add the beef back to the pan along with the coffee, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves and thyme and bring to a simmer.
8. Cover and transfer to a preheated 325F over and bake until fork tender, about 3-5 hours.
9. Set the beef aside, cover and let cool.
10. Strain the solids from the gravy and skim off the fat.
11. Add the flour and water mixture and simmer until it thickens, a few minutes.
12. Season the gravy with salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

2009-11-01T11:22:00.005-05:00

Do you have some pumpkin leftover after Halloween? How about using it to make a pumpkin pie? Before you set into making that pumpkin pie, how about some pumpkin pie french toast for a nice relaxing brunch after all of that Halloween partying last night? When I came across the concept of pumpkin french toast on Recipe Girl recently I knew that I would have to make it while I had some fresh in season pumpkin on hand and the morning after Halloween seemed like the perfect time. French toast is pretty easy to make and always good! It is a really nice weekend breakfast or brunch treat when you have a bit more time in the morning. This french toast of course includes some pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices in the batter to give it the pumpkin pie flavours. I served my pumpkin pie french drenched in maple syrup with a side of crumbs of the gingersnap crust that I used in my pumpkin pie for a topping. (You can just make the crust, bake it until golden brown, let it cool and crumble it.)

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
8 slices of bread

Directions:
1. Mix the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mutmeg and brown sugar in low flat bowl for easy dipping.
2. Dip the bread into the egg mixture on both sides and grill in a pan until lightly golden brown, about 2-3 minute per side.
3. Serve with maple syrup.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries and Pecans

2009-10-31T17:05:00.004-04:00

Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite winter green vegetables and they make for great side dishes. You can steam them, boil them, roast them or saute them. You can serve them whole, sliced or even shredded. You can add so many things to them to make them interesting and each time you can try something new. You really can't go wrong with starting with some bacon as I have done here. One of the good things about adding bacon is that you can toss the sprouts in some of the bacon grease adding a ton more bacon flavour to the dish. I know, I know, green vegetable side dishes should be healthier. :) With the holidays still on my mind I finished this brussels sprouts dish off with some toasted pecans and some dried cranberries.

Have a great Halloween!

See the Similar Recipes section below for some of my favorite ways to enjoy brussels sprouts.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries and Pecans

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 slices bacon (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
1 shallot (diced)
1 pound brussels sprouts (cleaned, quartered, blanched and drained)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons pecans (chopped)

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a pan and set aside reserving 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease.
2. Add the shallots to the pan and cook in the bacon grease and saute until, tender about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the brussels sprouts to the pan, season with salt and pepper, toss in the grease and saute for a minute.
3. Remove from heat and mix in the cranberries and pecans.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

2009-10-30T18:35:00.005-04:00

Sides are an important part of any meal and it seems that I have been neglecting them a bit as of late. Thanksgiving dinner was a helpful reminder and now I am getting back into the swing of things. There was a big sale on acorn squash recently and I picked up a bunch of them and they needed to be used. Squash makes for great side dishes and I normally cut it up into cubes or mash it. I had been wanting to try roasting an acorn squash half where the hollowed out middle was filled with something and with the green tomato and jalapeno jam on my mind I thought that it would be a perfect fit. This acorn squash side dish was really easy to make; you cut an acorn squash in half, scoop out the seeds, fill it with the green tomato and jalapeno jam and roast it in the oven until it is tender. The roasted acorn squash with green tomato and jalapeno jam turned out really well! The sweet squash and the tangy and spicy jam was a great combo and it went well with the chicken baked in green tomato and jalapeno jam that I served it with. One of the things that I liked about cooking the acorn squash this way was the variety of ways to serve it. You can serve it as sliced or you can scoop all of the middles out and mash them up or if you're lazy you can just eat it directly from the shell with a spoon.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

(makes 4+ servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 small acorn squash (cut in half and scooped clean)
1/2 cup green tomato and jalapeno jam

Directions:
1. Place the acorn squash halves in a baking pan with the cut sides up.
2. Spread the green tomato and jalapeno jam over the insides of the acorn squash.
3. Cover with aluminum foil and roast in a reheated 400F oven for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the foil and roast until tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Chicken Baked in Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

2009-10-29T19:46:00.006-04:00

A while ago when I made the green tomato and jalapeno jam I had been planning on using it in a baked chicken dish but other things came up and I forgot about all it. I was rummaging through my fridge the other day when I came across a jar of the jam and I immediatly thought of making it. This is certainly a dead simple recipe; you just brush some of the green tomato and jalapeno jam with some grainy mustard mixed in onto the chicken and bake it. The jam coating helps keep the chicken nice and moist and tender while it bakes. The sweet, tangy, tart and spicy green tomato and jalapeno jam and mustard combo worked really well on the baked chicken adding a really nice set of complex and tasty flavours. I always like it when simple, effortless dishes turn out to be so good! I served the chicken in green tomato and jalapeno jam with acorn squash glazed in green tomato and jalapeno jam and some brussels sprouts with bacon, dried cranberries and chopped toasted pecans.

Chicken Baked in Green Tomato and Jalapeno Jam

(makes 2 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup green tomato and jalapeno jam
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place them in a single layer in the bottom of a baking dish.
2. Mix the jam and mustard's and spread it over the chicken.
3. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until cooked (the juices will run clear and there will be no pink inside, about 30 minutes.

Egg Salad Sandwich

2009-10-28T20:59:00.004-04:00

After two and a half years of serious cooking I still find it fascinating that I can come across foods that seem to be staples that are found every where and yet I have neither tried them nor made them. I recently came across one such food, the egg salad sandwich, when I made a simple egg salad to go into the BELT (Bacon Egg Lettuce Tomato) Sandwich that I recently made. I quite enjoyed the egg salad part of the sandwich and I knew that I would have to try a more standard egg salad sandwich. After all of the pumpkin roasting and cooking recently I was looking for a nice and simple meal and I immediatly thought of finally getting around to making an egg salad sandwich. An egg salad sandwich is essentially mashed hard boiled eggs with mayonnaise. From there you can add anything that you like and I went with a simple one with some dijon and grainy mustards, and some green onions and celery. The egg salad sandwich was certainly easy to make and it was really good despite being so simple. You just can't seem to go wrong with using mayo as the binder for salads! I can't wait to experiment more with egg salads. Hmmm... maybe I could add some capers or maybe a curried egg salad sandwich or...

Egg Salad Sandwich

(makes 1 sandwich)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 stalk celery (sliced)
1 green onion (sliced)
salt and pepper to taste
2 leaves of lettuce
2 slices of bread

Directions:
1. Place the eggs in a sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil.
2. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for seven minutes.
3. Transfer the eggs to a large bowl filled with cold water and let cool.
4. Peel the eggs and mash to the desired consistency mixing in the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, celery and green onions.
5. Assemble sandwich.