Vinaterta - Traditional Icelandic Christmas Cake

This delicious cake brings back so many wonderful childhood memories and made me feel like Gramma Wow was celebrating Christmas with us this past year. It's a bit time consuming to make, but the delicious taste and smiles on everyone's faces made the effort well worthwhile. I can't wait to make it again this Christmas.
Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Filling

2 ½ cups pitted prunes (1 lb/ 454 g)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cardamom

Layers

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (or more if needed)

3 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

½ cup milk

Almond Icing

1 cup icing sugar

1 Tbsp butter, softened

1 ½ tsp milk

1 ¼ tsp almond extract

Cream ingredients together, in a small mixing bowl.

INSTRUCTIONS

To prepare filling:

1) Place prunes in a saucepan and add enough water to cover.

2) Bring to a boil, simmer until prunes are very soft and most of the water has evaporated.

3) Put through a food mill or blender.

4) Add sugar and cardamom, stir to combine and set aside to cool.

To prepare layers:

1) In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.

2) Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3) Measure and combine dry ingredients; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture.

4) If dough is sticky, add a little more flavor to make rolling our easier.

To assemble:

1) Divide dough into 8 equal portions.

2) On a floured surface, roll each out into a 8 inch round (we made 6 layers…. we set a large dinner plate on top of the dough and traced around the plate with a knife.)

3) Dough should be very thin, about ¼ inches in thickness. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet.

4) Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden and done.

5) Cool on a wire rack.

6) Assemble by spreading a thin layer of prunes over each layer.

7) Top with your best looking one.

8) The layers will be crisp but will soften with the filling.

9) Top with almond icing, letting it ooze down the sides.

10) Chill before cutting & serving

*Special thanks to the ArmChairChef for helping me re-discover this wonderful childhood family favourite.

Curried Ground Turkey with Potatoes

Make this recipe right now!
Curried Ground Turkey with Potatoes

MMMM Potatoes

Roasted Potatoes with sea salt & thyme

Sometimes simple is best... made these potatoes last night for my ladies-night dinner and they were a hit. Used fresh thyme from my herb garden - delish! Will definitely make again.

The Studio Foodie: Strawberry Basil Jam

Made this yesterday - incredible! Strawberry & Basil flavours are long-lost soul mates.

The Studio Foodie: Strawberry Basil Jam: "CSA VEGGIES CAME TODAY!!! CSA VEGGIES CAME TODAY!!!! [insert vegetable-fueled ear splitting shriek here] Can we talk about how excited I ..."

Moroccan Dinner

Too tired to post the full recipes or photos, but wanted to make a note of these 3 excellent Moroccan recipes. Everything pairs so well together. Much of it can be made-ahead, making it the perfect meal for company.

Moroccan Carrots
... I served these warm, but they taste great at room temperature too

Moroccan chicken
... I left out the prunes, browned the chicken in a pan with olive oil and then put everything in the crock pot for 4 hours to slow-cook. Instead of using lemon and orange rinds, I just set everything on top of a bed of full wheels of lemon and orange in the bottom of the slow cooker. The mint and lemon juice before serving is a must!


Moroccan Chickpea Barley Salad
... One of my fave salad recipes of all time. This is only the second time I've made it, but I simply adore the fresh flavours.

Potatoes
Tonight, I also added roasted potatoes to the meal as 'filler' to make sure everyone was nice and full... used my standard olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika... yum :-)

Chicken Cacciatore

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Cup chopped onions
3 Cups sliced mushrooms
2 Cans whole tomatoes (I prefer no salt added)
1 Can tomato paste
1/2 Cup dry white wine
1.5 tsp dried basil
1.5 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt (I prefer kosher salt)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

4 servings of uncooked spaghetti, linguini, egg noodles or the rice of your choice

Preheat oven to 300 F

Combine all ingredients (minus the pasta/rice) in a large bowl and mix well.
Transfer mixture to a small roasting pan or large casserole dish.
Cover and bake for 2 hours or until chicken is very tender

Ten minutes before cooking time has ended, prepare pasta or rice according to directions.

Serve chicken & sauce mixture over hot pasta or rice.

Serves 4.

Credit: This recipe is a variation on Chicken Catcha Tory from the LooneySpoons cookbook.

Coconut Encrusted Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup coconut flakes
• ½ cup flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp of virgin olive oil
• 1 bag/8 cups of mixed salad greens or spinach
• 2 avacados, diced
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp mayo

Directions:

Rinse chicken under cool water and pat dry using a clean kitchen towel or parchment. On a chopping board, cut the chicken into strips somewhere between ½ an inch and an inch thick. Set aside. In a shallow dish, combine coconut flakes, flour and salt and pepper. In a bowl, crack eggs and beat lightly. Dip the chicken strips first in the egg and then roll in the coconut/flour mixture. Heat the oil in the pan over medium-high heat and sauté the chicken strips until the exterior turns a golden brown and the inside is no longer pink. keep warm on a baking sheet in the oven on low until ready to serve.

Chop and combine all other ingredients to make the salad.

Mix dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, honey and mayo together vigorously to create salad dressing. Toss with salad and divide onto 4 plates.

Remove the chicken from oven and place atop salad bed. Drizzle with any remaining dressing and salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

*Note: this is a variation on this recipe from Mark's Daily Apple blog.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Mark seriously LOVES biscuits. When Saturday and Sunday mornings roll around, he typically requests it when I ask what to make for breakfast.

For a while, Bisquick became a pantry staple for us so that we would always have a quick and simple way to get Mark's fave breakfast on the table. When I discovered how simple it is to make them from scratch, I banished the Bisquick from my pantry.  Ever since, I've been in search of the perfect biscuit recipe and this morning I'm happy to say that I found it. They're best when served-up with a fine selection of Jams for a deliciously satisfying breakfast, although you could have them on the side of any dish (doesn't have to be breakfast).

I often intend to make biscuits as a small part of a much larger breakfast (eggs, hashbrowns, etc...) but it usually just ends up being biscuits and jams (which the hubby seems to be more than OK with).

Here's the glorious recipe - enjoy!!



Buttermilk Biscuits

• 2 cups all purpose flour (although I prefer healthier 'whole wheat' flour, this is nor the time or place for it - it's too heavy for these light & flaky biscuits - use all purpose bleached, or unbleached)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
• 3 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening, chilled
• 1/2 cup cup cold milk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (I don't know about you, but I NEVER have this on hand... see below for the easy DIY substitute)
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and make sure the rack is in the center of the oven.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Add butter and with 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter and shortening until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in the cold milk and buttermilk and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened - the key here is to NOT over-mix. Gather the dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured work surface.

Roll the dough into a 4" by 10" rectangle. Brush lightly with the melted butter. Fold the dough in half and roll to about 1/3 inch thickness. (This step is KEY - it ensures that you don't have to cut the biscuits in half to eat them - they just break apart so you can spread-on the delicious jams).

Cut-out the biscuits with a round cutter, flouring the cutter in between cuts. Make sure that you press straight down with the biscuit cutter so your biscuits will have straight sides. Handle the dough carefully, as it's quite delicate.

Place biscuits side by side, touching each other on an ungreased cookie sheet. For fancy biscuits, you can brush the top with beaten egg whites and sprinkle coarse sugar on top. I only do this for extra-special occaisions.

Bake at 425 degrees for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with a fine selection of fresh jams, jellies and/or marmalades. If you're in Ontario, or if you care to buy your jams online, I highly recommend Greaves Jams. Mark and take a trip to Niagara on the Lake at least twice a year to stock-up on our fave flavours.

To keep the biscuits warm while eating, I usually put a clean tea towel in a a basket, place the biscuits inside the tea towel, and keep covered while at the table as we eat them one by one. This keeps the biscuits fresh and warm so that each one is melt-in-your-mouth delicious! yummy yum yums!

 

Buttermilk Substitute

Making a recipe that calls for buttermilk? Use this simple substitute, and you won't need to buy any:

• Milk (just under one cup)
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice

Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line. Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.

 

 

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

I came home to a very hungry husband today, and we both got home relatively late. Spice had busted-out of her crate houdini-style and had peed all over the floor in the basement. Hubby cleaned the pee while I started dinner, then he joined me in the kitchen to help fetch items from the fridge (I love having kitchen help, especially when it's from him!)

Because we were both so hungry, we whipped-up some quick sandwiches. (In my own humble opinion, sandwiches can be so underrated as a dinner-meal!)

I've never made Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches before, but they certainly are delicious!! Whenever I have a craving and an itch to make something new, I do what I always do and search my Google Reader for recipes from my fave food blogs. Todays inspiration came from We are not martha.com.

Enjoy!

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced 
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 mushrooms, you guessed it, thinly sliced
Splash of Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic, minced 
1 small tomato, sliced
2 grilling steaks, thinly sliced
2 fresh kaisers
Your favourite BBQ sauce 
Worcestershire sauce
Sliced Mozzarella cheese 
Salt & Pepper
Butter or margerine

Warm a large non-stick frying pan over med-high heat, add a splash of olive oil, once heated add sliced pepper, onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until caramelized (aprox. 6 minutes)

Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste, stir and push your veggies to the side in the pan. Add sliced steak, splash of BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir together and cook until steak is medium-rare. Gather everything in the pan into one section of the pan and lay cheese slices on top to melt slightly.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven broiler, cut and butter the kaisers and toast until desired crispiness.

Lift steak & veggie mixture from pan and place on toasted buns. Top with sliced tomatoes and enjoy the sandwich while warm. Yummy!

Drink selections for tonight were a "Three Brewers India Pale Ale" (courtesy of the Canadian Beer Awards judging this past weekend - his of course) and a Jackson Triggs Proprietors Selection Cabernet-Merlot (hers). I tasted the beer and it was far too hoppy for me - tasted more bitter than earwax (don't ask how I got to that comparison!) Won't be trying IPAs again for a while I guess... yuk. The cab-merlot was just fine.

 

Salad to die for

Salad... it doesn't always sound very exciting... usually reminds you that there is a healthier alternative (when you're eating out, saying "I'll have the salad" vs. the fries usually isn't as satisfying and can just sound BLAH- insert picture here of wilty iceberg lettuce, over-ripe tomatoes and too-strong house dressing). Here's a scrumptious example of a salad that can wipe-out negative salad connotations for good. No salad has ever made my mouth water quite like this one does.

I feel I need to preface this recipe by crediting that many of my recipes are inspired by the charming, wonderful and talented Michael Smith. I own two of his marvelous cookbooks and watch his show religiously. My pantry shelves are lined with mason-jar filled pantry staples and I daydream about it someday being a walk-in pantry like his with well lit shelves stocked with exotic, flavourful ingredients. This recipe is a not-too-far departure of his 'Southwestern Bean Salad' from The Best of Chef at Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOUTHWESTERN BEAN SALAD (to die for)
3/4 Cup   Olive oil
1/3 Cup   Red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp     Dijon mustard
1 Tsp       Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp     Honey
2 Cups    Canned mixed beans (rinse well to get rid of can-gunk)
2 Cups    Canned black beans (again, rinse well... I find that throwing them in a colander and running under cool water for a few mins works well)
1 Cup      Cooked corn (from frozen, or cut off the cob)
1 Red bell pepper, diced
1 Basket of cherry tomatoes, halved (I used 1/2 yellow grape tomatoes and 1/2 cherry tomatoes - both from my garden  yummy!) 
1/2 Large red onion, finely diced
1 Jalapeno pepper, finely diced  (also fresh from my garden - did I mention yummy?)
A bunch of fresh cilantro, minced
A Sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large salad bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, hot sauce and honey. Add the beans, corn, pepper, tomatoes, cilantro, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Season to taste. Serve immediately or rest for a few hours.

Tip - Try grilling the bell pepper, corn, and red onion for a spin on southwestern flavour. Also, try serving with blackened chicken skewers.

 

WINE 
I fully admit that I know nothing about wine or wine and food pairings. What I do know however, is what I like and I know that I simply CANNOT get enough of the new Open Sauvignon Blanc. Drank 2 bottles in the past 2 weeks and just finished off bottle #2 this evening. I will be sad not having it tomorrow with dinner.