Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Posted in MEALS, Slowcooker by Katherine

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 5 hours

Ingredients:

3 large skinless chicken breasts (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup mixed blackberries and blueberries
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup garlic hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion

1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Sliced green onions, for garnish

Directions:

Arrange the chicken breasts in the slow cooker so that they are not overlapping.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, blackberries and blueberries, sugar, hoisin, olive oil, and onion, and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook the chicken on LOW for 4 to 5 hours until the chicken is fully cooked.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the slow cooker (reserving the liquids) and place it on a cutting board. Shred the chicken into smaller pieces.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water.

Transfer the liquids from the slow cooker into the small saucepan set over medium-high heat . Bring the sauce to a boil and cook it until it reduces and has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken, tossing to combine. Serve the chicken topped with green onions.

Serve with rice and broccoli

14May2017

Pizza Buns

Posted in MEALS, Nibbles and Appetizers by Katherine

Pizza Buns

Ingredients

For the pizza bun dough:
2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 cup of quite warm water (120-130° F.)
1 Tbsp. vegetable, canola or any other neutral tasting oil

For the toppings:
350 ml. (12 oz. or 1 1/2 cups) of your favourite pizza sauce
3 cups shredded cheese

Instructions

1.For the dough: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the kneading hook, mix together 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and instant yeast. In a measuring cup, combine the warm water with the oil. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Knead by hand or with the mixer until the dough comes together in a ball and is smooth. It shouldn’t stick to your hands or be dry and crumbly (**add more flour in 1/8 cup increments or more water in Tablespoons, as necessary to achieve this). Grease a bowl and place the dough ball into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 – 45 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

2.Get two baking sheets ready

3.Remove the dough to a floured cutting board. Cut the dough evenly in half. Cut each half in half again. Cut each piece in half again, to make multiple pieces.

4.Rolling: Dust a rolling pin and your rolling surface lightly with flour. Take a piece of dough and roll into a shape about 1/4-inch thick. Place the dough shape onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with each dough ball, placing each on the prepared sheets (you can place them fairly close together as they don’t spread much).

5.Topping: With all your rolled dough on the baking sheets, using a teaspoon from your cutlery drawer (not the measuring kind) top each piece with a heaping teaspoon of pizza sauce (about as much as it will hold) and spread it over the top, going as far to the edges as you can without it going over the sides.

6.Top with a generous amount of cheese. Repeat with all the buns.

6.Baking: Preheat oven to 375° F. Place baking sheets in the centre of the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes (for thin buns – longer if you made fewer, thicker buns). then remove buns to a cooling rack.

6May2017

Quick and Easy No Bake S’mores Pie

Posted in DESSERTS, Sweet and Easy by Katherine

Quick and Easy No Bake S’mores Pie

Ingredients

1 prepared 9 inch graham cracker crust
1 package of instant chocolate pudding
1 tub of Cool Whip
1½ C milk
½ bag mini marshmallows
hot fudge sauce and crushed graham crackers for drizzling

Instructions

Whisk together the pudding and the milk and mix in half of the Cool Whip .

Scrape into the pie crust and then smooth evenly. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

Top with mini marshmallows in a circular pattern, starting from the outer edge of the pie. Repeat the process until the entire top of the pie is covered in marshmallows.

If you like toast the marshmallows with a torch. A creme brûlée torch will work perfect.

Drizzle the marshmallows with the hot fudge sauce and crushed graham crackers.

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3May2017

Creamy Healthy Pasta Salad

Posted in MEALS, Salads by Katherine

Creamy Healthy Pasta Salad

Ingredients

12 ounces cooked pasta
1 cup frozen peas thawed
1 cup sweet corn kernals
1 cup chopped kale
1 cup of steamed broccoli, let cool
1 diced grilled chicken breast

For the Dressing:
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
a ripe avocado
juice of a lime (about 2 teaspoons)
kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to package instructions for al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain the cold water. Pour the pasta in a large bowl.
Toss the pasta with the peas, corn, kale, broccoli and diced grilled chicken.
In a smaller dish mix together the Greek yogurt and avocado. You will have to smash up the avocado, so I usually use a fork to smash/stir. When the mixture is creamy and smooth, squeeze in the lime juice. Stir.
Pour the dressing over the pasta and veggies in the bowl. Stir to coat.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

1May2017

Fresh Homemade Pomegranate Lemonade

Posted in Drinks and Smoothies, MIXOLOGY by Katherine

Juice of 5 Lemons – makes about 1 cup
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of sugar
splash of pomegranate juice

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
2. Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice, and remaining 3 cups water.
3. add of pomegranate juice

20Mar2017

Cadbury Creme Egg Milkshake

Posted in Drinks and Smoothies, MIXOLOGY by Katherine

Cadbury Creme Egg Milkshake

Ingredients

2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup chocolate ice cream
1/2 cup milk

Add whip cream

One Cadbury creme egg

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, beat together the corn syrup and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar.

In a blender, add the ice cream, milk, and the corn syrup mixture. Blend until smooth. Pour into a glass.

Pipe whip cream on top of milkshake.

Crack open the Cadbury creme egg and garnish on top.

12Feb2017

Nana’s Fadgies

Posted in MEALS, Nibbles and Appetizers by Katherine

Nana’s Fadgies

For my Nana-she always had warm fadgies waiting for us after school

Wet Ingredients:
1 c hotish tap water (not boiling)
1 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp yeast

½ c scalded milk (not boiling hot)
¼ c white sugar
¼ c melted lard or vegetable oil

Dry ingredients:
4¼ c white flour
1 Tsp Salt.

Wet ingredients: Using a 2 cup measure, add sugar to hotish water and stir and then add the yeast but do not stir until risen ( about 15 to 20 minutes) and then thoroughly stir until dissolved. Then add milk, extra sugar and melted lard (or oil) and stir. I scald milk and melt lard in microwave at the same time.

Dry ingredients: Put the flour and salt into then Cuisinart, add the Wet Ingredients a little at a time, cover and lock and turn machine on (knead) and when the dough is soft and very elastic, but not sticky. If it is sticky add more flour ¼ cup at a time and knead some more. Form into a ball of dough.

Lightly grease a bowl, place ball of dough in the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise, the dough needs to at least double in size, this should take 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and on a floured surface roll the dough out as pastry to 1 inch depth and cut into squares/triangles or take small amounts and make into balls. Place onto ungreased (or very, very little greased) baking trays and again cover with clean tea towels, place in a warm area and leave to rise for 30 to 40 minutes, the bread should again double in size.

Preheat oven bake 425 degrees and bake for approx 10 to 14 minutes and then place on a wire tray to cool.

For pizza crust:
1.5c luke warm water
1 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp yeast

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