Christmas Berry Pie

Christmas is my father's holiday to do all the cooking. He plans weeks in advance, types up a list of the different foods he's going to cook on different days, it's basically a very big deal for him and there are only even, at most, 8 people. This year my mom called and said Dad has you down to bake a pie for Christmas. Well I knew that he had some specific idea of what pie he wanted e to make, so I called him and he requested a "Fruits of the Forrest" pie. This is know in Italian as frutti di bosco. Well lets be honest, with exception of my apple blueberry pie, that is actually a recipe from Emeril, my luck with berry pies hasn't been the best. Even still I wanted to put my own pie together and not just follow a recipe. Below is what I came up with after a few dry runs for my last Sweet Sunday post. Everyone really enjoyed it and it did taste very Christmasy.

Christmas Berry Pie
(this recipe is for a 10 inch pie plate)

Pie crust for a 2-crust pie
10-12oz blueberries (I used 2 small containers)
10-12oz raspberries (2 small containers)
15-18oz blackberries (3 small containers)
3 gala apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp butter

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F. In a medium sized bowl put the apple slices and 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 2 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Toss to coat and let sit.
2. In a large bowl put the blueberries and blackberries, toss with the remaining sugar, lemon juice, flour and spices.
3. Roll out pie crust and place in a pie plate. Layer the apples on the bottom of the crust. Then gently spread a layer of plain raspberries evenly over the apples (They are such a delicate berry that I find this works better that tossing them with everything and gets a more even distribution of the tartness of the berry in each slice of pie)Then carefully pour the blueberry/blackberry mixture on top and spread evenly. Dot with butter and top with 2nd pie crust, crimping the edges and cutting holes to vent.
4. Place on a cookie sheet and into the pre-heated over for 1 hour until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
5. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

We had quite a few desserts to chose from after Christmas dinner and I was pleasantly surprised that everyone chose to try my pie and really enjoyed it. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and is full of lots of tasty food and love from time spent with family and loved ones. Enjoy!

It's a Gingerbread Christmas!

Since all the "kids" in my family are now adults and we don't have any little one's running around yet, Christmas isn't often very child-like or as the same as it was when we were young. My sister decided this year for Christmas Eve we should break out our Gingerbread House mold (from John Wright & Co, can be bought on Amazon, click link on the right to buy it) and each make a house. The minor technicality was that she got home today, Christmas Eve, and the gingerbread is better made at least a day ahead. This left me (with alot of help from Mom) to be the one baking the gingerbread. I started out with a plan to make 4 houses, but over the last two days between other baking and just getting tired of making gingerbread, we ended up with only 3 houses. It ended up working out well because three of us spearheaded a house with one of my brothers coming up with creative ideas to add to each one and just help overall. The photo above is of our little Gingerbread village, below the recipe are detail shots of each of our houses.

Gingerbread House

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
2 Tbsp cold water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1. Cream together shortening, sugar, molasses and water. Sift together flour, spices & salt. Add dry ingredients to shortening mixture and mix well. Chill for at least 1 hour. (dough is very crumbly but it's ok because you press it into the cast iron mold)
2. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease or spray mold with vegetable spray. Press dough into mold. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Let gingerbread cool in mold for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Carefully remove each piece of gingerbread to cooling rack, flat side down.
4. Repeat with to make other side of house, you do not need to bake more people and trees unless you want more. NOTE: It is better to bake gingerbread one day ahead to allow for stiffening.

Royal Icing - the "glue" that holds the house together, it hardens very quickly to allow for easier assembly

3 egg whites at room temperature
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 lb 10x confectioner sugar - sifted

Combine in mixing bowl and mix on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes. Beat until very stiff - you can't over-beat. Store at room temperature

This is my youngest brother's house. I love his NECCO wafer roof!

Mom helped put the pretty bow on the spice ring wreath. I think it makes the chimney.

This is my sister's house. Our brother who was helping us all came up with the idea for the Andes Candy driveway and my sister built a spice ring "Hummer" to sit in it

The back lanai was inspired by her favorite show, "Golden Girls"

This is my house. I used a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off to pipe the roof and the icicles. My brother helped me assemble my house and make it "structurally sound" as he said. He also constructed my from walk with halves of spice rings and Andes Candy tiles.

The Jujubee lights on the roof were my youngest brother's idea and I think they look great. I also love how my marshmallow snowmen turned out.

All in all I think we made some great Gingerbread Houses and had alot of fun while doing it. If you've never made one before I recommend buying this mold as it works really well and is a fun family project. It can also be used to make a chocolate house for any other time of year. Happy Holidays!

Black & White Cookies

For this week's Sweet Sunday I made mini Black & White Cookies. I grew up eating Black & White cookies with my dad. Whenever we'd go to the grocery store we'd always get them. I don't know if it's an Italian bakery thing or a New York thing or what, but it has been near impossible for me to find a good Black & White cookie for a long time. I even got some at the grocery store when I was home over Thanksgiving and Dad just looked at them and said "Why did you waste your money?" The perfect Black & White cookie has hard sugary icing and a cakey cookie, either vanilla or chocolate. Dad and I preferred the chocolate, but the recipe I found was for vanilla and I decided to try it out. This recipe took me twice to get right. The key is to smooth out the edges of the cookie after you drop them onto the cookie sheet. This is to make a nice dome before you bake them, don't assume they'll spread and look ok, because they won't. But if you take the time to touch them up after they are on the sheet, you wont be sorry. Below is the recipe from Epicurious that I followed exactly.

Mini Black & White Cookies
from epicurious.com

Cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg

Icings
2 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 to 6 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Make cookies:
1. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing just until smooth.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed, edges are pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Make icings while cookies cool:

Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl until smooth. If icing is not easily spreadable, add more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as vanilla icing. Cover surface with a dampened paper towel, then cover bowl with plastic wrap.

Ice cookies:

With offset spatula, spread white icing over half of flat side of each cookie. Starting with cookies you iced first, spread chocolate icing over other half.

Cooks' note:
Once icing is dry, cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 4 days.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing just until smooth.

3. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed, edges are pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a rack to cool

4. Make icings while cookies cool: Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl until smooth. If icing is not easily spreadable, add more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as vanilla icing. Cover surface with a dampened paper towel, then cover bowl with plastic wrap.

5. Ice cookies: With offset spatula, spread white icing over half of flat side of each cookie. Starting with cookies you iced first, spread chocolate icing over other half.

6. Cooks' note: Once icing is dry, cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 4 days.

These cookies came out perfectly and looked so nice in my holiday cookie tins, with the grasshopper squares. If you love Black and White's these are authentic and great! If you've never had them make these and you'll love them.

Happy Hanukkah today and Merry Christmas for Thursday (In case I don't get a chance to post again)! Enjoy!

Spaetzle

To go with my Slow Cooker Pot Roast I decided to take a page from my mom and my Grandmother. Mom served spaetzle with her pot roast that inspired mine and when I was home over Thanksgiving my father pulled out a bunch of recipes from my grandmother, one of them was for spaetzle. What is spaetzle you ask? According to Wikipedia (and what I know from my mom) "are a type of egg noodles and small dumplings found in the cuisine of Germany". They are perfect with any kind or beef dish in place of potatoes or rice.

Since it was Saturday and we were taking it easy it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try to make spaetzle from scratch and I liked that I had my grandmother's recipe to guide me. Below is the recipe and she wrote it, with my tweaks in red.

Spaetzle
makes 6 servings
Printable Recipe

2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
water
1/3 cup butter or margarine (not sure anyone still uses margarine, but it's on the card)

1. In a large bowl, using a fork, combine eggs, flour, salt and 1 1/2 cups of water until smooth. Add enough additional water, about 1/4 cup, to form a thick smooth mixture.
2. Into a large pot of boiling water (I used 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1 1/2 cups water), press the batter through a large-holed colander or spaetzle maker. Gently boil 5 minutes, then drain. (I didn't have a large hole colander or a spaetzle maker to I used a method I saw Guy Fieri use on Guy's Big Bite. Place dough mixture on a clean cutting board. Flour both sides of the dough and roll into a long rectangle, approximately 12 by 2-inches and 1/8-inch thick. With pizza cutter, cut into strips, 2-inches in length and 1/4-inch wide. )
3. In a large skillet melt butter and cook until lightly browned but not burned. Add spaetzle and toss to coat well.

I'm so happy I have now added one of my grandmother's recipes to my arsenal. The boy had never had spaetzle before but really liked it. I know, I know the browned butter is completely not figure friendly but it would be a mistake to skip it and not have the nice crunchy & golden pieces of spaetzle. Do it, once in awhile won't hurt and I promise you won't regret it.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

So I'm not sure if anyone knows this, but it's winter and winter is COLD in Toronto. Very cold. It makes me crave comfort food all the time. This past Saturday the boy and I took the day to do very little but sleep in, hang out, and watch movies. We haven't done that since I moved here and were long overdue. I wanted to make us a great dinner that wouldn't require much effort. My brother had mentioned an amazing Pot Roast that my mom made last week, so I called Mom to find out what she did. I took the basic ingredients she used and turning it into my own dish using my slow cooker. Check it out:

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

1 3 lb top sirloin roast
1 cup red wine

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp tomato paste

5 springs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves smashed

1 small onion quartered
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
Salt & Pepper

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over roast. Brown each side of the roast, this should take approx 10 mins to get every side caramelized and browned. Put the roast in the slow cooker liner.
2. Deglaze the pot with the cup of red wine, cooking off the alcohol and getting all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the can of tomatoes and tomato paste to the red wine. Do not cook, just stir to combine. Pour over roast.
3. Add Thyme, bay leaves, onions and garlic to slow cooker and set on low for 5 hours.
4. When cook time is finished, remove roast to a cutting board, strain garlic, onion, thyme and bay leaves from the sauce left in liner. In a sauce pan melt tbsp of butter with tbsp of flour over medium heat until golden brown. Slowly stream in sauce left in the slow cooker, to thicken and make a gravy. Ad salt & pepper to taste.
5. Slice meat against the grain and serve with gravy.

This was the perfect thing for dinner on a cold winter night. It was flavorful and belly warming and oh-so-easy. I had gone to the store looking for a chuck roast but all they had was sirloin, I think this dish would be great with a chuck roast or just about any roast that benefits from a long slow braise. Next time I may chop up some carrots to add to the sauce for a touch more sweetness and richness.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the tasty side dish we had with this. Enjoy!

Peppermint Crunch Bark

I am a day late with my Sunday Sweet Treat. I had a post all set to go, nice photos, good write-up but when I went to taste my creation it was a total bust! What was even worse than missing my Sunday deadline was that the treat was meant for a friend I was visiting today. A friend who lives in a wheat-free home, thus I needed a wheat-free treat and let's be honest with sweet things that's not the easiest to come by. Luckily the Food Network Canada had posted a tasty looking recipe for Peppermint Crunch Bark that is completely wheat-free and something I could whip up this morning! It's also a part of their Monthly Cooking Club Challenge thus giving me the perfect excuse to start participating. Recipe below, my comments are in red.

Peppermint Crunch Bark
from Food Network Canada

17 oz white chocolate (Valrohna), finely chopped (I used Green & Black's Organic White Chocolate)
30 candy canes, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces) (I used 20 candy canes)
7 oz bittersweet chocolate (Valrohna), chopped (I used Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)
6 tbsp whipping cream
3/4 tsp peppermint extract (optional) (I omitted this)


1. Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover with foil.
2. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth (chocolate will feel warm to touch). Remove from over water. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using offset spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture over white chocolate rectangle. Using offset spatula, spread chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.
4. Re-warm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water to 110 degrees F. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes.
5. Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips, and each section diagonally into triangles, or simply break into large chunks! Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Chill in airtight container. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Thank god this turned out perfectly! And look at how nice it looks gift wrapped with some seasonal cellophane and big gold bow.


I highly recommend this for any last minute hostess gifts you have in the next week or so. It takes about an hour and a half to make, but only 30 minutes of active cooking time. It looks good and tastes good and is the perfect Christmas treat.

My first shout out...

My friend Meredith has a blog that specializes in what they call "productive procrastination." Posts include kinds of fun things to check out on the web: games, surveys, videos, just about anything you can think of. AND she also posted a link to Piccante Dolce! My first official shout out! Check out my shout out here and check out the whole blog at New Shiny Object.

Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream

With the cold and snowy weather we've been having in Toronto lately I have been craving all things warm and that includes Hot Chocolate. When I was younger, my brothers, sister and I would go sledding and play in the snow for hours and often times when we'd come in mom would have hot chocolate waiting for us. Depending on what we had in the house there'd be whipped cream or marshmallows or sometimes a candy cane stirrer, something to make it that much more special. And it was always in these great mugs we each had that had an animal at the bottom, mine had a teddy bear. It was so great to drink the yummy chocolate and see the head of the bear poking out as I got near the bottom of my mug. There truly is nothing better when you come in from the cold. I decided to try a recipe that came with my Yummy Soup program and made some fresh whipped cream to go on top. It was so tasty!

Hot Chocolate
serves 4

4 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick, 6 sprigs fresh mint, or 2 split vanilla bean (optional) (I used cinnamon)
10 oz. semisweet or milk chocolate, cut into small pieces
Whipped cream, for serving (optional) (see recipe below)
Chocolate shavings (optional)
Cinnamon to sprinkle on top (optional)

Heat milk to scalding in a medium saucepan. Add cinnamon, mint, or vanilla, if desired. Let steep 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; strain, and return to saucepan. Reheat milk; using a whisk, stir in chocolate until melted and milk is frothy. Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream garnished with chocolate shavings, if desired.


Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream - very cold
2 Tbsp Cointreau

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat on high until stiff, approx 3-4 minutes.


The boozy whipped cream I came up with on my own for a more adult take. The orange flavoring of the Cointreau went so well with the cinnamon in the hot chocolate. I garnished mine with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon too. If you use vanilla in your hot chocolate, I think a whiskey whipped cream would be nice. Of course if you don't want to use any alcohol just a bit of vanilla extract or any other complementary flavoring would be great too. Some people add a touch of sugar to whipped cream, but since it was going on top of the rich Hot Chocolate I opted to go without. This is my favorite kind of recipe because you can add whatever flavorings you like to make it something special. Enjoy!

Classic Italian-American Feast!

One of my all time favorite Italian-American meals is Spaghetti & Meatballs. It is just so heart-warming and some serious comfort food. It snowed here in Toronto most of Saturday so when I finished my Christmas shopping and was trying to think of what to make for dinner, Spaghetti & Meatballs seemed perfect. I wasn't sure when the boy would be done work, which was perfect because the longer the sauce cooks the better AND we already had some ground turkey that needed to be used. I also remembered that we had some Italian sausages in the freezer that would round out my sauce perfectly. It couldn't have worked out better if I had actually planned it. Be advised the measurements are not exact, so just use them as a guide and trust your own personal taste.

Spaghetti Sauce with Turkey Meatballs & Sausage

3 cloves of garlic - minced
1 small onion - roughly chopped
2 tsp or more crushed red pepper flake
2 large cans of tomato puree (using one can of puree and one diced makes for a nice chunky sauce)
1/2 cup red wine
1 lb ground turkey
1/4-1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmigiano
1/4 cup or more dried oregano (separated)
1/4 cup or more dried basil (separated)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 egg
3-4 mild Italian sausage
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper & sugar to taste

1. In a large sauce pot or Dutch Oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once it's hot add the minced garlic, onions and red pepper flake. Saute until onions become translucent and soft, being careful not to brown the garlic.
2. Add the canned tomatoes and lower heat to medium low. Bring sauce to a simmer and add 2 Tbsp oregano, 2 Tbsp basil, fresh cracked pepper (approx 5 turns of the pepper mill) and a bit of salt. Mix in and bring back up to a simmer, add red wine and lower heat to low allowing to simmer while you make the meatballs. Remember to stir is occasionally so it doesn't burn.
3. In a large bowl add turkey, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/4 cup parmigiano, 2 Tbsp oregano, 2 Tbsp basil, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper (4-5 turns of the pepper mill), salt and the egg. Mix ingredients together with your hands until well combined, but being careful not to overwork. Mixture should be a bit sticky and form a ball easily, but not be too slippery or wet. If it's too wet add the remaining parmigiano first and if necessary add more breadcrumbs. If you go overboard adding the dry ingredients and it's too dry, add another egg.
4. Form balls with the meat mixture. I make mine about the size of an apricot or a small plum. 1 lb of meat will make 8 meatballs at this size. Transfer the balls onto a plate or cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to allow them to set.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once heated add the sausages and brown to a golden brown on each side. If the skillet is hot enough approx 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from skillet to a cutting board and cut sausage into 3 pieces. Transfer the sausage pieces to the pot with the sauce.
6. Once the meatballs have set, heat the skillet over medium high heat (if you are using nonstick you shouldn't need any oil, but if you aren't add a Tbsp of olive oil). Transfer the meatballs to the hot skillet, making sure you have room to turn them. Brown meatballs on all sides (approx 1-2 mins per side) and transfer the browned meatballs to the simmering sauce.
7. Raise the heat to medium low to finish cooking the sausages and meatballs, stirring occasionally, approx 15 mins. Taste the sauce and adjust spicing as necessary. I usually add some more oregano and basil here. Then add sugar a teaspoon at a time to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes, not to sweeten it. It's ready to serve after 5-10 more mins on medium low or lower the heat to low and let simmer until you are ready to serve with spaghetti or the pasta of your choosing (I like whole wheat spaghetti).


I recommend letting this sauce cook as long as possible, the longer the meatballs and sausage simmer in the sauce the better it gets. And always taste the sauce as you go so you can adjust the spices to what you like. You can used seasoned breadcrumbs in the meatballs and cut out all the other spices. I generally keep the plain ones in the house so I can spice them according to whatever recipe I am making.

This was a great meal for the boy to come home to after a long day of working on set outside in the snow. It was even better last night for dinner again! When you make this be sure to make enough for leftovers because it's even better the second time. It freezes well too, which is what I am going to do tonight with the rest of our leftovers. Enjoy!

Grasshopper Squares

For this week's Sweet Sunday I decided to make Grasshopper Squares. I love chocolate and mint together and think that this is a great sweet for the season. They are pretty time intensive to make, but if you are home decorating your tree or preparing for guests they are easy to do. No one step takes more that 5-10 minutes, it's the waiting times that make the whole process take long. But I think they are worth it.

Grasshopper Squares
From Epicurious.com

BROWNIE LAYER
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
10 1/2 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not extra-bitter or unsweetened and no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

MINT GANACHE
1/2 cup heavy cream
10 oz fine-quality white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons green crème de menthe
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
1 cup heavy cream
10 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped


MAKE BROWNIE LAYER
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 13- by 9-inch baking pan and line with 2 crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides. Butter foil.

Melt butter and chocolate with brown sugar in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined. Whisk in flour, cocoa, and salt until just combined.

Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake until set and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs adhering, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

MAKE MINT GANACHE
Bring cream to a simmer in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Pour over white chocolate in a bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Stir in crème de menthe and extract and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 1 hour.

MAKE CHOCOLATE GANACHE (I recommend making the Chocolate Ganache once you've put the mint ganache on the brownie layer, because it needs to chill for at least 30 minutes before you can add the chocolate)
Bring cream to a simmer in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Pour over bittersweet chocolate in a bowl. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes.

ASSEMBLE LAYERS
Spread mint ganache over top of cooled brownie in a thin even layer using offset spatula, then chill until firm but still slightly sticky, about 30 minutes.

Spread chocolate ganache over mint and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Lift dessert out of pan using foil overhang. Run a heavy knife under hot water and wipe dry, then trim edges of dessert (1/4 inch off each side). Cut dessert into squares and peel from foil.

COOKS NOTE · Squares keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, chilled in an airtight container 3 weeks. · We recommend Droste unsweetened cocoa and Lindt bittersweet chocolate for this particular recipe.

This recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies, depending on how small or large you cut them. They are quite rich, so small squares are best. The boy isn't a fan of mint but I was pleasantly surprised that he liked them. The chocolate and mint are really well-balanced so you aren't overpowered by either flavor, which is why the boy liked them more that ether of us anticipated. I think the mint adds such a great cool finish which makes these treats taste like winter and Christmas to me. They are perfect as an edible gift or for a holiday party. Enjoy!

Egg Sandwich

Breakfast it my favorite meal of the day and the boy makes the BEST breakfast ever. While we were living 3,000 miles apart I was only able to have his tasty breakfast treats once in awhile, so I would make my version of his egg sandwich. I was craving one this morning and since he had to work today (even though it's Saturday, crazy film business) I made it myself. Here you go:

Egg Sandwich

2 slices of bread (I prefer multi grain, but we only had light rye)
Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese (singles if you have them or slices from a block)
1/2 Roma tomato - sliced
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp butter
2 large eggs
2 strips bacon (I didn't have this today but it's the preferred way to have it)

1. Heat skillet to medium heat. Lay bacon strips in and fry until crispy. Remove to paper-towel lined plate to drain.
2. Put bread in toaster and toast to a night golden brown.
3. As the toast is toasting, keeping just a bit of bacon fat reserved in the skillet heat it over medium low heat. Place eggs in skillet, sprinkle with salt & pepper and cover skillet. Letting eggs cook on low, covered for a few minutes until to desired doneness, I recommend medium.
4. Take finished toast out of toaster, spread mayonnaise on one slice and butter on the other.
5. Assemble sandwich with eggs on buttered toast, top with bacon, tomatoes, cheese and the slice of toast with mayonnaise. Cut in half and enjoy.

The first time the boy made this for me, I said no mayo, but he promised I would like it and I do. It totally adds something extra to the sandwich and you should try it too. I made mine this morning without bacon, but if you have it and want to splurge, go for it. I also used Hellman's Olive Oil mayonnaise, which is my new favorite and just a bit healthier than regular mayo. Enjoy!

Breakfast for dinner

Since I have a slow cooker that is far too big for just 2 people because for it to cook properly it needs to filled with a certain amount of food. My slow cooker hold far more food that 2 people can consume in one sitting. So, we ended up with alot of Carnitas leftovers. Since we don't have a microwave and I don't think I can force Mexican on the boy 2 nights in a row. I decided to do a take on one of my favorite breakfasts, corned beef hash and poached eggs. Since poached eggs are gross cold and I was starving by the time we both were able to sit down to eat, there's no picture. Sorry, but you get the recipe which I think is far more important.

Carnitas Hash
serves 2

1 russet potato - cut into 1-inch dice
1 small onion - diced
1/2 red bell pepper - diced
1 clove garlic - minced
1 1/2 cups of Carnitas at room temperature (or any other pulled or diced meat that's already cooked)
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp (or more) olive oil

1. Heat skillet over medium low heat. Melt butter with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Once pan is heated and butter is melted add potatoes and cover. Let cook on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 mins, checking a stirring occasionally to cook the potatoes evenly.
2. Once potatoes are tender add in onions, garlic & peppers. You will likely need to add the remaining Tbsp of oil here as the potatoes would have soaked it up and you need a bit of oil to make sure things don't burn. Cover and let cook for 5 mins.
3. Add carnitas to pan and gently mix in with vegetables. Turn heat up to medium and let cook for 5 minutes, without stirring. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes, without stirring. This last step is to get a nice crispy crust on the hash. Serve with poached eggs.

Any kind of meat hash is a great way to deal with leftover meat & potatoes. I used raw potatoes, but it comes together even more quickly if you have leftover baked or roasted potatoes. You can also add whatever vegetables you'd like. I've had it with green peppers before, but since I'm not a fan of green peppers I left them out. I like this dish because it's different every time and something you can have fun with.

I could write here how to poach an egg based on what I was planning on doing, but luckily the boy got home and has poached eggs before and took over that job for me. So it just doesn't seem right to pretend I did that myself, although I found these pretty solid directions on wikiHow.

The boy had never had hash and eggs before and seemed to like this. Poached eggs and hash is on my list of ultimate comfort foods and something I wish I had more often. Enjoy!

Banana Cupcakes

My new office doesn't go through bananas nearly as quickly as we buy them. They get all brown and unappealing looking before they're all eaten, so I decided to take the brownest ones home and make a nice treat for the office. I was going to make a banana bread, but thought cupcakes would be more fun. I googled "banana cake" and the first link that came up was "Best Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Ever." I, of course, had to try something that was claiming to be the best and I love cream cheese frosting, so I was sold. I had to tweak the baking times slightly for cupcakes and any other comments are below in red.

Best Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Ever
from Recipe Zaar

CAKE
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
2 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter softened
2 1/8 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

FROSTING
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups icing sugar (I only used 3 cups)

GARNISH
chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan (Place cupcake papers in muffin tin for cupcakes).
2. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with lemon juice; set aside
3. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in banana mixture.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan (fill each cupcake 2/3-3/4 full, I find that the 1/8 measuring cup is perfect for this) and bake in a preheated oven for one hour (25 mins for cupcakes) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 mins. This will make the cake very moist (I completely omitted this step. I just didn't read far enough ahead in the process and had never done this before. Regardless the cupcakes were incredibly moist.)
7. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
8. Spread on cooled cake(s). Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

The boy and I had these right out of the oven and they were great. He loved the cake, but isn't a huge fan of cream cheese frosting. I love it and think it perfectly complemented these cakes.

They have been a hit in the office, luckily! I still have some bananas leftover and am looking for ideas for what to do with them. Please post your favorite banana recipe, sweet or savory!

Carnitas

Ever since I've moved to Toronto I've been craving good Mexican food, specifically tacos. Based on the few times I've tried I've found it's basically impossible and doesn't exist in this city. That being said, I have a list of three or four more places to try and plan to, but with lowered expectations. I've come to terms with the fact that if I want the kind of Mexican I had available to me in LA, I'll have to make it at home. This weekend I bought Ultimate Slow Cooker, it's chock full of interesting slow cooker recipes and a Carnitas recipe that I decided to try first to help with my taco craving.

For those of you that don't know Carnitas (according to Wikipedia) " is a type of braised or roasted (often after first being simmered) pork in Mexican cuisine. It can also be made from beef using a chuck roast, although using pork seems to be the more common method."

I've only ever had pork carnitas and I LOVE it in tacos. The boy had never had it before and loves pork so it was an obvious choice for our house. I used the recipe for a 5-6 quart slow cooker, if you have a 3-4 quart one half all measurements. Below the Carnitas recipe is one for the fresh pico de gallo that I threw together to go on the tacos.

Carnitas
from Ultimate Slow Cooker, a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication

1 4lb boneless pork shoulder roast
2 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
4 tsp cumin seeds
8 cloves garlic - minced
2 tsp dried oregano - crushed
6 bay leaves
3 14 oz cans of chicken broth
4 tsp finely shredded lime peel
1/4 cup lime juice

1. Sprinkle pork generously with salt & pepper. Place in slow cooker
2. To make a bouquet garni, cut a 6-inch square from a double thickness of 100% cotton cheesecloth. Place peppercorns, cumin seeds, garlic, oregano, and bay leaves in center of cheesecloth square. Bring up corners of cheesecloth; tie with clean 100% cotton kitchen string. (I didn't have kitchen string and just cut a larger square and tied the corners into a knot to secure the spices) Add to slow cooker. Add broth.
3. Cook on low heat setting for 10 to 12 hours of on high heat setting for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove pork from slow cooker. Discard bouquet garni and cooking liquid. Using two forks, coarsely shred pork; discard any fat. Sprinkle pork with lime peel and lime juice; toss to mix. Serve with tortillas, sour cream and salsa (or pico de gallo).


Pico de Gallo

1 small onion - diced
2 roma tomatoes - seeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1 handful cilantro - roughly chopped
1 lime - juiced
salt & pepper

Toss first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Taste and salt & pepper accordingly. Let sit for at least 30 mins. Can keep in an airtight container for at least 3-4 days.


I really enjoyed this recipe, and so did the boy. The one thing I would change is I'd hold back from mixing the lime peel & juice with the meat and serve the tacos with lime wedges so people can add lime as they like. Alot of times carnitas is fried up after the braising and pulling to get nice crispy bits all over. If I were to make this on a weekend (when I had more time), I would throw it in a heated skillet to crisp it up just a bit.

I think tacos are best with soft corn tortillas. They are hard to come by here in Toronto and I wasn't thrilled with the ones I finally found, so I may be trying to make homemade tortillas sometime in the near future. If you are able to find store bought soft corn tortillas, make sure to heat them either in the microwave for a quick 10-15 secs or wrapped in a towel in the oven. This brings out the flavor but also makes them more flexible and easier to handle.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!