Roasted Mushrooms and Pearl Onions

I love it when you find a simple recipe that you can make in advanced for a big meal, especially when the dish is full of flavour and a hit with everyone (everyone who likes mushrooms that is).  This recipe is so easy to make and it doesn't need any extras added to it, but if you feel like you need to add more you could always add your favourite fresh herbs or some garlic.  
I did last minute shopping so I ended having to do a mixture of mushrooms because of what was available.  Since I had to get was available I halved or quartered the large ones. I made these on Christmas Eve and then stuck them in the oven on Christmas day to heat up. It turned out great.
Apparently you can get pearl onions in the freezer section at the grocer but I opted to use some fresh ones instead.  The frozen ones would make the prep work faster since you do not have to top, tail and peel them.

Roasted Mushrooms and Pearl Onions

1 1/2 pounds of small, cremini mushrooms

8 oz pearl onions

1 tbsp olive oil

Coarsely ground salt an pepper to taste.

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. In a bowl, toss the onions and mushrooms with salt and pepper.
3. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet.  
4. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender and brown, stirring half way through.  

Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies

Every year I like to try at least one new recipe when I do my Christmas baking.  This year I decided to look for one to help use up left over candy canes because ever year we seem to have some left over ones that do not get eaten off the Christmas tree.  I love the combination of peppermint and chocolate so when I came across a recipe that used them both I knew it was one that I would have to try.
These cookies turned out to be very tasty and like a shortbread cookie.  The time consuming part about this recipe, or anyone using chopped up candy canes in my opinion is the unwrapping the candy canes and chopping them up.  The best way I have found is to chop them in my food processor but then you do get a fair bit of candy cane powder.  Please let me know if you have found a way that works well!

Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp peppermint extract

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup crushed candy canes

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and then add the vanilla and peppermint.
4. In a separate bowl combine the flour, tartar, soda and salt.  Then mix this into the creamed mixture.
5. Stir in the candy cane chunks and chocolate chips.
6. Spoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8 - 10 minutes.

Roasted Garlic and Acorn Squash Strudel

I have been looking for the perfect opportunity to try this recipe for a while now and it finally came.  My inlaws were coming for dinner and they are always up for trying something new. They also don't mind keeping the little one entertained while I work in the kitchen.  Plus they were the ones who grew the squash I used.
This recipe will be a fall staple for me in the future I am sure, especially in years where I have a lot of squash to use up.  I will likely double the recipe and freeze half of the filling for later because it will not add much extra time.  The time consuming part of this recipe is preparing the phyllo for the filling to go into.  Depending on how patient you are and how flakey you like your strudels will be the main determinate in how long the last step takes you.
It is a very versatile strudel that could be use for many different purposes depending on the portion size.  This recipe could easily be adapted to use different types of squash or different spices.

Roasted Garlic and Acorn Squash Strudel

1 head roasted garlic

2 small acorn squash

olive oil

salt and pepper

1/4 cup fresh chopped sage leaves

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

1 cup ricotta

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 box phyllo dough, thawed

1 tbsp butter

3 tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  
2. Cut and gut the squash. Place in a baking dish cut side up and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Have a quarter inch of water in the dish to help prevent the squash from drying out.  Bake for about an hour or until the squash flesh is cooked through (You can roast the garlic at the same time as you bake the squash).
3. Scrape the insides of the acorn squash out with a fork and mash it well with a fork.
4. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the paper into a bowl and mash it with a fork.  
5. Place in a frying pan over medium heat and add the sage leaves.  Fry until fragrant and then add the squash.  Once this mixture is cooked through set it aside to cool slightly.
6. In a bowl, combine the squash mixture, nutmeg ricotta and pine nuts.  Stir well and add additional seasoning if desired.
7. Preheat the oven to 400. 
8. Melt the butter and olive oil together.  On a clean working surface lay out your first sheet of phyllo and brush the butter mixture over it.  Alternate the phyllo and butter mixture until you have about 10 layers.  
9. Spread roughly a third of the squash mixture into the centre of the phyllo.  Make sure to leave about an inch on the edges.  Then roll up from the long side and tuck the ends in.  Transfer onto the baking sheet and repeat with the other two.
10. Bake for 20 minutes or until they are golden and crispy.  

Phyllo Bites

This past weekend my husband and I had our annual wine and cheese potluck and I thought I would try a couple new recipes.  I love those little phyllo bites that you can get and I figured they couldn't be too hard to make.    I decided to find a recipe and make them.
As I was making them, I remembered when I was planning my wedding and meeting with the caterer not understanding why the canapés were so pricey.  The caterer said it is the labour involved in making them that makes them expensive.  After making these phyllo bites I understand, they are pretty labour intensive but they taste great.  I will make them again but not for times when I have a lot of guest to feed.
When assembling these it is not an exact science so don't get too picky about making sure there are exact measurements in each bite.  Just try to have even amounts of the cheese and the preserve of your choice.  Remember not to make these too last minute.  It took me about 20 minutes to assemble 48 bites and then another 15 minutes for them to bake.
*Remember when working with phyllo to keep a damp cloth over the sheets you are not using to prevent them from drying out. 

Phyllo Bites

12 sheets phyllo pastry (thawed)

1/2 cup melted butter

2 cups cream cheese or brie

1 jar of your favourite preserve

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Place one sheet of phyllo on your work surface and using a pastry brush lightly apply the butter.  Repeat with two more sheets.
3. Cut lengthwise into three equal parts and then cross wise into quarters to make 12 squares.
4. Spoon about a teaspoon of the cheese you are using and the preserve onto each square.
5. Gather the corners and sides of each square together and gently twist the top together.
6. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat with each bite.
7. Bake for 15 minutes or until they are a nice golden colour.