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.

Mark Bittam's Autumn Bake

On my desktop I have a folder for recipes I would like to try and when ever I come across one that I would like to try I save a copy of it in there.  Today I was looking for a particular recipe I plan on making tomorrow for dinner and I came across this one.  I opened it because I couldn't remember what exactly was in it and it turned out I had everything I needed for it on hand so it became tonight's supper.
I must admit, I have never heard of Mark Bittam before seeing this recipe but I really liked how it turned out so I am might look for more of his recipes in the future.
Don't worry if you don't have any millet because it would work well with other slow cooking grains such as barley.

Mark Bittam's Autumn Bake

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup millet

1 medium winter squash; peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup cranberries

salt and pepper

1 tbsp minced sage leaves

2 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1 cup vegetable stock, warmed

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and oil a 2 quart casserole dish.
2. Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil.  When it is heated add the millet and stir it as the millet becomes fragrant and turns a golden brown.  Remove from the heat and place as a layer on the bottom of the casserole dish.
3. In a bowl, toss together the squash, cranberries, sage, salt and pepper.  Once thoroughly mixed spread on top of the millet.
4. Drizzle the maple syrup on top and then pour the warmed stock over top.  Cover with a lid or tightly with tinfoil and bake undisturbed for 45 minutes.
5. Remove the cover and increase the oven temperature to 400.  Have a taste to see if you need to alter the seasoning or add extra water for the millet to finish cooking.  Bake for about another 10 minutes (or until the millet is cooked through).

Curried Pumpkin Soup

Growing up my aunt and uncle would have a big pumpkin carving party at their house and one of my favourite things about this party was enjoying my aunt's curried pumpkin soup.  It was always so flavourful and creamy.  I still had some pumpkins to use up so I thought I would make a batch now that  the colder weather has come to stay.  I was having some friends over and found a dairy free recipe so everyone could eat it.  The blend of spices in this recipe were wonderful, especially on the second day.
If you are new to cooking with pumpkins, the best ones to get are the proper sugar or baking pumpkins as they are tastier than the other varieties.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

2 onions, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp ground cardamin 

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried hot red pepper flakes (more if desired)

4 cups pureed sugar pumpkin pulk

4 cups water

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 can coconut milk

1. Cook onions in olive oil over a medium-low temperature, stirring occasionally, until they are tender.  Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1 minute.  Add the spices and continue stirring for another minute.
2. Add the pepper flakes, pumpkins, water, broth and coconut milk.  Allow the soup to simmer over low heat for half an hour, stirring occasionally. 
3. Use a blender to puree the soup in batches.

Vegan Butterscotch Blonde

This recipe is based off another recipe I have posted before (Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake) but altered a little bit so it is something my sister can enjoy without having her allergens in it.  This experiment turned out very well, even my grandmother wanted the recipe so she could make it for her friends who were coming over to play bridge the following well.
I really like this recipe because there is not much mess to clean up and the food processor does most of the work for you.  Even though it is gluten free and vegan it tastes great. Most people won't believe you when you tell them what it is made up of.
I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!
You can make this recipe without adding the white sugar and it still tastes great.

Vegan Butterscotch Blonde

1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 bananas

3/4 cups white sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
2. Place the butterscotch chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until the butterscotch is melted and smooth. If you have a powerful microwave, reduce the power to 50 percent.
3. Combine the beans and bananas in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted butterscotch and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
4. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.