Peppery Chicken and Pasta

Black pepper, red pepper flakes and sweet red pepper take center stage in this creamy chicken and pasta dish.

Ingredients:

2 tbsps olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 cups cooked chicken, sliced or chopped

2 cups penne pasta

1 small onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

5 or 6 mushrooms, sliced

6 tsps minced garlic

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper (more if you really like pepper)

1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsps oregano

1 cup 35% cream

1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsps pumpkin purée (optional)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet and add the onion, mushrooms and red pepper. Sauté 2 or 3 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, cream, broth and pumpkin (if using).

Then add the chicken and parmesan. Heat through simmering for about 10 minutes while the pasta cooks.

Add the cooked penne to the sauce, tossing to coat.

And ready in under 30 minutes!

Serves 4

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Walnuts and Cranberries

Crunchy toasty walnuts and tart juicy cranberries with just a hint of orange...a burst of flavour in every bite of this sour cream cake. The original recipe called it dessert but I'm totally eating this one for breakfast!

Ingredients:

Cake:

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup full fat sour cream

2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

zest of 1/2 an orange

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

Crumb:

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze:

1 - 1 1/4 cups icing sugar

2 tbsps fresh orange juice

1 tsp vanilla

zest of 1/2 an orange

(Hint: zest the orange while whole then divide the zest in half before juicing it)

Grease a 10" springform pan, place a parchment circle on the bottom and set aside.

For the cake, cream the butter and sugar together and beat for 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and zest and mix well with the wet ingredients. Toss the cranberries with a teaspoon of flour then fold into the batter. Spoon into the prepared pan.

The batter will be thick as you can see. Also, I used frozen cranberries which kind of froze the batter! Had to wait a few minutes before I could spread the batter evenly in the pan.

For the crumb topping mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and walnuts together. Then cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. 

Once the batter defrosts 😉 and can be spread in the pan sprinkle the crumb mix evenly on top.

Bake at 350°F for 75-90 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean, except for a few crumbs.  Cool almost completely before running a thin knife around the sides and popping the ring off. Cool completely on a rack.

Mix the glaze ingredients together and drizzle all over the cake, adding more orange juice if you want it runnier, more icing sugar if you want it thicker.

Don't forget a piece of wax paper under the rack.

Serves 8-10

Original recipe: thedomesticrebel.com

Dirty Chai Shortbread

Need an energy boost? These Dirty Chai Shortbread cookies pack a caffeine punch...black tea and espresso in a tender dough with coffee glaze. These cookies will give you the jolt you're looking for!

Ingredients:

2 tbsps loose dirty chai tea (I used President's Choice brand)

1 cup butter

1/2 cup icing sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt (only if using unsalted butter)

Glaze:

1 cup icing sugar

1 tsp instant coffee granules

1 1/2 tbsps hot water

Start by blending the tea with the butter and let it sit for about 2 hours so the butter becomes infused with the flavour. If you don't have the time to wait that's ok, but the flavour might not be as strong. I cut opened 6 tea bags for 2 tbsps of tea.

Cream the icing sugar into the butter and tea. Add the flour (and salt if using) in 2 or 3 additions. It will be crumbly at first

but after awhile it'll come together to form a soft dough.

Roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness and cut out your cookies. This is a 2" heart. Cover the bowl of dough with a dishtowel while you work with a portion at a time.

Place the cookies on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. I like 12 minutes so they come out just barely golden.

For the glaze mix instant coffee granules with hot water then combine with sifted icing sugar and use right away.

Drizzle the glaze over cooled cookies.

And let set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 28 - 2" heart cookies

Adapted from: livingbettertogether.com

Wine Cork Wreath

We've all been in Covid lockdown or something like that for months now, so I know you've  had a few bottles of wine. And if you haven't there's still time to start... I mean strictly so you can collect corks for this craft 😉🍷

To make this wreath you'll need:

A straw wreath for the base

A bunch of corks (you can always buy a bag at the local winemaking store)

Glue gun and glue

Pinecones

Berries from a dollar store garland

Some bells and a bow

It's pretty simple, just start gluing corks on and around the wreath base. Once you have them all on the front, place pinecones here and there. Then start filling in spaces with berries and bells. And finally add a bow.

I didn't take any in progress pics but here is what the back of the wreath looks like. You can see how the corks are not lined up evenly but are staggered (LOL funny choice of word for winecorks!) around the wreath.

Feed a string through the back of the straw wreath using a darning needle and make a loop for hanging and you're done!

Buffalo Chicken Thighs

This chicken is quite favourful and and we found it to be not too spicy. Of course you control the heat depending on which hot sauce you decide to use....mild or hot🔥hot🔥hot🔥! And you can always temper the heat by tossing the finished thighs in a sweet BBQ sauce.

Ingredients:

9 chicken thighs 

Salt and pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsps hot sauce (or less if you're "chicken")

1/2 cup butter, melted

Sour cream or ranch dressing to serve

Salt, pepper and garlic powder both sides of the chicken pieces and place in a baking dish. Cook in a 350°F oven for 35 minutes. Then combine the melted butter and hot sauce, turn the thighs over, spoon some of the sauce over them and return to the oven for 5-6 minutes.

Remove from oven, flip them again and spoon more sauce on and again place back in the oven for 5-6 minutes.

Using the remainder of the sauce, baste and broil for 3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Keep an eye on it, you don't want burnt buffalo chicken!

Add a cooling  dollop of sour cream and these chicken thighs are ready!

Original recipe from: thesaltypot.com

Steamed Raisin Pudding

Steamed pudding is a traditional British dessert usually reserved for Christmas time. We found this recipe in an old cookbook called Cooking the Caribbean Way where, in the islands, cooking was influenced in part by the English.

1 1/2 oz butter

3 oz sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten 

8 oz flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

8 tbsps soured milk

10 oz raisins, dredged in flour

Simple sauce:

2 parts corn syrup

1 part cream (10% or heavy)

The puddings pictured here were made by my 92 year old Mom so I have no in-progress pictures as I usually like to include.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy then beat in eggs, one at a time.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and soda and add to the wet mixture in 2 or 3 additions alternating with the milk.

Combine well then stir in the raisins.

For a single large pudding turn into a buttered pudding bowl, cover with foil and tie with a string to secure. Steam in a covered pot of water for 3 hours, adding hot water to the pot if necessary.

Alternately, grease a deep muffin tin or mini pudding bowls on a cookie sheet and cover tightly with foil. Stand in a water bath in a 350°F oven and steam for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

For the sauce combine the corn syrup and cream and warm in the microwave. For 2 individual puddings I used 2 tbsps corn syrup and 1 tbsp cream, but if you are serving more increase the amount using 2 parts to one.

Makes 6-8 servings

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Who doesn't like a good cinnamon roll? This double batch of Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls will keep you coming back for more and the recipe makes enough to give some away or freeze for later.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 1/4 cups milk

6 tbsps butter

2 tsps yeast

2 tsps vanilla

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

5 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsps pumpkin spice 

(Make your own pumpkin spice - 2 tsps cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp allspice)

Filling:

1/2 cup soft butter, divided

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsps pumpkin spice (or cinnamon)

Topping before baking:

5 tbsps milk

3 tbsps butter

Frosting:

1 cup cream cheese

6 tbsps maple syrup

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

2 tsps vanilla

1/4 cup icing sugar

Begin the dough by microwaving the milk and butter for 60 seconds to melt the butter. Pour into a large mixer bowl. Using a thermometer check for a temperature of 105-110°F before sprinkling the yeast on top. Leave for 5-10 minutes to activate.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, spices and salt. (Don't forget the salt! I did and had the dough half risen before realizing it!!! I actually put the dough back in the bowl, mixed in the salt and started the rise over again!)

To the milk mixture add the vanilla, eggs and pumpkin, then start adding the flour in 2 or 3 additions. Knead for 7-10 minutes or until the dough comes away from the bowl. 

Turn the oven on for 1 minute (any temperature) then turn it OFF. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and put the bowl in the warmed oven for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Once doubled cut the dough in half and with each half roll out to about 13 X 11" and spread with half the butter for filling. Mix the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice together and sprinkle half over each rectangle of dough.

You can spread it out evenly with the palm of your hand.

Now, from the long end, roll up firmly and pinch the seam.

Mark out the cuts for 9 rolls each. Using a piece of dental floss, place it under the roll, bring up and cross over itself and pull. You'll get a much cleaner cut than using a knife.

Put the rolls in buttered pans, either 8 X 8" square or 9" round, cover with plastic wrap and return to a warm, draft-free area for 20-30 minutes.

While that second rise happens combine the milk and butter for the topping. Microwave until the butter melts. Stir together and just before the rolls are going into the oven brush all the tops with the milk/butter mixture. 

Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.

Cool 5-10 minutes then spread on that ooey-gooey frosting! 

Once they have cooled significantly you can loosen the sides and place a large spatula underneath to lift the rolls out of the pan. Easier done with the square pan.

And there you have it... 18 pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls, ready to eat or freeze.

Yes, these can be frozen with or without the frosting. Simply defrost in the fridge overnight then microwave 20-30 seconds.

They can also be kept in the fridge for 5 days in an airtight container. Microwave 15-20 seconds to enjoyy them!

Adapted from lifestyleofafoodie.com