Category: Cooking

Preserving, Cooking, Food, From-Scratch Food, Winter

Cranberry Christmas Jam

by shannonleger
Cranberry Christmas Jam

We just had a dumping of snow here in New Brunswick and it’s a marshmallow world outside my window. My view of my backyard this morning is picture postcard perfect. My chicken coops and shed are covered in a blanket of white. It’s around this time of year I yearn to get out for walks in the woods, and breathe in that fresh, crisp air and then come home and have a piping hot coffee or tea to warm up. You know what goes wonderfully with a piping hot drink? A fresh scone or biscuit or jam-jam loaded with this delicious holiday spread! Ruby red and spiced perfectly with those familiar warm spices of cinnamon and cloves, this jam makes for a wonderful hostess gift along with fresh baked goods or a scone mix to make on their own. Or simply for you and your family to enjoy and serve to your holiday guests.

Cranberry Christmas Jam

Cranberry Christmas Jam

shannonleger
Sweet spiced jam with a definite tang of cranberries. Cloves and cinnnamon provide the perfect accompaniment to the tangy cranberries and sweet strawberries that are the main flavours of this festive jam.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 6 250ml jars

Equipment

  • 1 water bath canner
  • 6 250ml mason jars

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 box powdered pectin

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot combine cranberries, strawberries, orange juice and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once cranberries begin to pop, use a potato masher or immmersion blender to smash fruit. It does not need to be puréed. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, cloves. Cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.
  • Stir pectin into the mixture, stirring constantly. Bring jam to a rolling boil and cook 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and skim foam. Pour into 6 sterilized jars leaving about 1/4 inch headspace. Seal and place into a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove from canner without tipping jars and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours before storing.
Keyword Breakfast, canning, christmas, cranberry, Jam, preserving, strawberry
Fresh cranberries picked from our backyard bog

I feel so lucky to have a little cranberry bog steps away from my house. It’s obviously always been there and I’ve lived here for 27 years now. My husband discovered it several years ago now just by coincidence. He was looking at an area of the yard along our property line that goes along our neighbours side yard because we have had a lot of water just sitting in the backyard after a heavy rain or in the spring when the snow melts. He was contemplating how to address the situation when he came upon these beautiful little crimson gems. We’ve enjoyed picking them together each fall to freeze for homemade cranberry sauce and desserts. Now I’ve found another wonderful way to enjoy them! I hope you will enjoy making and eating this jam as much as we have!

Food, Cooking, From-Scratch Food

Gourmet Burger Craving!

by shannonleger
Gourmet Burger Craving!

My 10 year old son has been wanting a good juicy gourmet style burger. So yesterday I gave in and made some for the family. I got a large package of ground pork for half the price of the same sized package of ground beef. It’s still so crazy to me how costly beef is these days, but everything has gone up in price hasn’t it? I hope we see a stabilization of prices in the days to come, but I’m not holding my breath. I digress……back to the subject at hand. I was able to score La Fournée Dorée brioche burger buns with sesame seeds from Superstore for half price by shopping Flash Food. I love using an artisanal style bun for these as you need something a little more stable and larger in size to hold the bigger, thicker patty and the toppings. With the savings on the two main components of these burgers, the pork and the buns, I was able to feed my family of four for about $1.25 a burger!!! I added a vegetable salad from the grocery store deli for 50% off, around $6 (also purchased via Flash Food) bringing our total to about $10 for the total four serving meal. Far cry from the cost of four gourmet burgers from the local gourmet burger joint and this included a side. I adapted a recipe I’d saved from a Hello Fresh box we’d enjoyed years ago and made a lower calorie, lower fat version.

Southern Pork Burgers

shannonleger
Juicy pork burgers with a fried onion BBQ sauce, spinach and pickles served on a brioche bun
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 2 frying pans
  • 1 Mixing bowl
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 cookie sheet

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 4 brioche buns, split and toasted
  • 5 tbsp butter
  • 4 dill pickles, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1/4 cup bbq sauce
  • baby spinach
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Set broiler to high. To the ground pork, add Dijon mustard, milk, salt and pepper. Mix together and form four large patties.
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and add pork patties. Fry until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side depending on thickness until they reach 180 degrees F on a thermometer. As the patties are cooking, heat 1 tbsp of the butter in another pan. Add chopped onions and cook until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add bbq sauce and stir together.
  • Spread 1/2 tbsp of butter on each bun half. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes watching not to burn.
  • Spread bbq sauce onion mixture on bottom bun, top with baby spinach, a pork patty, pickle slices. Serve.
Food, Cooking, From-Scratch Food, Winter

Savoury Cream of Mushroom Soup

by shannonleger
Savoury Cream of Mushroom Soup

Here in my little corner of the world, it’s snowing……again. I can’t complain, the past little while the weather has been unseasonably warm and springy. I’ve been feeling spoiled because I really don’t enjoy winter so today is a good dose of reality. I mean, we live on the East Coast of Canada, where weather is often tumultuous. On days like today, I go right for the soup pot! There’s nothing more comforting on a blustery day than a nice homemade soup full of hearty meat, veggies or in this case, mushrooms! I hope you’ll give it a try! Let me know how it turns out, it’s a pretty simple soup to throw together yet it feels like a classy meal when paired with a nice glass of wine and some artisanal bread or baguette. I served mine with homemade biscuits for a more old fashioned hearty meal vibe.

Hearty, earthy, creamy homemade mushroom soup

Savoury Cream of Mushroom Soup

shannonleger
A rich creamy mushroom soup with a deep earthy full flavour.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings

Equipment

  • 1 Medium soup pot
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 Chopping knife

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 pounds Fresh Bella brown mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 tsp savoury summer or winter savoury
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Chopped fresh parsley to serve if desired

Instructions
 

  • Heat butter and oil over medium heat until melted together. Add onions and saute until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
  • Brush dirt off mushrooms (I also give a rinse under the tap), slice and add to pan. Add half the savoury and cook for approximately 5 minutes until mushrooms are browned and softened. Add white wine and continue to cook another 3 minutes.
  • Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture, mix well until no lumps of flour remain and add stock. Bring mixture to a simmer stirring often so the flour doesn’t burn. Season with salt and pepper and reduce heat to low-medium. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened.
  • Reduce heat to low and add heavy cream. Stir to combine and adjust seasonings to taste or seasonings can be added at the table. Stir in remaining savoury. Top with fresh parsley if desired.
Food, Cooking, From-Scratch Food, Winter

Hearty Beef Stew

by shannonleger1 Comment on Hearty Beef Stew
Hearty Beef Stew

The other day we had a storm here in the east and it felt like the perfect day to spend time in my kitchen making a hearty beef stew. I crave the deep rich flavours this time of year, don’t you? I found a great recipe online and modified it based on herbs I had on hand and a few other veggies that weren’t in the recipe that I’d been craving for awhile got added in. It turned out perfectly! It made lots, the original recipe said 6 servings but we ate 5 that evening and there were at least 4 hearty servings leftover. I took it to my parents’ the next day and shared the love.  My Dad hasn’t been feeling well but his appetite remains robust so I know it was much enjoyed by both Mom and Dad. One of my love languages is definitely sharing food, when I don’t know what else to do, I head to the kitchen to make food for those I love! If you ever receive food from me, know that you’re on the top of my list of special people whom I care for deeply. 

Hearty Beef Stew

Hearty Beef Stew

shannonleger
A deliciously hearty beef stew filled with melt in your mouth chunks of sirloin and a selection of nutritious root vegetables.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 People

Equipment

  • 1 large cast iron Dutch oven
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 Liquid Measuring Cup
  • 1 Large chopping knife

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat (I used sirloin)
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 8 cups beef (or chicken) stock or homemade bone broth
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pound potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks
  • 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups Turnip (rutabaga), peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 4 cups cabbage, sliced into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup Frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp corn starch

Instructions
 

  • Mix together first four ingredients. Set aside.
  • Heat olive oil in the Dutch oven and add stew beef in 2 batches being careful not to overcrowd. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of the seasoning mix above. Cook until browned. Remove to a dish and set aside.
  • Add additional olive oil to the pan if needed and add onion, celery, and garlic. Cook on medium heat being careful not to burn the garlic. Once onion is translucent, add tomato paste and stir well. Turn to medium high heat and add broth, Worcestershire sauce, spice mix and bay leaf to the pot and bring to a boil. Add beef chunks, and bring back to a boil. Reduce to low, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
  • Add potatoes, carrots turnip and cabbage.and bring to a boil once again. Reduce to low, cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until vegetables are fork tender. Add peas.
  • Combine cornstarch and remaining water and slowly add to pot. Stir well and simmer until thickened. Be sure to remove bay leaf before serving.
Cooking, Food, From-Scratch Food, Spring, Winter

Shrove Day Pancakes

by shannonleger
Shrove Day Pancakes

It’s Shrove Tuesday! Do you eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday? I have for years and especially now that I have two little boys, it’s a favourite meal in our home. Do you know the history behind why we celebrate Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday? Well, it goes back a long way to Anglo – Saxon times when Christians would confess their sins to a priest and be ”shriven” or absolved by the priest for said sins. Shrove Tuesday is the feast celebrated prior to Lent which is the 40 days leading up to Easter. The 40 days reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus when he spent 40 days in the desert. To mark this time, Christians give up something important to them or enjoyed by them for 40 days. Often, this is a sweet indulgence like chocolate or a fatty favourite treat like baked goods or fried foods. To use up the fatty, sweet ingredients around the house that may tempt, pancakes were traditionally made. They generally require eggs, butter, milk and sugar so they really are the perfect meal for this time.

Also known as Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, it marks the beginning of Mardi Gras which is a time of festivity and indulgence again celebrated prior to Lent and the last time meat and other fatty foods are eaten until after Lent is over.

I’m not a huge fan of fluffy pancakes. I know that’s probably not the popular opinion on pancakes, haha! I also don’t love a paper thin pancake and I don’t enjoy pancakes made with a mix. This recipe for homemade pancakes is perfect as it makes a tender pancake that puffs up a bit but is not too thick and cakey.

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes

shannonleger
Homemade pancakes, a perfect meal for Shrove Tuesday.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 10 Large Pancakes

Equipment

  • 1 non-stick frying pan or griddle
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 large bowl

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tsp salt
  • 1/4 Cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 Cups milk
  • 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Cup water (or less)

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl or in a blender whisk together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder. Beat eggs and add to dry mixture along with milk, oil and enough water to make a thick batter that can be easily poured.
  • Pour approximately a 1/2 cup of batter into a hot greased pan or griddle and cook until the batter bubbles, then flip over and cook another 2 minutes or so until both sides are nicely browned.
  • Put oven on warming option if you have it or around 140 degrees F. Place cooked pancakes on a plate or tray covered with foil in the oven to keep warm until served.
Keyword Breakfast, Pancakes, Shrove Tuesday Pancakes
Cooking, Food, From-Scratch Food

Big Bad Boy Calzones

by shannonleger
Big Bad Boy Calzones

Isn’t the weather absolutely glorious today? I’ve begun thinking about spring cleaning (gasp)! One day of nice weather is all it takes. I cleaned out under my kitchen sink, reorganized, moved my garbage can out from under there and purchased a new garbage can and a couple new plastic baskets to hold our paper and plastic recycling. That should do me for a couple weeks until I really go all out and clean house from top to bottom. Some more purging may happen this year as well. I got rid of a couple trunk loads the spring before last and another trunkload a couple weeks ago. Can you believe that about a day after I donated my trunk load of stuff, our local Value Village where I’d donated, caught on fire and closed for an undetermined period of time. So terrible. Many folks laid off with no idea when they will be able to return. So much waste too as I’m sure all of what was in the building would have to be disposed of due to water and smoke damage. I truly loved shopping that store for thrift buys. Mostly things for the home, dishes and books. Do you enjoy thrifting? I honestly think I’d continue to thrift no matter how much money I made. It’s not so much about the cost as the adventure of the hunt and the excited, elated feeling of finally finding that item you’ve been searching for, for so long! But I digress!

When you’re busy spring cleaning (or thrifting) you’re going to need some sustenance and it’s gotta be pretty easy to put together, right? Well, I have the thing for you! Last week I made these jumbo calzones and they were SO good! I love anything that starts with homemade bread so this was right up my alley! I think it would be up your alley too, haha, you gotta try them! Every time I make these I marvel at their beauty and I say to my boys (and husband) “Hey, look boys! Look at these big bad boys!” That’s how I ended up creating this recipe for Big Bad Boy Calzones. The calzones start with a double recipe of my Quick Mixing Pizza Dough.

Calzone on a white plate with utensils

Big Bad Boy Calzones

shannonleger
Golden jumbo calzones that are filled with pizza toppings and baked to perfection with a chewy interior and crusty exterior.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rising Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8

Equipment

  • 1 Large mixing bowl
  • 2 baking sheets
  • 1 Rolling Pin

Ingredients
  

  • 2 batches of Quick Mixing Pizza Dough See link to recipe in above post
  • 1 Cup pizza sauce
  • 1 Cup pepperoni
  • 4 Italian sausages cooked and sliced or removed from casing and crumbled
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 Cup fresh mushrooms, sliced You can also use 1/2 of an 8 oz can of mushrooms
  • 3-4 Cups mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 2 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 Tbsp Dried parsley
  • 1/2 Cup parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Make pizza dough using the recipe for Quick Mixing Pizza Dough (x2). Cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour.
    Pizza dough for calzones
  • After dough has risen for 1 hour, punch down and divide into 8 equal parts. Form each into a ball and roll to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
    Pizza dough rolled into 1/4 inch thick circles
  • Spread pizza sauce on half of each circle. FIll with onions, mushrooms, peppers, meats and top with approximately 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Fold over dough to create a pocket, brush a bit of water along bottom edge of dough to seal and pinch or roll edges together. Repeat for remaining calzones.
    Filled calzone
  • Place calzones on parchment lined baking sheets (4 to a sheet) and cut vent holes in tops. Brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle with kosher salt, parsley, and approximately 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Sprinkle parmesan over shredded cheese.
    Cheese topped calzone ready for the oven
  • Bake at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes.
    Interior of calzone filled with pizza toppings
Keyword Adult Pizza Pocket, Calzone, Jumbo Calzone
Food, Cooking, From-Scratch Food

Air Fryer Crab Rangoon

by shannonleger
Air Fryer Crab Rangoon

Happy snowy Saturday! We are in the early stages of a nor’easter here in Eastern Canada. The snow is coming down at a good clip and the flakes are so small, I just know we are in for a lot of snow. We are cozied in, have all our storm snacks ready and the hubby is out getting more gas for our generator. We have a BBQ planned for dinner this evening, just going to keep it really simple with hotdogs and hamburgers. I think I’ll whip up a garlic aioli for the burgers…..with my handy dandy Epicure mix. It’s so good!

Speaking of so, so good, I had been wanting to make Crab Rangoon for years and I finally took the plunge and made a big batch of them a few days ago! They were superb! I was honestly surprised at how easy they were to make, albeit a little time-consuming to put together. I really enjoyed the process of folding the little wonton wrappers around the rich, creamy filling. I cooked the rangoons in batches in my air fryer which made the whole cooking process quick and clean, and the end result a little less guilt inducing. They do get a coat of vegetable oil but they aren’t immersed and fried in the oil so definitely a little less calorie and fat laden.

This is a recipe that would be fun to make with your family. Kids would love to help form the rangoons, its the type of recipe where an assembly line set-up works well. One person to set out the wrappers (not all at once, or they tend to dry out making them difficult to work with), one to place the filling, one to wet the edges, one to fold the rangoons, one to brush with oil, you get the idea.

To make the Crab Rangoons start with a softened block of cream cheese and an 8oz package of chopped imitation crab (or you can use the real thing of course!). Add in chopped baby spinach, finely chopped onion and worcestershire sauce. Traditionally, rangoon recipes have chopped green onion but I instead added a couple tablespoons of finely chopped onion and a couple tablespoons of baby spinach for colour as I didn’t have green onions on hand. I loved the mix and knowing the extra vitamins and nutrients were in there from the spinach. I placed a teaspoon of filling in the center of each wonton wrapper and gathered the four corners together in the middle, pinched and smoothed the seams. I then coated the rangoons with vegetable oil and placed in the air fryer in batches (my air fryer held 7 without them touching) for 5 minutes. Remove and enjoy with your choice of dipping sauce alone or as part of a meal.

Jump to Recipe
Crab Rangoon filling. Chopped imitation crab, cream cheese, garlic, onions, spinach (or you can skip onions and spinach and use green onion)
Wonton wrappers are filled with the crab mixture and edges brushed with water.
Fold wrapper around filling but folding up diagonal corners first, while holding together, fold up other two corners pinching all corners together in the middle. Seal the seams created when you gathered the corners by pinching together gently to seal.
Brush with vegetable oil and set aside.
Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F. Air fry for 5 -6 minutes until golden.
Crab Rangoon dinner

Crispy Air Fryer Crab Rangoon

A crispy air fried version of crab rangoon filled with rich, creamy cream cheese and crab
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 30 Rangoons

Equipment

  • 1 Air fryer
  • 1 Mixing bowl
  • 1 Measuring spoons

Ingredients
  

  • 1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 8oz package imitation crab meat, chopped
  • 1 Clove garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. baby spinach, chopped fine
  • 2 Tbsp onion, chopped fine
  • 1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tsp salt
  • 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Package wonton wrappers

Instructions
 

  • Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F. Spray with cooking spray.
  • Drain crabmeat and chop into small pieces.
  • Combine softened cream cheese, spinach, onions, garlic and salt.
  • Fill a glass of small bowl with water and keep close at hand. On a flat surface such a counter top or cutting board lay out a few wonton wrappers. Place 1 tsp of the filling in the center of each.
  • Using a pastry brush, brush the water onto the outer edges of the wonton wrapper. Bring two opposite corners and bring towards the middle and pinch together. While holding these two corners, bring up the other two corners and pinch those with the first two. Smooth the seams together.
  • Brush the rangoons with oil and place in the bottom of air fryer in a single layer. My air fryer holds about 7. Cook in batches for 5 minutes or so until the rangoons are golden brown.
Keyword Crab, cream cheese, dumplings, wontons

Cooking, Food, From-Scratch Food, Spring, Winter

Veggie Quiche

by shannonlegerLeave a Comment on Veggie Quiche
Veggie Quiche

Hello! I hope you’re all staying warm today! Here where I live in Eastern Canada the temperature is around -22 Celsius…..a high today of -18 Celsius. Our eggs have been freezing in the coop so I have to be sure I get out there early each morning and collect before they freeze. At least until this cold snap is over. We’ve had an abundance of eggs lately, the colder weather and shorter days hasn’t seemed to affect the girls at all. So I decided to make a quiche to use some up and have something a little different for supper. I served it with steamed baby bokchoy. SO good! This is a recipe I have used for YEARS. I’m not even sure on the origin of it anymore but it’s a good one! I love how versatile quiches are! The original recipe calls for Swiss cheese but I always use marble or mozzarella and this time I used a bit of both.

You can use leftover cooked vegetables in this or you can throw frozen veggies in it. I used chopped up broccoli, onions and green pepper. I sometimes will use frozen mixed stir fry vegetables which gives it a little different flavour. If you are freezing for later use and are worried about over-baking the quiche upon reheating, you can partially bake it at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until partially set. Cool and wrap well and freeze. To thaw and serve, bake it in a 400 degree F oven for 45 minutes.

I serve this often as a meal with a steamed veggie on the side or a green salad. I hope you enjoy!

Rich flavourful vegetable quiche with a flaky crust.

Vegetable Quiche

Rich and flavourful quiche loaded with cheese and veggies.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, French
Servings 8 Servings

Equipment

  • 2 Pie Plates
  • 1 Grater
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Measuring Cup
  • 1 Measuring spoons

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Premade frozen pie shells or make your own
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 Cups evaporated milk
  • 1/2 Cup milk, scalded
  • 1 Tsp salt
  • 1 Dash pepper
  • 1 Dash nutmeg, optional
  • 2 Cups grated mozzarella cheese or cheese of your choice
  • 2 Cups Vegetables or your choice, fresh cooked or frozen

Instructions
 

  • Place pie crust in 2 pie plates or remove frozen shells from packaging and prick crusts with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
  • Beat all remaining ingredients except cheese until well blended. Add cheese and stir. Divide into 2 pastry shells.
  • Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes. Cool before serving. *I cook both at the same time and cool and freeze one. Thaw and reheat in microwave or in the oven for a quick meal.
Keyword Quiche, Veggie Quiche, Light Lunch, Brunch
Cooking

Happy New Year!

by shannonleger
Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed some time with loved ones over the holidays. It’s still a really difficult time to navigate I know. I have two small children, 5 and 8 and they aren’t yet fully vaccinated against COVID-19 so we have kept our circle very small including over the holidays. I really wanted to do something special for New Years Day this year, something the kids would really enjoy. So I decided to forego my usual ham dinner and have a fondue. I love the interactive aspect of a fondue. I thought I’d share what we serve along with our fondue and some dip recipes to give you a few, possibly new, ideas for your next one. If you’ve never had a fondue before, I’m sure you will find something in this post useful. I used to be so nervous to put on a fondue meal but now that I’ve done a few, they are really quick and easy to put together!

Our fondue trifecta! Chinese fondue beef, chicken and shrimp. We often have scallops as well.

I think a selection of yummy dips is a must. We’ve tried a few over the years including Canton brand (which was delicious) but my three favourite are the ones pictured above. There really isn’t a recipe as there are only two ingredients in each. The dips are: Garlic Mayo Dip, Mushroom Mayo Dip and Curry Mayo Dip. For the Mushroom Mayo Dip, to approximately 1 cup of mayonnaise add 1/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms. For the Garlic Mayo Dip, to approximately 1 cup of mayonnaise add 1 tbsp minced garlic. For the Curry Mayonnaise Dip, to approximately 1 cup of mayonnaise add 1 -2 tsp curry powder. So simple but delicious with all the meats mentioned above!

The Canton brand bouillon is our favourite one. For extra flavour, a splash of wine in the pot is delicious. White or red, either one works!

Our favourite bouillon is the Canton brand. We use one carton for a meal. Whatever you do, don’t throw out the bouillon that’s leftover in your fondue pot at the end of the meal. Cool it, then refrigerate or freeze for the most delicious addition to rice or noodles. It will be concentrated in flavour since it will have reduced considerably while cooking the meats and it will also have all that yummy goodness from the meat and seafood. I added our leftovers to a chowmein dish the following day and it was amazing!

In addition to the meats and dips, I usually serve long grain white or brown rice. A salad is a nice way to round out the meal or you could do a fresh veggie platter with dip. I’ve never done the veggie platter with it but plan to in the future. I know my family would enjoy it. I usually have a baguette sliced and served at the table with butter. It’s tasty alongside the fondue and gives everyone something to munch on while their meat is in the pot. For the adults, I usually serve a nice chilled Pinot Grigio with this meal, it tends to go really well with the chicken and seafood served. If you’re a red wine fan, something light to medium bodied would be fantastic with this meal. Zinfandel or Pinot Noir in the light bodied range or a Merlot if you want something a little deeper in flavour.

I really hope you will enjoy some of these suggestions for your next fondue. It’s a great way to enjoy a meal together and have time for conversation and interaction. I think that’s why my kids enjoy it so much. They love being able to choose their meat and cook it themselves. It’s actually an easy meal to put together but make sure you have lots of time for sitting down and just savouring the food and those special family moments that will inevitably happen when you enjoy a fondue together.

Stay safe and well everyone! xo

My boys eagerly waiting for New Years Eve fondue in 2020
Fondue plates are a great way to serve fondue dips and other sides.
Cooking, Food

Whose Your Daddy Mac (n Cheese)?

by shannonleger5 Comments on Whose Your Daddy Mac (n Cheese)?
Whose Your Daddy Mac (n Cheese)?

Last weekend was Victoria Day Weekend here in New Brunswick, Canada. I wanted something other than BBQ for a special meal and my kids LOVE ham so I decided to make a big ham dinner with, you guessed it, mac n cheese. I souped up (pun intended, haha!) a mac n cheese recipe with a can of mushroom soup and made a couple other changes and voila! Creamy, rich, and oh so good, Mushroom Mac n Cheese! I kept things pretty simple since it was a holiday and I didn’t want to spend too much time slaving away in the kitchen so I served the ham and mushroom mac n cheese with green beans and home canned veggies like pickled beets and mustard bean pickles. I’ll share my recipes for those in a future blog post so stay tuned!

Mushroom Mac n Cheese

Mushroom Mac n Cheese

Rich, creamy Mushroom Mac n Cheese
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 547 kcal

Equipment

  • Large Saucepan
  • Strainer
  • Pot
  • Liquid Measuring Cup
  • Dry Measuring Cup
  • Measuring spoons
  • Grater
  • Baking dish

Ingredients
  

  • 12 Ounces Dry Macaroni or Small Shells
  • 1/4 Cup Butter
  • 1/4 Cup Flour
  • 2 1/2 Cups Milk
  • 1/2 Tsp Dry mustard powder
  • 1 Tsp Onion powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Can Condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 4 Cups Shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 Cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse.
  • Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour, let cook 2 minutes. Whisk in milk, mustard powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook and stir till thickened.
  • Remove from heat, stir in all but 1 cup of cheddar, the parmesan and the soup.
  • Stir in cooked pasta and pour into a 9×13 pan or casserole dish. Top with the reserved 1 cup of cheddar.
  • Bake for 18-25 minutes. Cool 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Keyword Brownie, Cheese Pasta, Creamy Mac n Cheese, Mac n Cheese, Mac n Cheese Casserole, Macaroni, Mushroom Mac n Cheese, Small Shells

Did you do anything special with your family over the long weekend? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below and share what you did! I’m looking for ideas of things I can do close to home or right in the backyard this summer! My boys are little and due to COVID I think this will be another summer of staying close to home. I don’t want them playing video games all summer so this Mama could use some inspiration! Over the weekend, we stayed busy working on the chicken coop which I hope will be done this coming weekend. The chickens are growing so fast. They really do need to be moved outside soon into their own space. They’ve been living in a large box in our den for the past several weeks and are now starting to flutter up and almost out of the box. My husband has been trying to work from the same den, haha. They make his daily morning meetings interesting! I do think his colleagues enjoy having a close up visit with them when he occasionally clips the video cam onto the side of their box. Check back in for my next blog post where I’ll share progress on their new farmhouse style coop. It’s so sweet, I absolutely love it! It’s a great addition to our backyard for sure!

Our little chicks aren’t so little anymore!
Our little chicks aren’t so little anymore!