Category: From-Scratch Food

Nourishing the body with traditional techniques, seasonal ingredients, and the slow art of handmade meals.

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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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
Baking, Desserts, Food, From-Scratch Food

Chocolate Valentine’s Day Terrine

by shannonleger
Chocolate Valentine’s Day Terrine

I’m a romantic at heart. One of my favourite days of the year is Valentine’s Day. I adore anything chocolate! This year I wanted to make something sweet and chocolatey for my Valentine but I didn’t want to make the usual cupcakes, cookies or cake. So I took out a few cookbooks and started looking through for the perfect treat. I came across this terrine in a Canadian Living cookbook and didn’t change too much about it when I recreated it. Because I didn’t want to go out to get the bar of chocolate it called for, I used semi sweet chocolate chips. I really don’t think it made any difference in the end result.

Honestly what could be better than chocolate, butter and coffee? This terrine has it all! It’s simple to make but tastes sinfully luxurious. It needs to fully cool before chilling and then chill for 12 hours in the fridge so make sure to give yourself enough time. Berries are a nice way to decorate it, they look pretty against the deep brown chocolate but they also taste amazing with the mocha flavour of the terrine. I think a little whipped cream would work too if you were so inclined.

Chocolate Valentine’s Day Terrine

Chocolate Valentine’s Day Terrine

shannonleger
A rich, mocha flavoured chocolate terrine with berries and chopped pistachios
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling & Chilling Time 13 hours
Total Time 14 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Servings

Equipment

  • 1 8×4 inch loaf pan
  • Parchment paper
  • 1 Double Boiler

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 Cup strong brewed coffee
  • 1 Cup butter
  • 1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 Cup chopped pistachios
  • strawberries and raspberries for decorating and serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a double boiler, whisk sugar and coffee until sugar is dissolved. Add butter and chocolate and melt, whisking until smooth. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until pale, sift flour over top and whisk in. Fold in chocolate mixture until no streaks remain. Pour into the parchment lined pan. Place pan in a larger pan and pour in water until it reaches halfway up loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes until edges puff up and centre is still jiggly, 45 minutes.
  • Remove pan from water and place on a wire rack to cool for about 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 12 hours until firm.
  • Invert a serving platter over pan and turn over. Remove pan and parchment paper carefully as the terrine will still be a fairly soft texture. Sprinkle over chopped pistachios and decorate with berries, whipped cream, etc as desired.

Baking, Desserts, Food, From-Scratch Food

Pistachio Squares

by shannonleger
Pistachio Squares

I’ve been seeing pistachios everywhere lately and thought maybe it was pistachio season in the USA. After a quick Google search I learned that pistachio season is nowhere near February. It’s actually more like from late August to October. Seeing them at our local grocery stores, in magazine ads and on TV, I felt inspired to whip up a pan of pistachio squares. They’d be perfect for a St Patrick’s Day treat! Yup, I realize we need to celebrate Valentines Day first but don’t worry, I’ll have some recipes to share for that occasion too!

I put these in an 8×8 pan (or you could definitely go with a 9×9). In an 8×8 pan, these squares have a really thick crust. I love them that way because I adore shortbread and that’s what it reminds me of. If you like a thinner crust, you could halve the crust recipe and they’d be perfect for you. You could also use the same ingredient measurements and simply make the squares in a 9×13 pan. The cream cheese, pudding and whipped cream layers will obviously be thinner as well but it will definitely work and turn out beautifully. It’s just my personal preference to have thick crust and thick layers of cream cheese and puddding.

Honestly this is one of my favourite desserts! It really does remind me of my childhood. My Mom made these often. Sometimes for an occasion like Easter but often just for a random treat. They are a yummy dessert in the warmer weather too. Only the crust has to be baked so there’s minimal work and minimal heat generated in the kitchen. They’re really refreshing too since they are kept in the refrigerator and served cold. I hope you’ll make some for St. Patty’s Day or today, or both!

Pistachio Squares on a potholder with a matching tea towel

Pistachio Squares

shannonleger
Cool, creamy Pistachio Squares with a cream cheese and pudding filling topped with whipped cream
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 9 Servings

Equipment

  • 1 Stand Mixer
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 8×8 pan
  • 1 Mixing bowl
  • 1 Spatula

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • 1/2 Cup Icing sugar
  • 2 Cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 Cup Unsalted butter

Filling:

  • 8 Oz Package of cream cheese
  • 1 Cup Icing sugar
  • 3 Cups Cold milk
  • 2 Packages of pistachio pudding
  • 1 Large tub of Cool Whip

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter & sugar. Add flour and mix until combined and crumbly. Press into an 8×8 pan (or pan of choice depending on thickness desired). Bake for 20 minutes.
    Shortbread crust for Pistachio Squares
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and icing sugar. Fold in 1 cup of Cool Whip with a spatula. Spread over cooled crust.
    Cream cheese filling for Pistachio Squares with Pistachio pudding nearby
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk pudding mix into the cold milk. Spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining Cool Whip.
    Whipped topping on Pistachio Squares
Keyword Cream Cheese filling, Layered Squares, Pudding filling, Squares, St. Patrick’s Day treat
Baking, Food, From-Scratch Food

Savoury Egg Bread

by shannonlegerLeave a Comment on Savoury Egg Bread
Savoury Egg Bread

Have you ever had the Newfoundland bread or rolls from Sobeys? For those of you not living in Atlantic Canada, Sobeys might not be as familiar to you but they do have locations across the country as the second largest retailer in Canada. Well, this bread which I’ve only ever found at Sobeys is SO soft and flavourful, it’s become a favourite at our house. I’ve been wanting to recreate it here at home and this weekend feeling bored during a storm, I did just that!

Most of the egg breads I’ve found online have an egg wash to create that gorgeous deep brown crust and some have the addition of sesame seeds. I knew I’d be serving it with my Sweet French Onion Soup so I wanted some more flavour on that beautiful crust. I added everything bagel seasoning and sea salt. Interesting side note, we make our own sea salt using water from Cocagne Bay where we cottage in the summers. Makes dishes extra special year round, I only add it to dishes as a finishing touch and use my trusty kosher salt everywhere else.

This recipe makes 2 large loaves, around 16 slices each depending on how thick you like to slice your bread. You can use more or less everything bagel seasoning and salt than what I recommend in the recipe, depending on your taste.

Braided egg bread

Savoury Egg Bread

shannonleger
A very soft flavourful braided egg bread with a savoury crust
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Rising Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 2 Loaves

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Packages active dry yeast
  • 1/2 Cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 Cups warm 2% milk
  • 3 Large eggs, room temp
  • 1/4 Cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 Cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 7-7 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
  • 1 Large egg yolk, room temp
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 4 Tsp sesame seeds, divided (2 tsp per loaf)
  • 2 Tsp sea salt, divided (1 tsp per loaf)
  • 2 Tbsp Everything Bagel Seasoning, divided (1 tbsp per loaf)

Instructions
 

  • Dissolve both packages of yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add the eggs, butter, sugar, salt and half the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough that can be handled.
  • Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place ball of dough into a greased bowl and cover with greased wax paper and a clean tea towel and let rise until doubled, around 2 hours.
  • Punch dough down, turn out onto a floured surface and divide into six equal portions. Gently roll each portion into a 14 inch rope. Place 3 ropes onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Braid the 3 ropes together and tuck ends under. Repeat with remaining 3 ropes. Cover with greased wax paper and tea towels and let rise in a warm place for one hour.
  • Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Beat egg yolk and water together and brush over loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning and sea salt. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove bread from pans and cool on wire racks.
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