I can’t believe it’s Easter again, seems like we were just preparing for Easter, baking hams and hiding Easter eggs and now here we are doing it all over again. I’m not sure if it’s being a parent that makes time fly by so quickly or if it’s just getting older that speeds up time to warp speed. One of my family’s favourite treats are these no-bake chocolate Easter nest cookies. My Mom has made them for years and this year she’s been busy caring for my Dad who has been dealing with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. So, I took up the reins and made them this year.
They are really easy to make, only a few ingredients. I made them for the first time in the microwave, I usually do it the old fashioned way in a double boiler. Using the microwave made them even faster to make and I’m not sure why I didn’t do them this way sooner. The final result are sweet little nests topped with chocolate eggs and they’re delicious too.
Chocolate Easter Nests
shannonleger
Sweet, salty and crunchy, these no-bake cookies are the perfect Easter treat.
In a large microwave safe mixing bowl, stir together chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Stir until smooth. Add the chow mein noodles in one cup increments to allow you to coat noodles completely. You may not need all four cups. Drop on a parchment lined baking sheet by tablespoonfuls. Each cookie will take about 2 tbsps.
Create a small indentation on top of each cookie to hold the eggs. While still wet, add three mini eggs to the top of each nest. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
I’ve been making all the rhubarb things over the past couple weeks! ‘Tis the season! My rhubarb patch here at home isn’t doing that well this year. I think it needed more rain in early spring and that just didn’t happen this year. A little manure would probably be beneficial too although its still fairly early and maybe I’m just impatient. My patch at our cottage about two hours away is doing amazing though. It’s very well established and gets lots of sun every day. I picked a bunch when I was there on the weekend and that’s what I used for this pie. Hope to get back there this weekend so I can pick another bunch. What tips do you have for keeping your rhubarb patch producing?
My go-to recipe for pie crust is the one on the Crisco box/can. I have always had great luck with it, always tender and flaky. This time though, I decided to switch things up and try a new recipe. The crust was easy to put together with less ingredients than the Crisco version and really tasty, flaky and tender. I’ll definitely make it again! I also decided to go with a single crust and a crumb topping instead of the standard double crust. The extra butter and cinnamon in the topping really compliments the sweet and tangy strawberry and rhubarb filling. This recipe comes from a book called Perfect Pies by Michele Stuart. I purchased the book at a huge discount a few years ago now and it’s become a favourite cookbook. Funny how that happens sometimes isn’t it? I could buy a cookbook and pay $30 or $40 and never use it, purchase one at a local discount store for under $5 and it becomes a favourite. I’ m a cookbook addict I must admit. I own lots, I’m always looking for new ones though.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Pie
Sweet yet tangy fruit pie with a golden buttery topping and flaky pastry crust
For the Crust – Makes one 9 or 10 inch double pie crust. You will need only one crust for the bottom, the top will be a crumb topping. Freeze remaining dough or keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
2 Cupsall-purpose flour
1 Tspsalt
3/4 CupCrisco shortening, plus 2 tbsp
5 Tbspice cold water
1/4Cupheavy cream
Crumb Topping
1/2Cupall-purpose flour
1/3Cupfirmly packed light brown sugar
1Tspcinnamon
1/4Tspsalt
5Tbspunsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
Filling
1Cupsugar
1/4Cupcornstarch
Pinch of salt
3 Cups hulled strawberries, cut in quarters
3Cupschopped rhubarb
1Tbspunsalted butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together flour and salt. Cut in cold butter pieces with a pastry blender. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough comes together when you can form a ball easily when you press the dough together. Be careful not to overwork the dough, I use either a fork or my hands at this point. The less you handle the dough, the flakier your crust will be. Divide dough in half, form two balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Press each ball into a disk. Refrigerate for about an hour to make it easier to roll out. You will only use one disk of dough for this pie. You can freeze the rest for later or keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. Once chilled, roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a 10 inch circle. Place dough into a 9 inch pie plate. Using the tines of a fork, print several holes in the bottom of the crust. Brush edges of crust with the heavy cream.
In a large bowl, combine first three filling ingredients. Add strawberries and rhubarb and stir together until fruit is thoroughly coated. Place in pie shell and dot the top with the butter.
Prepare the crumb topping. Mix together all ingredients except butter. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the pie.
Place pie on a foil or parchment paper covered baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is thickened and bubbling. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 1 1/2 hours before cutting.
It’s rhubarb season again! Nothing quite like the unique, tangy taste of a fresh rhubarb pie, muffin, crisp, or these amazingly simple Rhubarb Squares. The custard makes itself by mixing a few ingredients in with the chopped rhubarb , no fussing over a pan on the stovetop! Best of all, it makes a large pan so it’s great for a crowd. The original recipe calls for flour to thicken the custard but knowing what I know now about how juicy rhubarb can sometimes be, I’d also add a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to the mixture to ensure the filling thickens enough if your rhubarb happens to be extra juicy. The end result will be delicious either way but just a little more challenging presentation- wise if you have all the extra juiciness.
Rhubarb Custard Squares
A sweet and creamy custard filled with tangy pieces of pretty pink rhubarb over a buttery shortbread crust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour and icing sugar. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about the size of peas. Pat minute into a 9×13 pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
While the crust bakes, stir together eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Fold in chopped rhubarb. Pour rhubarb mixture over hot crust. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake 30-35 minutes more.
Cool for 30 minutes and refrigerate squares to chill completely before cutting.
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.
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.
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!
Vegetable Quiche
Rich and flavourful quiche loaded with cheese and veggies.
2Cupsgrated mozzarella cheese or cheese of your choice
2CupsVegetables 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.
Easter is just around the corner and it’s one of my very favourite holidays. I love everything about it! The chicks and bunnies, the Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets loaded with goodies to see the kids through spring and summer outside fun. I also love the religious significance of the holiday. It was always a big part of Easter growing up and I try to convey that meaning to my children as well.
I always enjoy making special baked goods at this time of year. My Dad gets a batch of my Orange Knots every year and my husband and boys usually request a batch or two as well. This Easter Egg Bread recipe is a new one for me. I’ve been wanting to try it for years after seeing it in an old issue of Taste of Home magazine and today was finally the day! My four year old had tons of fun dyeing the eggs with me and I was really pleased with how they turned out. Next time I don’t think I’d lightly oil the dyed eggs as I found they stuck to the bread a bit anyway once the bread cooled and I removed them to refrigerate. I think the oil served to make the dye run a bit onto the rising bread. I also found that my loaf could have baked for another 5 minutes or so. The recipe called for 28-32 minutes of baking time and I took mine out at the 30 minute mark. I think 35 minutes would have been perfect for the size of loaf I had. It really raised into a gorgeous big loaf!
To dye the eggs, I used Wilton gel colouring in warm water. I’d estimate a teaspoon of gel colour to a cup of warm water. It really depends on how brightly coloured or pastel you want your eggs! Ensure your milk and butter is between 120-130 degrees so you don’t kill your yeast. Let dough rise for 45 minutes, punch down, create braid and let rise for another 20 minutes. Easter Egg Bread – the eggs are hard boiled and then dyed, then they are cooked right into the bread. They would go well with a slice of buttered bread for an Easter morning breakfast or for an Easter brunch. The bread gets to be a very deep golden brown from the egg wash that’s applied before putting it in the oven. Spectacular!
Easter Egg Bread
6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 packages active dry yeast (1/4 ounce each) 1 to 2 tsp ground cardamom 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups milk 6 tbsps butter 4 eggs 3 to 6 hard cooked eggs Vegetable oil for oiling hard cooked dyed eggs, optional 2 tbsps cold water
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120-130 degrees. Add to dry ingredients; beat until just moistened. Add 3 eggs; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Dye hard cooked eggs; lightly rub with oil if you choose. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough into thirds. Shape each portion into a 24 inch rope. Place ropes on a greased baking sheet (I used parchment paper) and braid. Bring ends together to form a ring and pinch ends to seal. Gently separate braided ropes and tuck dyed eggs into openings. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes.
Beat water and remaining egg; gently brush over dough. Bake at 375 degrees for 28-32 minutes or until golden brown. (I baked for 30 minutes but could have baked for 5 minutes longer or so). Remove to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate leftovers (the dyed eggs). Yield: 1 large loaf.
Today is a gorgeous spring-like day here on Canada’s East Coast! It’s got me thinking about daffodils, garden planting and lamb shanks! I braised lamb shank yesterday for supper and they were better than I could have imagined! Oh my goodness! Fall off the bone tender and just so flavourful. The rich flavour of the port really adds depth to this dish.
There will be lots of sauce for potatoes or rice and let me tell you, it’s worth eating. Don’t throw it out! The flavours from slow cooking the shank which of course includes the bone, are simply out of this world due to all that bone marrow goodness. Below is the recipe for Port Braised Lamb Shanks. The recipe is repeated at the end of my post in it’s entirety but I first divided it into steps with pictures to guide you along the way.
Lamb can be an intimidating meat to cook because for a lot of us, it’s a meat we rarely have on hand. Shanks are not the most tender part of the lamb but cooked correctly they can be very tender and succulent! Lamb is generally pretty expensive, or at least I find it is, but it does go on sale or clearance pretty often at my local grocery stores. I have found a great time to get super prices on lamb is right before a holiday. Keep your eyes peeled for deals and give this recipe a try soon!
Port Braised Lamb Shanks Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil, divided 4-6 lamb shanks trimmed of excess fat 1 large white onion 6 cloves of garlic, minced 2 large carrots, sliced or chopped 1 cup of celery, sliced or chopped 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup flour 2 cups beef or chicken stock 1 1/2 cups port wine 14 oz diced tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 tsp dried parsley, divided 2 bay leaves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dry lamb shanks with a paper towel. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy based pot over medium-high heat. Sear the shanks until browned on all sides. Do a few at a time. Repeat with remaining shanks and oil.
Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Add onions, carrots and celery to the pan juices and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Don’t worry about black bits in the bottom of your pot. These will add tons of flavour to the finished dish. Return shanks back to the pot and season with 1 tsp coarse salt and 1/2 tsp of ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, cook for 4-5 minutes turning several times to brown the flour. Add stock, port, tomatoes, tomato paste, 1/2 the parsley and remaining herbs. Cover and bring to a boil, then transfer to the oven and braise for 2 – 2 1/2 hours stirring the sauce occasionally. This is your gorgeous end result. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve! Meat will be falling apart tender! The sauce (not pictured here) is amazing on rice or mashed potatoes. I served with baked potato and green peas and it was delicious!
Port Braised Lamb Shanks
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil, divided 4-6 lamb shanks trimmed of excess fat 1 large white onion 6 cloves of garlic, minced 2 large carrots, sliced or chopped 1 cup of celery, sliced or chopped 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup flour 2 cups beef or chicken stock 1 1/2 cups Port wine 14 oz diced tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped 2 tsp dried parsley, divided 2 bay leaves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dry lamb shanks with a paper towel. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy based pot over medium-high heat. Sear the shanks until browned on all sides. Do a few at a time. Repeat with remaining shanks and oil.
Transfer to a place and keep warm.
Add onions, carrots and celery to the pan juices and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Don’t worry about black bits in the bottom of your pot. These will add tons of flavour to the finished dish.
Return shanks back to the pot and season with 1 tsp coarse salt and 1/2 tsp of ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, cook for 4-5 minutes turning several times to brown the flour. Add stock, port, tomatoes, tomato paste, 1/2 the parsley and remaining herbs. Cover and bring to a boil, then transfer to the oven and braise for 2 – 2 1/2 hours stirring the sauce occasionally.
OMG, is your oven a nightmare like mine usually is? I use my oven ALOT and when it starts to get disgusting, I start to ignore it and stress over it simultaneously. It’s a self cleaning oven but honestly I’ve never really understood that term, haha! Self cleaning it may be but man this thing requires some elbow grease if I really want to get it super clean.
Last summer after leaving it waaaaaaay too long, I broke down and finally buffed it up. I wanted to share the process here in case some of this info is useful to you. I found myself looking all over the internet trying to solve a few issues that I didn’t know how to deal with. One big issue was the oven door. I started this whole process with a self cleaning cycle to see what I could get rid of before calling in the big guns…..things like heavy duty cleaners, razor blades, and various other tools. Yup, I said it, I used razor blades in the cleaning of my messed up, baked on, oven.
Here’s part of what I was starting with…….the door was even worse! After the oven cooled from the Self Cleaning cycle, I took off the door and rubbed on a paste of baking soda and vinegar and let it set for an hour or so. Leave on longer time when you are dealing with heavy soil. A scrubbie comes in handy here. I love how well these work on scrubbing off hard to remove crud on just about anything! The best thing about them is they are washable and reusable. Once I scrubbed the entire door down with the scrubbie, I got out my handy razor blade. It worked so well to remove baked on grease from the glass. It takes some time but its well worth the results. I also used the scrubbie with a paste of Bar Keepers Friend and water to get brown grease marks (that had appeared after a self cleaning cycle) off the top of the oven door up by the handle. I didn’t want to replace that part due to cost and had never been able to get it off so this was pretty exciting. So satisfying! Look at how much grease is coming off the glass!You can see here that there was dust, dirt and pet hair (probably some human hair in there as well, yuck!) that had gotten in through the vents in the door. You can also see that the metal piece that holds the door onto the hinges had chipped and rusted over the years. I was able to order a new part online at Partselect.ca. I entered my model # and identification # from a sticker inside the oven and was then able to find the part I needed. It cost around $60 but was well worth it to make the oven look it’s best. A lot cheaper than replacing the oven! For me, totally worth it. More of the gunk between the oven door glass. That’s gotta go!On a flat surface, with a rug, towels or something soft so you don’t break the glass, carefully remove the top glass. You will have several screws to remove and likely that bottom piece that was rusted on my oven door, depending on your oven design. Vacuum up all loose dust, dirt, etc and then remove any baked on grease with the razor blade. I used a general purpose spray on cleaner (Mrs. Meyers) after to get the rest of the grime.
Just look at this piece of the door! New vs. Old. This is the part I ordered from Partselect.ca. Now for the racks. They were in really bad shape. Eeeek. I ended up doing a few things to them but I started by soaking overnight in a very hot tub of water and a couple of dishwasher pods. That got rid of a lot of grease and grime. I wasn’t completely happy with them so I took them out and scrubbed with a paste of soda and vinegar but it didn’t get me much further. I took them outside and resorted to spraying them with oven cleaner. That got a lot more off but still not perfect. I went with it though because the racks looked so much better and I’d spent a couple days at this point trying to clean them. Next time I’m faced with cleaning oven racks, I’m going to do the ammonia soak in garbage bag method. This was mid process……make sure you put old towels or sheets under your racks if you are soaking in your tub. As you can see, some rust or grease marks may appear and you don’t want that on your tub.After I was finished the process, I added a liner in the bottom to keep things clean. I love the Betty Crocker ones from Dollarama! However, they don’t always have them in stock. I added burner protectors under my wire burners which should help keep things clean on my stove top. These were also the Betty Crocker brand from Dollarama. Ahhhhhh, no more rust on the door! And I can see through the oven window. This brings me so much joy, haha! I’m sure many of you can relate! And here is the final product! A gorgeous oven makeover just in time for spring! Add this to your spring cleaning To-Do list…..you’ll be happy you did!
