Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons bacon grease
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup buttermilk (or whole milk)
• 1 cup hot water
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

After frying bacon, or using reserved bacon grease, get the grease hot over med-high heat. Add cornmeal and stir until browned, but do not burn. Add buttermilk and stir. Add water and stir well until thickened. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over biscuits, bread or meat – anything you like gravy on.

This week’s Sunday’s Chicken Dinner Recipe is – MAPLE DIJON CHICKEN WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH. If this just doesn’t scream Fall Recipe, nothing does! Chicken combined with Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash along with a Maple Dijon Sauce. Like I said “Fall Recipe”! The recipe is off the Diabetic Gourmet Magazine website (https://diabeticgourmet.com/) which has a huge selection of Diabetic Friendly recipes. Salads, Soups, Entrees, Dessert, they have recipes for all! Plus don’t forget to subscribe to the Diabetic Gourmet Magazine. Enjoy and Make 2019 a Healthy One!

MAPLE DIJON CHICKEN WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH
This is a great recipe for fall with two seasonal favorites, brussels sprouts and butternut squash. Butternut squash is sometimes known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin or gramma.

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 TBSP…

Today’s recipe is an easy, light and a perfect tea cake. The best part about this cake is that it is made with whole wheat flour and it tastes awesome with a cup of tea or coffee. It is healthier than the regular cake so you can enjoy as much as you can without any guilt.

Dry cakes are simple, quick and easy to make as they can be served without the frosting also. And you can also add your favourite nuts in this recipe as per your choice. You can also make the same recipe using all purpose flour as well. This cake can be easily made by a beginner as well, the recipe is super simple all you have to do is follow some instructions properly and you can get a perfectly baked cake. The most important point for making any type of cake is to sieve the…

This apple pie is easy, cozy, and perfect for fall! It is also a great breakfast pie. I mean, come on, cinnamon rolls, apples, you have all the important food groups all rolled into a pie. Divine! How is breakfast pie not a thing yet? Is it because ALL pie is a breakfast pie?

Ingredients:

4-5 medium-sized apples
2 13oz cans of cinnamon rolls
Ground Cinnamon (I can’t give you a measurement because I like to use a LOT) use what feels right.)
1/2 C Sugar
Flour (for flattening your cinnamon rolls)

Directions:

1. Peel and slice your apples, place in a saucepan with cinnamon, and sugar. Sometimes I like to add a splash of apple cider, it’s not required. Cook on medium heat until apples are softened and cooked through.
2. Open one can of dough. On a lightly floured surface roll out each cinnamon roll. Place it into…

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Our travels to Findlay Market, Cincinnati, Ohio, did not disappoint. At the market entry—the place so full of people—buzzinglike bees gathering their foodies that they, like us, were going home to cook that evening!There were meat markets everywhere—and everything under the sun.We selected The Country Meat Co., specializing in fresh meats.Our 2 full slabs of baby back ribs were wrapped in white freezer paper and into a brown paper bag. So nostalgic, so cool.And we toted a lot of other things home in our bags that day too.

Instant Pot Baby Back Rib Recipe

1. Sprinkle the rub heavily over the baby back ribs, then pat the rub in like patting a baby’s butt.
2. Next, add 2 cups of water to each Instant Pot. Stand each slab of ribs on end in a circle creating a standing rib roast, on top of the Instant Pot trivet. (No vinegar or apple juice…

Beef is a delicacy around many parts of the world. Keralites also love their beef. Here is a Chinese inspired recipe to make spicy chilli-beef.

Ingredients

• Beef:500 grams
• Onion:3 nos (finely sliced)
• Capsicum:2 nos
• Green chilli:2 nos (finely sliced)
• Ginger:1/2 tablespoon (finely sliced)
• Garlic:1 tablespoon (finely sliced)
• Chilli powder:1 teaspoon
• Soy sauce:1 tablespoon
• Chilli sauce:1 tablespoon
• Tomato sauce:2 tablespoons
• Black pepper powder:1 teaspoon
• Coriander leaves:2 tablespoons (chopped)
• Spring onions:2 tablespoons (chopped)
• Cornstarch slurry:1/2 glass
• Salt:As per taste
• Oil:2 tablespoons

How to prepare

Slice the beef into 1 ½ inch long pieces.Cook it with salt, black pepper powder and chilli powder. Do not drain the liquid. Slice the capsicum into squares. Heat up oil in a pan and saute the green chilli, ginger and garlic. Add the onions and saute until soft. Then add the…

There are few things more comforting than having dinner brew on the stove, filling the house with mouth-watering smells. Especially when the weather is cold, snowy, and blowy.

My favourite kind of meals when the weather is like this are ones that are comforting and cozy. They usually cook for a long time, but they come with a gravy, which gets soaked up by a piece of fresh homemade bread.

Braising & Roasting

The best way to achieve these mouth-watering smells is by braising or roasting. While both methods take some time, I highly recommend it because the result is always worth the wait.

Here are a couple of my favourites when you need something toasty and roasty to combat the weather:

• Cracked Pepper and Garlic Oven Roast

• 

• Braised Roast with Garlic

1 beef blade roast, about 1.5 kg or 3 lb
10-12 garlic cloves – if they are large…

I love tots. Very, seriously, deeply love them. They’re probably my favourite potato preparation, with spicy curly fries and mash coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Just something about those crisp little gems and how well they hold up to being topped with crazy things. Totchoes? Chili tots? CHEESEBURGER TOTS?

There are a few recipes out there for cheeseburger tots, but they usually call for only about 3 ingredients and one of them is a can of condensed soup. We can do better, and we did!

This dish is still rich, savory, and deeply beefy. We lighten it up by serving it with crisp iceberg lettuce and our favourite burger toppings.

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What you need:

• 1 lb ground beef (or any favourite ground meat, even veggie ground)
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp bread and butter pickles, minced (optional)
• 1 heaped tbsp flour
• 1 cup beef…

It’s finally fall! Time to pop on a sweater and start working on our winter bodies by eating too many carbs and binging the same two things on netflix.

I’ve always liked beef stroganoff, but I can’t remember a time as a kid I didn’t have it with leathery, completely overcooked lean beef.

So here’s a variant that you can’t mess up. Since we use meatballs instead, the beef stays juicy and tender, and it still has the same beefy, mushroomy flavour we all love.

Make this vegetarian by swapping out the beef stock, and using more mushrooms instead of meatballs! Heck, if you have a good veggie meat ball recipe, use that.

What you need:

Meatballs:

• 1 lb ground beef, preferably medium fat
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Stroganoff:

• 1 1/2 cup…

I really wanted to get together a few easy potluck style recipes because we’ll all be going to however many holiday parties and it’s nice to bring something somewhat unique.

Deviled eggs are awesome, so are jalapeno poppers and bacon, you get the picture. These are lightly spicy, creamy and balanced. The addition of a candied bacon topper adds a sweet crunch as well as a fancy garnish.

If you are worried about cracking eggs while cooking or have trouble peeling them there’s a bit of a trick. Before cooking, with the end of a pin, gently poke ONE hole into the bottom of the egg. This lets the air escape (and some water in) without the white coming out. This can prevent them cracking from the temperature change and makes them a bit easier to peel later on!

Ok. Egg time.

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What you need

Egg mixture:

• 12 large…

Right off the bat, you may have noticed one change I made to the recipe – fettuccine pasta instead of spaghetti. I picked up the wrong box at the store by mistake but figured it would work the same way.

I will say that this recipe had a lot of steps and different components to keep an eye on, so I had to really pay attention and stay organized. The recipe is well-written though and everything comes together at the end to make a yummy pasta dish.

I love roasted vegetables so this kale and cauliflower were perfect for me. The cauliflower came out of the oven super tender but slightly caramelized and the kale was nice and crispy. It was hard to stop myself from picking at them because they were so good on their own, they would be a great side dish.

The flavours on the pasta were…

I think I should add “Vegetable Stuffer” to my CV.

Not only do I love stuffing butternuts, mushrooms, squashes, aubergines, peppers and whatever else I can hollow out and fill with something yummy — I’m pretty damn good at it, too!

Over this past weekend I indulged in a great sales offer that gave me a big bag of green peppers for next to nothing, so I decided to stuff them all last night.

Who’s hungry? Vincent, Roan and I. This recipe serves three — with the possibility of some leftover mince filling that can be used in a pasta or jaffle the next day.

Ingredients

• 5 green peppers
• 1 kg lean beef mince
• 200 g carrot, cut into thin ribbons
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 50 g mushrooms, finely chopped
• handful of coriander, finely chopped
• 5 green onion sprigs, finely chopped
• 1 can tomato & onion mix…

Frittatas can be delicate or hearty, and they’re always beautiful. To make it light, keep it concentrated on the eggs. To make it heavier, add potatoes and meat. However you choose to make it, you’ll end up with a lovely brunch dish.

Ingredients:

4-6 eggs, beaten
milk or cream (desired amount)
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 small green pepper, sliced
2 chorizo sausages, squeeze the meat out of the casing into chunks
1 large potato, cut into small cubes
sharp cheddar cheese (desired amount), cut in chunks
goat cheese (optional garnish)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat up olive oil in a cast iron skillet and cook the potato cubes, then add the onion, tomato, green pepper, chorizo, salt and pepper to saute.

Fold the milk/cream into the beaten eggs, pour into the skillet, distribute the cheddar chunks around the skillet, and partially cook the eggs.  Place the skillet in the…

Frittatas are good to make for weekend brunch, when you have more time to do prep. Feel free to get creative. The basics are a lot of eggs and some dairy. Other than that, let your palate guide you.

Ingredients:

2 medium potatoes, chopped into cubes
4-6 bacon slices, chopped
1-3 stalks lettuce, chopped
10 small eggs, beaten
cheddar to taste (I recommend 1 cup), grated or cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
chili flakes to taste (optional)
oregano or basil to taste (optional)

Bring water to a boil in a pot and cook the chopped potatoes until they soften. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

In a large cast iron skillet, saute the bacon. Add the potato and mash crudely with a spatula in the skillet. Mix the lettuce with the potatoes and bacon.

Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet and…

While beet soup (Eastern European Borscht) is sometimes made with beef broth/stock, this one is made with a veggie broth.  And, since I didn’t have the regular purple beets in my fridge, the color on this one will not be the intense purple you might be used to, but it will be the red of the tomato sauce.  Never the matter — use the beets you desire!

Borscht, served with sour cream. Add fresh shredded parsley for even more interest.

This week, I’m co-hosting Angie’s Fiesta Friday 119 with  Ahila @ A Taste of Sri Lankan Cuisine.  If you are not sure what a link party is, it’s a way to network with people of common interest — in this case, tasty home-made food and recipes — and if you blog yourself, it’s a way to increase interested visitors dropping by,  who are curious about new foods…

Contains:  Nightshades.  Is: Grain-free, gluten-free, Paleo, Whole30.

Soup’s On!

Well, as any gardener or homesteader knows (those who live at higher latitudes, that is) into every year a killing frost must fall.

I had a very prolific cherry tomato plant – just one, actually.  For future reference (at least on my part) it was an indeterminate Husky Cherry Red, and I’d grow this again.  I received a lot of ripe red fruits over the past month or so, and there were many more green ones when the killing frost swept down and told me, sort of like Bugs Bunny, “That’s All, Folks!”

(Mostly) green cherry tomatoes!

Scratched my noodle, and decided to turn some of the crop into soup.

Note, this recipe is extremely flexible.  Whatever you have to hand may become a major ingredient here.  All quantities listed in this recipe is approximate.  This is about using what…

As if ribs werent delicious enough, we decided to give them a nice little bone marrow bath. Were going to start these off the same way we’d start any side rib smoke, and that is by setting the smoker to a nice 225 degrees.

In prepping the ribs, you can elect for any pork rub that you’re enjoying at the moment, but I go for Code 3 Spices 5-0 Rub. The nice zesty blend goes well with the pork in my opinion. After applying a thin layer of mustard, you can apply a liberal amount of rub. Let marinate for at least half an hour before tossing on the smoker.

At the same time, we will prep the bone marrow. I like to drizzle the bone with some quality olive oil, and then give a light sprinkle of code 3 spices grunt rub. Once this is done, you can let…

This bright and colorful side dish is delicious on its own, or as a complement to meat, poultry or fish.  You can substitute red quinoa or regular quinoa for the black quinoa, although I love the contrast of the dark color of the grain with the corn and sweet potatoes and the brightness of the red peppers. In addition, when steaming the quinoa, I usually use vegetable stock or chicken broth to steam the quinoa which adds a bit more flavor.

This salad has great flavor, texture and color. I love to use both roasted and raw greens in the salad that add a bit of complexity and texture. The cellulose in kale can be a bit overwhelming for some salad eaters, but I have found that gently rubbing the leaves between your hands helps to break down the cellulose and makes the leaves much more palatable and enjoyable. Roasting shaved Brussel Sprouts caramelizes them just enough to help bring out their natural, sweet flavor and tenderizing them.The berries add some sweetness and seasonal beauty and work so well with the toasted almonds and quinoa. For vegan diners, simply eliminate the feta. I like to top this salad with a lemon-balsamic vinaigrette, but you can opt for any light dressing. If you need a more substantial salad for dinner, you could very easily add chicken on the side.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

A wonderful salad for fall that has such delicious, earthy flavors and nutrient-rich kale that adds texture.  For this salad, I slice the kale in very thin, horizontal strips and then took the extra step to massage the kale gently in between my hands to break up the cellulose of the leaves, making the kale more tender in a raw salad.  I love the flavor of gorgonzola in the salad, but if that is not your favorite cheese, you cold easily substitute a crumbled goat cheese or feta which would also work.  I love plating the salad on a large plate in a pile that provides vertical dimension and a lovely presentation.

Serves 4, as a first course salad

Ingredients:

for salad:

• 3 large bunches (about 8 cups) lacinato kale, purple kale, kale (or bunch of each), washed and large stems removed, sliced in 1/4 inch strips
• 1/4 red onion…

The colors and flavors of this salad are full of autumn in every way. Nutty, sweet and savory are perfect for the season and so beautiful. I like to use a mixture of walnut oil and olive oil in my dressing for a richer flavor and you can certainly play with different ratios of the two oils. If you don’t have the walnut oil, the olive oil works quite well also.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

for salad:

• 10 -12 ounces favorite mixed greens
• 1 firm, ripe pear, quartered and thinly sliced
• 16 ounces butternut squash, 1/2 inch dice
• 1 cup crumbled gorgonzola
• 5 fresh figs, halved
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 cup toasted walnuts
• sprouts for garnish, optional
• olive oil for roasting
• kosher salt and pepper
• garlic powder

for dressing:

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white champagne vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1…

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
  2 tbsp. powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet. Whisk together flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in mixer. Add eggs and combine well. Stir in flour mixture, walnuts and chocolate chips.

Form dough into 2- 12×2 inch logs and press slightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and bake for 25 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes and cut diagonally in 3/4 inch slices (15 each log) Bake ten more minutes after turning on the side.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)
2. Spread chocolate chips and nuts in bottom of pie shell.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream butter or margarine and sugar together. Mix in flour.
4. Beat the eggs slightly, and mix into the creamed mixture. Stir in bourbon. Pour filling into pie shell (over chips and nuts).
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup coarsely chopped maraschino cherries
• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts, toasted*
• Powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Drain chopped maraschino cherries on paper towels; pat dry to remove any excess liquid. Set cherries aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 cup powdered sugar, almond extract, and vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour, the walnuts, and maraschino cherries.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Cool on cookie sheets…

I wanted to share a couple of meals that worked well recently. One was a mushroom-tofu stroganoff, which was good, and the other was a strange layered rice-and-spinach casserole, which was better. I made the stroganoff for hubby and me and the casserole for a potluck.

The stroganoff came about because I had seen a recipe for a vegan mushroom stroganoff, which I thought sounded good, but needed protein, and we had tofu in the fridge, so I hunted for a good recipe to put it in, and found this one. This recipe is minus animal products* and minus troublesome fiber (and probably minus high smartpoints, but I don’t count those anymore). Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture of the ingredients (I started the tofu pressing while I went to yoga, and hubby chopped everything and roasted the tofu before I got home).

Tofu-Mushroom Stroganoff

14-16 oz. extra firm…

This fun tossed egg potato salad recipe from IncredibleEgg.com takes less than an hour to make and is a great source of choline, protein, and vitamin A. It’s a nutritious take on an easy-to-prepare dish and a dietary alternative for those looking to switch things up a bit this September, says Southern California-based egg farm Norco Ranch.

Image source: incredibleegg.org

For the preparation of the salad, you’d need three hardboiled and chopped large eggs, five peeled yellow potatoes, two chopped green onions, a can of chopped jalapeño, ½ cup chopped red onion, ½ cup crumbled Panela cheese, and ¼ cup chopped cilantro.

For the dressing, prepare one chopped avocado, a cup of Mexican cream, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, two more chopped green onions, four tablespoons of canned jalapeño brine, and two teaspoons of salt.

Image source: pinterest.com

Begin by boiling the potatoes in a large saucepan, over medium…

So, once I’d made my cake layers, my fudge frosting, and a peanut butter cream cheese frosting (no real recipe here, I just beat together 4 oz. each of butter and cream cheese, added about 3/4 cup of peanut butter and a splash of vanilla, and then added powdered sugar until the texture was right), it was finally time to assemble the cake.

First, I removed my frozen cake layers and set them on the counter to thaw. After about 45 minutes they were cold enough to be firm but thawed enough to be workable, so I used a long, serrated knife to level off the tops. I stacked them with peanut butter frosting and ran a thin crumb-coat over the whole thing before setting it in the refrigerator to chill for another 20 minutes or so. At this point I will note that I made a mistake…

A quick weeknight dinner, that is also home at a dinner party. Don’t eat chicken? You can also make this with tempeh or tofu!

This is one of those dishes that is quick to cook on a week night and well received by the family. It also reheats beautifully, so it’s great for lunch the next day.

I’ve made this same recipe swapping out pressed tofu for the chicken, and tempeh is also quite delicious and satisfying in this dish. The chicken I’ve used is local and organic from a farm very close to my home.

I used large button mushrooms here, but you can use any mushroom you like. You can also omit the protein altogether and double up on the mushrooms, or use thick slices of portabella in place of the chicken. It’s all good!

The mustard I used is Maille Country Dijon blend, one of my favorites…