Caribbean Pork 'N Rice

Here is another delicious recipe from Kraft Canada. This one came from a 2008 What's Cooking magazine that I received in the mail.

I have almost the whole collection and refer to them often when I am looking for new recipes to try and old favourites to make. We added this recipe into our meal plan one week and the only thing that we needed to buy was the pork tenderloin. I bought it when it was on sale so this was a fairly economical meal for our family.

We had it for supper one night and then had the leftovers again the next night. Even my daughter, who normally only likes plain white rice, liked it. Next time we may freeze the leftovers for a night when we are too busy to cook.

You can find the recipe here on the Kraft Canada website.

Pancakes - From Scratch

If you have been following along, you know that one morning of every weekend we like to all sit down for a big breakfast or brunch. It is a chance to spend some time together as a family, time for talking, laughing and connecting.

I use a recipe for pancakes that my mother gave to me. I am not sure exactly where she got it from. We have modified it over the years to include different add-ins and to try new tastes.

This recipe makes light, fluffy pancakes every time. The extras freeze very well. We often make a double batch and put the leftovers in the freezer to pull out for for quick breakfasts or snacks.

I cook them in the frying pan on the stove over medium heat. If you have en electric griddle you can use that to cook them instead.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp white sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Add Ins:Mashed fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, flavourings (vanilla, almond, orange, etc)

Directions:
1. In one bowl mix together flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In a smaller bowl mix together egg, milk and vegetable oil.

3. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients. Beat until combined.
 * You can add your extras here. We often use mashed bananas, chocolate chips, chopped berries or berry puree (you can reduce the milk of you use pureed fruit)

4. Heat frying pan or griddle.

5. Pour pancake batter into pan and cook until surface is covered with bubbles and the edges lose their gloss. I like to make fun shapes depending on the season. Snowmen and Candy Canes in the winter, pumpkins in the fall, Bunnies for Easter. Just pour the batter on in the desired shape and remember that the batter will spread out when it is cooked.

6. Use a spatula to flip the pancake and cook until golden brown.

Serve hot with butter and syrup, berries and whipped cream or jam.

Banana Waffles

We do a big breakfast one day almost every weekend at our house. We always change it up. One weekend might be french toast, pancakes, or one of our favourites WAFFLES!! I usually make a double batch and save some in the freezer for quick & easy weekday breakfasts or bedtime snacks.

I make them from scratch using the recipe from the Purity Cookbook . My mom bought it for me for Christmas one year. We love it - It has all kinds of easy to follow recipes. There are no pictures in it but we have not had any trouble with any of the ones that we have tried out.

We always have lots of bananas in our house so we frequently use them up when we make waffles or pancakes. You can put in your favorite extras; berries, raisins, dried fruit, chocolate chips, whatever you like!

Follow their recipe along here Banana Waffles.

Grilled Pizza

MMMM Pizza!!!

We love it at our house. We are really good at making pizzas in the oven but there was always something I wanted to try. 

The idea of making pizza outside on the barbecue intrigued me and I figured with a quick search on the internet I could find out how to do it. Turns out there are LOTS of posts on making grilled pizzas. All of them are different and have different tips and tricks on how to make it work out just right. We tried a few times and finally found a combination that worked for us. 

This recipe is a combination of the ones we tried. It is really quick and easy. It uses frozen bread dough (which we keep in our freezer now) and you can use up leftover lunch meats and toppings that you have in your fridge or pantry. 

It works for lunch or supper and is a great recipe to use for parties or just a night at home with the family. If there are more people at our place for supper we let everyone make their own personal pizzas. If it is just our family then we make personal pizzas for the little ones and a big one for the grownups to share. 

Pepperoni pizza is a favourite in our house so that is what we usually make. Feel free to add your own favourite toppings when you try this on your own.

Click the link to the recipe here Grilled Pizza Recipe

Blueberry Muffins

My daughter and I LOVE blueberries!!! 

It’s not blueberry season yet, in fact it is months away. However, we have lots of blueberries in the freezer from the summer so we decided to get them out and make some muffins today.

The recipe is from Flavors of Home by Patti Shenfield. My grandmother bought me this cookbook years ago and we have been working our way through it, trying the recipes out as we go.

Searching for the perfect recipe, we have tried MANY different recipes for blueberry muffins over the years. I think that this one may be the winner, hands down.

The recipe was easy to make and you can substitute other berries or chopped fruit for the blueberries. I think that the next time we make them we may add some chocolate chips to make them super, extra yummy!!!

The recipe makes 18 – 24 muffins which are lots to enjoy right away and extras to put in the freezer until later when you are looking for a quick, nutritious snack. These were light, moist and truly delicious!

Ingredients

2/3 cup                 butter or margarine

2/3 cup                 white sugar

2                              eggs

1 ½ tsp                  vanilla

2 1/3 cups            flour (you can use white or whole wheat)

2 Tbsp                   baking powder

½ tsp                     cinnamon

½ tsp                     salt

1 1/3 cups            milk

1 ½ cups               blueberries

Directions

1.       Preheat over to 350F (180C)

2.       In a large mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar.

3.       Add eggs & vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

4.       In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon & salt.

5.       Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture alternately with the milk. After each addition, stir until everything is mixed.

6.       DO NOT OVER MIX

7.       Fold in blueberries.

8.       Pour into 18 to 24 greased muffin cups.

9.       Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (We put BOTH muffin pans in the oven at the same time and baked for 30 to 35 minutes)

ENJOY!!!

Pasta Fagoli Soup - Quick & Easy Lunch on a Cold Day!

Today is yet another cold day, in a string of very cold days. It snowed again last night and the wind is whistling, sharp and cold.  

It’s not a good day to play outside in the snow, too cold to build snowmen or snow forts. 

I am not complaining, really. I have lived in Canada most of my life and am used to winter. I like to look out the window and see the clean white landscape right after a snowfall. There is nothing like stepping outside on a crisp, cool day and taking a breath of cool, winter air. 

Today the cold weather has inspired us to make some soup for lunch. We found a recipe online several years ago and have changed it over the years to make it our own. 

It is a fabulous recipe to use if you are participating in a pantry challenge – you can use ingredients that you have on hand in your pantry. Change it up any number of ways to make it your own. You can use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian, add extra beans or some cooked meat if you prefer.

It is quick, tasty, nutritious and inexpensive. It is a hearty soup and this recipe makes about 6 servings. We always have leftovers for lunch the next day or to put in the freezer for later. Both my 4 year old and my husband like the soup, which makes it a winner in my house.

Ingredients

1 – 1.5 cups small uncooked pasta (we used rainbow shells & macaroni)

2 – 398mL cans Tomato Sauce (any brand will do – not spaghetti sauce)

3 Pkg chicken bouillon

**(You can use chicken stock instead of the bouillon & water – just use an equivalent amount)

2.5 cups Water

1 – 540mL can beans, drained & rinsed (we used white beans but you can use your favorite)

1/8 tsp ground oregano

½ tsp salt

Sprinkle pepper

1 clove of garlic – crushed (we left it out because my daughter does not like it. Sauté it with the oregano in a splash of olive oil for a couple of minutes FIRST if you use it)

Directions:

** If you are using a clove of garlic, sauté it in the pan first, for 2 minutes with the oregano and a splash of olive oil.

In a large saucepan combine

•          Tomato sauce
•          Packages of bouillon
•          Water
•          Beans
•          Oregano (if not added first with garlic)
•          Salt
•          Pepper

Bring to a boil and then turn down heat to simmer. 

Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes until it starts to smell delicious and everything is heated through.

Add pasta and cook until pasta is tender  – another 8 - 10 minutes

Remove from heat and serve. 

Delicious!