East Coast Cowboy Steak

East Coast Cowboy Steak
From Flavours of Prince Edward Island: A Culinary Journey

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Marinate:1 hour
Pan Grill time: 5-8 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 rib eye, bone in – not too thick for this recipe (or whatever you’re favorite grilling boneless steak is – we love strip loin)

Marinade:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
Salt & pepper
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp garlic, minced
Dash Tobasco sauce (or whatever your favorite hot sauce is – I used Cholulu brand chili & garlic hot sauce this time)

Directions:
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large zip lock baggie and add the steaks. Marinate on the counter for 1 hour. Coming to room temperature for grilling makes for quick cooking just to your liking.

2. Heat a heavy bottomed fry pan or skillet over high heat. Once it’s hot, add the steaks and grill for 3-4 minutes per side.

4. Remove from the grill and place on a cutting board, cover with foil for a couple of minutes.

The cookbook suggests serving with a warm Sour Cream Potato Salad, but I opted for just roasting thin potato wedges, tossed with chopped rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil at 400°F/200°C for 20 minutes or so. Toss once during roasting so both sides are crispy and golden.

It's also great with just a simple vinaigrette over spicy greens.

Ruth's note: I make the full recipe even when I'm only grilling 2 steaks, and keep half in the fridge for another time. It's great on flank or hangar steak (overnight), and boneless chicken breasts.

Fall Leek, Swiss Chard & Mushroom Soup with Pasta

A Perfect Fall Leek Soup
In truth, this is one of those "no measurement recipes", but I’ll try…

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes or so

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp butter
3 large leeks, white & pale green parts only, well rinsed*, and thinly sliced
2 cups cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
Swiss Chard, I used ½ bunch, separate stalks from leaves
4 cups roasted vegetable broth you have to scroll down the post for the recipe, or buy some really good vegetable broth.
1 sprig fresh thyme
Salt & pepper to taste
½ -1 cup orecchiette or other small pasta
Shaving of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:
1. Prepare the vegetables. Small dice the Swiss chard stalks, coarsely chop the leaves and keep them in separate piles as you’ll be cooking the stalks with the mushrooms and the leaves only when you add the broth.

*To prepare the leeks, I like Jamie Oliver’s method: slice lengthwise down the leek, but leave attached at the root. Rinse with the root side at the top so that all the sand drains out and doesn’t get caught. Then cut off the roots and pat dry. Thinly slice the two halves stopping where the leeks start to get dark and coarse.
2. In a medium sized pot over medium high heat, pour the oil into the cold pot and once the pan is warm, add the butter. This is a great trick to keep the butter from burning. Sauté the leeks until they are softened but not browned (about 3-4 minutes), stirring to coat with the butter/oil. Once the leeks are softened, add the chopped Swiss chard stalks and sliced mushrooms. Continue to sauté until the mushrooms are golden (another 2-3 minutes).

3. Add the vegetable broth and allow to come to a boil. Add the orecchiette and reduce to a simmer and add the Swiss chard leaves, thyme sprig and some salt & pepper to taste. The soup is done once the pasta is al dente ( 5 minutes or so – you are using little pasta, so it doesn’t take long)

4. Ladle into bowls and shave some cheese over top. Serve with crusty bread and you’ll be in heaven.

Lemon Pepper Crusted Halibut

Lemon Pepper Crusted Halibut
The Ocean Wise Cookbook: Seafood Recipes That Are Good For The Planet

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Roasting time: 6-8 minutes (depending on the size of the fillet)

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Lemon Pepper Crust
Zest of 2 lemons
½ tbsp coarse salt
½ tbsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tbsp Italian/flat leaf parsley chopped

1 tbsp canola oil
2 halibut fillets
1 lemon cut into wedges for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C

2. Combine zest, salt, pepper and parsley in a food processor and pulse until well blended. Spread half the lemon pepper mixture on one side of each fillet.

3. Heat oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Place halibut fillets in the pan, lemon pepper crust side down and sear for about 2 minutes. Flip halibut and remove pan from heat.

4. Place the skillet in the oven for about 6 minutes or until the fish is firm but still moist inside.

5. Remove the pan from the oven and serve the halibut with a lemon wedge.

Arugula Waldorf Salad with Apple Vinaigrette

Arugula Waldorf Salad with Apple Vinaigrette
Inspired by The Comfort of Apples: Modern Recipes for an Old-Fashioned Favorite

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Serves 1 (just multiply as many times as necessary)

Ingredients:
Large handful or two of baby peppery arugula leaves
1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced or chopped (you decide)
Sprinkling of chopped, toasted walnut pieces (how much depends solely on you)
Shavings of Romano or Parmesano cheese
Thin half slices of tangy apple (I left the peel on for presentation. The touch of red to the salad makes it festive)
1 tbsp or so Apple Vinaigrette
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. To toast the walnuts, just heat a skillet over medium high heat and toast, dry until they become fragrant and start to brown (2 minutes or so). Watch them or they’ll scorch. Allow them to cool before adding them to the salad.

2. Place the salad greens in a bowl, sprinkle with walnut pieces, cheese shavings, shallots and toss with 1 tbsp of vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper as required. Just add enough dressing to be able to taste it, not make the salad soupy.

To serve, add a few more shavings and a grinding of pepper.

Apple Cider BBQ Chicken Wings

Sticky Apple Cider BBQ Chicken Wings
Inspired by The Comfort of Apples: Modern Recipes for an Old-Fashioned Favorite

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 25-30 minutes

Serves 2-4 (depends on what else – or who – you’re serving)

Ingredients:
2 lb/ 1 kg chicken wings, split in two
Apple Cider Vinegar BBQ Sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.

2. In a large bowl, toss the chicken wings with ¼ cup of the apple cider vinegar bbq sauce to coat the wings.

3. Place the wings on the baking sheet, skin side up and bake for about 15 minutes. Baste with more of the sauce and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes. The wings should be a gorgeous glazed amber color and even look sticky.

Apple Cider Vinegar BBQ Sauce

Apple Cider Vinegar BBQ Sauce
From The Comfort of Apples: Modern Recipes for an Old-Fashioned Favorite

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:
½ cup honey
1 cup apple juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ cup ketchup (I used American Chili Sauce – reminder of my mother’s sauces)
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, cook the honey until deeply amber (5 minutes or so).

2. Pour the apple juice – be careful, it will sputter, and reduce to half. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes or so. Remove from heat and let cool before storing in a clean jar.

This recipe is not your usual thick BBQ sauce. It’s more of a wonderful glaze and I used it for some very tasty, sticky chicken wings.

Apple Vinaigrette

Apple Vinaigrette
From The Comfort of Apples: Modern Recipes for an Old-Fashioned Favorite

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Makes ¾ cup

Ingredients:
1 tsp garlic, chopped (Ruth’s note: much as I love garlic, next time I think I’ll leave it out)
½ tsp shallot, chopped (1 small shallot and if you’re eliminating the garlic, you might want to go with a little more)
1 cup apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix everything in a blender (Ruth’s note: or a deep bowl or jar and use an immersion blender). Pulse until smooth. Taste for seasoning.

2. Place the salad greens in a large bowl, pour the dressing over and toss.

I made a variation of a Waldorf Salad with Arugula.

Old Fashioned Apple Cake

Old Fashioned Apple Cake
From The Comfort of Apples: Modern Recipes for an Old-Fashioned Favorite

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 60 minutes or (in my case a bit longer)

Makes 1 large slab cake

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
3 tart apples, peeled, cored & small diced

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C grease a 9x13” baking pan. Line with waxed or parchment paper and grease the paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the oil, sugar and eggs together until well blended. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Add to the egg/sugar mixture and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. The dough will be very thick.

3. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the apples. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish , smoothing the top to make it even across. Bake for 25 minutes and reduce the heat to 300°F/150°C. Continue to bake for another 35-40 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Ruth’s note: at this point, the cake was definitely not cooked through, so I increased the heat back to 350°F/180°C and continued to bake for another 10-15 minutes. The top was golden, and the toothpick clean.)

4. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside on a cake rack to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out of the pan and remove the paper. (Ruth’s note: I use either another cake rack if it covers the entire top of the cake or a large cutting board to invert the cake.) Instantly flip the cake back, right side up.

Baby Bowties & Zesty Shrimp

Baby Bows with Zesty Shrimp

Printable Recipe

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes (or until the water boils & the pasta cooks)
Serves 6

Ingredients::
1 lb/ 450g baby bowtie pasta
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lb/900g shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 sweet red bell pepper, seeded and cut into Julienne strips
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp basil pesto
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup grated Romano cheese (I know… it goes against Italian custom, but it tastes great)

Directions:
1. Cook the pasta until al dente in a large pot of salted water. (small bowties take less than 5 minutes, but if you use penne, probably 8-10) Drain and set aside.

2. In the meantime, in a large heavy bottomed skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Melt half the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (just until fragrant). Add the shrimp, pesto, lemon juice and red pepper strips. Cook until shrimp turn pink (about 5 minutes). Add the lemon juice and cooked pasta (I just use tongs from the pot it cooked in, which adds a little water but not much to the “sauce”), lemon zest, salt & pepper, toss and taste for seasoning.

This is a great dish to serve instead of the standard Garlic Shrimp over Rice… Delicioso!

Chatelaine's Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chatelaine’s Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Chatelaine Modern Classics:

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time 8-10 minutes

Makes 3-5 dozen cookies (depending on how big or small you like them)

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, (softened to room temperature)
1 ¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate chunks
Ruth’s note: I also added some toasted, coarsely chopped pecans for one batch and some raisins for another – both delicious)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare baking sheets (Ruth’s note: line a baking sheets with foil for easy cleanup.)

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour with baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using a spoon, or an electric mixer on medium speed (my choice), cream butter with sugar until creamy, about 1 minute or so. Beat in egg and vanilla and gradually stir in flour mixture just until combined. Mix in chocolate and either/both nuts or raisins.

3. Scoop about 1 tbsp (I used a mini ice cream scoop for ease and consistency), of dough on the cookie sheets about 2” apart as they will spread during baking.

4. Bake in the center of a preheated oven until the cookies are golden around the edges (about 8-10 minutes). Remove sheets to a heatproof surface and cool for 2-3 minutes before removing cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Do Ahead: form the dough into thick discs and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 1 month. Store baked cookies in a covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days…if you can actually keep from munching them up on day one!

Whole Wheat Mac 'n Cheese with Pumpkin

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheese
From Chatelaine Modern Classics:

Ruth’s note: my changes in red

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
Broiling time 4 minutes
Standing time 5 minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients:
3 slices whole wheat bread
1 tbsp melted butter
¼ cup fresh chives, snipped
3 cups old cheddar cheese, grated
1 butternut squash or small sugar pumpkin (about 2lb/1kg), peeled, seeded and cut into small cubes. (I had some frozen cooked & mashed pumpkin in the freezer so I used that instead, making sure to drain the liquid out of the thawed pumpkin)
10oz/284 ml can undiluted chicken broth (or homemade)
½ tsp ground nutmeg
16oz/450g whole wheat elbow macaroni or fusili (I used penne)
8oz/250g block cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1 cup 35% cream (next time I’ll probably go with a lighter cream)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Topping:
1. Trim crusts from bread and lightly toast the bread. Tear into large pieces and pulse in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Add butter and pulse to mix. Add chives and ½ cup grated cheddar. Pulse once more to mix and set aside in a bowl.

Squash/Pumpkin:
2. Peel and cut in half, lengthwise. Scoop out and discard pulp and seeds. Cut squash/pumpkin into small chunks. (about 4 cups).

3. Place in a large pot. Add the broth, 1 cup water and nutmeg. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until the pumpkin is tender (about 10-15 minutes).

Ruth’s note: if using frozen pumpkin, place the frozen pumpkin in a strainer over a large bowl. Allow the pumpkin to defrost – you could speed up the process by defrosting it in a microwave. Press the liquid out and set the pumpkin “meat” aside until ready to use.

Pasta:
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt and pasta. Cook according to package directions, until al dente. Drain.

5. Preheat the broiler.

6. Using a slotted spoon, remove half of the pumpkin to a separate bowl. Using a potato masher, mash the remaining pumpkin in the pot with the broth until smooth. Add cream cheese, and continue mashing until the cheese is mostly melted. Stir in the cream, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper.

7. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 ½ cups of cheddar until melted. Fold in the pumpkin pieces.

8. Stir in the drained, cooked pasta and spread evenly in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the crumb mixture. Broil until the crust is golden (4-5 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Ruth’s version:
1. All the pumpkin will be mashed, so add it along with the cream cheese, cream & Dijon.

2. An alternative to just broiling the hot mac ‘n cheese…we actually had to put off eating it for dinner, so I just put the prepared dish (step8) and heat the next day in a 350°F/175°C, covered with foil for about 30-45 minutes (just check with the tip of a knife in the center of the dish for when it’s hot). Remove the foil and raise the temperature to 375°F/ 180°C to crisp the crust.

Pumpkin Soup with Wild Mushrooms

Pumpkin Soup with Wild Mushrooms
From Simply in Season: 12 Months of Wine Country Cooking

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 45 minutes (can even be done a day ahead)
Cooking time 40 minutes

Ingredients:
½ cup dried porcini mushrooms or 2 cups fresh wild mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (Ruth’s note: I found a huge jar of mixed dried wild mushrooms at Costco – 454 g/16oz for $14.95!!!)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, white parts only, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp honey
8 cups pumpkin, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup orange juice
1/3 cup 35% cream
5 sage leaves
6 whole cloves
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
If using dried mushrooms:
1. Pour 1 cup boiling water over dried mushrooms in a medium bowl and let stand for 30 minutes or until the water has cooled to room temperature. Drain and rinse the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid and mushrooms separately.

2. Heat a large saucepan (I used a Dutch oven) over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter foams, add the leeks, onion and garlic and soaked or fresh mushrooms. Sauté stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the honey.

3. Add the pumpkin, chicken stock, orange juice and mushroom soaking liquid. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft (Ruth’s note: I must have cut the pumpkin too coarsely as it took much longer to cook). Stir in the cream, sage and cloves and simmer for 5 minutes more.

4. The book recommends transferring the soup to a blender, not a food processor, and blend until smooth. Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve, discarding solids. Return to the rinsed out saucepan.
My version is more rustic, and less clean up…I use an immersion blender in the Dutch oven. First remove the cloves and sage leaves. I loved the flecks of mushroom. Season with salt & pepper to taste and serve. Next time, I’ll sauté some thinly sliced mushrooms in some butter to serve as garnish. I really did like it better the next day…way more flavor.

Barbecued Chicken with Honey Apricot Glaze

Barbecued Chicken With Honey Apricot Glaze
From Simply in Season: 12 Months of Wine Country Cooking

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes
Marinating time 2 hours to overnight in the fridge
Grill time: 12 minutes or so

Ingredients:
Honey Apricot Marinade
1 cup dried apricots
1 ½ cups water
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup shallots, finely chopped
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup honey
¼ cup Dijon mustard
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp kosher salt

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

Marinade:
1. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine the apricots and water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until the apricots are soft and plump and water has reduced by half.

2. In the meantime, in a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the shallots. Sauté until the shallots are softened but not browned. Stir in the cooked apricots and their liquid. Remove skillet from heat.

3. In a food processor or blender, process the apricot mixture until smooth (Ruth’s Note: I used my immersion blender after pouring everything from the skillet back into the saucepan.) Add the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently for 15 minutes or until thickened to the consistency of ketchup. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool completely.

4. Prepare the chicken breasts for the marinade. (Ruth’s Note: I place the breasts between sheets of waxed paper and using a mallet, flatten the thickest part of the breast so that the entire breast is even. This ensures more even cooking on the grill,..no dried edges.) The book calls for using a non-reactive pan and pouring just enough of the honey apricot glaze to cover, reserving the rest of the glaze/marinade in a separate container. I prefer to use large zip lock baggies, less mess and easier to massage the marinade into the chicken. Whatever your preference, refrigerate the chicken for at least 2 hours to overnight.

Grilling:
5. Preheat the barbecue (or this time my indoor grill pan). Remove the chicken breasts from the fridge, scraping off the marinade. Grill the chicken for about 12 minutes, turning half way through the cooking until nicely browned and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160°F/71°C. (Ruth’s note: if you don’t have an instant read thermometer, I highly recommend it, but you could just cut into the chicken to make sure the meat is no longer pink. Juices should be clear. If you do this too often, though, all the juices will run out and you’ll be left with dried out chicken.)

6. Just before the chicken is done, remove the reserved honey-apricot glaze from the fridge and heat in a small saucepan. Arrange the chicken breasts on a platter and spoon some of the hot honey apricot glaze over or beside them.

This is a perfect summer supper served with a salad fresh from the garden. In the Fall or Winter, it’s perfect with roasted vegetables.