Santa Hat Brownies

Santa Hat Brownies
Yields 12-16 brownies

Ingredients:
1 pan of your favorite brownies*, cooled and cut into desired size and shape
*See the recipe on this blog. You can use a round cookie cutter.

12-16 small strawberries, cleaned and hulled
vanilla-mascarpone buttercream (recipe below)

Vanilla-Mascarpone Buttercream

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2-1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method:
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and mascarpone cheese until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla extract and salt.  Add 2-1/2 cups of sugar, half a cup at a time and continue beating until smooth.  Add more sugar, if needed to reach desired consistency and sweetness.

To assemble, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on top of each brownie.  Cut off the base of a strawberry so it is flat and place it upside down on each brownie, pushing slightly to secure in place.  Top the tip of the strawberry with a dot of buttercream to finish the santa hat.

Adapted from this recipe found on Erica’s Sweet Tooth

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 3 Boneless chicken breasts - chopped into ½” cubes 
• ½ “ Fresh ginger root - peeled and minced 
• 2 green onions - sliced finely 
• ½ can water chestnuts - chopped finely (optional) 
• ½ red pepper chopped into fine dice 
• 3 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce* 
• pinch of salt 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced 
• 2 Tablespoons oil (peanut or canola)

Preparation

1. Heat your pan or wok on medium-high.  
2. Then add the 2 Tablespoons of oil. 
3. Saute garlic, ginger, green onions, red pepper in oil 2 minutes. 
4. Add chicken and cook till done - 5-7 minutes. 
5. Add water chestnuts and mix well. 
6. Add Hoisin last and toss through chicken till warmed.  Hoisin has sugar in it, so it will burn easily -so just toss it through and remove from heat. 
7. Put chicken in a serving bowl. 
8. Use Boston lettuce - separate leaves and spoon 1-2 tablespoons of chicken into the leaf.

Roll up and serve.

Tips

• Hoisin is found in the Asian section of the supermarket. 
• To make chopping the chicken easier, freeze for 10 minutes.

Chicken Satays

Ingredients 

2 - 3 packages of tenderloins or 4 chicken breasts cut into strips

3 cloves of garlic - crushed

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1 tablespoon of ground coriander seed  (powder)

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup coconut milk (canned) 

fresh coriander for garnish 

small wooden skewers  (Soaked in water for about an hour)

Directions 

Crush the garlic.  Mix the garlic, coriander seed, salt, curry powder.  Add the coconut milk & mix.

Marinate the chicken pieces for 3 hours in the fridge.

Thread the chicken onto the skewers. 

Line a grilling pan with foil, spray with pam and place the satay on the pan.  Cover the ends of the skewers with a piece of foil.  

Set the oven on broil - and broil 6" to 8" from the heat till cooked through.  About 7-9 minutes.  Keep checking. 

Serve with Satay peanut sauce you can buy.  Stonewall Kitchen has a nice Roasted Garlic Peanut Sauce.

Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander, or add a sprig to the serving dish. 

Cranberry & Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

2/3 cup (150 mL) unsalted butter 
2/3 cup (150 mL) packed brown sugar 
2 eggs 
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) old-fashioned rolled oats 
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all purpose flour 
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda 
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt 
1 pkg (6 oz / 142 g) dried cranberries 
2/3 cup (150 mL) white or semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). 

Using electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs; mix well. 

Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the dries cranberries and chocolate chips. 

Drop by rounded tablespoons (15 mL measures) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press each one down slightly.  Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. 

Makes 2 dozen large cookies. 

Cranberry Pecan Tassies

It's Cranberry season in Muskoka in Northern Ontario! These lovely berries are tart and crisp and great in desserts or to make Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving. These mini tarts are so delicious - they won't last long.  Easy to make as you press the dough into the tart pans.  Look for the tart pans that have sides that slant, or mini muffin tins. You could also make regular size tarts, but the little ones look so nice at Thanksgiving. 

Dough:

Blend 3 oz cream cheese and 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp)

Stir in 1 cup of flour.  Chill about one hour.

Shape into 2 dozen 1 inch balls.  Place in ungreased mini muffin pan - (shallow about 1 3/4" wide).  Press dough evenly against the bottom and sides.

Filling:

Beat together:

1 egg

3/4 cup brown sugar (or reduce to 2/3 cup)

1 tbsp butter, soft or melted

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tsp grated orange rind

Stir in :

2 Tbsp chopped pecans

1/3 cup finely chopped cranberries  (frozen, fresh or dried)

Spoon filling into pastry lined cups.  About 1 Tbsp of filling per tart

Bake at 325F for about 20 mins till filling is set and crust is light brown.  Cool in pans for 5 minutes and then remove to a rack to cool.

Makes 24 mini tarts or 12 regular tarts 

(You can use your own butter tart recipe and use this filling).

Thai Chicken Noodle Salad

Serves 6-8 
(Recipe can be halved)

Ingredients 

1 package of Chinese egg noodles - 200-300g

  or pad Thai rice noodles of preferable (follow cooking directions)

6 sliced green onions 
1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro) about 1/4 cup chopped
1 package of fresh bean sprouts (optional)
2 grated carrots 
1/2 red pepper chopped or sliced
4 boneless chicken breasts * or 200g of prepared tofu


Dressing

(Shake in a jar till combined)

4 TBS soy sauce 
4 TBS peanut oil or sunflower oil
2 TBS sesame oil
2 TBS lime or lemon juice (fresh)
2 TBS sweet chili sauce

Cook the chicken either by poaching with a bit of ginger & garlic, or bake it gently (about 20 minutes at 350F).  Do not overcook or chicken will be dry.   
Cool the chicken and then slice it thinly across the breast.

Follow this link for the perfect poached chicken breasts - super easy! This is the best method to cook 

the chicken and you will discover many other ways to use poached chicken in recipes. 

Poached Chicken Breasts

Directions: 

Cook the egg noodles about 4 minutes or until done.  Run under cold water to rinse.  Then cut the noodles randomly with scissors.

If you are using the bean sprouts, make sure they are fresh and rinse and dry them prior to use. 

Combine the noodles, onion, coriander, sprouts, carrots, red pepper & chicken.  Then add the dressing and toss.  The salad can be done the day before serving, or at least a few hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Variation: Add steamed asparagus, steamed green beans,  or snow peas and substitute shrimp for the chicken.  For a vegan option, use tofu which has been fried and cooled, or pre made ready to serve tofu.

Use grilled chicken, and baby romaine or iceberg lettuce instead of the egg noodles. 

Blueberry Orange Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter (175 ml)
1 1/2 cups white sugar (375 ml)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Finely chopped peel of 2 oranges
2 cups all-purpose flour (500 ml)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (7 ml)
3/4 cup milk (175 ml)
1 1/2 cups blueberries (wild, fresh preferably)  (375 ml) *
2 Tbs all-purpose flour

* If you are using frozen wild blueberries, rinse them to get the ice crystals off, and then dry in paper towels.

Glaze

3 Tbs frozen orange juice concentrate (50 ml)
1 cup sifted icing sugar (250 ml)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C)

1.  Grease a 10-inch (25 cm) tube pan and dust with flour.

2.  Cream the butter until light and fluffy; slowly beat in the sugar with an electric mixer (or you can use a sugar substitute) until blended.

3.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla and orange peel. Peel the orange rind using a potato peeler, and avoid getting any of the white part of the peel. Then finely chop the peel with a knife.

4.  Sift 2 cups of flour and baking powder together; add to batter alternatively with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or spatula. Mix only until blended.  Do not overmix.

5.  Toss the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons of flour and gently fold into the batter.
 Spoon into the prepared pan. And spread out evenly with a spatula.

6.  Bake at 350F (180C) for 50-55 minutes or until the center of the cake is firm. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out to cool on a rack.

For the glaze, mix the sugar with the orange juice concentrate and add more liquid if needed. While the cake is still warm, drizzle the icing over the top. The glaze is optional. You can also just dust the top of the cake with sifted icing sugar (powdered sugar).