February 2013

I’m writing this with one eye out the window – keeping a watch for coyotes as this morning we saw three frolicking on the snow covered front lawn. The sheep and the chickens are all out having a naively relaxed wintery morning, hence the watchful eye!

So, the chickens, we are down to only three from the original twelve that we got four years ago, one brown and two white. Hardy, hardy birds. In fact, one of the white hens, or maybe both, is still presenting us with an egg on a daily basis. That was a big surprise after their very badly timed moulting in November; we thought we wouldn’t see any eggs again. Let’s face it; we’re amazed the girls are still with us! Chickens should be the poster girls for “You Are What You Eat”. For the first few weeks of our cold and dark winter, they refused to come out of the hen house; they huddled inside eating their grain and not exploring the world around them as they normally do. Their combs withered and became dry and droopy. Ick. Then when the snow melted and we had a few glorious days of sunshine, out they came again, often touring over to the ponds even, snacking on all sorts of goodies from the melting earth. Their combs perked right back up, bright red and vivacious, the chickens were back to ruling the roost. The past few days have been a bit up and down with them, they did not come out in Friday’s big blizzard, but they’ve been happily tootling around the farm ever since.

How long do chickens live? I just checked this out on the world wide web and apparently pet chickens can live 15 to 20 years. OMG! Really?

So, here are a few recent pictures starting with a view out the front of our house during the blizzard on Friday, then day after the blizzard and John has cleared the road, our cat Dolway staying inside away from coyotes and the snow, and finally Emmy and Suzie the pet sheep, just doing their thing.

 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with chive and garlic sauce

What’s for dinner? Again? That’s a question that gets old fast! Anyway, last night I actually had an answer- sweet potato gnocchi with fresh chive and garlic cream sauce. It was actually very easy to put together, and with a spinach salad on the side, let’s just say everybody’s plate was clean.
Chive and Garlic Cream Sauce
Make this sauce first, so that when the gnocchi is cooked, you’ll be ready!
½ cup white wine
1 ½ cups 35% cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped – about half to ¾ cup
Salt, pepper, dried chilli flakes, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan (garnish)

1. Bring wine to boil in small saucepan, let reduce by half.
2. Bring cream to boil in medium size saucepan, add minced garlic, let reduce by half.
3. Add reduced wine to reduced cream, stir in chives, and season with salt, pepper, and chilli flakes. Pour over hot gnocchi, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.
4. Accept the accolades of your family graciously. Don’t expect left-overs.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
1 sweet potato cooked, peeled, mashed
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Generous grating of nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
Few grinds of black pepper
1 cup to 1 ¼ cup all purpose unbleached flour

1. Combine the cooked sweet potato with the ricotta cheese in a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, and then the eggs. Stir in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in the flour, starting with just one cup. If the dough is sticky, stir in more flour, but if it feels fairly smooth and not sticky, dump it out onto a lightly floured counter, and gently knead two or three times.
2. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a teaspoon of salt when it comes to the boil. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. With a sharp knife cut the dough into four pieces. Using both your hands gently roll the dough out into a long rope on your counter top, about half an inch in diameter. Cut the rope into pieces that are about half an inch long. They should look sort of like puffy little pillows. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. When you have all of the gnocchi cut, gently lower it into the boiling water. It is cooked when it floats up to the surface. Remove it from the boiling water with a slotted spoon.
5. Serve immediately with chive cream sauce. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan.

Sunny Day on the Farm

It’s such a gorgeous day!
I love the sweet-fresh flavour of lime, and this is the time of year to perk up our tastebuds!
This is a fabulous recipe for Lime cheesecake that I originally published in Eat Drink magazine. Enjoy!
Lime Cheesecake with Lime curd topping

Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 cup (375 mL)s gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, melted

Filling:
2 x 8 oz (250 g) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup (310 mL) granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 cup (500 mL) sour cream
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) salt
1/3 cup (75 mL) fresh lime juice

Lime curd topping:
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup (150 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh lime juice
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, cut into cubes

1. Heat oven to 325 ° F (160° C). Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Place on baking sheet.
2. Make the crust. Combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter, and press into the bottom and just a little bit up the sides of the spring form pan. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes. Let cool.
3. Meanwhile make the filling: with an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until it is smooth. Beat in the sugar and the eggs. On low speed mix in the sour cream, salt and lime juice. When the filling is thoroughly mixed, pour onto the cooled crust. Keeping the spring form pan on a baking sheet, place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. The edges will just be starting to brown, and the center will be soft. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least six hours before serving.
4. Lime curd: whisk the eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, and fresh lime juice in a stainless steel bowl until smooth. Place bowl over pot of simmering water, cook and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 12 minutes. Turn heat off. Add butter a few cubes at a time, stirring each piece into curd completely before adding more. Pour curd into a non-metallic bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool. Spread on top of cheesecake before serving. Garnish with wedges of fresh lime.

Lou Recantou

Well, we took a vacation this fall – to the south of France! For years we had heard about “Lou Recantou”, a gite owned by two former Londoners, Susan and Tim Wallis. Finally we took the leap and got there ourselves. What a treat! Check out the website: www.lourecantou.com
I won’t tell you about the whole trip, what I will tell you is that the only thing I planned was our transportation – plane to Paris, train to Montpellier, and rental car to get us around to all of our unplanned adventures. First adventure was, of course, finding Lou Recantou, which is in Oupia, a teeny tiny itsy bitsy town, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but actually is the centre of everything that makes me want to be in France – history, good food, wine, nature, and the laid back culture of the south.
We stayed in “L’Ancien Pressoir”, the apartment that is associated with Lou Recantou. It is a bit smaller, but a perfect fit for a couple. Susan and Tim have thought of everything you could possibly need to make your stay at their gite comfortable- right down to re-usable shopping bags to take to the market. The kitchen was perfectly out-fitted for any level of cook, the bed comfortable, the bathroom modern, and the balcony sunny and private. The best part is that they also provide you with a binder. We referred to this binder as ‘the bible’ because it had everything you could possibly need to know about the area. This was our tour guide for the two weeks that we were there.
We drove- through winding mountain roads, we cycled –along the Canal du Midi, we hiked – in the nearby hills; we walked- on the beaches, and relaxed to our hearts content. Lots of wine, lots of cheese, olives, baguette, and delicious local food every day. Did we get our fill? Absolutely not, we can’t wait to go back.

Green Garlic

Recipe make-over

Here’s one of my family’s favourite recipes that is going to be ‘made-over’ by the Heart and Stroke Health Check Program in April. Check out their website: www.healthcheck.org

Here is my recipe – that really needs a low fat make-over! Cream, butter, pastry – oh my!

CHICKEN IN PHYLLO PASTRY

3 cups (750 ml) cooked, boneless chicken, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1/4 cup (60 ml) butter

1 onion, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) dried thyme

1/4 cup (60 ml) flour

2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock

1/2 cup (125 ml) 35% cream

Salt and pepper, to taste

12 – 16 sheets phyllo pastry

1/2 – 1 cup (250 ml) butter, melted

1. To make the chicken filling, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook for 5-10 minutes until translucent. Meanwhile, blanch the celery and carrot pieces in boiling water until just tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Stir the dried thyme into the onion and butter mixture, then stir in the flour and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, and let cook for about ten minutes, or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Finish by stirring in the cream, and letting it simmer for two or three minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked chicken, celery, and carrots. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside in refrigerator to cool.
3. To assemble the chicken in phyllo, you must first have a large, clear work surface. Have your melted butter and a pastry brush ready. Open the phyllo package and lay out the whole stack of phyllo sheets. Take one sheet off the top, and lay it on your work surface, with the short side closest to you. Cover the sheets that you are not using right now with a slightly damp tea towel. Brush melted butter over the entire surface of the one phyllo sheet. Then, lay another sheet of phyllo on top of the first. Once again, brush with butter. Repeat this two more times, to eventually have a stack of four sheets of phyllo. With a sharp knife, slice this stack of phyllo sheets down the middle, lengthwise. You now have two lengths of phyllo dough. Place a scoop of the cooled chicken filling on the bottom quarter of each length of dough. You are now going to fold this into a triangle shape. Take the bottom right hand corner of the dough and fold it over the chicken filling, to form a triangle. Then, fold from the bottom left corner, lifting the chicken filling along with this fold, and forming another triangle. Keep on folding until you have reached the top of the length of phyllo. It won’t be perfect (at least, mine wasn’t). Place the bundles on a baking sheet, preferably one that is lined with parchment. Brush the tops of each bundle with more melted butter. Set aside, and repeat this procedure until the entire chicken filling has been used.
4. Heat the oven to 375° F (190°C). Bake the chicken in phyllo for 20-25 minutes, until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is piping hot.
5. Makes six to eight phyllo bundles.

Quick Maple Syrup Raisin buns

Even though our own children are teenagers, I look forward to March Break. Years ago when they were very young, my husband bought some second-hand maple syrup buckets, lids and spiles from our local TSC store. He took the girls on a wintery walk into our bush and they tapped five trees. How fabulous it was to see the sap dripping for the first time. After a couple of days the buckets were full. We boiled it down on our woodstove for about twenty-four hours, and made our first home-made maple syrup. We’ve been doing it ever since and we get about six to eight liters each year, which is enough to last us through to the next maple syrup season. I love the process for making maple syrup, it’s so Canadian. I find that kids get the most engaged with their food when they have participated in the process, and maple syrup is a prime example.

Quick Maple Syrup Raisin Buns

Biscuit dough:
2 cup (500 mL) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (10 mL) salt
1 tablespoon (15 mL) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (10 mL) baking soda
2 tablespoon (30 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, cubed
1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk
1 egg

Filling:
2 tablespoon (30 mL) melted butter
1/4 cup (60 mL) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon (10 mL) cinnamon
1/2 cup (125 mL) raisins
1/2 cup (125 mL) maple syrup
1 tablespoon (15 mL) butter for pan

• Heat oven to 375 °F (190 °C). Butter an 8 inch square pan with one tablespoon of butter.
• Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and granulated sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add egg to buttermilk and beat with a fork. Add all at once to flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together and forms a moist dough. Sprinkle some flour on your counter, and dump out dough onto counter. Gently knead it 3-4 times. Sprinkle a little bit more flour on the counter if needed and on rolling pin, and roll out dough into a rectangle, about one centimeter thick.
• Brush dough with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Roll dough up into a log, and with a sharp knife, slice it into nine even circles. Pour maple syrup into prepared pan, tilting pan to spread out syrup evenly. Lay buns, cut side down, into pan. Place pan in hot oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Buns will be puffed and browned. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and invert pan onto a plate. Let pan sit upside down for a couple of minutes to catch any excess syrup. Remove pan and let buns cool for as long as you can stand it. Best eaten the same day.
• Makes nine buns. See how long they last.

originally posted (by Christine) on EcoLiving London blog – check it out at:

http://www.ecolivinglondon.org/

Curried Vegetables

Here’s a blog I did for the ecoLiving website – what a great spot. Check it out at: www.ecolivinglondon.org

Bleak winter days call for bright winter meals, full of colour and flavour to perk us up. But that’s just my opinion! Honestly, I find it hard to decide what to cook this time of year when our outdoor farmers’ market is closed and the garden is covered with snow. Fortunately there are a host of produce vendors that do care about supporting local and there are very productive greenhouses within a reasonable distance. It is not impossible to get local this time of year, and eating a balanced diet is always important, no matter what time of year it is.

So, this is what I made for dinner the other night and it is open to your interpretation and seasonal variations! Bright, colourful, spicy and nutritious, served on a bed of brown rice, this curry makes an easy weeknight dinner.

Grab all the Veggies in the Fridge Curry

2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable oil

2 large onions, sliced

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1-2 jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and minced

2 Tablespoons (30 mL) curry paste

1 cup (250 mL) carrots, peeled and sliced

3 sweet peppers, red or green or yellow or orange, seeded, sliced

1 can (approx 1 ½ cups, 375 mL) coconut milk

2 cups (500 mL) cauliflower florets, blanched

2 cups (500 mL) broccoli florets, blanched

1-2 cups (250-500 mL) green beans, blanched

1 can (19 oz, 540 mL) chick peas, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup (60 mL) of cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) toasted coconut

• In a large saucepan heat oil over medium high heat. Add the onions to the pan cook and stir for about 15 minutes, until the onions are getting golden brown and caramelized.
• Add the garlic, ginger, hot peppers to the pan, cook and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the curry paste, carrots, and sweet peppers. Let cook for another 5 minutes or so. Pour coconut milk into pan; bring to the boil, lower heat to simmering and stir in cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and chick peas. Let simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Check seasoning.
• Serve curry on a bed of rice. Garnish with cilantro and toasted coconut.
• Serves four -six.

It’s a Sunny January Day

Oh, I’m so happy to see the sun! It feels like it’s been a looong time. I’m celebrating by putting aside the left-over Christmas chocolates and reaching for something a bit healthier.

Soup is my winter go-to food. It’s easy to make even without a recipe. Well, I’m a bit of a recipe hoarder, but I’ll often go out on a limb and wing it, especially with soup. One of the family’s favourite soup recipes is from the cookbook ‘Crazy Plates’ by Janet and Greta Podleski. The only changes I make to their recipe are that I use organic ground beef, home-made beef stock, carrots and potatoes from our garden, I up the garlic quite a bit as I’m using our own fabulous garlic. Here it is (a la Dolway Organic Garden):

1 lb or so of organic ground beef, get this cooking in a six litre soup pot set over medium high heat. Add 1 large chopped onion (it doesn’t matter if the beef is cooked when you add the onion), let the onion cook for about 5 minutes, then stir in 2-3 stalks of chopped celery, 1 chopped green bell pepper, 4 cloves garlic minced. Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so, until the beef is cooked. Stir in a can of diced tomatoes, about 6 cups of organic beef broth, 2 medium size organic potatoes, washed well and diced, 2 carrots, peeled and diced, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1-2 teaspoons of dried basil, 1 teaspoon paprika. Get all of this simmering for half an hour or 45 minutes, then add in some chopped savoy cabbage. The original recipe calls for 3 cups, but I generally add more than that. Let all this simmer for another half an hour or so, make sure potatoes and carrots are tender. Grind in some pepper, sprinkle with salt to taste.

That’s it! So delicious and easy, and if you are feeling really energetic, while the soup is simmering, why not make some quick French Bread? Here’s an easy recipe:

French Style Loaf

1 1/2 Tbsp (22 ml) active dry yeast

1 Tbsp (15 ml) granulated sugar

2 cup (500 ml) warm water

5 to 6 cups (1.5l) all purpose flour

1 Tbsp (15 ml) salt

1 egg white, beaten

• Combine the yeast with the sugar and warm water in a large bowl and allow to proof. The yeast will burble to the top of the liquid. Meanwhile, stir together five cups of the flour with the salt.
• Gradually add the flour mixture into the yeast mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have stiff dough. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until it is no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
• Coat the inside of the large bowl (no need to wash it) with a small amount of butter or oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning the dough so it is coated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and shape into two long, French style loaves. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the loaves onto the sheet. Slash the tops of the loaves diagonally in five or six places, and brush with the egg white.
• Place in a cold oven, set the oven temperature to 400 ° F, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the loaves are well browned and hollow sounding when you knock on the bottom.
• Makes two loaves.

Christmas Baking Recipes

Here are some of my favourite Christmas baking recipes!

Peanut Butter Snowballs

2 cup (500 ml) peanut butter

6 Tbsp (90 ml) butter

2 cup (500 ml) icing sugar

2 cup (500 ml) rice krispies

2 cup (500 ml) icing sugar

Water

3 cups (750 ml) coconut

• Combine the peanut butter with the butter and 2 cups icing sugar. Stir in the rice krispies. Roll mixture into bite size balls.
• Combine remaining icing sugar with enough water to make a thick paste.
• Place coconut in a shallow bowl.
• Roll the balls in the icing sugar mixture, then in the coconut, and then place on a parchment lined tray to dry.
• Makes approximately 4 dozen.

Cranberry Quick Bread

2 cup (500 ml) all purpose flour

1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) baking soda

1/4 cup (60 ml) butter

3/4 cup orange juice

1 Tbsp (15 ml) orange zest, minced

1/2 cup (125 ml) plain yogourt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup (250 ml) fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (125 ml) white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (125 ml) dried apricots, coarsely chopped

• Heat oven to 350° F (180° C). Coat 6 mini loaf pans with non stick cooking spray.
• Sift together dry ingredients. Melt butter, stir in orange juice, zest, yogourt, and egg. Stir orange juice mixture into flour mixture, stirring just to combine. Fold in cranberries, chocolate, and apricots. Scoop into loaf pans, smoothing down tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean.
• Makes 6 mini loaves.

Triple Layer Bars

Base:

2 cup (500 ml) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (60 ml) granulated sugar

1 cup (250 ml) butter

Filling:

1 cup (250 ml) brown sugar

1 cup (250 ml) butter

1/4 cup (60 ml) corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla

Topping:

2 cup (500 ml) semi sweet chocolate chips

• Heat oven to 350° F (180° C). Coat a 9 x 13 inch pan with non stick cooking spray.
• In a large bowl stir together flour and granulated sugar; cut in 1 cup (250 ml) of butter until the mixture is crumbly. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan set over low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved .Turn heat up to medium, and bring mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and beat well. Pour over cooked base. Let cool.
• Melt chocolate chips and spread over cooled squares. Let cool before cutting into squares.
• Makes 4 dozen squares.

SKOR Bars

1 bag (288g) SKOR bites

1 box (250 g) Ritz crackers

1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup (125 ml) semi sweet chocolate chips (for topping, optional)

• Heat oven to 325° F (160° C). Grease and 8×8 inch square pan with butter or cooking spray.
• Pour SKOR bites into a medium size bowl. Crush the Ritz crackers into fine crumbs, and add to bowl. Pour the whole can of sweetened condensed milk over crumbs and SKOR bites, and stir to combine.
• Press the mixture into prepared pan. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, or until edges are just starting to turn golden. Remove from oven, let cool. Cut into squares while still slightly warm.
• If desired, you can sprinkle the top of the Skor bars with semi sweet chocolate chips when they come out of the oven, let the chips sit a few minutes until soft, and then spread the melted chips over top of squares.
• Makes 3 dozen squares.

MRS. WILSON’S FUDGEY BROWNIES

1/2 cup (125 ml) butter

2 cups (500 ml) brown sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) cocoa

2 eggs

1 cup (250 ml) flour

1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla

v Heat oven to 350°F

v Mix the butter with the brown sugar. When it is well mixed, stir in the cocoa, then the eggs, then the flour, and finally the vanilla. Pour batter in 8 x 8-inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes. Do not over cook.

ICING

1/4 cup (60 ml) butter

2 squares semi-sweet chocolate

icing sugar (about 2 cups (500 ml) or so)

milk (about 1-2 Tbsp)

v Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave. When it is melted, stir and pour into a mixing bowl. Using beaters, blend in half of the icing sugar, then the milk, then more icing sugar, until you have reached the desired consistency. Ice brownies when they are cool.

B52 Brownies

Base:

4 squares semi sweet chocolate

1/2 cup (125 ml) butter, cut into pieces

1 Tbsp (15 ml) coffee flavoured liqueur

7/8 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp (5 ml) vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup (125 ml) + 2 Tbsp (30 ml) all purpose flour

Frosting:

1/4 lb cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp (30 ml) butter, softened

2 cup (500 ml) icing sugar

1 Tbsp (15 ml) Orange brandy liqueur

1 Tbsp (15 ml) orange zest, minced

Glaze:

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

3 Tbsp (45 ml) 35% cream

2 Tbsp (30 ml) Irish cream liqueur

• Make the base. Heat oven to 325 ° F (160 ° C). Prepare 8×8” pan by spraying with non stick cooking spray.
• Melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir in the coffee liqueur. Cool. Stir in the sugar and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in flour. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool.
• Make the frosting. With a hand held mixer, beat together the cream cheese with the butter, icing sugar, orange liqueur, and orange zest. Spread on cooled base. Refrigerate to set.
• Make the glaze. Melt the chocolate and cream together on top of double boiler. Stir in the Irish cream. Pour warm glaze over frosting. Refrigerate. When cold, cut into squares with a hot knife.
• Makes approximately 2 dozen squares.

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

Chocolate layer:

1 cup (250 ml) butter, softened

2 cups (500 ml) granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 cup (250 ml) cocoa, sifted

1 cup (250 ml) all purpose flour

Cream cheese layer:

500g plain cream cheese, softened

1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla

v Prepare a 9×13 inch pan by spraying it with non-stick baking spray. Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

v For the chocolate layer, beat the sugar into the softened butter. Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the cocoa and flour until well combined. Set mixture aside.

v For the cream cheese layer, beat together the cream cheese with the sugar. Then beat in the eggs, and vanilla.

v To assemble the brownies, spread two-thirds of the chocolate layer over bottom of prepared pan. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top. Then, dot the remaining chocolate mixture on top of the cheesecake layer, to give a spotted appearance. Push the ‘spots’ down a bit so they are even with the cream cheese layer.

v Place pan in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The cream cheese layer should look just set, and should not be brown. Remove from oven, let cool completely, and refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting. These cut best with a knife that has been dipped in very hot water.

v Makes 24 brownies.

MOM’S FUDGE

2 cups (500 ml) granulated sugar

2 cups (500 ml) packed golden yellow sugar

1 1/3 cup (330 ml) 10% cream

1/4 cup (60 ml) butter

2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract

v Prepare a nine-inch square baking pan by lining with buttered parchment or foil.

v In a saucepan, combine the sugars with the cream. Stir well to mix.

v Set pan over medium high heat and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to medium and continue to let the mixture boil until it reaches the ‘soft ball’ stage, or (ideally) 234 – 240° F (112-115° C) on a candy thermometer. Do not stir.

v Remove pan from the heat and add the butter and vanilla, but do not stir. Let the mixture sit and cool down to 110°F. this will take almost one hour. When the mixture is cool, remove the thermometer from the pan, and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it starts to loose all its gloss, and stiffen up. This will take 5 – 8 minutes. This is spilt second timing here: you need to scrape it into the prepared baking pan right away. It will pretty well be set by the time you finish scraping it out of the pan.

v Let fudge cool at room temperature for 10 or 15 minutes, and then carefully score it with a knife. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

v Makes approximately 36 squares.

White Chocolate Bark

6 squares white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup (60 ml) sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 cup (60 ml) dried cranberries

• Melt chocolate in double boiler over hot not boiling water. Scrape out onto parchment lined baking tray. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and cranberries. Let harden. Break into random pieces.
• Makes approx 2 dozen pieces.

CRANBERRY CARMELITAS

Crust

1 cup (250 ml) flour

1/2 tsp (10 ml) baking soda

1 cup (250 ml) quick cooking oats

3/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar

Filling

1 cup (250 ml) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup (125 ml) dried cranberries (craisins)

1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped pecans

3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

3 Tbsp (45 ml) flour

v Heat oven to 350°F (180°C).

v Sift together the flour and baking soda. Stir in the oats and brown sugar, then stir in the melted butter. Blend well. Remove half of mixture from bowl and set aside. Press the other half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch square pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

v Remove pan from the oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips, cranberries, and pecans. In a small bowl, combine the caramel topping with the flour. Pour, as evenly as possible, over the chocolate chips, cranberries, and pecans. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over top of all. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool before cutting into squares.

v Makes approximately 25 squares.