3 Cheese Crab Dip

Super easy cheesy crab dip with a bit of a spicy kick. Served as an appetizer or even a fancy late night snack for guests, it always goes over well. I have caught both my hubby and one of his friends cleaning out the scrapings of the ramekin with their fingers. They both admitted if they thought they could get away with it they would have licked out the dish...good grief!

overview

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 45
• serves: 6-8

ingredients

crab meat - 1/2 pound (500 g)

cheddar cheese - 1 cup, shredded

mozzarella - 1/2 cup, shredded

parmasian cheese - 1/4 cup, finely grated

mayonnaise - 1/2 cup

chives finely chopped 1/4 cup

garlic - 2 cloves, pressed

worcestershire sauce - 3 tbsp

lemon - juice of 1

tabasco - 1 tsp

dijon mustard - 1 tbsp

pinch each salt and pepper 

directions

Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 C).

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together well, then transfer to a casserole dish and bake for 30 - 35 minutes.

Allow to cool somewhat, then serve with crackers, pita chips, or fresh toasted baguette

tips & tricks

I like to bake the dip in 2 smaller ramekins and only baking them for 20 minutes. I also shred extra cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top and a chop a bit of extra chive also sprinkled on top so it looks nice. We make our own pita chips by lightly brushing them with olive oil, then placing them on our panini press till they have those lovely lines. Then slice them into wedges.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

I hate going to someones place for a visit empty handed, even when it is just for afternoon coffee. I like to makes these yummy treats up in advance. They store nicely in a sealed container for a couple of weeks or freeze nicely for a few months. You can make so many different kinds of Biscotti, but I have found that this simple combination of chocolate and traditional almond go over the best.

overview

• Prep Time: 2 hours 30 min
• Total Time: 3 hr 40 min
• Makes: 24

ingredients

2‑3/4 cups all-purpose flour 

1‑1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup butter, softened 

1 cup sugar 

3 eggs 

3 tablespoons almond-flavored liqueur 

1 tablespoon water 

1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips 

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted and chopped 

Melted semisweet bakers chocolate (optional) 

directions

Place flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir to combine.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in liqueur and water. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in chips and almonds.

Divide dough into half. Spread each half evenly down center of waxed paper. Using waxed paper to hold dough, roll it back and forth to form a log. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Unwrap and place each log on prepared cookie sheet. With floured hands, shape each log 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.

Bake 15 minutes. Remove cookie sheet from oven. Cut each log with serrated knife into 1-inch-thick diagonal slices. Place slices, cut side up, on cookie sheet; bake 5 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake 5 minutes or until cut surfaces are golden brown and cookies are dry. Remove cookies with spatula to wire racks; cool completely.

Dip one end of each biscotti into melted milk chocolate, if desired; let stand on waxed paper until completely set. 

tips & tricks

Store tightly covered at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months. 

If chocolate-dipped cookies are frozen, chocolate may discolour.

If gifting place biscotti in cello bags stacked and then tied with decorative ribbon for that extra touch of "aww, how nice!"

Marshmallow Fondant Icing Recipe

If you have ever decorated a cake with store bought fondant, you will likely agree it tastes like YUCK! That and it is quite expensive. Marshmallow Fondant is cheap and easy to make and it tastes nice as well. Only down side is it takes a bit of muscle work in the kneading process, but so worth the effort when you see the looks on peoples faces when you present them with a lovely home made cake.

ingredients

16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (1 lb. bag)

2 to 5 tablespoons water

2 pounds icing sugar

1/2 cup Crisco shortening

directions

Using a microwave safe bowl place marshmallows and 2 tbsp. water in microwave for 30 seconds. Remove stir repeat until melted. May take up to 2.5 mins.

Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.

Using the shortening generously grease your hands. Dump the contents of your bowl onto a large counter top area or large baking mat that has also been greased with Crisco.

Start kneading as though you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands, it is a sticky mess :) Once all the sugar and marshmallow are combined smoothly, add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. 

Prepare the fondant icing for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Marshmallow Fondant icing will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks.

I find that if you wish to colour your icing the gel food colour works best. Adding a small amount at a time, kneading it into the dough until you get the desired colour.

When you wish to cover your cake with the fondant, roll out your icing on a counter covered with corn starch , you may also need to coat your rolling pin with the corn starch as well.  Roll out to desired size and shape.

You will want to crumb coat your cake with about 1/4 butter-cream icing. Carefully place your rolled fondant onto the cake. Make sure not to mar the surface with fingerprints or with your fingernails, the marks are hard to get out.  Gently smooth down the sides to the cake. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, trim the excess.

You can make flowers, bows, and figures. If you can imagine it, you can make it out of fondant ;)

                              

tips & tricks

* red and black are the worst colours to work with as they both take a lot of gel. They can also affect the taste of the fondant. Both of these colours will darken with age so Keep this in mind. You may with to make them a few days in advance to get the perfect colouring you desire.

*if you have made the fondant in advance you may need to work the icing by kneading it with greased hands until it is once again soft and malleable.

* refrigerating the finished cake will destroy your fondant finish. Keep in a cardboard bakery box, in a dry cool place. Humidity is also a finish killer. Found this out the hard way LOL

Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaf

Hubby wanted meatloaf! All I could think was: ewww really??? So, I looked around on the net and in my old cook books then came up with this recipe. Wrap it in bacon and all is good in the world again.... even if I have to eat meatloaf :P Our son feels that it should be added to our weekly menu...did I mention it was wrapped in bacon? Served with fancy-dancy whipped mashed potatoes you can even serve this to guests.

overview

• Prep Time: 25 min
• Total Time: 1h 30 min
• Makes: 6-8

ingredients

1 lb extra lean ground beef (chicken or turkey will do)

1 small onion finely diced

1 large eggs slightly beaten

2 cloves garlic finely diced or crushed

3/4 c bread crumbs (or cooked quinoa for poltrey)

1/2 c chipotle bbq sause

2 tbsp tex mex seasoning

6-8 slices of your fav bacon

directions

Pre-heat oven to 375°

sautee onions and garlic till tender and golden, set aside to cool

in a large bowl mix together meat, onions garlic sautee, eggs, BBQ sause, bread crumbs, and seasoning.

divide meat into 6 or 8 equal portions.

form into balls then flatten to about the size of a muffin tin cup

wrap each mini loaf around the outer edges with one strip of bacon

spray muffin tray with pam and set the mini loves into the cups or a foiled covered baking tray

baste the loaves with more BBQ sause

bake 30 mins

remove from oven and re-baste with BBQ sause *

return to oven and cook another 15 mins

remove from pan and let stand 5 mins before serving

tips & tricks

* you may wish to remove some of the extra fat and liquid before re-basting and returning to the oven

I used homemade chipotle BBQ sauce due to sugar concerns

Peanut Butter Dog Treats (gluten free)

So much better for your puppies than most store bought bickies! My puppies know somehow when I am baking for them and camp in front of the oven. Seriously they spaz out for these treats!

overview

• Prep Time: 45 min
• Total Time: 1 h
• Makes: 4-5 doz

ingredients

1/2 Cup Kraft smooth or crunchy peanut butter

2 Tbsp olive or canola oil

1 Cup water

3 Cup rolled oats

Chopped peanuts, optional

directions

Blitz oats in food processor until it becomes a course flour consistency.

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, oil and water until smooth. Add the flour and stir with a large spoon, spatula or your hands until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of approximately 1/4 inch. Cut out as many cookies as possible and transfer them to the cookie sheet. Press in chopped peanuts, if desired. Re-roll remaining dough, cut out cookies, and repeat until you've used it all. If the dough starts to get too sticky to work with, put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 350F. Refrigerate cookie sheets with cookies while your oven warms up. This will help them keep their shape. Bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until firm and set. Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to wire racks to finish cooling. Once cooled, store in an airtight container.

tips & tricks

sit
shake paw
roll over

Almond, Coconut, Cranberry, Dark Chocolate, Oatmeal Cookies

Everything but the kitchen sink cookies. In our house these cookies often replace energy bars. We make a double batch each time and they seldom last more than a couple of days. Though they do freeze nicely if you want to make ahead then add them to your Christmas goody plates. We have also stacked them in a decorative cello bag with a ribbon to give away to teachers and friends as seasonal gifts.

overview

• Prep Time: 10 min
• Total Time: 1 h
• Makes: 2-3 doz

ingredients

½ c sugar
½ brown sugar
1 egg
½ c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/4 c flour
½ c shredded coconut
½ c quick oats
½ c chopped dried cranberries
½ c mini dark chocolate chips
½ c finely chopped almond

directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine sugars and butter.
Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
Add oats, coconut, cranberry, chocolate, and nuts until combined.
Spoon and drop or form into 1 inch balls
Place 2 inches apart on parchment covered cookie sheet
Bake for 7-10 minutes.

tips & tricks

Do not over cook, should just barely start to turn golden on the edges.

Lemon Curd Chesecake

One of the easiest cheesecakes I have ever made. It wows friends and family every time! The fresh zingy taste of lemon with the bright colours of the berries make this cake a delight to the senses. The really cool thing about this cake is that the lemon curd will hide any imperfections to the cheesecake. You do not have to bake the cake in a water bath to stop potential cracking. If you have the time you could always make your own lemon curd, or switch it up with key lime.

overview

• Prep Time: 15 min
• Total Time: 1.5 hours
• Makes: 8-10 servings

ingredients

1 1/4 cups (300 mL) graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup (50 mL) sugar

1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, melted

4 pkgs (250 g each) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

1 can (300 mL) Regular or Low Fat Sweetened Condensed Milk

4 eggs

1/3 cup (75 mL) all purpose flour

1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp (7.5 mL) grated lemon rind

1 box of lemon pie filling

Fresh lemon slices or berries of choice

whipping cream if desired for garnish

directions

1. Combine crumbs, sugar and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 9" (23 cm) springform pan.

2. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth.

3. Add eggs, flour, vanilla and rind; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake in preheated 300°F (150°C) oven 1 hour or until lightly browned.

5. Prep lemon pie filling as per box instructions.

6. Allow the filling to slightly cool (5 mins) then pour over the center of your cake.

7. Cool thoroughly and chill 4 hours or overnight.

8. Garnish with lemon slices, berries and whipped cream