Twixt Bar

While I was at Mary's in Aylmer, P.Q., she had an evening where she promised her kids home-made Twixt bars.

I left to go to Montreal before we had consumed the whole pan.

They have been on my mind lately.

Here is a link to the recipe that we used.

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/homemade-twix-bars/

Be assured the using butter in the crust, and a high quality chocolate for the topping really works for these bars.

Instead of chocolate chips Mary used two of the large Jersey Milk Chocolate Bars.

These would also be good using a high quality dark chocolate bar.

Enjoy.

Arta

Pumpkin Dessert

Title: Pumpkin Dessert      submitted by Moiya Wood

Description:

This is better than pumpkin pie!

Everyone will be asking you for the recipe.

Ingredients:

Crust

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

½ c. butter melted

1 egg, beaten

Mix cake mix, butter and egg to form a crust mixture.   Set aside one cup of the mixture and press remaining mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan

Filling

1  29 oz. can pumpkin

1 ¼ c. sugar

4 eggs

1 can evaporated milk

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. cloves

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ginger

Combine pumpkin, sugar, eggs, milk and spices for filling.   Pour   filling over crust.

Topping

¼ c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ c. butter, softened

Combine remaining cup of crust mixture with the sugar, cinnamon and softened margarine.   Spoon   over top of filling.   Bake at 350 degrees for 55 min.

This dessert tastes good warm or cold.

Hope you enjoy the recipe!

FOR THE SESAME PICKLED CUCUMBERS:

·       6 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (or about 4 cups sliced cucumbers)

·       1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar

·       2 teaspoons sesame oil

·       2 teaspoons brown sugar

·       ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

·       ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

·       2 teaspoons sesame seeds

TThis recipe is also in the 'Pressure Cooker Spicy Pork Shoulder post'

Pressure Cooker Spicy Pork Shoulder

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PORK:

·       5 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced

·       2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey

·       1 tablespoon Korean chile flakes(gochugaru) or other chile flakes (Maras, Aleppo or crushed red pepper)

·       1 tablespoon kosher salt, more to taste

·       1 teaspoon ground black pepper

·       5 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into two or three pieces

FOR THE SAUCE:

·       1 tablespoon peanut oil

·       4 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane

·       2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root

·       ⅓ cup gochujang (Korean chile paste) or other chile paste or sauce such as Sriracha

·       ¼ cup soy sauce

·       2 tablespoons ketchup

·       2 tablespoons mirin

·       2 tablespoons honey

·       1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

·       1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce

·       1 teaspoon sesame oil

FOR THE SESAME PICKLED CUCUMBERS:

·       6 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (or about 4 cups sliced cucumbers)

·       1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar

·       2 teaspoons sesame oil

·       2 teaspoons brown sugar

·       ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

·       ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

·       2 teaspoons sesame seeds

FOR SERVING:

·        Cooked rice or toasted slider rolls

·        Kimchi (optional)

PREPARATION

1.   To prepare pork, combine garlic, brown sugar, chile flakes, salt and pepper. Rub marinade all over pork. If you have time, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to up to 24 hours. Otherwise, proceed with recipe.

2.   Set electric pressure cooker to sauté (or use a large skillet). Add pork in batches and sear until browned all over, about 2 minutes per side. Add 3/4 cup water to pot (or to skillet to deglaze, then move to pot), cover, and set to cook for 90 minutes on high pressure. Or cook in a slow cooker for 5 to 7 hours until tender.

3.   While pork cooks, prepare sauce: In a small pot, warm peanut oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Set sauce aside. (It can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)

4.   Manually release steam. Let pork cool until you can handle it, then shred it into bite-size pieces. Pork can be made to this point up to 3 days ahead.

5.   While pork cools, strain liquid from bottom of pot. Pour off fat (or chill liquid, then scoop off solidified fat with a spoon). Reserve.

6.   Prepare cucumbers: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except sesame seeds, and let sit, tossing one or twice, for at least 20 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds.

7.   When ready to serve, heat broiler. Toss pork with sauce and 1 to 2 tablespoons cooking liquid — just enough so pork is evenly coated but not wet or runny. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet, and broil until crisped on top, 2 to 3 minutes; it will char in places, and that’s fine.

8.   Serve pork over rice or on slider rolls, with cucumbers and kimchi, if desired

Tip

·       Pork can also be prepared in a slow cooker set to 5 to 7 hours on high.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

Still wondering what to do with the Halloween pumpkin?  Here is an idea.  This is how Catherine's pumpkin went down and today Mary's is also going into soup.  She is hoping I will save back a few cups of the already roasted and blended pumpking for cookies.  We will see.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 onion, medium dice
2. 1 tablespoon coconut oil, ghee, or clarified butter
3. 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
4. 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
5. 1 teaspoon curry powder
6. 3/4 teaspoon coriander
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
8. 1/4 teaspoon cloves
9. 1 medium-sized (2-pound) pumpkin, cut in half with seeds and pulp removed
10. 3 1/2 cups stock, vegetable or chicken
11. 1/2 cup coconut milk
12. Cayenne pepper, to taste
13. Salt, to taste
14. 1 7-ounce container Greek yogurt, for garnish
15. Toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish
16. Parsley or cilantro, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub pumpkin halves with coconut oil, ghee, or butter. Then place flesh-side down on a foil-lined cookie sheet and roast for 45 minutes or until flesh is tender when pricked with a fork. Once cool enough to touch, scoop pumpkin flesh out from the skins and set aside for later use.
2. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat, and melt oil or butter. Add onion and do not stir. Allow onions to brown on one side, then flip them in one move and do not stir again, allowing onions to brown on other side. Add garlic and ginger, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until garlic becomes fragrant and slightly brown. Add curry powder, coriander, cumin, and cloves, and constantly stir until spices become toasted and fragrant, about 60 seconds. Add stock, coconut milk, and pumpkin, and bring to a boil.
3. Turn off heat, and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Alternatively, transfer soup in batches to a blender, and blend until smooth. Once soup is completely smooth, turn flame back on to medium-high heat and bring soup to a simmer.
4. Serve soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt, tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, and pinch of parsley or cilantro leaves.

If soup is too thick, add more stock to thin it out. In addition, if soup is too thick whe  n reheating leftovers, add more stock until the desired consistency is reached.  We ate ours when it was very thick.   In this case "we" is Arta, Catherine and Hebe.  I think the soup was rejected by all others.  Hebe was murmuring small sounds of great happiness when she was eating hers.

Thanks to Anna Monette Roberts at Sugar Pop 

My Favorite Cole Slaw

My Favorite Veggie Coleslaw

ChefAlli / February 17, 2015

I am dead serious when I say I could eat this slaw ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.  It’s crunchy, cool, creamy, and spicy – all in one bowl and it’s a deliciousaccompaniment to spicy beef or pork dishes, such as Chipotle Sloppy Joes, Beef Carnitas, or as above, on Bacon-Wrapped HotDogs.  

1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2-3 Tbs. light mayonnaise
1 Tbs. cider vinegarjuice and 
zest of 1 lime
1/4 – 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 – 16 oz. package coleslaw mix (the packages vary in size depending on the brand)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, cut into very thin strips
1 jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed, minced

To prepare crunchy coleslaw, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a mixing bowl; add coleslaw mix, carrots, bell pepper, and jalapeno, tossing to coat.

Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper, as desired.  Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Now You’re Cookin’,

Chef Alli