Recipe: Biscoff Cookies

Yes, I found a knock-off recipe for this fabulous cookie!  The best part is that it's a bar cookie so it's super easy to make.  I made these yesterday afternoon and I'm sure they'll be gone by the end of today from me the kids. 

These buttery shortbread cookies burst with cinnamon flavour and have the perfect texture.  They don't fall apart when you cut them or lift them out of the pan either.  I bet you have these ingredients in your pantry now and could even make them today :)

BISCOFF COOKIES
The Art Of The Cookie

2 c. all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used Saigon Cinnamon - yum!)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg,baker's ammonia and salt together; set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on low speed, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together. Add the vanilla extract.

Gradually blend the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

The dough is thick but not too stickey. 

Spread it in the pan with your fingers.

Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a 9x13 greased pan. Decoratively score the dough with a fork or small knife, if you wish.

I used a cake server to make a decorative pattern.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes (mine was 25 min), or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container. Well-wrapped shortbread may also be frozen.

Printable Recipe

Happily submitted to Frugal Friday over at Life As Mom :)
Enjoy!

from http://vintageprintable.com/wordpress/

Recipe: Scallops with Liguinie in White Wine Sauce

Anytime we serve seafood it feels like a very special meal when, in fact, it's one of the easiest and quickest foods to prepare.  You never have to add a bunch of ingredients or cook it for long for it to taste great.  It readily absorbs the flavours of the dish and pairs well with almost anything. 

My fridge was bursting with veggies from my CSA (green pepper and tomatoes used in this recipe) and I needed a quick meal to prepare.  I had 45 minutes until my husband arrived home and needed something hearty, healthy, and fast!  I had nothing defrosted or planned.  It was over 100 degrees outside and turning the oven on wasn't an option.  Didn't I feel like an accomplished woman when I served up this meal in no time flat!

This special recipe came on the back of the package of frozen scallops.  At the moment, I don't follow any seafood buying guides, but intend to soon.  I do look at where the seafood comes from and, if given a choice, buy as local as possible.  Being in a small town in the midwest my choices are very limited.  With better meal planning and trips to stores that offer better options, like Whole Foods, I'll be able to make better choices.  Baby steps people. ;o)

SCALLOPS WITH LIGUINIE IN WHITE WINE SAUCE
from Aqua Star Bay Scallops

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 (28oz) can Italian tomatoes, peeled, chopped & drained
(I chopped 3.5 cups of tomatoes instead - about 4)
 1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed hot red pepper
1 cup dry red or white wine
1 lb. Bay Scallops
1 lb. cooked linguine
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper and saute until tender. 

Stir in tomatoes, oregano, salt and hot pepper.  Add wine and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stir frequently. 

Add bay scallops, stir occasionally, and cook until scallops are opaque throughout (this only takes a few minutes!).  Serve over cooked linguine.  Garnish with chopped parsley.

Printable Recipe

Enjoy!

1973, Four Winds Press

This book is from our local library.

It reminds me so much of Nova Scotia that it makes my heart ache.

Recipe: Spice-Rubbed Grilled Chicken

Pow!  This spicey chicken will knock your socks off!  I'm not one for hot food or food that's too spicey but this spice rub has  a sweet kick without overpowering everything.  We love barbequed chicken at our house but the sauce is often full of sugars, so I decided to use spice to add interest instead.  I "grilled" these in the oven and they came out crispy all over.

ALL-PURPOSE SPICE RUB
from Everyday Food Magazine (July/Aug 2006)

1/3 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 Tablespoons ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
2 Tablespoons dried thyme leaves
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional)

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients, using your hands to break up the sugar. Store in an airtight container, away from heat and light, up to 6 months.

SPICE-RUBBED GRILLED CHICKEN
from my kitchen :)

8 chicken drumsticks
All-Purpose Spice Rub

In a shallow baking dish cover the chicken with spice-rub, make sure you get some under the skin as well.  Let sit in fridge for 30 minutes or more for the chicken to "absorb" the flavours (you can also skip this step if you need to).  Preheat oven to 425.  Prepare a foil-lined cookie sheet and spray it with cooking spray.  Place chicken pieces on prepared cookie sheet and bake in oven for 20 minutes.  Take chicken out, turn over to crisp the other side and bake for another 20 minutes.  Serve with some dipping sauce like ranch or sour cream to help balance the spice.

Printable Recipe

Enjoy!

from "My Big Book of the Seasons"

by Bertha Moris Parker

Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin

1966, Western Publishing Co.

 

This book is from our local library.

Recipe: Shrimp Scampi Pizza

This is a delicious, easy recipe your whole family will gobble up.  Lots of garlic (12 cloves!), olive oil and shrimp flavour in this pizza.  Next time I'm going to try making it on thin crust whole wheat dough.  I've been experimenting alot lately with tomatoeless pizzas (don't worry, we still love tomatoes) and have found some yummy recipes and will be sharing more soon.

SHRIMP SCAMPI PIZZA
from Rachael Ray

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 cloves garlic, 8 smashed and peeled and 4 finely chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, trimmed
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
2 pounds shrimp—peeled, deveined and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 baguette, split lengthwise and quartered crosswise

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook the smashed garlic until golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a food processor; reserve the olive oil.

Add the parsley to the garlic in the food processor and pulse to finely chop; set aside 1/4 cup. Add the ricotta and parmesan to the food processor; pulse to combine.

Preheat the oven to 500°. In the same skillet, heat the reserved olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until opaque, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved 1/4 cup parsley-garlic mixture.

Spread the cheese mixture on the cut side of each piece of bread and arrange on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Spoon the shrimp mixture on top and sprinkle with more parmesan. Bake until the cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes.

Printable Recipe
 
Enjoy!

 

Storms rolling by last night.. creepy but beautiful, eh?

Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Muffins

This muffins are scrumptious!  Fresh lemon paired with earthy and sweet blueberries is a perfect combination.  My family always eats the whole batch the same day I make them.

LEMON BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
from The Boston Globe

Butter (for the pan)
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over for stems and leaves
Extra sugar (for sprinkling)

Set the oven at 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan, including top surface. Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet.

In a bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Gradually add the egg whites and mix until blended. Beat in the vanilla, lemon rind, and lemon juice.

With the mixer set on its lowest speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter alternately with the milk.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand, and use a rubber spatula to fold in the berries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Set the muffins on the sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are golden, turning the pan halfway through baking. Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Printable Recipe
 
Enjoy!

 

from "The How and Why Wonder Book of Sea Shells"

Written by Donalf F. Low

Illustrated by Cynthia and Alvin Koehler

1961, by Wonder Books, Inc.

This book comes from my local library.

Recipe: Baked Chicken with Peaches

Yum, yum, yum!  Oh this was sooo good having juicy peaches in every bite!  Like all roasted dishes, this came together very quickly and was easy to make.  The tricky part was cutting up the juicy peaches.  I served this with fresh-picked sweet corn on the cob.

I was originally going to make Peachy Keen Chicken from Mommy Cooks! but didn't have all the ingredients I needed.  I found this recipe at All Recipes.

BAKED CHICKEN WITH PEACHES
from All Recipes

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup brown sugar
4 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Place chicken in the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Place peach slices over chicken, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, ginger, cloves, and lemon juice.

Bake for about 30 minutes in the preheated oven, basting often with juices, until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
 

Printable Recipe
 
Enjoy!

1962, Franklin Watts, Inc.

This book is from our local library.

Recipe: English Muffin Bread (Bread Machine)

If you like English Muffins, or bread with lots of crrrrunch when you toast it, then you'll love this bread.  It was so easy to make that I made loaves all weekend long as my family would finish a loaf each day.  We had it on BLT's, toasted for breakfast with jam and just plain with butter.

ENGLISH MUFFIN BREAD (Bread Machine)
from That's My Home

2 t. Yeast
3 C. Bread flour (or 2 cups white flour, 1 cup whole wheat)
1 t. Salt
2 t. Sugar
1/4 t. Baking soda
3/4 C. Milk
6 Tbsp. Water (add 3 to 4 extra Tbsp if using 1 cup whole wheat)
Cornmeal

Put all ingredients in your bread machine except cornmeal. Dough setting. 

Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan; sprinkle all sides with cornmeal.

When machine beeps, remove bread pan and turn out dough into prepared loaf pan.

With your hands, carefully press it evenly into pan. Sprinkle the top with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm oven for 20 to 30 min or until dough almost reaches top of pan. (To warm oven slightly, turn oven on Warm setting for 2 minutes then turn off)

Preheat oven to 400º F. and bake 25 min. Cool.

Makes an 1 1/2 pound loaf.

Printable Recipe

Enjoy!

1957, E.P. Dutton & Company, Inc.

I purchased this lovely book at a local thrift shop for 25cents.

Recipe: Lettuce Soup

Did you buy too much lettuce at the farmer's market, have a bunch coming up in your garden or, like me, received a huge bag of it from your sweet neighbour?  If you don't feel like salad for the next 2 weeks, this soup is a delicious option.  It can be served hot or cold and the taste is savoury, fresh and earthy.  After you put some in your bowl, try it with a couple small drops of apple cider or white vinegar and it will burst with flavour.

LETTUCE SOUP

from Serious Eats

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
10 large outer leaves of Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces (I just used a mix of lettuce I had on hand)
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced (I used red potatoes, skin left on)
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used fat-free half and half)
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 4-quart saucepan. Add the onion and cook until beginning to soften. Add the lettuce, potatoes, chicken stock, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover the pot and reduce the heat so that the liquid stays at a brisk simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes depending on the size of your dice.

Off the heat, add the cream, nutmeg, lemon juice, parsley, and a bit of freshly ground black pepper. Carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot or cold. The soup will keep in the fridge for up to a week, and the flavor improves as it rests. Reheat gently before serving if desired.

Printable Recipe
 
Enjoy!