Candy Cane Bark

 It's Sunday Funday again, and I'm back for another round.    This time we're featuring Peppermint and there are lots of great ideas on what to make with it.   

I don't know about you, but I seem to collect Candy Canes, the little guys hang around long after Christmas, after their main job of dressing the Christmas Tree is done.   

Personally I like using them as a stir stick in a cup of hot cocoa, but you can only drink so many hot cocoa's and then you're done.  

So this year, I decided to sacrifice a few candy canes and make some candy cane bark.   I also bought some of those melting wafers and then googled how to make bark, and then basically winged it.   I also discovered I rather like that stuff, and had to give the leftovers away so I wouldn't eat more than I already had.   TMI? 

 

I also added some good dark chocolate to the chocolate type wafers to make them more chocolatey, is that a word?  All I know is I nibbled on quite a bit in a bid to make sure it tasted good.  

My original plan was to mix some crushed candy cane in with the vanilla flavored candy melts, but my initial try resulted in some weird looking stuff, so instead I spread it on top of the swirled melts and then added some Christmas sprinkles, cause 'It's Christmas'.  I also had a bit of the white vanilla spread left and decided to dip some pretzel sticks in there and again, 'It's Christmas' and since I had a few sprinkles left, they got coated as well.  I taste tested some, and had to stop myself cause those little suckers were delish.  

And the Candy Cane Bark, was pretty toothsome as well.  Next time I'll spread them out in a larger pan, cause it was a touch too thick, but it still tasted amazing. 

I'd never worked with Candy melts before but I googled and one suggestion I found was to mix good dark chocolate in with the chocolate flavored candy melts so I pulled out a bag of dark chocolate chips and went to town.  OK, so I melted them in with the chocolate, and dang, they worked. 

To start with, I took a few candy canes out and crushed them with my handy dandy meat mallet.    I did put them into a plastic bag first cause I didn't want little bits of peppermint permeating my kitchen.  I didn't crush them into powder, just enough to break them into little pieces.  

I lined an 8x8 inch pan (Next time I'll do a 9x13 pan) with a piece of parchment paper.  Set it aside. 

Next I measured out about 2 cups of the candy melts, into a heat proof measuring cup.  

Read the directions on the bag and proceeded to melt them in the microwave according to their directions.  Stirred it a bit, then added 1 cup of chocolate chips to it, stirred them  in until they melted.     Poured it into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.  While that was cooling a bit, I melted the white chocolate bark, about 2 cups of the wafers, and poured it over the chocolate layer.  I used a toothpick to make swirls through the layers, but didn't mix them too much.  

I then took the crushed candy canes, spread them evenly over the chocolate mixture, along with some Christmas sprinkles.  I pressed them very lightly into the surface of the bark, with another small sheet of parchment paper, and put them in the fridge to cool and set. 

Once they were set, I broke the bark into smaller pieces and put them into a plastic bag for later.  

 I had a little of the white vanilla melt left and decided to dip some pretzel rods into it, and put them aside on a parchment paper, and sprinkled the last of my Christmas sprinkles on them.  

And now to all the amazing people who participated today, here's what they made and the links to their creations.  

• Candy Cane Bark from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Candy Cane Meringue Kisses from Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Hot Chocolate With After Eight Peppermint from Sneha's Recipe
• Mint Chocolate Cookies (Biscuits) from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Painted Peppermint Cookies from Culinary Cam
• Peppermint Patty Surprise Cookies from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Mini Berry Pies

 You might have noticed I'm not posting as much these days.   I keep meaning to make something I can share but get caught up in real life.  However, a group I'm a member of,  Sunday Funday, happened to post about the fact that December 1 is Pie Day, and I'm not talking the mathematical 'pi', but rather the eat until you can't eat no more pie, pie. 

Now, isn't that cutest little baby pie?  I thought so, then I ate it.  Cause I could and there was no one watching me.  

And as it just so happened, I had cooked up the most delicious fruit filling for pies and thought, I can share this, and have to admit that not only did I bake this luscious, unctuous berry filling into mini pies in my cute as a button, electric mini pie machine, but had also been enjoying the sauce on top of waffles, with some heavy cream on top and just plain as well.   And yes they did get a touch brown, but... 

  I also bake and sell various kinds of bread at a local market and decided to make some pies and bring them to sell.   These were the pies I made for the market and they were a hit.   I sold out fast on these.  And who could blame me.  Each one of these little beauties is about 2 1/2 bites, not even a whole slice of pie, so you can enjoy a couple almost guilt free.  Almost...

This past summer I got on a berry kick and was buying various kinds of berries to eat fresh, as a snack, and freezing what I didn't eat, so they wouldn't spoil.  I ended up with a lot of fruit in the freezer.   I also have the habit of weighing stuff, and writing on the freezer bag how much is in there, just in case I want to use it for a recipe later on. 

I even had a little pastry left over from the mini pies, from this batch of pies, so I did a slightly larger pie for later, and ummm, kinda bobbled it taking it out of the oven so it made a bit of a mess, but I'm eating it anyway.  So there. 

What can I say, my memory is shot, and it helps me to know just how much of anything I have in the freezer, cause I'm in the CRS stage of life.    Look it up, if you have to. 

To make a long story short, (er)  Here's what I did.  All the berries were frozen when I put them into the pot to cook. No water was added. 

Blueberries - 1.5 lbs

Cranberries -1 lb

Blackberries -8 oz

Raspberries 8 oz 

1 oz. Lemon Juice (frozen from my lemon tree)

3 + cups sugar - to taste

Cornstarch slurry

Add all the berries to the pot at once, then add the lemon juice and heat over low heat until the berries start to pop and let out their juice.  Raise the temperature and let come to a simmer, and simmer about 20 minutes.  Next add the sugar, starting with 1 cup, stir to dissolve and then add the second cup.  Taste for sweetness, and add another cup or more of sugar if needed.  (your sweetness level may be different from mine, I used about 3 1/2 cups of sugar).  Make up a cornstarch slurry, depending on how thick you want the sauce to be. I like mine on the thicker side, and have to admit I didn't measure really well. Start with 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed in with 1/4 cup water, swirl into the sauce, let it come back to a boil, and check.  Add more cornstarch slurry if needed.  I did and ended up using 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.   Again, your mileage may vary.  

I also had lots of berry filling left, so I froze it in 2 tablespoon portions, using a silicone cube tray.  

And you can take the berry filling straight from the freezer and put it into the mini pies, but I would suggest thawing it first.  

I also use commercial pie pastry for this, as I find it a little more sturdy and that really helps the pies to come out of the pie cooker.  

I'm loving this little pie baker/appliance.  It bakes a pie in just about 15 minutes.  You can top the pie with a crust or not.  I've done it both ways.  I've also done a little weave on top, and they've come out nicely.   For me, they're perfect.  I can make pie, just for me, and freeze the rest for a snack later on.  I've been playing with different fillings and I think I like the Mixed Berry Filling the best.    

Hey, if you're going to indulge, ya gotta make it worth the calories...

• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Apple Cider Pie 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Impossible Lemon Pie 
• Sneha's Recipe: Magic Crust Custard Pie
• Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking: Mini Berry Pies
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Mini Pumpkin Pies with Cinnamon Swirl Crust 
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Mini Spanakopita Pies

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini

 When I saw the theme for this Sunday Funday event, I knew I had to share a dish I've been making for myself and others for awhile.

And the theme this week is Vegan Main Dishes.   

I'm there.  I first made this dish for a wedding I catered last year, and while I made more filling than needed for the one dish I served, I ate the filling with relish. OK, so not 'relish' per se, but I enjoyed the filling just on its' own.   It was that good.  But tucked into a zucchini, and baked, even better.  

I almost feel virtuous eating this.  Almost, but I have to say it is totally delicious as well.  

I've made this as a Vegan Main dish, as well as a Vegetarian Main.  I like it both ways. 

 And as I said, you can make this Vegan or Vegetarian, simply by using either vegan Feta or regular feta as well as Vegan style Parmesan or regular Parmesan.  

I keep vegan butter on hand now.  I found out, it's really very versatile, and tastes great as well.  

Here's the step by almost step directions.  I cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise, then score it, before taking the 'guts' out with my melon baller.

  I like using the melon baller cause I feel like it gives me more control.  

All scooped out and ready to get stuffed.

Ready for the party, or the oven, whichever comes first. 

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini

Yield: 2+

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking adapted from many recipes

Each Zucchini will serve 2 people.

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup finely minced sun dried tomatoes (I used the jarred ones in olive oil)
• 1/2 cup chopped collard greens or spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives or garlic stuffed green olives
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano, optional
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, either vegan or regular
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese - shredded - either vegan or regular

Instructions

Zucchini

1. Prepare the Zucchini. Cut in half lengthwise, and cross hatch the seedy part on the inside, and scoop out the flesh, leaving a good 1/2 inch thickness on the sides and bottom. Reserve the scooped-out flesh for soup or stir fry.
2. Salt the zucchini, lightly and set aside for about 15 minutes. Then take the zucchini and rinse it under some running water to get rid of the salt. Set aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1. Saute the onion and garlic in either the olive oil or vegan butter, until translucent. Add in the cooked quinoa, tomatoes, nuts, oregano, and olives. Heat through then add the cheeses. Mound the filling into the zucchini halves and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.
2. Serve and enjoy.

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Sunday Funday

Vegan Main Dishes

• Crispy Tofu Noodles by Palatable Pastime
• Mushroom Eggplant Stir fry (Indian-style Mushroom Baingan Masala) by Cook with Renu
• Mushroom Ragù by Culinary Cam
• Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Vegan 3 Bean Soup by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Vegan Moonga Gathi by Sneha’s Recipe
• Vegan Tofu Steak by Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Vegetable Biryani by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Old fashioned Cream Dressing for Salads

 I actually posted about this dressing a few years ago, but I've since played with it a lot.  I've mixed various vinegar's in with it, and changed the flavors up quite a bit.  

Why am I talking about this again?  Well, it's time to get back into the baking/cooking saddle again and I'm part of a group that posts fun stuff, called Funday Sunday.

So here it is:   

Well, mostly here it is.  As I said I've played with it a lot, and changed it up and gotta say, that the original way is still the most tasty way, although, there is one that came pretty close.  

I actually made up four separate batches of this, measuring out each one, and here they are from worst (IMHO) to best.    I had some Bibb Lettuce and took out three leaves for each plate.   I also used the 'winners' on a lettuce and tomato salad.  Just for fun, and since I had some in the fridge, I decided it might be fun to try.

I'm using a lot of Monkfruit sweeteners these days, so decided to use it in place of the sugar in the original recipe.  And ummm, while it tasted good, I think real sugar might just be the way to go here.

I used the same quantity on each one.   1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream - 1/2 teaspoon Monkfruit sweetener, and 1 tablespoon each of the various vinegar's.    This taste test was fun too.  And I ate my veggies along the way. 

First one I did was using the pickling liquid from a jar of Kalamata Olives.  This was a major miss.  Meh on the taste.  If I'd added some finely minced Kalamata olives, I bet it would have tasted better. 

The second I used the pickling liquid from a jar of pickled beets, and wow was it colorful.  It also had a lovely flavor, not quite beet, but nice.  

 

The third one I used the pickling liquid from a jar of Bread and Butter Pickles.   Not much flavor from the pickles, but still not bad.

 

The last one, was the more traditional dressing.  Again, I used the same measurements for each one.  This one I used Rice Wine Vinegar and a half teaspoon of real sugar.  This dressing thickened the most and was more of a vinaigrette dressing.  

I then decided to try two of the dressings out on a simple lettuce and tomato salad.  Well, the two that I decided were the most flavorful. 
The classic on sliced tomato and lettuce.  It had more of a vinaigrette leaning and honestly, tasted pretty darn good.  I think you could add fresh herbs to this, to take it over the top again. 

And the beet one.  Which while it tasted ok, it just did not look right.  The pink of the beet clashed and fought with the red of the tomato.  I guess you could eat this one in the dark, but...

Take a look at some of the other fun dressings the Sunday Funday group shared.

Palatable Pastime: Blue Cheese Salad Dressing 

Mayuri's Jikoni: Cranberry Salad Dressing 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Homemade Celery Seed Dressing 

Sneha's Recipe: Keto Vegan Passion Fruit Sour Cream Dressing 

Amy's Cooking Adventures: Chicken Caesar Salads with Homemade Caesar Dressing 

Bloggetti: Easy Homemade Greek Salad Dressing 

Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking: Old-Fashioned Cream Dressing for Salads 

Culinary Cam: Basic Vinaigrette and Variations

Mørbradgryde - Danish Pork Stew

 I remember my Mor (mom) making this dish as a kind of special company, celebration meal.  And I kinda wonder why? 

Cause it's dead easy to put together and totally delicious to eat as well. 

What is this amazing dish?  It's called Mørbradgryde in Danish, but the basic translation is Pork Stew.  Let me break down the word.    Mørbrad is pork tenderloin, and gryde refers to a pot that it is cooked in, so pork tenderloin cooked in a pot.  Just your basic stew. 

Honestly, this is one of the easiest dishes to put together, and makes you, as the cook look amazing.  

Which never hurts.  

Personally I love getting compliments on my food, even when I've not slaved over a hot stove cooking all day.   

Did I mention how easy it was?  

It bears repeating.   It's easy.  And very forgiving as well.   I've made it with lots of mushrooms, fewer mushrooms, more cream, less cream, more sausages (various kinds), you get my drift.  You need to make it your own.   The constants here are the ingredients.   And you can have a company worthy dish on the table in less than an hour.  

Serve with your carbohydrate of choice.  Whether it be noodles, rice or mashed potatoes, it's all good.  I like serving it with buttered egg noodles, but as I said, any kind of noodles are good, mostly. I'm not fond of spaghetti noodles with it, but that's a personal preference.  You do you.   

To start with, prep the tenderloin by using a very sharp or boning knife to remove the silverskin.  You can just use the tip of the knife to cut under it.  It can almost literally be peeled away, with the help of a very sharp knife.   You don't really want it, as it does not cook away and makes the tenderloin tough. 

After removing the silverskin, cut the meat into 2/3 -1 inch slices and then quarter the slices.

The finished dish, Mørbradgryde.

 

Mørbradgryde - Danish Pork Stew

Yield: 4-6

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min

This is an easy-peasy, quick company-worthy dish that comes together quickly and is ready to serve in less than an hour.

Ingredients

• 1 Pork Tenderloin, 1 lb. size - with silver skin removed and cut into chunks
• 8 oz. Bacon strips cut into lardons (cut into pieces),
• 8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
• 8 oz. cocktail wieners, or European style franks cut into quarters
• 1 16 oz. can chopped tomatoes
• 2 onions, roughly diced
• 3 carrots (diced or cut into coins
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme- or 2 sprigs fresh thyme - remove after cooking
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Chopped chives to serve, totally optional

Instructions

1. Turn oven on to 350 degrees
2. Prepare the meat, by removing the silverskin and cutting it into 1 -2 inch chunks
3. Peel the carrots and cut into coins, then cut the onion up, and set aside.
4. Take the bacon strips out, and cut them into roughly 1-inch wide lardons or pieces.
5. Heat up a Dutch oven or heatproof casserole on top of the stove. Add the bacon, and let it cook for a couple of minutes, to render out the bacon fat a little. Then add the cut-up pork, let it brown on all sides, stirring constantly. Finally add the onion, mushrooms, and carrot pieces. Cook them for about 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly to keep them from browning too much. Finally add the can of tomatoes, and spices and stir together. Let it come to a simmer, then add the cream and cocktail sausages, stir together, place a lid on it, and put it into a 350 degree oven to finish cooking. You can also turn down the heat, and let it finish cooking on top of the stove, on a very low heat for about 40 minutes, either stove top or oven.
6. Serve over rice, buttered egg noodles, or mashed potatoes and sprinkle a few cut chives on top to serve.

Notes

You can easily double this recipe. If you love mushrooms, simply add more, if you want more carrots, just add them. I love making this with heirloom carrots, cause I like the different colors of carrots, but regular orange carrots are just fine as well.

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