Grannies Shortbread

My Grannie made the family her Scottish shortbread well
into her late eighties. She always made cakes rather than

cookies for us all. I'm sure she wouldn't mind me sharing
her recipe as she passed away three months short of her100th birthday.



1 pound of soft butter
1 cup of berry sugar
mix till all granules are gone.
Slowly add flour 1 cup at a time till it comes away from the bowl.
Usually it takes 4 to 4 1/2 cups plus, some for rolling dough into cakes or cookies. Knead till dough comes away from the bowl.
If making cakes, cook in a 325 oven approx. 50 mins
for cookies bake at 350 for 20 mins. Keep checking after 15 depending on size of cookies.

Only use real butter, Grannie would be insulted.

Turkey Soup

I always have home-made soup in my freezer.
Beef, Chicken or Turkey are the ones that I usually make.
I did a big batch of turkey soup the other day just in time for the cooler weather.

You can put anything you want in soup but I use a variety of vegetables, barley
and always put in some leeks, along with onions, garlic and fresh herbs from my patio.
Make sure you use lots of turkey, chicken or other meats. And with a piece of dark brown bread you have a full meal.

I take two days to make my soup as I like to put the broth in the fridge overnight for the fat to rise
to the top for skimming. If you don't have time and freeze the soup the fat will come to the top so
take the layer off before defrosting and heating. then enjoy on a cool evening.

Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad

 An old standby.

1 (10-ounce) can pineapple chunks (about 1 cup), drained

1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (about 1 cup), drained

1 medium apple, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)

1 cup grapes, halved

1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular

1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Combine the fruit in a large bowl, tossing well so the apple (and other fruit that likes to brown) can get coated in the pineapple and orange juice to prevent browning. Stir in the sour cream and coconut, gently tossing to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled.

Basil Pesto

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan- or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

Yield: Makes 1 cup.

Certo verus Bernardin

I have been canning for years with no problem with my jams jelling.
I saw Bernardin while picking up my supplies for my jams. Bernardin was cheaper that should have been my red flag. But opted to try the brand as I use Bernardin products for years but always used Certo for jams and jellies.
Both batches that I used Bernardin didn't jell and had to redo. I wrote to Bernardin about my problem.

Well not a word back, didn't expect anything except a return message saying how sorry they were for my extra work. NOTHING.
So back to Certo and success.

Dill Pickles

I usually do two batches of dills one with extra garlic and the other with
just a few cloves in the jars for variety. Fresh dill weed makes them so much better.

Mango Chutney

If you make Mango Chutney the mangoes are very sweet and plentiful right now.
New harvest of apples are starting also. I always like to use the new crop of apples in my chutney.
Chutney goes so well with all beef, pork and chicken. A little goes a long way, but adds a nice touch on a plate.

You have to let the mix of flavors sit over night, but so worth the end results.

Blackberry Jam

 Coming ripe in the next few weeks. They freeze well and make great jam.
One of the best ways of getting high fiber into your diet.
Blackberry picking can be a great time for conversations with friends and the reward is free food!

Raspberry Jam

So sweet and full of flavor.So worth the effort of making jam. I freeze many for winter desserts. One of our favorites. Season is far to short, so don't delay.

Strawberry Jam

Strawberries can be watery due to rain. Use the extra juice to make strawberry sauce.
Just boil the jam a bit longer and it will turn out great.
Plus the bonus of the sauce to use over strawberry shortcake. Sooooo tasty!

Apricot Jam

Apricots are just about ready for full flavor.
Sweet and excellent for jam and to preserve for the larder this winter. I always wait for a few weeks after they first appear in the markets. Oblong shape has the best flavor for eating and they look so pretty in the jars.The jam is a delicious treat come fall.
When preserving I only use one cup of sugar per six cups of water to get the real taste of the fruit.

Avocado Hummus

2 garlic cloves
1 (15-ounce) can of garbanzo beans
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 tablespoon tahini
2 avocados
Salt
Olive Oil
Paprika

1. Place garlic cloves, garbanzo beans, lemon zest and juice from the lemon and tahini in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Salt to taste.

2. Add two avocados and blend just until smooth. Salt to taste once more. Transfer to a bowl, pour a few tablespoons of olive oil on top, and sprinkle a few dashes of paprika. Serve with whatever you like, whether it be pita chips, warm slices of pita or crackers.

Happy Easter Everyone

The turkey is starting to smell real good and we should be eating in a couple of hours.
My grandma's stuffing is the favorite with most of the family. Freshly made cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes,
carrots and corn. For dessert lemon meringue and rhubarb and strawberry pies.
And maybe finish off with some B@B.

Mango Lime Jam

This mango lime jam is a perfect way to welcome the spring season. It reminds me of all the sunny days ahead. Try it with croissants, blueberry scones, or banana bread.
Ingredients

yield: Makes 5 cups, or 5 half-pint jars, active time 1 hour, total time 1 hour, 30 minutes

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons Pectin
• 4 cups pureed or finely chopped mango
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest
• 4 teaspoons water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon unsalted butter

Procedures
1. Whisk the sugar and pectin a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Combine the mango, lime juice, lime zest, and calcium water in a large heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Add the honey and butter and return to a simmer. Add the sugar pectin mixture and return the fruit mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for one minute
3. Remove the pot from the heat and skim any foam from the surface of the jam with a cold metal spoon. Ladle the jam into hot sterilized jars and process them in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients

Shrimp

1 lb large cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 cups scallions, diced (about 6)
1 1/3 cups celery, diced (about 4 ribs)

Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup vodka or tequila (preferably 1800 Tequila or 3 Olives Vodka®)
2 tsp horseradish
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp Chili Lime Hot Sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: whole shrimp and cilantro leaf

Directions

STEP 1

Thaw shrimp if frozen, remove tails and cut shrimp into quarters and place in bowl with scallions and celery. Hold in refrigerator about 1 hour.

STEP 2

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients, then salt and pepper to taste. Allow to chill in refrigerator for 1 hour or longer.

STEP 3

Once ready to serve add shrimp, scallions and celery to sauce, mix well and proportionately serve into 4 chilled cocktail glasses. Garnish with whole shrimp and cilantro and serve.
4 servings

Chickpea and Chicken Salad

POSTED ON 02 23 2012 BY Emily Richards
UNDER Heart-Healthy Recipes

Ingredients:

2 tsp (10 mL) canola oil
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can (19 oz/540 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped celery
1/2 cup (125 mL) each chopped red and green bell pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups (500 mL) shredded romaine or leaf lettuce
3 tbsp (45 mL) nonfat mayonnaise
3 tbsp (45 mL) plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) grated lemon rind
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2 tsp (10 mL) chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced

In bowl, combine oil, half of the parsley, cumin and half of the pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat evenly. Place breasts on greased grill over medium high heat and cook for about 10 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove to plate and set aside.
In large bowl, combine chickpeas, celery, red and green peppers, onions and lettuce. In small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon rind and juice, chili powder and garlic. Add remaining parsley and pepper. Pour over chickpea mixture and stir to combine.
Chop chicken into bite size pieces and add to salad. Toss to combine.
Makes 4 servings.

Fruit Preserves

Had some canned cherries from my larder last night and wow
they tasted like they did in the summer fresh and what flavor.
I use very little sugar when canning fruit and enjoy them all
through the winter. Watched the snow fall and thought this is
a great dessert to have all winter.