Rhubarb Crumble

This is my all time favourite Rhubarb Crumble.
Secret is in the vanilla syrup....so easy and so good!

Rhubarb Crumble (8 servings)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup quick cooking oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup melted butter

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

• Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and butter together until crumbly.
• Press half of the crumbs on to the bottom and part way up the sides of a greased 9x13 baking pan
• Sprinkle rhubarb over base
• In saucepan, combine white sugar and cornstarch then add water and vanilla.
• Heat to boiling. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour over rhubarb.
• Place remaining crumbs on top.
• Bake 350 degrees for 45 – 60 minutes.
• Serve warm with either ice cream or whip cream

Double Chocolate Chip Bars

Really felt like Chocolate Chip cookies but didn't feel like being in the kitchen, fiddling with cookie trays, in and out of the oven so, Voila. 

Remembered I had this recipe for cookie bars. One of those recipes you cut out of the newspaper for someday.

Super easy. Hardest part is spreading the dough out in the pan. Have fun with chocolate chip flavours too. We have added butterscotch, white or even dark chocolate.

Double Chocolate Chip Bars

1¼ cup quick cooking oats (I have used regular)

½ cup butter room temperature

½ cup brown sugar (packed)

½ cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Put oats in food processor and process until finely chopped. Set aside.
• In large bowl beat butter, brown and white sugars together until well blended.
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• In small bowl , combine flour with baking soda and salt. Add your finely shopped oats.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture, just until blended.
• Add your milk and chocolate chips (I have used all sorts of different chip combos)
• Drop spoonful of dough all over greased 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1 inch jelly roll pan. Using fingertips (I keep mine damp with water) gently press dough evenly into pan the best you can. Then smooth out, I again use fingers but can use spatula. (Odd gap will fell in when dough cooks)
• Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until golden around edges.
• Let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes.

Cut into bars and remove to wire rack to cool. (40 bars)  

Stoned Hillbilly Cake

Be warned this is a special treat...there is no pretense of a  healthy version of dessert here, but if you love the taste of butter, brown sugar and a whole lot of delicious then this cake is for you. Sometimes you just have to have that cheat day:)

My Aunty Bev and her family lived in West Virginia for a short time and I believe this is one of the recipes that came back with them.

This was one of my favourite after school treats.

Stoned Hillbilly Cake

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Walnuts chopped

1/2 Cup Butter or Marg.

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Cup Cold Water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Cup Raisins

1/2 teaspoon Allspice

1/4 teaspoon Cloves

• Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. 

• Boil 1 minute. Let cool slightly.

• then add flour and baking soda and mix well.

2 Cups sifted All- Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

        

• Put in to prepared pan and level off with spatula.

Bake in greased and floured 9 x 13 pan 350°F for 25 minutes.

Topping

1/2 cup Butter or Marg melted

Add

2/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Milk

1/2 Cup unsweetened medium Coconut

• When well blended pour over hot cake and spread evenly.

• Broil until just brown. I rotate the pan to get an even colour

*** Watch carefully as you can go from brown (pictured above) to burnt in seconds.***

Bakers Original Chocolate White Chip Cookies

When my boys were little there was a group of us stay at home Mom's that would get together for a sanity break. Kids would play and us girlfriends would actually hold adult conversations. This recipe will always remind me of Coffee morning get together with my girlfriends at Kristen's.

Bakers Original Chocolate White Chip Cookies

1/3 cup marg or butter (room temp)   

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 squares unsweetened chocolate (melted and slightly cooled)

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 225 g bag White Chocolate Chips

• Mix: Marg with sugars until well blended.
•  add vanilla then egg blend well
• Then add you melted chocolate. 
• Stir in dry ingred. 
• Then add white chocolate chips.

• Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet

• 10-12 minutes 350 degrees

I always make a double batch of dough and add one package of chips as I like more cookie the chips...just my personal preference.

Breakfast Grab-and-Gos

These are my husbands favourite snack or breakfast on the go. He has low blood sugar and these seem to help him get to lunch without crashing. Also, the perfect cookie to throw in your purse or car for a "I don't have time to eat, type of day." These are also my goto camping cookie. Perfect for roadtrips and a camping breakfast with a freshly perked pot of coffee around the campfire.

I make a batch of these wrap up in saran wrap and pop them in the freezer.

Shout out to Marilyn Smith  for a family staple.

Breakfast Grab-and-Gos

11/2 cups oat bran

1 1/2 cups  large flake oats

1 cup  whole wheat flour

3/4 cup  ground flaxseed      

1/2 cup  Scottish, Irish or steel-cut oats

2 tbsp  wheat germ

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp  baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries or blueberries (I love orange infused cranberries in these)      

1/4 cup at least 60% cocoa mass chocolate chips (Good quality is the key here)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil 

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

One – 4.5 oz. jar baby food strained prunes  (I use organic)

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

• preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remember to put oven rack in middle position.
• Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

• Stir in cranberries/blueberries, chocolate chips and walnuts.

• In a medium size bowl whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, prunes, oil and vanilla until well blended.

• Add this mixture to the dry ingredients in large bowl, and mix until really well blended. I have a Kitchenaid that works great for this recipe.

• I use a ice cream scoop with a release button and make 18 cookies divided onto two large baking sheets. Lightly press down ball of dough to make flat cookie. I have tried all sorts of items to do this and a damp hand works best.

• Bake until slightly brown 13-15 min.
• Let cookies cool slightly on baking sheets then remove to racks to cool. 

• When completely cool, wrap them in Saran Wrap. Pop in large freezer bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Makes 18

Beet Hummus

Beets you either love them or you hate them. I adore beets, roasted, steamed, or an Aussi favourite, pickled beets in a Hamburger. 

Saw this recipe posted on Elana's Pantry and had to try it.

The colour is amazing, taste divine...even if I did go a bit heavy on the garlic.(one normal clove only needed)

Beet Hummus

4 med beets.....roasted and peeled (probably steam them but I love the sweetness of roasting)

¼ lemon juice (fresh is best)

¼ cup tahini

1 garlic

¼ tsp salt (I like either Celtic or Pink Himalayan)

Throw together into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Serve with rice crackers and veggies. Or anything else you like to dip in hummus. 

Tracy's Monster Cookies (Bowron Lake Favourites)

Tracy's Monster Cookies (Bowron Lake Favourites)

In  Aug 2010 we canoed the Beautiful Bowron Lake chain in British Columbia. Such an epic trip and Tracy's Cookies were hands down our favourite treat. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bowron_lk/

6 Eggs

2 Cups Brown Sugar

2 Cups White Sugar

1 ½ tsp Vanilla

1 ½ tsp corn syrup

4 tsp Baking Soda

1 cup marg or butter

2 ¾ cup peanut butter

9 cups oats

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups smarties or M&M’s

2 cups nuts (peanuts, walnuts or I like pecans)

• In a large bowl cream butter and sugar. 
• Add eggs and beat well between each egg.
• Add rest of ingredients and mix well using what ever method works.
• May have to use muscle, as these have been known to burn out mixers.

This makes a monster batch!

Drop by heaping teaspoon onto parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake 350 for 12 minutes.

Crazy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

This recipe came up on facebook  and I had to try it out. Just like to give a shout out to http://happyhooligans.ca/ where this recipe originally appeared.

I don't know about you but in our family we believe that Cream Cheese Icing just makes everything taste better so of course when I saw Crazy, Banana and Cream Cheese Icing I had to try this.

Crazy Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Icing

Cake

1 1/2 cups very ripe bananas (approx. 3 -4 bananas)
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup soft butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (add 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to milk let sit for a bit if you don't have buttermilk)

Icing
1/2 cup softened butter
8 oz cream cheese. room temp 
1 tsp vanilla
3.5 cups icing sugar

Preheat oven to 275 F. (this is not a mistake 275 F)
Prepare 9 x 13 cake pan (spray or grease and flour)

• Mash bananas up with lemon juice and set aside
• In another bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt. (I use a whisk to lighten up and thoroughly mix)
• If you don't have buttermilk, combine regular milk with lemon juice or vinegar and set aside to thicken up.
• In a large bowl cream softened butter and sugar.
• Beat in eggs one at a time, making sure they are well blended.
• Stir in vanilla (don't cheap out on vanilla...I like pure extract)
• Add in flour alternating with buttermilk.
• Stir in banana mix.
• Pour into cake pan and bake 1 hour and 10 mins (or until knife comes out clean) Check every 10 minutes until knife comes out clean.

Now the crazy part

• Immediately place in freezer for 45 minutes ( I placed it on a small cookie sheet and then in my big freezer or a tea towel underneath as I worried about the heat of the pan on glass shelf etc)
• Remove from freezer and let cool completely before icing

Cream Cheese Icing

• Cream butter and cream cheese.
• Beat in vanilla and icing sugar on low until combined remembering to scrape down sides occasionally, then on high until smooth.
• Frost cake and keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Dad's Casserole

My Dad went blind at an early age. CNIB (http://www.cnib.ca/) was a big part of our lives when we were younger. 
This was one of my Dad's Go-to

dinners when it was his night to cook.

Dad’s Casserole

1 lb lean hamburger

flour

salt & Pepper

onion

fresh tomatoes

Baking powder biscuits

I use a cast iron frying pan so I can throw it in the oven as well.

• Chop onion and chop fresh tomatoes put in casserole dish or oven proof frying pan. Put in oven while preparing hamburger and biscuit.
• Brown hamburger in cast iron frying pan
• Drain add flour to thicken and seasonings to taste
• Put this layer on top of tomato, onion layer.
• On top of that add *baking powder biscuit topping.

Bake 450 (or whatever your baking powder biscuit recipe calls for) until biscuit is golden brown (If you take it out to soon, biscuit will not be cooked)

Mom Noel's Coconut Squares...AKA...Pink Lickers

These are above all, the most requested Christmas Recipe of my Mom's in our family. My eldest son Josh even had these hand delivered to Thailand one Christmas. Pink Lickers...ah...don't ask...lol:)

Mom’s Coconut Squares…AKA…..Pink Lickers

½ cup hard marg. or butter

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp. white Sugar

Mix until crumble, press into an 8 x 8 prepared pan

Bake 10 min at 350 degrees

1 cup condensed milk

1 pkg. med coconut (2 cups)

Mix together. Put on cooled crust.

Bake 35 min. until golden not spongy.

Chill

Pipe with Pink Almond Butter Icing.

Butter icing using almond extract and colour pink

Lick and Enjoy……

Mom Noels BBQ Ribs or Swedish Meatball Sauce

This is my family's favourite rib and swedish meatball recipe. Have to ask Mom where it originally came from.

This is finger licking material here. No neat freaks allowed!!!

Mom’s (Barbeque Recipe) 

350 degrees 1 hour (or longer)

Brown:

2 Tbsp Fat (I use Olive oil or grapeseed oil)

2 Tbsp Onion chopped

Add:

11/2 C. Catsup

¼ C. Vinegar

1 C. Water

2 Tbsp Worcestershire

4 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Celery Salt (I have used celery seed)

1 tsp. Dry Mustard

1 tsp Chili Sauce generous (I usually just pour a glob in)

Dash of Tabasco

I usually make the sauce up ahead of time and either leave it on the stove on a low simmer or transfer it into a crock-pot, put it on low and forget about it until you need it in a few hours.

Sprinkle *pre-cooked ribs ( I have always used baby backribs) with more brown sugar and add sauce. Cover in oven. – Take lid off for last ½ hour.

Doesn't hurt to leave these in for longer as long as you have enough sauce, make sure to give them a toss occasionally to distribute sauce.

Jo-anne’s Options.

Ribs:

I sometimes add Chipotles Chili seasoning or Chipotle Tabasco for more of a bite.

Drizzle with honey and or brown sugar before baking. I usually bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours. I like them falling off the bone.

Swedish Meatballs:

Use same sauce and heat precooked meatballs ( I like M&M precooked Italian Meatballs) in it and serve over rice. This was originally a Swedish meatball sauce.

* precook in bowling water seasoned with black pepper corns and bay leaf for 15-20 min.

Sloppy Jo- Joes

 These are a favourite and always requested by my nephew Evan

Sloppy Jo- Joes

1 lb Ground Beef

¾ t. salt

2 T. Molasses

2 T. prepared Mustard

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

½ cup ketchup

Brown meat in skillet. Mix sauce together and add to cooked meat. 

To serve spread mix on buns that have been heated up or spread mix on buns wrap in foil and heat until warm.

Auntie Mame's Chocolate Mousse Pie

Auntie Mame’s Chocolate Mousse Pie

This recipe comes to me from my very good friend Margaret...(pictured here after attempting to teach my husband Bill how to cook) This was one of her late sisters recipes that I feel very blessed to now have.

Crust

3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

½ cup unsalted butter melted

Filling

1 LB semisweet chocolate chopped (16 squares)

2 eggs

4 egg yolks

2 cups whipping cream

6 Tablespoons powdered sugar

4 egg whites room temperature

Decoration

2 cups whipping cream

sugar

For Crust: Combine crumbs and butter, press on bottom and up sides of a 10” spring form an. Refrigerate 30 minutes

For Filling: Soften chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water. (Or microwave) Let cool to lukewarm. *Add whole eggs and mix well. Add yolks and mix until thoroughly blended. Whip cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir in a little if the cream mix and whites into the chocolate mix to lighten. Fold in remaining cream and whites until completely incorporated. Turn into crust and chill at least 6 hours or preferable overnight.

* IMPORTANT....chocolate must be lukewarm as you don't want to cook the egg and then stir, stir, stir. And yolks...stir and blend some more...then add some whipped cream...stir some more...then egg white....stir some more. Once it's smooth and lighter then you can add rest of egg whites and whip cream and fold gently so as you don't loose volume.

Decorate: Whip remaining cream and add sugar to taste. Loosen crust on all sides using a sharp knife, removing spring form. Decorate with whip cream and chocolate shavings.

Incredibly Fudgey Brownies

Incredibly Fudgey Brownies

Preparation Time: 10 min

Baking Time 25 minutes

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. Butter or Marg.

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup Fry’s Cocoa

2 tsp. Magic Baking Powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

(optional…I don’t add)

½ cup chopped walnuts or nuts

MELT butter in saucepan over low heat (I use a 8 cup pyrex measuring cup and use the microwave to melt butter.)

REMOVE from heat: stir in sugar, ADD eggs, one at a time, beating with a whisk or spoon after each addition until smooth. STIR in Vanilla. MIX flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt: stir into butter mixture with chocolate chips and nuts just until blended. POUR into greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan, spreading evenly.

BAKE at 350 deg. F. for about 25 minutes of until firm at edges but soft in centre. COOL on rack cut into squares.

Makes about 3 doz. Brownies.

HINT: Do not overbake brownies or they will become dry and not as fudgey.