Weekend Cooking..

Hello everyone.. 

I am kind of slow getting my weekend post up.. 

Better late then never, I hope.. 

We are having wonderful Spring weather finally here in New Brunswick and the brisk winds has the clothes blowing out so lovely on the lines.. 

Wonderful... 

Anyway..

 This post is just  about being in the kitchen

and doing the cooking thing...

So... 

Here are a few recipes that I have used

 the last few days.. 

A new bread.. 

We thought this was scrumptious... 

Very nice for a weekend brunch... 

Orange Marmalade Loaf.. 

4 cups white flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. instant yeast

2/3 cup lukewarm water

2/3 cup lukewarm milk

2 T. oil plus more for brushing 

7 T. orange marmalade 

Topping. 

1 egg yolk 

1 T. milk

1 T. sugar

2 T. candied orange peel 

In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar, yeast and salt.. 

Make a well in the middle and pour in water and milk. Stir well with a wood spoon until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.. Put on a lightly floured space and knead for 10 minutes.. 

Brush the sides of the bowl with oil and cover with a damp dish towel.. Let rise in a warm place for 2 hours until dough is doubled in volume.. 

Brush a 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 1/2 pan with oil .. 

Put dough on lightly floured space and punch down.. Roll out into a rectangle 3/4 inch thick.. 

Spread with marmalade leaving a half inch border along 1 long side.. Roll up like a jelly roll and place in oiled pan with seam side down.. 

Cover with damp towel and let rise in warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled... 

Preheat oven to 415 degrees F. and mix up topping.. 

Whisk together and brush over top of loaf.. Score top and sprinkle orange peel.. 

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.. 

Cool on rack.. 

A few points about this bread that I learned.. 

1. Roll the dough into a tight roll and use the exact amount of marmalade called for.. 

2.. Use parchment paper in the pan.. 

3...If you have a hot oven (mine is a confection) then turn your heat to only 400 degrees F ... 

Then of course there are the salads.. 

Home made French Dressing.. 

6 T. Canola oil

2 T. wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. sugar 

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard 

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.. 

Whisk all together and pour over a mixed salad. 

We had a ham and I find it stretches into everlasting.. smile.. 

This is the last end that I baked in the oven.. 

The rest were cut into steaks and fried up for breakfast or supper.. 

Used in omelets, fried rice and soup... 

Maple Ham Glaze.. 

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 T. packed brown sugar

2 T. grainy mustard

1 T. finely chopped rosemary 

Whisk together and brush on a whole ham the last 45 minutes of cooking or several times during the frying of sliced ham..

 We are trying to use up last year's maple syrup... 

The ham bone is in the freezer and will end up making

a great soup one rainy day soon.. 

We had not had a stir fry for a while so on Saturday supper we had one.. 

Basic Stir Fry with ginger over Rice.. 

Like I said we are trying to use up our maple syrup products so I made these cookies.. 

We get our maple products from Paul Beaman.. 

The syrup comes from Prosser Brook maple trees.. 

Therefore, it is the best around.. smile.  

I had read in an old cook book this week to replace granulated sugar for maple for Maple Cookies... 

Here is the recipe and they sure went over good, shall we say.. 

Maple Sugar Cookies.. 

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

3/4  cup of white sugar

3/4 cup of grated maple sugar

1 egg

2 1/4 cups of flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt 

1 tsp. vanilla 

1/2 tsp. maple flavoring (opt)

I used grated maple sugar and white sugar mixed for rolling cookies.. 

about 1/3 of a cup combined or just use white sugar.. 

Oven 350 degrees F. 

Cream together butter and sugar until light. 

Add egg and mix well.. 

Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla and nutmeg. 

Scoop out cookie dough and roll in small bowl of sugar..

Set on cookie sheet and press down lightly with fork or your two fingers.. 

Bake for 10 minutes or until just lightly browned.. 

Leave them on the tray for a few minutes then transfer to cooling rack.  

Terry had bought 2 huge bags of apples which needed to be used up.. 

This was a recipe I meant to try all Fall and did not get to.. 

It turned out well and  tastes divine.. 

French Apple Jam.. 

The link for this recipe is 

Here..

This was all it made but you could double or triple the recipe in the Fall... 

I used a Tablespoon of Cardamon pods, though.. 

One of my easy go to recipes which is not a recipe, 

 really.. 

Just brown up chicken and put in a casserole and cover with a jar of Sweet and Sour sauce.. 

Easy peasy... 

Sweet and Sour Chicken..

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Here is an old faithful dessert as I am trying to use up last year's frozen stuff.. 

Zucchini Pie 

2/3 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of butter

1 tsp. of vanilla

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 cup of grated zucchini  

1/2 cup of nuts or raisins,,,

Just cream the sugar, butter and vanilla.. Then add egg and mix well.. 

Sift in the flour, soda and spices and mix for a minute or so.. 

Add the zucchini and stir well.. 

Pour into a greased 9 inch pie pan..

Bake in a 350 degrees F. oven for 25 minutes.

Turn out onto a rack and cool.. 

Meanwhile stir up an icing for the top.. 

1 1/2 cups of icing sugar

3 T. butter

1/4 tsp. cloves

3-5 tsp. coffee cream or can milk.. (whole milk will do)

Whisk together and spread on.. 

And last but not least.. 

A recipe I tried out on Terry and Dustin last night.. smile.. 

English Roast Potatoes..

Let's just say that they passed the test.. smile.. 

I did take pics but I was laughing at something and deleted them by mistake., This is the one from the site.. 

This is how they look, though.. 

I know that I am just an old fashioned type cook and we really eat too many of the wrong things sometimes but we try to buy fresh and not a lot of fat... 

Lots of herbs and garlic to balance everything.. grin.. 

Well, dear hearts that is all for today.. 

The evenings are so much longer now... 

Hope you are enjoying the new season and all it brings.. 

Our rhubarb will soon be ready and I did find a few chives.. 

Can't wait for my lovage and tomato juice.. smile.. 

So much to look forward to with herbs and gardens, farm markets, jam making and oh the fiddleheads and Sampfire greens.. 

eh???

Hope you enjoyed this kind of post for a change anyway.. 

Thanks so much for your sweet visit.. Love hearing from you all.. 

And welcome to the new friends we have made here on the blog and our Face Book page..

So nice to meet ya...

May God bless and keep you ... 

Hugs from good old New Brunswick.. 

Domestic Bliss...

Hi everyone.. 

Here we are beginning another new week and halfway through the month of January already..

I am enjoying these Winter evenings.. 

Are you? 

Our weather thus far has not been too bad and usually the evenings  are nice and cozy.. 

Cups of lovely tea and reading or searching the web for wonderful creative ideas.. 

We are hoping to have a Keepers meeting in a week or so and I find myself looking for ideas that will be interesting to the girls.. 

Now .. 

To change the subject. smile. 

I had asked this question in the questionnaire.. 

10.. Have you heard about the talk of the new trend  called "the New Domesticity?

No one seemed to have heard of it.. 

In my reading I came across this and found it kind of interesting and thought perhaps you would, too.. 

What they are saying is that in this scary world that seems to have lost it's way with the economy, environment and wars that there is a growing movement of smart young women and some men who are embracing what they call the new domesticity.. 

It seems they are getting back to basics like cooking, crafts, gardening and other domestic tasks.. 

They are enjoying learning to make jams and jellies, preserving green beans and crocheting or knitting hats and mittens.. 

I have noticed a change in the blog world where there are so many blogs now written by young mamas who are kind of  hippie like in their goals of creating homesteads and home schooling their kids.. 

They are making home made everything from yogurts, home cleaning products and even their toiletries... 

They may have decided to change from the traditional careers to writing blogs, growing their own veggies and starting Etsy shops on the Internet to sell their crafty goods or earning money by writing .. 

They are saying that there seems to be a trend of leaving fancy jobs and finding substitutes in traditional home making and selling wares on the Internet and having home businesses.. 

People are writing books about it and wondering how this is going to affect the future generation of young women who have during the past culture had goals of being corporate workers but are now putting home and hearth first.. 

They are wondering what role the media and blog culture are playing in making domesticity look very appealing.. 

They wonder how this has happened and if it bodes ill for gender equality.. 

They are calling it the New Domesticity and are discussing whether women can or should have it all.. 

So.. 

This is basically what I have read and took notes from a couple of sites so I could share it with you.. 

I found it all  a bit heart warming to tell you the truth..

I think it is a wonderful move and I think that families will be enriched.. 

Personally, I am not a bit worried about gender equality and whether women can have it all or not.. 

How about you?

I think children will be blessed to have their mothers there in the morning when they get up and still there when they come home from school if it is possible to do.. 

Husbands who come home to find their wives running home businesses and home schooling their children will no doubt be much happier with the end result..(Just my opinion) smile

I know that with the world's economy women need to work sometimes but just maybe with foresight and frugality there is a way for some to stay home and raise families..   

What do you think? 

Have you noticed this going on?  

I am happy if there is a move to place home, hearth and family first.. 

Of course, that is not always possible and I did read that lots of girls don't really want to give up their careers but spend their free time reading blogs about the ones who are doing this but as for themselves they just want to read about it.. 

Anyway..

All in all as far as I am concerned the main thing is that the home is Christ centred and by putting Him first in lives and hearts then whether the lady of the house works outside or not then it will be a happier home.. 

What say you...

I hope you will comment and perhaps we can have a little discussion going on.. eh?  

I do have a couple of recipes for you that are very simple and good.. 

I made this simple salad dressing tonight and loved it.. 

Of all the dressings I have made I don't know how I have missed this one. 

My new fave..  

Homemade French Dressing.. 

6 T. canola oil

2 T. wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. sugar 

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard 

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.. 

Whisk all together and pour over a mixed salad. 

We had this for supper, too.. 

I am not a meat eater so we always share a chicken breast.. 

That is my piece.. grin.. 

Lemon Oregano Chicken Breasts..

2 chicken breasts (I used the bone in and 1 big one)

1 lemon .. 

1 T. olive or canola oil 

pinch of dried oregano 

sea salt and pepper.. 

Rinse and dry chicken breasts.. 

With a sharp knife make a couple of slits across the tops and place on a plate.. 

Mix the marinade and pour over the chicken.. 

I let this sit for an hour and turned the chicken over halfway through.. 

Heat a frying pan on medium heat and when hot add the chicken and marinade.. 

Cook on each side 6 minutes or until done.. 

This would be good with something besides mashed potatoes but I made my husband eat an all veggie soup for lunch and was not happy that there were no potatoes in it.. grin.. 

Hence.. 

Mashed potatoes for supper.. 

Thank you, dear hearts.. 

So glad you dropped by and please leave a comment.. 

God bless..