Moms Winter Pasta Sauce

 This is a pasta sauce my mom used to make during the winter, when the  fresh tomatoes weren't aren't fresh. It's quite a sweet sauce, so adjust the sugar to taste. Perfect to serve with spaghetti or lasagna!

Ingredients

 

• 1/4 cup oil
• 2-3 stalks of celery
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large onion
• 1 large of can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato soup
• 1 can of tomato juice (48 oz)
• 1 large can of tomato paste (13 oz)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar - to taste
• 2-5 bay leaves
• ~ 2-3 teaspoons of garlic salt - to taste
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Pepper - to taste
• 1/4  teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2-3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 can of mushrooms

Instructions

1. Chop the onions, green pepper and celery.

2. Over medium-high heat, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and cook the vegetables until soft.

3. Add the canned crushed tomatoes, tomato soup, tomato juice and tomato paste.

4. Add the brown sugar and bay leaves, and cook over low-medium heat for one hour.

5. Cook the ground beef, and drain the fat.

6. Add the beef, mushrooms, and spices to the sauce. Simmer for one more hour.

7. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and enjoy!

8. This sauce is also great for freezing!

Cheaters pulled pork

I say cheaters because i live in an apartment building and the city by-laws state that i cannot have a barbecue on my porch let alone a smoker. Instead i use a slow cooker that i use to cook the pork overnight and add the sauce the next morning. Also, to add some of that smoke flavour to the meat i have some handy liquid smoke that helps kick this pulled pork up more than a notch.

Ingredients

• 1 pork roast ( preferably picnic roast bone-in) 2-3 lbs.
• Sauce
• 1 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup grain mustard
• 1/3 cup of your favorit barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp garlic power, onion powder, chilli powder
• 1 tsp. liquid smoke
• 2 tbs. Worchestershireshire sauce
• Kosher salt and pepper ( table salt is...ok)

Instructions

1. Thaw the pork roast overnight in the fridge for a day or two depending on the size. The roast shouldn't be frozen when you put it into the slow cooker but slightly chilled kind of thing. get tu? Put slow cooker on low, add about a cup of water to the bottom of the cooker and leave overnight for 8-10 hours. ( You can also chop an onion and put it on the bottom for moisture instead of water if you prefer)

2. Once pork is done in the morning it should be ready to be pulled apart, 'pull' it with 2 forks or tongs and leave in cooker.

3. Add all the sauce ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add to the slow cooker once the sauce is ready ( about 5 minutes on low ) and stir it in.

4. Breakfast of champs, coffee and pulled pork sandwich.

Easy mode Onion soup

This is by far my favourit soup for many reasons. Mom used to make this when i was younger and i always thought it was a long process to make this soup until a year ago when i actually made some for the first time. It's so darn simple and tasty!

Ingredients

• 4-6 medium sized onions, the fresher the better
• 4 cups of beef broth, homemade is better but if your strapped for time store bought is ok as well.
• 1 Tbs. of butter
• 2 Tbs. of all purpose flour
• 1 small loaf of Italian bread   OR   Croutons of your choice
• Kosher salt 
• Pepper
• 4-8 ounces of cheese, depending on how cheesy you want it.

Instructions
1. Chop onions into rough slices, they should be more or less uniform but you can choose your own thickness.
2. Cry like a little girl.

3. Add butter to a hot stew pot and once the butter starts to froth add the onions with some kosher salt and pepper to get the onions to release some juice and start cooking.

4. If onions are sticking to bottom of pot add a Tbs. of the beef stock to the mix. Cook onions until golden brown.
5. Sprinkle flour on top of onions and stir until the flour is incorporated.

6. Add beef stock immediately after the flour is added. At the same time, grate cheese and prepare bread for the onion soup bowl setup.

7. To assemble the soup bowls it's all about preference. I set them up like my mom which is with a lot of cheese. I add some cheese to the bottom before the soup, in the middle under the bread and on top of the bread.
8. Set oven on Broil at 500 degree's and add the bowls to the oven for about 5 mins or until the cheese is nice and melted.

9. Slurp that stuff up, salty goodness.

Pistachio pesto Grilled cheese

Grilled cheese is something that iv'e made since i was a kid and I have great memories from sitting beside the stove with my mom or dad and checking for the bread to brown. I now make grilled cheese many kinds of ways depending on what i have at home but one of my favorite is pesto grilled cheese.

Ingredients 

• 1 Loaf of quality bread.
• Doesn't really matter what kind but i prefer French bread because it's nice and soft.

• 2 Fresh tomatoes
• Mozzarella cheese
• 2 Cups fresh Basil
• 1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan Regiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 Cup of your best olive oil
• 1/4 cup of Pine nuts
• 1/3 cup Pistachio's
• 2-3 Garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. To make the pesto combine the following ingredients into a food processor and mix.

• 2 Cups fresh Basil
• 1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan Regiano or Romano cheese
  
• 1/2 Cup of your best olive oil
• 1/4 cup of Pine nuts
• 1/3 cup Pistachio's
• 2-3 Garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper

You can also buy some pre-made stuff at the store if your short for time, but the pistachio pesto is what makes this dish so special!

2. I think everyone knows how to make a simple grilled cheese. For those who don't you first have to butter one side of your bread and spread the pesto on the opposite side. Do this for every slice of bread you have.

3. Then, add one slice of bread to the pan, place cheese and sliced tomatoes in the middle and put the next slice on top. Pesto should be in the middle.

4. Cook until both sides are golden brown!

5. I sometimes add some avocado to the mix if i don't have some good pesto to make another amazing sandwhich!

Moms Peanut Butter Balls

These desserts were my absolute favorite treats during the holidays when I was a  living at home. I was lucky enough that my mother sent me the recipe and ingredients in a care package recently, so I hope you can enjoy these as much as I do! The recipe makes 2-3 dozen peanut butter balls.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 2 cups Rice Crispies
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup crushed walnuts
• 2 semi-sweet chocolate squares
• 1 bag of chocolate chips
• 1/2 square parowax

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in the microwave.
2. Mix together butter, icing sugar and peanut butter in a bowl with a spoon at first, then with your hands.
3. Mix Rice Crispies, coconut and walnuts in a separate bowl.

4.Mix both bowls together very well, then place in the fridge for 30 minutes

5.Place about 1 inch of water in a pot, and place a glass bowl on it, holding itself with the edges of the pot (the bowl should not touch the water.
6.On medium-low heat, melt the chocolate chips, grated semi-sweet chocolate and grated parowax, stirring constantly.

7. Roll 1/2 to 1 inch  balls of the peanut butter mixture in the melted chocolate then place on  a wax paper sheet. The chocolate will solidify very quickly.

 8. Let cool before eating, preferably in the fridge. They can be frozen for up to a few months!

9. Enjoy!

Comfort Food : Jambalaya

I usually make this recipe once a month or so and it's never the same. Jambalaya is something that usually contains some kind of proteins like sausage,chicken or shrimp some rice and some decent spices. A good stock and some crushed tomatoes add deep flavour to the mix.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound cleaned shrimp
• 3-4 chicken breasts
• 1 pound of bacon, chopped into slices
• 2 medium onions
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 4-5 cellery stalks
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 peppers, i use a red and an orange
• 3-4 cups of stock ( vegetable or chicken )
• 3 cups of rice ( preferably brown or wild rice, Long grain )
• 2 tbs of butter
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs chilli paste
• Various spices ( I use 1 tbs Cumin,  2-3 tbs Cayenne, 1 tbs paprica, 2-3 tbs oregano and a dash of cinnamon )
• Can use any kinds of spices but main ones are Cayenne and Cumin

Instructions
1. Clean shrimp, cut chicken into thick slices and chop onions,garlic and peppers. At the same time, fry bacon in a large pot. ( if you add a bit of water to the bottom the bacon will crisp faster )

  

2. Once bacon is done crisping, add vegetables and cook for 5 mins or until the brown bits disappear from the bottom of the pan.

 

3. Cook chicken in a cast iron pan with half the spices. Add the rest of the spices to the vegetable and bacon mix and cook for 5 more minutes. Add chicken and shrimp to the mix and cook for a few mins.

 

4.  Add rice and tomatoes, add stock to barely cover the whole. Cook for 45 minutes or until rice is done.

5. Serve with some beefy wine or a good ole' glass of Guiness!

Romanian Jewish Beef Sausage Patties

This is my second time making homemade sausages. If you don't have a meat grinder (they are decently cheap, and worth it!), you might be able to use ground beef, though most supermarkets pump their ground beef with saltwater to make it cheaper per weight. This recipe was inspire from a similar one in Peery & Reavis's Home Sausage Making book.

Ingredients

• 4 lbs beef chuck (or the cheapest beef you can find)
• 1/4 lb lard
• 2 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon ground pepper
• 2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

1. Cut the meat and lard into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes.

2. Put mixture in freezer for 30 minutes to make it easier to grind.
3. Mix spices and garlic together in a bowl.

4. Grind meat mixture using the coarse disk.

5. Mix meat and spices thoroughly with your hands.
6. Place in freezer for another 30 minutes.

7. Grind meat mixture once again using the coarse disk.
8. Form 1/2 inch thick patties, put in fridge or freeze overnight. Sausages keep for 2-3 days in the fridge or 2-3 months frozen.

9. Once ready to cook, thaw if frozen (in the fridge or in the microwave).
10. Heat lightly oiled pan over medium heat.
11. Cook for 4 minutes on each sides.

12. Let rest for 2 minutes and enjoy!