Bread & Butter Pickles

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I love to grow cucumbers! The cucumber plant was one of the first plants I grew successfully on my own in my first garden. I think I only managed to grow two cucumbers that year, but it  was still the most proud I have ever been over some stumpy cukes. This years harvest was great though. I was able to make 8 large jars of pickles, which is great news because we go through them quickly in my house.

I hate wasting, especially when I grow that something. Growing something for me means more than just planting some seeds in the ground. It’s about taking time, nurturing and caring for these living things. Listening to them for what they need and enjoying the fruits of my labour when I see a beautifully ripe cucumber hanging from the vine. It’s pretty amazing how many cucumbers you can get at the end of the season. In the spring time I will have more on growing cucumbers but right now I want to talk about pickling.

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Pickling is a great way to keep your veggies through the winter months. I know around harvest time it can be a bit overwhelming dealing with all your veggies. I try and balance out my garden so I wont be pickling everything all at once.

Pickling can be time consuming and sometimes a lot of work but in my opinion, so worth the effort.  And these bread and butter pickles are my favourite little addition to so many snacks.

Ingredients

  • lots of cucumbers
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 4 cups of vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 4 tbsp mustard seed
  • 2 tsp celery seed
  • 2 tsp tumeric

Instructions

  1. The night before, cut the cucumbers into medallion slices. I like to cut the onions into slices. Mix the onions and cucumbers together in a large bowl and add salt. mix together and leave overnight (or at least 3 hours) This extracts the moisture from the cucumbers.
  2. In a large pot, add vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seed, celery salt and tumeric. bring to a boil.
  3. While the brine is heating up prepare the jars. In a stock pot boil water. Add jars and lids to disinfect.
  4. Once the jars are ready, add cucumber and onions to the jars. Add brine until it covers the cucumbers. Clean the rim of the jars of any brine.
  5. Seal the jars right away. once they are sealed you can add them back to the boiling water and allow any bubbles of air to escape. (10 mins)
  6. Remove the jars from water carefully. Wait till the jars lids start popping. These pickles should be good for over a year.

 

Warming Winter Chili

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Whats better on a cool winter day than a nice hot bowl chili. I am a big believer in comfort food and eating things seasonally. When winter arrives all I want to eat are soups, stews and chili’s. They are filling and keep you warm through the evening.

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Ingredients

  • 4 slices of bacon
  • 600g ground beef
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1/2 jalapeño (whole if you like it spicier)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 16 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 can corn
  • 1-2 cups of water (I honestly just use the can of tomato sauce and add as much water as I think is necessary)
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 4 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
  • juice of 1 lime

Instructions

  1. slice up the bacon. Heat large pot on high heat. Once pan is heated add bacon. allow bacon to cook (about 5 mins). Once bacon is cooked remove from pan.
  2. If the bottom of the pan is dry add a little more olive oil. Add onions and peppers and allow to soften. once softened, add garlic. I like to add the garlic a little later so it doesn’t get burned. Allow to cook for a few more minutes. Until fragrant.
  3. Add the can of tomatoes, the tomato sauce, black beans, corn and water to the mixture. Mix together. Add brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Combine. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature to medium low and allow to simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
  4. Before you are ready to serve, add the lime juice to the chilli and stir in. Allow to simmer for another 5 mins. Its ready to serve!
  5. Add a little cheese on top and you are ready to eat.

Pumpkin Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies

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My mum used to make these cookie every fall season. They were one of my families favourite treats. They aren’t your typical cookies though, they are almost like cake cookies or muffin tops. They puff up and are so moist and perfect.

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I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.  Any time I have a snack craving, its always for something salty. Olives, cheese, nuts, anything but cookies, cake and chocolate. My man on the other hand, has the biggest sweet tooth. I am happy I get to bake for someone. I love all the recipes my mum used to make me but it makes be even more happy that I get to pass along those recipes for someone else to enjoy.

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling*
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp almond milk (regular milk is fine)
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

*If you are using plain pumpkin puree you will need to add:

  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • dash of salt

** one large can of pumpkin pie filling will make 2 batches.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon.
  3. spoon out cookies onto cookie sheet.
  4. Bake for 10-12 mins

 

Why Everyone Should Drink Bone Broth

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I have been thinking a lot lately about what we waste. I think most of us don’t really think about how much we waste or throw away. I know I am guilty of buying things at the grocery store and throwing it out 2 weeks later not having used it. It’s so easy to just forget to utilize what we have. I have been pushing myself to waste less, use the ingredients I have and make use of the scraps. I have been making bone broths for years now, not knowing how amazing they actually are. I made them before because it always makes the most delicious soup bases but now I know the incredible health benefits it offers. Not only is it incredibly good for you, it utilizes scraps and helps you waste less.

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Let me explain. When I am preparing dinner I always save my scraps from whatever I am using and I place it in ziploc bag and put it in the freezer. This includes onion and garlic skins, carrot tops, potato skins, broccoli stems. All these things have tons of nutrients and flavour still in them and don’t need to go in the waste bin. (I haven’t started my composting yet.) I also like to buy whole chickens. If you know how to disassemble a chicken it’s way more cost effective to buy whole versus packaged chicken breast or legs. After cooking the chicken I immediately start my bone broth. It’s super simple. Place the bones in a stock pot, add the scraps, then I usually add more onion, garlic, carrot, and celery to the broth. I also love adding fresh herbs from my garden. Rosemary, thyme, dill, and a few whole peppercorns. With bone broth you have to let it boil for more than 8 hours. (I usually boil it for 24 hours.) That’s the difference between a stock and a bone broth. Bone broth has had time to produce gelatin from collagen-rich joints and also release a small amount of minerals from the bones.  

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Collagen

Collagen is basically human glue, it’s the substance that holds us all together. Boosting our collagen will aid in joint pain, leaky gut and most importantly skin elasticity.

Minerals

The minerals and amino acids the bone both creates can help detox your liver and digestive system and also aid in cellular detoxification. (with regular consumption) With the bone broth detoxing you, your body will have less issues with acne, dermatitis, and eczema.

Nutrients

Have I mentioned how nutrient dense this stuff is yet? Let me tell you, bone broth has over 19 easy-to-absorb amino acids that helps boost skin renewal and balance hormones that cause acne. It’s honestly such a simple and tasty way to balance out your system.

When drinking your bone broth I always find its better to cut it with an acid, a little salt, and some herbs. The flavour of the bone broth can often be quite rich.  Here is a link to Kale and Carmels Bone Broth Recipes, both are delish, but when I am in a hurry in the morning I like to keep it simple.

Daily Bone Broth:

  • 1 cup bone broth
  • Lime juice
  • Cilantro
  • Salt and Pepper

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The full recipe for the bone broth from the beginning is:

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken carcass
  • veggie scraps (whetever you have)
  • 2 onions quartered
  • 3 whole garlic cloves
  • 1 celery roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot roughly chopped
  • Bunch of thyme
  • Bunch of rosemary
  • Bunch of dill
  • 10 whole peppercorns
  • Water (cover ingredients in pot)

Instructions

  1. Bring to a boil
  2. Lower heat to a simmer on low. Simmer for over 8 hours, I usually simmer mine for 24 hrs.
  3. Strain out all scraps.
  4. Pour bone broth into containers. It can last up to a week in the fridge, but can be frozen for a few months.

Bourbon Cherry Pie with Buttermilk Crust

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A few weeks ago I made the most delish cherry pie I have ever eaten. I mean, it was unreal how good it was. I wasn’t prepared for it to be so tasty.  My parents were visiting from out of town so we had them over for a BBQ. Like I said, I didn’t know this recipe was going to turn out so well and my parents were over as it was coming out of the oven so I was not able to get great pictures of it. But I think its still worthy of sharing.

A friend of mine had given me a giant bowl of cherries from her yard. She had way too many and wanted someone to use them up. I thought, what a great excuse to practice my pie crust. The first time I made pie crust it completely fell apart and did not work at all.  I think it was because I worked the dough too much with my hands and melted the butter. Lesson learned. This time went a lot better. The crust was a perfect consistency when rolling out. The only thing I might change is trying to bake the crust a bit first before adding the cherry filling. When I pulled the pie out of the oven it looked perfect and brown on the top but it wasn’t fully cooked on the bottom, as a found out once I had sliced into it. I’ll try a different method when I make my apple pie next.

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**sidenote**

Bourbon is a new love of mine. I’m a fan of whiskeys and other spirits but this was the first time I had experimented with bourbon in my cooking. Now I’ve been sipping it after a long day as my night cap. Just add a cube of ice and I’m in heaven.

Pitting the cherries was probably the most tedious part of this recipe. It’s a good thing I have a handsome helper. My man is the best cherry pitter around!

Crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour, (1,020 g) plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup cold buttermilk, (78 ml) plus more if needed

Filling:

6 cups pitted cherries (fresh or frozen and not defrosted; (1,120 g)
3⁄4 cup (150 g) white sugar
1⁄4 cup (30 g) cornstarch
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄8 tsp fine sea salt
1⁄4 cup (60 ml) bourbon whiskey

Instructions:

Make the crust –

1. Place the flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles small peas. Do not over work with your hands. You don’t want the butter to melt too much.

2. Pour in the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon, drizzling in more 1 tbsp of buttermilk at a time, until the dough just comes together (a few dry spots are ok). Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently knead until no dry spots remain, about 1 minute.

3. Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into a circular disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. At this point you can place the dough in the fridge for up to one week or use as directed in your recipe.

Make the pie –

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven,  preheat to 425ºF (220ºC). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

2. To make the filling, in a large bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt to combine. Add the cherries and bourbon to a large saucepan on medium heat, toss in sugar mixture and stir until combined, simmer for about 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens around the cherries. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before filling your pie crust.

3. Spoon the fruit and juices into the chilled crust, smoothing it flat. You can do a weave on top like I did. Cut pieces of different thickness, braid smaller pieces together and weave them into the pattern. I cut out little cherries with the left over dough and created a nice decoration on the side.  Brush the rounds with the cream or milk and sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

4. Place the pie on the lined baking sheet. Bake at 425ºF (220ºC) for 15 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 375ºF (190ºC) and continue baking until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling thickly, 35–50 more minutes.

Thai Squash + Sweet Potato Soup

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Soup always feels like a fall or winter sort of meal. It warms the whole house as it stews on the stovetop. As an Edmontonian the spring time isn’t always filled with sunshine and flowers. It’s mostly cool with a usual chance of a snowstorm. So as May was nearing I felt it was important to get a hot soup on the menu.

Soups are amazing because you can create different kinds just by adding whats in the fridge. Jeremie and I had a mishap earlier in the week with some vegetarian enchiladas. The recipe called for squash, sweet potato and other ingredients but as we took our first bite we were troubled to find it was made from inferno chili powder. It was too hot for us. I like to think I can handle some heat but I couldn’t manage to finish the enchiladas. Good news was I have a friend who came by and devoured them for me. He is a spice machine. Long story short… I had squash and sweet potato left over in the fridge. I thought the flavours would pair well with a thai palette. Mostly because I love Thai food.

This recipe is super easy to make and doesn’t take too long. Thats what I love about soup, they are complex with tons of favour but are so simple to make.

lessonsofthyme-thaisoup-6Coconut Rice:

1 can full fat coconut milk
1 cup of water
1 cup of Jasmine Rice

Soup:

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 inch of ginger, grated
2 carrots, diced
1 cup butternut squash, cubed
1 cup sweet potato, cubed
3 1/2 cups of chicken or veggie stock
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp basil (dried) or 1/4 cup fresh basil

Garnish with peanuts, avocado, and cilantro

Instructions:

  1. Wash rice! washing the rice is an important step that should never be skipped. It removes the starchy-ness of the rice and cooks and tastes better. Add coconut milk, water and rice to a medium saucepan, set stove top to medium high heat, cover and allow to come to a boil. Once the rice has boiled I usually like to turn down the temperature as to not burn the bottom or overflow the pot. You can leave this bubbling away for about 20 minutes.
  2. In a large soup pot add coconut oil and allow it to melt. Add onions, garlic, ginger and carrots to the oil and allow to soften. Try not to burn the garlic.
  3. Add the sweet potatoes, squash and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. reduce heat and allow to simmer until tender. about 15 mins
  4. I have a handheld immersion blender so I used that to blend the soup but if you don’t have one of those you can use a blender or food processor. Blend until soup is smooth.
  5. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, fish sauce, and lime juice to soup and blend together. Let this simmer for another 5 minutes. Add cilantro and basil and stir.
  6. Laddle the soup into bowls, scoop a bit of rice on top, add a few slices of avacado, and garnish with a few crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro.