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Recipe: Greek Spiced Rack of Lamb

6 Apr

Rack of lamb is one of those cuts of meat that isn’t cheap, but it’s pricey for good reason. It’s tender, flavourful, quick cooking and looks incredibly impressive when cut into chops after roasting. Serve this as a main course for a dinner party, or when cut into individual ‘meat lollypops’ and served with a mint yogurt dipping sauce, it would also make a great appetizer.

Greek Spiced Rack of Lamb

Greek Seasoned Rack of Lamb | baconavecbacon.com

1 rack of lamb, frenched
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons Cavender’s greek seasoning blend
olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse and dry the rack of lamb. Slice the garlic in two and rub the meat well with the garlic pieces. If you’d like, you can slice the garlic thinly, cut a few slits in the meat and stuff them with garlic. Next sprinkle the Greek seasoning liberally over all of the meat, back and front and rub into the meat.

In an oven safe frying pan, heat a few teaspoons of oil on medium high. When it’s hot, add the meat and sear on all sides until a nice brown crust forms. When all sides have been seared, place the pan into the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes or until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees (for medium rare).

Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

 

 

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Recipe: Baked Buffalo Wings

1 Apr

I LOVE chicken wings. Good ones at least.

There’s a lot of bad chicken wings out there. Ones that are all bones. Ones that are so overdone that the meat is chewy. Ones with no flavour. Ones drowning in sauce. Ones that will literally sear your face off with their hotness but have zero flavour.

These are a dry style buffalo wing that are baked, not fried but are still lovely and crispy with excellent flavour and just enough fire.

Baked Buffalo Wings

Baked Buffalo Wings | baconavecbacon.com

1 pound chicken wings, split and tips removed
1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1/4 cup butter, melted
salt & pepper

Set your oven to broil and allow it to preheat.

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminium foil and place a cooling rack on top of the foil.

Season the wings well with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Add the hot sauce and stir. Add the wings and coat well.

Place the wings on the cooling rack. Broil for 15 minutes on one side, flip the wings over, baste with additional hot sauce and broil for another 15 minutes.

Remove, flip and baste again and place the wings in for another 5 minutes. Repeat process one more time for another 5 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Recipe: Crock Pot Red Wine & Garlic Braised Lamb Shanks

5 Mar

Oh lamb. You’re so cute and so delicious. For those of you who think eating the fuzzy little critters is evil, please stop reading now. For those of you who are salivating, please read on.

This is my ‘go to’ for gourmet when you don’t have time for gourmet. Unlike most crock pot recipes that call for ‘fake’ ingredients (like canned soup or velveeta), this one is pretty much all natural and the results are impressive enough for company. The best part is whether you make it ahead or all in the same day, it really only takes two 15 minute intervals of effort. It’s a great option for a weeknight dinner party or a ‘dine-in’ date night. You’ll even have half a bottle of red wine left over to enjoy with it.

Crock Pot Red Wine & Garlic Braised Lamb Shanks

Crockpot Lamb Shanks | baconavecbacon.com

3-4 lamb shanks, defrosted
1 onion, quartered
10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
olive oil
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 packet of pot roast spice (you’ll find this in the spice mix aisle)
1 packet of beef base
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf

In a frying pan, heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil. Season the shanks well with the salt, pepper and Worcestershire and then sear well on all sides. Dump the remaining ingredients  the bottom of the crock pot and stir. (If you want to be fancy, you can deglaze the bottom of the frying pan with the wine.) Add the seared meat and then add water to the top of the shanks. Cook on low for 8 hours.

If you’d like, you can refrigerate the shanks (in the crock) overnight and skim the fat before reheating. If you’re going to eat them immediately, ladle two cups of the broth into a measuring cup and let the fat settle to the top. Pour the fat off carefully and then place into a small saucepan with 1 packet of beef base and some freshly ground pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and then whisk in a slurry of a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch and water. This will form a rich gravy to serve with your lamb.

I like to serve the shanks on a bed of mashed potatoes. All the better to enjoy the gravy with.

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Recipe: Buttermilk Tea Biscuits

22 Feb

Tea biscuits are one of those things that’s just better fresh out of the oven, all warm and fluffy. They’re fantastic sandwiched around some eggs, sausage and cheese like they do at Tim Horton’s. They also make a great side for soups or a topping for turkey pot pie. My mother even claimed to have made tea biscuits with butter and jam for dinner when she lived alone as a young woman. Not a bad plan…

Buttermilk Tea Biscuits

Buttermilk Tea Biscuits | baconavecbacon.com

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening (the colder the better)
1 cup buttermilk*

Stir together the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut the shortening in until the mixture is crumbly. Gradually pour in the buttermilk, stirring with a fork until the ingredients form a loose dough. Don’t overmix. Scrape onto a well floured surface and pat the dough into 1″ thick circle.

Use a biscuit cutter, or a glass or the lid from the peanut butter to cut the biscuits. Make sure to flour the cutter and don’t twist the implement you’re using – just press straight down and lift. If you twist, this can affect how high the biscuits rise.

Bake on a floured sheet at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes.

*A note on buttermilk… Yes, buttermilk is expensive and is kind of a pain because it really only comes in a 1 litre carton. You use 1 cup then you have to figure out what to do with the rest unless you have a crazy family member who likes to drink buttermilk. This is why I buy DRY buttermilk powder at the Bulk Barn. I throw 3 or so tablespoons into a 1 cup liquid measuring cup and reconstitute it with 1 cup of regular 1% milk. Works great!

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Recipe: Traditional Apple Crisp

10 Feb

When I do make apple crisp, I inevitably make a second one as soon as the first is done because it’s so good and seems to go so quickly. Something magical happens when the warm, tart apples and crispy and sweet oat topping combines with melting vanilla ice cream.

This is an adaptation of a recipe from the ‘All New Purity Cookbook’ originally printed in 1967. It’s a classic Canadian cookbook and reprints are readily available. Check it out if you’re looking for a how-to for basic comfort foods.

Traditional Apple Crisp

Traditional Apple Crisp | baconavecbacon.com

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
4 Large McIntosh apples, peeled and sliced

In a large bowl, add the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the texture becomes crumbly. Prepare the apples and place them in a greased 9″ glass pie dish. Pour the crumble evenly over the top and place in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving with ice cream. And maybe a drizzle of maple syrup or caramel sauce.

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Recipe: Garlic Baked Chicken & Potatoes

9 Feb

This dish is so cheap, so easy and so full of flavour that it’s hard for it not to become a favourite. It’s based on traditional Lebanese flavourings called ‘toum, zait w haamid’. Translated from Arabic that’s garlic (toum), zait (oil), haamid (lemon). Here, this tangy combo covers potatoes and cheap bone-in chicken (legs & thighs work best) for a hearty winter meal. It’s probably not a good pick for Valentine’s Day, but we really like it.

Garlic Baked Chicken & Potatoes

Garlic Baked Chicken & Potatoes | baconavecbacon.com

6-10 pieces of bone-in chicken
3-5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch thick discs
20 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt
1 teaspoon shawarma style spices (available at your friendly neighbourhood Arabic grocery store)

This recipe is easily scaled to fit your family. Depending on how much chicken you’re using, use either a 9×9 or a 9×13 baking dish. Arrange the chicken in the bottom and make cuts in the flesh with a sharp knife. (This will help the sauce to soak in later.) Rub the chicken with a couple of tablespoons of oil, salt and the shawarma style spices.

Take the sliced and peeled potatoes and zap them in the microwave for 4 minutes. This helps to soften them so they’ll be done at the same time as the chicken. Then toss them on top of the chicken and salt lightly.

Throw the dish into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes.

In the meantime, break out your blender or food processor. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and blitz the garlic until smooth (4-5 minutes). Add the lemon juice and blitz for another 4-5 minutes.

When the chicken is done (use a meat thermometer to be sure) pour the sauce overtop of the potatoes and chicken and stir to cover all of the pieces. Switch the oven to broil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes start to brown nicely.

Serve with a nice fresh salad.

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Recipe: Mom’s Quiche

2 Feb

Both of my parents are pretty good cooks and a good portion of the ‘secret’ recipes I have kicking around are things they made regularly when I was growing up.  I’ve tweaked a few of them over the years and this quiche is one of our favourites.

My mother of course makes her crust from scratch which I can’t be bothered to do so I instead use a deep dish pre-fab frozen crust. Her recipe simply calls for cheese and broccoli as add ins, but of course I had to put bacon in mine. Feel free to experiment – feta, red pepper and chicken, mushroom and swiss, smoked salmon…  The options are endless!

Mom’s Quiche

Mom's Quiche | baconavecbacon.com

1 frozen deep dish pie crust
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup chopped frozen spinach, drained
1/2 cup pre-cooked crumbled bacon (I like Kirkland brand from Costco)
1 brick cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 tablespoon chives
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
dash of paprika

Sprinkle the cheese in the bottom of the pie crust. Arrange the rest of your ingredients on top. Beat the cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the salt and chives. Spoon the egg mixture over your toppings. Sprinkle the top with the parmesan cheese and the paprika.

Bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

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Recipe: Chocolate & Peanut Butter Snack Cake

27 Jan

What goes together better than peanut butter and chocolate? If you answered nothing, you are correct. This cake is no exception. It’s dense and rich but not overly sweet. It is necessary to pair this with a big glass of milk because the peanut butter layer is quite sticky!

The recipe I used for this is from here and it’s supposed to be like a brand of snack cakes available in the Eastern US. I can’t vouch for accuracy having never enjoyed a TastyCake but I can confirm the tastyness!

The next time I try this, I might cheat and make the base with a yellow cake mix and blend the peanut butter with some marshmallow fluff to make it a bit sweeter and less dense.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Snack Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Cake | baconavecbacon.com

4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons melted butter
1 bag milk chocolate chips
2 cups creamy peanut butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×13 pan.

In the microwave warm the milk and the butter until melted and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla, salt, sugar, baking powder and flour. Add the milk and stir until smooth. Pour the batter into the floured pan and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Immediately spread the peanut butter over top of the cake. As it melts it’ll become easier to move around. Once spread, put the cake into the fridge until the peanut butter sets.

Once the PB layer is set, in a microwaveable bowl, melt the chocolate chips. Pour over top of the peanut butter layer and spread carefully. Place the cake back into the fridge until the chocolate layer sets.

When you’re ready to eat the cake, let it come to room temperature before cutting, otherwise the chocolate will crack.

 

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Recipe: Homestyle Lasagna

27 Jan

This is probably Mr. Bacon’s #1 favourite meal. In fact, I believe after his first bite of this one he said lovingly (to the lasagna, not me), “Oh my god! Why are you so good????”

Yes, lasagna requires a fair amount of prep but my secret is that I split this recipe into three ‘just enough for two people’ mini loaf pans which means zero effort aside from defrosting and heating for subsequent meals. You could easily make this as a family size lasagna in a single 9×13 pan or you could double the batch and make six at once. They freeze wonderfully and in fact, I think they’re better once they’ve had a chance to sit.

Homestyle Lasagna

Homestyle Lasagna | baconavecbacon.com

1 package of FRESH lasagna noodles
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage
5-6 cups pasta sauce (use your own or bottled)
1 tub ricotta cheese
1 block chopped frozen spinach, defrosted & drained
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
2 tsp chopped garlic
salt & pepper
dried parsley

In order to make this as painless as possible, do like the chefs do and get your ‘mise en place‘ ready. That means preparing all of the elements and placing them within reach.

First I brown the ground beef with the oregano, basil, garlic and a bit of salt & pepper. I drain it and set it out on a plate covered in paper towel to drain further.

Then I brown the sausage breaking it up as much as possible. If your sausage comes in a casing vs. loose, remove it from the casing before cooking. When it’s brown, I usually whiz it with the food processor a bit so that the consistency is closer to that of the ground beef. Set it on a plate with paper towel like the beef.

Then defrost the spinach in a medium size bowl in the microwave. Drain as much water as you can from it by pushing on it with a paper towel and allowing the excess water to drip out of the bowl. Add the tub of ricotta, a pinch of salt and pepper and 3-4 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Mix until thoroughly combined and set aside.

Open your pasta sauce, grate your mozzarella and get your pan or pans out. Open the package of pasta and use a very sharp knife to cut through all layers of pasta in three evenly sized portions.

Your kitchen counter should look like this:

Homestyle Lasagna | baconavecbacon.com

Now you can begin building your lasagna one layer at a time. When I’m splitting lasagnas into three pans, I do one layer at a time over all three pans. Here is how to assemble it:

  • 1/4 cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan
  • 1 sheet of pasta
  • 1/6th of the ground beef
  • 1/4 cup of pasta sauce
  • 1 sheet of pasta
  • 1/6th of the sausage
  • 1/4 cup of pasta sauce
  • 1 sheet of pasta
  • 1/3 of the ricotta mixture
  • 1 sheet of pasta
  • 1/6th of the sausage
  • 1/4 cup of pasta sauce
  • 1 sheet of pasta
  • 1/6th of the ground beef
  • 1/4 cup of pasta sauce
  • 1 sheet of pasta
  • 1/4 cup of pasta sauce
  • 1 cup (or more if you desire) mozzarella cheese
  • sprinkle of parmesan
  • sprinkle of dried parsley flakes

Homestyle lasagna | baconavecbacon.com

I like to have a dryer lasagna with defined layers but if you prefer yours more sauce-y, add more sauce at each layer. It’s OK if some of the ingredients fall off of the layers and into the edges of the pan. You won’t be able to tell once it’s been cooked.

When you have all three lasagnas assembled, place the mini loaf pans onto a cookie sheet and place in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. The lasagnas should be bubbling and the cheese should be nicely browned.

Let the lasagna sit for about 10 minutes before cutting.

For the ones you’re going to freeze, let them cool on the counter while you stuff your face. Then place each lasagna, pan and all into a 1 gallon ziplock freezer bag. Use a straw to suck out any air and seal tightly before popping in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat a frozen one, let it defrost in the fridge overnight or over a couple of days. Then cut into four slices, place onto a plate and heat in the microwave until hot. Trust me, it works better than the oven!

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Recipe: Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup

9 Jan

It’s gross out. Snow/rain/slush/damp/dark. Ugh.

Days like this call for super easy recipes that are warm and comforting. With a rich and velvety texture, this soup makes an excellent winter meal with a side of crusty bread.

Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup | baconavecbacon.com

1/2 small (450 g) jar of Cheese Whiz (I used the low fat kind)
1 can Campbell’s condensed cheese soup (feel free to sub other cream based flavours)
3 small heads broccoli, cut into small florets (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 carrot, grated
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup milk (1 or 2%)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Toss the first 7 ingredients into the crockpot, stir and cook on high for 2 hours or until broccoli is tender. Add the milk and cheese then whiz with an immersion blender. If you prefer a chunky soup, you can skip the blending step.

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