Hummus

Tis the season for entertaining and seeing old friends.  Here is one of my favorite appetizers.  When my son is around, I have to hide this dish in order to have some for myself.   Unfortunately, Al does not like this dish, oh well it just means more for me.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounce can chickpeas
2 garlic cloves, coarsely crushed
6 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons tahini  (or smooth peanut butter)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground pepper

Drain the chick peas.  Reserve liquid.  Put chick peas in a food processor or blender.  Blend to a smooth paste, adding a small amount of the reserved liquid if necessary.
Mix the garlic, lemon juice and tahini together and add to the blender or food processor.  Process until smooth.  With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil.
Add cumin.  Season with salt and pepper.  Process to mix.
Scrape into a bowl.  Cover and chill.

I apologize for the blurred picture.  Clearly, I am better with a spatula than I am with a camera.  I am working on improving this.

Mulligatawny Soup

My first soup this fall and Al loved it!  As a matter of a fact he had two bowls immediately and still wanted dinner as usual.  I must admit I also had a bowl, it made a delicious first course.  Al loves his soup for lunch.

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons oil
4 gloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger, or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 potato peeled and diced
1 apple peeled and diced
3 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 cups fresh or frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup cubed, cooked chicken or turkey
salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley  ( I also use 2 teaspoons dried if I don't have fresh)

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Cook garlic, ginger, curry powder and cinnamon in oil, stirring constantly, 1 minute.  Add potato, apple, chicken broth and mixed vegetables.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover.  Simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  In food processor or blender, puree vegetable mixture until smooth.  Return to saucepan.  Add chicken and salt to taste,  Heat thoroughly.  Sprinkle with cilantro.

Chicken Stock

Snow is falling, temperatures are falling and Al is looking for soup.  It is time to make stock so I will be able to make that soup!

 In 1999,  Winnipeg Hydro Home Economists published recipes for  "Soups, Stocks and Broths".  I haven't found anything better.   The only change I make is using a chicken carcass from a roast chicken, or the carcass of a chicken I have cut up to use in a different dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken (3-4 lbs.), cut up
8 cups water
1 carrot, cut in chunks
1 stalk celery, with leaves, cut in chunks
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 sprigs parsley
1 Bay leaf
2 whole cloves
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp. salt

Place chicken in stockpot or Dutch oven.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil.  Skim off foam.  Reduce heat.  Simmer, partially covered, 1 1/2 hours.  Lift out chicken and reserve for another use.  Remove bones.  Discard.   Strain liquid through sieve, pressing down on vegetables to extract as much flavour as possible before discarding.  Chill stock.  Remove fat from surface.

Pfeffernuesse

Today we saw our first snowfall; some cried, some laughed, and everyone knows winter is coming soon.  The perfect time to bake something spicy and delicious ( as if I need an excuse to bake!).  These cookies remind me of Christmas and it is never too soon to start baking Christmas cookies.

This is a German recipe, using pepper as one of its spices, hence the name which means pepper nuts.  My grandson loves them and he usually is the first to say "too spicy".

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Place confectioners' sugar in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and baking soda.  Set aside.

Place butter, brown sugar, and molasses into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about three minutes.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, beat until just combined.  Pinch off dough in tablespoon amounts, roll into 1 1/4 inch balls.  Arrange balls 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake until cookies are golden and firm to the touch with slight cracking, about 15 minutes.  Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.  Place cookies into bowl with icing sugar turning until well coated.  Let cool completely on wire rack.  Store in airtight container.

Apple Cake

Really, who doesn't love apple cake?  This is a frequent request in our family, a recipe I gleaned from a blog site called The Cookie Shop.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups canola oil
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3 gala or Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt;  set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine canola oil, sugar and eggs mix on high speed until lemon yellow.

Gradually add the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

Add apples and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 75 to 90 minutes.

Cool slightly on a wire rack, then invert pan and place cake on the wire rack to cool completely.