Mediterranean Pasta Salad

This recipe is adapted from a pasta-less recipe in Canadian Living's Rush Hour Cooking.  The Smaller One and I inhaled this.  The other two had reservations.  *rolls eyes*


Boil and chill your favourite pasta.  I think I used about three cups dried.

In the bottom of your large salad bowl, toss:
1 T minced fresh basil (I've been using freeze dried and I'm loving it)
2 T minced red onion
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half if they are larger
Feta cheese, diced (the original recipe said 2 oz.  I did not measure)
If you toss these together first, they will start making their own little yummy heaven.  The smell is so good.  I have a feta-ish (haha) for tomatoes, basil and feta.


Add to bowl:
1 chopped coloured pepper (yellow / orange are best for colour contrast)
1 chopped cucumber
People who enjoy olives may want to add ½ cup of black.  Shudder.


Salad Dressing (mix in a measuring up)
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
3 T fresh minced basil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
40 turns of the pepper mill
2 green onions, chopped
The dressing should resemble a runny pesto with all the yummy basil in it.


Take your now-chilled pasta from the fridge and toss it and the salad dressing with your veggies.  The ratio of veggies to pasta should be at least 1:1.

Enjoy.  This is seriously yummy. I'm telling myself not to run to the fridge to devour the leftovers.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

This recipe is from the little booklet that came with my first crock pot.  Serve with French bread.

1½ – 2 lbs stew meat in cubes

¼ cup flour

S & P

1½ cups beef broth

1 t Worcestershire sauce

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

½ t paprika

3 carrots, sliced

3 potatoes, diced

1 – 2 onions, chopped

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 t Italian seasoning

Place meat in crock pot.  Mix flour, salt, pepper and pour over meat.  Stir to coat.  Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix.  Cover and cook on Low 8 – 10 hours.  (High 4 –5 hours).  Stir stew thoroughly before serving.

Shortbread Cookies

This is Marie's recipe and Cory's favourite Christmas cookie.

1 lb butter
1 cup icing sugar
4 cups flour, less 8 tsp
8 tsp cornstarch

Cream butter until very light.  Add icing sugar and cream well.  Add remaining ingredients.  Knead for 5 - 10 minutes until dough does not stick to counter top.  Roll out and cut with cookie cutters or roll into small balls and squash with a floured fork.

Bake at 350F for 8 - 10 minutes for cut outs and 10 - 12 for the ball shapes.

Chocolate-Striped Cookies

When I worked at Southern Stationers, several Christmases in a row, three of us would get together and bake for 6 hours straight.  Each of us would take home a third of a batch of 10 or more holiday treats.  One year, I tried out a new recipe.  It was a hit.

Beat until smooth:
½ cup butter
½ cup margarine
1 cup sugar
½ t baking soda

Add:
1 egg
2 T milk
1 t vanilla

Mix or Knead in:
3 cups all purpose flour

Divide dough in half.
To one half knead in :
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, melted
½ cup pecans

To other half knead in:
½ cup mini chocolate chips
¼ t almond extract

Divide both doughs in half again.  Line the bottom and sides of a loaf pan with plastic wrap.  Press one half of the chocolate dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.  Layer in the vanilla, the other chocolate and the last vanilla to form four flat even layers.  Invert pan to remove dough and peel off plastic wrap.  Cut dough in half or thirds lengthwise depending on how big a cookie you want then slice into ¼ inch strips.  Place cookies on a sheet and bake for 375F for about 10 minutes.


This is a freezer-friendly dough.

Pulled Pork

I am posting this prematurely.  We've only made it once but Cory said I should post it.  He absolutely loved it.

On the outset, it might appear that this is an expensive meal - the ingredients are going to cost at least $12 BUT this made for meals on 5 occasions so . . . that makes it infinitely affordable.  

Originally from food.com, the author says these are great frozen in buns, tightly wrapped in saran.

Toss into a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours

2 sliced onions
1 cup ginger ale
1 pork shoulder (4 lbs or so)

At the 8 hour mark, strain liquid out and discard.  Remove meat and shred with forks.  Put onions and meat back into the pot, add:

1 bottle (approx 18 oz) of your fav BBQ pork sauce.  (ours was peppercorn and brandy)

Mix, cook on low for another hour or two.

Serve on buns.

Beef Stroganoff

This is yet another recipe that I have fond memories of from my youth.  It is my go-to recipe whenever a roast beef meal happens the previous night.  I have made 2 minor modifications to Mum's recipe so sisters be warned.

I have happy memories of this dish when Joel lived with us on 20th Avenue.  He would get his mother's fabulous leftovers from her catering jobs.  Those made for delicious stroganoffs.  Rumour has it Montreal Steak Spice takes a roll in her roast flavour profile . . .

Saute:

1 sliced onion

1 can of sliced mushrooms, drained

Add:  

Remainder of last night's roast cut into strips

Salt & Pepper

When beef is warmed through, add:

½ - 1 cup sour cream

1 T Dijon mustard

Stir through, serve with egg noodles and peas.

Pancakes

These pancakes are light and fluffy and so fast to put together.  This recipe is originally from At Home in the Kitchen with a few slight modifications.

Mix together:

1 cup buttermilk

2 T oil

1 t vanilla

1 egg

1 c flour

½ t baking soda

1 t baking powder