Cranberry Almond Biscotti

First time making biscotti. I didn't realize how easy it is! I will definitely be making it again and experimenting with different flavours.



2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla (or almond extract)

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add almonds and cranberries. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla (or almond extract).

Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, mixing until moist, using an electric mixer on medium speed (although I just mixed by hand). Make sure to knead dough until well combined.

On floured surface, divide batter in half and pat each half into a 5 or 6" circle. Place on parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake 30 minutes or until firm. While still warm, cut biscotti into 1/2" slices and place back on cookie sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool and store in container.

Cheesy Baked Ravioli

This is a pretty easy dish to make. Similar to lasagna, but with ravioli instead. Delicious!

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 pkg cheese ravioli
1 jar (14 oz) pasta sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozza cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
handful of spinach

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cook ground beef, onion over medium high heat. Drain grease, add the Italian seasoning. Stir in the pasta sauce and the tomatoes.

Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce in the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Arange 1/2 of the ravioli over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 the mozza cheese and 1/2 the cheddar cheese. Arrange a layer of spinach leaves over the cheese. Repeat meat sauce, rest of ravioli, then last 1/3 of the meat sauce. Finish with the last of the cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes to let the cheese brown.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Its that time of year, the leaves are changing colour and there are pumpkins everywhere. I was inspired to make some pumpkin spice muffins after tasting one from a local coffee shop. Very tasty!

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1 (14 oz) can of pumpkin puree (or 1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin)
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 eggs
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices. Stir until combined. Add pumpkin puree, apple sauce and eggs, stir into the dry ingredients until smooth. Gently fold in the raisins until evenly distributed. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick instered in the middle comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Makes 12 large muffins.

Orzo with Roasted Peppers & Turkey

1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 lb orzo pasta
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
feta cheese

First thing is to roast the peppers. You can either do this by holding over a gas flame with tongs, turning occasionally until the skins are charred on all sides. Or you can roast the peppers in the oven under the broiler, which is what I did. Place whole peppers on a baking sheet and broil until charred. Occasionally turn peppers so all sides start turning black. Place the charred peppers in a medium bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the peppers to steam for 20 minutes. Remove from bowl and place on cutting board. Using a paring knife, peel away most of the skin. Its okay to leave some skin as it adds flavour. Remove the stem and seeds. Pat peppers dry with paper towel and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock, water, and salt to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking; in a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and saute until cooked through. Add the garlic and Italian seasonings and cook for 1 minute. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes, if using, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the turkey and pepper mixture, 1 tbsp of parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss well to combine all ingredients, adding reserved cooking liquid, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Top with feta cheese and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

Red Pesto Ravioli

Thanks Kim for telling me about this recipe. It was delicious! Although I did have a bit of trouble making the pesto in my blender. I may need to invest in a good food processor. My blender, although fairly new, has issues with blending certain things.

1 pound fresh cheese raviolis
12 plump, chewy sun-dried tomatoes (I just guessed, as the sun-dried tomatoes I bought were very small and packed in oil in a jar, the only kind I could find)
2 medium cloves garlic
red pepper flakes (up to you how much you want to put in)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted
3 handfuls of baby spinach tossed with a glug of olive oil and a big pinch of salt
2/3 cup oven-roasted tomatoes* (more if you really like tomatoes!)
a bit of crumbled feta cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and cook the raviolis per package instructions. Drain, but reserve about one cup of the hot pasta water (important!).

In the meantime, make the sun-dried tomato pesto by pulsing the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pepper flakes, olive oil, thyme and salt in a food processor or blender, until it comes together into a textured crumble. Add the walnuts/pine nuts, and pulse a few more times. Set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water in a large mixing bowl along with the pesto. Add the cooked raviolis and gently toss. Add more of the hot pasta water if needed to thin the pesto out - it should make a nice chunky sauce.

Arrange the baby spinach on the plates and top with the ravioli, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese.

*To oven-roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F. Cut each tomato in half and arange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt. Pour this over the tomatoes. Gentley toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated. Arrange tomatoes cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.


*From Key Ingredient/RecipeGrazer

Tropical Chicken-Pasta Salad

I saw this recipe in a flyer a couple weeks ago and thought it sounded like the perfect summer salad. A great twist on the typical pasta salad!

4 cups fusilli pasta, uncooked
2 cups cut fresh green beans
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup sea salt roasted almonds, toasted
1/4 cup salad dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil raspberry dressing

Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting the salt and adding beans to the boiling water for the last 4 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Place in large serving bowl.

Add chicken, pineapple, celery and nuts; mix lightly. Mix dressings until well blended. Add to salad; toss to coat.

Refrigerate one hour. Stir gently before serving.

Chicken Divan

I'm (mostly) moved into my new house. Yah! This is the first real meal I made in my new kitchen (other than re-heating leftover pizza or making scrambled eggs!). This is quite easy to make and very tasty. The curry powder gives it that unique flavour.

2 cups water
2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups long grain white rice
2 cups frozen broccoli, chopped smaller

1 10 oz can of condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup salad dressing (or mayonnaise)
1 tsp curry powder

Combine the first amount of water and bouillon powder in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, for about 35 minutes until no longer pink inside. Drain. Let chicken stand until cool enough to handle. Cut into cubes. Set aside.

Combine second amount of water and rice in same saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes (30 minutes if using brown rice) until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Transfer to ungreased 3 quart casserole.

Layer broccoli and chicken on rice.

Combine remaining 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree oven for about 1 hour until heated through. Serves 6.

* From Company's Coming "Most Loved Casseroles"