Recipes

Before the holidays get into full swing, I like to prepare food for entertaining well ahead of time. It's always nice to have hors d'oeuvres handy for when guests drop by. Smoky caramelized onion bites can be made and frozen up to 1 1/2 months. Another one of my make ahead favourites is mushroom hazelnut turnovers. Your friends and guests will be so impressed when you serve these fresh from your own kitchen!!

Yikes! Christmas is only 2 months away! Time to start planning holiday gifts, parties and baking! I love giving homemade gifts from my kitchen, so I like to plan what I'll be making, how I'll package them and who will get some goodies.

Andrea's recipe from yesterday for banana bread sounds delicious!

Please let us know if you try it and like it!

By the way, Andrea, baking powder is exactly the same as "Backpulver". As for "Mandelstifte", I think that translates into almond pieces. I saw this tons of times on the grocery shelves when I lived in Germany but now I don't remember!

The weather is starting to turn miserable...time to head indoors to can fruit that I've frozen over the summer. Here's my recipe for Jumbleberry Jam. You can combine different berries depending on what you have on hand or what you like. I like to experiment and try different proportions of berries.

It's not too late to can other local produce!! There is a lot of fall produce like pears, apples, cranberries, tomatoes and peppers available. I'll be canning some of these soon, so stay tuned for more recipes.

Crackers are always nice to have around the house for quick snacks or accompaniments to spreads or meals. This is one of my favourite cracker recipes. The flax seeds add a nice nuttiness and interesting texture. After baking, I like breaking these free-form crackers into interesting, jagged shapes.

Fall is one of my favourite food seasons. I love cooking homey, warm soups and stews with fall vegetables. An easy and tasty bread to serve with a hearty soup is this whole wheat irish soda bread. I've never been to Ireland, so I don't know if this is anything like the soda bread that's served there, but it's still tasty and easy!

Al's Braised Lamb Shanks sound just as delicious as Barb's. Someday I'll have to have a cookoff!

According to Cookbook Mania, these three books should be in every kitchen. I have one of the books, The Joy of Cooking and I heartily recommend it! If anybody has tried the other two, please let us know what you thought of the books!

Various grains are starting to show up more and more on local menus and at stores. One no longer expects to see mashed potatoes or rice as a mainstay accompaniment anymore. Israeli couscous is one of those grains. It's a wheat based product that is shaped like tiny little pearls that resemble pasta more than couscous. The first time I tried Israeli couscous, I was really impressed by it's slightly chewy texture and toasty aroma. It cooks very quickly and adapts well to any broths and sauces inwhich it is cooked.

Spotted Daniel's Grilled Eggplant Sandwich on ViewFromTheHeart. Looks good! If you try it, please let us know how it turned out!