About Ancient Grains

There has been a rise in the popularity of ancient grains in recent years, due largely to heightened food sensitivities and the population’s desire to become healthier.
Navigating the sea of ancient grains can be confusing. If you are unsure which grains you might enjoy and their benefits, it’s best to do research on their history and uses. Here is an abbreviated guide to get you started.
Amaranth
A companion to quinoa, amaranth was once revered by the Aztec and has a history of use across many cultures. Recent research has indicated that this grain can lower blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Barley
With its nutty flavor and chewy texture, barley is the oldest of grains and has been cultivated for approximately 10,000 years. It originated in the Middle East and North Africa and is often used in soups, stews, breads and cereals.
Buckwheat
Though not related to wheat, this fruit seed originated in Central Asia and is native to Northern Europe. An excellent alternative to rice or porridge, it is used in muffins, soups, stews and buckwheat pancakes.
Corn
A staple for more than 5,000 years, the different varieties are easily recognizable by their color. Corn is frequently used to make tortillas, cereal and polenta (a type of cornmeal).
Kamut
This ancient relative to wheat originated in Egypt. A great substitute for wheat, it has a sweet and buttery flavor and is often used in baked goods such as breads and cookies.
Millet
This small yellowish round grain, said to have originated in Ethiopia, looks like couscous and was widely consumed before rice and wheat became dominant grains. It is easy to cook and digest and can be used in a variety of recipes.
Rice
Thought to have originated in China at least 6,000 years ago, there are more than 1,000 different varieties of rice. Rice has been a staple for more than half the world’s population.
Rye
Rye was first cultivated in Germany and is thought to have originated from a wild weed species that grew in wheat and barley fields. It can be a good choice for people with diabetes as it triggers a lesser insulin response compared to wheat bread.
Spelt
Spelt dates back to before even wheat. With its broader spectrum of nutrients, it can be a good alternative for some who cannot tolerate wheat. It has a pleasant, mild, nutty flavor and can be used like rolled oats in recipes.
Quinoa
This tiny grain, which can be red, orange, black, yellow or white is a complete source of protein. Pronounced keen-wa, it resembles couscous with its light and fluffy texture and is best as a side dish or in cold salads.

Fried Jam Sandwiches with Peanut Butter Dip

Serves 2-4

I recently saw this on the Food Network. There's a restaurant in New York that makes it. Of course they didn't share the recipe, so I researched it and came up with my own version. I made it over the weekend, and we loved it! It may sound bizarre, but try it once and I promise you'll love it too!

Ingredients:

1  jar strawberry jam

8 slices white bread

1 can of your favorite cream ale (beer)

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp icing sugar

Directions:

1. Spread Jam on one side of each slice of bread.

2. Assemble as sandwiches (you will have 4)

3. Cut the crust off the 4 assembled sandwiches. 

4. Cut each sandwich into 4 strips.

5. Mix ale, flour, and icing sugar into a bowl until a pancake batter consistency is reached.

6. Dip and fully coat the first strip of bread into the batter and drop into a deep fryer (or a few inches of hot oil in a frying pan). Repeat this step with remaining slices of bread.

7. Cook till a nice golden brown and place on serving tray.

8. Sprinkle with icing sugar and served with whipped peanut butter dip.

Whipped Peanut Butter Dip

1 cup peanut butter

½ cup whipping cream

1. Dump peanut butter and whipping cream into a bowl.

2. Whisk the ingredients until desired creaminess is met. Approximately 7-10 minutes. Or use an electric mixer with whisk attachment.

"Crazy Cake"

A lot of you may have heard of this recipe. It was popular in the 1960's. I'm sure lots of our mother's made this. I know it was one of the best things my mother ever made. For those of you that haven't heard of it; it may sound strange, but it is very easy to make and inexpensive. Not to mention, it is moist and delicious! You can do an icing if you like, or just top with sifted icing sugar.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of flour

1 cup of white sugar

4 tablespoons of cocoa

½ teaspoon of salt

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tablespoon of white vinegar

1 tsp of vanilla

6 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 cup of water

Directions:

Stir all dry ingredients into 9x9 inch pan.  Mix well.  Make 3 holes, pour vinegar into one hole, vanilla into second hole and vegetable oil into the third hole.   Pour water over the whole thing and stir well.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

Homemade Gingerale

My favorite beverage! And a great summer time treat!

If you don't like ginger, you can change things up by using basil, star anise, or lemon or orange peel.

Ingredients (for the simple syrup):

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/3 cup peeled sliced ginger

Directions:

Combine the above in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Steep at least 2 hours or overnight (preferred). Strain and cool to room temperature.

In a tall glass, muddle 3 mint leaves. Add 1 1/2 oz of the simple syrup and 6 oz Seltzer water, mix well.

Fill glasses with ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

Grilled Marinated Pineapple Skirt Steak

Skirt steak is a cut of beef from the plate. It is long, flat, and prized for its flavor rather than tenderness. Not to be confused with flank steak.
To minimize toughness and add flavor, skirt steaks are often marinated before grilling or pan-searing very quickly, or cooked very slowly, usually braised.  They are typically sliced against the grain before serving to maximize tenderness.

Here is a great recipe from one of my favorite chefs, Emeril Lagasse.

Ingredients: (4 servings)
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, large dice
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tblsp minced garlic
1 tblsp minced ginger
1 to 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak
Directions:
Place first six ingredients in to a bowl and mix well.
Place skirt steak in to marinade and marinate for 1 to 2 hours.
Pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grill grates.
Remove steak from marinade, pat dry and grill to your liking, along with the pineapple chunks.
Remove steaks from the grill and allow to rest briefly before slicing thinly across the grain.

Stuffing Waffles

I saw this on the Food Network. There is a restaurant in New York that makes waffles out of leftover turkey dinner stuffing. What a great idea! Apparently it is quite delicious. 
All you have to do is add a few beaten eggs to your leftover stuffing and press it in to your waffle maker until it's browned and crispy. Add  a few turkey slices, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce on top, as shown in the photo above.
I know I'll be doing this the next time that I make turkey dinner! And what a great change it will be from the usual ho-hum turkey dinner leftovers!

Ginger Crinkles Cookies

I haven't yet posted a cookie recipe, so here is my favorite! Besides the fact that I love ginger, these cookies are so easy to make and you don't have to run out to buy any of the simple ingredients (well, I know I usually have them all in my pantry) It's also a fun recipe to make with the kids. At Christmas time, I make dozens of these to give away (after I get sick of eating them)!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
In bowl, whisk oil with sugar. Whisk in egg until smooth, then whisk in molasses.
In separate bowl, combine all the remaining dry ingredients. Stir this in to the oil mixture until moist dough forms. Using 1 tablespoon dough per cookie, roll in to balls. Roll the balls in the sugar to coat. 
Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets in 375 degree oven for about 12 minutes (until flattened, cracked & golden). Let cool completely. Makes 36 cookies.

Karens' Famous Fudge

I have to say, I have tried many fudge recipes over the years, but the best ever, is this one shared by a friend and ex co-worker, Karen (and thank you for letting me share it)!
It can be tricky, so make sure that you follow the directions exactly. And that you have a good mixer/beater (Karen once burnt one out)! Keep this recipe on hand for the holidays, as it makes a great gift!

The following is for a 9x13 pan.

Ingredients:
6 cups brown sugar
6 cups icing sugar
1 pound butter
1 can Carnation evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add brown sugar and milk. Stirring, cook for 7-8 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add icing sugar a cup at a time while beating. Add vanilla. Continue beating for 5 minutes.
Pour in to pan. Refrigerate until set, and cut in to small squares.

Pineapple Skewers with Rum

 

Yield: Makes 8 Servings

 So many people cook pineapple on the bbq, and there are lots of recipes out there.  This one, I have to say; is a little different and pretty easy.  And the other day, I paid $1.97 for a pineapple!  Bonus!

Ingredients:

• 1 pineapple, cut into 8 wedges, then cut into fourths
• 1/2 cup dark rum (optional)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• skewers

Preparation:

Mix rum, brown sugar, honey, and orange juice together until sugar is dissolved. Preheat Grill. Thread pineapple slices onto skewers. Place on the grill and baste with rum sauce. Cook kebabs for about 10 minutes, turning and basting occasionally. Remove from heat, let cool for a few minutes before serving with cocktails or ice cream.

Cherry Cobbler

It's cherry season in BC's Okanagan Valley. Yummy! They are so sweet and delicious.

I plan to make some preserves this week, so I can have them all year round. Yes!

Yesterday, my sister brought me a bag of local BC cherries that she got at the Farmers' Market. So for now, I will enjoy them right away in this easy and delicious Cobbler. It serves 6-8. Serve it warm with a little vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients & Directions Fruit: 

5-6 cups pitted cherries                                              

½ cup sugar

1 Tbsp flour

Mix together and pour into a 6 cup shallow baking dish and dot with butter.

Preheat oven to 375 F

Ingredients & Directions Topping:

2 cups flour

Pinch salt

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup cold butter

Cut together the above ingredients.

Beat together 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk add to the flour mixture to make a stiff dough.

Break off little chunks and flatten into “cobbles”.  Lay over the fruit mix overlapping to make a cobblestone top.  Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp sugar and bake for 35-45 min until browned and bubbly.  Cool for 20 min and serve with ice cream.  

Nova Scotia Tea Biscuits

In the late 90's, I worked in an office with more than 30 women. We would do the occasional pot-luck or bake sale - which produced many great bakers and delicious recipes. We (the entire department) even printed a 128 page cookbook in 2003, and the proceeds went to the Christmas Fund (for the less fortunate).
But there was one recipe/dish loved much more than others. It was a treat to us, brought in by Marie-Jeanne; that she knew from her upbringing in Nova Scotia. These fresh, delicate biscuits are fabulous, and all you need is butter and a great jam!  It might seem like a lot of work to some, but make them once and you will fall in love................
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
2 eggs

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center an set aside. In another bowl, beat the eggs with the warm milk and the oil. Pour in to the well in the flour mixture and mix well with a fork until a soft dough forms (the dough will get hard if you mix too long). Roll out dough on to a floured surface to approx. 1 inch thick, cut with floured cookie cutters or a glass rim. Place on a cookie sheet, brush tops with beaten egg. Place in oven on middle rack, and bake approx. 20 minutes until the tops are golden. Delicious served warm with butter and jam.

Bacardi Rum Cake

I think I was 25-26 years old when I first made this fantastic cake. I had all my family over for Christmas dinner. It was such a hit, they asked for it every Christmas after that! I have made it for them, and for friends for many years now. No wonder I'm seen as the baker in the family/crowd!

Ingredients Cake:
1 cup chopped Pecans
1 package/box golden cake mix
1 small package vanilla instant pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum

Ingredients Glaze:
1/4 lb butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10" tube or bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour over nuts. Bake for 1 (one) hour. Cool. Invert on to serving plate. Prick the top all over (I use a wooden skewer).
Make the glaze: Melt the butter in saucepan, stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in rum.
Spoon and brush glaze over top and down sides of the cake, allow it to absorb, and repeat until glaze is used up.
Serve with whip cream if desired (best)!