Breakfast sandwiches

English muffins baked then cheese added. I left them in the hot oven (heat off). I use my counter top convection oven for everything except a turkey.

I always do the bacon in my microwave on a bacon tray.  I use paper towel under and on top.

     

These are silicone egg poachers; they work well in a pot of boiling water (found them hiding behind the coffee filters)

This poach ring keeps the egg yolk soft, I do mine smashed & crashed to get a hard yoke.

serve open face or with the top on

Organizing recipes during self isolation.....

Throwing out recipes I have never used. I kept student favourites from my teaching  years.

Quinoa salad - weight watchers recipe book

I forgot to use the chives growing in my garden...I used dried cherries...

Any type of apple and nuts will work.

I boiled the quinoa in the microwave.  I use a huge 8 cup glass measure.

Pork Loin butterflied - roasted with vegetables

I bought a very large, heavy tenderloin.  To cook quickly and keep it moist I sliced it open. Season with your favourites: I used Montreal Steak Spice and a shake of Johnnies Garlic Seasoning.  Cubed new potatoes and sliced zucchini on the side as well as orange peppers. I spray the vegetables with baking release. PAM or in my case Kirkland brand.

The tenderloin was moist. Rest meat for 10 mins before slicing (juices stay in the meat). You can serve with any sauce you like (sweet chili, barbecue, or apple) 

Blueberry pie

You can see layers of fat. The Canadian Living pastry recipe makes enough for 2, double crusted pies

Not enough in the can of blueberry pie filling. I had frozen blueberries; I mixed 180 ml of sugar with
50 ml of cornstarch, then stirred it into the berries.

Cornstarch will give a clear, not cloudy filling.

My berries were frozen so I microwaved and stirred. Cloudy means filling has not thickened.  

Clear and thick sauce.  

I added my berries to the canned ones, layering them on top.

I used water to brush the pie top, then sprinkled with turbinado sugar. Remember the steam vent. 

Baked at 375 in my counter top convection oven.  30 minutes.

Chicken pie assembly

Finished pie......

I left my pastry in the fridge overnight.  Generously flour the top of the pastry and the parchment paper.
Pie plate is from Knott's Berry Farm (38 years old)....

The bottom pastry round looks like a mess. Doesn't matter, no one will see it. Save your energy for the pie top.

to get the crust the correct size I add chunks of dough and press them in with damp fingers.

I put the plate on top of the pastry, slide my hand under the parchment and flip it over.

Messy way to put the pastry in the pan, avoids stretching the dough.

Make sure the pastry goes over the edge of the pan. (Filling is thick, taste and season as needed)

Top layer is longer that the bottom layer - good!

I get my fingers wet and cram the 2 layers of pastry together by tucking the top over the bottom layer. I use my knuckles to punch the design into the pastry.  Steam vent is a C 

Pastry ridge is high, needs to be so the edge doesn't burn while cooking.

Chicken pie filling

I used allrecipes.com I check the ratings and how many the recipe received. Around 1,000 is a good indicator of the recipe's success.  Assemble your equipment and ingredients. 

To make the roux, melt butter and whisk in the flour; this avoids lumps.

Add chicken stock and whisk again. I added thyme, rosemary, pepper and Johnny's garlic powder (Costco)

Boil the butter, flour, stock mixture until it boils, Once boiling it reaches maximum thickness.

The white sauce looked too thick. I added chopped deli chicken, frozen peas, orange pepper, diced and minced onion.

The vegetables added extra moisture. 

I cut the parsley with a utility scissor. 

Parsley stays fresh if you rinse it, wrap in paper towel and seal it in a plastic bag.

Pastry using lard and butter - Canadian Living magazine

I put my favourite, often used recipes into this book.  Some hand written, some like the snap shop below.

very fuzzy shot.... google search it

Always gather your ingredients together to make mixing go quicker.

butter cut using the line on the wrapper (oops, crooked)

An Alton Brown tip - use a large hole grater instead of a pastry cutter. Quick and easy when using cold, hard lard and butter. Grate a small amount then toss into the flour (about 6 times).

Add liquid in three portions.  After each toss the ingredients together for easier mixing.

you don't want to over heat the butter and lard.

It looks dry but will push together.  Baking is chemistry   Do not add extra water.....

Flip the dough in the well dusted parchment paper

Roll in the parchment and refrigerate.

lettuce wraps AND ground beef tacos

More fat in the lean ground beef than I expected.  I tilted the pan on a bamboo spoon handle to drain.  I used paper towel to absorb the fat.

I divided the cooked crumbles into 2 bowl. One for lettuce wraps the other for tacos.

I added chopped celery, chopped onion, crushed ginger, and hoisin into the meat.  Microwaved the meat until hot. I don't add bamboo shoots or water chestnuts  (I don't like them).  

I peeled the outer layers off a washed head of lettuce.

I do like sticks of green onion in my lettuce wrap.  

I added peanut sauce before wrapping.

ready to eat. I buy the sauces at Saigon  restaurant in Abbotsford.  They are available at Safeway and Save On foods.

I saved one portion of the meat for tacos, the other half is for lettuce wraps

Cooke the meat with taco seasoning and water, to taste.  Cook off the water.

vegetables and cheese for the tacos, add what you enjoy (salsa is from a jar).

Bake taco shells and assemble with meat and veg (I forgot to take a  photo of the finished product)