Welcome to the July edition of “In Purrsuit of Flavours” where we  join our host “fur-iends” The Canadian Cats and the French boys over at Easy Weimaraner’s Blog. This month’s theme is “Fruit loose and Fancy free.” Here’s Norman to walk you through our take on fruit-apple roses.

Thanks, mum. When you said we were going to make apple roses, I confess, I shook my head in disgust. Fruit, seriously? Barf. You know I’m not a fan of fruit, but being the good boy that I am, I thought “oh, all right,” I’ll do it for you because I know it makes you happy. As it turned out, I tasted a few of those apple slices and you know what…blimey…they were actually tasty.

There’s a old saying about eating an apple a day…well we’re gonna modernize that saying by combining apples with a cook’s best friend in the kitchen…puff pastry.  So let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry
2 red apples
Juice of half a lemon
1 TBSP flour to sprinkle the counter
3 TBSP of apricot preserves
Powdered sugar for decoration (optional)

Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature. Prepare a bowl half filled with water and the lemon juice. Cut the apples in half and core. Next, cut the apples into paper-thin slices (leaving the peels on) and place slices into the water/lemon to keep them from turning brown.

Microwave the apple slices to make them slightly soft and easy to roll. They should be cooked just long enough to bend without breaking. I think I did mine for a little more than 3 minutes.

Unwrap the puff pastry over a clean and lightly floured counter. Roll the dough into a rectangular shape approximately 12 x 9 inches (30 x 22 cm). Cut into strips, each about 2 x 9 inches (5 x 22 cm).

In a small bowl, mix the apricot preserves with 2 TBSP of water. Microwave for about a minute to make the preserves easier to spread a thin coating on each strip of dough. Arrange apple slices on one edge, overlapping one another but make sure the skin side sticks out a bit. Fold the bottom part up on to the dough’s edge. Starting at one end, carefully roll the dough, keeping the apple slices in place. Seal the edge and place in a greased, regular muffin tin. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for about 40-45 minutes until fully cooked. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when slightly cooled.

These are best eaten while still warm and crisp but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can warm them up in the oven before serving.

Mum can enjoy the finished product; I’ll just happily munch on the leftover apple slices. My Ninja sister who detests fruit even more than me, just doesn’t realize what she’s missing.

So there you have it. A pretty and reasonably easy to make dessert using tasty fruit with just a couple ingredients.

Live, love, bark!  🐾

Welcome to the May edition of “In Purrsuit of Flavours where we  join our host “fur-iends” The Canadian Cats and the French boys over at Easy Weimaraner’s Blog . Because today is the 5th of May, we’re taking a look at the celebration known as Cinco de Mayo. If you click on the host links, you’ll see other shared recipes from around Blogville.

Before we share a recipe, what is this thing called Cinco de Mayo anyway? Cinco de Mayo (which is Spanish for “Fifth of May”) is an annual celebration held every May 5. It commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862 under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. The victory of the smaller Mexican force against a larger French force provided a big morale booster for the Mexicans. A year later though, an even larger French force defeated the Mexican army at the Second Battle of Puebla, and Mexico City soon fell to the invaders although the celebration is still commemorates the Mexican victory.

Rooted in the Second French intervention in Mexico in the aftermath of the 1846–48 Mexican–American War and the 1858-1861 Reform War, internal strife between Liberals and Conservatives in Mexico as well as the near bankrupting of the Mexico Treasury led President Benito Juárez to issuing a moratorium whereby all foreign debt payments would be suspended for two years. In response, France, Britain and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz to demand reimbursement. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and peacefully withdrew, but France, at the time ruled by Napoleon III, used the opportunity to establish an empire in Mexico that would favor French interests. The empire was part of an envisioned “Latin America” (term used to imply cultural kinship of the region with France) that would rebuild French influence in the American continent and exclude AnglophoneAmerican territories.

Cinco de Mayo is more popularly celebrated in the United States than in Mexico and the date has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. These celebrations began in California, where they have been observed annually since 1863.

Now that we know the reason for this fun and tasty celebration, let’s get to the recipe we’re sharing. We figured there’d be plenty of tasty tacos, burritos and enchiladas along with course plenty of margarita recipes, so we thought we’d go for something  a little different. Sangria.

INGREDIENTS

Welcome to the March edition of “In Purrsuit of Flavours” hosted by our ‘fur-bulous’ chefs and hosts, the Weim boys over at Easy Rider and kitties from Canadian Cats in sharing a recipe made in a single pot. Make sure you click on their links to see other recipes being shared. Chef Norman is ready to go!

While I’ve posted this lasagne recipe before, it’s still a good one since everything gets put together in a pot single baking dish. You couldn’t ask for a dish that’s easier or quicker to throw together and perfect for cold winter meals. It’s easy to make whether for 2 or 10 people.

What I love most about this dish is the opportunity to use whatever is on hand. The basic ingredients are ravioli, pasta sauce and shredded cheese. This time I had a couple of different jars of pasta sauce that needed to be used up and was a bit shy of shredded mozzarella cheese so used Parmesan in the layers. First world problems, right? Parm makes everything taste better so I wasn’t particularly heartbroken. I did add some Burrata for the top (like a cherry on top). What is Burrata you ask? It’s an Italian cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer casing is solid cheese, and the inside contains stracciatella and cream, giving it an unusually, soft texture. It’s delicious and every so creamy.

Because I’m basically lazy when it comes to cooking, I cut corners wherever possible. I NEVER precook ravioli when preparing this dish.

Begin by pouring a layer of your sauce on the bottom and lay the ravioli on top of that first layer. Top with more sauce and sprinkle with your grated cheese on top.

Continue layering until you either run out of space in your dish or ravioli. I used a different kind of ravioli this time, triangular shaped filled with spinach and mozzarella. Bake at 400ºF for about 45 minutes. While dinner baked, it allowed me time to make dinner for the Chef and his food critic sister. A quick tossed salad (which I forgot to photograph-my bad), a slice of toasted bread spritzed with a little olive oil to sop up that tasty sauce and voila! a tasty dinner is ready to enjoy.

The best part of this meal was the addition of ooey gooey Burrata on top but this is the first time I’ve used that ‘secret ingredient’ and I’m so glad I did. Sorry for the melted mess. I cut it before it had cooled down for the cheese to form up but let me just say it tasted great.

On a cold night, this meal can really hit the spot with plenty leftover for future meals (yay, no additional cooking-just heat and serve).

Hope you don’t mind the repeat of this recipe, but like I said, it’s quick, easy and can be made as different as your onhand ingredients. Norman says “Bone Appetit!”

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Happy December to all you ‘howliday’ cooks out there. For this last of 2020 for “In Purrsuit of Flavours” edition, we’re once again joining our hosts, those Wild Weim boys over at Easy Rider as well as the great chef cats over at Canadian Cats. This month’s theme is “colourful cuisine.” While our colors may be various shades of brown/tan, once you’ve had one, you will be colorful. Guarantee if you leave one for Santa on Christmas Eve, no doubt he’ll treat you nicely. So let’s get to cooking!

Chocolate Chip Cookies Shots

My son and I recently made these babies and while they’re kind of labour intensive, they are relatively easy to put together once you have the mold. First step…use the form but for heaven’s sake don’t use the cookie dough recipe included with Wilton’s form. It was disgusting so we tossed the first batch (even squirrels wouldn’t eat them) and went on a Pinterest search. There are a plethora of recipes on Pinterest so I narrowed the search to only ones highly rated. Our biggest dilemma was deciding on which flavor to fill the shots  but ultimately settled on Irish Cream (they can also be made alcohol-free for designated drivers or under-aged peeps). In a subsequent “quality control moment” we tried  Kahlúa and while it was tasty as well, the Irish Cream was far tastier. I may give Amaretto a try since it should also pair nicely with the chocolate coating. My motto is to be creative and go with whatever appeals to your tastes. [For the record, we halved this recipe]

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips

To coat the inside of the cookie shots, use 10-12 oz. of chocolate, finely chopped chocolate (we used chocolate wafer candies since it was what I had on hand).

Instructions

Cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add eggs, vanilla and beat well. Then add dry ingredients, mix. Dough will be thick and stiff. Stir in the mini chocolate chips and refrigerate dough for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Pack balls of chilled dough into the cookie shot mold. Press the inserts into the center of each mold. Some dough will push up and out of the mold. Leave inserts in place and scrape excess dough away. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Halfway through baking time, use an oven mitt and push the inserts down again. Dough will expand out of mold but you can remove any excess later.

Once baked, let cookie shots cool for a few minutes so you can handle without getting burned. While still warm and with inserts still in place, scrape away any excess dough that expanded out of the mold. Let cookie dough cool completely. Keep inserts in place until completely cooled. Once cool, twist inserts and lift them out of the mold. Then twist the cookie cups and lift them out of mold. Set aside while you melt chocolate coating.

Coat inside of cookie shots by pouring a little melted chocolate inside the cookie shot glass and rotate around to coat the inside cavity. Turn upside down and dip the top rim; set aside until chocolate is completely set. Once cookie shot glasses are finished, they can be filled. After pouring in a ‘colorful’ liquid, I added some chocolate mousse and topped the whole thing off with a tiny dollop of whipped cream. Add some winter themed sprinkles and voila! A festive treat perfect for Santa.

Don’t forget to check out the links of the hosts for other recipes and turn up the “color” for the holidays!

Live, love, bark! 🐾

With autumn in full swing these days it’s time to start thinking about “tummy warmers”…or what I like to call, comfort food. Today we join our co-hosts, those wily Weimaraners…’da Phenny and da Nelly’ and their feline buddies, The Canadian Cats, ‘Tyebe and Master Chef Shoko,’ for this month’s recipe share.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love recipes that are adaptable, tasty and super easy to prepare. Emphasis on the easy part. I’m a big fan of Italian meals, and lasagna is a big favorite but frankly hate all the rigamarole putting it together. Enter this easy and delicious layered spinach ravioli that comes pretty darn close to the favorite dish with a minimum amount of work and cleanup.

This dish is so easy to make and, at least around the Ranch, I always have these ingredients on hand. It can be assembled in less than 10 minutes and that includes dragging out the baking dish from the cupboard. Let’s put this baby together, shall we?

I purchase my ingredients from the neighborhood Costco store but you can outsource yours wherever you shop. And the beauty of this recipe is you can  substitute or add ingredients (like meat for all you flesh eaters).

Ingredients

1 uncooked package spinach ravioli
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese (I tend to go heavy with the Parm over the Mozz)

The best part of this meal is how quickly and easily it can be whipped up. Spread some of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Add a layer of the uncooked ravioli over the sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and/or parm. Continue to layer the ravioli, sauce and cheese. Stand back and admire that beautiful dish and savor the wafting scent of marinara and parmesan. It’s one of my most favorite scents in the kitchen.

At this point, it’s probably a good idea to open a nice bottle of red wine as you clean up (which is minimal I might add with only one spatula used for the marinara jar). Let your wine breathe then pore yourself a glass as you pop that baby into a 400ºF (204ºC) oven. I baked mine for about 40 minutes since the ravioli was frozen, less if it’s not. You’ll know the right amount of time by that heavenly smell.

Once finished baking and the cheese is nice and all melty, set your table and  enjoy a lovely meal. Add fresh bread with a tossed salad and a glass of wine to complete. Buon appetito – enjoy your meal.

Mangia!

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Happy August to all you cooks out there. This month’s  edition of “In Purrsuit of Flavours” is all about a “light summer dinner.” Not sure if this is a ‘light summer dinner’ or not but we’re sharing it nonetheless with our hosts, the Weim boys over at Easy Rider and the great chef cats over at Canadian Cats.

Let me start out by saying I am not a fan of cooking in the best of times, let alone when it’s summer. Eating out in summer seems preferable, yet I do enjoy baking but since (wo)man cannot live off cake alone. It seems necessity cooking becomes the mother of invention when one needs to prepare a real meal. Since temperatures around the Ranch have resembled walking into a pizza oven around here, why not share an easy to make pizza today? When in Rome, right? Besides…who isn’t a fan of a tasty pizza?

This meal is quick, easy to prepare and uses whatever ingredients you have on hand, an absolute must in my books. Since I’m a vegetarian, I use whatever veggies I have on hand (usually artichokes, olives, onions, bell peppers) but you can add your favorites including pepperoni or whatever kind of meat you like to your list of ingredients. When I don’t want to make crust from scratch (which is pretty much 100% of the time these days), I have no problem using frozen cheese premade pizzas to which I then add fresh ingredients topped with a nice handful of Parmesan over the whole kitten-caboodle. These days  you can often find cauliflower crusts for pizzas, and they can be quite tasty and more healthful than usual crust. Last night I opted to make Margarita pizza since there’s more than enough basil from the garden and I finally had a tomato I could harvest from the potted tomato bush planted this spring (“Bush Early Girl” for curious gardeners). My attempts with tomatoes have been hit and miss over the years, but this year I’ve been well rewarded. Oh. my. gosh. What a tasty treat! Coupled with a purchased Roma tomato, I sliced up these babies and laid them all over the top of the plain frozen cheese pizza. Then I snipped off leaves from a potted basil plant and laid them all over. Last but not least, fresh snack-sized  Mozzarella balls were added. Bake according the package instructions and in less than 15 minutes, voila…supper is ready!

Add a frosty beverage, a tossed salad and you’ve got a nice, quick and tasty meal. A perfect way to end yet another dry, hot day. In my case, I topped the meal off with a Stanley Cup game and didn’t feel one bit guilty about not eating take out. This still being pandemic time and all and despite some folks continuing to bemoan the wearing of masks when out or not being able to nosh at their favorite jammed restaurant or bar like they did months ago, I’m quite happy to pull up a cushion on the floor, have a fur beast on either side of my lap and savor a tasty easy to make meal while savoring my favorite sport (finally!).

If you do like to cook meals, don’t forget to click on the links above to see what else is cooking around Blogville. There are some very clever cooks out there and no doubt they’ve whipped up some really terrific recipes. Now I just need to decide what kind of cake to make next. I’m thinking something chocolate will hit the spot. Sheer Bliss.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

We’re back today for the July edition of Blogville’s recipe share, “In Purrsuit of Flavour” with today’s selection being ‘your favorite summer dish’ and joining our hosts, the Weim boys over at Easy Rider and those great chef cats over at Canadian Cats. Truth be told my favorite summer dish is anything someone else cooks. I pretty much loathe cooking in general and the last thing I want to do is fire up the kitchen in summer and then spend loads of time cleaning it up afterwards but one should probably not live on cake and wine alone. #Sigh

Recently my sister shared a recipe with our family that is simple and easy to fix. Because its main ingredient is pasta, it may be more suitable for cooler temps, but it’s easy to throw together [heavy emphasis on the throw part]. Like all my shared recipes, there are ‘optionals’ to suit everyone’s taste or whatever is in your pantry. Martha Stewart no doubt despises cooks like me with our devil-may-care attitude but I’m more of a this-and-that kind of gal and work with what’s on hand. Yo, Martha…it’s called adaptation and that makes sense these days. Anyway, this recipe is one of those “dump” recipes where all the ingredients get dumped into a dish, then baked and served in the same dish. It’s perfect for serving a large crowd and easy to clean up afterwards.

Ok, cooks…let’s get started making a batch of “Firehouse Spaghetti.”

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground meat (may be omitted for us pesky vegetarians)
• ½ cup diced yellow onion
• Minced garlic (to taste)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 2 cans (10 oz.) Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies
• 2 cans (10 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
• 2 jars (5 oz. size) Old English Cheese (a processed cheese product found near the Chees Whiz and comes in small jars)
• 12 oz. spaghetti or linguine noodles
• Optional: Parmesan or shredded cheddar if desired on top (Parmesan is never optional at the Ranch but feel free to do your thing)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 13×9 inch dish with cooking spray. Brown ground meat with garlic and onions in large skillet. Drain fat and return to skillet. Set aside while you prepare noodles according to package instructions. At this point, I recommend opening a nice bottle of wine to drink when assembling breathe. Drain noodles (reserve some liquid in case you need to thin when assembling all ingredients). Add Rotel, cheese, and soup to meat mixture, heat over medium-low heat just to melt the cheese and soup. Pour meat mixture over the cooked noodles and mix well (add reserved liquid to thin if necessary). Sprinkle Parmesan/cheddar on top and bake for 20-25 minutes in large baking dish. Pass the wine and serve with a garden salad and crusty bread. Molto bene!

While I neglected to photograph our dish, here’s a photo from the ‘Net. This dish has a bit of a kick from the Rotel for a nice change of pace. Did I mention it’s easy to throw together and works great for a crowd?

Now if I could just get Norman to do all the cooking, I’d be happy as a clam at high tide. Till then…I’ll just have to kiss the cook-look alike.

Live, love, bark!  🐾