Carrot Soup

7 large carrots 1 apple  1 small onion   1 tbsp butter   1 teaspoon curry powder  8 cups water   1 tsp chicken stock  2 cups milk fresh parsley and sour cream

Cook apple carrots and onion in water til tender. Drain water set aside and puree mixture.  Mix stock with set aside water and add to pureed  mixture. Add butter, curry, and mix.  Garnish with a teaspoon of sour cream and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with good bread.

Cranberry Vinaigrette for Greens with Brie Cheese

5tbspoon cranberry jelly, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 cup oil, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for a great dressing. Try in a green salad with topped with a little warmed brie cheese. Serve with crusty bread

Donna's Rice salad

1 cup rice, 1/2 cup pine nuts, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 stick celery chopped, 1 small onion chopped fine,1/2 cup walnuts, 2 tbsp chopped glace ginger,2 dried apricots chopped. Cook rice and cool. Toast pine nuts. Toss ingredients together. Mix with dressing; 1/4cup orange juice, 2tbsp oil, 1 clove garlic crushed, 1 tsp grated ginger, 2 tsp. honey, 1 tsp lemon juice, refrigerate several hours.

Sanford Oatcakes
These are a studio favourite, good old fashioned Nova Scotia oatcakes. They're the real thing. Great served with maple butter, honey or cheddar cheese. Nothing better that these with a cup of King Kale tea.
3cups oats  3cups flour 1cup sugar  1cup butter 1 cup shortening 1/4cup water 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together, and work into softened butter and shortening. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into circles with a glass. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes

Reunion Fish and Scallop Casserole for twenty

This recipe was one I made for a gathering of all my sisters this summer. It can be halved easily to feed a smaller crowd.

They were either really hungry, or it was delicious because I have never gotten so many rave reviews on a recipe.

4lbs haddock  4lbs of Scallops   2 onions minced very fine

Lay this out in two very large casserole dishes

Cream Sauce  Mix ¼ cup butter, 1 clove minced garlic and ¼ cup flour in a fry pan to make a roux. Add 2 cups cream to form a sauce, then add three to four cups blend cream. Boil  to thicken slightly. Pour over fish.

Mix together 1 cup fresh finely minced parsley, 3 cups bread crumbs, 3 cups grated  mixed cheese( cheddar, mozza, havarti). Lay this mix over the top of the  cream and fish.

Bake for twenty to thirty minutes. Do not overcook. You can broil the top to darken and crisp it but stay by the broiler.

Codfish Cakes

This is from my good friend Lily DeYoung.

2 cups cooked flaked salt cod, 2 cups mashed potatoes, 1 smalll chopped onion, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. parsley flakes, 2 tsp. savory, 1 beaten egg, 1/4 cup fine dried bread crumbs or cornflakes

Combine cod and potatoes.  Add onion, seasonings and egg.  Blend well and form into cakes.  Roll in crumbs.  Fry in hot fat until nicely browned on each side.

Kafta with Potato and Rice

This is a great Lebanese comfort food, simple and wholesome.

 11b lean ground beef, salt, ½ cup fresh parsley chopped very fine, 1 onion chopped very fine. Mix together and form patties(kafta)

Pan fry the patties in  3 tbsp olive oil  and one clove of garlic until they are brown on each side but not cooked through.

Peel four potatoes and slice into wedges. Lay potatoes around meat kafta. Pour 1 can chopped tomatoes over meat and potatoes. Add water as needed(2cups). Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Bake covered at 350 until potatoes are cooked.

Serve with fresh white rice.

Gwen's Lemon Loaf

This recipe came from Heidi Wulfrats sister. Heidi is the owner of London Wul farm

1/2 cup shortening 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs grated rind of two lemons 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup milk.

glaze: juice of two lemons, 1/2 cup sugar

Cream shortening and sugar, add in eggs and rind. Beat thoroughly. Mix the other ingreidients and blend with wet ingredients. Mix well and bake in loaf pan for 50 to 60 minutes at 350. Pour glaze over baked loaf.

Curried Carrot and Squash Soup

I love the fall, and this soup celebrates it.Get thick crusty rolls to eat with it.

2tbsp olive oil, 1cup onion finely chopped, 6cups chicken or vegetable stock, 2cups peeled carrots, 2cups squash, 1 tbsp curry paste, 1/2 cup sour cream(I like Western Dairy real sour cream)

parsley flakes, or fresh chopped

Saute  Onions in oil til they are carmellized. Add stock and vegetables. I have made it with all carrot. Cook til soft and puree. Serve with a dollop of sour cream,  and sprinke with parsley

Cranberry Orange Loaf

1cup white sugar, 1/2 shortening,2 eggs, 1/2cup milk plus juice of two oranges, rind of two oranges, 1/2teaspoon salt, 11/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup cranberries chopped

Mix in order given and add cranberries. Pour into well greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour at 350.

Remsheg Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is has a twist....an avacado but the rug hookers who gave it to me swear it is delicious and simple. They said to serve it in a demitasse it is so rich.

1 Avacado  1/3 cup maple syrup  1/3 cup good quality cocoa . Blend together in a bender and serve in tiny portions with a sugar cookie or wafer or spread it on oatcakes

Shrimp Fettuccine

This is my husband's recipe so there are lots of small bits of things that he says make all the difference. All men seem to cook like this. Anyway it is very good.

1 1b linguine or fettuccine  2cups shrimp 1tsp lemon 1clove garlic (use fresh green garlic leaves if you have them), 1 tsp vinegar, salt and pepper, 1/8 teaspoon of sugar 1 onion, 3tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh cream

Pan fry the garlic, and onion, and sugar in the oil until the onion is caramel in colour. Add the shrimp, lemon and vinegar. Fry. Add the cream and toss with fresh pasta.

Rice Pudding

This is my comfort food, as it was my mothers. When she would make it I would turn up my nose. Then years later it was part of a special in a Greek restaurant and I tried it only to find that my mother had been right all along.

1cup rice  1cup sugar  3 cups water 1/2 cup raisins (optional)  2cups whole milk (sometimes I use a little cream as well). Put all the ingredients in a large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, and turn the heat down to simmer for about 1/2 hour. Leave it till it is slightly warm, then serve with cinnamon sprinkled lightly on top.

Date Squares
1 1/4 cups white flour  1 1/2 cup oats 1/2tsp salt 1 cup brown sugar 1tsp baking soda 1 cup butter. Mix together with hands, until butter is thoroughly mixed through. Pat half into bottom of a 9 by 13 pan.
Filling:1lb dates 3/4 cup sugar 2/3 cup water, boil until a paste of the dates is made and spread over pan. Top with the other half of oat mixture.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
 

Sweet Raisin Stew
1cup Thompson raisins  3cups cooked chickpeas in 2 cup water( I soak one cup dried overnight and boil in the morning)  5tbsp olive oil  1 small sweet onion  1 small cabbage chopped about 4 cups) 1 cup tomato sauce  1 tbsp hot curry paste  1 teaspoon turmeric, 1teaspoon cumin   1 teaspoon coriander  1/4 teaspoon cardoon  1 teaspoon cinnamon  1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes  1 cup sliced almonds  pan fried in 1 teaspoon butter
crumbled feta
cooked brown rice
Fry onions and cabbage in oil for ten minutes. Add chickpeas, tomatoes sauce, raisins, and spices and stew together for 1 hour or more. Serve over brown rice. Top with 2tbsp feta, and 2tbsp almonds. Spicy, tasty, delicious.

Wild Rice and  Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup wild rice  1 medium sweet onion 1 small zucchini  8oz mushrooms  4 potatoes  1 can cream of mushroom soup   1 cup cream, 1 cup of milk   3tbsp butter  2tbsp flour 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4tsp of tarragon
Boil rice in six cups of water  for thirty minutes. Slice zucchini  and mushrooms, and chop potatoes and onion. Add can of cream of mushroom soup. Add to rice, simmer for fifteen minutes more, until potatoes are tender. Pan fry garlic in butter. Mix in flour and slowly stir in cream and milk to make a cream sauce. Add to soup.  Let simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. If you like a thick creamy soup as I do, you can thicken the soup by bringing it to a boil, then adding 2 tbspoon corn starch mixed thoroughly with  1 cup of cold water. Stir until thick. Serve immediately, or remove from heat until ready to serve.

Tortilla in Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pine Nuts
1/2 cup Vidalia or sweet onion  3 cloves garlic  1/4 cup pine nuts, pan fry  these is 4 tablespoons olive oil until nicely toasted.
Chop chives, 6tbsp fresh oregano and one tomato, and toss with  onion mixture
Toss this with one package of cooked cheese tortellini, add  an extra couple of tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Serve immediately with fresh parmesan, salt and pepper.
Roasted Vegetables and Goat Cheese Salad
1 medium eggplant, 2 small zuchini, 4 peppers( red, green, yellow, orange), 1 small onion, 1/8 cup olive oil, 4tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves garlic chopped fine, 3tbsp.balsamic vinegar, 1 small log goat cheese
Chop vegetables in chunks, slice eggplant and zuchini, about 1/2 inch thickness. Toss with 3tbsp olive oil. Roast under high heat 450 degrees for 10 minutes until, firm but tender. When cooked toss with extra oil and vinegar. Serve in pasta bowls, and top with slice of goat cheese log. Serve with crusty bread for a delicious supper. It is my new favorite.

Brown Sugar Pudding
This was a favorite of my mothers, and a regular staple in our house growing up. It is also included in my sisters Cookbook The Everyday Gourmet by Willie Fitzpatrick
11/2 cups brown sugar  2tbsp. butter 1/12 cups boiling water  1 3/4 cup flour 2tbsp sugar 1/2tsp salt 2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 cup cold butter 1 cup milk 1 egg beaten 1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Put brown sugar and 2 tbsp butter into a deep 8" dish and pour boiling water over them. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Stir til well mixed. Pour the thick batter into the brown sugar mix in pan. It might look odd but will bake up like a pudding in sauce and be delicious. Bake about 35 minutes.

Lemon Squares
1cup flour     1/2 cup butter  2tbsp brown sugar
Mix together and pat into 9"square pan

Beat together  2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, juice of 1 lemon, and 1 1/2 cups coconut, and 1/4 tsp salt.
Mix  and pour over base. Bake at 325 for 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into squares when cool and serve.

Nova Scotia Maple Chicken
6 chicken Breasts, skins removed   1/2 cup maple syrup   1/2 tsp grated lemon rind     1/4 cup sliced almonds  2teaspoons lemon juice, pinch pepper, salt
Lay chicken in a pan. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes. Baste syrup mix over chicken occasionally.

Marie McBriens Oatmeal Cookies
Marie is a local woman who taught herself to play the harmonica. On all of our birthdays she calls us first thing in the morning and plays us happy birthday on the harmonica over the phone. MY daughter recently turned seven and was thrilled with the call. Later that day Marie brought her over a dozen delicious oatmeal cookies which she shared with us all. Marie said these are also called Aggression Cookies which I find ironic because a gentler soul than Marie McBride has never lived. The first three steps  are squeeze, smash and beat. Maybe I'll go make them.
3 cups brown sugar   6 cups rolled oats   3cups flour  3cups softened margarine    1tbsp baking soda
Put in huge bowl. Squeeze, smash and beat. Form into balls the size of walnuts. Flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 10 to 12 minutes at 350. Makes 10 dozen.

Seafood Chowder
1lb white fish, 1cup shrimp, 1lb scallops  1 cold pack lobster (or equivalent of other seafood)   2 cups grated raw carrots  1 onion    4 potatoes chopped and peeled  1 pint cream  salt pepper  1/2 teaspoon tarragon  2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley  3tablebspoons butter
2tbsp corn starch completely dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water

Pan fry the onion in the olive oil. Add all season food except shrimp. Fry lightly. Toss in raw potatoes, and grated carrot. Cover with enough water to completely cover plenty as this will be your soup base). Add tarragon, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, apprx. twenty minutes. Add shrimp. If it is not cooked, simmer until shrimp is pink. Add cream, bring to a rolling boil, and thicken with cornstarch mixed with water. This will thicken up the soup making it rich and creamy. Serve with homemade bread or biscuits.
 

Fruit and Toffee Bars
I called my neighbor one day, and one of my other neighbors answered the phone. I said who's this, and he said,"This is Mick, I am at Waynes", when I asked what he was doing there he told me that he went in, there was no one home, the phone rang so he answered it. He also said that there was a good looking pan ofdsquares on the table and he was going to have one of them while he was there. Quick thinking as ever, I said, "bring me a couple over on your way home will ya,". he did, and even after stealing some of the squares, Waynes girlfriend, Pat, happily hand delivered the recipe. Invite them when you are have company so you are not eating them all your self.
Base:1 1/2 cup flour   1/2 cup icing sugar  2/3 cup cold butter
Filling:1cup dried apricots  2c.raisins, 1c.dried cranberries, 1c.pecan pieces,1c.slivered almonds, 300ml (one can) sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 350, lightly butter 9 by 13 pan. Cut cold butter into icing sugar and flour and press into pan. Bake at 325 for 18 minutes. Mix filling ingredients in a bowl, with milk, spread over base, and continue to bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and cut into squares.

Anne Fitzpatrick's Cherry Cake
This was a staple in our house come Christmas. I recently found it in wriiten out on a piece of paper in my mothers hand writing. I love the way a a persons handwriting makes their memory so alive.
1 1/2 cups butter  2 cups sugar   3 eggs  31/2 cups flour  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder  1cup warm milk  1teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon lemon flavoring  1 cup chopped candied cherries
Cream butter and sugar together,add eggs one at a time beating after each one. Sift flour and baking powder, then add milk, and flavoring, then cherries. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

Black Bean and Spicy Sausage
This is from my sisters cookbook, double , triple, quadruple the recipe. it is a fine recipe for a large group on a cold or snowy night.
1cup black beans   3/4lb raw spicy sausage(lean)  1cup chopped celery  1cup chopped red and green pepper   1 onion chopped   6 cloves garlic sliced  2cups chicken broth   1cup hot water  1/2 cup sherry  1/4 cup brown sugar  1/2 tsp red pepppers

Slice and fry sausage till brown, drain. Simmer beans in 4 cups boiling water for 30 minutes. Combine sausage and vegetables, and all ingredients together with beans. Bake in covered casserole for 6 hours at 275 degrees. Make sure the beans are surrounded by liquid, add more if needed, so beans will be tender. Serve with crusty bread and a crunchy salad.

Cheryl's Winter Stew
2 potatoes  2carrots  small bulb of fennel turnip  2 leeks  2 zuchinni 1 can white kidney or lima beans  21/2 cups stock 2tbsp tomato paste 1/2tsp cinamon 2tsp ground coriander or fresh cilantro 2tbsp fresh ginger chopped 2 bay leafs  salt and pepper. 4tbsp butter  tbsp flour
Saute veggies in butter for five minutes, add spices, and flour , cover with stock, add beans and simmer for twenty minutes. You can also add a few dumplings if you like. Remember dumplings need to be steamed so do not take the cover off the pot while they are cooking. A heart meatless stew for after a winter adventure.

My Mother's Dumplings
1 1/2 cups flour  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder salt, 1/2 cup cold water. Mix together with fork, put by tablespoon full into a pot of boiling stew, and cook for ten minutes until they are cooked through. Remember do not take the cover off the pot. Also do not thicken the stew before you add the dumplings as the dumplings will do that for you.

Lebanese Pita Bread
This dough is a staple in our home. You can make it, punch it down and leave it in the fridge for a week until you are ready to use. My husbands mother, and his sister wrote a cook book years ago on Lebanese Cooking. It is long out of print but this recipe is the back bone of it. We use it for pizza dough, Zaatar. (a spice mixture from the middle eastern food stores), turnovers, all kinds of things.

8cups white flour  1 teaspoon salt   2 tablespoons of instant rapid rising yeast   3 to 4 cups warm water  2 tbsp olive oil

Mix flour, salt, and yeast. Pour in water. Stir with a spoon. You may need to add more water, to get a nice soft dough. I mix the dough with my hands, kneading it a little to mix all the flour in. The dough should be quite soft. All flour should be mixed in. When it  well mixed and you have a nice soft dough, spread the olive oil over the dough. You may bless the dough by using your hands to make a  cross in it if you wish. Let the dough rise 4 hours. You can then put it in the fridge, or use it. When you take it out of the fridge you must let it rise again.

The Pita Trick, the key to making a good pita is to take a large handful of dough, and roll it out with a rolling pin like a piecrust, then cover it with a clean dish towel. Let it rise , sitting there, rolled out and covered for at least ten  to 15 minutes.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. This effort at rising combined with the hot oven will make the bread rise and puff up while in the oven and is the key to forming the pita pocket. Bake two loaves at a time on a cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. I make it the day I nmeed it because it only sttays fresh for trhe day as there is little fat in it.