Sausage Pie

I am super excited. I made up this recipe and it is really yummy. Good thing, because my poor husband had to wait until 8pm for dinner. If the tables were turned I wouldn't have been so accommodating.

I needed a place to write down the "recipe" so I could make it again. Didn't really have measurements :)

Individual Sausage Pies (Sausage Cupcakes??)

Filling:

Pork Sausage (1 pound - remove filling from the casing and chop up) saute first with a little olive oil and set aside.

Use the same pan with a little olive oil and saute...

Carrots (diced) 2 handfuls

Celery (diced) 1 handful

Onion (diced) 2 handfuls

Garlic (finely chopped) 1 clove

Once soft add dash of cinnamon and dash of nutmeg, some salt and pepper then add...

Spinach 2 big handfuls

Parsley (roughly chopped) 1 handful

Crust:

1/2 cup flour

1/8 cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

once mixed blend in 51 ml unsalted butted

slowly add almond milk until dough comes together

I made four in an oversized muffin tin. Baked until it looked golden, about 30 mins.

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

We absolutely loved this soup (with and without the croutons).

I really like soup, but since most recipes make so much I tend not to make it very often as it is usually just me eating a giant vat over the course of the next two weeks. Andrew doesn't like soup very much, and he really doesn't like tomatoes. Needless to say tomato soup is not on his list of favourite, or even remotely liked foods. So I was gearing up to get ready to enjoy soup all week. I was greatly surprised when Andrew finished the first bowl at dinner and when I got home the following night and he had eaten a ton.

We have to declare this soup a success. It was easy to make. I like that it wasn't just thick paste and that it had a nice texture. You can never really go wrong with grill cheese, so the croutons were a nice touch.

Sara Lisa's Iced Banana Cake

We love banana bread in this house, and I am always trying out recipes trying to find one that meets both our tastes. Andrew likes moist & banana-y, and I enjoy sweet & bread-y.

I have never tried the Sara Lee frozen cake, but I have to say this banana cake is awesome. We both loved it. Our only complaint was that the icing was very sweet and there was way too much. I will definitely be making this cake again and cutting the icing recipe in half.

The execution of the cake is very easy. The only problems I ran into was my lack of patience. I tend to bake early in the morning, or really late at night. I know I am suppose to wait until the cake is cool to icing it. But when you are very tired and just want to go to bed... you can pretty much convince yourself of anything...

The good thing about having most of the icing drip onto the counter is that it cut the recipe in half. The bad thing is that after licking icing off your finger trying to save it from the counter you end up with a midnight sugar rush.

Well here is my cake the next morning...

Falafel Veggie Burgers

I am not sure why these are called burgers? The first batch we ate as sandwiches in pita pockets. The second batch I wrapped in the pita like a burrito as it made for easier portability for lunches.

These are a good lunch idea, but after 3 days we were ready to move on. I am sure I will make them again in the future as they are a great easy lunch idea. I just ran everything through the food processor, shaped, and baked!

The recipe as written in the book was a little dry. The "patty" was too crumbly and would fall everywhere. I loved the minty sour cream sauce and think it is essential to what makes these good. We both agreed there was potential, so I made a second batch and this time left out the breadcrumbs (and the mayo in the sauce). We both really like them.

Pistachio Ice Cream

This ice cream looks a bit grainy and dull in this picture, but in reality it was neither. It was creamy and delicious, and almond extract adds a bright fresh flavour. It was the easiest ice cream recipe ever and turned out wonderfully.

Poor Andrew has to put up with a lot of different random things to eat in our house, some good, some not so good, usually with no asking if it is something he would like to have. So one day I asked, "would you like pistachio encrusted salmon for dinner?" as I was pulling the ingredients out. The answer was a sold "Hell No! I don't like nuts on my meat!" That was a crazy answer to me. But I felt bad for the experiment with chayote we had with our dinner the night before, so I complied and grilled sans nut salmon was had for dinner.

What is a girl to do with a bag of nuts? Well ice cream was made, and eaten, and loved. Fortunately Andrew doesn't like nuts in his ice cream either so I didn't have to share, and enjoyed savouring all the creamy goodness.

Crunchy Tortilla Chicken with Avocado Dip

Sorry about the crappy picture and out of focus chicken. It is actually a testament to how awesome this chicken tasted. Andrew was stealing pieces from the baking sheet when they came out of the oven. By the time I got out my camera he had already ran off with a plate and finished it.

I don't normally like breading things, and going through the coating process it. So I was happy this was an easy two stepper. Everything that coated this chicken was delicious on its own, so it made for a great combination and great chicken.

I was a little nervous when I was making the avocado dip because I had made vegan key lime tarts in the past which were basically avocado and lime and the smell makes me wrench a little. So I did my best to not inhale the dip. I am very glad I made it because it was a fantastic accompaniment to the tasty chicken.

So I have been very clear that we loved the chicken. We loved it fresh out of the oven crispy, and the next day at work reheated and a bit soggy. I have not yet taken a moment to flip through the cookbook Bite Me just yet. I literally opened the book to the correct page and went at it. Since I have started the Baking Beauties I have been trying to be more diligent in my life about only eating food I make, or others make, but not processed. So yes I make homemade ice cream and scarf it down, and you may or may not understand, but unfortunately this chicken, may never be made again in my home. I broke a huge rule bringing Tostitos into the house, actually even going down that isle in the grocery store. So I loved the chicken, but would I also just love eating Tostitos with melted cheese dipped in mayo alone, probably, and that is all I could see when I was eating lunch. So it is with a little apprehension as I turn the page, but I am open and ready to see what is next...

Pecan Sticky Buns - Brioche Dough

Wow did I love making Brioche. The dough was great to work with and did everything the recipe said it would. This was also the first time I made dough with my stand mixer. That too was a terrific experience. The stand mixer really does make life easier.

I can't get over how great the sticky buns turned out. I was so impressed with all the layers that emerged and how they retained their bread texture.

The before... resting and rising before making it into the oven.

The after... straight out of the oven. Beautiful bread sitting in hot bubbling sugar.

I still have a second log in the freezer that is being saved for a Saturday morning treat. I can't wait!