Mulled Cran/apple cider

This recipe is a combination for equal parts cranberry juice and apple juice. They are fine used alone, but I combined them for our party and it went over very well. The recipe has been tweaked from a combination of several recipes.

1 litre cranberry juice

1 litre apple juice

12 allspice kernels

12 cloves

2-4 cinnamon stick

1-2 sliced oranges

may add brown sugar to taste

heat on low and simmer for several hours, or in the slow cooker.

It gives the house a real Christmassy aroma that just feels good!

ENJOY

Rumaki

This is such a simple and tasty recipe that I got several years ago from one of our volunteers at Crisis Pregnancy Center. This Rumaki was a crisis line Christmas tradition, she no longer volunteers with us the tradition lives on!

1 lb bacon cut in half

2 cans of whole water chestnuts

ketchup

brown sugar

Yup that is all the ingredients.

-You cut the bacon in half

-wrap each half around a whole water chestnut

-lay down on broiler pan so that they won't unroll while baking

-put in middle rack and broil 5 minutes, turn and broil a few more minutes, til desired doneness

-brush with equal amounts of ketchup and brown sugar, you only need about 2 tbsp of each

-put back in the oven with the broiler SHUT OFF for a few minutes to set the glaze

-can be made ahead and reheated or frozen til you need them

-make lots, they go fast

-ENJOY

Pork in Sour Cream Sauce

This is my favourite way to do pork chops. It's in the Greendale MB church cookbook Volume 2.
I usually use pork loin chops but I had a pork tenderloin this time so I cut it into medallions used the same sauce and added mushrooms. With brown Basmati rice, corn and a crisp salad, it was the perfect meal for a cold November night.
6 Loin pork chops (or 1 pork tenderloin cut into medallions)
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
1 beef boullion cube
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream
sliced fresh mushrooms if desired

In large skillet or electric fry pan, brown pork chops or medallions.
Add 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, onion, ketchup, garlic, boullion cube and mushrooms.
Cover and simmer about 30 minutes for pork chops, less for medallionsor until tender - this will depend on the thickness of the pork pieces. If needed, add a little more water.
Remove meat to serving platter and keep warm.
In a small bowl, combine flour with 1/4 cup cold water until smooth. Slowly add to liquid in pan, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.
Stir in sour cream, whisking it in until well blended. Heat thoroughly but do not boil.
Serve sauce over chops.

Pineapple Banana Muffins

I wasn't home from vacation for an hour before I starting mixing muffins. After being on the road for some time...we were quite ready for something hot and fresh from the oven. I got this recipe from a gal at church a few decades ago...and we always enjoy them. Trish already posted muffins this morning...so I thought I'd make it 'Muffin Friday' and post my Hawaiian muffins as well.

Pineapple Banana Muffins

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup chopped nuts or raisins

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs

2 cups mashed bananas

1 1/4 cups crushed undrained pineapple

1 cup vegetable oil

In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In separate bowl, beat eggs; stir in bananas, pineapple and oil until blended.

Add all at once to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened.

Stir in raisins or nuts...I use golden raisins.

Spoon into large greased muffin cups filling two-thirds full.

Bake at 375 F (180 C) oven for 20 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch.

Yield...2 dozen large muffins.

Serve warm with butter...and if you can't finish them all in one sitting, they freeze well.

Enjoy...

Fresh Cranberry Muffins

Nothing is more welcome than waking up to freshly baked muffins. Christmas time or not, cranberries are a welcome AND healthy addition to baking. I guess I am newly 'in love' with the little berry...its bright red colour just begs to be put into anything I make. This is a recipe clippingI found in a collection of older holiday cookbooks in the back of my bookcase. Although it is really more 'cake-like' than a normal breakfast muffin...I think I would do just fine for a Christmas brunch.


Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp bkg. pwd
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or cardamon...try cardamon...it is a great break from the usual
1/2 cup plain yogurst
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole cranberries

Topping:

1/4 cup of sugar
1 tbsp grated orange rind

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the yougurt, orange juice,oil and eggs. Pour it over the flour mixtture. Sprinkle with cranberries. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Sppon the batter into paper lined muffin cups. For topping, combine the sugar and orange rind sprinkling about a tsp over each muffin. Bake at 350 in the centre of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until centre is firm.

Is a Celiac Coming to Dinner?

One of the hardest things about being Celiac is watching my friends and family struggle with it.
The people in my life are so sweet and eager to make something I can eat. The ladies in our church bible study group all have made the effort to learn what I can and cannot have and all of them go out of their way to adjust the goodies they serve.
I really don’t expect people to do that, but I embrace it as an expression of their love and am deeply touched.

I thought maybe I would share just a few tips for those of you who feel lost about what you can or cannot offer when a Celiac comes to visit!

So here’s my list of things you should know:

The basics - It is the grains Wheat, Barley and Rye that contain the gluten protein that causes the immune system of Celiacs to react by destroying the villa in the small intestine! Untreated Celiac leads to cancer, and other autoimmune diseases such as Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Celiacs do not have an allergy or intolerance to gluten...they have an autoimmune disease which has no cure but is totally controlled by avoided ALL gluten.
NOTE - Although oats do not have gluten, they are grown in alternating crops with wheat, so there is cross contamination. Gluten-free oats are now available made from oats grown in virgin fields. ‘Only Oats’ is one label.

1. Some Celiacs are more sensitive than others…..but it takes a very tiny amount of food with gluten in it to make them sick. So cross contamination is a very serious consideration. You would never cut a slice of gluten-free bread on a cutting board that you just used for regular bread. Wiping it isn’t good enough.. it needs to be washed with a good scrub. Some things like colanders where reg. pasta is strained, even WITH washing can have traces of gluten stuck to them. So make sure that you use utensils from the dish washer in preparing gluten-free food.

2. Celiacs appreciate fruit, vegetables, cheese - the things that are obviously gluten-free. Rice crackers are fine… (I never buy them anymore because I’m sick of them .. but that way I’m OK with eating them when I am served them at someone else’s home) Rice cakes are good used as a ‘pizza bun’ substitute.

3. I think I speak for most Celiacs that we prefer ‘real’ food to most “gluten-free” substitutes. If we still remember what real food tastes like, the substitute is at best tolerable or worse ! smile… The good news is that there are more and more better-tasting products out there making the options much more palatable.
Making your favourite dinner recipes with minor adjustments is great ! That way everyone is happy! But be sure to read the labels on all your ingredients…. Gluten can be lurking anywhere and DOES !!!

4. Be careful with gravies and sauces. Thicken them with cornstarch or sweet rice flour. There is now a new gluten-free product called 'Thicken Thin’ that is great !

5. Watch your recipes with canned soups. Almost all canned soups have gluten in them.
Soya sauce has gluten. There is a Gluten-free Soya sauce that you can buy in the USA but I have not found one in Canada. Some bullion cubes are gluten-free but not all. Spices and flavourings can have gluten. Anything with ‘malt’ flavouring is glutened – malt is made from barley - so cereals, like corn flakes or rice crispies are out. Nature Path has a gluten-free cornflakes sold in most grocery stores.

6. Gluten-free mixes are readily available now .... that allow you to make a dessert - cakes, cookies or muffins, quite easily.
*****

I would like to encourage some of you long-time Celiacs or those of you living with Celiacs who have other helpful hints please express them in the comment section and I will transfer them (with credit to you !) to this post .. making it a resource for people nervous about having Celiacs come to visit !

Christmas Fruit and Nut Wreath

I wish I’d kept the original recipe pamphlet I received, possibly with the mail, many years ago, but it’s gone and I don’t remember which company advertised it. Possibly Fleishman’s Yeast or Robin Hood Flour. It seems we used to get more of those little advertising brochures in the mail in years gone by and the reason I tried this one is because the picture looked so beautiful! My husband always says now “You know, this is the only thing you have to make for Christmas, don’t you?” (Too bad I love to bake!)
We also had a good laugh when our three year old grandson saw it on the counter and exclaimed. “That’s my best!!”

Ingredients:
1/2 c milk
1/2 c marg
½ cup cold water
3 - 3 1/2 c flour, divided
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp quick rise yeast
1 egg

filling:
2 Tbsp margarine, melted
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup glace mix (finely chopped candied fruit)
½ tsp cinnamon

Heat milk and marg until hot to touch. Cool somewhat with ½ cup cold water. In mixing bowl, mix 1 1/2 c of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir hot liquids into dry mixture. Mix in the egg, then 1 1/2 - 2 cups flour, to make a soft manageable dough that does not stick to sides of bowl. Cover and rise 20 min.

Roll out on floured surface into 16 x 9 inch rectangle. Brush with melted marg. Sprinkle with cinnamon filling. Roll up jelly-roll fashion. Place seam down, shaping into a circle on greased pizza pan. Fold ends one inside the other.
Cut 2/3 of the way into ring at 1 inch intervals. Turn each slice a little outward, on its side. Cover and rise about 45 min. Bake at 350F, about 20 min. Slide off pan onto wire rack to cool.

Drizzle with: 3/4- 1 c icing sugar, 1 - 2 Tbsp milk, 1/2 tsp almond extract (stir until smooth)
Decorate with red and green candied cherries and sprinkle with slivered toasted almonds.