Family Bites

Blackberry Crumb Bars

Despite the fact that I hauled my winter coat out of the closet this morning for my early dog walk, picnic season is officially upon us, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

There’s some sort of magical law that makes anything eaten outdoors automatically taste better, and I try to take full advantage of dining al fresco whenever the opportunity presents itself. Not only are the flavours of the meal or snack somehow enhanced when eaten outside, but there’s also the bonus of not having to clean up the dining room table that’s usually littered with tiny crumbs and milk spills. It’s a total win-win.

These blackberry crumb bars are ideal for any kind of outdoor eating, but they taste pretty good when served indoors, too. Last week I put a few trays together for a teacher appreciation lunch, and they were a hit. I think hand-held snacks are ideal for warm-weather eating; they’re casual, easy to tote around, and require nothing more than your fingers for easy consumption. Oh, and not only are these incredibly tasty, and not too sweet, they’re also versatile, and can be customized with whatever berry is in season. They also travel well, and make just enough to feed a large group without too many leftovers.

I froze a few extra pieces that I had on hand to see how they would hold up, and I actually enjoyed them a little more after they were chilled. In the future, I will likely pop these into the freezer as soon as I cut them, then I’ll platter them straight up from there. By the time we eat, they’ll be cool yet soft, and perfectly pleasant for a hot spring day.

Blackberry Crumb Bars

For the crumb topping:

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

For the bars:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups blackberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8” square baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.

2. Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl combine the butter and brown sugar. Add the whole-wheat flour and lime zest, and mix with a fork until moist and crumbly. Place in the freezer until ready to use.

3. In a medium bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the ½ cup butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

4. Spread the batter evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the blackberries over top, and cover with the chilled topping, distributing it evenly over the berries. Bake until golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Cool completely in pan, and lift out using the paper overhang. Cut into 16 squares and serve. 

A Healthier Rice Crisp Treat

Inspiration can come from the strangest places, and these were derived during a lunch date with a good friend. We popped into a bakery that served a hodgepodge of homemade goods, yet oddly smelled more like meat than sweet, prompting us to head in another direction for our post meal treat. But just before leaving, I caught a glimpse of a vegan and gluten-free rice krispie snack on the top shelf of the vintage glass display case, and was intrigued. 

Here's my version of that confection, and depending on the type of chocolate you use these won't necessarily be officially vegan, but they are gluten free, and just a little bit healthier than your usual gooey rice crisp treat.

P.S. The boys, and their friends, loved them. 

 

Brown Rice Crisp Treats

Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

This recipe is fairly forgiving so feel free to use almond butter in place of peanut butter and maple syrup in lieu of the brown rice syrup, if desired. Please note, the maple syrup will yield a more crumbly and less compressed treat, but still tastes great. 

• 2/3 cups natural peanut butter
• 2/3 cups brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 cups brown rice cereal
• 1 1/4 cups chopped dark chocolate

1. Using a neutral flavoured oil (grapeseed, canola, safflower), grease the inside of a 9" springform pan and set aside. 

2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat combine the peanut butter, brown rice syrup, and vanilla and heat until thick and syrupy, about 2 minutes.

3. Place the cereal in a large bowl and pour the syrup mixture over it, mixing thoroughly. 

4. Press the cereal into the prepared pan with the back of a rubber spatula or spoon. Transfer to the fridge while you prepare the chocolate. 

5. Place the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over medium heat. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring periodically. Pour the melted chocolate over the rice crisp treat, and spread it evenly over the surface using a spoon or palette knife. 

6. Refrigerate for 1 hour and cut into wedges with a sharp knife. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days. 

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I got a little crazy the other night and decided to make homemade Easter candy for the boys this year. Part of it is to distract myself from the fact that they no longer believe in the Easter bunny - which forces me to accept that they are really and truly growing up - but also, how cool is it to receive a basket of handmade Easter chocolate? 

My plan is to make homemade peanut butter cups, Cadbury cream eggs and cookies. The latter is a little unconventional I suppose, but the top drawer of the antique hutch in my dining room is still filled with Christmas chocolates, so I'm pretty sure we don't need any more foil-wrapped candies this year. 

What I like best about these little bonbons is that they're healthy. For real. Just please don't tell the kids. This morning I attempted to make carrot cake pancakes for breakfast - they were good – but Jackson could not get past the fact that I was putting "dinner vegetables in his breakfast." If he knew that these five-ingredient bonbons were wholesome and good for him, he’d probably never forgive me.

Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cups

Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen and The Homemade Pantry

Makes 12 mini candy cups

• 16 oz. dark chocolate 
• 1/2 cup chilled natural crunchy peanut butter (see note below)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sea salt flakes, for topping

1. Break up the chocolate and melt it in a bowl sitting over a pot of simmering water. Stir to make sure it is perfectly smooth.

2. Spoon a teaspoon or so of the chocolate into the bottom of each liner and tilt and twist it around so the chocolate coats the bottom and side of the liner. Place the liners in a mini muffin tin to help them hold shape. 

3. Repeat with remaining liners and allow the chocolate to harden completely, about 25-40 minutes (you can speed up the process by putting them in the fridge). You will have leftover chocolate. Just leave it in the bowl and melt it again when you need it. 

4. Meanwhile, mix the crunchy peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until smooth to make the filling. Scoop out a teaspoon or two of the peanut butter filling and gently roll it into a ball between your palms. Give it a press down and center it on top of the hardened chocolate. Repeat with the remaining filling.

5. Re-melt the remaining chocolate using the same method as above and add another teaspoon or two on top of each peanut butter ball to cover completely. You may need to add a little extra to get the chocolate to level above the bump of the filling.

6. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaked sea salt on each one and chill in the fridge to set. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature.

A note about the peanut butter:

I like to use natural peanut butter that's been in the fridge, as it's a little firmer than a new package that's at room temperature. 

Banana Bread Scones

I don’t think I’ve ever met a child that doesn’t adore banana bread. Regardless of age, gender, or particular palate preferences, it seems to me that this baked good is a staple in most family kitchens.

I’m no different; I’ve been making the same banana loaf recipe for years, and while it’s certainly popular with my kids, this scone version of the ubiquitous quick bread just might be even more so.

There are several things I love about this recipe, with taste being at the top of the list. I’m also partial to the low sugar and butter content, and the fact that some of the flour can easily be replaced with a whole grain variety, which we tried with great success. 

Here are four tips to help you with the successful baking and storing of your scones:

• Scones need to be baked in a moderate to hot oven so the dough sets quickly producing a product with a golden brown top, sides, and bottom. The interior should be light in colour and soft in texture.

• Scones that are placed together on a baking sheet will have soft sides and less crispy edges. By placing them farther apart the scones will be crusty all over.

• Scones are baked when they are golden brown in colour and knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

• Uncovered scones will retain their crisp exterior. Covered ones will become soft and tender. 

Tell me, how often do you bake banana bread? Is your family fond of scones?

 

Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze

 Adapted from The Kitchn
 Makes 8 scones

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 very ripe bananas)
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the glaze:

1 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2  - 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1. Combine the mashed bananas, milk and yogurt and mix well. Set aside. 

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut the butter into several pieces. Work it into the dry ingredients using a fork or your finger tips, until there are no pieces of butter larger than a pea.

3. Pour the banana-yogurt mixture into the bowl with the flour and stir just enough to incorporate all of the flour. Fold in the walnuts, if using. This will make a fairly wet dough.

4. Line a dinner plate with a piece of parchment paper and turn the dough out on top. Pat it into a disk about 8" in diameter and 1" thick. Freeze the scone dough for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

6. Transfer the scones and parchment paper to a baking sheet. Slice the scones into eight wedges and pull them apart a little to give them some room to expand. This is crucial in order to achieve a crisp exterior on all sides of the scones.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the scones are firm to the touch and turning golden-brown on the edges. Cool completely.

8. To make the glaze, combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat until the butter is melted. Add the brown sugar and vanilla, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the powdered sugar, starting with 1/2 cup. Add more powdered sugar if desired to make a thicker glaze.

9. Just before serving, drizzle the glaze over the scones. The glaze will harden after setting for a minute or two, and can be served right away or packed for a later snack. Store uncovered at room temperature for up to one day, or in a lidded container in the freezer for up to two weeks. Reheat frozen scones in the oven or toaster oven. 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

"If you build it, they will come." 

The voice that whispered to Kevin Costner may have been talking about a baseball diamond, but in my head the murmur is more of a parenting message, and it simply states the following: offer fun food, and good food, and plenty of it, and the boys will want to hang out at home with their friends instead of the neighbourhood park, plaza, or shopping mall.

This is more of a mental memo for the teen years, of course, but I'm putting it into practice now. Should you feel inclined to do the same, I might suggest these chocolate chip cookie cups as a good starting point.

To make them, press your favourite cookie dough into a muffin tin - about 2 tablespoons per cup - and bake them for 10-15 minutes, depending on your recipe. Halfway through the cooking time, remove the tray from the oven and press the cookie dough down with the back of a spoon. Let the cookies cool for five minute then remove them from the pan. Once they've cooled completely, fill with a small scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt and pass around to the kids who are over. 

I promise you, they'll want to come back again.  

A passion for pears

Thanks to the heavy rains we received last spring, our local apple crop isn’t quite as prosperous as usual, so there’s been no apple picking for our house this year. Naturally, this means we’re eating fewer of our favourite fruits, but fortunately we’ve been consuming more pears in their place, and this certainly isn’t a bad thing.

For me personally, I’ve been making a simple pear salad for lunch most days. It’s so basic it doesn’t even require a recipe and goes something like this: fill a bowl with mixed greens, top it with one thinly sliced pear – I like to use red ones for their colour – cover with a handful of walnut pieces and some shaved parmesan, and drizzle a maple balsamic vinaigrette over the top. Toss it all together and serve alongside a slice of crusty bread. This also makes an excellent first course for a dinner party, or goes well with a bowl of soup for family dinner.

If you prefer your pears to be used in a sweet treat, this pear and dried cranberry galette fits the bill perfectly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out a ball of homemade or store-bought dough on a piece of parchment paper. Combine 3 pears (sliced and cored), ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup of cornstarch, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ cup dried cranberries in mixing bowl and toss.  Mound the pear mixture in the centre of the dough and fold the border up over the filling. Dot the centre with 2 tablespoons of diced butter. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

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Thank you so much to everyone who entered the CUTCO knife giveaway! It was a great success, and I'm happy to sat that Val was the lucky winner! Congratulations!

 

How to make a cookie tree

The photo from my recent Thanksgiving dinner that attracted the most attention was the cookie tree I made for the kids in our family. Since there were a lot of comments about how people might like to do this for Christmas, I thought I would give you a quick breakdown of how I put it all together (minus photos - I didn't take many!).

1) For starters, I made my sugar cookies three weeks before Thanksgiving weekend. There is enough to keep you busy in the days leading up to a big holiday that I'm sure you can think of other things that will need your attention more than cookies. Take a free afternoon a few weeks before the big day and whip up a batch, cutting them into shapes that match the theme of your event.

2) Before baking, use a straw and poke a small hole in the cookie. This will be where you thread the string or ribbon that you use to hang them. Make sure it isn't too close to the top of the cookie; I make my holes 1/4" down from the top. Bake the cookies as per the recipe and store them in an airtight container in the freezer until you need them for decorating.

3) Make the royal icing one week before decorating. My friend Marian assures me this okay. Because I used her recipe, which is made with meringue powder and not egg whites, it can be stored in a lidded container at room temperature. Colour your icing at this point, or do it just before using it. Keep different colours in separate containers.

4) Two or three days before your party/holiday send your husband and youngest son on a walk to find decent, yet barren, branches. Dig out a tall container - I used a stainless steel one I had picked up at the dollar store - and fill it almost full with sugar. Insert the sticks into the sugar, positioning them however you like. The sugar will hold them in place. To me, it looked like the branches were in snow so I covered mine with leaves from my front yard. For winter holidays I would leave it as is...it will look pretty and seasonal. 

5) The day before you need your tree, remove the cookies from the freezer and decorate them with the icing. Allow the cookies to dry for a minimum of 8 hours in a non-humid space. Slide the dried cookies onto your ribbon/yarn/string and tie a double knot at the top. Hang the cookies from the branches, spreading them out evenly over the tree. 

I think this would be a brilliant addition to any birthday party. Just cut out cookies that match the theme of the party, or go with something fun and festive like balloon-shaped cookies paired with ones that are cut out in the number of the birthday child.

Swiss Chard, Pancetta and Aged Cheddar Quiche

The Presidential debates were on TV this week and instead of paying attention, I headed to the kitchen and made six pie crusts. I've become obsessed with stocking my freezer with pastry, and if you were to open it up this morning you'd see a towering stack of frozen dough waiting to be used.

It's not that I plan on making an abundance of pies, although, I don't think there would be anything wrong with that if I did. It's just that it's as easy to make six pie crusts as it is two, and if I'm going to go to the effort, then I may as well make a lot of them. Fortunately, at the same time I was also staring down some shaggy Swiss chard in the bottom of the fridge, a few extra eggs and some pancetta that was barely enough to feed one person, let alone four. Clearly the Universe was telling me to make quiche, and that's exactly what I did. 

Here's the thing about Swiss chard. A lot of people think they don't like it, but to be honest, when it's chopped and sautéed in a pan that's laced with rendered pancetta fat, it's pretty difficult for it to taste terrible. In fact, it almost looks exactly like spinach, so if that's what people - like the young ones in your house - want to call it, just go with it. But if you really aren't a fan feel free to swap it with the greens that you know will be met with approval. 

Swiss Chard, Pancetta and Aged Cheddar Quiche

• 1/2 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and chopped
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 1/2 cups diced pancetta
• 1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups light cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1 pie crust (enough for 9" round pie)

1. Press the pie crust into a pie plate and crimp the edges. Pop the dough back in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.  

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet set over medium heat, cook the pancetta until it's crispy and most of the fat has been rendered. Transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and add the Swiss chard, shallots and garlic. Toss to combine and cook until the greens are wilted and the shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the pancetta back to the pan and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. 

3. Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and nutmeg. 

4. Spread the Swiss chard mixture over the dough and cover with the shredded cheese. Pour the egg mixture over top, filling the pie to just below the crimped edges of the dough. 

5. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes before serving. 

 

 

 

Whole-Wheat Brownies

It was 64 degrees in our house yesterday afternoon. I could've turned on the heat, of course, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It's only September, and the thought of pushing warm air through the vents this early in the fall makes me feel a little ill, you know? Instead, I prefer to preheat the oven and bake something comforting. And brownies seemed to be the thing that would warm us up, both inside and out.

I've never shared a brownie recipe here before. There are so many of them in circulation, I didn’t think we could possibly have a need for another version. Except this one isn't like all the others, which makes it totally shareable. It's made with whole grains, no refined sugar or eggs and can be vegan, if you desire, by replacing the traditional milk with a soy or almond alternative.