Category Archives: From My Mom’s Kitchen
Grammie’s Jammies
By Carly Foster
My mother-in-law (my kids’ Grammie) doesn’t bake very often, but when she does, it’s often these delicious jam sandwich cookies. They taste so good dunked in tea that I usually hide at least half of them in a secret part of the freezer away from the rest of my family. The cookies are crispy when they’re cooked, but once you add the jam in the middle, they’re soft and chewy – and spreading the jam is a great kid activity. I think they’d be a delightful treat for a special someone on Valentine’s or Family Day.
Ingredients
3/4 c butter, softened
1 c lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 c quick cooking oatmeal
1 1/2 c raspberry jam*
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter, sugars, egg, water and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture, beating gently until blended. Stir in oats.
Drop dough by small spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake 10-13 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely.
Spread jam on flat side of half the cookies. Put another cookie on top to form a sandwich.
Makes approximately 32 sandwich cookies. They freeze great!
*Substitute your favourite flavour jam if desired.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Thanks to Dianne Stott, an active fan on our Uxbridge Town Talk Facebook page, for sending in this delicious recipe for muffins! Let us know if you make them and how they turn out.
- 1 cup vegetable oil (or use 1/2 oil and 1/2 apple sauce to cut down on fat. You can also use butter)
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 cup milk (or substitute buttermilk, sour cream, plain yogurt – whatever you have on hand)
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line muffin tins with paper liners.
- Recipe can be made either using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or by hand.
- In a large bowl mix together the sugars, oil (or your substitution); mix until light and fluffy. Mix in pumpkin puree until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is thoroughly combined before adding the next.
- In a medium bowl sift together dry ingredients (flour through to spices. Add more spice if you like a stronger flavour).
- Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir until just combined. Finally, add the milk (or your substitute) and gently stir in until all the milk is incorporated into the mixture.
- Divide the mixture evenly in your prepared muffin tins.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes.
- Let cool.
- These make great treats to pack in a lunch.
- For extra decadence you can add your favourite cream cheese icing.
Vegetarian Tostadas
One of my food resolutions from a few months ago was to start serving more vegetarian dishes. I’m not a voracious meat eater anyway (and don’t eat red meat or fish unless it’s made friends with a deep fryer), but was almost always serving chicken something or other each night. While browsing the ethnic aisle at the grocery store, I came upon a bag of Mexican corn tostadas – and so was born a new family favourite. This is super quick for weeknights, protein-rich, tasty, includes all four food groups and can easily be adapted for any ingredients on hand (even meat, if you must!). ~Carly
Ingredients
2 c. canned beans such as kidney, pinto, navy
1/2 c. each diced onion, red pepper and corn
2 tbs. olive oil
Your favourite barbecue sauce to taste (I love PC brand Smokin’ Stampede)
Package corn tostadas
1 1/2 c. chopped baby spinach
Salsa or chopped cherry tomatoes
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheese such as extra old cheddar or Monterrey jack
Sour cream
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Fresh lime juice (optional)
Directions
Saute veggies in olive oil until tender, then add beans. Add sauce until a consistency you like is achieved; bring to a low boil over medium low heat (OR pick up a can or three of President’s Choice Southwest Beans and you can skip this whole step).
Place tostadas on a plate, overlapping as necessary. Top with hot beans, then cheese, then sour cream, then spinach, then tomatoes. Top with a sprinkle of cilantro and squeeze of fresh lime juice if desired.
Caramelized Apple Crepes
Submitted by Lisa Hutchinson
This is one of my favourite fall entertaining desserts. Using Uxbridge apples makes this fresh, local and delicious!
Ingredients
For Crepes
1 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 c milk
2 tbs butter, melted
For Apple Filling
6 crisp apples, such as Mutsu (Crispin),
peeled, cut to 1” chunks
1 tbs grated lemon zest
2 tbs lemon juice2 tbs butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 tbs sugar
3 tbs Calvados or brandy
1 c creme fraiche
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbs confectioner’s sugar, plus more for dusting
Directions
For Crepes: Sift together flour, sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with an electric mixer. Beat in flour mixture until smooth; stir in melted butter. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 2 tablespoons for each crepe. Tip and rotate pan to spread batter as thinly as possible. Brown on both sides and place in a warm oven until filling ready.
For Filling: Place apples in a medium bowl and add lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Toss to coat. Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet set over medium heat. Add granulated sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar turns amber in colour, about 5 minutes. If caramel starts to get too dark, remove skillet from heat. Add apples and cook, turning carefully, until soft and completely caramelized. Pour Calvados into skillet. Carefully ignite the alcohol, and allow the flame to burn out, 2 to 3 minutes, shaking skillet to toss the apples in the syrup. Remove apples from heat; let cool slightly. Combine creme fraiche, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip mixture until light, fluffy, and almost doubled in volume. Remove the crepes from oven, and transfer to six serving plates. Spoon 1/2 cup caramelized apples onto each crepe, and dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar. Spoon a generous amount of creme-fraiche mixture over apples.
Great Grandmother Taylor’s Banana Muffins
By Rebecca Cranney
Ingredients
¼ c butter or margarine
1 egg
¾ c brown sugar3 large bananas
(1 cup)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cup flour
Directions
Mash bananas; add egg, sugar, butter and mix. Add dry ingredients. Bake at 375 for 20 – 25 min. Makes 12 muffins. Chocolate chips or cranberries are great additions to this recipe.
