Rosemary Roasted Potato

4 baking potatoes
1 green or red pepper cut into two inch strips
1 tbls chopped rosemary fresh or dried
2 cloves garlic chopped or 1 tbls minced garlic
1 tsp sea salt
4 tbls olive oil

Cut each potato into 8 wedges
Mix other ingredients in bowl. Toss wedges and peppers and coat well
Place in single layer on foil lined baking sheet
Bake at 450 x 30 mins turning once

also very good tossing potatoes in oil and tsp chili powder and tsp salt

also try sweet potatoes wedges and done in oil salt and pepper 400 x 30 min

Turkey Soup

Soup will vary anytime I make it as I use whatever I have
add to 2 qts stock

2 carrots sliced
boil 10 mins
add 2 ribs celery diced
3 sliced mushrooms could be added now
fresh shopped parsley
your choice
1/2 cup cooked wild rice OR
2 generous handfuls any bite size pasta cooked OR
cup cubed cooked potatoes
cup cooked turkey

some frozen chopped cooked spinach works well as do any frozen vegetables. Put them in last and remove from heat as the hot liquid will cook them. A can of diced tomatos with juice is also good. Use what you have and enjoy

Baked Peas Mrs Wilson

Mrs Wilson lived down the road from my childhood home. I believe she was from Grand Manan which is probably where this recipe originated. A very old fashioned dinner, minimal ingrediants, minimal work. Consider it a cross between baked beans and pea soup. However marrowfat peas, a large dried variety were difficult to find in Florida. I did manage to buy some at a local pub that sells some British grocery items. I think they might still be very available in Canada

1 lb marrowfat peas
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 lb cooked ham cut into chunks
1 tbls brown sugar
1 tbls prepared yellow mustard

cover peas with water, add soda and soak over night
place in crock covering with water (I used ham stock for extra flavour)
Because I used ham stock I omitted the sugar but used slightly more mustard, tsp summer savoury, worcestershire and lots of pepper

Bake at 300 for 6-7 hours After 3 hrs in oven check to make sure there is still water in crock. Add small amounts if necessary. I checked every 30 mins and added about 1/4 cup each time

Turkey Stock

Ok you have stripped that turkey carcass and are looking at a rack of bones. Turkey soup is a great way to clean up things in the fridge. The vegetables for the broth were baby carrots and celery from last nights vegetable tray.

turkey carcass broken into small pieces
couple ribs celery including leaves
couple of carrots
onion
spices and herbs available such as, parsley, herbs au provence, thyme, summer savory, whole peppercorns

Put all the above in large pot
Cover with water. Bring to boil. Simmer for 3-4 hours
Strain stock through colander into another large pot. I often do it a second time through a mesh strainer.
Bring back to boil cooking until reduced by 1/3
Allow to cool. Rerigerate overnight. The abundance of fat that has raised to the top can be easily strained off. Stock is ready now to be made into soup

Banana Bread (Mum)

Nothing beats a slice of warm banana bread slathered with butter! Honesty and simplicity, nothing fancy.

1 cup sugar (I drop it down to 3/4 cup)
3 very over ripe bananas (seems this has caused some confusion but think of the generation before us who many would never throw anything away. Well banana bread was a way to use old bananas, mum said "use-up", that you could no longer eat. They must have black peel and be mushy liquid inside. If you have bananas like this and are not making bread, mash em throw em in plastic bag in freezer for later use)
4 Tblsp melted butter (no sticks to annoy Melody)
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Mash bananas to thin batter (they freeze well at this point) Add suger and eggs beating well. Add butter. Add flour, salt, and soda mixing well. Fold in walnuts.
Bake in greased loaf pan 1 hour at 375

Egg Rolls

Growing up in rural New Brunswick in the 60s before the advent of the fast food chains, we frequented independant Take-outs. Most of these offered Chan egg rolls on their menu. I still miss these crispy treats with the flattened ends that made great handles to pick em up and and a greasy crunchy end to your meal.
Good egg rolls are difficult to find, even the Moon Palace on King Square is long since gone.
So I make my own

16 oz pkg egg roll wrappers
1 beaten egg
cold water

1 lb pork ground
1/2 med cabbage shredded about 3 cups
6 mushrooms chopped
6 green onions chopped
8 oz bamboo shoots chopped

2 tbls soya sauce
2 tsp five spice powder (in Oriental section of grocery store)
1 tsp sugar
salt pepper to taste

Because I have already pulled the food processer out to chop the vegetables, I chop boneless pork chops with fat removed yo fine texture

Stir fry pork in Wok with some veg oil. about 1 tble. Remove pork to large bowl
Combine Soy, spices and corn starch mix well set aside
Stir fry all vegetables in another tablespoon oil 1 minute
Add soy mixture
Stir fry one more minute. Add to pork and stir

Seperate wrappers brush with beaten egg. Place 1/4 cup mixture on each wrapper. Fold bottom corner over middle. Roll in two sides and rols to complete wrapper. Press edges tightly with moistened finger to seal product

heat 2 inch veg oil in wok to 360 dgrees
Fry 3-4 at a time turning when golden, approx 5 mins total frying time

Place wire rack on cookie sheet so egg rolls can drain while you fry next batch
Serve now with plum sauce or hot mustard sauce
or place wax paper on cookie sheet, space eggrolls evenly, place in freezer until frozen. Place egg rolls in plastic bags.
Place frozen egg rolls in 375 oven 20 minutes to reheat

Makes 16. Today I decided to cut each wrapper into four to make bite size egg rolls. It was a long tedious chore, wrapping all 60, that I will not repeat soon

Sharon's Cream Cheese Pound Cake

A fail proof artery clogging cake with a sugary crust that will leave you wishing for more room on your belt

This is a favorate all occasion dessert of my friend Sharon that is always appreciated.

Personalize this goodie with Pennfield blueberries, chopped walnuts or chocolate chips.

3 Sticks Butter (not for the faint of heart)

3 cups sugar

8 oz cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

6 eggs

3 cups CAKE flour

cream together first three ingredients.

add vanilla

beat in eggs one at a time

add the flour a little at a time

easiest done in a table mixer

fold in any additions at this time

bake in a tube pan (or bundt) at 300 degree oven 1 hr 15-30 mins until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I used a loaf pan this time cause I read pound cake could be toasted and eaten with jam. Cool in pan 10 mins before removing to wire rack.

Cabbage Rolls

Old fashioned comfort food like Mum made

serves 6

great with garlic smashed potatoes

1 lb ground beef

1 head cabbage

1/2 cup cooked rice or uncooked instant rice

1 med onion chopped

1 clove garlic grated

1 small can mushrooms + liquid (or use fresh with 1/4 cup beef stock)

15 oz can tomato sauce

1 Tbls sugar

1 Tbls lemon juice

1 Tsp basil

1 Tbls worcestershire

1 can tomato paste

salt pepper to taste

Core cabbage and soak in ice cold water. Helps with leaf removal

Remove 12 leaves and immerse in boiling water approx 10 minutes

drain cabbage and allow to cool

Mix ground beef, mushrooms, liquid, rice, 1/2 cup tom sauce, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, worcestershire.

Place approx 1/3 cup meat mixture in stem end of leaf, roll once, tuck sides in, roll to from tight pocket. Repeat for all 12 leaves. Place in 13x 19 baking dish.

Mix sugar, lemon juice remaining tomato sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls

Bake preheated 350 degree oven approx 2 hours. Remove cabbage rolls from baking dish. Thicken sauce with tomato paste and serve over cabbage rolls

Sausage Rolls

1 lb sausage (I prefer Hot)

2 Phyllo Pastry Sheets thawed

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons basil

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

salt / pepper to taste

mustard of choice (I prefer dijon with horseradish)

2 sheets wax paper

Preheat oven to 350

Unfold each pastry sheet on a sheet wax paper

Spread 1/2 sausage on each sheet Phyllo becareful not to press pastry. Leave 1/2 strip bare at top.

Grate garlic clove over each, sprinkle 1/2 cheese, 1/2 basil on each and salt and pepper.

Starting at bottom roll up toward bare strip, rolling pastry tightly over filling.

Wrap with wax paper sheet place in freezer 1 hour.

Slice the rolls into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake approx 30 mins until golden. Serve with mustard.