Edmonds Coobook Mustard Sauce

Mustard Sauce For Corned Beef and Cabbage

Now I know this is the spur of the moment...so close to St. Patrick's Day but I wanted to post this recipe for Mustard Sauce for those of you who would like a little something different than plain old mustard  from the jar on your Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day.

I have been using this recipe each time I make a Corned Beef for almost 12 years now.  When I first moved to New Zealand  I came across the most wonderful cookbook called 'Edmonds Cookbook'.  It is a New Zealand icon, and it is chocked full of some of the most amazing recipes.  To be honest, and as some of you know my husband loves to cook too, and it is the only cookbook that he refers to.  I am more the cookbook collector in this household, and I have a huge collection which I have been collecting since I was a teenager.  Anyway the Edmonds Cookbook has the most fantastic recipe for mustard sauce and it is so nice for a change on your Corned Beed than just using plain old mustard.  You can also save yourself several dollars from not having to buy a bottle of mustard sauce in the grocery store.  A bottle of that is very pricey.  This is such a cinch to make...it will take you five minutes at the very most.

So I am posting this recipe from the Edmonds Cookbook for you to enjoy, but just one more thing.  I put my own two cents worth into the recipe if interested.  Once you have made the recipe you can add 1-2 tablespoons of honey for another little different taste which is really great, so that will be up to you, but it tastes so lovely. You can't get it better than this.

Here is the recipe!

Enjoy!

Hugs From Patricia

Ingredients

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 cup corned beef stock or ham stock (that corned beef or ham has been cooked in)

1/4 cup vinegar

salt & pepper

Directions

1. Beat egg and sugar together.

2. Add flour, mustard, pepper and salt.

3. Stir in liquids gradually.

4 .Cook in saucepan over medium heat until mixture thickens.

5. Serve over hot sliced corned beef or hot ham.

Malcolm's Homemade Rhubarb Pie

Well I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted.  I have had plenty of  committments over the last year and more, but I do hope to be posting more regularly now that things are quieting down.

I was recently mentioning on FaceBook about my husband's wonderful Rhubrab Pie recipe and I have had quite a number of people messaging me and e-mailing me to post his recipe.  Well he just typed it up for me so I am including it here below for all those that might be interested.  This is his own personal recipe, and Malcolm always bakes from scratch....one of his passions is baking of course as many of you know.  I did a search on the Internet on Google images to find a photo of rhubarb pie which I thought would closely resemble the ones that he makes just so you can get the idea of what it will look like.  As for my own two cents here, you can also add some cut up fresh strawberries to the mixture for some additional taste.  Malcolm made us a rhubarb pie about two weeks ago...I should have taken my own photo but the above will do.

If you would like to see more of our recipes and others, feel free to Follow Me on FaceBook and/or Network Blogs.

Here is the recipe:

MALCOLM'S HOMEMADE RHUBARB PIE

This could not be easier - you can make a pie from fruit of just about any sort using this method (rhubarb of course is not a fruit). If you thought rhubarb was boring you might change your mind after trying this. It is dead easy to grow in a sunny spot, is perennial and above all makes a very cheap but delicious dessert. Since the recipe is basically just stewed rhubarb, the pastry pie topping makes it attractive to the children which is a bonus.

METHOD:

Choose your favourite pie dish and cut enough stalks of rhubarb into pieces about an inch long to fill it to about an inch below the rim. DO NOT use the leaves - they contain oxalic acid which is not stomach-friendly. The stalks are just fine!

Prepare a topping of flaky pastry sufficient to cover the top of the pie dish with a little to spare.

Place the chopped rhubarb into a pot (saucepan), put in about half a cup of water and half a cup of white sugar.

Bring to the boil stirring occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom. Simmer and stir occasionally until the rhubarb is soft and basically mushes up easily.

Taste and add sugar a tablespoonful at a time, stirring each time until the sugar is dissolved before re-tasting until the tartness (or lack thereof) suits your liking.

Preheat the oven on BAKE to about 160C (about 320F).

Remove the pot containing the rhubarb from the heat and pour into the pie dish. Wet the pastry on both sides and place over rhubarb in the pie dish, pushing the excess into the sides of the dish to form a moat with a mound in the middle. Make a cross-cut in the centre of the pastry to give expanding liquids in the pie an escape route should they need it. Sprinkle some raw sugar over the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 - 40 minutes or until the pastry is somewhat golden on top.

Done.

We hope you will enjoy this one...it is absolutely scrumptious!

Patricia

Chicken Vegetable Soup And Red Lobster Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Patricia's Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:


6 chicken drumsticks

2 large zucchinis

cut circular

2 large carrots cut into small pieces

1 large red onion chopped

2 celery stalks with some leaves chopped into small pieces

1 parsnip cut into small pieces

2 bay leaves

8 peppercorns

salt

1 tbsp. fresh or dried parsley chopped

5 tsp. chicken stock powder

4 liters of water

Directions:

Place the drumsticks into a medium sized pot and cover well with water and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer for one hour. I prefer to do the chicken separately first and then remove the meat from the bones rather than having to remove the bones from the completed soup.
While the chicken is simmering, cut the veggies and set aside.
Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool. Reserve liquid for stock.
Remove the meat from the bones and cut into small pieces.
In a large soup pot add the reserved liquid from the chicken and add 3 of the 5 tsp. of chicken stock powder. Add 4 liters of water and bring to a boil, constantly stirring to dissolve chicken stock powder.
Add chicken and all the vegetables, bay leaves, parsley, and peppercorns. The chicken stock powder tends to be a bit salty so it is possible that no salt will be required. Reduce heat and simmer on low heat for 3 hours. Taste at regular intervals to determine whether you might want to add any of the remaining chicken stock powder from what you have set aside initially, and add salt to your taste only if required.
Serve with biscuits.

This is my personal recipe for homemade chicken vegetable soup which I have been making for many years. Feel free to pass it on.

Copy Cat Recipe For

The Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits

2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix
¾ cup cold whole milk
4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Brush on Top:

2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch salt

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

Corn Chowder

In my estimation corn is one of the most versatile vegetables I can think of. Not only are there endless ways to prepare and serve corn but there are also many health benefits to be derived from corn as well.

One of the benefits of corn is that it is high in nutrients. A few of these important nutrients are:
Thiamin (vitamin B1) which is used in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) which helps with physiological functions. Folate which helps the generation of new cells, and especially important before and during pregnancy and Vitamin C which fights against diseases.
Corn is also a good source of fiber. One cup of corn provides 18.4% of the daily recommendation of fiber. Its high fiber content is one of the biggest benefits of corn. Fiber has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels and help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Fiber is also useful in helping to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.

Corn is a low-fat complex carbohydrate that deserves a regular place on any healthy table. These high-fiber, fat-fighting kernels of goodness are also hearty and satisfying.

Nigella Lawson, world famous British Cook and Cookbook Author has a great recipe for

Sweet Corn Pudding

I made it last week after seeing her prepare it on one of her videos. You can also find her recipe at the above link. Although I am not very big into eggs, and there are a few in the recipe, but my husband just loved it.

Another wonderful way to enjoy corn is to grill corn on the cob on the barbecue. It is quick and easy and one of my favorite ways to have corn.

Yes! You Can Grill

Southern Cornbread is another favorite of mine. I love the flavor and texture of freshly baked cornbread right from the oven with butter. It tastes especially spectacular with Mexican dishes too, and goes very well with my personal family recipe for Corn Chowder below.

Iowa Corn Au Gratin is the next recipe with corn I am going to try. There are not as many eggs in this recipe as in Nigella's Sweet Corn Pudding, but I am anxious to give it a whirl.

Simple Corn Stuffed Tomatoes is another great recipe I found on the Internet. Now this one is so easy to prepare and takes so little time. It is a great "go with" with chicken and pork dishes. I have oodles of wonderful recipes that I have collected over the years from the Internet and there a millions of them out there. I have a huge collection of cookbooks as I have been an avid cookbook collector for eons, but I just love to search for new and exciting recipes from other people throughout the world.

Now here is my personal recipe for Corn Chowder. I feel that it is one of my favorite food items to prepare and I must admit it is so yummy. I make it quite a bit during the cold winter months, and just made some a couple of days ago, and there is plenty of it sitting in the fridge for my lunches. I have shared this recipe with many of my family members and friends and everyone seems to enjoy it so much. By the way the Southern Cornbread goes very well with this chowder.

Patricia's Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

1 large can fresh corn kernels

1 large can creamed corn

(You can also use fresh corn of desired)

1 large can whole plum tomatoes (drained)

1 large onion diced

1 red capsicum (sweet red pepper)

6 cups of chicken stock

(I use chicken stock powder - 1 level tsp to 1 cup of water)

1 tbsp ground coriander seeds

4 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp of unsalted butter

1 cup of dry white wine

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

3 tbsp basil

salt

pepper

1/4 tsp. chili powder

Directions:

Dice the red capsicum (also know as red pepper) and set aside.

Boil enough water for 6 cups for the chicken stock and add the chicken stock powder to the boiling water and stir thoroughly and set aside.

In a food processor blend all the canned corn and plum tomatoes for about 20 seconds and set aside.

Dice the onion, and in a large soup pot saute the onion and ground coriander in the olive oil and butter. I love to use coriander seeds which I grind up with my mortar and pestle first. I think the aroma and flavor of the coriander is much more pronounced using seeds vs. already ground coriander in a jar. Saute for approximately 5 minutes using moderate heat, and stir frequently.

Add the white wine and continue cooking for just a few minutes until the majority of the wine has been evaporated. Add the chicken stock, cream, and the corn and tomato mixture and red capsicum, 1/4 tsp. chili powder and bring to a boil on High. Then lower the heat and cook at a good simmer for about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently. You can add the basil and stir into the chowder about ten minutes before the corn chowder is done. Add salt and pepper to your own taste.

Garnish with croutons or serve with Southern Corn Bread or any of your favorite soup "go withs".

I would love for you to try this recipe. I think it is one you will want to have over and over again. If you decide to give it a try I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

Patricia

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Foodscapes

A dear friend from Alaska sent this wonderful Power Point Presentation to me this morning....a Food Art Photography presentation which is a must see for all foodies. And by the way if you would like to know how to embed Power Point Presentations on to your blogs, be sure to read my post on Power Point Presentations on my Every Day Matters Blog. My blogs are listed on the right hand sidebar panel of my blog.

To view a full screen beautiful view of this presentation click "presentation" below. The link will take you to the SlideShare web site and then you can click on "Full View", although you can view a smaller version just by clicking on the forward arrow below.

Enjoy the Presentation!

Patricia

Foodscapes

view presentation (tags: food art photography foodie)

Garam Masala Pears

I received this recipe from Emilie and I can't wait to try it. You can visit Emilie's excellent Food Blog at:

The Conscious Kitchen

Thanks for sharing your recipe Emilie!



4 small ripe Comice pears (Anjou or Seckle are good alternatives)

4 Tablespoons agave nector

4 Tablespoons water

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon lemon juice optional

toasted sesame seeds or toasted coconut for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

peel and core the pears, cut in half and arrange cut-side down in a baking dish

whisk the agave, water, oil, garam masala and lemon together

pour mixture over the pears

bake for 20 minutes, basting the pears halfway through.

I was mentioning to Emilie that all I needed to find now was some agave nectar, but in having done a little research I found that it is available in most food specialty shops and also in health food shops. The following is some useful information about the agave nectar.

The Awesome Agave

The agave (uh-gah-vay) plant has long been cultivated in hilly, semi-arid soils of Mexico. Its fleshy leaves cover the pineapple-shaped heart of the plant, which contains a sweet sticky juice. Ancient Mexicans considered the plant to be sacred. They believed the liquid from this plant purified the body and soul. When the Spaniards arrived, they took the juices from the agave and fermented them, leading to the drink we now call tequila.
But there is a more interesting use for this historic plant. Agave syrup (or nectar) is about 90% fructose. Only recently has it come in use as a sweetener. It has a low glycemic level and is a delicious and safe alternative to table sugar. Unlike the crystalline form of fructose, which is refined primarily from corn, agave syrup is fructose in its natural form. This nectar does not contain processing chemicals. Even better, because fructose is sweeter than table sugar, less is needed in your recipes. It can be most useful for people who are diabetic, have insulin resistance (Syndrome X), or are simply watching their carbohydrate intake.
Fructose has a low glycemic value. However, according to some experts, if fructose is consumed after eating a large meal that overly raises the blood sugar or with high glycemic foods, it no longer has a low glycemic value. Strangely enough, it will take on the value of the higher glycemic food. So exercise restraint, even with this wonderful sweetener. It is a good policy to eat fructose-based desserts on an empty stomach, in between meals or with other low-glycemic foods. Use it for an occasional treat or for a light touch of sweetness in your dishes.

FYI

This sweetener is sometimes called "nectar" and sometimes called "syrup". It is the same food.
The light syrup has a more neutral flavor.
In recipes, use about 25% less of this nectar than you would use of table sugar. ¾ cup of agave nectar should equal 1 cup of table sugar. For most recipes this rule works well.
When substituting this sweetener in recipes, reduce your liquid slightly, sometimes as much as 1/3 less.
Reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees.
Agave nectar can be combined with Splenda to counter Splenda's aftertaste and to control the amount of fructose used.
The glycemic index of agave nectar is low.
As a food exchange, a one-teaspoon serving of agave nectar equals a free food. Two servings or two teaspoons equals ½ carbohydrate exchange.

Cheers From Patricia

Garam Masala

My husband and I love having Indian food and the spicier the better. Hubby is an excellent cook and loves taking over when it comes to preparing all our Indian meals. Garam Masala is one of the main ingredients in most Indian foods, so I thought I would share an easy recipe for making your very own Garam Masala. By the way I will be sharing a few posts in the near future of various Indian recipes. One coming up will be for a Chick Pea Gravy...a recipe which my husband received from a friend at work. He and his friends were having a luncheon at the office and a friend had made some Chick Pea Gravy which my husband claims was "out of this world". It is served with bread or rolls. Now I haven't made it yet, although I have already added the recipe to my personal cookbook files...but I purchased the Chick Peas last Saturday and just need to get a couple of more ingredients and I am set to go. Looking forward to making it on Saturday.

Well on with the Garam Masala.

1 /2" Cinnamon Stick (about 1 heaping tsp broken)

2 Bay Leaves, broken

3 tablespoons Green Cardamom Pods

2 teaspoons Fenugreek Seeds

1 tablespoon Whole Cumin Seeds

1 tablespoon Whole Coriander Seeds

1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Whole Cloves

1 teaspoon Blade Mace

Preparation Instructions

Break the cinnamon sticks into pieces.

Crumble the bay leaves.

Heat a heavy frying pan and after 2-3 minutes put in the whole spices.

Dry roast over medium heat until the color darkens, stirring or shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Burns very easily!

Leave to cool, then grind.
Apparently stored in a airtight jar this will last 3-4 months.
You can add 2 teaspoons of ground tumeric after grinding to add a golden color and/or add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger to give some heat, or to taste."

Let me know how yours comes out!

A little info about Garam Masala....

Garam means Hot and Masala in this sense means spice mix, although not many are hot as the name implies, but . There are hundreds of varieties, but suprisingly not many are available to public viewing as their secret content is often jealously guarded by families and chefs alike.

Garam Masala is often used towards the very end of the cooking process, and sometimes just sprinkled over the dish as it is being served. It creates that wonderful smell and taste we are so used to, and because most spice mixes are delicate they would not withstand a long cooking time and still preserve their aromas and flavours.

The typical spices found in Garam Masala are; Coriander, Cumin, Cinnamon or Cassia, Asian Bay leaves, cloves, Cardamoms, Turmeric, and Chillies. Quite often these are roasted whole and when cool they ground to a fine or coarse powder. A grinding stone is the best method as it releases the flavours, but you can use a coffee grinder which will do a reasonble job; but beware some spices like Cumin cause the spindle to seix=ze and attack the plastic also. So make sure you clean the grinder thoroughly each time.

It is always preferable to make your own Garam Masalas as commercial packaged varieties are often contain fillers, additives and inferior spices. Make up in small quantities, keep them in a glass jar (spices affect some plastics) and store them in a dark cool place, and don't keep them for too long as the soon lose their qualities.

Cheers From Patricia