Penne Sambuca

This is one of my favourite things to eat. It is warm and comforting. It looks pretty. It's easy to make. And it has booze. :)

So tasty and tempting. Photo by me.

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 slices of streaky bacon (diced)
• 1 onion chopped finely
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced (if I'm truthful, it's probably closer to 5-6)
• 2 x 400g cans of whole tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sambuca
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup cream
• 12 basil leaves chopped (give or take)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 500g cooked penne
• parmesan

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the bacon and onion. Fry until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes, sambuca and red pepper flakes. Simmer briskly for 10 minutes. Now's a good time to get that pasta cooking. After 10 minutes, add the cream and heat through. Throw the basil leaves into the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Now toss it together with the pasta and serve with some grated parmesan on top. It's pretty darn great. In theory this should serve 4 people. 

Pumpkin pie from scratch

Roasting the pumpkin:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 C.
2. Get a pumpkin and cut it in half.
3. Scoop out all the seeds and stringy bits.
4. Put it cut side down on a cookie sheet or low sided baking dish and put in the oven.
5. Bake until a butter knife slides easily through the pumpkin halves (about 45 minutes to an hour).
6. Remove from the oven and let cool. When it's cool enough to touch, scoop all the flesh out of the skin.
7.  If it's watery, you'll need to drain the excess fluid. To do that, wrap the scooped out pumpkin goodness in a cheesecloth (or a tea towel if you don't have cheesecloth) and wind it tightly and SQUEEEEEEZE. There are likely other (possibly better) methods, but this works for me.

When you're ready to use it, run it through a blender or food processor or just hit it with the beaters to make a nice smooth puree. A pie typically uses 2 cups of puree. The whole pumpkin I roasted this week produced enough for 3 pies. I baked 2, and I froze the other 2 cups to use later.

The Pie - MAKES 1
Preheat oven to 220 C.
Line a 9" pie tin with pastry. Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove weight and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, until golden. Remove from oven and reduce to 190 C. Let the pie crust cool while you prepare the filling:

Filling:
2 eggs
2 cups pumpkin purée
1 1/2  cups heavy cream (375 ml)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp grated cloves or allspice
1/2 tsp salt

Mix until smooth. Pour into pie crust. Bake 35-45 minutes, until set, but a bit jiggly in the middle. Cool completely on a rack.

Note: Most recipes use about 1/2 of the spices. I like my pumpkin pie on the spicy side and so go a little heavier. It's up to you.

Serve with cream or ice cream.

Maple Cream
1 cup cream
2 tbsp maple syrup (for flavour and sweetness)

Whip together.

Share and Enjoy!

Maple pecan sundae with candied bacon

Maple Pecan Sundae with Candied Bacon

4 slices of bacon
2tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 200 C. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack in the middle. Place the bacon on the rack and sprinkle evenly with 1 tbps of the sugar. Bake until the sugar is melted (about 8 minutes). Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the bacon on the same side. Return to the oven and bake until the bacon is deep brown and glazed (10-12 minutes). Remove from the oven.

Preheat the broiler. Place the bacon under the broiler until the sugar bubbles, watching to prevent burning (about 1 minute). Remove and let cool on the rack. When cool, cut into 1 cm pieces.

3/4 cup Maple Syrup
2 cinnamon sticks (broken in half)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup pecan pieces

Put the maple syrup and cinnamon in a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 1/2 to 2/3 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and remove cinnamon. Mix lemon juice in sauce. This can be made up to 2 hours before serving. Keep at room temperature.

To serve: mix pecans, candied bacon with the sauce and serve over vanilla ice cream. Delicious!

Broccoli salad

2 heads of broccoli, cut into small pieces (I just use the flowers, but feel free to throw a little stem in there)
2-3 spring onions chopped
1/4 cup (give or take) of sharp cheese (I used a 6 yo cheddar last time and it was delish)
4-6 slices of bacon fried crispy and broken into pieces

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp sugar (to taste really)
1 tbsp vinegar

mix in a large bowl and toss with dressing.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

A while ago, I went to a friend's place for dinner. Because of health reasons, she is dairy and gluten free. She made this mousse that was absolutely delicious. I was surprised she was eating it because it had all the rich deliciousness of a normal chocolate mousse. Then she let me in on the secret - avocados.

I was surprised and immediately shared the recipe for a friend who was also gluten and dairy free for health reasons. She was delighted because here was a recipe that she could take to a pot luck dinner that everyone would actually eat that wasn't just plain vegetables.

This also makes a tasty frosting for your fave GF vegan banana cake.

Vegan chocolate mousse
Ingredients
2 Large Hass Avocados, cubed
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons Coconut oil
2-4 Tablespoons of Granulated Sugar
Splash of Water  
1-2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Cup Cocoa Powder (un-sweetened)

Method
•       Add all ingredients except cocoa powder into a food processor, pulse until smooth. Add cocoa powder to avocado mixture and blend until smooth. - I just used my beaters and it worked just fine. If it's a little thick, just add a bit more water.
•       Refrigerate in a tighly sealed container for up to a week.
•       Serve with cool whip and your favorite berries and enjoy! This recipe is really rich and you only need the 1/2 cup to satisfy any chocolate craving! Makes 8-- 1/2 cup servings.

Peanut butter banana chocolate chip mini loaves

 Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 egg
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 160 C. Spray 6 mini loaf pans with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together until combined- flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and sugars. Create a well in the center and pour in remaining ingredients, excluding the chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide evenly between loaf pans and bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool 5 minutes in pan and remove to cooling racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.