Iced Coffee


Homemade Iced Coffee

There is nothing like a big, tall iced coffee when the weather gets nice and hot!

When Mother Nature decides to turn up the heat and the sunshine there is nothing like a tall glass of iced coffee to refresh yourself with but the prices are pretty crazy. This quick little recipe will make you almost three litres of iced coffee for less than three dollars!

I like my coffee pretty strong so using my measurements you might need to add more water or milk according to your preferences. This will give you a good starting point.

Rather than brewing endless cups to make the base (I have a Keurig coffee maker, so it’s one-at-a-time), I use instant coffee for my iced coffee starter. To make 2.75 L I use one rounded cup of coffee granules and mix it with three cups of boiling water. Once the coffee granules have dissolved completely I fill up the jug with cold water and mix again.

I keep the mixture in the fridge and fix it up as I drink it so if I have company I can fix theirs how they enjoy it best. My favourite way to enjoy it is with a tablespoon of chocolate syrup and a bit of milk to take the edge off the acidic taste of the coffee. Within a minute, you can have an iced mocha coffee!

If you are preparing it for yourself, or for those you know like their coffee with milk and sugar you can add those to the base immediately and then just chill and serve over ice. I prefer to keep the coffee plain so I can dress it up to suit my mood when I decide to have some.

A quick, easy and budget-friendly way to enjoy a refreshing iced coffee when the heat calls for it. Hope you enjoy!

 

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Pork and Vegetable Summer Rolls


Asian-Inspired Pork and Vegetable Summer Rolls

A little effort goes into the preparation for these Pork and Vegetable Summer Rolls, but I promise, they are SO worth it!

Asian-inspired foods have long been a favourite of mine but I have to confess to a bit of a fear when it comes to experimenting with the flavours. I have had rice wrappers in my cupboard for longer than I care to admit, simply because I was afraid of them! After finally creating my version of a Pork and Vegetable Summer Roll, I wonder why I waited so long!

The preparation for this dish is a bit time-consuming but well worth your efforts. By getting everything ready ahead of time, rolling and serving the wraps is fast and easy.

Asian-Style Marinade for Pork

Using a resealable bag to marinate meat makes it really easy to make sure the meat is well coated and stays in the marinade.

The first thing to do is prepare your meat. Slice a pork tenderloin in half along its length and then slice each half into very thin slices. Place the pieces in a resealable bag with 2 tbsp of fish or oyster sauce, 2 tbsp of sesame or other cooking oil, 1 heaping tbsp of minced garlic, a tsp of sugar and a tbsp of rice wine vinegar. Mix the ingredients really well by “mushing” the bottom of the bag so the meat is well coated. Remove the air, seal the bag and let the pork marinate while you prepare your vegetables.

Mise en Places for Summer Rolls

The beauty of a recipe like this is you can use any vegetables and fresh herbs that you enjoy.

Traditional summer rolls have rice noodles in their filling however, I opted for meat, vegetables and fresh sage for mine. Take the time to thinly slice all of your vegetables while your meat is marinating as this will make the assembly very quick and easy.

For my version of Pork and Vegetable Summer Rolls, I used iceberg lettuce, red peppers, cucumber, green onions and fresh sage leaves. Other options could include shredded or julienne carrots, bean sprouts, arugula, etc. Use vegetables that you and your family enjoy. Although I used fresh sage leaves in mine, you could try cilantro or mint, or any other fresh herb you have on hand.

Heat a wok or heavy frying pan until it is smoking and stir fry the pork until it is lightly browned and cooked through. Set aside to cool while you make the hoisin-peanut dipping sauce.

Hoisin and Peanut Sauce for Summer Rolls

Even I have to admit this does not look very appealing as is, but I promise it tastes great!

To make the hoisin-peanut sauce, mix 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1 tbsp garlic, 1 tsp Thai chili paste (or one Thai chili) and about an 1/8 cup of water with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. If you find the mixture too thick, add water a small quantity at a time until it’s the consistency you like.

And finally, the assembly! There are a lot of steps to creating this dish but they really don’t take that long to do. From start to finish it took me less than an hour until I was biting into one of these rolls, and I promise… they are well worth the effort.

Set yourself up an area to work where you have all of your ingredients close to you. The rice wrappers I used were 8″ diameter, so I used a round cake pan for the water to dip them in and it worked out perfectly. Make sure you have a non-porous surface to put the wet rice wrapper on to do your rolling; an untreated cutting board will absorb water and make the rice paper a gluey mess to work with.

Preparing Rice Wrapper

Dip the rice wrapper in water and lay it on your rolling surface.

When you wet the rice wrapper, make sure the whole wrapper is dunked into the water, but do not leave it to soak. While you are placing your filling, the extra water will soak into the wrapper and make it easy to roll.

Rolling Summer Rolls

When layering your ingredients, make sure to leave space to tuck in the sides of the wrapper if you want closed rolls.

If you layer your filling over the lettuce, it will help make sure sharp edges of crisp vegetables don’t poke through your wrapper.

Roll the wrapper away from you, over the filling while pressing the filling towards the center of pocket that forms with your fingers. After one full roll (roughly the middle of the wrapper), tuck in the sides of the wrapper to enclose the filling. Complete the roll and lightly press the seam.

Once you have made all of your rolls, you are ready to dig in! Using one pork tenderloin I was able to make 8 large summer rolls. Despite looking so light and being so healthy for you, they are actually quite filling!

Pork and Vegetable Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Despite all the prep work for these Pork and Vegetable Summer Rolls, they are simple to make and are a very healthy dish! I’ll definitely be playing around with other versions of this recipe in the future!

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Roasted Tomato Pasta


Roasted Balsamic Tomato Pasta

Simple to prepare, yet bursting with flavour!

First off, I’ll apologize for doing two pasta recipes in a row. Once you try this one, you’ll understand, trust me!

Grape and cherry tomatoes have been on sale often lately, and this is my go-to recipe when I want to lighten up my pasta yet have great flavours. Even better, with tomatoes being two pints for five dollars or less, you can serve up four people for less than ten dollars!

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, and get out a large baking sheet. I like to use parchment paper so clean up is quick and easy!

Preparing Tomatoes for Roasting

Preparing the tomatoes and onions for roasting.

Roughly chop a large onion and lay it on the baking sheet. Wash two pints of cherry or grape tomatoes, and put them on the sheet with your onions. Drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat the vegetables, and add about four tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss the mixture so they’re well coated.

Put the vegetables into the hot oven and roast for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, you can get your water on for your pasta. To keep this dinner a bit healthier, I used the new Barilla PLUS® spaghetti.

Roast the Tomatoes Until They are Bursting

When the tomatoes are starting to burst, they’re ready.

The tomatoes should take about 30 minutes to be done, but check them and when the skins are puckering and they’re starting to burst, they are ready. You may need to adjust your time up or down a few minutes depending on your oven.

Once they are cooked, grate some Parmesan cheese over them, and add some freshly chopped basil. If you do not have fresh basil, I would add some dehydrated basil when you add the salt and pepper before roasting to give them that extra boost of flavour.

Add Cheese and Basil to the Roasted Tomatoes

It looks and smells so good at this point, I could dig in with my fork!

Drain your spaghetti, and return it to the pot. Add the tomato mixture, and mix well.  If you prefer a more “saucy” texture, you can purée the roasted tomatoes and onions before adding your pasta. I prefer the chunkier style so when I take a bite of the pasta, the tomatoes explode in my mouth with their sweet flavours.

That’s all there is to this simple, delicious and healthy dinner!

Roasted Tomato and Balsamic Pasta

Roasted tomato pasta with balsamic. Summery, and light with incredible flavours!

As with anything else I cook, you can feel free to top this with more cheese! I like mine with a bit of regular grated Parmesan!

Top your Roasted Tomato Pasta with Parmesan

Add a bit of Parmesan for a sharp bite!

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Quick, Easy and CHEAP Sausage and Pepper Penne


Penne with Sausage and Peppers

A five-ingredient meal that’s very simple to make, yet incredibly flavourful!

Sausage and pepper penne is one of those meals that just “hits the spot” when you want comfort food with great flavours. With only five ingredients, it’s budget-friendly yet served up with a salad it’s tasty enough to serve up for company! It’s also a very simple dish to make, easy enough for even a beginner cook to make with ease. My dear Patti, I’m thinking of you as I write this recipe!

Slice Italian Sausage

Cut up four Italian sausages into bite-sized pieces. Tip: I use a pair of kitchen shears for work like this. Takes only a few seconds!

The ingredients I used makes enough to serve four large portions.

Begin by cutting up four Italian-style sausages into bite-sized pieces. I like to use hot sausages for the extra burst of flavour, but use your favourite type. Toss them in a high-sided frying pan over medium-high heat with about a half cup of water, and cover. Give them a shake every once in a while so they cook evenly.

Meanwhile, put on a pot of water to boil for your penne pasta. The pot should be large enough to hold three cups of dry pasta. Don’t forget to salt your water!

Slicing a Pepper

An easy way to slice a pepper is to cut the top and bottom off, and slice around the inside of it with your knife. Push out the “guts”, then slice into strips.

Slice up a large red pepper into strips. You can use any sweet pepper in this recipe, but I prefer the sweetness of a nice red pepper with the hot sausage. Slice up a large onion into strips roughly the size of the red pepper ones you did.

By this time your water should be boiling. Add three cups of penne pasta, and cook until it’s al dente, or slightly firm but no longer raw.

Add Peppers and Onions to Sausage

Toss the peppers and onions into your pan with the sausage.

Add the peppers and onions to the pan with your sausage. Notice how the spices from the sausage are being picked up by the veggies?  Saute for two minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften a bit. Add a cup of water and mix well, then cover the pan for about three minutes.

A Can of Tomato Soup Forms the Sauce

The big secret to the sauce… are you ready for it?

Although I don’t advocate the use of canned soups, I do keep a couple of cans on hand for fast meals. The secret to this sauce is simply a can of tomato soup. Since I knew I was going to use that, I didn’t add any extra salt during the cooking process.

Mix the soup into the sausage and peppers, and blend well. Put the heat down to low and let it simmer while your pasta finishes cooking.

Add the Penne to the Sauce

Drain the penne pasta and add it to your sausage and pepper mixture.

Add your cooked pasta to the sausage and pepper mixture, and toss well to coat. This recipe also works well with bow-tie pasta, macaroni, or any other short cut pasta.

Simple Sausage and Pepper Penne Pasta

Wasn’t that easy? Five ingredients and only about 30 minutes!

A really simple to prepare meal that is equally easy on your budget! The sweetness of the peppers and the bite of the sausage guarantee you a burst of flavour with every bite!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Bacon, Potato and Corn Chowder


Corn Chowder with Bacon and Potato

Since Mother Nature decided not to be very nice today, I decided to whip up some comfort food for lunch.

I can’t believe it’s April 12th and we’re in the middle of a blustery snowstorm. Okay, I guess I can believe it, but I don’t have to like it! To ward off the chill, I decided to make a bacon, potato and corn chowder to warm my belly.

To begin, chop about six slices of bacon into small pieces and fry until almost crisp. Drain the fat and return the bacon to your soup pot.

Adding Celery and Onions to Bacon

Once the bacon has been returned to the soup pot, add finely diced celery and onions.

Add 1 large, finely diced onion and about four ribs of finely diced celery. Let them cook on low with the bacon while you prepare your potatoes.

Wash and dice into bite-sized pieces four medium to large potatoes. I like to use red-skinned potatoes and keep the skin on.

Diced Potatoes for Chowder

Dice your potatoes into bite-sized pieces and toss them in with the bacon, onions and celery.

Cook the bacon and vegetable mixture for about five minutes. Add four cups of chicken or vegetable broth, and four cups of water, 1 tsp of tarragon and 1 tsp of thyme. Bring the mixture to a low boil and allow to simmer until the potatoes are just slightly under-cooked, roughly six to eight minutes.

Add a bag of your favourite frozen corn (I use peaches and cream) and bring back up to a low boil until the potatoes are fully cooked and the corn is heated through.

Adding Corn to Finish the Chowder

Keep at a low boil until the potatoes are fork tender and the corn is cooked through.

If you’re one that loves heavy cream, at this stage you can add two cups. I prefer to use regular 2% milk with two tbsp of corn starch mixed in to thicken my chowder to keep things a bit lighter. If you use the slurry method, stir the mixture into the boiling liquid, and allow it to cook for at least five minutes. The chowder will thicken and the corn starch will be cooked in so you won’t be able to taste it.

All that’s left to do is season to taste with salt and pepper!

Bacon, Potato and Corn Chowder with Cheddar

Never miss a great opportunity to add a little grated Cheddar!!

 

 

 

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