Thanksgiving Make-ahead - Cheesy Carrot Casserole

I have no idea where this recipe originally comes from, but it's another staple at Cavanagh turkey dinners. Every year around Thanksgiving or Christmas my sister's and I inevitably end up texting each other (and our mom) looking for the recipe. Now it will live on this blog so we can all enjoy it!

I'll admit I've had some challenges with this recipe at times, but it could be because the version I copied down from my mom doesn't have many instructions. When you make a recipe so many times you often forget about the steps you just seem to take naturally. I've done my best to write it out, and apologize in advance if I've missed something.

One thing to note - sometimes I blanche the carrots, sometimes I don't. This year I decided not to, and I'm curious as to how it will turn out. Either way you're talking carrots covered with cheese and a creamy beschemal-type sauce. Delish!

Cheesy Carrot Casserole on the right.

Thanksgiving Make-ahead - Elsie's Potatoes

The big work with a 'food' holiday like Thanksgiving or Easter isn't the main menu item (turkey, ham) - it's really in the sides. If you can prepare a few of them in advance you will make your life that much easier. This mashed potato recipe can be made ahead and frozen - you just want to make sure to thaw overnight and bring to room temperature before baking. These potatoes are so simple, yet so good. They are a staple at any Cavanagh holiday dinner that involves a turkey. One thing to note, this recipe calls for all sorts of low-fat cream cheese and fat-free sour cream. That's not how I roll, so I use the regular versions of everything. Feel free to lighten it up if you want though.

Elsie's Potatoes (from Best of Bridge)
- 5 lbs potatoes
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp onion salt (I often leave this out because it's just not something I have around)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp butter

Cook and mash potatoes. Stir in all remaining ingredients except for butter. Spoon into large casserole dish. Dot with butter. Bake covered at 350F for 30 minutes.

It's perfect to put these in the oven when the turkey comes out to rest.

Elsie's Potatoes at Christmas 2013

Campfire Cones

One of my sister's texted the rest of us a photo and instructions for a new treat to try out this summer at camp. I, however, could not wait until I'm at Basswood at the end of August and decided to try this out myself. You can make this over a bonfire, or like we did on a BBQ. What a great little treat. I was fully expecting a 'Pinterest fail' situation, but they went over really well. So well that since I posted a photo on Instagram and Facebook I've had several people asking me for the instructions. So, here you go!

Campfire Cones
- waffle or sugar cones
- peanut butter
- chocolate chips
- mini marshmallows
- bananas, chopped

Spread the inside of the cones with peanut butter. Fill with chocolate chips, marshmallows and banana pieces. I made sure to try and mix all the ingredients evenly. Wrap the entire thing in tinfoil. Place on hot coals or medium BBQ grill for 5-10 mins, turning occasionally.

Unwrap and enjoy! They were fantastic, and while the bottoms got a little burnt, I will definitely be making these again.

Quick Coffee Cake

When I was younger I was always confused about coffee cake, thinking it was coffee flavoured, when in fact it's really just cake that goes really well with coffee. I had a group meeting for school Sunday morning, and decided since we were all having to get up early and meet, we should at least enjoy a little treat to kick off the day. I had never made this recipe, and it is pretty simple, and calls for ingredients most people have on hand. As a bonus, it is quick enough to make spur of the moment if you ever have last minute coffee or tea guests.

Mushroom Beef Bundles

For those of you in Ontario, I do hope that you try and pick up the LCBO Food & Drink magazine when it comes out. When I first moved to BC I missed it dearly, until my mom got me a subscription. I had no idea, but at the time, if you lived outside of Ontario, you could get the Food & Drink delivered to your door! And what a fantastic magazine - great articles, fantastic recipes, and lots of entertaining tips and ideas. I just checked, and now they have opened up the subscriptions to anyone in Canada or even Internationally - click here for more info. They also have a lot of their recipes available online at http://www.lcbo.com/fooddrink/.

A few years ago Brent made a recipe from the Autumn 2009 edition, and it turned out great. So when we were having some friends over for a simple Saturday night dinner and games night, I decided to try my hand at the recipe. They were fantastic and this is a recipe you could really play around with. Next time I might do a chicken pot pie variation.

Fondue's and Don'ts

My family used to have oil fondue's on Christmas Eve every year. It was a lot of fun, but also a little precarious. Hot pots of oil, usually a dry Christmas tree, and a few clutzy girls (I was the worst) - I think we were all on edge most of the time. After I had a wee bit of a grease fire in 4th year university, we opted to change it up and do Raclette, which is awesome. Today's post however, is about fondue, and while I still love to fondue, now I keep it to cheese and chocolate.

Fondue's and Don'ts
- Do use quality ingredients in the fondue, good cheese and wine are musts
- Don't worry too much about the dippers - the focus is on the cheese - a few blanched veggies, apples, and some breadsticks and bread and you are good to go
- Do serve a light green salad on the side, but don't worry if it doesn't get eaten!
- Do invite friends over to share
- Don't try and have too many people, crowded pots are never a good idea

Make Ahead - Mushroom Crescents

Here is yet another great make-ahead recipe. The dough for this recipe is super easy - flour, cream cheese and butter, and I'm sure you can adapt the filling to suit your needs. When I can I try and take into account any food issues or dietary concerns of friends and family. While I admit that coming to our place as a vegan you should probably eat first (butter and cheese are key ingredients in most of my holiday recipes) I do what I can.

So for a friend who has a gluten intolerance I have begun experimenting with gluten free baking. I've tried different flours as well as cake and pie crust mixes. They have mostly turned out pretty good. For this recipe I used Kinnikinnik All Purpose Flour Blend. I like this stuff because it can be substituted cup for cup in place of regular flour. When I was working with the dough it did crumble a bit when folded, however since I've never made this recipe with traditional flour I'm not sure whether it was the recipe or the flour. Either way the crescents turned out great!

Mushroom Crescents (adapted from Canadian Living)

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/4 tsp each dried thyme and sage

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped portobello mushrooms

- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped button mushrooms

- 1/3 cup white wine or water

Pastry

- 4 oz cream cheese, softened

- 1/3 cup butter, softened

- 1 cup flour

- 1 egg, beaten

In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; fry onion, garlic, thyme, sage, pepper and salt, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add portobello and button mushrooms; fry, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Cook until liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. (This can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 day).

Pastry: In large bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until fluffy. Stir in flour until dough begins to form; knead in bowl until smooth. Divide dough in half; flatten into 2 discs. Wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

On lightly floured surface, roll out each disc into 10-inch circle. With 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles, rerolling scraps.

Brush edges lightly with egg. Place 1 tsp of filling in centre of each; fold dough over filling, pinching edges to seal. Place, 1 inch apart on baking sheet. (At this point you can layer between waxed paper in airtight container and freeze for up to 3 weeks, bake from frozen).

Brush tops with egg and bake in centre of 400F oven until light golden, 12 - 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make Ahead - Phyllo Bundles

Puff Pastry isn't the only great shortcut for appetizers. Phyllo can be a cook's best friend. It's a little tougher than Puff Pastry to work with, but with a few quick steps you can make some great appetizers that can be frozen and baked in a very short time. When working with Phyllo, one thing I have learned is the importance of keeping the sheets from drying out. This can be done using a clean damp cloth, laying it over the pieces you are working on as well as the sheets you are going to use. Once you get the hang of it the possibilities are endless!

Phyllo Bundles with Goat Cheese and Cranberry

- 3 - 6 sheets of phyllo pastry, thawed

- 1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:

- 8 oz goat cheese

- 1/2 cup dried cranberries

- 2 tsp grated orange zest

- 2 tsp chopped fresh chives

Mix filling ingredients together and refrigerate until needed.

Working on a flat surface, generously brush a sheet of phyllo with butter. Top with second sheet and more butter, then third sheet and more butter. Cut phyllo into 16 - 20 squares. Place a dollop of filling in the centre of each square.

Pull up the edges, pinch together to create a bundle.

Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. If refrigerating, cover with a damp clean cloth or plastic wrap. If freezing, cover with plastic wrap and seal. Once frozen store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Bake bundles in 400F oven for 8 minutes, or until golden, 10 minutes if frozen. Serve warm.

Make Ahead - Lamb Sausage Rolls

Here is another great make ahead recipe. Really anything with Puff Pastry is bound to be awesome. I've made my own, recipe found here and while it was super easy, I agree with a lot of cooks/chefs in that the store bought stuff is pretty damn good too! I usually use Tenderflake, but apparently Presidents Choice has one that is already rolled out into a 10 inch square. Maybe next time I'll try that!

Lamb Sausage Rolls (adapted from Canadian Living)

- 2 eggs

- 1/4 cup bread crumbs

- 1/4 cup minced onion

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tsp crushed fennel seeds

- 1 tsp grated orange rind

- 1/2 tsp each salt and ground coriander

- 1/4 tsp pepper

- 1 lb ground lamb (or lean ground beef)

- 1 pkg puff pastry, thawed

- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 1 egg yolk

In large bowl mix eggs, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, fennel seeds, orange rind, salt, coriander and pepper. Mix in lamb and set aside.

Divide pastry in half and roll out each half into 10-inch square. Cut each into 3 equal strips. Brush each with mustard. Evenly spoon filling along centre of each strip (I think the butcher gave me more than 1 lb of lamb, it seemed like I had a lot of filling!).

Fold pastry over filling; pressing edge to seal.

Arrange rolls, seam side down, on pan lined with parchment paper. Cover and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. On board, cut each roll into 10 pieces; return to pan. At this point you can layer between waxed paper in airtight container and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

In small bowl whisk egg yolk with 1 tbsp water; brush over rolls. Bake in 450F oven until puffed and golden, about 20 minutes, 25 minutes if frozen.

Make Ahead - Sesame Crackers

Some people might say that making your own crackers is showing off a little. And while I do agree to a certain extent, after having tried many different types of crackers, I've found a few that are actually really easy, and worth the extra work. These are great because they can be made and stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week, leaving ample time to do all the other last minute preparations for whatever party you might be hosting. Or, just eat them once they're done, and see if they last a whole week!

Sesame Crackers

- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

- 1/2 cup rye flour

- 1 3/4 tsp salt, divided

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

- 1 cup sour cream

- 1 large egg yolk

- 1 cup toasted sesame seeds, divided

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- Kosher salt for sprinkling

In a food processor or the bowl of a stand mixer, place the flours, 1 1/2 tsp of the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and black pepper. Pulse or stir. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the sour cream, egg yolk, and 3/4 cup sesame seeds and process or stir just until mixture comes together. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a work surface until well mixed. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and form each into a log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out each log into a 12-inch strip about 1/16 inch thick (roll the dough thinly enough so the crackers bake up nice and crisp). Transfer the crackers to parchment-lined baking sheets and poke all over with a fork.

In a small bowl, beat the egg, sugar, soy sauce and remaining 1/4 tsp of salt. Brush generously over crackers and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sesame seeds and kosher salt.

Bake in 375F oven until golden brown and crisp, 15 - 20 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

Make Ahead - Vegetable Samosas

It's that time of year again. Parties, and food and entertaining. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to take some time and make anything you can ahead of time. Appetizers and hors d'oeuvres that can be made and frozen are great to have on hand. For planned celebrations, or spur of the moment guests who drop by to share in the spirit of the season. And in that spirit, I would like to share some of my favourite appetizers that can be prepared in advance. One of the most requested dishes from my kitchen is the Chicken and Brie in Puff Pastry. This next dish definitely takes some time to prepare, but the flavours are fabulous! Serve with a mango chutney.

Vegetable Samosas (adapted from Canadian Living)

- 2 cups diced peeled potatoes

- 1/2 cup diced carrots

- 3 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 tsp each fennel and cumin seeds

- 1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds

- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

- 1/2 tsp each coriander and fenugreek seeds

- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tbsp grated gingerroot

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup frozen peas

- 3 tbsp lemon juice

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

DOUGH:

- 2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp cumin seeds (preferably black)

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

- 1/2 cup milk

DOUGH: In food processor or bowl, combine flour, cumin seeds and salt; pulse or cut in butter with pastry blender until in fine crumbs. Pulse or stir in milk until dough begins to form ball; press into disc. Wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

In saucepan of boiling salted water, cover and cook potatoes and carrots until tender, 10 minutes; drain. Meanwhile in skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry fennel, cumin and mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander and fenugreek seeds, and cayenne pepper just until cumin seeds begin to pop, 1 minute. Add onion, garlic, ginger and salt; fry until softened, 3 minutes. Stir in potato mixture, peas, lemon juice and coriander; let cool.

Cut dough into 12 pieces; form each into flat round. On floured surface, roll out each to 6-inch circle; cut in half. One piece at a time, moisten half of the cut edge with water. Form cone shape by overlapping cut edges by 1/4 inch; press together.

Fill with rounded 1 tbsp potato mixture. Moisten top inside edges of pastry; press to seal. Trim any jagged edges; crimp with fork.

Bake in 425F oven for 15 minutes. To make ahead, bake, let cool and freeze in airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Reheat in 350F oven for 10 - 20 minutes.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Asparagus

This is one of those great show-off dishes. It really doesn't take long to prepare and is great served with a quick side of sauteed vegetables or even just a simple spinach salad. This recipe comes from The Best of Bridge, and is a staple for Cavanagh entertaining. I have served with hollandaise sauce on the side, but on it's own the dish is just as tasty.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Asparagus

- 4 whole chicken breasts, halved, boned & pounded

- 24 medium asparagus spears, lightly blanched

- 1/4 cup butter, melted

- 1/4 cup dijon mustard

- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

- 1/4 cup white wine

- 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

- 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Prepare chicken and asparagus. Combine butter, mustard, garlic and wine. Dip chicken breasts in this mixture to coat them.

Place 3 or 4 asparagus spears on each breast and roll, securing with 1 or 2 toothpicks. Mix bread crumbs, parmesan and parsley together and roll the breasts in this mixture.

Bake 30 minutes at 350F oven.

Rosemary Cashews

This recipe is courtesy of Barefoot Contessa, and is a great way to spice up cashews for a quick and easy pre-dinner snack. They only take 5 minutes to make, and are best served warm so wait until your guests have arrived before putting the cashews in the oven. The recipe below serves 8. I halved it as there were only 4 of us.

Rosemary Cashews

- 1 lb cashews

- 2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary leaves

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

- 2 tsp light brown sugar

- 1 tbsp kosher salt

- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Spread cashews on a pan. Toast in 350 F oven until warm, 5 minutes.

In large bowl combine remaining ingredients and add warm nuts. Toss thoroughly and serve warm. So tasty!

Turkey with Some Tears

This was our first Thanksgiving in our new place. The last holiday, Easter, was the weekend we moved in, so we didn't have quite enough time to get ready to entertain. When we decided to host the dinner, we made a guest list. When we counted, we had invited over 30 people. Now, we know that's a lot but we also knew that some friends were going out of town and others had prior engagements.

I found a great menu in the October issue of Canadian Living. It was called Turkey Without the Tears. Perfect, the by-line was 'Want a no-stress Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings? Here are time-tested restaurant strategies that save time - and sanity'. The menu was for 10 people, and I thought we were going to end up with 12 or 14, so it would be perfect. Turkey, stuffing, carrots, brussel sprouts & green beans, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. It was great!

So I did what I always do when I'm planning a party. I make a plan, a grocery list and I get to work. We sent out the invitation using a very cheesy pic of a trip to a pumpkin patch last fall.

As we were planning everything, making list after list, the RSVP's started to roll in. And roll in they did. With the numbers rising every day the panic started to set in. What if we didn't have enough food? Where was everyone going to sit? I'd already ordered the turkey, and what if we didn't have enough dessert? And so came the turkey tears - an unprecedented pre-party meltdown. Brent listened, offered suggestions and tried to calm me down. I was excited about celebrating with all of our friends but I started wondering if I was making a big mistake.

So we made a few adjustments. As well as the turkey, we grabbed a turkey breast to cook before putting the large bird in the oven. We decided to double the mashed potatoes and carrots, and I decided to make a second dessert. And when people started asking if they could bring anything, we stopped politely declining. So we had a couple of salads, candied yams and lots of wine!

Wednesday we went grocery shopping and made the cranberry sauce. Thursday I made the carrot cake and gluten free pie dough. Friday we picked up the turkey, brined it, made the potatoes, blanched the brussel sprouts and green beans, cleaned and cut the carrots, prepped the stuffing, made the pumpkin pie, iced and decorated the carrot cake, made the whipped cream, cleaned and set-up the living room and bar. By the time we went to bed we'd gone through a bottle of wine and it was 2am! When I got home from my sewing class Saturday morning, Brent had cleaned the bathrooms and all we really had left to do was put the turkey in and let it cook.

After all was said and done there were about 20 people here, and we had enough food and wine for everyone. Not a lot of leftovers, but it was a great night with a fantastic crew of friends and family. The menu from Canadian Living was great, and there are definitely some dishes I would make again! While there were a few tears during the planning process, it was well worth it.

A Hit and a Miss

It happens to all of us. You decide to try out a new recipe, and for some reason you decide to do it when you are having company. You figure the recipe looks pretty good, and you've never BBQ'd ribs before, but it can't be that hard right? So you go and pick up all the ingredients, and it seems like they're going to make an awesome marinade and sauce. Beer, sugar, molasses, dates...

And so you follow the recipe, exactly as it describes, and even when it's cooking and you think it might be on too long, you keep following the recipe. You make the sauce, and boy does it smell good simmering on the stove top. Adding the super sugary, smoky sauce to the ribs is going to be so great.

And here's where it all goes wrong...

We realized soon after brushing the sauce on both sides, turning the heat to medium-high and cooking 15 minutes (as directed) that there was something wrong. See, they burned. And they burned bad. Like pretty much inedible bad.

Our friends were good sports, and we all actually ate them (well, what was left of them). At least we had a salad.

But there was a redeeming factor to the night. I had taken the time that afternoon to make a strawberry-rhubarb lattice pie. And I'd made some vanilla ice cream to go with it. So while eating the warm pie with ice cream, and having a great time catching up with friends, I realized that sometimes it does all balance out.

Lessons learned:

First, even though I've heard this a million times, read your recipes closely! And think about how things cook and react to temperature and other factors. I've heard somewhere that cookbooks and recipes have a 10% margin of error. It could be a typo. And if you ever doubt a recipe, don't doubt yourself. Try it your way; it can't be worse than burning the ribs to a crisp!

Secondly, sometimes it's not a good idea to try a new recipe out with guests, if it's something you've never done before (ie. BBQ ribs). We're going to try that recipe again, but this time we're going to add the sauce to the ribs after they come off the BBQ!

Chicken in Phyllo Pastry

The first time I made this recipe was in University, when I was having some new friends over for dinner. I can't remember for the life of me why I decided on this particular dish, but when at dinner the girls were asking where I bought the chicken bundles from, I knew I had found a new favourite. Since that day back in 2001 I have made this numerous times for many different people. I've privately dubbed it my best 'dish to impress'. That is, if I'm cooking for people for the first time, I know this dish will is a crowd pleaser. So when I was visiting my sister in Toronto and she told me we were having some of her friends for dinner, who were looking forward to having me cook for them (I think she may have talked me up a bit) I thought, why not pull out ole faithful. It was a hit!

Chicken in Phyllo

- 8 Phyllo Pastry Sheets, thawed overnight in refrigerator

- 1/4 cup (or more) butter, melted

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved

- 1 bunch of fresh spinach leaves, stems removed

- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped

- 1 large red pepper, cut in strips

- 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

One of the biggest things with making this dish, is the prep. After years of prepping this, my best advice is to have everything ready in an assembly line type operation. Phyllo is not difficult to work with, as long as you take care of it. What I mean by that is to cover the phyllo you are not using with a damp cloth. This helps it to not dry out and crack, making your life much easier. Once you have each of the items prepped and set out, it's time to get started.

Lay one sheet of phyllo on counter and fold in half. Brush melted butter along edges. Place chicken breast half in the middle, near the bottom of phyllo. Layer spinach, a sprinkling of basil, red pepper strips and some feta cheese. Roll chicken and phyllo over once. Fold edges toward the middle and continue rolling until you've formed a nice little bundle.

Place on cookie sheet, brush with butter. Now the next key is to cover this with another damp cloth, covering each bundle as you work. Once this is completed, you can either cook right away, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake in middle rack of 375 F oven for 25-30 minutes.

This dish is from The Best of Bridge, one of the best cookbooks you should have. It is great served with the Chickpea Couscous.

Chocolate Espresso Pudding

We had some friends over for an amazing night of food and drinks on the weekend. The company was fantastic, and while the girls made a chaotic mess in the kitchen, the boys were more than happy to clean it up...or at least they didn't complain! Knowing that dinner involved a lot of hands on cooking, I wanted to make sure to have dessert prepared in advance. This chocolate dessert was so easy to make, and so good!!!

Chocolate Espresso Pudding
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup 10% cream
- 3 tbsp hot espresso or very strong coffee
- 2 tbsp liquor (I used Kahlua) or coffee
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- whipping cream for garnish


In blender, finely chop chocolate and set aside.

In saucepan, bring cream to boil; remove from heat. Add hot espresso and liquor. With blender running, pour in hot cream mixture in thin stream until chocolate melts. Add eggs and whirl until smooth and well combined. Spoon into serving dishes. I used martini glasses. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, whip up some whipping cream with a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup. Garnish dessert with whipped cream and chocolates or fruit. I used fortune cookies since our dinner night was Asian themed.



We may have had one small amount of dessert left, and that disappeared before we made it out of the kitchen!

Hot Artichoke Dip

This dip is super easy, and is great for last minute entertaining. I've adapted from a Best of Bridge recipe to cut down on the mayo.

Hot Artichoke Dip
- 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayo
- about 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
- splash of lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in oven proof dish. Bake in oven or toaster oven for 10 minutes at 350 F until hot and bubbly.

Serve with crackers or breadsticks.

Quick Puff Pastry

Puff pastry is one of the most versatile ingredients to have on hand when cooking and baking. It is a great way to impress guests, and you can really do a lot of different things with puff pastry. I've always purchased the Tenderflake variety, which works really well. However, I wanted to know how hard it was to make my own. Let me tell you, it is actually one of the easiest things to make, using ingredients you probably have on hand. This recipe is from Canadian Living, and again, they don't disappoint.

Quick Puff Pastry
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup cold water




Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes; set aside 3/4 cup in the refrigerator. In food processor, pulse flour with salt. Sprinkle remaining butter over top; pulse until indistinguishable, about 10 seconds. Sprinkle with reserved butter; pulse 4 - 5 times until pea-size pieces. Pour water evenly over mixture (not through tube). Pulse 6 to 8 times until mixture is loose and ragged, do not let form ball.

Transfer to floured waxed paper; gather and press into rectangle. Dust with flour; top with waxed paper and roll out into 15 x 12 inch rectangle. When you first transfer it to the floured waxed paper, fear not, although it looks like it won't come together, it definitely will!


Remove top paper. Starting at long edge and using bottom paper to lift pastry, fold over one-third. Fold opposite long edge over top, bringing flush with edge of first fold to make 15 x 4 inch rectangle. Starting from 1 short end, roll up firmly; flatten into 5 inch square. Cut in half; wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

This can also be refrigerated for 5 days or frozen in airtight container for up to 2 weeks. You'll never want to buy store bought puff pastry again!

I rolled this out and used it for my Chicken and Brie Turnovers and the result was amazing!