Photo's I have Taken

Over the past couple of weeks I really haven't done any baking or cooking so I thought I would post some of the photos that I have taken. Hope you enjoy them. They were taken at a friends friends yard. They have a wonderful piece of property, lake across the road and a river beside them. All kinds of flowers trees just an amazing place to spend the day.

Yellow Warbler

Spotted Sand Piper

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
This is a little dark but to catch them sitting in a tree is so unusual I had to add it

Ruby- throated Hummingbird feeding in Echinacea

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Feeding in Echinacea

Mixed Berry Trifle

A co-worker and myself went to a BBQ on Saturday July 16th. It was at a co-worker's house. He has a very cute daughter that is about 16 months old. She enjoyed the Trifle as you can see.

Mixed Berry Trifle

Ingredients:
1 pint blueberries
1 pint raspberries
1 quart strawberries
1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
milk or half and half for pudding mix
250 mil whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
pound cake or angel food cake (used pound cake)

Directions:

Prepare fruit, remove stems and wash.
Place fruit in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over fruit.
Let stand to macerate the fruit.

In your mixer add instant pudding and mix to the directions on package.
We used half and half instead of milk when we made the pudding.
Put in medium sized bowl and set aside.

Pour whipping cream into another mixing bowl for your mixer.
Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
Set this aside.

Cut up pound cake into little squares.

In a large glass bowl arrange pound cake on bottom.
Spoon fruit over pound cake with some of the juice.
Add pudding over fruit and gently spread around bowl.
Add whipped cream and gently spread around bowl.
Add another layer of pound cake.
Fruit
Pudding
Whipping cream
Top with sliced strawberries.
Keep in frig. for a least 4 hours before serving.

♥

This Sandhill Crane was in a wheat field outside of Brantford.

Maple Syrup Tarts

At Faul Farms Natural Fed Beef I purchased steak and hamburg and Snyder Heritage Farms Maple syrup. The steak was really good, you do have to cook it to a pink stage due to the fact there is less fat in the meat. The hamburg meat was also very good. I will take photos when we have the rest of the meat. The syrup has a bit of a smoke flavor to it. We thought maple tarts might be good so I looked for a recipe and found this one on at Dinner with Julie. Well, what can anyone say.... MORE PLEASE.

Maple Syrup Tarts

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. softend butter
pinch salt
1 cup toasted chopped pecans (optional) (did not use in the maple tarts)
Sour Cherry Jam
Peach Jam
Slivered Almonds

Pie Dough Ingredients:

The Perfect Pie Dough

Follow the ingredient list and the directions to make the pie dough. Or the pie dough of your choice.

Directions:

Preheat oven 400º.
On lightly floured surface roll pastry to 1/4" thick.
Cut circles about 4".
Press into un-greased muffin tins.
Set aside.
In medium sized bowl whisk filling ingredients together.
Fill the prepared tart shells 2/3 full.
Bake for about 20 minutes. I found about 22 minutes worked well.
Let them cool in the pan.
While still warm run a knife around the edges to loosen them.
If they are a little stuck return to oven for a minute to soften again to remove from pan.
Place on cooling rack.
Makes about 24 tarts.

We also made sour cherry and peach with almond tarts. Added Sour Cherry Jam and Peach Jam and topped with slivered almonds. Baked the same as the maple tarts.

♥

Wood Duck on a pond near Cambridge

Peanut Butter and Cornflake Squares

I changed these bars up a bit, added honey nut cheerios. Also added the ganache from the Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ganache Stuffing on top. Loved the additions would make them again for sure.

I have decided to start adding a Photo A Week with my recipe. Hope you all enjoy them.

Peanut Butter and Cornflake Squares

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
3 cup corn flakes
2 cups honey nut cheerios

Ganache:

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
5 tbsp. heavy cream
2 1/2 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. crème fraîche or sour cream

Directions:

Combine sugar and syrup in saucepan.
Heat mixture on stove until mixture slightly boils up once.
Remove from stove and add peanut butter, cornflakes, honey nut cheerios.
Mix well, working quickly.
Put into a 9x12-inch pan and press down.
Cut into squares before completely cooled.

Ganache Directions:

Put chocolate in medium bowl.
In a small sauce pan bring cream and corn syrup to a boil; pour over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute.
Whisk until smooth.
Whisk in crème fraîche or sour cream.
Refrigerate for about 1 hour and stir occasionally until thick and spreadable.

♥

Swan baby on Hamilton Harbour

Oatmeal Bars

I get emails from Mr. Food. When I saw this recipe I decided to try it and loved it. I added raisins both dark and light, toffee bits with the chocolate chips. These would be great for kids lunches and to take for snack on any outing.

Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 cups large flake oats
1 cup unnbleached flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup each of chocolate chips, raisins, toffee bits and golden raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven 350º.
Lightly grease 9 X 13" baking dish
In small sauce pan melt butter and syrup over low heat.
In large bowl, combine butter mixture, baking soda and allspice; mix well and let cool.
In medium bowl combine flour, oats, sugar and chocolate chips, raisins, toffee bits.
Add the flour to the butter mixture and mix well.
Press dough into prepared baking dish.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes then immediately cut into bars; then let cool completely then cut again.
Do not miss this step as they will be to hard to cut after.

♥

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ganache Stuffing

This is the second cookie I have made with a filling and I think this one was much better. The recipe can be found on Food and Wine. The chocolate chip cookie was also really good just on its own. The Ganache part made enough for another batch, so I will be making more of the cookies to go with it. The other cookie is Triple Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookie.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Ganache Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. unbleached flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Ganache:
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
5 tbsp. heavy cream
2 1/2 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. crème fraîche or sour cream


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º.
On a cookie sheet spread nuts and roast for about 8 minutes.
Let cool; then chop; set aside.
In small bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; whisk.
In mixer bowl cream butter, sugars and vanilla; for about 1 minute.
Beat in the egg.
On low speed add flour mixture, and mix until just mixed.
Remove from mixer and add nuts and chocolate chips.
Spoon 1 tablespoon full onto un-greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Put in frig for 30 minutes to chill dough.

Make ganache:
Put chocolate in medium bowl.
In a small sauce pan bring cream and corn syrup to a boil; pour over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute.
Whisk until smooth.
Whisk in crème fraîche.
Refrigerate for about 1 hour and stir occasionally until thick and spreadable.

When dough has chilled.
Remove from frig and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool on cookie sheet and then transfer to cooling rack.
Cool completely.
Take one cookie and spread ganache onto the bottom and then place another cookie on top.
Makes 18 cookies.

♥

Peanut Butter Cake

I bought this cookbook years ago at the grocery store. 263 Recipes in Praise of Cooking. This cookbook has many great recipes in it. The Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Icing is one of the great ones. It is easy to prepare and you can serve to company. This peanut butter cake was also great and it does make a larger cake for company.

Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup lightly-packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Icing:

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 egg white
2 cups sifted icing sugar
1 tbsp. cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350º.
Grease and flour 8x8" baking dish.
In small bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and whisk together.
In mixer bowl cream shortening and peanut butter; add sugar and eggs one at a time until combined.
In measuring cup combine milk and vanilla.
Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk & vanilla.
Combine until just mixed.
Turn batter into prepared baking dish.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tooth pick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes.
Remove cake from pan and place on cooling rack.

Directions Icing:

In your mixer bowl cream butter; add peanut butter, egg white combine until smooth.
Add icing sugar alternately with cream until it is the consistency to spread on your cake.
Beat in vanilla extract.

♥