Tootie Bins (Pets-de-soeur)

My mom makes these biscuit type cookies that are to die for.  They are a family favorite!  YOUNG and OLD will devour them.
Here is her recipe.

4 cups of flour
8 tsp baking powder
2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of shortening
2 cups of milk
Butter enough to spread on the dough.
Brown sugar enough to spread on the dough.

Mix dry ingredients together than add the shortening make a hole in the center than add the milk.

Mix well, then roll out the dough and spread the butter and brown sugar roll it up and cut and cook at 425 degrees for 13 minutes.

TIPS:  Do not work the dough too much.  The less you work it the better it will be.  When you place the biscuits on the cookie sheet place them close together.  The dough will rise, but if you spread it too far apart the pinwheel seperates and they become crunchy and not so good.

**Bertine Saulnier's Tootie Bins.

Fresh Salsa

I have been making my own salsa for a few months now. I tested a few recipes until I came up with the perfect combination. My boyfriend LOVES this salsa - we can never keep enough! You can use salsa as a topping on meats, fish, or vegetables. Be careful with the corn chips, as they are high in carbs and sodium...but I know they do taste pretty good with this salsa! One cup of this stuff is equal to one serving of vegetables! EAT UP!

• 5 medium tomatoes
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 1 hot banana pepper
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 large spanish onion (or red)
• 1 medium green pepper
• 1 medium sweet red pepper
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 small taspoons of white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 squirts of vinegar
• 4 squirts of hot pepper sauce

You may need to add sugar, salt or vinegar depending on taste.

 

You can also add a small amount of cilantro if you like...we prefer it sans cilantro, because the first time I tried making my own salsa I put too much cilantro in it and now we hate it. HA! :) ENJOY!

 

This recipe was first published on Ottawa Pink Drink Website. 

Zuchinni Bread

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups of white sugar
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of grated zuchinni
• 1 cup of walnuts

Grease and flour a large loaf pan.  (or two small loaf pans)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

 Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.


Nutritional Information  
Amount Per Serving  Calories: 255 | Total Fat: 13.1g | Cholesterol: 26mg

Banana Muffins

If you are fortunate enough to have leftover bananas at your house, and have lots of them, this is a great recipe for yummy muffins.


Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
3 banana
2 eggs
1 and 1/4 cup of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
**optional, add chocolate chips (a handful is enough)

Bake at 350 Degrees for 25 - 30 minutes

Makes a dozen large muffins.

We call these Frogs

My Aunt Babe used to make these chocolate balls covered in coconut.  I am not sure why she called them Frogs, but that's what they are.  OMG, these are sooo good!

Ingredients
2 cups of brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk

Mix above ingredients in large pot.  Bring to a rolling boil, then take off the burner.

Add the following:
3 cups of quick rolling oats (oatmeal)
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (okay I confess...I use 1 capful (yes, the cap off the vanilla bottle - ha!)

Mix well.  Let cool until you can comfortably touch and not burn yourself.  (about 10 - 15 mins)
Drop spoonfuls into a bowl of coconut.  Completely cover in coconut...roll into balls.
Place in fridge...they taste absolutely delicious when they are cold.

Makes about 3 dozen frogs.

Shortbread Cookies

I started making these cookies when I was 18 years old.  I had just moved into my first apartment, and was trying to impress my boyfriend (ultimately I think I was trying to prove to myself that I could cook - and not starve to death).
These cookies have been a favorite for years!!
They are firm, but melt in your mouth.  I hate a crumbly cookie.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup soft butter
  
  Mix all ingredient together until moist.  You will need to shape into small balls (squeeze and roll in palm of hand).  Place on cookie sheet and press with spoon or fork.  Decorate as you like.  (I always use the colourful hard sprinkly ball things.) **What do you call those?  heheehee

Bake at 300 Degrees for 15 to 20 mins.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Memere Boucher's Sugar Cookies

I have wonderful memories of Christmas and holidays past. Memories that involve me sneaking a handful of sugar cookies off the 'treat' platter, 5 mins before my mother served Christmas dinner. I couldn't resist, as they tasted so awesome. Comforting, soft...and they would melt in your mouth. There was no need to add any fancy icing or candy decorations to these cookies...they were divine in plain mode. My Memere Boucher's Family Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 cups of flour

As with most recipes...mix all the wet ingredients first. (Brown sugar, shortening, eggs, milk and vanilla). When mixed well, add all other dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, and flour). (For the record, I do not consider brown sugar a dry ingredient!)

Mix well...roll out on counter which you've lightly dusted with flour, and use a small glass or round cookie cutter to make your cookies.

   Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 mins.

Makes a few dozen cookies.

Comforting Cabbage Rolls

First I have to tell you the story behind these amazing cabbage rolls.  Valentine’s Day 2009 I decided it was time to cook a feast for the man in my life.  He had been so awesome to me that I wanted to show him just how much I appreciated him, as a man.   What better way to do that than win him over through his stomach.  The night before I went up to visit my boyfriend I slaved over the hot burner cooking these up.  They were a pain in the butt to make, but sooooooooooo worth it in the end.


You will need the following:

• large cabbage heads
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup parboiled rice 
• 8 strips of bacon, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 3 onions chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 1/2 lb. of ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 can sauerkraut, rinsed, squeezed dry
• 3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 1 can tomato juice (make it two just in case!)

1. Firstly you will need to to boil the cabbage.  It’ll take about 5 – 8 minutes to soften the leaves.  Once they are soft remove a few outer leaves and chill.  Repeat, until you have enough cabbage leaves to make a large panful of cabbage rolls.
2. I made my rice using the chicken stock instead of water.  Just follow your regular rice recipe, and substitute water for chicken stock.
3. Fry up your ground beef.
4. Fry the bacon.  Drain off fat.  Stir in onions, garlic, red pepper, marjoram and thyme.  Fry until cooked.
5. Add the bacon and onions etc., to the rice.  Also add the beef, parsley, salt, pepper and egg.  Mix well.
6. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the mixture onto each leaf.  Fold ends and side over filling; roll up.
7. Line a large roasting pan or Dutch Oven with one third of the sauerkraut;  sprinkle with one third of the sugar.  Top with half of the rolls, seam side down; cover with one-third of the sauerkraut and one of the sugar.  Repeat with remaining rolls, sauerkraut and sugar.
8. Pour tomato juice over rolls. 

 Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours.  Uncover and bake for 30 minutes longer or until rolls are tender. 
You can bake cabbage rolls ahead of time and refrigerate them for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month.  Thaw and reheat, covered, in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until heated through.
 This will feed a family of 8 with no problem!

Chicken ‘non-fried’ rice

I love this recipe!  I got it from Erin (who is my boyfriend's niece.)  She lived with me for a year while she attended college.  I love this rice because it’s soooooooo easy to make and it tastes DELICIOUS!  Like I said earlier…the easier the better!  This dish tastes great with Garlic Spare ribs. 

You will need the following:

• 2 cups of rice (I use Uncle Ben’s 10 min rice)
• 3 cups of water
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (I use Olive oil)
• 1/4 cup of soya sauce
• chicken cubed (i use boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms
• 1 package of Lipton’s Onion soup mix

Mix all ingredients together in a large casserole dish.

Stick in oven at 350 degrees and bake for one hour.
Feeds 8 (generous helpings too). 

Welcome to our Recipe Blog!

I started this blog to store all my tried and true family recipes – so that they would be easily accessible to my growing independent children and the rest of my family.  I'll admit I've often been at my boyfriend's house and wanted to bake cookies but didn't have my recipes.  Thankfully modern technology allows us to store everything online!  Isn’t that wonderful??  I don’t claim to be a master cook or anything.  In fact, I can be quite lazy in the kitchen.  I love easy recipes and foods that are easy to make, and taste awesome.  So…this is mainly for me, but if you try one of my recipes and love it, please share.  I’d love to hear from you!