Sweet Saucey Meatballs

1 bag store-bought meatballs (or homemade if you want...not as easy!)
1 jar grape jelly
1 jar chili sauce

Cook meatballs on low for 2 hours or until heated through. Combine jelly and chili sauce in a sauce pot and bring to a boil (dissolve the sugar). Add to the meatballs and keep warm until serving.

Easy peasey lemon squeezey.

Poutine

I couldn't find a "real" recipe -- you can only buy the real gravy in Canada, but here is a cheap substitute!

Fry some home style cut french fries (or buy them from Five Guys....).  Put lots of cheddar cheese on top (the real recipe calls for "squeaky" cheese = cheese curds made fresh that day).  Make some brown gravy according to instructions (make it a tad more watery).  Pour some gravy on top then add more cheese. Let it sit for a few minutes to melt and work itself into each other.  Eat and enjoy!

(Disclaimer = it won't be as good as getting it in Canada.... you can try doing a gravy from scratch and reducing it by half....might be a little tastier than McCormick's).

125 - Year - Old Pie Crust

2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
Cut until crumbly, then add:
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp vinegar
¼ cup water

Stir until just mixed. Makes 3 one-layer pie crusts. Freezes well.

Perfect Peach Cobbler

1 can (29 oz) peach slices, with juice
1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling (apple pie filling can be substituted)
1 white or yellow cake mix
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 C. butter, thinly sliced

Instructions:
-Pour juice from peaches into a separate bowl.
-Spread pie filling and peaches on bottom of greased 4 ½ - 6 quart slow cooker.
-Sprinkle cake mix and cinnamon on top.
-Pour peach juice over dry ingredients.
-Place butter slices over the dry areas.
-Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours or on high heat for 2 hours.
-Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

Delicious Creme Anglaise - Gluten, Casein Free

I'm so not a food blogger and I don't really aspire to be either. There are too many other people who do that, and do it well. So I don't have lovely pictures to show for this recipe. But it turned out so yummy I thought I'd post it anyway.
I've been wanting to make a nice vanilla cream (or Creme Anglaise) that I could use in my Gluten Free Triffle, and today I found it. (I'll post the trifle recipe later). I just want to be able to celebrate holidays eating the deserts I love, without having to tell my kids: um, sorry, you can't eat this, or the alternative which is making two of every kind. I like food to be delicious, even if it doesn't contain Gluten or Casein. I can't stand recipes that claim they taste just like the "real thing" and then instead of having a yummy, gooey cookie melt on your tongue, you bite into a gluten free, chocolate free/carob substituted wannabe cookie that leaves your mouth feeling like you were just caught in a moldy sandstorm.

This recipe works (although admittedly I use approximates with the sugar, starch, and vanilla). It's delicious. I like having custard with fruit, because fruit is easy, available, quickly cooked, and makes a yummy dessert.

Here it is:


2 cups almond milk (I have tried it with coconut milk, but the coconut flavor was too strong for my taste)
4 egg yolks
2 tsps vanilla essence
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 corn starch

1. Warm the almond milk to hot, but not boiling.
2. In  a separate bowl beat the eggs with the sugar. Either warm the metal bowl on a stove (being careful to make it warm to the touch, not burning hot) or for even better results put the bowl in hot water and mix it up with a hand mixer until the  sugar dissolves and the eggs are frothy, thick and pale yellow.
3. Pour the hot milk into the eggs while continuing to use the hand mixer, and then pour the eggs into the pot. Don't try to do it in reverse (i.e. pour eggs into the milk). 
4. Continuously stir on the stove. You have to stir. 
5. Dissolve cornstarch in a bit of water or almond milk, and add to the mixture. 
6. Key is to keep stirring, keeping it at a low temperature so it goes to almost boiling, but doesn't. 

That makes for a creamy sauce that isn't too thick. Enjoy with some steamed fruit or over some crumble.

Woops, somehow I posted this on the Clear Creek Ward recipes. Oh well. Hi everyone in Clear Creek. I'll go ahead and repost this on my blog too, which is www.vanessahoussian.blogspot.com
By the way, miss you all lots.

Waffle Turtle Cookies

from my cousin Meredith Fillmore McKinnon

Could be chocolate- or orange-flavored (or add another flavoring of your choice)

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 Cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cocoa OR grated rind from 1 orange (or other flavoring)

Glaze:

1 1/2 cup sugar

juice from 1 orange OR cocoa and water

Preheat and spray waffle iron.

Cream sugar & butter. Add eggs, vanilla, flour, cocoa (or orange rind), and salt.

Drop batter onto heated waffle iron, close the cover, and bake until light brown (about 2 min on medium-high heat). Mix glaze to a very thin consistency. Dip cookies in glaze and let drip onto cooling rack.

Moroccan Lentils

Moroccan Lentils (adapted from a recipe here)

2 cups lentils

1 can diced tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

2 1/2 tsp cumin

2 1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

(1 lb chopped ham, optional)

Mix all ingredients in a pot, pressure cooker, or slow cooker. Add 2 liters of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat for 30-40 minutes , if cooking on the stove. If using a pressure cooker, cook with pressure for 5 to 10 minutes and allow pressure to drop of its own accord. If using a slow cooker, cook on high for, um, a while until lentils are tender. If sauce is too watery, cook uncovered to reduce.

I use my pressure cooker.

Good served with sour cream and/or grated cheese.