Soughdough Muffins

Sourdough starter can be used for more that bread. Sourdough muffins are a nice way to perk up your morning and are just a delight anytime.

Pictured here are the sourdough muffins I made today. They were enticing enough my husband snitched the top off of one just before I took the picture. This batch was made using sultana raisins but cranraisins could be used instead. For a stronger rye flavour use a rye based sourdough starter.

Sourdough Muffins
source: Susan Jane Cheney, Breadtime. 1998. Pp. 180.

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c rye flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 c vegetable oil (recipe specifies sunflower)
1/3 maple syrup (100% Pure Canadian)
1 egg
1/2 c milk
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/4 c orange juice
3/4 c sourdough starter
1/2 c raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsly chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (375ºF convection). The instructions said to gease the muffin cups but I was using silicone so omitted this step. Mixt the flours, salt and baking soda with a Kitchen Aid or sift together. Zest the orange then squeeze the juice from it. Pour in the liquid ingredients if using a Kitchen Aid otherwise mix the liquids together then stir into the dry ingredients along with the raisens and nuts. Fill the muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until center tests clean with toothpick.
Makes 12

Note: I modified the instructions to use the Kitchen Aid mixer and I tinkered just a bit with the ingredients. This is a nice hearty muffin!

Enjoy!

Garden Gnome
© 2007

My Burger!

My husband wanted to go out for Valentine's Day. We don't normally celebrate this day but after the last couple of disruptive days I was fair game. So he told me to name the restaurant and he would make the reservations. I surprised him by wanting to go to our favourite burger joint. The burgers here are quite large. The service is always wonderful too and we always have an enjoyable time. Now there was a method to my madness as I really didn't feel like getting dressed up and needed comfort food. This really fit the bill!

My husband makes burgers that are even better than this so I should have asked for that but hey we both needed a break. Watch for his burger recipe as I will be posting it later this month. It is best using homemade buns from the white bread recipe already posted but for that entry I'll likely do a repeat if only for the method.

Garden Gnome
© 2007

Recipes & Fancied Up Sheppard's Pie

It is cold, icky and we are under a winter storm warning here. The weather turned about 2 pm today and has been getting steadily worse. Right now I can barely see the road. The good news is the gas installer showed up this morning so I was able to get to huge loads of laundry done in half the time the old machines would have taken per load and since they hold almost three times as much the time savings was even greater. My house has been in an uproar with getting this new washer and dryer set up. Last night my husband decided we were eating out and I was just so thankful! I don't do disruptions well. Anyway we had a lovely steak dinner with the fixings and while I normally take the camera for pictures, I was so exhausted that I simply forgot.

A note on any recipe posted here: Any recipe I post has been tweaked by me and is tried and true. In most cases these are family favourites I've used for years. You may have to do a little tweaking yourself as I tend to go lighter on both sugar and salt but the recipes will be fine the way they are written. For some entries you will see the actual recipe as I found it then in my notes what I did to change it. I am getting a fair amount of email requesting certain recipes as well. What might not be apparent from my blog is I make the recipe, take the picture and update the blog all in the same day for about 95% of the entries. For that reason there may be a day like yesterday where the blog is not updated because I didn't do a whole lot of cooking. So be sure to check back as entries are based on the cooking I do.



For tonight's dinner I decided to do a fancied up sheppard's pie. Now some will say this isn't sheppard's pie because it does have lamb but that what we call it so that's how I'm going to present it. This is an easy comfort food, kicked up just a bit and perfect for a snowy, cuddle on the couch day. Oh and this is my own special creation, one that my family loves.

Fancied Up Sheppard's Pie
source: recipe by Garden Gnome

7 med potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 med carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 c cabbage cut into small chunks
1/2 c cream cheese
1/2 c sour cream
1 tbsp butter
2 lb lean ground beef
4-6 large fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 small cooking onion, diced
1 c beef stock
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c frozen corn niblets
1/2 c frozen peas
bread crumbs
sprinkling of chopped chives or sliced green onions


Combine potatoes, carrots and cabbage is large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and allow to cook until potatoes and carrots are tender. Drain. Place the vegetables in a Kitchen Aid bowl or mixing bowl. Attach the flat beater. Add butter, sour cream and cream cheese. Mix until just smooth. Set aside. Brown ground beef, drain then stir in mushrooms and onions. Return to heat and allow to cook until the mushrooms are cooked. Make a slurry of the water and corn starch. Stir into the meat mixture and allow to thicken. Pour the meat mixture into a large casserole dish. Top with corn niblets and peas. Spread the potato mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle on bread crumbs, a small amount of butter if desired and chopped chives. Bake until warmed through.
Serves 8

Garden Gnome
© 2007

Aged Beef & Creamy Coleslaw

Gallagher's Steakhouse
New York-New York Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

On our recent trip to Las Vegas we stayed at the Golden Nugget in the old downtown area of the city. We took our friends on a tour of the larger theme casinos. One of the stops was at New York-New York Hotel & Casino. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the beef dry-aging in the window. Unfortunately since it was just after lunch we did not eat at Gallagher's Steakhouse this trip. It is on our list of stops for our August trip. If the steak is as good as the meat looks it should be a nice meal!

Salads are a key component for a lot of our meals and while a lot tend to be leaf type salads once in awhile it is nice to deviate to a another type of salad. A homemade creamy coleslaw is a nice change. This is one of our our family favourites. It travels well and will keep for a few days in the fridge. I like to make it a day before serving to let the flavours meld.

Creamy Coleslaw
source: unknown but tried and true, used by me for years

3 c shredded cabbage
1/3 c finely chopped onion
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 tbsp organic or granulated white sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery seed

Prepare the cabbage and onion. Stir together in mixing bowl. Blend the rest of the ingredients together. Pour over the vegetable mix and stir well.

Notes: I used Miracle Whip^® for years in this recipe because it adds a nice tang. Mayonnaise will give nice results with a little less tang. I also like to double dressing then just add enough cabbage and onions mix to the desired texture.

Garden Gnome
© 2007