It was B’s birthday this past weekend and I am so appreciative when D volunteers to make the cake.  I am not a baker, as I have admitted in this space before.  D on the otherhand gets a “kick” (his words) out of spending an entire Saturday night on one baking project.  I think that this special gift for our gang, harks back to the days when his Mom used to baked her kids their own pie for their birthday.  They would not have to share it with their siblings and I recall D saying that he kept his under his bed.

The Birthday Girl and her Fella

Pecan Crust

1 1/2 c flour

3 T sugar

3/4 c butter or hard margarine cut up

3/4 finely chopped pecans

Caramel Layer

3 T light cream

32 carmels-unwrapped (this was my only task)

1 c toasted chopped pecans

Cheese Layer

3 x 250 gr blocks of cream cheese, softened

1 c brown sugar

2 T flour

3 eggs

1 c cottage cheese, zapped in a blender

1 1/2 t vanilla

Ganache

1 c whipping cream

7x 1 oz. squares of chocolate baking squares

toasted chopped pecans (enough for garnish)

Crust: Combine flour & sugar.  Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Add pecans. Stir. Press into bottom of 1″ up side of greased 10″ springform pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until edges start to turn brown.  Let stand in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Caramel Layer: Heat & stir cream and caramels in small saucepan on low heat until caramels are melted.  Pour over crust,.  Spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans over top.

Cheese Layer: Beat cream cheese & brown sugar in large bowl until smooth.  Add flour. Beat.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.  Add cottage cheese & vanilla. Beat on low until just combined.  Pour over pecans.  Spread evenly.  Bake in 360 degree oven for about 1 hour until centre is almost set.  Run knife around inside edge of pan to allow cheesecake to settle evenly.  Let stand in pan on wire rack set in a baking sheet with sides until cooled comepletely.  Remove ring of the pan.

Chocolate Glaze:

Heat whipping cream in heavy saucepan on medium low until bubbles start to form around edge.  Do not boil.  Remove from heat.  Add chocolate.  Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Makes about 1 1/4 c of glaze.  Let stand for 5 mins.  Pour over cheesecakem allowing glaze to drip down side in smooth, even coating.

Sprinkle pecans over top.  Chill for at least 1 hr.  Cuts into a least 16 wedges. 

Note: If you do not serve immediately, refridgerate but remove in time for caramels to soften before serving.

Kath’s quote: “….I can dream away a half-hour on the immortal flavor of those thick cheese cakes we used to have on a Saturday night.”-Mary Antin

There was a time in Winnipeg, when dining meant having someone wheel a cart to your table and rub a bowl with garlic to start the preparations for your Caesar salad.  The classic French restaurants of St. Boniface would carve the beef tenderloin and ladle the hollandaise over the variety of vegetables from their Chateau Briand cart.  Crepes Suzette were often ordered for the show of the flaming liqueurs.

When “Six in the City” ventured to New York last summer we loved the fact that table service in the Big Apple is not a thing of the past.  We had our guacamole en molcajete prepped at table side at Rosa’s Mexicana and the expertise and the resulting freshness was truly memorable.

Our son’s father-in-law was one of Winnipeg’s table-side Caesar salad aficionados and we often reap the benefits of his time in the practice.  At Easter dinner recently, when the automatic start for the ham didn’t activate while we were all at church, they decided to add a salad course. 

Don says that his recipe is very “loose” but he has agreed to share it here:

Crush some cloves of garlic with salt (I have a suribachi for this).  Add one or more egg yolks (depending on quantity).  Add fresh lemon juice and a dash of vinegar.  Blend in olive oil (2-3 times the volume of lemon/vinegar).  Season with pepper, Dijon mustard.

Kath’s quote: “Being set at the table, scratch not thyself, and take thou heed as much as thou canst not to spit, cough and blow at thy nose; but if it be needful, do it dexterously, without much noise, turning thy face sidelong.”-Francis Hawkins

This is my eldest daughter’s favourite soup and my youngest daughter’s least favourite one.  Its hard being a Mom sometimes.

Even though I and Sister #2 & 3 all make this, I don’t think that a recipe has ever been written down.  You can use left over chicken or turkey if you like.  I find that chicken thighs are a better choice than chicken breasts because there is still a trace of chicken fat on the thighs and the secret to good chicken soup is the chicken fat.  

4 boneless thighs (I know there are 8 in the photo-I was making a double batch), cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

6 small or 4 large carrots, chopped

2 small yellow onions, chopped

2 large ribs celery or 6 celery hearts (I leave the leaves on), chopped

1 small pkg. chopped spinach

10 c chicken stock

1-2  t basil

1-2 t Montreal steak spice (you heard me right)

cheese tortellini, quantity according to taste (I say this because some people like their soup to be brothy and others more stewie), pre-cooked according to package directions

Place all veggies into a soup pot and saute until they sweat.  Add chicken, spices & chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender.  Add pre-cooked tortellini.  Ladle into large bowls and garnish with a sprinkle or shavings of Parmesan cheese. 

Kath’s quote: “Poultry is like meat, except when you cook it rare. Then it’s like bird-flavored Jello.”-P. J. O’Rourke

Do you ever get the craving to make something from your childhood that still retains that “old-fashioned taste”?  Such was the case when I found a huge bag of walnuts in my freezer.  This recipe is very similar to one that my Mom use to make.  They come out really hearty tasting and chewy-yum.

1 c flour
1/2 c butter 
2 eggs 
1-1/4 c brown sugar 
1 t baking powder
1 c walnuts, chopped
1 c shredded coconut 
1 t vanilla