Art-is-in Bakery's Easter Feast for 2! Yum!

Don't feel like cooking this Easter?

Art-is-in Bakery in Ottawa is offering a fantastic Easter Feast for 2. 

Orders must be received before April 1st and can be picked up April 4th & 5th!

I am a personal fan of this bakery and highly recommend them for both their amazing food and fantastic service. They were also featured on the Food Network Canada's You Gotta Eat Here! and rated number 1 in Ottawa Magazine’s Best Restaurants in 2012!

Poutza? Pizztine? Pizza Poutine!

Im not 100% convinced, but according to Jeremy @ mtlblog.com, this pizza is delicious!
I'm definitely going to try it next time i'm in Montreal.
Read more about it here!

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken Breast

Meat
2 chicken breasts, boneless

Produce
1/3 cup of jalapeño peppers

Refrigerated
2 eggs

Baking & Spices
1 cup of flour
Salt and pepper

Oils & Vinegars
Some olive oil

Bread & Baked Goods
2 cup Bread crumbs, plain

Dairy
6 oz Cream cheese
3/4 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

Other
Butcher twine, skewers or toothpicks

Bake @ 350 degrees.

Pure Potato Condiment.....?

"Use in place of catsup, cheese or lard..."

Uhh.. no thanks.. :P Ew!

Egyptian Semolina Cake

Prep Time: 10-12 minutes

Cooking Time: 45-55 minutes

Serves: 8-10 people

Cuisine:-  Middle Eastern, African, Arabic 

Spice Level:  Sweet

Recipe Level:  Medium

Shelf Life: Up to 12 hours at room temperature, up to 5 days in the Fridge

What you need

• 2 cups fine semolina (cream of wheat)
• ¾  cup unsweetened, desiccated coconut
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 150 g unsalted Butter  ( Melted, kept at room temperature )
• ½ cup (200 g) plain Yogurt
• ½ cup double cream
• ¾ tsp Baking soda
• ¼  tsp salt
• 20-30 almonds or almond flakes (for garnish)

For Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 2 tbsp  rose water
• 3 tsp lemon or lime juice
• 4-5 Saffron strands
• 2 cloves of Cardamom

• The syrup has to be at room temperature and the cake should be warm when you pour the syrup over the cake, so you have to prepare the syrup before baking the cake.
• To make the syrup, boil the sugar and the water at medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• Then add the lemon juice and remove the scum (if any) that floats to the top.
• Add the rosewater and boil until the syrup thickens a little (if you stir with a spoon, it will coat the back of the spoon and if you touch it, the syrup will feel a little thick and slimy).
• Don’t let the syrup boil for a long time and thicken up too much though, it means less syrup. It will take about 15 minutes to boil the syrup.
• Once almost done, add saffron strands, stir one last time and remove from stove. Keep aside and allow to come to room temperature.  

In the meantime,

• In a large bowl, mix the semolina and the baking soda. Then add the coconut, sugar and salt and mix well.
• Add the melted butter, cream and yogurt and mix well with a spoon until well combined and it comes together. Eventually, the batter will get thick and come together, almost like a dough.
• Lightly butter a medium sized (about 10 inch) non-removable cake pan/pie plate before placing parchment paper (so that the paper doesn’t move) and then lightly butter the sides and the bottom.
• Spoon in the cake batter and even it out on top with a spoon. Allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes. I kept it for over 40 minutes, purely due to the reason I was busy cleaning my Fridge
• Then cut the cake into diamonds or squares (before baking it). Place the blanched almonds or almond flakes in the middle of each diamond/square and gently press them down a little.

• Bake the cake at 175 C (350 F) in a preheated oven, in the middle rack for about 20 minutes first.
• Then take the cake out and gently cut it into diamonds/squares again. If you cut the cake when it is fresh out of the oven, it might crumble. This is why it is good to cut it before it is fully baked
• Place the cake back into the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes until it looks golden and crisp on top. Take the cake out and spread the syrup slowly and evenly on top of the cake.
• Allow the cake to soak up the syrup for a couple of hours or overnight and cool down to room temperature. I only kept it for 2 hours and it was all so perfect, although I must admit it tasted even better the next day
• Once you are satisfied with the time you have spent on soaking and the cake has cooled won enough, just cut the cake again and enjoy!  

Source: http://theveggieindian.com

Free Donut Recipes E-Book!

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Source: http://www.craftsy.com/

How To Cut A Recipe In Half

Easy Challah Bread

This is a Jewish egg bread, often braided for a beautiful presentation. Top it with sesame or poppy seeds or try adding raisins to the batter! 

Ingredients

1 (.25) pkg dry active yeast

1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees)

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

3 eggs, beaten

3 1/2 cups flour (more if you will be kneading by hand, I used my dough hook)

1 egg yolk for brushing over bread before baking, or 2 tbsp butter melted

In a large bowl, mix together your yeast and the water.  Let the mixture stand until it looks kind of, cloudy and scummy.  Yea, I know, real technical term.  It should take about 10 minutes.  At this time you will need to stir in the honey and salt, until it is all dissolved and add the beaten eggs..  Mix in the flour a little bit at a time, until the dough becomes sticky.  Sprinkle flour on the dough and knead it until it is smooth, about 5 minutes. 

Now, shape the dough into a ball, and place in a bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick spray or brushed with oil. Let it rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size.  It will take 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Punch the dough down and cut it into 3 equal pieces.  On a floured surface roll the small pieces into ropes about the thickness of...hmm...a cigar and about 12 inches long.  The ropes should be a little fatter in the center than the edges.  Now, let's be real, mine were far from perfect, they were fatter than they should have been but as you can see, it turned out perfectly fine. Pinch the ends together and flip them under. Place the beautifully braided loaf onto a baking sheet lines with parchment paper.  Brush the top with beaten egg yolk and also brush where the bread touches in the braid so it holds together when you s slice it.  You can also used melted butter.

Bake the challah in a preheated oven until the top turns a beautiful rich brown color and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap on it.  It should take 30-35 minutes.  Place it on a wire rack to cool when it is done!

Ojibwe Bannock Bread

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. salt 4 Tbs. fat (animal lard or shortening) 
• 4 Tbs. baking powder 
• 4 cups flour 
• 2 cups water

Directions
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x12 (rectangle) cake pan.

Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly.

Cut in (room temperature) fat to flour mixture until pea sized lumps are formed in flour.

Make a "lake" in the flour and pour water in your "lake."

Mix gently with fork until a nice and sticky dough is formed.

Place in greased pan and pat down with hands softly.

Fry in skillet until golden brown.

Important step: place out of pan on towel, leaned up on its side against a pot to cool.

Bacon Stuffed French Toast

For this recipe, I went with a bacon and cream cheese stuffing but feel free to get creative and try different combos!

Peanut butter + jelly,
Cream cheese + jam,
Jalapeño + cheddar
Banana + chocolate
Apple & brie...

The possibilities are endless! Feel free to share your creations or stuffing ideas in the comment section below. Have fun!



Ingredients:

•  1 loaf of bread (about 18 slices) 
• 1 (16oz) package maple flavored bacon 
• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened 
• 1 1/4 packed cups brown sugar 
• 1 tsp maple extract 
• 5 eggs 
• 1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons milk 
• 2-3 tablespoons butter 

Instructions:

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Beat together the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and maple extract until creamy.
Spread the mixture on each of the 18 slices of bread.
Break the pieces of bacon in half, and distribute evenly amongst half of the bread slices.
Top with remaining slices of bread. In a shallow dish, like a pie plate – whisk together the eggs and milk.
Dip both sides of the ‘sandwiches’ in the egg mixture.
Melt the butter in a skillet or a griddle.
Cook the french toast on both sides until nicely browned.
Serve with butter and syrup.

Creamsicle Cake

• 1 box (15.25 oz) White Cake Mix
• 1 container (6 oz) non-fat Greek yogurt, plain 
•  1 cup orange juice 
•  freshly grated orange zest, optional 
•  powdered sugar, optional 

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, Greek yogurt and orange juice.
Include the zest of one orange, if desired.
Pour batter into a greased 8 x8 inch square pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-33 minutes.

Slice into 9 pieces.
Garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar and orange peel, if desired.


Nutrition information per slice: Calories 201, Fat 4.4 grams, Carbs 40 grams, Fiber 1.1 grams, Protein 3.3 grams.

Sweet Buttermilk Biscuits

I found this super easy recipe, which is just awesome for whipping up some quick (but oh so yummy) biscuits. No eggs, no yeast and no waiting before baking! Light, moist and delicious, this recipe is purrrfect for busy bees like me! Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12-14 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 

• 2 cups all purpose flour 

• 1 tablespoon sugar 

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda 

• 1 tablespoon baking powder 

• 1 teaspoon salt 

• 1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Cut butter into small pieces. Spread the butter pieces on a dinner plate and place in the freezer while you measure out and mix the dry ingredients. The butter should be cold but not frozen.

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

1. Note: It is very important that you work quickly through these next steps so the butter does not warm up and soften too much.

1. With a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until it resembles small crumbs (the size of a pea).

1. Make a hole in the middle of the flour and add buttermilk. Gently stir until the dough is mixed together but still tacky. If it’s too dry, add more buttermilk.

1. Pour the mixed dough out onto a floured surface and pat gently into a rectangle.

1. Fold the dough onto itself six times then pat down to 1 inch thick.

1. With a 2 ½ inch round biscuit cutter, push down to cut the dough and pull up without twisting the cutter and the dough. Any leftover scraps can be combined and cut again – but just once; reusing any scraps after that will make the biscuits tough.

1. Arrange the biscuits on a parchment-lined cookie sheet almost touching each other and bake for 12-15 minutes until browned.

1. Optional: After they are baked, you can also brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle more sugar on top if you wish for added sweetness.

33 Genius Three-Ingredient Recipes

3 ingredients only in all these recipes! Thank you Buzzfeed!
*lazy time*