Coconut Chicken Soup

This soup is my attempt to replicate something similar I tried in a Thai restaurant, and I have to say, it’s pretty darn close!

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
  • 2 tsp red thai curry paste
  • 5 1/2 c chicken broth
  • 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 lb button mushrooms, quartered
  • 6 oz cooked chicken breast, diced
  • 2 cans (400 ml) coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 c cilantro, minced

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add ginger and red thai curry paste.
  2. Add chicken stock, hoisin sauce and brown sugar, and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Add mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Add chicken, coconut milk and lime juice. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
  5. Add cilantro and serve hot.
Coconut Chicken Soup

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 8
  • Calories per serving: 233
  • Total Fat: 15.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 12.1 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 6.3 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Sugar: 2.1 g
  • Protein: 12.3 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Boxing Day Turkey Soup

This soup is so good I always buy a big enough turkey to guarantee leftovers for it, and it’s a perfect healthy meal after too much indulgence over the holidays.

I’m usually too tired to deal with the turkey on Christmas day so I just throw the whole thing in the fridge until Boxing day. If you have some energy, you can separate all the meat from the bones and store them in a separate container in the fridge until you are ready to make the soup.

Turkey Stock Ingredients:

  • 1 leftover turkey carcass
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped, with peel
  • 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
  • 3 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peel on, smashed with the flat side of a knife
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • Any leftover fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, parsley)
  • salt & pepper

Soup Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 c onion, diced
  • 1 c carrots, diced
  • 1 c celery, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme
  • 3 c leftover turkey meat, cut into small chunks
  • 1 c corn kernels
  • 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 8 c turkey stock
  • 1 1/2 c cooked small pasta (e.g. macaroni)
  • 1 c fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. To make the stock: Combine all the ingredients into a large stock pot and add enough water to just cover everything. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour. Strain it to remove all the chunks and bones then put the liquid back in the pot. Boil for as long as it takes to reduce by 1/3. Salt and pepper to taste.
  2. To make the soup: Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme. Cook on medium-low until the onions are translucent.
  3. Add the turkey, corn, tomatoes and turkey stock. Simmer for 30 minutes.
  4. Add the pasta, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and serve hot.
Boxing Day Turkey Soup

Nutritional Information*

  • Servings: 8
  • Calories per serving: 154
  • Total Fat: 4.5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
  • Total Carbohydrates: 18.5 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.5 g
  • Sugar: 4.6 g
  • Protein: 10.1 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

Christmas Sugar Cookies

These are a really nice, soft sugar cookie, perfect for decorating. A good decorating tip when using royal icing is to outline the cookie first, allow it to harden, then fill in the rest, that way it doesn’t spill over the sides.

Yield: 24 cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 c flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 c butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 c white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract

Royal Icing Ingredients:

  • 5 Tbsp meringue powder
  • 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
  • 1 c water
  • 2 lbs icing sugar

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light & fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract and almond extract. Slowly add the flour mixture just until mixed.
  3. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Place one part between two pieces of waxed paper and press down into a disk about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat for the other half then wrap both in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Cut out the dough using cookie cutters and place on baking sheets. Bake for 11-12 minutes.
  6. Allow cookies to cool completely before icing.
  7. To make the icing: Beat together meringue powder, corn syrup, vanilla extract and water. Slowly add the icing sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well in between.
  8. Divide the icing into several small bowls and add food colouring to each one.
  9. Immediately use the icing in a piping bag to decorate your cookies. Or, to save for later, place in a plastic zip-locked bag.
Christmas Sugar Cookies

Mark’s Almond Cookies

This recipe came from a good friend of mine who is a great home-chef in his own right. They are up there with the Copycat Big Soft Ginger cookies as my favourites to make at holiday time – soft and chewy!

Yield: 30 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 c salted butter, softened
  • 1 c white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 1/2 c flour
  • 3 c of ground almonds (3 x 100 g)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Beat together butter and sugar until light & fluffy.
  3. Add in eggs and almond extract.
  4. Add flour and ground almonds.
  5. Form dough into 2 logs, approximately 10 inches by 4 inches, slightly flattened. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Mark’s Almond Cookies

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Use a seedless jam for these yummy thumbprint cookies. This recipe makes a small batch of 12-14 cookies, feel free to double it!

Yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 c flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 c salted butter, softened
  • 1/4 c packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1/4 c finely chopped walnuts
  • 2/3 c seedless raspberry jam

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, combine flour and salt.
  3. Separate egg, reserving egg white. Beat together the butter, sugar. Add egg yolk. Add flour mixture, combine well.
  4. Whisk together egg white and water in a small bowl.
  5. Shape the dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then walnuts. Place on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes.
  6. Remove cookies from oven. With your thumb or the back of a small spoon, dent each cookie. Put jam in each thumbprint. Bake for another 8 minutes.
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Cherry Balls

I’ve seen these called “snowballs”. A little maraschino cherry wrapped in shortbread, they’re one of my mom’s oldest recipes and were on every Christmas cookie platter.

Yield: approx. 25 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 c salted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 c white sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 c flour
  • 12-15 maraschino cherries
  • icing sugar

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Cut the maraschino cherries in half and place them between two pieces of paper towel then press down to get out all the juice.
  3. Beat the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla, then slowly add the flour until well mixed. Dough will be crumbly, put should hold together when squeezed. If not, add a little more flour.
  4. Take small amount of dough and roll it into a ball then press you finger into it to make a hole to place the cherry piece in it. Fold the dough around the cherry and roll it back into a ball.
  5. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Allow to cool completely then roll in icing sugar.
Cherry Balls

Chocolate Caramel Squares

My mom has been making these squares since I was a little girl, they are ALWAYS everyone’s favourite. But, at around the age of 12, I completely overdosed on them and couldn’t touch them for decades after that. Only in the last couple of years I have ventured to have one, and I forgot how amazing they are! Now they’re my son’s favourite.

Yield: 36 squares

Bottom Layer:

  • 1/4 c white sugar
  • 1 1/4 c flour
  • 1/2 c salted butter, cold

Middle Layer:

  • 1/2 c salted butter
  • 1/2 c packed brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
  • 1/2 c sweetened condensed milk

Top Layer:

  • 1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Caramel Squares

Directions:

  1. Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Bottom layer: Combine flour and sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter and combine well until crumbly. Pack into a 9′” x 9″ pan and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
  3. Middle layer: Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk in a small pan on the stove at medium-low heat. Allow the butter to melt, then bring to a low boil. Boil for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. I mean, whisk constantly, until your arm feels like it’s going to fall off, or else it will burn on the bottom. Remove from heat, give it a good whisk and pour over bottom layer.
  4. Top layer: Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each time, just until the chips are melted. Pour over the middle layer.
  5. Cover and place in fridge until cooled.
  6. Tips for cutting: The middle layer is softer than the top and bottom layers, making these squares very challenging to cut because the caramel tends to squish out. After chilling, allow them to return to room temperature, then remove the entire thing using the parchment paper onto a cutting board. Use a very sharp knife to score the top layer into 36 squares, then cut gently.

Copycat Big Soft Ginger Cookies

It’s like they’re from your favourite barista bar! These cookies are so deliciously spicy they are one of my favourites to make at the holiday time.

The best kept secret to big, soft, chewy cookies is refrigerating the dough! If you don’t refrigerate the dough is too warm and it will spread out to thinner, crispier cookies in the baking process. It delays the gratification of eating but so worth it.

Yield: 20 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 c flour
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 c salted butter, room temperature
  • 1 c white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1/4 c molasses
  • white sugar

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, ground cloves and salt.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light & fluffy. Beat in the egg, water and molasses.
  3. Slowly add the flour mixture at low speed.
  4. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls. Don’t roll them too tightly, allow them to be a little loose and misshapened. This will allowed them to ‘crinkle’ on top as they cook. Then roll in white sugar and place on a baking sheet, flatten slightly. Put the dough back in the fridge in between batches.
  7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.
Copycat Big Soft Ginger Cookies

Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

Coffee and Irish Cream is my all-time favourite drink treat and this is like having it in cookie-form!

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 c flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder (I use Nescafe Gold)
  • 1 c salted butter, room temperature
  • 1 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 white sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 Tbsp Irish Cream liqueur
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • coarse sea salt

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and instant espresso powder.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter together with brown and white sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract and Irish Cream. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  3. Slowly add the flour mixture, on low speed. Then fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scoop a large amount of dough (I use an ice-cream scoop) and roll into a ball. Place on a baking sheet leaving 2 inches between cookies. Sprinkle a tiny amount of coarse sea salt on top. Put the dough back in the refrigerator between each batch.
  6. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles

A classic snickerdoodle recipe … my husband’s favourite. A little known cookie secret – the key to big, soft chewy cookies is refrigerating the dough before cooking!

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 c salted butter, room temperature
  • 2 c white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 c flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Coating:

  • 1/4 c white sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light & fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Slowly beat into the butter mixture until well combined.
  3. Place the dough in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Combine white sugar and cinnamon.
  6. Form dough into large walnut-sized balls and roll in cinnamon sugar before placing on a cookie sheet.
  7. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles