Teriyaki Chicken Tacos

 Ingredients:

1 lb boneless chicken thighs

1/3 C soy sauce

1/4 C brown sugar

2 Tbsps. honey

1 Tbsps. Crushed, peeled, and minced garlic

1 Tbsp. freshly minced ginger

1 C White rice

2 cups water

1/4 C diced green onion

Sesame seeds

Corn tortillas

Recipe:

Cook chicken thighs, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, and honey in a pan until chicken is completely cooked and the sauce has turned into a thick glaze.

In a pot, combine rice and water, and cook until rice is fluffy, stirring to make sure it doesn't stick.

Add half of the green onion to the rice and combine.

Lay down 2 corn tortillas, and add rice, then teriyaki chicken, and sprinkle green onions and sesame seeds to finish!~~Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan.

Buttermilk Pancakes: Without the Buttermilk.

3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsps. white vinegar (see note)

1 C all-purpose flour

2 Tbsps. white sugar (I used 3)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

2 Tbsps. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl for 10 minutes to "sour". This is an important step and it is called "soured milk" which is much different from sour milk (modern homogenised, pasteurised milks do not normally sour; they become rotten, ill tasting). I guarantee you will NOT taste the vinegar in the final product. Set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whip the soured milk, egg, vanilla and melted butter together. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with the whip until most of the lumps are gone, but DO NOT OVER BEAT!!

The batter will be thick, don't add any more liquid. LET THE BATTER SIT UNDISTURBED FOR TEN MINUTES!!

After 10 minutes, you will see bubbles in the batter, very important DO NOT STIR AGAIN.

GENTLY dip out (don't pour out) 1/2 cup of batter and place it on a buttered grill or frying pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and then flip with a spatula and brown the other side.~~Al (Ales-Alexander) D Girvan.

Newfoundland Fish Cakes

Newfoundland Fish Cakes

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

A Newfoundland tradition; fish cakes have been made for countless generations using the most basic of ingredients like potatoes, salt fish and onions.

Serves: 18 large fishcakes

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs. salt dried cod

¼ C butter

1 small diced onion

6 C mashed potato

1 beaten egg

2 tbsp dried savoury (optional)

½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

1.      Soak the salt cod in cold water overnight.

2.      Simmer the salt cod in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain the water off the fish and allow the fish to cool to almost room temperature.

3.      When the fish is cool, flake it apart with a fork into small pieces.

4.      In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

5.      Add the onions and cook until they soften..

6.      Add the flaked fish along with the mashed potato, egg, pepper and savoury.

7.      Mix together until well combined, then form into small cakes and roll in flour.

8.      Fry the fish cakes in canola oil over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

9.      Serve with scrunchions if desired.

Notes

Prep time does not include the overnight soaking time for the salt, dried cod.

Scrunchions/chitterlings are ½ inch cubes of cured pork fatback that are fried and rendered to a crispy texture. The chitterlings and rendered fat get served over the fish cakes.~~Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan.

DUTCH FUNNEL CAKES

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 Cs milk

1/4 C sugar

3 1/2 Cs flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Preheat oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high heat (for an electric frying pan preheat to 375 degrees). Leave room between the oil and the top of the pan to allow room for batter to be added. Beat eggs, add milk and sugar. Beat well. In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder. Add to egg and milk mixture. Beat until batter is smooth. Batter should be thin enough to flow through the opening of your funnel. If needed, add a little more milk.

Put your finger over the bottom of the funnel and pour batter in top. Drizzle batter in hot oil making criss-crosses and swirls. (Instead of a funnel, a measuring cup with a thin spout may be used to do this. Might be easier for those less coordinated!). Let brown on bottom and then carefully flip it over with tongs to brown on the other side.

Place on a paper towel to drain for a minute or so and then serve warm with molasses, jelly or sprinkle with powdered sugar. Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan.

Country Apple Fritter Bread

Serves 8

1/3 C brown sugar

1-tsp. ground cinnamon

2/3 C white sugar

1/2 C butter, softened

2 eggs

1 1/2 Tsps. vanilla extract

1 1/2 Cs all-purpose flour

1 3/4 tsps. baking powder

1/2 C milk

2 apples, peeled and diced (any kind), mixed with 2 Tbsps granulated sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon

Old-Fashioned Crème Glaze

1/2 C of powdered sugar

1-3 Tbsps of milk or cream- (depending on thickness of glaze wanted)

Instructions

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9x5-inch loaf pan and spray with non-stick spray or line with foil and spray with non-stick spray to get out easily for slicing.

2-Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

3-In another medium-sized bowl, beat white sugar and butter together using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

4-Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended in; add in vanilla extract.

5-Combine & stir flour and baking powder together in another bowl and add into creamed butter mixture and stir until blended.

6-Mix milk into batter until smooth.

7-Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half the apples and half the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

8-Lightly pat apple mixture into batter.

9-Pour the remaining batter over apple layer and top with remaining apples and brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

10-Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using knife or spoon.

11-Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean, approximately 50-60 minutes.

12-To make glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk or cream together until well mixed.

13-Let cool for about 15 minutes before drizzling with glaze..~~Al (Ales-Alexander) D. Girvan

Cheeseburger Egg rolls-indescribable but delicious

Serves: 14

Ingredients

Egg Rolls:

1 lb ground beef

½ medium yellow onion, minced

1 Tbsp vegetable oil for cooking

Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

5 slices Canadian cheddar cheese

½ C diced pickles

13-14 egg roll wrappers

1 egg white

Oil for frying

Sauce:

¼ C mayonnaise

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 tsp paprika

Salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

Preheat a medium cooking pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and minced onion. Sauté until onion is translucent.

Add ground beef to the pan and break it up as much as possible. Season with some salt and pepper, cover and cook until meat starts to brown. Stir well and make sure to keep breaking up all the meat clumps as it cooks. Drain off all the juices and place cooked meat into a mixing bowl.

Break up cheese and add it to the bowl. Mix until all the cheese is melted and evenly incorporated. Stir in pickles.

Heat up oil to about 350 degrees as you roll the egg rolls.

Gently whisk egg while and set it close to you.

To roll the egg rolls: place egg roll wrapper on a diamond. Spread about 2 tablespoons of cheeseburger filling in a line, leaving about an inch on each side. Gently and carefully, fold the corner that's closest to you over the cheeseburger mixture, and tuck under the filling. Fold both side corners toward centre of wrapper; it will start to look like an open envelope. Dip your fingers in egg white and run it along the edges of the wrapper to seal better. Carefully roll up the egg roll.

Fry egg rolls in batches until golden brown, turning once the bottom side turns golden.

Hand whip all ingredients for the sauce until completely incorporated. Serve with egg rolls. Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan.

Butternut Cookies

These are a much-requested cookie. I usually make at least 500. It’s a very simple recipe but packed with lots a flavour!

Cook time: 15 Min Prep time: 5 Min Serves: 3 dozen

Ingredients

3/4 C butter, room temperature + 1 Tbsp.

1/2 C powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 3/4 Cs all purpose flour

6 oz. package butterscotch chips

1 C finely cut pecans

RUM GLAZE

3 C powdered sugar

1 tsp rum extract

1/2 C cut pecans

3 to 4 Tbsps. milk or water

Directions

1. Cream butter with powdered sugar and salt til light and fluffy.

2. Blend in flour, mix well.

3. Add butterscotch chips and 1 C finely minced pecans.

4. Shape dough, a scant tsp. at a time, into balls.

5. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

6. Bake in 325' oven for 15 minutes or until firm but not brown.

7. Let cool on wire racks.

8. Make rum glaze. Mix the ingredients until smooth.

9. You can either dip the cookies in the glaze or use a spoon to pour over cookies. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.~~Al (Alex- Alexander) D Girvan.