Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

I think Thumbprint cookies are my favorite kind of cookie. I love the way they look and the richness with the sticky sweetness of the filling.  

Every year, my mom makes them at Christmas time, rolled with sesame seeds and filled with red jam (for my mom's thumbprint cookie recipe, click here).

And I often take this recipe, and switch thing up, by rolling the cookies in nuts or sugar, or filling them with nutella or cream cheese.  Today, I am twisting this idea even further by playing with the classic combination of peanut butter and jelly.

I mean, who doesn't like peanut butter and jelly? And in a cookie, it's got to be a winner!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

Adapted from www.joyofbaking.com

Makes about 30 cookies

1/2 cup Butter, room temperature

3/4 cup Smooth Peanut Butter

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1/3 cup White Sugar

1 Large Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

2 tbsp Milk

1 1/2 cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

Jam

Sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, peanut butter, brown and white sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir to incorporate.

Roll the dough into 2 cm balls. Roll in white sugar and place on lined baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes, pull out of oven, and using your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, press to form holes in the centre of the cookies. Fill with jam and bake again for about 5 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Split Pea Soup with Crispy Ham

Soup is a funny thing. It calms you when you are anxious, it soothes you when you are upset, and it makes you feel better when you are sick.

Yet so many of us do not really think of soup as a year round, go to meal. Yes, we eat it as a starter sometimes in a restaurant, or make it conveniently out of a can, but we don't make as much soup from scratch as we should.  And let me tell you, soup in it's purest form, with just a few basic ingredients, is the best remedy, healthiest meal and most heartwarming liquid in a bowl that there is.

So, when you are feeling up for it, make a huge pot. Portion it. Freeze it. Keep it around for rainy days or surprise visits by friends. It will be the best thing you ever did. You will see.

Split Pea Soup with Crispy Ham

Makes about 8 cups

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 1/2 Large Onion, peeled and chopped

3 Celery Stalks, chopped

2 Large Carrots, chopped

5 Cloves Garlic, peeled

2 cups Green Split Peas

2 Bay Leaves

1 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme

Water

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

Cooked Ham Slices or prosciutto, cut into strips

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic, and cook until they just start to soften (about 10-12 minutes). 

Stir in the split peas, bay leaves and dried thyme. Then fill the pot with water to cover the veggies and peas by a couple of inches. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes until peas and all veggies are completely soft. Remove bay leaves and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add more water if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small frying pan, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the ham strips and cook until crispy. Use as garnish on top of the soup.

S'mores Cupcakes

Camping is one of my favorite pastimes. Pitching the tent. Hiking. Building fires. And of course, campfire cooking.

In 2009, when we went camping in Eastern Canada, I shared some of my campfire cooking with you: Campfire Toasted Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Fire Roasted Chicken Thighs, Cheddar Baked Potatoes, and of course, Warm Baked Apples filled with Nutella.

I think that was the last time we went camping (living in the Middle East, camping is not a very popular pastime) and since moving back to British Columbia, I have been dying to go!

So, while I was drifting off, thinking about ideas for cupcakes for my best friend, it's no surprise that camping came back into my mind. And then I thought of S'mores. The sweet, sticky, oozy marshmallow with the rich chocolate and the crunch of the graham cracker. So I decided to recreate S'mores in a whimsical cupcake.

This cupcake has a graham cracker crust, layer of chocolate, dense chocolately cupcake, graham sprinkles, broiled marshmallows, a chocolate drizzle, and topped with a graham cracker garnish.

Yes, it is a lot of steps and yes, it does take some time, but it is so so worth it! They looked fantastic and the taste was to die for. How could you possibly resist?

S'mores Cupcakes

Makes about 5 dozen medium sized cupcakes

For the Crust

1 1/2 cups Graham Crumbs

1/2 cup Sugar

1/3 cup Butter, Melted

3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Mini Choc Chips or Finely Chopped Chocolate

For the Cupcakes

(I used the One Bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe for these!)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

2 large whole eggs, plus 1 large YOLK

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups warm water

For the Toppings

Marshmallows (I used mini but you could also use big ones)

1 1/2 cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Dark Chocolate Chips

15 Graham Crackers, broken into large pieces

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line your muffin pans with paper liners or spray your cake pans with cooking spray.

Combine the graham crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press about 1 tsp into each cupcake mould. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Add the eggs and yolk, milk, oil, vanilla and water, and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth and combined (about 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add chocolate cupcake batter on top of the graham crusts until the cups are about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with a little of the graham crust. Bake for about 20-25 minutes (for medium sized cupcakes).

Let cool on a wire rack. Turn the oven to broil. Once cool, top with marshmallows and broil for about 30 seconds until the marshmallows are browned. Make sure you watch the marshmallows as they brown quickly and burn easily.

Once browned, remove from oven and using your fingers or a spoon, just press down the marshmallows.

In a microwave proof bowl, heat chocolate chips for 20 seconds at a time, then stir, then heat again, until completely melted. Place the chocolate into a ziplock bag and cut a small corner off the bag. Drizzle the chocolate over the top of the cupcakes. Garnish with a piece of graham cracker.

Sweet Potato and Two Pea Curry

For a couple days, I really thought that summer was just around the corner. The sun was shining, and it was warm enough to go out without a jacket. So, my meals started to reflect the weather. Spring greens with avocado, apples, and bright zingy dressings. Pan seared fish with simply squeezed lemon and sauteed vegetables. Cold rice bowls with salmon, crisp veggies and garlic-tahina dressing.

But I guess I spoke and acted too soon. The rain and cold breezes returned, and I found myself going back into hibernation mode for a little bit longer. And this meant, I needed to warm up my dishes. The secret? A little bit of spice.

Now by spice, I don't mean heat. I just mean a little bit of warmth. The is achieved with some Indian inspired flavors and is balanced with the sweetness from the sweet potato and the freshness of the cilantro. Paired with the pop of the mustard seeds and two kinds of peas (green and chick peas), I am starting to think I could stay in winter mode for a little while longer!

Sweet Potato and Two Pea Curry

Serves 4-6

2 tbsp Curry Powder

1 tbsp Mustard Seeds

2 tsp Ground Coriander

1 tsp Ground Turmeric

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

2 tbsp Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic, minced

2 tbsp Ginger, minced

1 Large Onion, chopped

6 cups Sweet Potatoes, cut into large chunks (about 3 medium sized potatoes)

1 Can (28 ounces) Diced Tomatoes

1 cup Water

1 cup Frozen Green Peas

1 cup Cooked Chick Peas

4 cups Fresh Spinach Leaves

1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped

Salt and Pepper

In a large pan, add all the spices and toast on medium heat until the spices start to smoke and the mustard seeds start to pop. Add the olive oil. Then add the garlic, ginger, onion, and sweet potatoes. Stir to coat with the spices. Add the tomatoes and water. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

After 30 minutes, stir in the cooked chick peas and green peas. Let simmer for a couple of minutes. Then stir in the spinach and let it wilt. Finally, stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with rice or flat bread, or both!

Green Pea Polenta Cakes: A Side Dish & Brunch all in one!

Today, as I was in the grocery store, my eyes fell on a bag of cornmeal. Strange... I haven't used cornmeal in ages. I really think it's because of moving. You see, I always make sure my pantry is full. You might call me a kitchen hoarder, but I just like to say that I am well stocked. Anyway, every time we move, we spend weeks before hand emptying out our pantry. That basically means using up as much stuff as we can and not buying anything else! As difficult as it can be when you get low in stocks, the more interesting the meals become.

So, once moved to a new location, I always start again to stock up the pantry. But it takes time. And something always gets overlooked. In this case, the cornmeal.

But I am so glad I have found it again! It is so easy to make and has endless possibilities. In this case, I made a great side dish which turned into an easy brunch also! Two dishes in one! Can't go wrong with that!

I cooked the polenta with some peas and aromatics then cooled it in a pan and cut it into little cakes. These cakes were then pan fried until crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Yum!

These polenta cakes are great as a side dish to any sort of meal.  And the leftovers are amazing for brunch with a sunny side egg on top. Reminds me a little of the cheesy grits with poached egg that my husband loves so much!

Green Pea Polenta Cakes

Makes 12 squares (6 servings of 2 squares each)

1 tbsp Canola Oil

1/2 Red Onion, finely chopped

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups Cornmeal

4 cups Water

1 1/2 cups Frozen Peas

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil or Butter for cooking

Prepare a 9" by 13" cake pan by lining it with plastic wrap.

In a large pot, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add polenta and water and bring up to a boil. Reduce to low. Stir continuously until polenta is cooked, about 20 minutes (alternatively, stir for the first few minutes, cover for about 10 minutes, then stir again). Stir in the frozen peas and salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be creamy and smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth out with a spatula. Place in the fridge to cool and set.

Once cool, cut into 12 squares. Up until this point, this recipe can be prepared ahead and kept in the fridge until ready to use.

Heat some butter or olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the polenta squares and cook until browned on both sides and hot in the middle (about 5 minutes per side).

Serve as is or as a side dish to any meat, fish, or poultry. Or, for a yummy brunch, serve with a sunny side up egg on top (and bacon on the side...)