Maple Pulled Pork

 Maple Pulled Pork 

1 1/2 tsp chili powder 

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne 

4-5 lb pork butt roast 

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 

1/3 cup maple syrup 

1/2 cup tomato paste 

Barbecue sauce 

Combine chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne and salt in a small bowl. 

Trim roast of excess fat and rub on all sides with spice mix. 

Place onion and garlic in a slow cooker and top with pork roast. 

Ina small mixing bowl, combine apple cider vinegar, maples syrup and tomato paste. Pour over roast. 

Cook over low heat for 6-8 hours. 

Shred meat into broth. 

To serve, place shredded meat on a bun and top with your favourite barbecue sauce. 

Maple Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Sriracha

 Maple Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Sriracha 

Maple Brussels Sprouts with bacon & Sriracha is a delicious savoury dish that can be partially made ahead of time - just what you need for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner celebrations.  

8 oz bacon

3 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed 

2 tbsp butter 

3 tbsp maple syrup 

1 -2 tsp sriracha 

Slice bacon into 1/2” pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and stir often until crisp, 12 - 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. If making ahead, keep in a sealed bag in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Slice sprouts in half. If making ahead, these can be stored in a sealed bag in your refrigerator for a day. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add sprouts and boil gently partially covered until tender , approximately 5 minutes. Drain well and turn into a large bowl. 

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add maple syrup and sriracha.  Boil, swirling pan or stirring until large bubbles form on the surface then continue boiling until mixture will lightly coat a metal spoon, about 1 minute. Drizzle over sprouts and gently stir to coat. Turn into a casserole dish and sprinkle with bacon. 

At this stage you can refrigerate casserole dish overnight. Remove from fridge and allow to come to room temperature before finishing. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until heated through. 

Remove from oven and serve.  

Bon Bon Ribs

 Bon Bon Ribs 

Bon Bon ribs are plump, lightly coated, crispy pork spare ribs seasoned in Chinese spices and spritzed with lemon. The Bon Bon spare ribs originated in Thunder Bsy, Ontario, Canada in 1946 by local restaurant owner Lam Pang. 

6 lbs pork back ribs

Marinade

2 eggs, beaten 

2 tsp soy sauce 

2 tsp rice wine (not rice wine vinegar) 

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp Chinese five spice powder 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp onion powder 

1/2 tsp white pepper 

1 cup flour 

2 cups fine saltine crumbs 

Measure all marinade ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Place the ribs in a plastic zippered baggie, add the marinade and massage into the ribs for a few minutes to ensure even coating. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, overnight works too. 

Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Remove the ribs from the marinade to the rack and allow the excess to drip off before rolling in cracker crumbs and flour. 

Whizz enough saltine crackers in a food processor or blender to a very fine texture, enough to make 2 cups. 

Mix the cracker crumbs and flour together and coat the ribs one by one. Place the coated ribs on a wire rack while you heat your deep fryer to 350 degrees. 

Deep fry ribs, a few at a time until the temperature of the meat reaches 145 degrees, approximately 7-8 minutes for smaller ribs and 10 minutes for larger ribs.  

Remove to a serving platter, squeeze some lemon juice on top and serve. 

Chicken Marbella

 Chicken Marbella 

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3/4  cups large pitted prunes 

1/2  cup large green olives, pitted 

1/4 cup capers with juice 

3 bay leaves 

3/4 head of garlic, cloves separated, peeled and minced 

1/8 cup oregano

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 whole chicken, cut into 4 pieces 

1/8 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 

1/2 cup dry white wine 

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, capers, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, 2 tablespoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large bowl to make the marinade. Place the chicken in a large plastic storage bag and add the marinade. Squeeze out the air to ensure the chicken is full covered in the marinade and seal. Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally to ensure the marinade is getting into all of the chicken. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place the chicken skin side up along with the marinade in a 9 x 13 baking dish in a single layer. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour the wine around the chicken, not on top. Roast for 45-55 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 145 degrees. Remove the dish from the oven, cover tightly with foil wrap and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. 

Discard the bay leaves. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter along with the prunes and olives. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices. 

Boston Cream Pie Cookie Bites

 Boston Cream Pie Cookie Bites 

All of the awesome flavours you love from a traditional Boston Cream Pie in a delightful cookie cup. Quick and easy to make and they taste delicious. 

Cookie Cups 

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter, softened 

Whipped Cream

13,25 oz pkg instant vanilla pudding 

1 cup heavy whipping cream 

1/2 cup milk

Chocolate Ganache 

2 tbsp semi sweet baking chips

2 tbsp heavy whipping cream 

Cookie Cups 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare mini muffin pan by spraying each cup with non stick cooking spray. 

Pour yellow cake mix into a medium bowl and whisk or sift to remove any lumps. Add softened butter and eggs to the cake mix and combine with a hand mixer until dough is thick and sticky. Put a 1/2 tbsp mound of cookie dough into each muffin cup. Using your fingers press each mound of cookie dough down until you have a level cookie. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately run an offset spatula or knife around the edge of the cookie to release it from the pan. 

Once cooled, use the end of a wooden spoon to press the middle of the cookie down to create an indentation. Move cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. 

Whipped Cream 

In a medium bowl combine the instant vanilla pudding mix, heavy cream and milk. Using a hand mixer incorporate ingredients until the mixture is thick and has stiff peaks. Place whipped cream in a pastry bag and pipe a generous amount of whipped cream into each cookie indentation. 

Chocolate Ganache

In a microwave safe bowl combine heavy cream and semi sweet chocolate chips. Microwave for 20 seconds and whisk. If you have a silky and smooth consistency you are finished. If not, warm in the microwave in 10 second increments until you do. Spoon a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of ganache on top of each cookie cup. 

Refrigerate until ganache is set and serve. 

Note:  Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. 

Makes 36 cookie bites. 

Slow Cooker Cocktail Smokies

 Slow Cooker Cocktail Smokies 

Crockpot smokies are fun, tasty and sure to be a party hit. Easy to make in the slow cooker with only 4 ingredients, perfect for a large crowd. 

2 packages (16 ounces each) little smokies sausages 

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketsup 

1/4 cup mustard 

Place smokies in a slow cooker. 

In a medium bowl add brown sugar, ketsup and mustard. Mix well to combine. Add to slow cooker and stir well to coat all smokies. 

Cover and cook on LOW for approximately 3-4 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours until heated through. 

Notes:

Replace the ketchup with chili sauce for a kick of heat  

This recipe also works well with kielbasa sausage, cut into bite sized pieces. 

Cheese Sauce/Dip

 Cheese Sauce/Dip 

Creamy pretzel cheese dip that’s made with just 5 ingredients in less than 10 minutes. Spice it up if you prefer some heat. 

1 tbsp butter 

1/2 tbsp cornstarch 

1 cup milk, more if needed 

8 oz velveeta cheese 

1/4 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp pepper

1-3 tsp hot sauce, plus more to taste 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Sprinkle the cornstarch over the butter, stirring constantly and cook for 1 minute. 

Warm the milk in the microwave 15 to 20 seconds. Slowly pour milk into the saucepan, whisking constantly until thickened but still pourable. 

Remove from heat and stir in cheese until smooth. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. 

Stir in salt, pepper and whatever amount of hot sauce you prefer. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in 1 to 2 tbsp of warmed milk. 

Pour in a mini crockpot to keep warm and gooey. If it thickens, reheat in the microwave 15 seconds. Serve with pretzels, tortilla chips or vegetables.