Cranberry Sauce with Apricots and Raisins

Fresh Cranberries for Cranberry Sauce

Looking for a twist to the typical Christmas Recipe? Try this easy to prepare cranberry sauce which has apricots, raising and orange juice. It's one of my favourites!

4 cups whole cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup water
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange peel
Combine all ingredients in a medium sized saucepan.  Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat and boil until cranberries pop, stirring about 10 minutes.  Cool, cover and refrigerate.  Can be made 4 days ahead.

Wish to be more traditional?  Here is a traditional Cranberry Sauce recipe.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

How Much Water Should You Drink?

Do you own the perfect water bottle?  

I’m always impressed by many people come to my classes with their beloved water bottles and sit them proudly on the table like a beacon of health. 

The bottles come in all shapes, styles and colours. Some are stainless steel with wide rims and others are coloured with drinking spouts that pull up. They are multi-coloured and round. And some can even hold a whole day’s worth of  water…these always impress me. 

There are even some with a separate container in the bottom for lemon or cucumber slices if you don’t like drinking plain water.  

I’m jealous of all these water-carrying devotees because I too have a perfect water bottle. I fill it up regularly with water from the Britta water jug in the fridge but always manage to leave it behind on the kitchen counter at home when I go out. It’s why I often don’t drink my recommended eight glasses of water a day.  

As we head into the holiday season it’s wise to locate your favourite water bottle and carry it with you everywhere you go (note to self).  

There are many good reasons why we should drink water over the festive season. 

First and most important, water fills us up which stops us from overeating and drinking too much.  

A delicious Christmas dinner along with a few glasses of Christmas cheer can easily add up to a whole day’s worth of calories. A glass of water in between nibbles and wine will mean less time in the gym after Christmas trying to lose that Christmas bulge. 

Your body will thank you as well. We need to replenish the water we lose each day to stay hydrated. 

About 60% of our body weight is made up of water. Every system in our body relies on it. 

It’s recommended we drink 8 cups of water a day. We should aim to drink 1.5 litres of water a day, roughly about 6 cups plus other beverages, such as milk, juice and even coffee or tea. If you are active, have health concerns or live in a dry climate, your numbers will rise (sorry about that!).

So this Christmas season, remember to drink water.  

I suggest putting a big orange sticky note on the front door to remind you to take your water bottle with you when you leave the house. Then go and enjoy your xmas treats.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Christmas is all about Christmas Baking. How many of you have great memories of buttery shortbread, mince tarts, Christmas cake, or gingerbread men cookies? 

It takes time to bake but think of all the joy and memories you create with your efforts. 

Here is a simple recipe to get you started.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Christmas Sugar Cookies

...just like Grandma's 

Makes 2 dozen

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk

Icing:
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons milk
Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl. In a separate large bowl cream butter with a mix master. Add in sugar, egg, vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in flour mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Place dough on lightly floured surface and roll to 1/8th inch thickness. Lightly dust rolling pin to avoid sticking. Cut dough out with cookie cutters. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 6 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around edges.

For Icing: In a medium bowl, combine icing sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a spreading consistency. When cookies are cool thinly spread icing on top and decorate with sprinkles if using.

Other Christmas Baking To Try:

Shortbread Cookies 

Coconut Jam Cookies

Mixed Green Salad with Dried Cranberries

I love cranberries - fresh, frozen or dried. There are many different ways to cook and eat them, but in a salad, dried is the best. This recipe has a nice mixture of taste and crunch with cabbage and dried cranberries. It's a great salad to serve any time of the year even at a summer barbecue!

Simple Chicken Chow Mein

Looking for a fast simple dinner to prepare....here it is! 

Cut up the chicken and marinate it while you prep the veggies. Cook up chow mein noodles, Stir-fry the veggie and chicken in a wok, throw it all together and you have an easy week night meal.

Simple Chicken Chow Mein

Ingredients for Greek Salad

This recipe is a typical Greek salad except it has avocado in it which always makes a salad taste better!

Greek Salad 

Serves 4

2 large tomatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 medium cucumbers, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives sliced in half
1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbed
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano chopped
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl combine tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onions, feta cheese, avocado and oregano. 

 Add olive oil and lemon juices. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Other Salads to try:

Caesar Salad

Watermelon Salad

Meatless Monday - Curry Chickpea Spinach

Curry Eggplant, Chickpea and Spinach

It’s always a struggle to find vegetarian meals that the meat eaters in my house will gobble up. This one is definitely is a winner. It’s full of flavour and has texture, which eliminates the complaints of eating a meatless meal.

 

Curry chickpea with a dollop of Yogurt 

A Food Paradox

How Food Packaging Is Misleading

We all know how to eat well. Everyday we are reminded how by the media, the health experts and even the food packaging. Walk down any grocery store aisle and you will be bombarded with food products screaming healthy messages: low fat, transfat free, low sodium, natural, light, 0 calories, whole grains, fibre!  It's all so confusing and at times often hard to believe.  

For instance, let’s take Froot Loops, a popular breakfast cereal. The packaging says it is “made with whole grain and a source of fibre,” plus it is blessed with having “natural fruit flavours.”  I have often wondered how or what could be natural about brightly coloured lifesaver shaped cereal that appears to be coated in sugar.  It’s paradoxical to me so I decided to buy a box to experience the ‘natural fruit flavour’ taste. 
  

Full disclosure, I do not eat cereal. I overdosed on the stuff as a kid, but for this paradoxical experiment I was willing to chow down on some.  

I poured the breakfast cereal into a white round bowl and I must admit, they were colourful, like the rainbow - orange, rose, natural (or was that yellow) and green.  

First I tried the green loop. I’m not sure what flavour green was trying to be, it was kinda like me trying to grow vegetables and not quite succeeding but getting an E for effort (good try green!)

The rose was faintly like cherry. I was hoping the purple  would be grape (my favourite flavour), but it was like opening up a birthday present expecting money but getting a t-shirt…a slight disappointment (nice attempt purple!)  

The orange was the definite winner with the most flavour. The yellow? Well, it reminded me of a distant memory, one you just can’t quite recall. It had a slight lingering taste of lemon (keep trying yellow!) 

But, to be honest, they mostly tasted like sugar.  Because I have a sweet tooth, I kept eating them under the guise I was tasting for “natural fruit flavours.”  After many spoonfuls I quickly realized why my kids would eat so many bowls of cereal in the morning. It's hard to stop.

What Does Natural Fruit Flavour Mean?

So what exactly is a natural fruit flavour? I phoned Kellogg’s and asked if they used actual fruit in Froot Loops (obvious question, right?) I was told that, they do not take the natural fruit from a particular fruit. Natural fruit flavour is not the equivalent to natural fruit. They make the flavour from natural ingredients but not the fruit itself.  Shucks! I thought they were using real fruit to flavour the loops. This explains the curious flavours I tasted.   

How Much Sugar Is In A Bowl Of Froot Loops?

So how much sugar is in a bowl of froot loops I wondered?  I measured out 1 1/2 cups of cereal, which is what I would eat, however, the package states that is 2 servings (one serving is 3/4 cup…hard to believe!) The 2 servings has the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar or 24 grams.  Could you imagine spooning in 6 teaspoons of sugar into your morning coffee?  If I did that, I’d be so wired my husband would have to lock me in the bathroom until I stopped talking!  

After searching the infinite information site, Google, I learnt that my daily limit of sugar was 6 teaspoons.  This means, all my daily sugar fun would end after 1 bowl of morning cereal. Dang!  Are the loops worth all my daily fun?  I don’t think so. I’m going to stick with porridge and enjoy its true natural flavour with  a sprinkle of brown sugar because then I know I won’t overdose on my allowable sugar rations first thing in the morning. 

I’ve come to believe that just like you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t judge food by its package. 

Blueberry Muffins with Orange

Can you picture a blueberry wearing a cape and an eye-mask bandanna?

A blueberry as a superhero?

You may not believe it, but these little berries come loaded with lots of goodness.

They are chock-a-block full of antioxidants, the substance found in food that helps neutralize the cellular damage caused by free radicals. Now, if that doesn't sound virtuous what does?

There are many other reasons why blueberries are considered heroic. They are high in vitamin C, contain fibre, help reduce urinary tract infections, and may help control cholesterol problems.

Plus, (and this is the one I like the best) they may help slow down age-related mental loss. Yes! Bring on the blueberries!

Now is the time to join the blueberry cape crusader. It is time to start eating, cooking and enjoying blueberries.

A Recipe From The Past - Easy Cheese Fish Fillets

Easy Cheese Fish Fillet

A Recipe From The Past

The box sat on the kitchen shelf like a shining beacon. It was filled with a mish-mash of various-sized recipe cards bearing an assortment of people’s handwriting. Some cards had faded newspaper clippings taped onto them, the yellow tape barely sticking to the various-sized snippets of recipes. 

It wasn’t your typical old-fashioned recipe card box that you’d expect an octogenarian mother to have. It was made of thick plexiglass with a modern look, extra large and unbreakable. I’m sure it would last several more lifetimes. Inside were perhaps up to 50 years worth of recipes that my mother had accumulated throughout her life.

“Can I have that?” I asked my 86-year-old father, the guardian of the box.   

“Why of course, take it, I can’t understand it.” He replied. 

He is a man whose cooking skills consist of boiling an egg, a hot dog, making a cup of coffee and a peanut butter sandwich. 

When my mother passed away four years ago, he also mastered the skill of heating up frozen pre-made dinners from the upscale deli down the street.

I was keen to find that one recipe that in my memory, was an all-time favorite. A white fish smothered with a Dijon mustard and mayonnaise sauce topped with melted cheddar cheese. 

A dish where each bite brought you an element of satisfaction with a blend of rich taste and smooth textures, a real delight.

I scooped up the box like a squirrel with a new find and headed out the door.

These days’ recipe cards are like old photographs, they have disappeared with the click of a keyboard. Recipes of generations are slowly sinking into the abyss of landfills daily and being replaced by the expansive cyberspace and virtual clouds.

I thumbed through the fish section with anticipation and suddenly realized how simple cooking was back in the day – often just a few ingredients, with salt, pepper, and usually butter. 

It was everyday cooking with no expectations to perform. Nothing fancy, complicated, or fussy. Its sole purpose was to feed, nourish and be tasty, although somewhat bland. 

Today there seems to be plenty of anxiety around everyday cooking with the perception that we, the everyday cook, have to be superstars in the kitchen and produce picture-perfect meals as seen on T.V., websites, food blogs, and in magazines.

Perhaps we should turn back time and bring back these old recipes, refresh them with some herbs and spices and make preparing super-simple meals the new normal. Then just maybe, we will all be superstars in our own kitchens and produce tasty, stress-free meals.

I didn’t find the fish recipe I was looking for, but I did find the following yummy fish cheese fillet recipe that I have made many times since. It was written in my mother’s handwriting and was from the “Kitchen of Sheena Mitchell,” a dear old friend of hers. 

The entire box is filled with a lifetime of memories around food, people, and experiences, the things you just can't find from a click of a keyboard.