I grew up cooking traditional meals; a protein, a starch, and a green veggie was expected as a balanced combination.
Therefore, rice has been a staple in my cooking for many years.
There are many ways to make rice as a pairing with the meal of choice; Mexican rice to go with fajitas, plain white rice to go with “haystacks” or, one of my favourites, rosemary rice to go with Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Chicken Breast!
The rosemary is not only a fragrant addition to the rice, but is also a healthy herb to integrate into meals.
I have grown my own pumpkins the last several years and they have been absolutely prolific!
I decided to make my pups a healthy treat from scratch and came across this idea…
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It called for canned pumpkin – not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling, the spices can give pups an upset stomach -but instead, I used a couple small, fresh pumpkins.
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I’d say it was a hit! Lady tried stealing one from Zeus after she had finished hers and Bianca was not interested in sharing!
Want the recipe?
1 C pumpkin, peeled and seeded 1 apple, peeled and cored 1 egg 4 C oatmeal
I put the peeled and cored apple and pumpkin in my crock pot for 2 hours to cook it until soft.
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Add the egg and oatmeal, then form into treats (I did it “drop cookie” style, but you can roll them out and cut them with cute cookie cutters).
Bake at 400 F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
They store up to a week in the fridge. I’m freezing the extras for longer storage.
If you try these out, let me know what you think! Drop a comment below!
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Fish tacos have been a difficult blog recipe to write about because of the nature of the beast…
Let me explain:
We usually spend a lovely day on the lake catching Northern Pikes (sometimes “lovely” means rainy and cool, but catching lots) and get home at midnight or 1 AM.
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The fish tend to bite really well after the sun begins to go down, hence our late arrivals back home (we usually have an hour or two of gravel country roads after getting off the water, depending which lake we went to).
Therefore, as soon as we get home with our fresh fish, Jake starts filleting them while I start prepping everything for fish tacos.
(I personally have filleted my fair share of salmon up in Alaska, but here?! Nope! Jake does all the filleting!)
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At this point we are usually STARVING!
… which means remembering to take any photos for the blog often falls to the wayside in favour of chowing down on some delicious fish tacos!
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We may or may not have had fish tacos for breakfast the morning following our last fishing trip (that’s normal, right?!) and I finally got some photos for this recipe!
I know many people don’t like the taste of Northern Pike, however I enjoy it when it has been cooked properly.
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And the fight?!
Wow! Northern Pike put up such a good fight that even a small fish is fun to catch, even if we have to throw it back because it was too small.
For me, the fish tacos are about the whole experience from beginning to end…
… the relaxing time on the sparkling water, the adrenaline rush when a fish finally hits my line, the quality time with my honey, and finally, the amazing taste of fish tacos (increased by our extreme hunger).
To debone or not to debone
This is a HUGE must for fish tacos!!!
I can not stress that enough!
When you are just having a fish fry, sure, you can pick the bones out as you eat – but that is not an option with fish tacos!
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If you don’t know how to debone fish yet, check YouTube for tutorials… or better yet, ask someone who knows how to do it to show you a few times and then try it for yourself.
I personally don’t know how to debone fish, but Jake has become a pro at it by now!
It does take practice to become proficient, but trust me when I say it is worth it.
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So what is my recipe?
The sauce is what really kicks these fish tacos up a notch.
I love a bit of heat, so I tend to add some spice to the sauce I make from scratch.
The other “yum factor” is using Cajun Fish Crisp when frying the fillets in butter.
It gives a nice crunch and the flavour is outstanding!
The fact that Fish Crisp is Canadian Made is also a bonus for me; I LOVE seeing that the products I buy support local economy.
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While Jake is out filleting the fish, I start by prepping the veggies.
I thinly slice the purple cabbage; it adds both color and crunch.
Sometimes I will add a few thinly sliced red onions to my tacos, but not always.
Next come the quartered cherry tomatoes and slivers of cucumber.
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I mix all the veggies together and drizzle with freshly squeezed lime juice.
Then I start on the sauce; a good scoop of sour cream, several splashes of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, fresh lime juice, cumin, cayenne, paprika, and a bunch of fresh cilantro all get blended together in my food processor.
(I just got this KitchenAid food processor and LOVE it!)
The heat level can be adjusted to taste; some people like spice like I do, however some people can’t handle anything too hot.
Once the fish is all filleted, I dredge the pieces in the Fish Crisp, then fry in butter on high heat until they are golden brown on each side.
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Then I heat the flour tortillas one at a time in a pan on high heat (without oil); once they start to bubble, I flip them and then remove them from the heat when the second side bubbles.
This brings out flavour in the tortillas and gives them flexibility so they don’t break when folded.
The next step is the long-awaited assembly of toppings and finally eating the fish tacos!
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The beauty of tacos is that each person can add the amount of toppings they would like.
Any extra raw fish we have left from our fishing trip will either get eaten for breakfast the following morning or frozen for future fish tacos.
I know there are tons of ways to make fish, but these tacos are just so good that we almost always go this route.
Recipe
Northern Pike (or other white fish)
Cajun Fish Crisp
Butter
1/2 cup purple cabbage
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup cucumber
Red onion, optional
Flour tortillas
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Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 lime zested and juiced
1 bunch cilantro
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Directions
Prep vegetables by thinly slicing cabbage and cucumber. Quarter cherry tomatoes.
Mix vegetables and drizzle with fresh lime juice.
Dredge fish in Fish Crisp and fry in butter on high heat until golden brown on both sides.
Make sauce by combining all ingredients in food processor and blend.
Toast flour tortillas to warm.
Add vegetables and fish to each tortilla and top with sauce.
Enjoy!
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Oh right! The last two pictures?
Yep, I couldn’t help but throw them in…
This was the biggest Northern Pike I have EVER caught (18.5 lbs – it was HEAVY to hold for photos)!
I was in a sit-inside kayak, no less! The guy at the kayak store told me I would never be able to catch fish in a sit-inside kayak and that I HAD to get a sit-on-top style to get fish… (guess I showed him! lol)
It took about half an hour to land this beast and I got pulled all over the lake in the meantime.
That night was well after 1 AM before we got home and got to eat some fresh fish!
There! I got my “big fish brag moment” in.
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What is your favourite way to make fish? Drop a comment below!
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I love eggs benedict with sourdough English Muffins, but NEVER would have tried tackling making the muffins myself – until I suddenly found more time on my hands during this pandemic and needed to keep busy with things that interested me.
With a batch of sourdough starter, I couldn’t bring myself to simply throw away half the batch each day! I hate wasting things, so I went on the hunt for every recipe that I could use the “throw away” portion of the batch to make.
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Hence, FINALLY trying my own homemade English Muffins!
The process was easy, but it does take a bit of time and planning ahead to give the batch enough time to set overnight.
The night before, I mixed the sourdough starter, sugar, milk, and flour. I covered the batch with a tea towel and left it on the counter overnight.
The next day, I added the baking soda, salt, and remainder of the flour and kneaded well. If you are using a mixer, this will only take a couple minutes.
Next, I rolled it out so the dough was about ½ inch thick. I do not have a “biscuit cutter” so I improvised with the metal ring of a largemouth jar to cut the muffins into equal sized rounds.
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I floured a silicone baking mat and placed the English Muffins on it with plenty of space between them so they wouldn’t stick together while rising.
Setting the oven on “proof,” which is about 100° F, I covered the muffins with a tea towel and let them rise for 2 hours.
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They should puff up slightly during this process.
Then I preheated the griddle to 275º F and gently transferred the English Muffins to the hot griddle. I let them cook for 3-4 minutes before flipping them. They do puff up a fair bit while they cook, so I flattened them out with my spatula to give them the expected shape.
I cooled them on a cooling rack, covered with a tea towel, for a few minutes before trying them out. They had the perfect chewiness and sourdough flavor!
I personally find homemade refried beans much tastier than canned stuff you can buy from the store.
In addition, making my own ends up being more cost effective. A small can of beans is $2-$3 each, whereas a 450 gram bag of dried beans is about $3 and makes 4 times as much!
First, soak the Pinto Beans in cool water overnight. This helps cut down on the cook time once you get is on the stove.
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It takes all of 2 minutes to start the beans soaking, and just requires a little planning ahead.
The next day, top up your water level and bring the spot to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 2-3 hours or until the beans are soft.
I do not add salt while they cook during the first stage as I find it easier to taste test once the beans have been mashed.
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Drain the water and rinse the beans. Add 2 cups of fresh water and bring back to on a boil. At this point, turn the heat to low and mash the beans, adding about a teaspoon of salt.
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You can either leave the beans plain or you can add 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne to add a bit of extra kick.
Cool on low heat until it is a consistent mixture and you do not have any hard lumps left.
Few things bring back happy childhood memories like good ol’ fashion apple pie.
For me, the first memory that comes to mind is coming home sopping wet, smelling like snow machine exhaust after a day out on the trails with my family… and walking through the door to the smell of freshly baked apple pie!
After dishing up, we would sit down to play a board game as a family, more often than not it was Solar Quest – a space version of Monopoly (I always tried getting the monopoly on Jupiter’s moons).
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I used to help my mom make this homemade recipe as a kid and it is still a favourite treat.
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Last summer our apple tree produced enough apples to use home grown apples for the first time! I was elated!
Homegrown apples. Make sure to remove any damaged areas.
If I use store bought apples, I go with Granny Smith because their tartness adds so much flavour and their crispness is good for baking.
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Peel and core the apples, then cut into dice sized cubes.
Add the sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and apples to a large bowl and combine.
It will be fairly dry at first, but after it sits for a few minutes the sugars draw some moisture out of the apples, making a nice sticky texture.
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Next, make the pie crust.
Cut the flour and crisco together using a pastry blender.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg, vinegar, and water together well.
Once well mixed, add to the flour and crisco. Do not over-work the dough.
Divide dough into 4 equal sizes and roll out into rounds on a floured surface.
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Place one crust into the bottom of each pie pan, making sure the edges are long enough to come just over the lip of the pie pan about 1/2 an inch.
Add the apple filling, 3 Tablespoons of milk, and 2 Tablespoons of butter to each pie pan.
Moisten the edge of the crust. This will help it bond to the top crust.
Next, place to top crust over the pie and roll the edge to seal. You can get creative with fancy crust edge designs if you want!
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Ready to bake!
Add a few slits in the top crust to vent and prevent the filling from bubbling out the sides. May as well it make a pretty design while you’re at it!
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Dust the top with cinnamon sugar for the finishing touch.
Place into pre-heated oven at 400° for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool for a few minutes.
Serve with ice cream and enjoy!
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Recipe
Pie filling
8 large apples
2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter, reserved
3 tablespoons milk, reserved
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Crust
1 1/4 cup crisco
3 cups white flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon white vinegar
5 tablespoons cold water
Bake at 400° for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.
Have you made apple pie from scratch before? I would love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
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You can never go wrong with tacos! I mean, we even have a day of the week dedicated to their deliciousness!
My family’s taco recipe is a little different than what you traditionally think of when you are planning Taco Tuesday (or TacoS Tuesday, as my niece calls it).
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We actually fry our tacos, which makes the cheese super gooey and extra delicious!
First, you’ll need to fry the raw ground beef. I often will fry a large package of the ground beef all at once so I have extra meat to freeze for next time I am making tacos.
(I haven’t tried using ground turkey or pork, but I imagine those meats would work quite well, too!)
As you cook the meat, add salt & pepper to taste as well as cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and a splash of lemon juice. If you have taco seasoning, you can use that instead; I just keep all the individual spices on hand and tend to make the spice mix myself.
Make sure to break the ground meat into small chunks as it cooks.
Once it is fully cooked so there is no more pink showing, drain any excess fat off. I like to place the pan back on the heat again and fry the meat until it is slightly crispy, but that’s up to you.
Next, spread refried beans on half the corn tortilla. CLICK HERE for the refried beans recipe.(I find making refried beans from scratch is WAY more cost effective than buying the canned version. And it really doesn’t take a ton of time as long as you plan ahead)
Then add your ground beef on top of the beans and then a slice of cheese.
The amount of meat you add is totally up to you! If you have carnivores in your house, you may want to add as much meat as you think will stay on the taco.
If you are on a tight budget, trying to make ends meet, you can keep this meal filling without breaking the bank by adding more beans and less of the meat.
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Fry the taco, folded over, in a pre-heated pan with oil. Don’t add too much oil; you just want enough to give the tortilla a nice golden finish.
If you end up with a lot of splattering, it means you added too much oil.
At one time during our kitchen renovations, I had to make a “temporary kitchen” work without a stove… and I actually just brushed oil on a griddle to make these tacos. It worked great! The point is, that’s how little oil you really need for this recipe.
To that point, I bet you could even make these tacos on the BBQ if you had a griddle accessory. Summer is so short where we live that I love using the grill as much as possible when the weather is nice!
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Once the first side of the taco is golden-brown, flip it to the other side and fry it to the same crunchy perfection.
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Once both sides have been fried, you add your toppings and enjoy!
I personally love sour cream, chunky salsa, jalapeños, cilantro, avocado, green onions, and lettuce on my tacos. You can also add Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, tomatoes or cucumbers. If you like spicy food, you could even try my Fire Roasted Salsa to turn up the heat.
They also freeze really well, so I will often make a large batch and freeze the leftover tacos (it seems impossible to have leftover tacos, right?!) to have as a quick, yummy lunch later on.
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Just microwave for 2 minutes from frozen and – viola! Tacos!
Or toss them in the oven at 350º until they are hot and crispy.
Either way, they are the first on my “freezer meal prep” list for when baby arrives!
I love the tangy flavour sourdough adds, so why not use it with pizza crust?
Some people make dough from sourdough out of frugality, but for me it is really for the taste and the cost savings is an added bonus.
Add 1 cup sourdough starter, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 cup flour. Mix well and let sit overnight.
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This extra time gives the dough time to develop and adds oh-so-much more flavour!
The next day, add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon dried oregano (or fresh, if you have it!), 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon garlic.
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Add enough flour so the dough does not stick to the side of the bowl, about 1 1/2 cups.
Divide into 3 equal sized balls.
Roll out on a clean surface sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal gives it a nice crunch and is the “secrete ingredient” a lot of restaurants use.
Place on pizza stones and add your toppings.
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The beauty of pizza is the fact that you can add whatever you want for toppings! My family always made a fun night of everyone making their own pizza so they got exactly what each individual wanted.
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If you think pineapple belongs on pizza, GO FOR IT!
If you hate onions, DITCH THEM!
The world is so full of possibilities.
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Recipe
1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic
1 1/2 cups flour as needed for proper consistency
Bake at 400º for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is nicely browned.
Add red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese if desired.
And enjoy the pizza party!
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What toppings do you prefer on your pizza? Does pineapple belong on pizza or not? Drop a comment below!
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Garden lasagne is a recipe I created to use all the fresh veggie goodness coming out of my garden in a yummy new way.
It can be easy to fall into the same patterns of meals you make or recipe you use. I was ready to change it up and try something new!
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Let’s be honest, lasagna is tasty, but tends to be pretty heavy for a hot summer dinner. So why not try making an all-veggie version? I mean, I get more Zucchini (and summer squash) from my garden than we can keep up with anyway.
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I start by harvesting zucchini/summer squash, tomatoes, basil, and eggplant (optional). I sometimes add patty pan squash as well.
Then I slice them into thin pieces.
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Next, I layer the veggies as one would with lasagna.
Finally, I top with crumbled feta or cheese of choice and add some ground pepper.
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Cover with tin foil and place into oven , pre-heated to 400°
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Depending on how deep you layer, it will take anywhere from an hour or two to cook fully.
When I have made this for potlucks or to entertain company for dinner, I have almost never had leftovers – but definitely a lot of compliments and requests for the recipe!
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Recipe
Zucchini or summer squash
Tomato
Eggplant (optional)
Patty pan squash (optional)
Basil
Feta
Salt & pepper
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Directions
Slice zucchini (or summer squash) longwise into thin “noodles”.
Thinly slice tomato into rounds.
If you are using eggplant and patty pan squash, slice thinly as well.
Layer zucchini noodles in a baking pan, then layer tomato, then eggplant and patty pan squash.
Repeat with as many layers as desired.
Finish the top layer with crumbled feta and fresh basil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover with tin foil and bake at 400º for 1-2 hours or until vegetables have reached desired softness (baking time will vary by number of layers you add).
Enjoy!
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What unique recipes do you use to use fresh veggies throughout the summer? I’d love to hear about them if you comment below!
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I prefer savoury over sweet, almost every time. Jalapeño waffles seemed like an interesting idea to test out, so I gave it a shot!
It gives an interesting twist to breakfast, changing up the boring routine of the same 3 breakfast options every morning.
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I added 1 cup sourdough starter, about a quarter cup cheddar cheese, a quarter cup of diced jalapeños, one egg, salt, and enough flour to bring it to the right “pancake batter” consistency.
To add a bit of protein, I scrambled up some eggs, added a side of bacon, and garnished with green onions, parsley, and freshly ground pepper.
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To see how to grow your own endless supply of green onions, click here.
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Jalapeño Sourdough Waffles
1 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup diced jalapeños
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Flour – add just enough for a “pancake batter” consistency
Mix well, add to preheated waffle maker, cook and enjoy!
What do you do to switch it up for breakfast? Comment below!
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Old House on the Prairie 