family favourite

Our Favourite Recipes from Mom

With Mother's Day around the corner, it makes us remember those special dishes that Mom or even Grandma used to make.  The desserts that she made without a recipe or the meals that she made from memories of her own mother are the ones we still hold close in our hearts.

 

recipes from mom

 

 

We asked our momstown team to send us a recipe that reminds them of their moms or grandmothers and tell us why these dishes mean so much. Here are our favourite recipes, from mom with love;

 

Hello Dolly and Marshmallow Squares from Heather, Director of Marketing and Media

 

Mom's Sour Cream Coffee Cake from momstown Oakville

 

Quick Scones from Ann-Marie Burton, momstown Founder and CEO

  

Grandma's Easy Banana Muffins

 

Mama's Portugese Stew from momstown Milton

  

Mom's Best Gravy from momstown Hamilton

  

Grandma's 14 Day Coleslaw

 

Scratch Chocolate Cake from a momstown member  

 

 "Fluffy" Chicken and Rice from momstown Burlington

  

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

 

Nanna's Lemon Meringue Pie from momstown Brampton 

 

 

What recipe remind you of your mom?

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My Favourite Dessert Squares- Hello Dollies and Marshmallow Squares

My mom has some great recipes that remind me of growing up and sneaking into the freezer with my sister for a treat!  So it seems fair that I share two of my favourite recipes for easy dessert squares!  They are a huge crown pleaser, with requests each holiday for my mom to make them...best part...they freeze beautifully!

 

Hello Dollies


Melt ¼ cup of butter in square cake tin. Add 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs. Stir and mix well and press to create a crust.

Pour the following in layers:

hello dolly squares, my favourite dessert squares

1 cup choc chips
1 cup coconut
1 ½ cups of white mini marshmallows
½ cup of chopped nuts ( I use sliced almonds)

Drizzle 1 can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Milk on the top and bake at 350°F for approx 25 minutes or until golden brown.

 

http://restingonabranch.blogspot.ca/2010/09/my-grandmothers-squares.html

photos from On a Branch 

 

 No-Bake Social Tea Marshmallow Squares


1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg

 

no bake social tea and marshmallow squares

 

Mix in a double boiler and stir. Cook 8 minutes. Beat with a spoon until creamy. Cool slightly and add ¾ pkg. of coloured marshmallows. Crush and add 30 Social Tea biscuits (don’t pulverize them). Mix well and press into a buttered pan and refrigerate.

 

Alternatively.... create an even MORE decadent treat by adding 1 cup of peanut butter and 11oz of butterscotch chips!

no bake marshmallow squares

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Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Butter

Blueberry Buttermilk PancakesWho doesn't love the taste of yummy melt-in-your-mouth pancakes on a chilly Fall/Winter day? Thanks to our friends at KitchenAid, along with Celebrity Chef and spokesperson, Chef Lynn Crawford, we've got a recipe that's guaranteed to make breakfast time a fun & tasty time for your family!

 

INGREDIENTS:
Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (500 ml)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 ml)
  • 4 tsp baking powder (20 ml)
  • 1 tsp baking soda (5 ml)
  • 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter (60 ml)
  • melted, plus additional
  • 2 tablespoons for
  • cooking
  • 2 cups buttermilk (500 ml)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract (250 ml)
  • Icing sugar for dusting

Maple Butter (Makes 2 Cups (500 ml))
1 cup maple syrup (250 ml)
1 cup cold unsalted butter, (250 ml) cut into cubes

 

DIRECTIONS:

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes:

  1. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  2. In another bowl melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
  3. Using the KitchenAid® 5-Speed Hand Blender, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla and eggs.
  4. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and blend together until well combined, making a thick batter.
  5. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  6. Add a tablespoon of butter and melt to cover the entire skillet.
  7. Ladle about ½ cup of the batter and cook to set.
  8. Add 1 tablespoon blueberries before turning.
  9. When you see bubbles start to form, flip the pancake and continue cooking on other side until golden brown.
  10. Repeat until all the batter is used. Serve hot with maple butter and a dusting of icing sugar.


Maple Butter:

  1. Heat the maple syrup in a saucepot over medium heat.
  2. With the KitchenAid® 5-Speed Hand Blender whisk in the cold butter into the warm syrup a few cubes at a time until the sauce is smooth and all of the butter is incorporated.
  3. Remove from heat and keep warm until ready to serve. It will keep for 2 months in the refrigerator.

 

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Cooking with Kids: Quick Roll Recipe

Today was an ideal fall day, sunny and cool, the perfect day for chili in the slow cooker. With dinner already done, we had lots of time to fill without dinner prep. How to fill the potential witching hour ahead when dinner is simmering and already made?  My toddler and I decided to add an “extra” into dinner since the oven was empty.


The perfect partner for chili are warm rolls. Who knew such a simple recipe existed to whip up a batch of simple scones in under 30 minutes, including baking time?


There’s a time and place for the decadent refrigerated rolls from the grocery store, which give us all the illusion of baking. Real baking, with staples from your cupboard, feeds your soul and your stomach.


This recipe for simple scones or rolls, comes from my mother, who send this inexpensive recipe to me as a starving student. I never made the recipe then, it seemed too “complicated” to the student and new cook in me. However, as a mother now I make this recipe frequently.


3 reasons why I love this simple Roll/Scone recipe:
1) It really is simple. So simple you can invite your kids to help.
2) It’s cheaper than buying fresh rolls or refrigerated dough
3) Your spouse will think you have gone all Martha on him. And you’ll feel all like that uber “good mom” who makes fresh bread and all that…

 

My two year old daughter, Megan, loves to bake and pull up a chair to stand with me at the counter. She’s so animated, likes to repeat everything I say and the order me around to add the flour, sugar and so on. She’s a perfect Junior Chef in our kitchen. And she’s darn cute in her Dora apron.

 

junior chef, baking with kids
 

Quick Scone Recipe


Paired with chili, chunky homemade soup or stew, these scones are a delicious addition to any comfort meal. Fresh from the oven, warm with melted butter is a version of heaven.


2 cups all-purpose flour (you can use Whole Wheat but it does make a slightly drier scone)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with 1 tbsp of vinegar mixed in and let sit for 10 minutes)
1 beaten egg (for egg wash)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt. 
In another bowl, stir milk and oil together and then combine with the dry ingredients. Dough will become sticky and your Junior Chef will need a hand to continue to mix the dough.

 

baking with kids
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough 4-5 times. Roll or pat the dough to ½ inch thick and cut with a floured cookie cutter. Or roll to desired thinkness and cut into squares, place on the cookie sheet.

 

junior chef, baking with kids

 

Just before tucking into the oven,  paint the tops with egg wash prior to baking (my daughter loved this part “I’m not a baker! I’m a painter!”)

 

baking with kids


Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet, until lightly browned. Bake about 15 minutes (little bakers like to peek but try not to open the door).

 

baking with kids


Makes about 20 scones to share with your hungry family at dinnertime. Serve warm if possible and freeze leftovers (they will go stale quickly).

 

scones, baking with kids

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Cooking with Kids: Mini Quiche Recipe

Cooking with kids includes involving them in everyday recipes, like quiche. Most kids like eggs (especially yummy scrambled!) but the veggies inside quiche may be a hurdle. Involving your kids in the prep and choice will help with the acceptance of this dish (and win on the veggie front!).

 

momstown Milton created mini quiches with their Junior Chefs. Prepping all ingredients together gave all the children a chance to practise their slicing, dicing, mixing and pouring.  Allowing children to cook adds to their confidence and with supervision, there are very few recipes your children can't find at least one element to help you with.

 

quiche

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8  tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped pepper ( you can use what ever colour you want)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup broccoli
1 tomato
chopped fresh chives
mini tart shells

 

 

quiche junior chef

 

quiche 2

quiche ingredients

Everyone personalized their own mini quiche to suit their tastes. Each child selected their own ingredients in a little bowl and our moms helped by covering in the egg and milk mixture.

Next, we poured it all into our shells and baked in oven at 425 for 25-30 minutes, until golden and firm in the centre.

 

quiche 4

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Coconut Baked Chicken

momstown member Felicia sent us this delicious recipe for Coconut Baked Chicken. It's a great variation on the standard, over-served, chicken fingers that kids seems to crave. Healthier, more diverse and still very family friendly and yummy!

 

coconut chicken

Felicia created this recipe by combining many different recipes, even her husband who is not a fan of sweets or coconut loved this recipe and asked for seconds.  The recipe can easily be changed to make more or less depending on the family size.  Guaranteed hit with the entire family. 


4-6 Chicken breasts
1 or 2 cans coconut milk
Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp cinnamon (approx. add more or less to taste)
dash Cajun seasoning
1 egg
1 tbsp butter

 

Place chicken breasts in large bowl and completely cover with coconut milk.  Make sure to save some coconut milk for later.  Marinate overnight (I have marinated it for 3 hours and it still gave a good result, just not as much flavor will be in the chicken). 


When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375, combine breadcrumbs, cinnamon and dash of Cajun. Dip each piece of chicken in beaten egg and coat completely in breadcrumb mixture.  Pour enough coconut milk in bottom of casserole dish to just cover bottom, arrange coated chicken in bottom of pan and put small pieces of butter on each piece of chicken.

Bake until no longer pink, about 45 mins to an hour. It's yummy served with plum sauce for dipping.

 

Image credit

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Turkey Kale Meatloaf

kale truket meatloaf

This Turkey and Kale Meatloaf sounds like a healthier version of Grammie's Meatloaf but just as delicious and family friendly! Have a kid who likes to help? This is a good project to help with mixing and pressing into the pan (wash hand well though!)

 

You need:
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 small bunch kale
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1/2 onion
1 small container of feta
2 eggs
2 cups bread crumbs
olive oil to moisten
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dice veggies (I used my food processor) and mix together all ingredients in a large bowl.

Bake in a 9x9 baking dish for 1 hr or until it is 165 degrees

This recipe was submitted by a momstown member, Jennifer, for a recipe contest. Thanks for the submission!

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Family Pumpkin Pancake Recipe

Thanks to our momstown facebook page, we received this family favourite Pancake recipe from our fan Christina when talking about Pancake Tuesday. We had to share the pancake recipe as it sounds delicious, family friendly and easy to make!

pumpkin pancakes

Here it our family's FAVOURITE pumpkin pancake recipe... so delicious!! (and a great way to sneak lots of healthy fruit into kid's diets!!!
 
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
 

Mix all together and create delicious pancakes!!!

 

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Cooking with Kids: Mama's Chicken Pot Pie

My family loves chicken pot pie - such a family favourite recipe and easy to keep ingredients on hand to make it. But I've never made it with my kids and am now inspired by momstown Milton where they made a chicken pot pie with every child during their Junior Chef program!

 

Goes to show you, even recipes you may think "aren't kid friendly to make" really can be! Incorporating children into each step along, breaks the process down and really teaches them to respect the finished product.

 

junior chef chicken pie

 

Mama's Chicken Pot Pie

1/4 cup butter 60 ml
1/4 cup flour 60 ml
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth 750 ml
2 carrots, chopped in small pieces
2 celery stalks, chopped in small pieces
3 cups sliced mushrooms 750ml
2 tbsp. butter 30ml
1/2 cup peas 125 ml
3 cups cooked and diced chicken 750ml

Pastry to cover 3-qtr. (3L) Casserole dish  (*cheating is FINE! Premade dough is in the chilled section at the grocery store, or you can roll out a thawed frozen store bought crust.)

 

cutting veggies with kids

Cut up all the vegetables first - this can take the longest with kiddie helpers. To protect fingers consider pulling out some time saving gadgets like food processor or safe slicers.

 

chopping onions

Melt butter in large saucepan over med heat. Blend in flour, salt, pepper and onion. Gradually stir in  chicken broth.

Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Add carrots and celery, and potatoes. Cook until fork tender. in a small frying pan, cook mushrooms in butter. (good idea for adults to do this part on the stove)

 

Add mushrooms, peas, and chicken to vegetable mixture. Mix well and pour into large casserole dish (or as momstown Milton did - scoop into pie plates to make a few chicken pot pies).

 

covering with pie crust

Cover with rolled pastry and poke a few holes into it to allow steam to come out.

 

Bake in preheated 400 oven for about 45 min or until pastry is golden. If pastry becomes brown too quickly cover loosely with foil. ENJOY!


 

Perfect steps to include the kids with:

- washing the vegetables

- Helping to cut the vegetables and cooked chicken up

- Mixing the all the ingredients together and scooping into their pie plates (cool it a bit first, don't let them burn themselves)

- Rolling the pie crust over top, pinching the sides and poking steam holes.

 

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Slow Cooker Southwest Steak and Potato Stew Recipe

Thanks to a momstown Oakville member for sharing her Slow Cooker Southwest Steak & Potato Stew recipe. Sounds like an easy recipe for a cold and snowy winter day!


 
 
Ingredients: 
•    1 ½ pounds boneless beef sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
•    3 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into 1-inch pieces
•    2 cups frozen cut green beans
•    1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
•    1 16 oz. jar thick & chunky salsa (mild)
•    1 can of beef broth
•    1 tsp. dried crushed basil
•    2 garlic cloves, minced

 

Trim fat from beef and cut beef into 1-inch pieces and set aside
In a 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker, layer potatoes, frozen green beans, and onion. Then add beef

In a medium bowl, stir together salsa, broth, basil, and garlic. Pour over beef and vegetables in slow cooker


Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours or on high heat setting for 4-5 hour. Enjoy!!

 

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