Recipe: Puff Pastry Pizza Pockets Puff Pastry Pizza Pockets are like mini pizzas with your favourite toppings wrapped in a crispy, flaky pastry. Hubby and I love these pockets as we are able to combine our two favourites – pizza and puff pastry. Sharing Puff Pastry Pizza Pockets Recipe With Sunday Funday Group For this weekend Amy suggested “Let’s make pizza! Share your favourite homemade pizza or a twist on pizza using classic pizza ingredients in another dish!” I opted for a twist of the pizza by including our favourite toppings in a puff pastry. Initially, I wanted to make actual pizza but I couldn’t stop thinking of the pizza pockets we get as a snack on the British Airways flight. I simply love…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Cranberry Brie Bites Cranberry Brie Bites are super easy to make, perfect as holiday appetizer or bites and versatile. Right from the type of pastry to the filling, one can opt to use what they have at hand or customize it their family’s liking. And did I mention they taste really good even when they become cold? Many brie bite recipes use crescent roll dough, flaky pastry dough or shortcrust pastry. I have used phyllo pastry. Not only do these bites turn out ultra crispy but also are a little more healthier than the fat loaded shortcrust or flaky pastry. I would have loved to use ready made phyllo tart shells. But I don’t get them in my small town. But no worries, as…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Za’atar Swirls Za’atar Swirls are flaky, flavourful, delicious and easy to make snack or appetizer. Basically you need puff pastry and za’atar and you’re good to go. Bake them for parties or gatherings . I have made them into small pies but you can easily shape them into bigger ones to enjoy as a light meal option with some salad on the side. What Is Za’atar? Za’atar pronounced as ZAH-tar is a popular Middle Eastern seasoning blend. It is made from dried herbs, sumac and sesame seeds. A versatile blend, it can be used in soups, salads, meats, fish, breads, crackers, etc. Actually, the possibilities are endless. I love this seasoning blend. During my trip to Dubai in summer, I got addicted to the…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Mini Spanakopita Pies These Mini Spanakopita Pies are not only super delicious but also ideal for any time of the day. Enjoy them as a starter, as a snack or as a light meal along with some salad. Perfect for lunch boxes too and an easy yummy way to get kids to enjoy spinach. So you may ask why not the traditional triangles? Well, truthfully, I still need to master the art of folding them into neat triangles. I make the triangles when I am baking them for family. However, I don’t want to serve uneven triangles when I am entertaining. So I find the mini pies so much quicker to make using a muffin pan. What Is Spanakopita? Spanakopita is a popular Greek…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Mushroom Spinach Hand Pies Mushroom Spinach Hand Pies are easy to make, absolutely delicious and impressive for any party. I like to bake them sometimes for my dinner parties as the main dish. Along with a hearty salad it is a filling, satisfying meal. I’ve been making these mushroom spinach pies since my kids were young. It was an excellent way to get them to enjoy spinach. Hot flaky pies, be it cheese, mushroom or vegetable are everyone’s favourite. Memories When I began blogging on Jan 2nd 2012, I had set an impossible mission to share 366 recipes on the blog. However, that didn’t happen as by end of April I had only 28 posts on the blog. Life happens and we’re not…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Fruit Tartlets Fruit tartlets are finger food pastries as the baked tarts are small. They are filled with cream cheese, fresh cream, lemon curd or custard and lots of fresh fruit. These tartlets are ideal as dessert for parties or even as a tea time treat. Fruit tartlets never fail to wow my guests. And what I love about them is that you can fill them with any seasonal fruit. For kids I’ve filled them with jelly and fruits. If you are a bit apprehensive about making the sweet shortcrust pastry at home, by all means use ready made one. I try and avoid using ready made ones as I am not sure what kind of fat might be used to make the dough.…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Breakfast Tarts These Breakfast Tarts are prepared from puff pastry with a bit of vegetables and egg. A delicious savoury breakfast idea, you can add vegetables of your choice. Can also add bacon, sliced sausages, your choice of cheese, etc. I have chosen to use spring vegetables, fruit and herbs – baby spinach, fresh basil, mushrooms, bell pepper and baby tomatoes. An Arty City – Montreal Street Art, Murals and Graffiti are very much popular in most parts of the world. When you walk around Montreal City you will notice some sort of creativity be it paintings on building walls, meaningful graffiti, different shaped benches, small gardens with blooming flowers, shop windows dressed to attract anyone, or even small balconies of apartments. People in…
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Continue ReadingEvent: Blogging Marathon#88 Theme: Regional Cuisine- Week 2 Day 2 Today we’re going to the heel of Italy, to the region called Apulia or Puglia. This region has the Adriatic Sea to the east, Ionian Sea to the south-east and the Strait of Otranto and Gulf Taranto to the south. This region produces olives, tomatoes, aubergine, asparagus, artichokes and mushrooms. Salento a region of Apulia is right at the tip or the heel of the boot. Today’s recipe is from Salento area. Rustico (plural is rustici) is a puff pastry filled with sauces and cheese. Its baked and usually enjoyed as a mid morning snack or as an evening appetizer. Two discs of pastry are used to sandwich the sauces and mozzarella cheese. This pastry…
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Continue ReadingMEGA BLOGGING MARATHON -SEPT 2017 #80TH BLOGGING MARATHON THEME: PROTEIN RICH DISHES/LENTILS DAY:16 Last Sunday I met up with my best friend to catch up on events, thoughts, basically everything. She had gone on a cruise to Norway and I had loads to tell her about my dad’s stay in Montreal and our visit to Niagara Falls. She runs a kindergarten and though I retired from teaching nearly 10 years ago, we still have a passionate common topic and that it young kids. New academic year so there are bound to be kids who will cry their lungs out before they settle in. Usually every new term with new kids and she says that it doesn’t take a toll on her when kids cry…
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Continue ReadingVeggie Shepherd’s Pie Veggie Shepherd Pie is a vegetarian version of the famous Shepherd’s Pie. Traditional Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie as it is known as, has a filling of minced meat topped with mashed potatoes. I have replaced the minced meat with lentils (puy lentils) to make it vegetarian friendly. It also is a good plant protein rich dish as I have used mushrooms, milk and beans. What Is Shepherd’s Pie? A Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage pie is usually a meat pie with a topping of mashed potatoes. It is not made with any kind of pastry shell. Minced meat is prepared with some vegetables. The minced meat is spooned into a baking dish, topped with mashed potato and baked or grilled (broiled) for…
