Tag: Recipes

Introducing the Remarkable Dragons of Canada

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What if I told you that dragons walked amongst us?

Some might call it crazy, or fanciful – a child’s tale even – but as any true believer will whisper over tankards of ale, dragons are predators, superior above all others; masters at blending into their surroundings.

2018: the year of the …dragon?

My goal for 2018 is to provide you with artwork and stories about [mostly] dragons… Dragons [and creatures] scattered across the whole of Canada; some found in the Canadian wilds, and yet others artfully posing as humans.

Shape-shifting dragons you say? Aye, the noble metallic dragons can do that! To compliment these stories, I intend to delve into the local cuisine of each area, so that you too, may dine like a dragon ;)

The Canadian Angle

For this lofty goal, I was inspired by the number of provinces and territories in my home country aligning closely with content from Wizards of the Coast’s 5th edition SRD. I intend to release thirteen different archetypes as they relate to our provinces and territories.

I’ve always wanted to blog about food, and the trifecta of passions seem perfect <3

Dragons: a Tentative Release Schedule

In order to squeeze a baker’s dozen into the year, I will be releasing focused content in approximate 4 week intervals. My goal is to have a finished drawing (or more) for every block. Sneak peaks will be released to Patreon first, then posted here. Finished product will become available for sale at Etsy. Throughout the four weeks, I intend to post inspired recipes for your enjoyment :)

Currently planned out:

  • Jan 1st – 28th / Nova Scotia / The Copper Dragon of Nova Scotia
    • Wine braised pork loin with cranberry and blueberry sauce
  • Jan 29th – Feb 18th / Newfoundland / Gold Dragons
  • and more to come…

Feel free to keep an eye on or bookmark this page! I will be updating it as recipes and entries come out. Drop a note and let me know if you’d like to see a monthly digest including recipes and freebies sent to your inbox! :D

(Sour) Cherry Pie

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Buying an Evans cherry bush is a patient, but worthwhile endeavour. ❤

One early summer day, I espied this simply amazing deal for 2 gallon Evans cherry bushes. (I hardly believed the newspaper ad; it was too good to be true!)

So, 5 months pregnant, and with a toddler in tow, I managed to fit three(!) pots in my stroller, balancing Dragonet atop the handles. (Oh the looks I had, awkwardly boarding the bus.)

Evans take a few years to mature, but are soooo worth the wait!

This pie was so magnificent, we tossed our plans for syrup and we are making two more pies. However, if you’re impatient, like I tend to be, I’m sure this recipe will taste wonderful with whatever cherry you can source ^_^

When first making this, I joked this was the $25 pie (having everything on hand except for the brandy ::laughs:: Another reason to make at least 2!)

Excerpted from Louise Gardener’s Pies:

(Sour) Cherry Pie :D

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • Use your favourite recipe!
  • Mine is: William’s Sonoma’s Flaky Pie Crust found [here]

Pie Filling:

  • 2lbs/900g pitted fresh or canned cherries, drained.
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 2 tsp cherry brandy
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 3/4 c sugar
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 tbs butter

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Grease a 9″ (23cm) round pie dish with butter. Roll out the dough into 2 circles, each 12″ (30cm) in diameter. Use one to line the pie dish. Trim the edge, leaving an overhand of 1/2″ (1cm).
  • To make the filling, place half the cherries and 3/4 cup sugar in a large pan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring for 5 minutes, or until the sugar has melted. Stir in the almond extract, brandy, and 1/4 tsp allspice. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to form a paste. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cornstarch, then return to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. Let cool a little. Stir in the remaining cherries, pour into the pastry shell, then dot with butter.
  • Cut the dough circle into long strips 1/2″ (1cm) wide. Lay 5 strips evenly across the top of the filling in the same direction, folding back every other strip. Now lay 6 strips crosswise, folding back every other strip each time you add another crosswise strip, forming a lattice. Trim off the ends and seal the edges with water. Use your fingers to crimp around the rim, then brush the top with a beaten egg. Cover with foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, discard the foil, then return the pie to the oven for an additional 15 minutes or until cooked and golden. Serve warm with freshly whipped cream or ice cream :D

 

 

Homemade Limoncello :D

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Lemon-infused vodka, waiting to be transformed!

This post has been a month in the making :D

[Excerpted from the May/June 2017 edition of Chatelaine]

Homemade Limoncello

Makes: 5 3/4 cups

Prep 10 min; total 25 min
Plus 1 hr cooling time

  • 1 750-mL bottle vodka, divided
  • 8-10 Meyer lemons, washed and quartered
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar [or 3, in my case]
  1. Divide 1 cup vodka bewteen 2 500-mL glass jars. Pack lemons very firmly into the jars. Seal, then let jars sit in a cool, dark place for at least 14 days and up to a month, turning and gently shaking jar once a day.
  2. Strain lemons, reserving liquid. Transfer lemons to a large pot with water and sugar. Set over medium high and cook until liquid is syrupy, about 15 minutes. Cool mixture and strain into the reserved liquid.
  3. Add remaining 2 cups vodka. Pour limoncello into clean bottles. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

Per tbs: 35 calories, 5g carbs (Note, a 1 oz serving would be 2 tbs, or 70 cals)

Notes and changes:

Now, I will say that when I made this, I made a few errors/changes. Not sure where I read to divide one cup of vodka into two jars, but this ultimately led to an *ahem* double batch. ::laughs:: And although I’ll swear up and down I purchased two 500mL jars from Michael’s, judging by volume, this appears to be a 1L jar holding my 2 cups of vodka and lemons… so.. who knows?

I also chose to slice my lemons for greater surface area, allowing more juice to exchange into the vodka than if I’d quartered them.

One important note… it smelled akin to turpentine when un-canning the jar. If this happens to you, don’t panic? I admit, I was worried the whole experiment was a bust. Was it the cheaper brand vodka I’d purchased? Perhaps, perhaps not.

After dusting off the magazine and realizing I needed more vodka at this stage (and realizing I was only supposed to soak 1 cup in lemon, not 2…) I bought a higher quality brand to finish the mix. To keep true to the recipe, I decided to double the batch to keep the ratios equal to the recipe. The syrup-water didn’t appear to be thickening, so we added another cup of sugar per batch (so 2 cups extra in total), and that seemed to do the trick. While warm, it still tasted… kind of weak and a little off.

Once I chilled it in the fridge (because there’s water content in it now and didn’t want to forget a full bottle in the freezer, eek!), I now had nicey, slightly syrupy… lemon tasting limoncello! I was really surprised how cooling it down brought out the flavour.

So there you have it.

Homemade Limoncello, stored in a glass bottle from Ikea.

Fun, easy to make Limoncello that you can wow your guests with and say you made at home!
(Is it cheaper than buying it? Probably not, but where’s the fun in that?)