Bacon & Tomato Guacamole

5 ripe avocados
2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
¼ tbsp. garlic salt
½ small white onion minced
1 green onions minced
1 tsp. ground coriander
3 tbsp. fresh cilantro – minced
¼ tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large fresh roma tomatoes diced (or 8 cherry tomatoes)
2 tbsp. minced pickled jalapeno
5 slices thick cut, double smoked bacon – cooked crisp & chopped

Peel, pit and scoop avocados into large bowl. Roughly chop into large chunks. Add all other ingredients except tomatoes, and mix thoroughly until texture is creamy and chunky. Stir in the bacon & tomatoes at the end. Adjust taste with pickled jalapeno brine. Cover with plastic wrap, directly on the surface of the guacamole until ready to serve.

And popcorn ? This quintessential sports watching snack & all of it’s tasty variations is just crying out for a cold beer!

Perfect Popcorn

3 Tbsp canola, peanut or grapeseed oil (high smoke point oil)
1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
1 3-quart covered saucepan
2 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.
Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.
When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it’s fun to do with kids.) This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.
Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.
With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop and nothing burns.
If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan. Season with salt to taste or add one of the toppings below….

Chilli Cheese Popcorn
popcorn, butter, Mexican chilli powder, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese

Garlic Parmesan Popcorn
Popcorn, garlic butter, Parmesan cheese & freshly cracked black pepper

Bacon Cheese Popcorn
popcorn, butter, seasoned salt, hickory-smoked salt, grated Parmesan & fresh bacon bits

Nacho Popcorn
popcorn, butter, cumin, crushed red pepper, paprika, Parmesan cheese

Sweet & Spicy Popcorn
brown sugar, chilli powder, sweet paprika, garlic powder, black pepper & salt

Pizza Popcorn
butter, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, Italian herb seasoning, paprika, salt & black pepper

Southwestern Popcorn
butter, Mexican chilli powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper

This is a dish that can be made well in advance while rest of the meal cook and then simply finish it just in time for your guests.

3 Cups Sweet potatoes – peeled, cubed and mashed
¼ Cup Butter
3 Eggs
½ Cup Coconut Milk (unsweetened)
1 TB Orange Zest
1 TS Vanilla
1 TB Lemon Juice
1 TS Salt
1 TS Cinnamon
1 TS Ground Nutmeg

Topping:
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Cup Flaked Coconut
1 Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cup Flour
¼ Cup Butter
Cook the potatoes and mash. Add melted butter, eggs, coconut milk, vanilla and remaining ingredients. Mix well and place into a greased baking dish. Cover and hold for finishing steps.
Mix the topping ingredients together in a bowl. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture and bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until the top is crisp and the middle is hot.

Sweet Onion Bacon Dip

6 strips of double smoked bacon, chopped
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 lbs cooking onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 ½ cups full fat mayonnaise – no miracle whip
1 cup full fat sour cream

In a small skillet, cook the bacon until the fat is rendered out. Drain bacon, reserving the fat in the pan. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and salt. Cook onions over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and deep golden in color, about 1 hour. Add water if needed. Add the vinegar in the last minute of cooking. Cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onions, and bacon.
Serve this dip with potato chips or raw celery.

Spicy Sausage Heroes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 pound red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more if you want them extra spicy)
Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
6 Italian sausages – casings removed  (we love the Italian sausage we get from Bonetti Meats in Langley)
Sausage Buns

Heat a large frying pan on the stove top, add the oil, bell peppers, onion, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper and season with salt & pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are softened and just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, over moderate heat, brown the sausage meat until nicely browned. Once it is cooked, drain excess fat & add to the vegetables and keep warm. Brush the rolls with olive oil and toast in a frying pan or in the oven. Fill the rolls with the sausage and peppers – top with sliced provolone cheese and serve with lots of napkins.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 ½ cups chicken stock
4 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 bunch fresh basil leaves & 1 bunch fresh cilantro
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
salt & cracked black pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter over low heat. Cook garlic, shallots, curry paste in oil until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic). Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk, and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Cook until pumpkin softens.
With an immersion blender, or in a blender, blend the soup in batches to a smooth or slightly chunky consistency, whatever you prefer. Serve with fresh basil, cilantro leaves & toasted pumpkin seeds as garnish.

Spiced Lime Coconut Yogurt Bread

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
2/3 cup softened butter
1/3 cup Greek style yogurt
2 whole eggs
1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest
1 cup toasted coconut
½ cup whole milk

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8×4-inch loaf pan. Sift the flour, ginger, coriander, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
Combine sugar and butter in large bowl & with a hand mixer beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add yogurt, eggs, milk and lime zest; mix well. Reduce speed to low. About ¼ at a time add the flour mixture, beating well after each addition, just until moistened. Fold in the toasted coconut.
Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely & serve with soft butter.

Honey Roasted BC Pears with Cardamom Scented Whipped Cream

8 firm Bosc pears, cored and quartered
¾ cup apple cider
½ cup fresh Fraser valley honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place pears in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish & dot with butter.
In a small saucepan on the stove top combine the apple cider, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Pour over the pear mixture, cover and bake the mixture at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the pears are fork tender, basting occasionally. Remove from oven, and let stand for 10 minutes and then serve your roasted pears with the Cardamom Scented Whipped Cream.

For the whipped cream;

¾ cup well chilled heavy cream
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon white sugar

With a hand mixer, beat the cream with sugar and cardamom in a clean bowl using clean beaters until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve immediately with barely warm pears & an extra drizzle of the honey pan juice.

Pumpkin Creme Brulee Serves 12

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup plus 8 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. pure vanilla
4 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a large bowl mix together the pumpkin puree, egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, maple syrup, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon & vanilla until combined.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream just to the boiling point. Pour the cream into the pumpkin mixture stirring to combine.

Divide the mixture into 12 six ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins into a baking pan & add warm water, filing the the pan to halfway up the ramekin.

Bake 45-60 minutes until the custard is just set. Cool thoroughly then refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours.

Just before serving, preheat the broiler & sprinkle the top of each custard with 2 tsp. of sugar. Place under the broiler to caramelize (approx. 1-2 minutes). Or use a culinary torch to achieve the same result.

My other half is out of town this week so I am trying to get through some pantry items and     stuff that’s been in the fridge a while – you know the drill – a mini purge of sorts.
Tonight, I was in the mood for pasta. So with an open box of good spaghetti, a very generous dollop of “bacon jam”, one glorious farm fresh egg, a handful of grated fresh parmesan cheese, a glug or 3 of heavy cream & a crack of fresh pepper I had a simple satisfying quick & easy carbonara.
For those of us ever too damn lazy (or smart, depending on who you talk to) to fry some bacon or render some pancetta I give you Skillet Street Bacon Jam – possibly one of the greatest inventions of this century. For $16.99 you will always have cooked, smokey deliciousness at your finger tips.  Available of course at www.wellseasoned.ca   You can check them out on line at  http://www.skilletstreetfood.com/shop.php

1 Gelderman Farms Fresh Pork Tenderloin www.geldermanfarms.ca
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot minced
Zest from ½ an orange
1 teaspoon honey
½ cup Black Cloud Altostratus Pinot Noir www.blackcloud.ca
½ cup fresh BC cherries, pits removed and roughly chopped
1 sprig of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted cold butter cut into small peices
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200F, and place an oven-safe platter on the middle rack to warm.

Cut your pork tenderloin into slices aprox. ½ inch.
Spread the flour out on a deep plate and season it with salt and pepper. Season the pork with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, then dredge it in the flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat the oil in the sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the medallions without overcrowding the pan, you may need to do them in batches. When they’re brown on the first side, flip and brown them on the second side. Don’t cook them longer than 5 minutes or so – they cook quickly. Take them out and put them in the oven to rest while you make the pan sauce.

With your pan over medium heat you want to add the shallot, sauté until soft – add the Altostratus wine and scrape the crisp caramelized bits remaining in the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to reduce by about ½ . Add the cherries & thyme  and allow the mixture to cook for 5 minutes. Finally, add the honey, the orange zest & the cold butter – whisking well to combine. At this point the sauce should be slightly reduced and the cherries warmed through – the sauce will thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour your pan sauce over the pork medallions and serve immediately with the rest of the bottle of wine ! Enjoy.

Frozen Watermelon Margaritas

Remove the flesh from 1 large watermelon & puree it in a blender or food processor with the juice of 2 whole limes.
Add 1/2 cup of tequila and 1 cup of simple syrup.
Stir well to combine. Transfer to a 9×13 cake pan and put it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes or so go to the freezer with a fork and stir the margaritas – over a couple of hours they will start to freeze, the fork will break up the ice crystals nicely and start to make your drinks slushy. Continue to freeze for as long as you can wait or if you’re impatient like me — put the semi frozen mixture back in a blender with a bunch of ice and another glug of tequila & a drizzle of triple sec…blend furiously, transfer to a glass & enjoy.
Don’t drink too many of these…there’s alot of fiber in watermelon apparently

Simple syrup = equal parts of sugar & water brought to a boil & cooled. 1c sugar +1c water

The Dad Burger

1 ½ lb freshly ground sirloin (ask your local butcher)
3 tbsp. your favourite BBQ rub (we love House of Q House Rub www.houseofq.ca )
4 x ½ -inch discs of frozen herb butter (recipe below)
8 slices of crispy cooked thick sliced bacon
4 generous slices of aged cheddar cheese (or your fave)
4 fluffy burger buns, big enough to fit the patty

Optional toppings;

Tomatoes, grilled onions, fried egg, mayo, relish, mustard, ketchup, sliced dill pickles, lettuce etc.
Have fun, it’s just a burger man……

For the Herb Butter;

2 tablespoons finely chopped herbs – any combination will work; basil, thyme, parsley, chives, tarragon, rosemary etc.
1 garlic clove minced
½ cup of salted butter at room temperature

With a wooden spoon blend the garlic & herbs into the butter until they are well combined. Pile the butter into the centre of a large piece of plastic wrap and then roll it up to form a cylinder twisting the ends of the plastic wrap to make a nice tight tube. Chill until firm. To use, unwrap and cut into disks (you will probably have more than you need, extra butter will keep in the fridge up to 3 days or freezer for 3 months, alternatively you could just make more burgers)

For the Burgers;

Wet your hands and divide the ground beef into 4 equal portions. Pat each into a thick patty and top with a slice of the herb butter – gently fold the sides of the patty into & over the butter completely encasing it. Sprinkle the bbq rub liberally over both sides of the burger.
Prepare your bbq, clean & oil the grill. Cook the burgers over high heat (400 degrees) about 4 minutes per side until medium rare or your meat thermometer registers 160 degrees inside.
Serve your burgers on toasty warm buns, topped with cheese & bacon. Enjoy.

Happy Father’s Day !