Hello Long Weekend

...and if you're in Canada, have a fun, and safe, Victoria Day long weekend! Have any special plans?

janis

Baked

It's been so hot the last few days, so it seems strange to post this particular recipe. I made some chili and creamy cornbread for our camping trip last week. Froze both, so they kept everything else cool as well. Tastes even better when eaten outdoors!

Vegetarian Chili - serves about 10

1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 large yam, chopped in 1/2 inch cubes
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 cup cooked quinoa (follow package instructions)
2 cups black beans, cooked (fresh or canned)
1 cup red kidney beans, cooked (fresh or canned)
1 796ml/28oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook until just tender. Stir in the garlic, jalapeno pepper, yam, carrot, red pepper and zucchini. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cooked quinoa, chili powder, and cumin. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low, for about 30 minutes. Serve with creamy cornbread.

Creamy Cornbread - makes one 8x8 pan or 24 mini muffins (I ended up doing both)

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 284ml/10oz can of creamed corn (old school!)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili flakes (I made a batch without, so kids would eat)

Preheat oven to 400f. Grease and line a square pan or muffin tin with parchment paper or paper cups.
In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and chili flakes. Combine well, then add sour cream, egg, creamed corn and oil and stir until just blended. Pour into an 8x8 pan or spoon into mini muffin tin. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until just a little golden in colour or a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean.

Baked

Happy Friday! Did you have a good week?

I'm just back from my annual family camping trip, and have these "camp bars" on my mind. Wish I had one, as I'm currently on a BC ferry heading back to Vancouver, from a shoot, and all I can smell is hotdogs, or something like that (not what the doctor ordered). These are so simple to make and are easy to pack for a little camping get-away.

Camp Bars - makes about 12 bars in an 8x12 pan

5 cups puffed cereal (rice, millet, kamut, or wheat. I used millet)
1 cup brown rice flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup finely chopped dried fruit (I used apples, peaches, and apricot)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup almond chocolate spread (or peanut butter or almond butter)
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional, but you should do it:) )

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Lightly spray an 8x12 pan with oil and line with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, flour, millet, cinnamon, walnuts and salt. Add the honey, almond chocolate spread and applesauce. Stir to combine. The mixture should be sticky and clump together nicely. If it's too crumbly, add a bit more applesauce. Spread out the mixture, evenly, in the pan, then sprinkle with chocolate chips (if using). Bake for about 20-25 or until they just come away from sides of pan. Watch that they don't burn. While warm, cut into bars and leave in pan to cool. That's it!

Have a good weekend!
janis

Happy Camping

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you had a great week. I just got back from my camping trip, and I'm finding it hard to get back into the swing of things. Do you ever feel like that after a relaxing get away?

I absolutely heart Nicola Lake, located near Merritt BC. It's hot, dry, smells of pine, and there are pinecones everywhere. This is why I named my blog Pinecone Camp. Conjures up the best memories, and I'm always completely relaxed there.

View from our campsite. So pretty. 

A ranch on the way into town.

Hedley, BC is an old gold mining town. Tiny, friendly, and on this particular day, wildly hot. 

Bromley Rock is just east of Princeton BC. Breathtakingly beautiful. 

That's a small sample of this beautiful province. Have a lovely weekend! 

Back soon.

janis

Baked

Hello Monday! It's B.C. Day, so it's a holiday Monday. Sweet. How was your weekend?

I'm leaving for a camping trip, so I'll have zero access to internet. Feels strange, but it will be a nice break. Made heaps of food to take on the trip, and these biscuits are part of the hamper. They're really easy to make, and delicious. Love the kick of chili, but you could really put anything in these.

Cheddar Chili Spelt Biscuits - makes about 14

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole spelt flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried chili flakes
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, spelt flour, baking powder, sugar, chili flakes and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the milk over top of mixture, then sprinkle the cheddar cheese. Stir with a fork until a soft ragged dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently to come together. Pat out dough to about 1 cm (1/2 inch) thickness. With a floured 6 cm (2.5 inch) biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits, gathering and pressing dough together until finished. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining milk. Bake in a 400f/200c oven until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Happy BC Day to my fellow British Columbians! Have a great week everyone. Back later this week!

janis
x

Sunday Observations

Hope you've had a lovely weekend! It continues for some of us, here in Canada...yeah!

This is what went on around here today. Once again, niece Annika was in our care. Poor child. I had to get heaps ready to go on a little camping trip, hence all the taffy (coming up). Anything to keep her entertained.

That's about that. Have to get back to making camp food. What did you get up to today?

Back soon!
janis

Beach balls and Kokeshi

Ahh, Merry Christmas. I've been shooting a Christmas story for the last couple of days, and was it ever hot. Nothing like shooting a roaring fire on a 29 degree day! I'll try to post a bit of a sneak peek later ;)

I've just posted some new images on etsy. I've actually just sold a set of the kokeshi for a girl's bedroom (they were 10"x10" each) and one of the beach balls prints, so I thought I should finally put them up on etsy. I'm kind of slow on these things.  I'll get it together one of these days!

I took this shot while camping at Monck Park. This image is just a sample of my hazy memories of camping there as a child. 

I have a small collection of Kokeshi and decided to shoot a few of them. They look especially happy in a bedroom or a powder room. 

Now that Christmas is wrapped up, I hope to be able to take a couple of hours to check out some of your fab blogs today. Have a lovely day!

Baked on Monday - Sweet Potato Biscuits

Did you all have a nice weekend? Hope so.

I have to confess, I baked these last Monday to take on my camping trip. They are the perfect camping biscuit as they go with everything and last for a few days. I used "yams" instead of the yellow sweet potatoes this time around, hence the vibrant colour!

Sweet Potato Biscuits - makes about 12-15

1 lb sweet potatoes or yams
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tblsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
8 tblsp unsalted butter, cold
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400f. Wash potatoes and, using a fork, prick the potato several times. Place on baking sheet and bake for about an hour or until soft. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and press through a sieve. You should have about 1 1/4 cup of puree.

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut in butter until it resembles course meal. In another bowl, mix potato puree and milk, then add to dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.

Place dough on lightly floured board, knead a little, and pat out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a 2 inch round cutter. Bake on parchment paper lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve warm!

Enjoy your Monday! Back on Wednesday.

Happy Camper

 I hope all had a great week! Just got back from a little camping trip to Monck Park in beautiful British Columbia. I went with 3 of my sisters, Mom and a couple of nephews. Hot, feral and heaps of fun....even without a campfire. Lots of forest fires here in B.C. so there is a ban on campfires for a bit. I bring you bits of B.C.....

 

 Liam, pine cones, the perfect camping breakfast, and a little washing up.

Various views of our campsite at Monck Park, one of B.C.'s many provincial parks.

Beautiful Nicola Lake.

A lonely looking little red house, in Merritt.

Merritt, B.C.

Allison Lake, B.C. This lake is stunning! The colour of the water was beautiful.

I leave you with a very happy pink house located in Princeton, BC.

Have a good weekend! Back on Monday for a little baking.

Baked on Monday - Rustic Scones

Congrats Spain! World Cup is over for another 4 years. Why is it only every 4 years? Anyway, on to baking.

I bring you the rustic scone. I call it that because it looks a little more casual and "textured" than your regular scone (which I've yet to master, hence the "rustic" version). Having said that, it's pretty tasty and perfect to take on a camping trip, or to sit at the park and watch an impromptu game of cricket or football.

Rustic Scones - makes 18-20

 2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 oz/90g cold butter
1/4 cup berry sugar (or caster sugar)
1/2 cup chopped dried peaches
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 lightly beaten egg
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Mix the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Rub the butter in with your fingers, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, peaches, almonds and dates and combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, then add the egg and
milk mixture and stir until well combined.  Place tablespoons of the mixture on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden. Try them warm with a little butter!

Mom

This has been a crazy week, and now I feel like I've been shot out of a cannon. Ahh, the weekend is here though.

My mom, Edna (we call her Fast Eddie), is currently on a cruise somewhere around the Hawaiian islands, so she won't be here on Mother's Day. She's all by herself so I hope she meets a dashing, sexy, older gentleman! This post is dedicated to her.

Mom as a teen. A teen. I so did not take after her.

Mom has 7 of us, and had to raise us on her own when the youngest was only 1 year old. 5 girls, two boys. Yikes. I thought I had my hands full with a dog. She bravely took the entire lot of us camping every summer, and always helped out with school events. I can't imagine how many field trips she went on. One really only needs to "pan for gold" once, tops. One of my many childhood highlights was a "sex" talk using a book about how cats have their kittens. My poor mom! I'm still clueless.

Now mom works at one of our restaurants, Habit, and makes all the bloody delicious desserts. I think the job can be tough for her, but I know she loves all the staff and loves to be busy.

Mom, if you're reading this on board, Happy Mother's Day! We'll see you next week. Hope you like the caterpillar. Like all the pink glitter? What about those pipe cleaners? I made it today, just for you.  Remember those days when you loved our egg carton caterpillars? By the way, I have a 'real' present for you ;)

This picture is for all the moms out there. Happy Mother's Day!!

See you Monday for a new Baked On Monday. Have a good weekend everyone!