Apple Blondies With Brown Sugar Frosting
Both the frosting and the blondie are scrumptious. You’ll have a tough time deciding which you like best so why not have more of both?


- Blondie
- 2⁄3 cup butter, softened 150 ml
- 2 cups packed brown sugar 500 ml
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 ml
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 500 ml
- 2 tsp baking powder 10 ml
- 1⁄4 tsp salt 1 ml
- 1 cup chopped peeled apples 250 ml
- 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts 175 ml
- Brown Sugar Frosting
- 1⁄2 cup butter 125 ml
- 1 cup packed brown sugar 250 ml
- 1⁄4 cup milk or cream 60 ml
- 2 cups confectioners’ (icing) sugar, 500 ml sifted
- Blondie: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
- Grease a 13- by 9-inch (33 by 23 cm) baking pan. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture on low speed, mixing until blended. Stir in apples and nuts, mixing well. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake until set and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- Brown Sugar Frosting: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring mixture just to a boil then remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Stir in confectioners’ sugar, mixing until smooth. Spread evenly over bar. Let stand until frosting is firm enough to cut. Cut into bars or squares.
- MAKES 20 TO 54 BARS OR SQUARES
- Tip: This frosting is very soft when first mixed, which makes it very nice to spread. It firms up on cooling.
- Tip: Choose apples that are crisp, tart and not too moist. Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Spartans are good choices for this recipe.
- Variation: Omit the frosting if you prefer a plain apple walnut blondie.
- Variation: If you’re not a fan of nuts, omit the walnuts.
Kale and Brussels Sprout Slaw


- Dressing
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil 60 ml
- 2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice 30 ml
- 2 TBSP cider vinegar 30 ml
- 1 TBSP grainy or Dijon mustard 15 ml
- 1 TBSP liquid honey 15 ml
- Salad
- 5 cups loosely packed kale 1.25 L
- 8 large Brussels sprouts ends trimmed
- 1 small apple diced
- 1⁄3 cup crumbled feta cheese 75 ml
- 1⁄3 cup chopped pecans, toasted 75 ml
- (see tip, below)
- Dressing: In a small bowl or jar, whisk or shake together oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and honey.
- Salad: Pull the kale leaves off the stalks and discard the stalks. Stack and thinly slice the leaves. Halve the Brussels sprouts lengthwise and thinly slice. In a large bowl, combine kale, Brussels sprouts, apple and feta. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with pecans.
- Tip: Toast pecans in a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan often, until pale golden and fragrant. Let cool before adding to your salad.
Spiced Roasted Cauliflower
Tired of steamed cauliflower? Try roasting it!


- 1 head cauliflower 1
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil 30 ml
- 2 tsp chili powder 10 ml
- 1 tsp ground cumin 5 ml
- 1⁄2 tsp salt 2 ml
- 1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 ml
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Separate cauliflower into florets. Toss with oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and golden.
- Serves 4 to 6.
Killer Coleslaw
- Salad
- 1⁄2 cabbage, chopped 1⁄2
- 5 green onions, chopped 5
- 1⁄4 cup slivered almonds, toasted 60 mL
- 1⁄4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted 60 mL
- (or sesame seeds)
- 1 package (3 oz/85 g) Japanese 1
- noodle soup mix (save seasoning
- package for dressing)
- Dressing
- 1⁄4 cup rice (or white) vinegar 60 mL
- 1⁄4 cup salad oil 60 mL
- Seasoning package from noodles
- Combine all salad ingredients except noodles. Before serving, crush noodles, combine with salad ingredients and toss with dressing.
- Serves 6
Roast Turkey with Sage-Bread Stuffing
Turkey almost always has the place of honour when family and friends gather for holiday meals. It’s perfect when serving a crowd.
It’s economical, too, and everyone loves it. Best of all are the leftovers that get wrapped and placed in the fridge for hearty sandwiches the next day — or even later that night.
The Ladies are Back, Canada’s Best Neighbours
The Ladies are Back
Red Lentil and Vegetable Curry
Red lentil and vegetable curry is a fantastic vegetarian main or a swoon worthy side dish


- 1 tbsp vegetable oil 15 mL
- 1 large onion, finely chopped 1
- 4 cloves garlic, minced 4
- 3 tbsp mild or medium Indian curry 45 mL
- paste
- 11⁄2 cups grated peeled sweet potato 375 mL
- 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed 250 mL
- 11⁄2 cups tomato sauce 375 mL
- 2 cups vegetable broth 500 mL
- 3 cups packed baby spinach 750 mL
- 11⁄4 cups drained roasted red peppers, 300 mL
- chopped
- Salt (optional)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro 30 mL
- Chopped tomato
- Use a 31⁄2- to 4-quart slow cooker. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and curry paste; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in sweet potato and lentils. Stir in tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours, until lentils are very soft. Stir in spinach and red peppers. Cover and cook on High for about 20 minutes, until spinach is wilted and red peppers are hot. Adjust seasoning with salt, if desired. Serve garnished with cilantro and tomato.
- Serves 4 to 6.
- Tip: Heat seekers can use hot Indian curry paste or add cayenne pepper to taste with the spinach.
- Tip: Curry pastes can be quite salty. Taste the curry at the end of the cooking time and add salt if necessary.
- Variation: Use 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas instead of the spinach.
- Who are “they” anyway?
NEWS!
Thanks to Gwendolyn Richards of The Calgary Herald for sharing this news with everyone!
The conversation is lively and punctuated with laughter, just as it should be when friends gather over food. Though it is more than sharing stories happening between the six women. Over that coffee table, a legacy is being passed as the original ladies who formed the Best of Bridge welcome the women who are set to breathe new life into the iconic brand.
Down to just four from the original eight who came up with the Best of Bridge cookbooks some 40 years ago that would become a publishing phenomenon with millions of books sold, the ladies are ready to fully retire and hand over the brand they so carefully built — publishing, touring and selling those books themselves — to the next generation of families. Now, a new group of food writer friends will pick up the mantle as Calgary’s Julie Van Rosendaal and Elizabeth Chorney-Booth and Vernon’s Sue Duncan have been named to carry on writing and creating cookbooks in the Best of Bridge name.
“The essence of Bridge is a group of friends,” says Van Rosendaal.
It’s a move Mary Halpen, Val Robinson, Helen Miles and Joan Wilson have been working toward for several years now, starting in 2008 when publisher Robert Rose licensed the Best of Bridge name and asked if the group knew anyone who might be interested in carrying it on.
Their first thought was Van Rosendaal.
“Julie is the best new idea we’ve had since 2008,” says Miles. “She will breathe new life into the brands. It’ll be good for it.”
They’d met the food writer and CBC columnist years earlier when she asked to meet them to learn more about the world of book publishing. She showed up at the appointment with cookies.
“My mother brought me up on Best of Bridge,” Van Rosendaal says. “It is what people grew up with.”
But, she says, the brand needs new faces to connect Best of Bridge to a new generation of home cooks. “It couldn’t be one person taking over the brand; the whole essence is a group of friends cooking together.”
Through conversations with Robert Rose, Chorney-Booth and Duncan were added to the fold.
For Chorney-Booth, the chance to carry on the Best of Bridge name is an honour. She also grew up on the recipes those eight women created and still enjoys them when her mother and mother-in-law pull out their worn, original versions of the cookbooks.
“I still, no word of a lie, use a lot of their recipes, a lot of the time,” she says.
Since Robert Rose licensed it, a few books have been published under the Best of Bridge name — mostly compilations of recipes from their other books with a few new recipes thrown in. The missing ingredient in those, though, was they lacked a connection between the women and the name they created.
“The pull of Best of Bridge is the ladies. It’s a well-known story among the original generation,” says Chorney-Booth. “In the last few books, there hasn’t been that group of friends behind it. Bringing together new recipe developers who are friends and enjoy cooking, the brand needs that for it to be true to what the original women put together.”
There will be a transition book that comes out this fall, but the one set to be released in the fall of 2016 will be by the new trio under the Best of Bridge name. Their focus will be to build on the name the Best of Bridge ladies created and write books and recipes that are more reflective of the books from days gone by.
“It’s a chance to rebuild a recognizable brand,” says Van Rosendaal.
Beef Bourguignon
Beef bourguignon, An Elegant and Delicious French Stew to share with good friends


- 1⁄2 lb thick-sliced bacon 250 g
- 12 to 15 small whole onions, peeled, or 4 handfuls pearl onions, skins removed
- 3 lbs lean beef chuck, cut into 1.5 kg 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
- Olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 TBSP flour 45 mL
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 cups dry red wine 750 mL
- 2 cups beef broth 500 mL
- Bay leaf
- 1⁄2 TSP dried thyme 2 mL
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms 500 mL
- 4 to 6 large carrots, peeled and 4 to 6 cut in bite-size pieces
- 2 TBSP butter 30 mL
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). In a Dutch oven, sauté bacon until crisp. Remove, cool and coarsely chop. Reserve 1 to 2 TBSP (15 to 30 mL) bacon drippings. Add onions and sauté lightly; remove to another dish.
- Add beef to pot (and some oil if necessary) and brown over medium-high heat for 5 minutes; add garlic for the last minute (be careful not to burn). Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper; stir until flour begins to brown. Add wine, beef broth, bay leaf and thyme. Stir to loosen browned bits on bottom of pot, add onions, cover and place in oven for at least 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, lightly sauté mushrooms and carrots in butter and set aside. Remove pot from oven, add sautéed veggies and return to oven for another 1⁄2 hour. If more liquid is needed, add beef broth. Garnish with parsley.
- Serve with beaucoup baguettes . . . c’est si bon!
Fruit and Nut Shortbread
A colorful addition to your Christmas baking and perfect for cookie exchanges


- A colorful addition to your Christmas baking.
- 1⁄2 lb butter 250 g
- 1 cup brown sugar 250 mL
- 1 egg yolk 1
- 2 cups flour 500 mL
- 2⁄3 cup glacé cherries, halved 150 mL
- 1⁄2 cup walnuts, chopped 125 mL
- Cream butter and sugar. Add yolk and flour. Cut in fruit and nuts. Shape dough into two rolls 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter and roll in waxed paper. Chill overnight. While still cold and waxed paper still on, take a sharp knife and cut thin slices (1⁄8 inch/3 mm). Set on greased cookie sheets, remove waxed paper and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes. (Slightly brown edges). Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
- Note: Twist cookies off sheet.
Killer Quinoa Salad
Something so good for you shouldn’t taste so good, but it does. Serve this nutty-textured salad alone or with grilled chicken or pork. This is an excellent buffet salad that will hold for about an hour.


- Dressing
- Finely grated zest and
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil 45 mL
- 1⁄2 tsp ground coriander 2 mL
- 1⁄2 tsp ground cumin 2 mL
- 1⁄2 tsp paprika 2 mL
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Salad
- 1 cup red or white quinoa, rinsed well 250 mL
- (see tip, opposite)
- 1⁄2 tsp salt 2 mL
- 2 cups cold water 500 mL
- 1 cup dried cranberries 250 mL
- 1⁄4 cup finely diced dried apricots 60 mL
- Warm water
- 2 ripe avocados (see tip, page 129) 2
- 2 green onions, sliced diagonally 2
- 1⁄4 cup toasted slivered or 60 mL
- sliced almonds (see tip, page 127)
- Instructions
- Dressing: In a bowl, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, coriander, cumin and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Salad: In a saucepan, combine quinoa, salt and cold water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork, spread on a large baking sheet and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, place cranberries and apricots in a small bowl. Cover with warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes or until plump. Drain and set aside.
- Peel avocados and cut into bite-sized chunks. Place in a bowl and toss with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the dressing to prevent discoloration. Place cooled quinoa in a large salad bowl. Add cranberry mixture, avocados, green onions and almonds. Add the remaining dressing and toss to combine. Serves 6.
- Tip: First cultivated by the Incas, quinoa is an ancient grain that is growing in popularity. Available in red and white varieties, it has a mild, nutty flavor and expands four to five times when cooked. It’s important to rinse it thoroughly under cold running water before cooking to remove the slightly bitter coating on the grains. Refrigerate raw quinoa to prevent it from becoming rancid.
- Make Ahead: The dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. The quinoa can be cooked up to 1 day in advance; after cooling, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
- Dressing: In a bowl, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, coriander, cumin and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Salad: In a saucepan, combine quinoa, salt and cold water; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork, spread on a large baking sheet and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, place cranberries and apricots in a small bowl. Cover with warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes or until plump. Drain and set aside.
- Peel avocados and cut into bite-sized chunks. Place in a bowl and toss with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the dressing to prevent discoloration. Place cooled quinoa in a large salad bowl. Add cranberry mixture, avocados, green onions and almonds. Add the remaining dressing and toss to combine. Serves 6.
- Tip: First cultivated by the Incas, quinoa is an ancient grain that is growing in popularity. Available in red and white varieties, it has a mild, nutty flavor and expands four to five times when cooked. It’s important to rinse it thoroughly under cold running water before cooking to remove the slightly bitter coating on the grains. Refrigerate raw quinoa to prevent it from becoming rancid.
- Make Ahead: The dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. The quinoa can be cooked up to 1 day in advance; after cooling, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Shepherd’s Pie
This comfort-food favourite tastes even better topped with garlic mashed potatoes
- THIS COMFORT-FOOD FAVORITE TASTES EVEN BETTER TOPPED WITH GARLIC MASHED POTATOES.
- INGREDIENTS
- 11⁄2 LBS. LEAN GROUND BEEF OR GROUND 750 g
- LEFT-OVER ROAST
- 1 CUP CHOPPED ONIONS 250 mL
- 2 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED 2
- 1⁄4 CUP FLOUR 60 mL
- SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE
- 1⁄4 TSP. DRIED THYME 1 mL
- 1⁄4 TSP. DRIED SAVORY 1 mL
- 10 OZ. CAN BEEF BROTH 284 mL
- 1⁄2 CAN WATER 1⁄2
- 2 TSP. WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE 10 mL
- 1 BAY LEAF 1
- 1⁄2 CUP FINELY DICED CARROTS 125 mL
- 1⁄2 CUP FROZEN CORN 125 mL
- GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
- 2 LBS. POTATOES (5–6 MEDIUM), PEELED 1 kg
- AND CUBED
- 6 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED & LIGHTLY 6
- CRUSHED
- 3⁄4 CUP BUTTERMILK OR 2% MILK 175 mL
- SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE
- 1 EGG, LIGHTLY BEATEN 1
- USING A LARGE NONSTICK FRYING PAN, COOK GROUND BEEF OVER MEDIUM HEAT UNTIL NO LONGER PINK. BREAK MEAT UP AS IT COOKS. ADD ONIONS AND GARLIC; COOK UNTIL SOFTENED. STIR IN FLOUR, SALT, PEPPER, THYME AND SAVORY. ADD BROTH, WATER, WORCESTERSHIRE,BAY LEAF AND CARROTS. SIMMER, STIRRING OCCASIONALLY, FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, OR UNTIL QUITE THICK AND CARROTS ARE TENDER. STIR IN CORN. REMOVE BAY LEAF. SPREAD MIXTURE IN A DEEP CASSEROLE. LET COOL SLIGHTLY.
- TO MAKE GARLIC MASHED POTATOES: PLACE POTATOES IN A SAUCEPAN WITH GARLIC AND COVER WITH WATER. ADD SALT, BRING TO BOIL AND SIMMER GENTLY UNTIL TENDER. DRAIN WELL AND MASH. BEAT IN BUTTERMILK, SALT AND PEPPER. RESERVE 1 TBSP.(15 mL) OF BEATEN EGG AND ADD REMAINDER TO MIXTURE. SPREAD POTATO MIXTURE OVER MEAT AND BRUSH WITH RESERVED EGG. BAKE AT 350°F (180°C) FOR 40–45 MINUTES.
Spring Borscht
It’s called Spring Borscht, but be sure to make this in the summer and Fall, when fresh beets can be found everywhere


- INGREDIENTS
- 10 to 12 medium beets, cubed or shredded 10 to 12
- 1 medium onion, chopped 1
- 3 to 4 medium carrots, chopped 3 to 4
- 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped 1
- 1 small cabbage, shredded 1
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped dill 30 mL
- 1 tbsp pickling spice 15 mL
- 1 10-oz (284 mL) can tomato soup 1
- Low-fat sour cream for garnish
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Place vegetables and spices in a 4-quart (4 L) Dutch oven, cover with water and cook until tender. (the pickling spices can be tied in a cheesecloth or placed in a tea leaf holder.) Add the tomato soup. Serve with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of sour cream.
- Serves 6.
- Note: If the beets are mature, cook them in their skins, remove and cool. Pop off skins, cube or shred and add back to the soup.
- Common knowledge is a source cited for a fact you just made up.
Island Pork Tenderloin Salad
The superb flavor of jerk pork – the perfect dinner for a summer’s day. This recipe looks involved but it’s not.
- INGREDIENTS
- Pork
- 2 tsp. salt 10 mL
- 1⁄2 tsp. black pepper 2 mL
- 1 tsp. ground cumin 5 mL
- 1 tsp. chili powder 5 mL
- 1 tsp. cinnamon 5 mL
- 2-3 pork tenderloins (21⁄2-3 lbs. TOTAL) 1-1.5 kg
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil 30 mL
- Glaze
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 250 mL
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic 30 mL
- 1 Tbsp. Tabasco 15 mL
- Vinaigrette
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 45 mL
- 1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice 15 mL
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 15 mL
- 1 tsp. curry powder 5 mL
- 1⁄4 tsp. black pepper 1 mL
- 1⁄2 cup olive oil 125 mL
- Salad
- 3 Navel oranges, peeled, white 3
- pith removed
- 6 cups baby spinach, trimmed 1.5 L
- 4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage 1 L
- 1 red pepper, in thin strips 1
- 1⁄2 cup golden raisins 125 mL
- 2 firm-ripe avocados, peeled & 2
- cut diagonally into thin slices
- INSTRUCTIONS
- To prepare pork: preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Combine salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon. coat pork with spices. Heat oil in ovenproof frying pan over moderately high heat; brown pork, turning often. Leave in pan.
- To make glaze: Combine ingredients and pat onto tops of tenderloins. Roast in middle of oven for about 20 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- To make vinaigrette: whisk together juices,mustard, curry powder and pepper. Add oil in a stream, whisking thoroughly.
- For the salad: cut oranges crosswise into thin slices. Toss spinach, cabbage, peppers and raisins in a large bowl with 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) vinaigrette.
- To assemble salad: cut pork at a 45° angle into 1⁄2" (1.3 cm) slices. Line a large platter with dressed salad. arrange sliced pork, oranges and avocado
- in rows on top. Drizzle some vinaigrette over avocado and oranges. Pour juices from frying pan over pork.
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