Gourmet Sweet Potato Souffle

This recipe makes a great side dish for Easter dinner. Even people who don’t like sweet potatoes will be asking for a 2^nd helping. This dish will impress your guests and it isn’t even complicated to make!

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes, cover, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2 quart souffle dish. Sprinkle dish with 1 tablespoon white sugar, shaking dish to evenly coat bottom and sides.
3. Place the sweet potatoes into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter, 3/4 cup sugar, heavy cream, eggs, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Process until mixture is smooth. Pour into prepared souffle dish.
4. Bake the sweet potato mixture in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Bake the sweet potato mixture until edges are slightly browned, about 40 minutes more. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Rack of Lamb

Wow your guests on Easter with this mouth-watering recipe! This traditional recipe looks, smells and tastes delicious! Besides tasting amazing, this recipe doesn’t take hours to prepare, so you can enjoy the holiday as much as possible. 

 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
•  
• 1 (7 bone) rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Move oven rack to the center position.
2. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil to moisten mixture. Set aside.
3. Season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes. Brush rack of lamb with the mustard. Roll in the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated. Cover the ends of the bones with foil to prevent charring.
4. Arrange the rack bone side down in the skillet. Roast the lamb in preheated oven for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want. With a meat thermometer, take a reading in the center of the meat after 10 to 12 minutes and remove the meat, or let it cook longer, to your taste. Let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes, loosely covered, before carving between the ribs.

Braided Easter Egg Bread

This decorative dessert will make the perfect center piece for your Easter dinner this weekend. The whole eggs in the bread will bake with the bread, no need to cook them before hand.

 Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 5 whole eggs, dyed if desired
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
2. Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden.

Add some excitement to a weekday!

Pineapple-Glazed Chicken with Jalapeño Salsa

This sweet and spicy dish will bring life to your dinner. This delicious recipe will bring excitement to a weekday that you never thought was possible!  It is almost the weekend, why not start early with this mouth watering dinner.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup 1/4-inch cubes fresh pineapple
• 3 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canned sliced jalapeño peppers, drained, coarsely chopped
• 4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin (1 3/4 pounds total)

Directions:

1)      Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring pineapple juice, brown sugar, and mustard to boil in small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil until glaze has thickened slightly, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

2)      Mix pineapple, red pepper, cilantro, onion, and jalapeño peppers in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

3)      Line baking sheet with foil. Place chicken on sheet and brush with glaze. Bake 15 minutes. Brush again with glaze, then broil until cooked through and golden, watching closely to avoid burning, about 5 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes.

4)      Spoon salsa over chicken and serve.

Chips from around the world!

Potato chips are a popular snack in Canada and around the world. Some of the most popular flavours in Canada are BBQ, Sour Cream and Onion, Salt and Vinegar, All Dressed, just to name a few. These seem completely normal to us, but to people in other countries, these flavours would be completely unknown. Here’s a list of potato chip flavours from around the world, you’ll be surprised at just how unique this common snack is.

China:

• Blueberry
• Hot and Sour Fish Soup
• Cucumber
• Numb and Spicy Hot Pot

Russia:

• Crab and Red Caviar
• Mushroom and Sour Cream

Thailand:

• Squid
• Nori Seaweed
• Seafood and Mayonnaise

United Kingdom:

• Prawn Cocktail
• Lamb and Mint
• Pickled Onion

Even Canada has some unique flavours of our own!

• Lobster
• Poutine
• Ketchup
• BBQ Ribs

Some of the unique flavours found around the world.

 Potato chips are a delicious and versatile snack that changes from region to region. We aren’t 100% convinced that all of these flavours would be tasty but it depends on the person’s preference too!