Category Archives: recipes

Apple Pecan Stuffing Muffins

This is a wonderful side dish any time you serve chicken, turkey or poultry as the main course meal. These stuffing muffins are very easy to make, and they look and taste great. Poultry cooks quicker if you cook it unstuffed so these are a real time saver as well.

Ingredients:
1 recipe Homemade Bread Stuffing
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
2 apples – peeled, cored and diced
1 egg, well beaten
Watkins cooking spray Continue reading Apple Pecan Stuffing Muffins

Quick And Easy Homemade Bread Stuffing

This is one of the quickest and easiest bread stuffing recipes you’ll ever make as it’s made on the stove top. You can whip this up in 10 minutes to serve with turkey, chicken and other poultry, it also goes well with pork or fish or any time you want bread stuffing. This recipe calls for items you can easily have on hand in your pantry or cupboard and tastes better than a boxed mix.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups Bread Cubes, dry unseasoned
2 Tablespoons Watkins Parsley
2 Tablespoons Watkins Onion Flakes
2 teaspoons Watkins Chicken Soup and gravy base
1/2 teaspoon Watkins Poultry Seasoning
1 1/4 cups Water
2 Tablespoons Butter, Margarine or Watkins grapeseed oil` Continue reading Quick And Easy Homemade Bread Stuffing

Basic Whipped Cream Recipe

Nothing tastes better than real whipped cream, it makes an every day dessert extra special. Here’s a good basic whipped cream recipe, the powdered sugar helps act as whipped cream stabilizer so it doesn’t separate as easily.

watkins vanillaIngredients:

1 cup/240 mL heavy whipping cream
2 to 4 tbsp/30 to 60 mL powdered sugar, or icing sugar (depending on sweetness desired)
1 tsp/5 mL Original Double Strength Vanilla Extract

Directions: Chill the small bowl and beaters of an electric mixer. Beat the cream in chilled bowl until it begins to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff. Use promptly, refrigerate or freeze any left overs. Makes about 2 cups whipped cream topping.

Tips from the kitchen: Continue reading Basic Whipped Cream Recipe

Traditional Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing

Before you know it, it will be Thanksgiving so here is a traditional roast turkey recipe with chestnut stuffing and homemade gravy for you to enjoy with your family. Roast turkey makes a wonderful meal any time of the year so don’t save it just for the holidays.

roast turkey with stuffingIngredients for the chestnut stuffing:
1/4 cup whole chestnuts or dried if you can’t find whole
1/4 cup raisins
2 Tablespoons Watkins grapseed oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon Watkins sage
1 teaspoon Watkins rosemary
1 teaspoon Watkins thyme
1 cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
5 cups stale bread, cubed
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon Watkins Chicken soup and gravy base

Ingredients for the turkey: Continue reading Traditional Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing

Bison And Vegetable Kabobs

Have you tried bison? It is a wonderful, delicious and healthy alternative to beef. Here’s a great video showing you how to make Bison and Vegetable Kabobs with Cous Cous Salad. I written out the recipe for you as best as I could.

Ingredients for Kabob Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil or Watkins grapeseed oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Watkins garlic granules
1 tablespoon Watkins basil
1 tablespoon Watkins oregano
1 teaspoon Watkins thyme
2 teaspoons Watkins sea salt
1 teaspoon Watkins cracked black pepper Continue reading Bison And Vegetable Kabobs

Easy Apple Crisp Recipe

It’s apple season, so I’m busy picking, using and putting away the bounty from my trees. You probably don’t have an orchard so check out your local farmers market for apples at their peak of fresh picked goodness. This is our favorite easy, apple crisp recipe as it makes a quick dessert.

Ingredients:apples and cinnamon
4-5 medium sized apples, peeled and cored
1/3 -1/2 cup /75-125 ml sugar, depending on tartness of apples
1 teaspoon/5 ml Watkins cinnamon

Ingredients for topping:
2/3 cup /150 ml flour, all purpose or whole wheat
2/3 cup /150 ml oatmeal
1/2 cup/125 ml brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon/1 ml Watkins nutmeg
1/2 cup/125 ml butter, softened

Directions: Continue reading Easy Apple Crisp Recipe

Sweet and Sour Refrigerator Pickles

These sweet and sour refrigerator pickles are nice and crisp because the vegetables aren’t cooked. This recipe is very easy and great for anyone who is new to home canning. Making a batch or two is a good way to use up some of your extra garden produce, if you don’t have your own garden pick up some fresh produce at your local farm market. Your delicious homemade pickles would also make a welcome gift for someone special.

Ingredients for pickles:
4-6 cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 medium green or red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pickling or kosher salt
4-5 glass pint jars and lids

Directions: Wash vegetables with Watkins Fresh Wash and slice. Place prepared vegetables in a large nonmetal bowl, add pickling salt, mix well and let stand for 2 hours. Prepare syrup while cucumbers, onions and pepper are sitting in the brine. Drain vegetables well and pack loosely into sterilized glass jars. Read how to sterilize canning jars, if you are new to home canning or need a refresher. Pour the following syrup over top making sure to cover vegetables.

Ingredients for syrup:
2 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 Tbsp. Watkins Pickling Spices
1-1/2 tsp. Watkins Celery Seed
1-1/2 tsp. Watkins Garlic Flakes, optional

Directions: Combine syrup ingredients, let stand for 2 hours or until sugar dissolves. Keep refrigerated. Turn the jars occasionally to mix spices. Your pickles will be ready to eat in 3 days, flavor improves after a week. Makes 4 pints. Keeps well for 6 – 9 months but I’m sure they won’t last that long!

Watkins Pickling Spices is a traditional mixture of whole and broken spices, herbs and seeds, it’s a pantry basic used for pickles, corned beef brisket, seafood, marinades and other dishes. This seasonal spice is generally available from March to October. You can order it and your other spices in the Watkins US catalog or the Canadian catalog.

Vegetarian Chili with Black Beans and Corn

Hubs is a meat and potato man but I like to sneak in some vegetarian meals every week because I think they are healthier. I’m making this delicious vegetarian chili with black beans and corn today, using seasonal, organic produce I picked up at our local farm market. The combination of beans and corn makes a complete protein which is important if you are following a vegetarian diet.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Watkins grapeseed oil, original unflavored, garlic and parsley or citrus and cilantro
2 organic red bell peppers, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, mined or pressed or 2 teaspoons Watkins organic garlic granules
2 teaspoons Watkins organic chili powder
2 cups organic tomatoes, peeled or 2 cups canned tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups organic corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/2 teaspoon Watkins sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoons Watkins organic black pepper, or to taste

Garnish with: Continue reading Vegetarian Chili with Black Beans and Corn

How To Sterilize Canning Jars

If you are making homemade jams, jellies or pickles you’ll need to sterilize your jars before you fill them with your preserves. To sterilize jars, place them in a large pot or canner, cover them with hot water, bring water to a boil and leave jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Then, place jars upside down on a clean towel or rack to drain.

If you are sealing your preserves you’ll need to sterilize the lids as well. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for sterilizing these, they are usually placed in boiling water as well.

I also sterilize my utensils as well; this includes the ladle, spoon and funnel for filling jars and the tongs or magnetic wand used for picking up hot lids and jars out of the water.

Although this is no longer recommended, jars may also be sterilized in the oven. I prefer this method for jams and jellies as it ensures the jars are dry, so there is no added moisture. However please note, I sterilize everything in boiling water first so I’m basically just keeping the jars hot and sterile. I highly recommend that you do the same.

So, after you remove your jars from the boiling water… Place the jars in the oven, I put them on a clean cookie sheet, turn the heat to 200 deg. F, once the oven has reached temperature, heat jars for 10 minutes. Then, turn off the oven leaving the jars inside until ready to fill.

Fruit Coffee Cake With Cinnamon Topping

This fruit coffee cake is low fat and not too sweet, if you want to reduce the sugar more use unsweetened apricots, peaches, or applesauce and use only 1/4 cup of sugar in the topping. You can use any kind of fruit you have on hand, I’ve made this recipe with frozen raspberries or blueberries as well. Watkins cinnamon

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons sugar
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1 2/3 cups flour (sifted)
3 teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla
1 cup sweetened cooked apricots, peaches, diced or applesauce
1/4 teaspoon Watkins lemon Extract

Directions: Continue reading Fruit Coffee Cake With Cinnamon Topping