Tortilla Roll-Ups

This recipe is influenced by all the delicious pinwheels/tortilla roll-ups I’ve eaten throughout my life. I feel like every holiday gathering growing up had some form of tortilla roll-up - whether it was a sweet version with cranberries or spicy like these. This is far from an original recipe, just simply my version of the very popular appetizer. I love these with the spice of the pickled jalapeno, freshness of the red pepper and savouriness of the green onion. You can play around with the ratios to get the perfect bite for you depending on how spicy you like your food. These are super easy to make and always go quickly at parties and gatherings. 

A few tips:

Cream Cheese

You can use either the spreadable cream cheese in the tub or the block of cream cheese, both work fine! If using the block, I would let it sit at room temperature for 30 mins to an hour to soften slightly, which will make it easier to mix. 

Making Them Ahead of Time

A few options for prepping these ahead of time:

• You can make the mixture up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerate that, assembling them the day you are going to serve.

• You can make the mixture and roll up the tortillas, refrigerating well wrapped 1 day ahead of time, then slicing to serve. I wouldn’t roll them up too much more than 1 day ahead of time because you don’t want any moisture getting into the flour tortilla and becoming soggy.

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Tortilla Roll-Ups

Yields 4-6 tortillas x 6-8 bites per, ~36-48 bites!

Ingredients:

1 package of cream cheese - you can do either the hard block or the softer spreadable version

3 green onions, green parts finely diced

½ red pepper (or orange or yellow), finely diced

2-4 tbsp pickled jalapenos, drained and diced

1 cup old cheddar cheese, grated

1 package large flour tortillas (10”)

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method:

1. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, green onions, red pepper, pickled jalapeno and cheddar cheese in a bowl and mix together to combine. If easier, you can use an electric hand mixer to mix everything together. Sometimes I use a little bit of the jalapeno liquid to loosen up the mixture - you want it to be spreadable! 

2. Take a taste and adjust - I personally like them medium spicy but you can always add more jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

3. After it’s all mixed together, scoop a scant 1/4 cup and spread thinly onto a tortilla, trying to get as close to the edges as possible. Roll tightly. I sometimes have to add a little of the mixture to the top edge to have it close well.

4. You can store them rolled in the fridge covered in plastic wrap and then slice them into 1.5 cm rounds when ready to serve. The ends make for a great *chef snack*.

Mushroom Tourtiere

Meat pies have always been a Christmas tradition in our house. I remember my grandmother used to make rabbit pies on Christmas Eve - she always told me my piece of pie was from the “chicken” pie, bless her. As I got older and more interested in cooking, as well as our Acadian background, I started making tourtieres to enjoy on December 23rd. A new tradition was born, and each year the “tourtiere” night grew as well. One of my dear friends who attends every year is vegetarian, so I’ve been playing around with a veggie tourtiere recipe for the past few Christmases. I wanted it to have the same warming flavour as tourtiere, and for the filling to have a similar texture. The different mushrooms add savouriness, and the variety of nuts add texture (and nuttiness!). Since mushrooms and nuts can be a bit one-note in flavour, I have added a balsamic maple reduction to drizzle over the filling right before it’s baked so that every bite tastes a little different. Some bites you’ll get the reduction, others will just be mushrooms. A new adventure every time! 

Tips for the pie

Cut everything into equal sizes

To replicate the texture of a pie with ground meat, I try to cut my mushroom, celery, leeks and nuts into relatively equally small pieces. This gives it a bit of a crumbly texture, and then the grated potato with the broth helps hold the filling together.

Do not disturb the mushrooms

Mushrooms have the ability to get a deep brown colour to them if they aren’t fussed with too much. Once you add in your mushrooms to the pan, walk away! It’s always tempting to stir and move around food in a pan, but letting the mushrooms sit undisturbed will allow them to get a nice, deep colour (which means more flavour!).

Serve it with a nice, bright salad

The pie is pretty heavy, so a bright, acidic salad will pair well with this. My Go-To Winter Salad is a perfect partner. Even some simple arugula dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper would be great! 

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Mushroom Tourtiere

Makes 1 x 8 inch pie, or 2 x 4 inch mini pies

2 hours total, assuming your pie crust dough is ready/chilled

Ingredients:

Filling:

1-2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

3-4 cups of diced mixed mushrooms - (I did 1 portobello mushroom, 1 large oyster mushroom and 1 pint of shiitake)

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 leek, sliced

¼ cup chopped pecans

¼ cup chopped walnuts

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

⅛ tsp ground clove

⅛ tsp ground nutmeg

1 potato, grated

⅓ cup vegetable broth

2 pie crusts (here are my two go-to recipes: all butter or butter/shortening)

Optional: balsamic maple reduction

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

Optional: egg wash

1 egg

2 tsp water

Method:

Make the filling:

1. In a cast-iron pan or frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add in your leek and celery, cooking for 3-5 mins until softened. Season with a pinch of salt.

3. Add in your mixed mushrooms. DO NOT DISTURB. Allow to brown on one side for 4-5 mins before stirring. Then DO NOT DISTURB. If you move mushrooms too much they release liquid and steam vs. brown. Once your mushrooms are perfectly browned, move to the next step.

4. Add in your chopped nuts and spices, giving a gentle stir to allow everything to mix together. This is where you could add in the extra 1 tbsp of butter if needed.

5. After everything is nice and toasty (3-5 mins), add in your grated potato and vegetable broth. Stir to distribute the potato throughout the filling and cover with a lid for 8-10 mins, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the potato is cooked.

6. Taste and adjust seasoning - does it need more salt? More pepper perhaps? Continue to taste and season until it tastes yummy. Set aside.

Make the balsamic maple reduction:

• Bring balsamic vinegar and maple syrup to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Keep an eye on it. It will eventually start to thicken, around the 5-minute mark. Remove from heat.

To assemble the pie:

• Fit the pie crust into the 8-inch pie pan.

• Add in your mushroom/nut/potato filling. Drizzle the balsamic maple reduction on top of the filling.

• Top with the second pie crust, sealing your edges and crimping in the style you prefer. 

• Cut three air holes into the top of the pie.

• Place the pie in the fridge for minimum 30 mins to allow the pie crust to firm up again. If you put a warm pie crust in the oven you will have a shrunken pie!

To bake the pie:

• Preheat oven to 375F.

• In a bowl whisk together 1 egg with 2 tsp of water. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash.

• Bake pie for 45 mins - 60 mins until the crust is evenly golden on top and bottom!

• Serve warm with maple syrup.

Sweet and Spicy Cheeseball

I feel like the official sign of the holiday season is when cream cheese goes on sale at the grocery store. So many recipes growing up started with cream cheese - this cheeseball being my favourite. I have such a natural sweet tooth so I love how this recipe has the sweetness from the pineapple balanced with the tang and spice of the other ingredients. If you have pineapple-adverse people in your life, do not fret! It doesn't taste *like pineapple* - since you use crushed pineapple, it evenly distributes into the mixture to add subtle sweetness throughout vs straight-up pineapple flavour. The green onion adds savouriness, the red pepper adds some bite, and the Worcestershire sauce adds the tang. Tabasco is the final piece to bring this together with a lingering heat that makes you want to come back for more. 

After much testing, I’ve determined that this does in fact freeze! If it’s just you and your household this holiday season, stock your freezer with mini-cheeseballs for a special night in treat.

About the ingredients

Canned crushed pineapple

You want to make sure you are draining the pineapple super well before mixing into the cheeseball, otherwise you’ll have more of a spread instead of a firm cheese ball*. To drain, you can use a fine-mesh strainer and press on the pineapple with a spoon to push out the extra liquid, or you can put it in cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the liquid.

*Honestly, making a spread instead of forming into a cheeseball is a delicious, easier alternative. Sometimes I just put the “cheeseball” mixture in a bowl and call it a “spread”. 

Cream cheese

I buy the blocks of cream cheese to ensure the cheese ball can firm up. The spreadable cream cheese also works but you will have trouble keeping its shape. Again, the worst-case scenario is you make a “cheese ball spread” that you top with nuts, which honestly is a pretty delicious worst-case scenario.

Cheese

Make sure you choose a cheddar cheese with some oomph to it, like old cheddar. You want your cheese to add flavour and bite to balance the pineapple.

Nuts for the coating

I use whatever tree nuts (read: anything but peanuts) on hand to coat the outside. If you feel like adding an extra layer of flavour, you can toast your nuts before chopping them. I prefer to toast nuts in the oven (350F for 5-8 mins - when they smell toasty they are done!) to avoid burning. Anytime I toast nuts on the stove I inevitably forget about them and burn them.

How to store:

In the fridge: 

The cheeseball will be good in the fridge for 3-5 days. I prefer to wait to do the coating so it doesn’t get soggy, so I store it in the fridge tightly wrapped in saran wrap until just before serving. You could do the coating an hour before serving, place it on your serving plate, and loosely cover it with saran wrap to save you from having a mess when guests arrive!

To freeze:

This cheeseball freezes well which is truly a dream! You can make the cheeseballs well ahead of time and then just take them out of the freezer the morning of. Because of the pineapple, there might be a little bit of liquid in the saran wrap when it defrosts. That’s ok! Once you toss it in the nuts this extra liquid will get absorbed. Plus, if you properly drain and squeeze out the liquid from the pineapple, you shouldn’t have too many issues.

To defrost on the counter: it will take about 2 hours at room temperature to defrost. You can then store it in the fridge until ready to serve!

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Sweet and Spicy Cheeseball

Yields 2-4 cheeseballs, depending on size

3 hours needed for prep to serving, only 20 mins of active work

Ingredients:

2 packs cream cheese, room temperature

1.5 cups old cheddar cheese, shredded and lightly packed

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 green onions, small dice, to yield ¼ cup 

½ red pepper, small dice, to yield ½ cup 

½ cup canned crushed pineapple, well drained

½ tsp onion powder 

½ tsp garlic powder  

1-2 tsp tabasco, or other vinegar based hot sauce (1 tsp is lightly spiced, 2 tsp has some kick - anywhere in between is medium spice!)

½ cup chopped nuts of your choice (pecans, almonds, walnuts) per cheeseball - up to 1 ½ cups needed

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. At least an hour before you start making your cheeseball, take your cream cheese out of the fridge! You want it to be truly room temperature, otherwise it will be difficult to properly mix it together.

2. In a large bowl, combine your ingredients. Mix until well combined. I use a sturdy spatula to stir and mix together, but some people like to use an electric hand mixer. I find this breaks up the cheese a lot so I prefer to do it by hand.

3. Once combined, divide into portions to make your cheeseballs. This year, I am making smaller versions since we are gathering in small groups but here are basic measurements:

   ¾ cup for small cheese ball - good for a gathering of 4 people, yields 3-4 cheeseballs

   1 cup for medium cheese ball - good for a gathering of 6-8 people, yields 2-3 cheese balls

   1.5 cups for large cheese ball - good for a gathering of 8+ people, yields 2ish cheeseballs

4. I wrap the cheese ball tightly in saran wrap and let them set in the fridge for a minimum 1 hour before serving. If I’m saving for a future event, I freeze and then let it thaw on the counter the day of (more on this in the above article).

5. Before serving, combine finely chopped nuts with a pinch of salt and good crack of pepper in a bowl. Toss the cheese ball in the coating and serve!

3 ways to make gifting cookbooks more personal

I used to hate cookbooks. I remember thinking, “why would I use a cookbook when I could just google a recipe, read reviews, and find the best one?!”. In today’s “digital world”, slowing down and reading a cookbook seems like a lot of effort, but once you dig into cookbooks, you’ll see how much beautiful storytelling is there to enjoy. You’ll also realize how much you can learn from the chefs describing their techniques, backgrounds, and modifications. Now I love gifting cookbooks to loved ones because it’s a special way of sharing something that’s really important to me. Here are a few ways I’ve made gifting cookbooks more personal over the years:

Choose a cookbook you love and add sticky notes to your favourite recipes.

Rather than giving someone a cookbook and generally saying, “I love it!”, add sticky notes to the pages of your favourite recipes and explain what you love about it. Examples:

• This is my favourite weekday meal. Super tasty and fast to cook.

• I make these pancakes anytime I feel like something a bit fancier for brunch.

• This salad dressing is amazing! I make it every Sunday so that I have it in the fridge for the week!

This will help your friend or family member navigate the cookbook easily, plus it allows you to share your favourite recipes.

Package up ingredients featured in the cookbook and stock their pantry!

Some cookbooks call for ingredients that you know your friend likely doesn’t have on hand -  especially if it’s a regional cuisine cookbook that may call for whole spices or pantry items like ghee, tahini, or a specific type of lentil. Depending on your budget, you could bundle some of these ingredients with the cookbook when you gift it so they’re ready to start cooking right away.

Choose a cookbook you’ve been eyeing as well, and schedule a virtual cooking hang with your friend!

Is there a cookbook you’ve been wanting to buy for yourself? Gifting the same cookbook to your friend can allow you to schedule time to explore the recipes together. Maybe you do a monthly cookbook club where you Zoom while trying out the same recipe. Or if you’re in the same city but still social distancing, you could each choose different recipes to cook and swap half the portions with each other. Exploring a new cookbook together can be a great way to connect!

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I hope you find this guide helpful! Leave a comment if you’d like to see more content like this!