Are You Hungry?

To my readers and supporters, I just found out yesterday that my very, very small YouTube channel now  has a Community tab/page as well, so, I may start posting my family recipes and history there, instead of  here on Blogger.com, but of course I'll keep you posted. I'm currently awaiting verification on my ID,  sadly of which will not happen until the end of August; or even into September as autumn draws nearer;  so that I may also start using YouTube's more "advanced" features, and of course I'm also helping to keep  that platform safe and secure for all users, including myself. Stay tuned for multiple posts still to come,  hopefully still heading into 2025 as well, to be continued..... :-)

Canada produces excellent cheeses from coast to coast to coast. Though most are from large, high- quality factories; there are many small-scale cheese makers perfecting artisanal cheeses, including  Thunder Oak Cheese Farm in Slate River/Neebing Township, not far from my lifetime hometown;  Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada; as you head south along legendary Highway 61 towards the  Ontario/Minnesota border. Fig and Wine Conserve, Red Onion Marmalade or Sweet Ginger Almonds  all make great additions to any cheese board, as well as fresh fruit. Depending where you shop in  Canada for cheese, you're bound to find many of your all-time favourites, old and new. As a rule, buy  one to one and a half oz. of each type of cheese you are serving per person, the perfect compliment to  an easy summer meal.  Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. soft or semi-soft cheese (such as Brie, Camembert or Oka) 1 1/2 lbs. firm or hard cheese (such as Old Cheddar or Gouda) or flavoured ch...

Three Bean Salad Ingredients: 16 oz. can drained, French-style green beans 16 oz. can drained wax beans 16 oz. can drained, red kidney beans 1/2 cup chopped green onion 1/4 cup snipped parsley 8 oz. bottle Italian salad dressing 1 tbsp. sugar 2 cloves crushed garlic Directions: Combine the beans, onion and parsley in a large bowl. Mix the dressing, sugar and garlic; pour over  the bean mixture and toss all of it together. Cover the salad and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.  Remember to stir it occasionally during said time period above. This recipe makes 5 or 6 servings, and  finally, enjoy this dish with your favourite main course, or preferably by itself; especially as a small  cool meal on a hot summer day.  

Pastry Tarts Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 cup shortening 1/3 or 1/2 cup ice cold water (as preferred) Directions: Have all ingredients and utensils as cold as possible and refrigerate prior to baking. Mix flour, salt and  baking powder together in a bowl. Cut in shortening with 2 knives. Add enough water to bind mixture  into a ball. Handle dough as little as possible, otherwise, a firmer mixture will result. Roll pastry with a  floured, rolling pin, but, do not stretch. Into each tart, place a disk much larger as to prevent shrinking.  Prick each tart shell with a fork on sides and bottom. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees F. for 10  to 12 minutes. Fill each tart with your favourite cooked filling and chill accordingly. Serve as a dessert  or snack with your favourite beverage, and lastly, these tarts are not meant for the toaster. Enjoy! 

Supreme Lemon Pie Ingredients: 8 or 9 inch baked pie shell Filling: 3/4 cup white sugar 3 tbsp. corn starch Pinch of salt 1 cup milk 3 beaten egg yolks 4 tbsp. butter 1 tsp, lemon peel/zest 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 cup sour cream Meringue: 1/2 cup water 3 tbsp. white sugar Pinch of salt 1 tbsp. corn starch 3 egg whites Directions: In large sauce pan, combine sugar, corn starch and salt. Slowly stir in the milk and cook for 2 minutes.  Mix in the 3 beaten egg yolks, to which a little of the above has been added. Cook for 2 minutes, and  then add the butter, lemon peel/zest and lemon juice. Fold in sour cream and pour into baked pie shell.  In small sauce pan, combine water, corn starch and 1 tbsp. of sugar. Cook over low heat until it  thickens and set aside to cool. In a bowl, beat 3 egg whites and pinch of salt, then add 2 tbsp. sugar  gradually until peaks form. Fold in the corn starch mixture. Top the pie filling and brown in 325   degrees F. oven for ...

Blueberry Coffee Cake Ingredients: 1/3 cup softened butter 2/3 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. grated lemon rind 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup plain yogurt 2 cups fresh blueberries (never frozen) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg 1/4 cup melted butter Directions: Prep time is 10 minutes and the baking time is 50 minutes. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and  nutmeg; drizzle with butter, tossing to moisten, then set aside. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar  until fluffy, then beat in eggs, lemon rind and lemon juice. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into butter mixture alternately with yogurt, making 2 additions of dry  ingredients and 1 addition of yogurt. Scrape onto parchment paper and then line a 9 inch square metal  cake pan. Sprinkle with blueberries and topping. Bake at 350 degrees F. for aforementioned am...

Blueberry Buckle Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg 2 1/2 cups flour 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup milk 1 pint fresh blueberries (never frozen) 1/2 tsp. cinnamon Method: Cream 1/2 cup butter and gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. Add egg to the mixture and beat well. Blend in 2  cups of sifted flour, with baking powder, and salt; alternately with milk. Spread butter into 9 by 9 inch  baking pan. Cover with 1/2 pint of blueberries. Blend cinnamon with remaining sugar, flour and butter  until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over remaining blueberries as preferred. Bake at 375 degrees F. for  45 minutes. Top with your favourite ice cream and serve once cooled as a dessert or snack with milk    or your favourite beverage of choice.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins Baking and Kids' Tips: Just to change it up a little bit, I thought that I'd start this recipe post a little differently today, and I  hope that all of you are having a great summer thus far. Please feel free to leave comments if you have  any questions or recipe ideas, thanks kindly, and let's continue; This recipe is best with fresh  blueberries because frozen ones will discolour the batter and sink to the bottom when baked. For the  children, turn these sweet muffins into party cupcakes by adding sprinkles on top before baking, or  spread icing on the cooled muffins and decorate with extra blueberries. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 2/3 cup white granulated sugar 1/3 cup softened butter 1 egg 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup milk Directions: Preheat oven to 350 deg...

Blueberry Muffins Ingredients: 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (Sift flour before measuring) 1 1/2 tsp. (double-acting) baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup softened butter (or regular margarine, if preferred) 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk 1 cup fresh or drained, thawed frozen blueberries Add lemon zest as well, if preferred, next recipe posted will detail blueberry lemon muffins. Directions: The night before; with paper liners, line 18 muffin pan cups (2 1/2 by 1 1/4 inches), or grease pan very   well. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. In large bowl, with electric mixer at high speed, beat  butter (or margarine) with white granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy; occasionally  scraping side of bowl with rubber scraper for about 4 minutes. At low speed with mixer, beat in flour  mixture, and beat only until smooth. With rubber scraper, gently fold in blueberries until combined.  Scoop about 1/4 cup batter into...

To my readers and supporters, I thank you as always, and I just wanted to let you know that because it's blueberry and strawberry season primarily here in Northwestern Ontario, Canada; in which I have always and still call home, the next four recipes that I'll be posting all have blueberries in them, indeed family and personal favourites. Unfortunately, I always enjoyed my family's strawberry shortcake as well, but I no longer have that recipe, so what I might do is rewrite another similar recipe upon finding one. These five recipes should be posted here by the end of this month, keep on creating and reading, thanks, bye for now. 

Pumpkin Loaf Ingredients and Directions: Firstly, in one large bowl, add the following;  3 cups white sugar 3 1/2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 tsp. salt (if desired, use 1/4 tsp. salt) 2 tsp. nutmeg 2 tsp. cinnamon Secondly, in another bowl, add the following; 4 eggs 2 cups (or 15 ounces) pumpkin 2/3 cup water 1 cup oil (Crisco) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake at 300 degrees F. for 1 hour and 15 minutes (if desired, set oven to 275 degrees F. and bake for the same length of time) Recipe makes 3 loaves. Let loaves sit and cool for 15 minutes, and enjoy this snack. From October of 1972.  

New Zealand Macaroni and Cheese Loaf Ingredients: 1 cup elbow macaroni 2 tbsp. cooking oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 2 tbsp. chopped parsley 2 tbsp. flour 1 cup milk 2 eggs 1 cup grated cheddar cheese Fine dry breadcrumbs (preferred amount) Directions: Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water until tender, about 7 minutes, then drain. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add onion and beef, and stir until meat is lightly browned. Stir in salt, pepper, parsley and macaroni, then set aside. Heat another 2 tbsp. oil in a second saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and stir to blend. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup of milk all at once, and again stir to blend. Return to heat and stir until thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Separate one of the eggs, then add yolk and 1/2 cup of the cheese to the sauce, then stir well. Good as a hot or cold meal. As you'll notice, the layers of meat and macaroni alternate with the c...

Spaghetti and Meatballs Ingredients: 1/4 to 1 lb. beef or veal and pork Adjust ingredients as desired or preferred; Sweet basil Parsley Chopped celery 2 tsp. grated parmesan cheese Salt and pepper Speck of oregano 1 egg Garlic clove (minced from jar or clove chopped very fine) 1/4 to 1/2 cup bread crumbs or wet bread Sauce: Simmer two to three hours. 2 cans of tomatoes 1 can Hunt's tomato sauce 1 small can tomato paste Chopped onion Celery stalk 1/2 tsp. allspice Note: The sauce may be prepared in a blender. Use 1/2 lb. of spaghetti as directed, and lastly, enjoy! 

Dear food lovers, I'll still be posting recipes during the summer and autumn, but a good number of my family culinary creations are for the Christmas holiday season. I will probably post one or two recipes a week between now and September, and come fall, I'll start posting more per week until the end of 2024. Keep on creating and enjoying whichever art form you are interested in, take care and bye for now. Yours truly, Marc Mullo. (writer since 2001 and blogger since 2016) P.S. My book; "Poetic Potpourri", can still be found online primarily on Amazon Kindle, have a nice and safe summer. 

Crab Meat Dip Ingredients: 1/3 to 1/2 cans tomato soup 1/2 cup chili sauce Miracle Whip (or favourite prefered mayo and amount) 2 drops tabasco sauce 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce crab (or shrimp) meat (preferred amount) Directions: Blend all ingredients except preferred meat. Drain the meat. Add meat to creamy mixture. Serve with medley of favourite veggies, crackers, etc. as a snack or meal. I hope you also enjoy this family creation and one of my all-time favourites.