Fermented Habanero Hot Sauce

In talking to a cousin in Manitoba, she told me she had tons of Jalapeño peppers this year and that she had already made and frozen Jalapeño poppers.  This conversation reminded me that I had Habanero peppers in my refrigerator and that I wanted to preserve.  Last year, I had made this recipe and it was dynamite.  Yes, it was so hot that only the wife of the Syrian family we had hosted for three weeks over the Christmas holiday could eat it.  The mixture did mild down and has incredible taste and flavor a year later.

The hot sauce can be used in salad dressings, stews, soups, tacos, burritos and mixed in mayo.

I purchased a bag of locally grown hot habaneros at our Italian supermarket, but not sure of the weight

Lacto Fermented Habanero Hot Sauce

• Hot chilies, de stemmed
• Garlic cloves
• 2 Tablespoons Honey 
• 1 c water with 2 Tablespoons coarse salt
• 1/4 c cider vinegar

Pulse the hot chillies in a food processor to coarse 

Add honey, mix

Place in a clean mason jar

Pour water and salt over mixture

Stir well

Let sit at room temperature, with lid loosely on

Stir everyday

On fourth day, stir in the cider vinegar

Keep on the counter for 2 to 6 weeks then store in refrigerator 

Some of the hot sauce will be given away as Christmas gifts!

Pear Cake

This cake started as an Apple Cake but since I had pears and not apples in the house, it became a Pear Cake.  My sister had been talking about making a pear cake as she had picked up pears at 9 cents a pound in Ontario!  Yes, nine cents! 

Pear Cake 

• 1 c white flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 c butter
• 1/3 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 3 Tablespoons Maple Flavoured Rye
• 2 -3 pears diced

Prepare 8 to 9 inch springform pan

Preheat oven to 350 

Mix dry ingredients

In mixing bowl; mix butter, I used shortening add sugar and beat until light and fluffy

Add egg one at at time and beat until light

Add in vanilla and flavoured rye

Mix in chopped pears

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Dust with icing sugar

The kitchen smells divine, telling me that the Maple flavoured Rye and pears go well together! 

High Tea held in honour of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate

A tea was held in June in honour of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate who have played such a vita role over the years in the prairies.   Sadly Calgary's Ukrainian Catholic convent closes after 62 years. It's hard to imagine that they will not be part of the community. 

Salads, open faced sandwiches, Tea sandwiches, Charcuterie board and a cheese and fruit platter were beautifully arranged on the tables in buffet style with two platters of each dish. 

Pizza open faced sandwiches

Cucumber open faced sandwiches with fresh dill

Potato salad  with chunks of ham and capers

Charcuterie

Watermelon and Fresh Basil Salad, very colourful

Colourful Greek Salad

Smoked Salmon with capers and fresh dill

Cheese Spanakopita

Rose Radishes decorated the plates.

This was my plate of goodies!

In the Hall was a display of Korovai along with painted Easter Eggs.

Korovai, or Wedding Bread is a traditional centerpiece at Ukrainian weddings. It's round shaped with a twist or braid, then decorated with sculpted dough: doves to symbolize love and faithfulness. 

Barbie Doll Cake

Buttercream Frosting was made for the cake that was baked in my Bundt pan

It's been a while since I have made buttercream icing and I remembered how after all the fall birthdays and making this icing for all the birthdays, I couldn't look at icing until the next set of birthdays in the fall.

The amount of fat and sugar that goes into this frosting is mind blogging, 4 cups of sugar and 1 cup of fat.

4 c icing sugar

1 c shortening or butter or a combination of both

2 T milk

Beat the shortening until fluffy

add the milk

slowly add the icing sugar and beat after each addition

add 1 tsp vanilla

Since there was an Irish theme, I decided to do a poke cake using green lime in the white cake.  My husband heard one of the kids saying "I don't eat green jello!"

I started by decorating the cake with white icing

Red Wiltons food dye was added to the white frosting until a shade of pink was made

 I can tell you that I was pleased that I did not have to make more icing.. the amount made easily covered the bundt cake, a small cupcake and Barbie's bodice.

Sparkers  always made a Birthday cake look more festive!