Spring Onion Sauce
Makes about 1 cup

1 bunch green onions, rough chop, green and white parts
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  

Notes:

• This sauce can be used as a dressing over mixed greens and grilled vegetables
• It is also fantastic over chicken, pork and fish, hot off the grill
• It is best used immediately

A few key tips here to great potato salad:  first, ensure you potato cooking water is salty, like the ocean.  This should pretty much be the only salt you need for the whole salad.  Two: cook the potatoes slowly so that they do not break up. We think Yellow-fleshed potatoes are a winner here.  Lastly: toss that salad when those potatoes are hot!  
Serves 4-6 

4 large potatoes
3 slices bacon, diced up 
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 dill pickles, diced 
4 hard boiled eggs (optional)

House Ranch Dressing (recipe below)

1.  Peel and diced potatoes, about the size of playing dice.  Place potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Season generously with salt (taste the water! It should taste salty). Bring potatoes just to a boil over high heat, turn temperature down to lowest heat setting  and cook until potatoes are fork tender.  Water should barely be moving, 30-40 minutes. 

2.  Once fork tender, carefully drain and place into a mixing bowl. 

3.  Meanwhile, fry bacon: pre-heat a small frying pan over medium heat.  Add bacon and cook until crisp.  Set aside until potatoes are cooked through, then gently toss with potatoes.

4.  Stir in green onions, pickles and hard boiled eggs if using 

5.  Fold House Ranch into potatoes and bacon, starting with about ½. The potatoes will continue to absorb dressing.  Add more dressing as desired.  

House Ranch Dressing
Basically good on just about anything!  Adding in 1/2 cup of buttermilk will lighten up the texture to make it more suitable to greens such as spinach or romaine lettuce.  

1 clove garlic, finely minced with ¼ tsp kosher salt
½ cup Hellman’s mayo
1 cup full-fat Sour Cream
4-5 sprigs Italian parsley, finely chopped
4-5 sprigs dill, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. dill pickle juice
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl or jar and whisk or shake to combine.

Donna's Date Squares 

Without fail, no road trip or church bake sale is complete without a batch of Donna's (a.k.a. Mamma D a.k.a. Gramma D a.k.a Kirstie's Mom) highly addictive date squares!  

This recipe is for TWO 9x9 inch square baking pans.  Because as Donna says, if you're going to make them, make them.  They freeze really well.  

3 cups rolled oats
3 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2-1 tsp salt (we like that extra bit of salt) 
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 
2 cups PACKED brown sugar 
1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened 
1 1/2 lbs. pitted dates, cut up 
2 cups water, or, as needed 
2/3 cup packed brown sugar (second amount) 
2 tsp. lemon juice, or to taste 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F 
2. In a large bowl combine oats, flour, salt, baking soda and the two cups of brown sugar.  Mix in ('snap) the butter in until crumbly.  Roughly divide this mixture into 4: pat one-fourth of the mixture into the bottom of one of the 9x9 pans.  Pat the other one-fourth in the bottom of the other 9x9 pan.  Reserve remaining crumble for the tops of the pans. 
3. For the filling:  place dates, water, and second amount of brown sugar in a medium pot.  Bring up just to a boil and continue to simmer over high heat until thickened, breaking up the dates with a wooden spoon or potato masher until no large pieces of dates remain.  Add more water if necessary.   Stir in lemon juice.  Taste your mixture, make sure it is tart enough.  
4. Let cool slightly then divide evenly amongst the pans.  Top the pans with remaining crumble.  
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden brown.  
6. Cool completely (don't even think about it, says Donna) before cutting into squares.  Give the rustic edges to your kids, save the nice ones for the bake sale :) 

2 x 6oz filet Sablefish/Black cod

2 Tbsp shiromiso (white) miso
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp fish sauce
½  tsp. chili garlic paste

1. Pre-heat oven to 425°F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a square baking dish. Place fish on baking sheet and season with salt. 
3. Whisk together miso, maple syrup, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce and chili garlic paste. Drizzle about half on the fish, setting the remainder aside to sauce the fish afterwards.
4. Roast fish in oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately with extra sauce. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup ap flour
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup rice flour ( if you do not have rice flour sbu with more cornstarch)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup COLD beer
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp old bay

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients
2. Whisk in beer, just to combine.
3. Dredge food in cornstarch then in batter.Blanch in 325F oil. Crisp fry in 350F oil.
4. Season with salt and enjoy!

Quick Tartar Sauce

• 1 cup Hellman’s Mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp shallot, finely diced
• 3 Tbsp dill pickle, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp capers, finely chopped
• Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 1 hard boiled egg, grated
• 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 1 hard boiled egg, grated
• Salt and pepper

1. In a small bowl, place shallots; add lemon juice and allow to macerate, while you are chopping the remainder of the ingredients.
2. In a stainless steel, bowl add mayonnaise, pickle, capers, parsley. Stir and season with salt.
3. Add the shallots but not the lemon juice. Fold in egg and stir to combine.
4. Add lemon juice and more salt if needed.
5. Cover and chill until needed.
6. Refrigerate leftover and use within a couple of days.

Absolutely kid-approved, mild & delicious.  The quality of the fish stick will rely on the quality of the fish!  Double this recipe: fish can be breaded and frozen for another meal, and then cooked from slightly frozen.   

2 lbs.  wild caught Newfoundland Cod (our local fishmonger T&J’s Seafood), cut into 1 ½ x 4–5-inch pieces 
Kosher salt, as needed 
1 cup flour
3 eggs, well beaten with a little water
2 cups regular or panko bread crumbs
Vegetable, Canola or Grapeseed oil, as needed
Mayonnaise or Tartar for serving 
1 lemon, cut into wedges 

1. Place cut fish pieces on a paper-towel lined plate.  Season with salt.  

2.  Breading procedure (this is the basic breading procedure used for all kinds of things):  Place flour, eggs and breadcrumbs all in their own individual bowl.  Season each bowl lightly with salt.  

3.  Bread fish:  First dredge fish in flour; then dip into egg; then coat with panko bread crumbs; reserve on a clean baking sheet

4. Repeat procedure until all fish are breaded

5. Pre-Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.  Stainless steel works best for this.  

6. Add oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan by about ½ inch.  

7. Carefully place fish pieces into hot oil, leaving space between each piece.  Cook on one side, 2-3 minutes.  Turn over and cook a further 2 minutes,  or until golden and crispy

8. Remove and place on a clean paper towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle with a little salt.  

9.  Serve immediately with either mayo or tartar, and a fresh squeeze of lemon!  

Sticky Buns

Dough: 

360g (3 cups) flour 
1 ½ tsp. active dry yeast 
¼ cup butter 
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp. kosher salt 
2 eggs

Filling: 

½ cup butter 
140g. (3/4 cup) brown sugar 
1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
¼ tsp. ground cloves 
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom 
½ tsp. kosher salt 
35g (1/4 cup) flour

Drizzle: 

¾ cup icing sugar 
1 tbsp. whole milk 

 Stand Mixer Method:

1. Heat buttermilk and sugar to just above body temperature and whisk in yeast. Set aside and allow yeast to bloom (or foam).
2. In a stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, add flour and salt. Mix to combine. Add buttermilk mixture, along with eggs until dough begins to form. Add butter in small amounts until fully incorporated. Continue to mix dough for 6-7 minutes. The dough will be smooth, shiny and slightly sticky. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rise in a warm spot for a couple of hours (or doubles in size).
3. While the dough is rising cream together the butter, sugar and spices, using the paddle attachment. When the butter mixture is light and fluffy, add flour and mix until just combined.
4. Flour the work surface with a generous amount of flour, roll out the dough into a long rectangle (30x 10 inch). Spread with butter filling over the  entire rectangle. Roll the dough in a long log, starting with the 30 inch side. 
5. Cut the log into 1 ½ inch rounds, place in a butter baking dish. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow it to double in size. Alternatively, place buns directly in the fridge overnight, after they are wrapped and before you allow them to double in size. Remove them from the fridge in the morning and allow them to double in size before baking.
6. To bake: preheat the oven to 350F, place buns on the middle rack and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown, and no longer sticky in the centre.
7. Milk icing: mix together 1 tbsp milk with enough icing sugar to form a thick paste.
8. Once the buns have cooled for 15-20 minutes spread on milk icing. 

Enjoy….good luck eating only 1!!

By hand Method...the dark path to a ray of light!!

1. Heat buttermilk and sugar to just above body temperature and whisk in yeast. Set aside and allow yeast to bloom (or foam).
2. In a bowl using a wooden spoon stir together flour and salt. Add buttermilk mixture, along with eggs until dough begins to form. Knead for 5-6 minutes until smooth. Add butter in small amounts until fully incorporated. The dough will become lumpy and clumpy and you will feel like you are on a dark path... Continue to mix dough for 6-7 minutes. The dough will be smooth, shiny and slightly sticky. You may need to dust with a small amount of flour to get here.  Place in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm spot for a couple of hours (or doubles in size).
3. While the dough is rising cream together the butter, sugar and spices, using a wooden spoon. When the butter mixture is light and fluffy, add flour and mix until just combined.
4. Flour the work surface with a generous amount of flour, roll out the dough into a long rectangle (30x 10 inch). Spread with butter filling over the  entire rectangle. Roll the dough in a long log, starting with the 30 inch side. 
5. Cut the log into 1 ½ inch rounds, place in a butter baking dish. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow it to double in size. Alternatively, place buns directly in the fridge overnight, after they are wrapped and before you allow them to double in size. Remove them from the fridge in the morning and allow them to double in size before baking.
6. To bake: preheat the oven to 350F, place buns on the middle rack and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown, and no longer sticky in the centre.
7. Milk icing: mix together 1 tbsp milk with enough icing sugar to form a thick paste.
8. Once the buns have cooled for 15-20 minutes spread on milk icing. 

Enjoy….good luck eating only 1!!