MAY LONG WEEKEND TOP THREE

My favourite weekend is here! Nothing beats the start up of summer like a beautiful weekend at the lake! A tradition for years, I am really looking forward to getting up north, soaking in some sun and cooking up a few tasty treats with an all Canadiana theme!

view from the dock!

I thought I would share with you my May Long weekend top three picks to have on hand!

1. Fresh Pies: nothing says summer to me like a pie! Whether it is store bought up north using local ingredients or you make it from scratch, a pie is a perfect dessert for a cottage night. With a few scoops of Kawartha Dairy vanilla ice cream and a warmed pie, how can you go wrong??

my blueberry & apple pies

For those of you really going all out, here is a simple pie dough that produces an incredibly flaky crust! Happy Baking!

Yields: 9 inch pie crust (top & bottom layer, for just a bottom layer cut the recipe in half)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup cold lard or shortening
- 2 tbsp cold butter
- 4 tbsp cold water

Directions:
- sift together flour & salt
- in another bowl combine and soften shortening and butter
- add half of the shortening mixture to the flour bowl and mix until the texture feels somewhat flakey
- add the remaining shortening mixture until you have a dough like consistency
- add the cold water and knead until you have formed a dough ball
- chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
(note: when you roll out the dough you will probably need to add a little bit more water to get it going because it might be a bit dry and crumbly!)

2. Burgers: burgers are a family staple on our dock at lunchtime. I truly don't think I have ever spent a weekend at my dad's cottage where we didn't have burgers at least one of the weekend days! Homemade burgers are just the best. When making them at home you can keep them juicy and moist, and control the size and thickness! Buy a nice pack of buns from a bakery and you are all set to go!

Yields: 12 burgers
Ingredients:
- 48 oz lean ground beef (4 oz / patty)
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 small diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl. Portion into round 4 oz pattys. Grill or BBQ and enjoy!

3. Muffins: I love a good bacon & eggs breakfast, but sometimes I want something more and toast just doesn't cut it! Muffins are one of my favourites - and this banana recipe has been in the family a long time! They are so easy to assemble, quick to bake, and will leave your kitchen & cottage smelling delectable for those waking up! (tip: you can make the batter the night before to avoid waking up too early)

the middle are banana and to the right are carrot

Yields: 16-18 muffins

Ingredients:

- 3 bananas mashed (its better if the bananas are getting brown and soft on their own)

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1.5 cup flour

- 1/3 cup melted butter

Directions:

- mush the bananas in a bowl with the sugar

- in another bowl sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt

- melt butter

- add the flour mixture to the bananas and incorporate

- then add the melted butter and mix until all the lumps are gone

- bake at 375 for 20 minutes