Mi'kmaq bannock

Oh yes. If we're going frying-pan bannock, I'd make it a little different from the oven version: crisp and golden outside, soft and tender inside, and with enough fat in the pan to give it that old-fashioned fried-bread character.

One note: there isn't one single "Mi'kmaq bannock" recipe—families and communities have their own versions. So I'd call this Cape Breton–inspired pan bannock, drawing on the simple flour, baking powder, salt, fat and water/milk style of bannock rather than claiming it's an authentic traditional recipe.

🍳 Cape Breton–Inspired Frying-Pan Bannock

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

¼ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup milk

¼–½ cup additional milk, as needed

2–3 Tbsp Crisco or butter for frying

Make the dough

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.

Cut in the cold butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until you have coarse crumbs.

Add 1 cup of milk and stir gently.

Add additional milk a tablespoon or two at a time until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.

Don't make it wet. You're looking for something you can turn onto the counter and pat together.

Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead about 6–8 times—just enough to bring everything together.

Pat it into a round about ¾-inch thick.

Cut it into 6–8 wedges.

🔥 Into the frying pan

This is where I'd use one of your cast-iron skillets.

Heat the skillet over medium-low to medium heat.

Add 2–3 Tbsp Crisco. Let it melt, but don't let it smoke.

Put the bannock pieces into the skillet.

Cook for about 5–7 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as necessary.

You want a deep golden-brown crust, but the inside needs time to cook.

If the outside is browning too quickly, turn the heat down. You can even put a lid on the skillet for the last couple of minutes to help the middle cook.

When done, transfer to a plate and rub the tops with butter while they're hot.

🧈 The test

Break one open while it's still hot.

You should get:

crispy/golden outside → soft tender middle → buttery flavour.

If the middle is doughy, put the pieces back into the skillet over low heat for another couple of minutes.

And here's where I'd have some fun with it...

Because you're making spices, you could turn this into a Mitch & Tonya's bannock experiment.

Make the basic bannock, then divide the dough into portions:

Plain & buttery

Maple Coal — a tiny amount mixed into the dough

Italian Harbour — savoury herb bannock

FORGE — a little heat

Shoreline — savoury all-purpose version

I wouldn't go crazy with the seasoning, though. Bannock should still taste like bannock. The seasoning should be the background rather than turning it into a spice biscuit.

And honestly, hot pan bannock with butter and a bowl of your COCK SOUP or BULL SOUP sounds like a pretty damn good Cape Breton supper. 😄

Bloody Mary Pickled Shrimp

🍤 BLOODY MARY PICKLED SHRIMP

Makes: About 4–6 appetizer servings

Refrigerate: Overnight before serving

SHRIMP

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

½ tsp celery seed

1 Tbsp Cape Breton COAL Seasoning 

BLOODY MARY PICKLING MIX

1 cup Clamato juice

½ cup tomato juice

½ cup finely diced onion

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 Tbsp prepared horseradish

1½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp hot sauce, or to taste

¼ cup pickle brine

2 Tbsp olive brine

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp cracked black pepper

½ tsp celery seed

½ tsp Cape Breton COAL Seasoning 

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

OPTIONAL — FOR THE "BLOODY MARY" PART

¼ cup vodka

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the shrimp

Bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil with the bay leaves, peppercorns, celery seed and seasoning.

Add the shrimp and cook just until pink and firm, about 1–2 minutes depending on size.

Immediately drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.

2. Make the Bloody Mary mixture

In a saucepan, sauté the onion and celery for about 5 minutes.

Add the cherry tomatoes and cook another 3–4 minutes.

Remove from the heat.

Stir in the Clamato, tomato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire, hot sauce, pickle brine, olive brine, lemon juice, black pepper, celery seed and seasoning.

Let the mixture cool completely.

3. Put it together

Place the cold shrimp in a clean glass container.

Pour the Bloody Mary mixture over them.

If using vodka, stir it in now.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Serve

Spoon the shrimp into a small bowl or cocktail glass with some of the Bloody Mary mixture.

Garnish with:

celery

olives

lemon wedges

pickled green beans

pickled onions

a little fresh parsley

And yes... you can drink the leftover Bloody Mary juice. 😄

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Mitch & Tonya’s Spice Cabinet

Mitch & Tonya’s Taco Hamburger Helper

🌮 Mitch & Tonya’s Taco Hamburger Helper

Serves 4–5

Ingredients

1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

2 cups beef broth

1 cup milk

1 cup water 

3 Tbsp Mitch & Tonya’s Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 Tbsp butter

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Salt, only if needed

Directions

1. Brown the beef

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain excess grease if necessary.

2. Build the sauce

Add the Taco Seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and tomato paste. Stir for about 30 seconds.

3. Add the liquid

Pour in the beef broth, milk and water. Add Worcestershire sauce if using.

4. Add the macaroni

Stir in the uncooked macaroni.

5. Simmer

Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally. The macaroni should be tender and the liquid should have thickened into a sauce.

6. Make it cheesy

Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, cheddar and Monterey Jack until melted and creamy.

7. Rest

Let it sit for 3–5 minutes before serving. It'll thicken considerably.

Maple Bacon Bourbon CheesecakePecan Bacon Cookie Crust

This is one of those desserts where the combination sounds a little crazy until you taste it: maple + bacon + bourbon + pecans + cheesecake all work together surprisingly well.

Here’s a version I’d make for you, with a crisp pecan-bacon cookie crust, a creamy maple-bourbon cheesecake, and a maple-bacon topping.

🥓🍁 Maple Bacon Bourbon Cheesecake

Pecan Bacon Cookie Crust

Ingredients

1½ cups finely crushed butter cookies or shortbread cookies

¾ cup finely chopped pecans

4 slices bacon, cooked very crisp and finely chopped

¼ cup packed brown sugar

5 tbsp butter, melted

¼ tsp salt

Cheesecake Filling

3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup pure maple syrup

3 large eggs

¼ cup sour cream

2 tbsp bourbon

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp maple extract

¼ tsp salt

Maple-Bacon Topping

4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped

¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp bourbon

½ cup chopped pecans

Pinch of salt

1. Make the bacon

Cook 8 slices of bacon until quite crisp.

You'll use 4 slices in the crust and 4 in the topping.

Let them cool completely, then chop finely.

Important: You want the bacon crisp rather than chewy. The crisp pieces give the crust little salty/smoky bits without making it greasy.

2. Make the pecan-bacon crust

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix together:

crushed cookies

pecans

chopped bacon

brown sugar

salt

Add the melted butter and mix until everything is evenly moistened.

Press firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove and let cool while you make the filling.

A little Mitch & Tonya trick

Put a piece of parchment on the bottom of the springform pan before assembling it. It'll make getting that first slice out much easier.

3. Make the cheesecake

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Beat the softened cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth.

Add:

maple syrup

sour cream

bourbon

vanilla

maple extract

salt

Mix until combined.

Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated.

Don't whip the batter excessively. Too much air can cause the cheesecake to puff and crack.

Pour over the cooled crust.

4. Bake

Bake at 325°F for approximately 55–70 minutes.

The outside should look set, while the centre should still have a slight jiggle when you gently shake the pan.

Turn the oven off.

Crack the oven door open and leave the cheesecake inside for about 30 minutes.

Then remove it and cool completely.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

5. Make the maple-bacon pecan topping

In a small saucepan combine:

maple syrup

brown sugar

bourbon

pinch of salt

Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.

Cook for about 2–3 minutes, stirring.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped pecans and bacon.

Let it cool for several minutes.

It will thicken as it cools.

Spoon it over the chilled cheesecake.

🍁 The really good part

I'd actually hold back some of the bacon and pecans rather than putting everything into the topping.

When you're ready to serve, put a little maple-bacon mixture on each slice and finish it with:

a drizzle of warm maple syrup + a few crispy bacon pieces + chopped toasted pecans.

That gives you three different textures:

crunchy crust → creamy cheesecake → sticky/crunchy maple-bacon topping

And the bourbon isn't supposed to scream BOURBON. It's there to give the maple and bacon a deeper, almost caramel-like flavour.

One change I'd make specifically for your palate

I'd use pure maple syrup rather than maple-flavoured pancake syrup, and I wouldn't go crazy with the maple extract. With the bacon and bourbon already bringing strong flavours, you want the cheesecake to taste like maple-bacon cheesecake, not maple candy.

CHILLED ORANGE CREAM CHEESECAKE

CHILLED ORANGE CREAM CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS

• Graham cracker crumbs — 2 cups

• Unsalted butter — ½ cup, melted

• Cream cheese — 16 ounces, softened

• Powdered sugar — 1 cup

• Orange Jell-O — 1 box (3 ounces)

• Whipped topping — 8 ounces

PROCEDURE

1. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter.

2. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and refrigerate.

3. Make the orange Jell-O, as per the instructions on the package, and let it cool.

4. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.

5. Gradually mix in the cooled Jell-O, then fold in the whipped topping.

6. Spread the filling over the chilled crust.

7. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before slicing.