Gingerbread Person Cookies

Ginger Bread Cookies. One of the first cookies that I remember my great aunt would bake was gingerbread men. Every Christmas she would make a full array of seasonal holiday cookie treats. I like the taste of ginger and it is most satisfying to the taste bud. When I was baking Xmas cookies in mass amounts for a restaurant bakery. The traditional Christmas baking was all done with hands on passion following original family recipes. Each batch of dough was hand crafted and the cookies that came from the dough batch were all slightly different with no two cookies looking the...

Knotty Pine Ham, Onion and Cheesy Quiche

Some of you may remember having a slice of the Knotty Pine Quiche. It was very popular and made a great meal. I love a slice of a good egg pie served with a tasty side salad. Here is that simple recipe using the pillsbury store bought pie pastry found in the grocery cooler. In a bowl crack; 4 large eggs, 1 cup 10% cream, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tbs baking powder, salt pepper, mix well. 1 cup of cubed cold ham, 1 cup of chopped green onion, 1 cup of aged grated swiss and cheddar che…ese. Follow the direction on the pastry box, Heat oven to 400. Flour a deep dish cake pan or...

Knotty Pine Butter Tarts

            Knotty Pine Butter Tarts One of my first priorities with the Knotty Pine was to get Waterloo up and running. Wes and Debbi Moore along with Jim Jaques. Great team. The restaurant was one of the most stunning in Waterloo looking out over the undeveloped Willow Wells property. In my estimation Debbi made the best butter tarts at both Preston and Waterloo. She had her way with these flaky, sugary tarts dotted with plump sultanna’s. Debbi and Wes later opened their own restaurant in St Jacobs. Butter and Maple Butte Tarts still...

The Knotty Pine.

The Knotty Pine was a family run Family Style Restaurant with a Famous Steakhouse. The Preston Ontario restaurant carried a lot of history and The Jacques Family, mother father, four sons and there mates made the Knotty Pine a well known destination consistently serving great food for over five decades. I took over as the Executive chef in 1983 and continue to this day using the recipes and rehearsed cooking skills. The familiar neon sign and beautifully manicured landscaped grounds was a photographic setting for  family reunions and wedding pictures. The upstairs...

Knotty Pine Scones

Buttermilk Scones. This old fashioned British Isle styled bakery made the scones topped with some fresh strawberry preserves and sided with a good cup of English tea they made a great morning nosh. One of the most requested items at the old Knotty Pine Kofe Bar where I worked were the buttermilk scones that were made fresh each day by the hundreds. These flaky light biscuits were topped with tuna salad, minced ham or used for an eggs benny. The cheddar cheese were by far the number one seller but the raisin, apricot, date and the cheddar bacon were sold out each and...

Knotty Pine Rib Cooking Sauce

Knotty Pine  Pig Tail/ Rib Cooking Sauce This is the best roasting cooking sauce which was used for all the Knotty Pines bbq’d items. Just coat, cover and roast for perfect results. INGREDIENTS: White Sugar   1  cup Garlic Powder 5 tsp. Paprika 1/4 cup Soya  Sauce 1/4 cup Pepper  2  tsp. Mustard   3/4  cup  Prepared Lea & Perrin Worcestershire  1  cup Ketchup   4   cups Pineapple Juice  2 cups Vinegar  5 cups METHOD PREPARATION; 1.  Mix all ingredients together. 2.  Bring to a boil and hold 5 minutes. 3.  Store in glass jars. 4.  This makes about 1 1/2 gallons...