Series: 12 Days of Recipes

We're doing a December Advent Calendar, counting down amazing local products until Christmas. Not only do all of our items make great gifts, AND you have a chance to win the whole set (check out our contest), we're working to pair a recipe with each day!

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs

Today's feature recipe uses Prairie Smoke & Spice's award winning sauces and all-purpose rub to bring the BBQ inside for a delicious oven-baked meal!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Prairie Smoke & Spice Blue Ribbin’ BBQ Sauce
• ½ cup Prairie Smoke & Spice All Purpose BBQ Rub
• 12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• *Available from Well Seasoned

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Generously season both sides of the chicken thighs with the dry rub and place them skin-side down on a sheet pan and place in the oven. Roast for 25 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, brush some sauce all over the thighs, turning them over to coat the bottom as well. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven, brush on more sauce, and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
4. Continue roasting the chicken thighs until the sauce is starting to brown around the edges and the thighs are totally cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes more.
5. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. You might want to make a double batch….these never last long!

We're doing a December Advent Calendar, counting down amazing local products until Christmas. Not only do all of our items make great gifts, AND you have a chance to win the whole set (check out our contest), we're working to pair a recipe with each day!

Coconut Hot Chocolate

Combine Coconut Milk and Chocolate Almond Milk with some wicked good chocolate and you've got yourself a decadent cup of comfort. You know our hot chocolate rule: NEVER just add water!! Not sure about coconut milk? Check out Chef Carl's video all about using coconut water, milk and cream when cooking. Now all you need are some Gone Kooky cookies to go with! They are today's Local Advent Calendar feature!

(And perhaps you have some Bailey's kicking around...cause that always makes a nice addition.)

Ingredients:

• 1 pouch De Siam coconut milk*
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• ½ cup dark chocolate, chopped*
• 1 or 2 tablespoons Valrhona cocoa powder*
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract*
• Small pinch of sea salt, to taste
• For topping: Homemade whipped cream & toasted coconut, coconut milk whipped cream & ground cinnamon and/or marshmallows.
• *Available from Well Seasoned

Instructions:

1. Add coconut milk and almond milk to a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk in chocolate chips, cacao powder and vanilla; mixing until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. We recommend starting with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, tasting, then adding more in if you feel it’s necessary. Lastly add in a pinch of sea salt. Taste and adjust flavour as necessary.
Top with slightly sweetened whipped cream, whipped coconut cream or marshmallows. Makes 2 servings.

We're doing a December Advent Calendar, counting down amazing local products until Christmas. Not only do all of our items make great gifts, AND you have a chance to win the whole set (check out our contest), we're working to pair a recipe with each day!

Chai-Tini

Well Seasoned Advent Day 4 Feature Item: Monsoon Coast Railway Chai. Monsoon Coast Railway Chai is a great gift for a host/hostess or the tea lover on your gift list. The small company, located on Salt Spring Island, makes traditional Indian Spices accessible to western palates. Their chai mixtures will transport your taste buds away to Central India while you enjoy an aromatic cup.

Today's feature recipe is spicy cocktail that will delight you and your guests this holiday season.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp Railway Chai*
• 1 oz Vodka
• ½ oz Vanilla Vodka
• ½ oz Triple Sec
• Crushed ice
• Garnish: 1 whole star anise or cinnamon stick*

• *Available from Well Seasoned

Instructions:

1. Place the Railway Chai spices into a martini shaker and pound with a muddler (or crush with a mortar and pestle).
2. Add vodka, vanilla vodka and Triple Sec let rest for 3 minutes to infuse the flavours.
3. Add the crushed ice and shake until really cold (our rule is 40 times). Use a small strainer and pour into a chilled martini glass.
4. Garnish with a whole star anise or cinnamon stick.

We're doing a December Advent Calendar, counting down amazing local products until Christmas. Not only do all of our items make great gifts, AND you have a chance to win the whole set (check out our contest), we're working to pair a recipe with each day!

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Carrots with Parsnips and Chickpeas

Well Seasoned Advent Day 3 Feature Item: Eating Local in the Fraser Valley. This best-selling cookbook and guide book has profiles on each Fraser Valley location—from berry farms, apple orchards, and chocolatiers, to butchers, bakers and artisan cheese makers; and from restaurants, farmers markets to breweries, vineyards, and more. It makes a great gift for any foodie (and suggest day trips you can take together in the new year). Give a gift that will have you making memories all next year!

Today's feature recipe is a great holiday side that just happens to be vegetarian!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. small carrots, peeled
• ½ lb. parsnips, peeled
• 1 can (19 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3 Tbsp. Well Seasoned Extra Virgin Olive Oil*
• 1 tsp dried red chili flakes*
• ½ tsp sea salt*
• 2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses*
• ½ cup crumbled feta*
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
• *Available from Well Seasoned

Instructions:

1. ​Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. ​Halve the carrots and parsnips lengthwise. You want them roughly the same size. Transfer them to a rimmed baking pan and spread them out in a single layer. Add the chickpeas to the pan and drizzle it all with the oil. Sprinkle over the chili flakes and the salt and toss to combine.
3. ​Place the pan in the hot oven and roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn over the veggies and stir the chickpeas to recoat with the oil. Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.
4. ​Remove from the oven again. The veggies should be fork-tender and the chickpeas crispy.
5. ​Transfer to a platter to serve, drizzle over the pomegranate molasses, sprinkle over the feta, garnish with parsley, and serve warm.

We're doing a December Advent Calendar, counting down amazing local products until Christmas. Not only do all of our items make great gifts, AND you have a chance to win the whole set (check out our contest), we're working to pair a recipe with each day!

Hellish Caesar

Well Seasoned Advent Day 2 Feature Item: Hellish Relish. We love it on burgers (just mix it with some mayo, and you've got a burger sauce to die for), with raw oysters (new year's eve inspiration anyone?), and on just about anything. But then we said...why not in a drink? Thus: The Hellish Caesar.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz of Vodka
• Worcestershire sauce to taste
• ½ tbsp. Hellish Relish*
• Fresh Lime
• Walters Caesar Mix*
• Walters Rimmer*
• Ice (optional)
• Fresh celery for garnish
• *Available from Well Seasoned

Instructions:

1. ​Rub lime around the rim of a tall glass. Press the glass into the rimmer prepped on a plate./li>
2. Add Ice, Vodka, and Hellish Relish & top with mix./li>
3. To taste add the Worcestershire and extra Hellish Relish if you want it spicy!
4. Garnish with fresh celery or a pickled bean.

We're doing a December Advent Calendar, counting down amazing local products until Christmas. Not only do all of our items make great gifts, AND you have a chance to win the whole set (check out our contest), we're working to pair a recipe with each day!

No Bake Almond Butter Crunch Cheesecake

Well Seasoned Advent Day 1 Feature Item: Fraser Valley Gourmet's Almond Butter Crunch. Made right here in Langley, this is THE best butter crunch in Canada and one of our top selling Christmas confections. We carry all three flavours. These make an excellent hostess gift (and a great cheesecake garnish).

Ingredients for Crust:

• 2 cups graham wafer crumbs*
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 generous pinch of salt*

Ingredients for Filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
• ¾ cup icing sugar
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract*
• 1 cup whipping cream*
• ½ cup Fraser Valley Gourmet Almond Butter Crunch, roughly chopped*

Ingredients for Topping:

• Prepared Caramel sauce*
• Maldon Flaky Sea Salt*
• 1 ½ cup Fraser Valley Gourmet Almond Butter Crunch, roughly chopped*
• *Available from Well Seasoned

Instructions:

1. Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter, press down on the bottom of an 8 inch springform cake pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling In a medium sized bowl with electric beaters, whip the cream until stiff peaks appear, set aside. In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.
2. Fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream until well combined. Fold in the Almond Butter Crunch bits.
3. Remove the cookie base from the fridge, pour the cheesecake filling on top, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight.
4. Before serving drizzle with caramel sauce, sprinkle with flaky salt and top with lots more of the Almond Butter Crunch & serve.