Thursday, July 31, 2008

NATIONAL SWISS DAY


August 1st,is National Swiss day, (like our Canada day). I was 13 years old when I met my future b-i-l Mundi (EdmundEd). I feel in love immediately and had I been 10 years older would have made a play for him myself, alas my sister Heidi snagged him so in a way he has been in my life for the past 43 years any way.
Ed , as most people call him is Swiss, I like to call him Mundi, I think I heard his mother call him that once and it has stuck ever since.
We celebrate national Swiss Day at his house with a pool party and BBQ. Ed flies a massive Swiss flag and we hang lanterns around the patio that have the Swiss flag designed on it. We usually forgo a traditional Swiss meal , and just serve up a BBQ fare with a potato salad but for dessert we like to do something a little Swiss. This is our contribution to Swiss Day. My sister Heidi made a Red Velvet Cake ( very Southern USA, by the way) and died the creme cheese frosting red and white to resemble the Swiss flag. Most of you know that I am in Kentucky at the moment, but my heart is back in Ottawa with Ed and all the other Swiss around the world. Have a good celebration. (Recipe to follow at a later date. ) This is our entry to another fellow Swiss blogger living in Spain who put out this challenge.See her blog at www.kochtopf.twoday.net.

Monday, July 21, 2008

A music meme

One of my favorite Canadian bloggers on the west coast is www.morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. On her post today she put out a musical meme that tags 7 other people to post their favorite music that they like to listen to. Because I'm off to Kentucky , and don't have much time for a food post I thought this would be a nice way to stay in touch one last time .

The Rules of the Meme are:

List 7 songs that you are into right now. No matter what genre, whether they have words ,or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs that you are really enjoying now. Then post the instructions in your blog with your 7 songs and then tag 7 other people to see what they are listening to.

I too, will buck the rules and leave it an open invitation for any one to blog.

This week-end I went out to dinner and the movies with my sister Heidi and b-i-l Ed .We went to see ,'MAMA MIA", and you guessed it the songs that I have been singing along with are ABBA's from that show.

1. Mama Mia- ABBA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j-zKYl7w0G0


2. S.O.S - ABBA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=V4JEmz4FoJE

3. Dancing Queen - ABBA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ctzIEjjOfd4

4. Howie Day- Collide
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IlzcVjzlfeI

5. Collective Soul- Compliment
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kX-b2SyDAo8

6. Aerosmith - You See Me Crying
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7N5xAfRJ9EA

7. Bon Jovi- Hallelujah
http://youtube.com/watch?v=v8jpNiUuwcw&feature=related

But oh my goodness only 7, I feel cheated there are so many more that I am listening too as I am getting ready to pack sooo...becauce the rules usually are meant to be broken how about 1 more
8. Paolo Nutini- Rewind
http://youtube.com/watch?v=35qrrXmuq7M

Saturday, July 19, 2008

BYWARD MARKET

The Ottawa Byward Market is one of my favorite places to shop for great local vegetables,fruit and flowers. It is surrounded by local shops that are as varied as your imagination will allow. You name it you can probably find it here. The Byward is not our only market but certainly one of Canada's oldest and largest. It was established by Lt.Col.Johb By in 1826. Lt. Col. By also was the builder of the Rideau Canal. For more information go to http://www.byward-market.com/ .


If you come early you might want to enjoy a morning latte and freshly baked brioche

but the Moulin doesn't just sell patisseries, you can have a complete meal Bistro style and share it with the birds that like to fly in for crumbs. ( Very friendly and not at all annoying ..the birds I mean!)



Lots of room to walk, wheel-chair accessible, shop, sample the delicious food or just browse.



Some of our first local produce




friendly vendors that will gladly serve you in both official languages (English/French)




Why not pick up a beautiful bouquet for your dinning room table!
Just a quick note to let you all know that you won't be hearing from me for a while. Going to Kentucky until the end of August. While there I will be celebrating a wedding anniversary and a birthday, so I will probably post some meals from restaurants in Kentucky! Gave hubby the mission to scout out the best of the best that Kentucky has to offer. The boys will be fending for themselves, but then Ryan does a mean grill on the barbie, and horrors if you place a pizza in front of Rob, he's a happy camper!! So all in all I'm not too worried about them.
As this is a new blog, I haven't posted much about Ottawa, but it is the nations capital and has much to offer the tourist in history, scenery, food and entertainment. Come and see the Parliament buildings, go hiking in the Gatineau mountains, dine at some excellent restaurants, shop at our boutiques, and catch a show at the NAC. Just come and visit Ottawa. Keep checking the blog for updates on Kentucky! Ciao






Wednesday, July 16, 2008

SUMMER SALAD WITH SCALLOPS & FRUIT

SUMMER SALAD WITH SCALLOPS

Thursday,July 17, 2007








There is not much incentive to spend extra time in the kitchen on these hot July days, so why not prepare a dish that needs very little preparation, can be served up quickly and eaten outside on the patio.
While Ron prepared the scallops I prepared the salad, an easy presentation that allowed us time to have a cool drink on the side.

SCALLOPS AND CANTALOUPE SALAD
454 g of frozen or fresh scallops
1 ripe cantaloupe, mango or papaya
2T lime juice
3 celery stalks
4 green onions
1/4 c of Thai sauce ( I used the left over President's Choice Memories of Thailand)
1/2 c. light mayonnaise
salt/pepper
1 head leaf lettuce or Boston lettuce
1T oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or mint

Grill scallops until lightly browned on both sides
Peel and slice the fruit in wedges ( sprinkle with a little lime juice)
Wash the lettuce and dice the green onion and celery
In the bowl that you will be using whisk the mayonnaise ,Thai sauce, seasoning , lime juice and oil. Dressing should be smooth. Pour over fruit, celery and green onion and combine.
Arrange lettuce leaves on individual plates or one large platter and spoon fruit mixture over it.
Arrange scallops over the platter and garnish with chopped basil or mint.
If you have a lime left over, cut in wedges and garnish plate with the wedges.
6 first course serving or 3 main course meals.




CHICKEN BURGER

DID SOMEONE SAY BURGERS!!!!!





Nothing exotic or mysterious about a hamburger on the grill. Just mouthwatering delicious and ,"you can have it any way you want it." In our house we've made them all, beef, salmon, bison, turkey, chicken. Today's burger was a chicken burger with sweet corn and a greek salad. I prefer to buy chicken thighs and just grind up my own. I have also made them with chicken breasts, but found the cut too lean and the burgers just a tad too dry. My herb garden is doing great this time of year and I just love to go and snip a few herbs to pulse in with the chicken. Chives, tarragon,sage, and of course salt/pepper, no bbq sauce this time but a lovely refreshing topping that adds a great zing to the chicken burger.

Apple-Dill Dressing


300g whole milk yogourt


150g Creme fraiche


1T lemon juice


1T mustard


salt/pepper


1 apple cored, diced


120g red onion diced

1 bunch dill chopped


Mix the yogourt, creme fraiche , mustard and lemon juice.Generously salt and pepper the mixture.Chop and dice your apple and onion and add to your yogourt mixture. Chop the dill and incorporate to the sauce. Spoon sauce on top of your chicken burger, also great on a salmon or tuna burger.





Sunday, July 13, 2008

Another squash dish

PAN FRIED YELLOW ZUCCHINI W/LEMON AIOLI









It's just a lazy Sunday today, not much appetite, no one wants anything,and everyone is fending for themselves. When the munchies struck with a bit of a fury, Ron decided to whip up a lemony,garlic aioli and to pan fry some yellow zucchini,as he calls it. Not only did it hit the spot but it was delicious.

Lemon Aioli

4 cloves garlic


2 egg yolks


pinch of salt


1C good quality olive oil


lemon juice to taste (Ron used the juice of one whole lemon as he likes it lemony)


bit of chopped dill (optional)


In a mortar and pestle grind the garlic cloves with the salt, to a fine pulp.Add the egg yolks and lemon juice and whisk mixture together. Continue whisking while adding the olive oil in a slow and steady stream. Adjust seasoning and add some chopped dill (optional).

The yellow squash (zucchini), was washed, and sliced on the diagona (approximately 1/4" thick), but you could also cut them lengthwise in stripes. Dredge in seasoned flour, egg, and then either a breadcrumb or 'Panko" mixture. Ron added a little Parmesan cheese to his breadcrumbs. Either deep fry or pan fry in a little peanut oil ( or whatever your favorite oil is .) When they are done drain on paper towel sprinkle with a little salt and extra shredded Parmesan. Serve immediately with the aioli.




Panko is a Japanese bread crumb.






















Friday, July 11, 2008

COUSCOUS & THAI SHRIMP

Some days I am just too busy running the roads and the thought that I still have to prepare dinner just adds to the stress of the day. It's on these occasions that I try to cut corners. While shopping at Loblaws today I came across their brand of PC sauces called ,"Memories of Thailand,Fiery Chili Pepper Sauce".I thought that this sauce would give a little kick to the shrimp that I had in the freezer. While I quickly peeled the raw shrimp and marinated them in this sauce , Ron was already helping out by charring the peppers for the couscous, ( also purchased from Loblaws...It was just one of those days when it was easier picking everything up as I was walking down the ailes!) Thirty minutes later after pretty much just boiling water, and heating the skillet ,we had a fast meal, that was not difficult to prepare and more tastier than getting something on the run. While these meals are not that well thought out, I make no excuses for using products out of a bottle or box as they serve a purpose in our busy life style.
COUS COUS
2 C couscous
2C boiling water
1/2 red pepper charred and peeled
1/2 yellow pepper charred and peeled
1 red or white onion sliced
1 tsp chopped garlic
!/4 C olive oil
juice of one lemon (or more to taste)
salt/pepper
Place dry couscous in a large bowl that you will be serving it out of.
Boil water and pour over couscous , cover with cling film and let stand, until absorbed.
In the meantime, char peppers under the broiler or on the bbq.
Afterward place peppers in a bowl and cover with cling, the steam will make the skin to peel easily and cool about 5 minutes.
Peppers will then be peeled and diced along with the garlic, and onions.
Return to couscous, fluff up with fork and add all the ingredients including lemon juice and season to taste.
Couscous, is so versatile that you can pretty much add any fresh ingredient to it (asparagus, tomato,parsley, hotter seasoning ect. there are numerous recipes out there and it is a wonderful change to rice or potatoes.)
THAI SHRIMP (the cheater version)
a bag of raw shrimp deveined and shelled
1/4 C of PC Memories of Thailand .
To marinade shrimp in for about 30 minutes
In a frying pan with a dab of butter fry up shrimp, until they turn pink on both sides. They cook quickly, so stay close to pan as you don't want them rubbery. If you prefer them to be spicier you can always add more of the Thai sauce.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Yellow Squash Casserole




I thought that this would be a good time to enter my first blog challenge event. At Cookthink.com they host a Root-Source Challenge. It is a weekly recipe contest where readers submit their best recipe using an ingrediant that is the subject of an upcoming Root Source. This week's challenge was Yellow Squash. My submission is my sister Heidi's recipe. It has been a family favorite for decades and everybody from children to seniors love it.


Heidi is not a true vegetarian, because she does eat some meat but is very finicky about eating meat and perfers to fill her plate with vegetables. There is always a wide variety of vegetable dishes at her dinner parties. Everyone loves how she prepares her veggies as they are truely a meal in themselves. In German there is a saying that goes "mit geshmack", (with taste) and that just about sums up this vegetable casserole. It taste great.








Yellow Squash Casserole
(serves 4-6)

4-5 yellow squash thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced or diced

6 slices double smoked bacon or (regular bacon) diced

flour, salt and pepper

1T butter

Butter a baking dish. Layer the bottom with slices of yellow squash. top with a layer of onions, followed with a layer of bacon.
Sprinkle 1tsp of flour over this.
Use salt very sparingly or not at all as the bacon is already salty.
Sprinkle with a little pepper.
Repeat these layers.
Finish with a top layer of yellow squash.
Sprinkle bits of butter on top.
Bake at 325F for 1 hour uncovered. Check if top get to dark.
Cover with foil for the last 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!!!

ALMOND KRINGEL & COFFEE

Ok, I'm warning you right from the start, this is going to be a long post, but so well worth the effort.The last time I sent Ron for yeast, instead of just getting me a few packages or a little jar from the supermarket, he went to the Bulk Barn and picked up a 450g package of yeast! What was he thinking!!##! Even though it has an expiry date till 2009, you just know that it won't last that long. So naturally I have been looking for yeast recipes to use up some of that yeast. Last month I came across an interesting food blog at "Schnuppschnuss ihr manzfred", she writes in German, and while it has been many years since I took 2 years of German at university, I am able to plod along quite adequately and what I loose in the translation I improvise and so far it has been an interesting adventure with many favorable results. But I digress... what caught my eye was the fact that it called for 42g of yeast (roughly a little more than 2T of yeast) now this in itself isn't so astounding, but it was used with only250g of flour . I was convinced that this couldn't be right, not after I made those buttermilk rolls and used 6 cups of flour! But I was further intrigued when much to my amazement , with all that yeast , you didn't even let it rise in a warm place but rather you immersed the dough in COLD water. Now I was hooked, I had to try this this recipe! It is called a Sweet Water Kringel,(Susser Wasser Kringel). So come on and I'll walk you through the steps.
The dough is made in 2 stages, I followed the directions exactly, so far so good, I had a small sized dough that was now ready for the next stage.



KNEADED DOUGH





Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean kitchen towel and crisscross the edges of the towel , covering the dough and make a little bundle





Place the bundled dough in a big bowl or pot that will hold at least 8L of COLD water.


The dough will sink to the bottom of the bowl filled with water. Roughly in 45 minutes the dough will flip and you will see that it is slightly bopping out of the water . You are now ready to take it out and let it drain . Begin to work the dough for Stage 2. I needed to add a little flour at this stage,even though the recipe did not call for it,as I found it just too sticky. This is where the improvisation comes in. I know what a yeast dough should feel like, while it should be slightly sticky I felt that 1/2 cup of extra flour was needed at this stage while incorporating the sugar and lemon peel.
While the dough was in the water bath, it is a good time to prepare the marzipan (almond paste) filling.








I didn't include any pictures of the rolling out part and the spreading of the filling, but that is the easy part. Sort of, at one point I rolled out the dough too thin and it tore and of course I patched it,and you guessed it the filling did ooze out during the baking process, but it didn't really make a huge difference to the end product. When we cut into the Kringel it was light and airy and so delicious, "like butter!", it just melted in your mouth and believe me one piece was not enough!





Finished Kringel Before icing.






...after icing




Upon further research I found out that the Original Kringel is usually prepared at Christmas time, it is not filled with marzipan but rather with raisins, and candied fruit, and it is not put in a cold water bath but left to rise in a warm place. I have no clue who invented this recipe, but I believe that I will prepare it again, only because it was so good. I am already wondering what the filling would taste like with some extra added chocolate to the marzipan ? Umm now that sounds like a plan, and I will definitely try the Xmas Original version , so look for that one in the coming months.

Susser Wasser Krinhel
DOUGH STAGE 1
250g flour (& extra for stage 2)
125 g butter

2 eggs

2-3T milk

42 g fresh yeast or 2T dry yeast


FILLING

125 g almond paste

100 g sugar

1 pinch salt

2T water


DOUGH STAGE 2

60 g sugar

1 pinch salt

1/2 lemon grate the peel

*remember I added roughly 1/2 cup of flour at this stage just so dough was not that sticky to roll out, although it was not included in the printed recipe.


TOPPING

1T melted butter

50 g slivered almonds

100 g icing sugar and a few T of water to make a liquid frosting to drizzle on top of kringel,when it comes out of the oven and is still warm

Dissolve the yeast in slightly warm milk, let stand for a few minutes to let it proof.

In your standing mixer with the paddle, (or by hand using a spoon) add the flour, eggs, butter and mix ingredients. Add yeast/milk mixture to the dough and with the kneading attachment (or by hand) start kneading everything together on low speed until a ball starts to form. With hands form a ball.

On a clean kitchen towel , place dough ball in center of towel .

Criss cross ends and tie into a knot.

In a large bowl or pot that will hold at least 8L of Cold water place toweled dough.

Let sit in water bath for at least 45 minutes.

When the dough starts to flip so that knots are facing downward and the dough starts to bop out of the water , the dough is ready.

Drain dough from wet towel. dough will be slightly wet.

While you are waiting for the dough to flip, you can prepare the filling.

Thoroughly mix the almond paste with the sugar and the water to make a smooth paste that will be brushed on the dough as a filling . Take a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet and grease and flour the pan, or line with some parchment paper that has been buttered. (Just in case the filling oozes out like it did for me) it will be easier to clean up the sugar mess.

When dough has flipped take it out ,dredge the counter with extra flour and re knead the dough adding the salt, sugar,lemon peel and a touch of extra flour if needed to make a dough that will now be rolled out into a rectangle.

I put the dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper to roll out the dough into a rectangle that sort of measured around 23x35 cm. Don't roll too thin as it will tear.

Brush the almond filling on the rectangle leave a nice edge bare all around the rectangle ,so that you will be able to pinch the seams together without the filling spilling out.
Start rolling the dough together from the longer sides to make a long tube. Pinch all open seams together and carefully bring the ends together to make a circle. PINCH the ends together, and carefully place your circle tube with the SEAMS DOWN.

Melt the 1T of butter ,brush the top of the kringel with the melted butter and place the slivered almonds all around the top of the Kringel

Bake in a preheated400F oven for 10 minutes.

Lower the heat to 350F and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes.

When it is golden remove from oven and drizzle with icing sugar mixed with 2-3T of water.

When cool, if you can wait that long, enjoy with a cup of coffee!


























Thursday, July 3, 2008

POTATO BUTTERNILK BUNS



RANT

I apologize for the rant, but there is something terribly wrong with the way our economy is going! I know that it is only two days after Canada Day and already I am complaining. (before anybody gets on my case, I am proud to be a Canadian and I know we have a lot of positives living in Canada...) but you really have to wonder and worry about how young kids living on their own and elderly on fixed incomes are managing with all the rising costs. It baffles me how someone who is only earning 9 something an hour can make ends meet when groceries, gasoline, and housing is all going up and up. It is a sad day when staples like milk, butter and bread are all over $5.00 each, (milk $5.69, a pound of sweet butter $5.49, a loaf of bread $4.99).

It is the cost of bread that is the inspiration for the Potato Buttermilk Rolls. Over the weekend at the market I picked up a loaf of potato-scallion (are the loafs getting smaller?). The loaf was $4.99. It is a nice soft bread that has a tendency to disappear to quickly in my house. When I wanted to make a sandwich the bread was all gone. In the fridge I had a container of buttermilk left over from the pancakes I made with it last week. I was wondering what I would make that would use up the remaining buttermilk and realized that I could probably use it to make a bread. While I didn't make the bread I did find a recipe in the Williams-Sonoma book for Potato Buttermilk Buns that used not only the buttermilk but a large russet potato. The buns are soft and slightly hearty and the buttermilk adds a faint tang that contributes to their appeal.

To begin, in a small sauce pan combine the large potato (about 1/2 lbs or 250g cubed) and bring this to a boil in 1 1/2 cup water until tender about 10 mins. Pour the cooked potato cubes and the water into a 5qt bowl of a stand mixer and mash the potato cubes with a fork. Stir in the 1 1/2 c buttermilk and let the mixture cool to warm. Into this dissolve the yeast (2pkgs or 5tsp active dry yeast), let stand for 5 mins. Add the flour (6c, 2T sugar, 1T salt, and 1/2 c soften unsalted butter). Place the bowl on the mixer, attach the dough hook and knead on low speed (by hand use a wooden spoon until a shaggy mass forms). Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-10 mins. With a dough hook knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic about 5-7 mins. If the dough seems sticky dust the wok surface with a little extra flour to keep the dough from sticking.





Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Transfer it to a lightly buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm draft free spot until it doubles in bulk about 1hr.
Punch down the dough and turn it onto a clean work surface. Cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. Cut each have into 8 equal pieces for rolls or 6 equal pieces for sandwich buns. Cover with a kitchen towel and let them rest for 5 mins before shaping. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll each piece of dough against the work surface into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared sheet pan spacing them evenly. Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise in a warm spot until doubled in size 15-30 mins. If you want a lighter airier texture for sandwich buns, let the dough rise until spongy and pillow soft around 45 mins.







Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375F. Lightly dust the tops of the rolls with a little flour, bake the rolls until they are puffed and little browned 20-25 mins. Let rolls cool slightly before serving.



A few minutes later,a little chive cream cheese topped with a juicy tomato on a yummy soft potato-buttermilk bun.


Recipe

1 lrg Russet Potato (about 1/2 lb peeled & cubed)

1 1/2 C water

1 1/2 C Buttermilk

2 pkg or 5 tsp active dry yeast

6 C flour plus extra for kneading and dusting of rolls

2 T Sugar

1 T Salt

1/2 C Unsalted butter at room temperature

(you can use yams or sweet potatoes instead of Russets for a colorful variation)

Makes 12 sandwich buns or 16 rolls

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

PULLED PORK AND COLE SLAW



Canada Day was an absolutely gorgeous day. We went to the country for a day spent relaxing with family, swimming, talking,laughing, reading and of course eating. As usual there was way too much delicious food An easy recipe was the Carolina-style pulled pork mainly because I was able to prepare it ahead in my crock pot and the Cole slaw was also bought ahead and prepared earlier that morning.
As a matter of fact it was nice that most of the food was prepared ahead, this way even the men were able to enjoy the day and not have to slave over the hot BBQ.
There are many pulled pork recipes out there all of them excellent, even for those who don't desire to go this route it can be prepared as easily as jut using your favorite bottled bbq sauce, I like to prepare a rub for the meat and marinate it over night before I do it in the crock pot. This recipe is actually intended for the oven but the thought of putting the oven on and dealing with all that extra heat in the kitchen made me ill, so thank goodness for those crock pots!
This recipe came with the crock pot and over the years has been changed and added to and quite frankly I do it differently every time I make it, so it really doesn't matter so long as the basics are there. In my opinion tangy sauces are pretty standard for pulled pork, so whatever works best for you goes.This was how it was prepared this time.
DRY RUB
For a 6lb pork shoulder
1/4C brown sugar
1/4C paprika
1/4C cumin
1T cayenne pepper (or less optional)
1tsp. both onion powder and garlic
1/4 tsp.salt and pepper
Mix ingredients and rub on pork.
Refrigerate overnight
Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce
In a pot bring to boil the following ingredients. Use half of this sauce for the crock pot reserve other half for extra sauce when serving.
2/3C apple cider vinegar
1C ketchup
1/2C tomato paste
1/2C brown sugar
3T Worcestershire sauce
3T mustard
2tsp.paprika
2 tsp.garlic
1tsp. salt
1tsp. pepper
3/4C water
Peel and thinly slice 1-2 onions and place in bottom of crock pot. Take marinated pork and place on top and cover with half of the boiled sauce. Heat in crock pot for 6-8 hours. Pull out pork shred with 2 forks and return to sauce in crock pot. Can be kept in pot on the warm setting. You can either add reserved sauce at this stage or keep it on the side fir those that like it extra saucy.
Serve on a bun with a Cole slaw on the side or on top.
COLE SLAW (with or without mayo)
In my house everybody but me likes their slaw with mayo, while I prefer mine without. This recipe solves that dilemma, I cheated and bought the ready sliced Cole slaw prepared by the supermarkets, but homemade is still best in my books,
1 clove garlic minced
1C apple cider
1/3C sugar
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1tsp celery seed
Bring above ingredients to boil,to dissolve sugar. Set aside to cool
1 red onion diced
2T oil
Add the onion,oil and cooled vinegar mixture to Cole slaw mix everything and adjust salt and pepper seasoning. (At this stage you can refrigerate as is or add the MAYONNAISE, like I have to,I shudder to tell you how much...so you do it to your family's individual taste.
HAPPY CANADA DAY TO YOU,HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED YOUR DAY AND SAW SOME FIREWORKS.