A Celebration of Food

ORANGE DATE SQUARES

2012-01-23T20:54:00.000-05:00

After 36 years of marriage you would think that I would know what my husband liked for something a little sweet to nibble on. For example I know that when he had his nose job after making contact with a rugby cleat all he asked for were his mother's chocolate chip cookies. In a torte he always asks for a Frankfurter Kranz,at Christmas he loves Red Velvet cake and Nanaimo bars, and he especially enjoys a good pound cake or banana cake with a cup of tea. So why am I posting a date square? Because whenever we are invited out where someone serves a date square, my husband chirps quite pleasantly how ,"date squares", are his favourite!! Really?? I swear , his mother never made a date square in her life, neither did my mom or for that matter any one of my sisters....oh wait, he tells me that his Aunt Louise makes date squares... whatever!The point being after all these years surely he would have asked me to make some..before now .

While it may not be a new recipe for you,but it is most certainly my first attempt at making these squares. I probably should have called Aunt Louise,but instead I chose to go to a Canadian Living recipe where I know for sure recipes are tested and guaranteed not to fail.

Dates are a good source of fibre, and I must admit these squares are satisfying and quite delicious and would make a good morning snack...they are just a bit too sweet for my tastes.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter cubed
1/3 cup sliced hazelnuts (optional)

Filling
375 grams pitted dates
3/4 cup sugar
2Tbsp. lemon juice
2Tbsp. orange juice

Preparation

Filling:In a saucepan stir together 2 cups water ,dates,sugar, lemon and orange juices and let stand for 30 minutes.
Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium and boil gently, stirring often, until thickened, around 10 minutes. Let cool.

In large bowl whisk together oats,sugar,flour,orange rind and salt.
Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Press 1/2 of oat mixture evenly into an 8 inch square parchment lined pan.
Spread with date mixture.
Toss remaining oat mixture with hazelnuts if you are using them, sprinkle over date mixture pressing lightly.
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minute.

MIA

2011-12-08T23:28:00.001-05:00

Ron and I have been missing for a while, well not really... just a whole lot of unfortunate events that has kept us from blogging.
At the end of August after some continued minor home repairs to our home, it came to our attention that my camera was missing. Ron had taken some picture of a nagging problem he had with the kitchen floor, and took it over to Home Depot for some advise. I thought I saw the camera in the car, he says he brought it home. Long story short, the camera is gone! Home Depoy doesn;t have it , we checked all the cars, the house, all our little nooks and cranies...no little red camera. He had it last!

Barb, lent me her super expensive Nikon, (you need a degree in engineering to figure it out) I took some lovely food pictures,but was remiss about posting them promptly. When a few spare moments came along and I was ready to blog, I could not find the cable that went from the camera to the computer to download the pictures! Truth be told I still haven't told her it's missing and now her camera is also dead as a doornail. Oh my... do you think I have to go to a camera store to replace this part? Surely it will turn up soon? But then neither has my little camera that I loved so much.

I guess all good things come to an end eventually, and change ultimately sometimes is for the good, well time will tell. In the meantime no food pictures, no yummy recipes,no conversations...how quickly the months have flown by and how I have missed my little blog and here it is almost Christmas ...so from my heart a sincere wish for all of you to have your lives filled with the joy and happiness that this holiday season has to offer. Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to everyone. See you all in the New Year, I'm sure a new camera will be under the tree waiting for me.

English Fish and Chips in a Beer Batter

2011-08-30T19:33:00.000-04:00

It was a dreary day here in Ottawa... oh don't get me wrong the sun did make a feeble attempt at peeking out a few times today, but basically it was a good day for laundry and a good book.

I really don't know where the craving came from , because we usually don't eat this greasy , so if you have a heart condition , or are watching calories stay clear from this recipe.

However, once in a while, it isn't so horrible or terrible to have a little indulgence.
I made homemade fries and had haddock in the freezer although a cod is also a good fish for this dish. I must say, the batter was really light and 3 minutes on each side for the fish was the perfect time for a beautiful tender flaky fish. I like mine with a spritz of lemon , the hubby with tartar sauce. Either way you like it, sometimes the day just calls for a good fry.

Beer Batter
140 g. flour
50g. corn starch
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg beaten
250mi. beer
Mix the first 4 ingredients
In another bowl beat the egg and then mix with the beer,
Incorporate the beer mixture into the dry ingredients. Whisk and make sure there are no lumps.
Make sure that your fish has no bones and that the fillets are dried with a paper towel, the batter stick better to the fish and stays crispier when the fish is fried.

Heat vegetable oil in a pan and when hot fry the fish one piece at a time,
Garnish with fries, lemon wedge and tartar sauce.

Israeli Couscous Mediterranean Salad

2011-08-26T11:06:00.001-04:00

Our August weather is still holding up quite nicely and with the sun shinning and the out door temperatures still hovering up there a cool salad for supper seemed to be the answer for a quick supper meal.

I had some cooked shrimp in the freezer, olives and feta are a staple in our house as are grape tomatoes,cucumbers and a bunch of dill...this was definitely becoming a Mediterranean salad. I had some Israeli couscous which is actually a wheat pasta, but you could use whatever pasta or orzo you have at hand.Voila Done.

MUSTARD DILL DRESSING
1/4 cup fresh dill
3 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. good white wine vinegar
1/2 C olive oil
salt and pepper
Pulse first 3 ingredients in blender, then gradually pour in the olive oil, season to taste.

SALAD
Prepare 1 lb. Israeli couscous according to instruction.(Ratio 1cup to 4 cups of water.)
1large cucumber peeled and cubed
3 -4 green onions sliced
1 sl. package of grape tomatoes , halved
1/2 c.cup lalamata olives halved
20 shrimp cooked

Note: The hubby loved the salad, but he did make a suggestion and that was to have grilled the shrimp or served them up in a garlic butter with bay spice. I had just defrosted the cooked shrimp and tossed them in the dressing along with the rest of the ingredients. Maybe a little bland. Your choice.

Easy Beer Bread and Corn Chowder

2011-08-17T11:22:00.001-04:00

I'm not really a fan of corn I know everyone is in shock now... don't get me wrong I enjoy my corn on the cob, especially with a good lobster boil, or roasted on the grill yummy... but by the third time I tend to pass on this summer crowd pleaser. Last week, my neighbour offered me some corn and because it was a busy week I am ashamed to say that the corn never even made it to the fridge. I hate to spoil food so the corn was quickly grilled then scraped off the cob. I quickly sauteed 3 sliced celery ribs with a large diced onion in some olive oil. Added that to 4 cups of milk, 2 cans of creamed corn 2 potatoes that I cubed and then in went the roasted corn for a quick corn chowder soup.Bacon Garnish optional

Over at Stone Gable , Yvonne had posted this or a similar recipe and included this super simple Beer Bread that I just had to make . Not only is this a simple bread recipe but quick to make in a pinch.

Beer Bread

21/4 C. flour

3T. sugar

1/2 tsp,bakeing sodar

1 T bakeing powder

Mix all the above ingredients.

1 bottle beer

1T oil

ix the oil in the beer and then pour into the flour mixture. Mix just until batter is incorporated. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 400 for about 45 minutes until golden. ( If you wish pour 1 T. melted butter over beer bread before bakeing.)

An Iron Chef Charity Throwdown

2011-08-14T16:01:00.001-04:00

A challenge was offered.

A food basket supplied, the mystery food presented... beef tenderloin and organic chicken breasts.
The rules:Each group had to produce appetizers, a salad, a main meal and dessert.
A good time was promised.
The reward: we would all share in the meal.
The cause: was for an organization close to all our hearts. THE PALLIATIVE CARE OUTREACH PROGRAM.

It always amazes , but never surprise me how a beautiful group of professional women that are grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters but mostly friends ...come together and are so generous of their time, energy and love for each other and their strong belief system that in life you must give back. Thank you to all that participated and donated so generously to this worthwhile program.

Meet our hostess Sandi Grant

and the lovely members of TEAM I

chopping, dicing, and whispering secret ingredients.

hum will that be a salsa, or dessert?

TEAM II also hard at work...The pooch was the official floater whose job it was to oversee the work ,comment and sweep the floor.

Hey Barb, you belong to Team II are you snooping (read spying) on Team I??

Meet the GALS on the GRILL

Sandi and Dr. Margaret..... WOW these gals rocked big time on the EGG, Smoker and BBQ Grill.

BUSY BEES ALL HARD AT WORK

It 's almost ready!!

Set Up

"What do you mean it's a mock Bellini????

'To love and be loved."

OH MY.. I'M SO EXCITED ..IT ALL LOOKS SO GOOD!

THE TEAM"S FINISHED PRODUCTS.

The rules to the competition were that all foods in our baskets had to be incorporated in the meal. We were allowed one secret ingredient, and could purchase items that did not total more that 5$ from our own pockets to enhance or help in our preparation

( all other food provided by our host)

OOPS downloaded pictures in an incorrect order.. sorry..

Recipes to follow in later blog entries.

Beef tenderloin grilled with a balsamic reduction on a bed of roasted potatoes, mushrooms,and almond green beans.

BBQ garlic beef tenderloin in a coffee/chili rub, dill potatoes, grilled chicken stuffed with cheese and a pineapple salsa.

Grilled vegetables marinated in a balsamic tomato basil dressing.

Tangerine, fruit Romain salad served with a tangerine dressing (not Shown)

Pancetta Cesar salad

Baguette appetizers grilled with garlic butter and topped with pancetta & cantaloupe,Others topped with homemade tomato/olive salsa.

Mock chilled Bellini

Artichoke dip served in an eggplant boat and served with...

grilled baguette to accompany the dip.

PS. Apologies for the pictures that were missed such as the grilled asparagus and I'm sure a few other items. Dessert pictures never made it to the table as the brandied fruit, whipped cream and shortbread cakes would have literally resulted in the explosion of the already full and satisfied participants!

THE EVENING MEAL

A JOB WELL DONE, WE were all winners!

The end of all our hard work was the communal supper shared by all with tales of how we had spent the supper to date. We laughed, congratulated each other on a job well done, praised and drooled over the food and later dangled our feet in the warm water of the swimming pool. But we also talked and shed some tears for people missing from the evening and the reason for this fund raiser.

Our cause is a program that deals with events that has touched all of us in our life experiences... The Palliative Care Outreach Program.

Here in Ottawa Canada, Dr.Margaret Farncombe started the program in 1997, when she realized the need for at home care for the terminally ill.
Most of us present have cared for a loved one during the dying process.

The Palliative Care Outreach Program provides an all encompassing approach to the care and support of individual clients with terminal diseases and to their families in an out of hospital setting to ensure an environment of comfort,respect and dignity in accordance with the clients goals,needs and belief system.

Please visit their website at www.palliativeoutreach.org

POST MORTEM,

There really was no competition, as we all had way too much fun , that the consensus was that the winner was the FOOD and of course the MONEY raised for the Palliative Care Outreach Program. We have vowed to do another event in the fall so stay tuned .

Strawberries, strawberries,

2011-07-19T15:15:00.000-04:00

When my neighbour called and asked whether I would like some strawberries never did imagine that I would have 4 huge baskets of strawberries ! The strawberries are more than likely the last of the season but a huge amount of them where still firm and Oh my so sweet.

So without much hesitation I went about cleaning and hulling the stems, while my brain was already thinking up recipes for pies, and tarts and jams, and just plain old freezing these lovely berries for smoothies that I will enjoy long when the hot days of summer are over.

But for today, I knew that Ron would enjoy his favourite pie Rhubarb and Strawberry.

A quick trip to the freezer, a frozen bag of rhubarb and some of today's strawberries, and voila dessert for supper! Done.

Enjoy.

Catch- Up

2011-05-15T15:37:00.001-04:00

In my previous entry I was lamenting about rushing through the past 6 weeks, without taking the time to feel any joy in what I was doing. You know the feeling? when you are running as fast as you can and never reaching the finish line?
But to be honest there were some really great moments and times. March ended with Rosanna's birthday, but she rang in 3 more birthdays in April, Lynne, Mary and my sister Heidi's... she looks pretty good for 72 years young!

Baking as mentioned was a huge bust with me lately. Recipes were read wrongly or even when they were executed properly just feel short as in this lemon- lime tart that just didn't set correctly and even though it tasted great was just always a little runny to the very last bite.

Easter and Mother's day brought joy in the form of beautiful flowers that will always

warm my heart and put a smile on my face. So even when life has you dancing as fast as you can, please take the time to smell the roses.
I hope to get in one more blog before I have a little surgery and then come back after a little rest and recuperation.

LEMON CHIFFON CAKE II

2011-05-15T09:20:00.000-04:00

I've been absent from this blog mainly because when things get hectic meals become quick, plain, and unexciting. It shouldn't be this way, because when I look at the title of my blog it puts me to shame. Food should be a celebration, a meal with a loved one should not be rushed. We have become a society of everything being "Now" and "Instant" and sometimes I too need a little reality check, take a breath and just calm down and relax and enjoy the simple things that are meaningful , like preparing a meal with a little more thought and not something that has become another chore on my never ending list of things to do.

This lemon chiffon cake was just another example of the "OOPPS", in my life lately.
I was in a hurry, seems to be my mantra lately, and wanted just a simple light no fuss cake. I have posted a fancier lemon chiffon cake in the past, but this time just wanted something that would go good with a cup of tea or coffee and could last all week as I was under time restrictions.
Looking at this cake you can probably already see all the BooBoo's.
1. I used 1 tsp. of baking powder instead of 1 Tablespoon.
2. Then I wanted a light drizzle on the cake and well I don't quite know what happened but it turned into a big blob mess.
Let's just say it was one of those days when you just want to sit down and cry for no reason at all! Yes, I have those days also.
All in all, the cake really was delicious, even with all the mistakes I had made, so you can imagine how really good it can be had I not screwed up.Please give it a try.

LEMON CHIFFON CAKE
3-4 lemons
21/4C. cake flour
11/2C.sugar
1TABLESPOON baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 c. water
6 large eggs separated at room temperature
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

GLAZE
2c. icing sugar sifted, more if needed
2T. lemon juice , extra if needed
1T. heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
In a clean bowl combine the egg whites and cream of tartar.
With a whip attachment beat until soft peaks are formed.
Sift together flour, sugar , baking powder and salt on a sheet of parchment.
In another bowl combine oil, water, egg yolks, lemon juice and some lemon zest whisk until well mixed.
Switch to a spatula and combine dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined.
Gently fold 1/2 of the white eggs into the batter until almost fully incorporated then add remaining whites until just combined.
Batter should be smooth but foamy, pour into tube pan.
Bake until toothpick comes out clean. 45-50 minutes at 325 degree oven.
Invert on a rack let cool completely for 45 minutes . To loosen pan, tap against counter top until cake disengages.
For the glaze whisk ingredients adding more lemon juice as needed if too thick. Pour and let it drizzle along the sides.

Montreal

2011-04-03T19:04:00.001-04:00

Saturday was such a lovely day, that after we did our little trip to Kemptville, Ron and I decided to hook up to the 401 and just go to Montreal.

No trip there is complete without spending some time at the Jean Talon Market and a visit to Premiere Moison for some Bread.

This place also sells a delectable array of pastries, terrines and cold meats. So it is also a nice place to sit down and have a coffee with a sweet or a baguette with some pate.

We also stopped at the cheese shop there and bought a nice selection of our favourite cheeses. The Bartlett pears were to die for, sweet and juicy.

That day the bakery was highlighting a sweet baguette with walnuts and maple. Ron and I devoured the loaf by ourselves with delicious white creamy honey, on Sunday morning. No guilt here! It was so yummy.

If you have a chance to go before Easter,pick up some bread and their hot cross buns ..lovely!.

CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSENwith PEAR and CITRUS GARNISH

2011-03-24T18:41:00.002-04:00

I wouldn't even know where to find chicken livers at my grocery store. OK maybe I'm exaggerating, but honestly I don't ever recall seeing them in the meat freezer, and in all of my 35 years of marriage have I served them.

My sister tells the story of some 45 years ago when her and her husband, as newly weds and still a little naive about life, bought their first home after saving their money to do so. Little did they know after putting this money down as a down payment , that there would still be extra costs involved. She recalls how when faced with this dilemma the only choice they had was to cut back on their already meager grocery bill. One option was to buy chicken livers which at the time was the cheapest source of meat . The good news was that for the next 4 months , she collected about 100 different ways to serve chicken livers. The bad news , her husband now refuses to even look at a chicken liver, let alone eat one!

That being said , I have my own issues with any type of liver, but that's another story. However, I do have a hubby that likes to whip up special little dishes. and He made this mousse for our special family dinner ,and this was the perfect little appetizer much to my surprise and very tasty.Everybody agreed.

This recipe is not one of my sister's but rather our own Ricardo TV cooking show host. The process starts with melting butter. adding chopped shallots and browning the chicken livers. Season with salt and pepper and deglaze with wine and cognac. Reduce heat and cook until livers are pink in the center.
Transfer to food processor.
Add sugar,oregano &1/4 cup of cream . Puree until smooth.

Push through a sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes.
In a bowl, whip the remaining cream until soft peaks form.

Using a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the liver mousse. Adjust the seasoning.

If serving as a teaser, spoon the mousse into individual shooter glasses. Smooth the top and refrigerate for another 45 minutes or until ready to serve. Or put the entire mousse into a little terrine dish and serve as an appetizer like you would a pate.

Chicken Liver Mousse
1/2 lb. chicken livers. trimmed
2 shallots chopped
2T. unsalted butter
1/4C white wine
1 T cognac
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. oregano
3/4C 35% cream
salt/pepper

GARNISH 1 firm pear diced very small
2 tsp. marmalade
2tsp/lemon juice
a few fresh chives
Mix all ingredients

recipe makes 12 shooters.
The morale: Don't turn your nose up to chicken livers, try this recipe and be pleasantly surprised.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

2011-03-23T08:50:00.000-04:00

'No matter how long the winter Spring is sure to follow." Proverb

For me nothing says Spring more than asparagus and rhubarb. After a bit of a hiatus from blogging and having to host a family dinner party on Sunday, I knew that I was going to build a menu around these two ingredients.
The asparagus soup started the meal and the rhubarb pie and a coffee were the perfect ending to a wonderful meal that was shared between my family and my son's future in-laws.

There are many great versions of asparagus soup, but I was in particular, looking for a lighter version of a cream of asparagus soup. Came across a few that substituted the cream with yogurt, but in the end decided to go with the basic 'tried and true', version and left the cream as an individual option.

As you can see, the soup , after blending, can stand alone. It was tasty, smooth and velvety even without the addition of the cream. In the end I chose to add the cream as a garnish and swirled it around the asparagus tips. ( not shown in the photos).

The recipe is very basic and quantities will vary accordingly depending on how many people you are serving.
The basis starts with, leeks that are washed and cleaned and sliced, in this case you can use both the white and part of the green stems. Saute these with a sliced onion in some butter and olive oil.
I like to roast the cleaned and sliced asparagus ( discard woody ends) in the oven with a coating of olive oil salt and pepper. Add everything to either a homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock . I like to include a large diced potato. Simmer until everything is soft, adjust seasoning and then blend when cool in small batches.
The soup can be made a day ahead, then reheated before serving. At this point the addition of cream/yogurt can be added for additional richness, garnishes can be shredded cheese, bacon bits, asparagus tips or swirls or dots of extra cream. Enjoy

NO KNEAD BREAD

2010-10-21T07:00:00.004-04:00

I love baking bread and so does Ron there is something very cathartic about it and very spiritual. However I am also always on the look out for quick bread recipes. I came across this video by Mark Bittman on You Tube. In case you don't know him, he has written numerous cookbooks his latest is at Chapters, and also write for the NEW YORK TIMES. But gals save your money and go to you tube, where you can see countless video of him in action, cooking and baking.

This recipe caught my eye, because |I am all for the short cuts! and when I saw that you don't need to knead this dough, well I was sold.

Now I am a convert and have this bread on the go all the time in my house.

I made two loaves this day, and while talking on the phone left the second one in a little longer and henceforth the darker texture but none the less still delicious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

I always like to play with the recipe, by fooling around with the quantities but basically here is the recipe that any 4 year old can do.

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. yeast

MIX by hand just to incorporate ingredients

COVER and leave for 12-24 hours

Next day

Pre heat oven to 500F

When temperature is reached, preheat Corning dish and lid in oven.

TAKE out dough and fold over a few times to form a squarish round shape,

COVER with towel.

When the corning dish or cast iron pot is hot carefully remove from oven and plop in your bread from the tea towel.

Cover your pot with lid , this creates steam and helps your bread rise and bake.

Bake for 30 minutes at 500.

Remove lid and continue baking for additional 20 minutes until desired color is reached.

(20 minutes yields dark crust, 15 minutes yields golden crust)

Please check out the video on You Tube.

TURKEY POT PIE

2010-10-20T14:46:00.001-04:00

I know that most of you probably have some turkey left over from the holidays. Our house is no exception. We enjoyed the roasted bird on thanksgiving, had the hot turkey sandwiches later on that week and also enjoyed some midnight raids to the fridge for a snack on those drumsticks.But thankfully, we are now going to put the bird to rest with some turkey pot pie.

This recipe is not only great with leftover turkey but also chicken.It is healthy, easy, a real autumn comfort meal and also quite tasty.

1 recipe for your favourite pastry dough

2 med. onions chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

2 carrots peeled and sliced

2-3 potatoes diced and boile2T. vegetable oil 2 tsp. thyme 3T. parsley chopped

1tsp. oregano

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

( i also had some Chardonnay wine left over which I added for an extra flavour boost)

1/4-1/3 cup flour Depending if you added any extra liquid like the wine)

1 can of peas, or what ever vegetable you have left over and you think will make a nice addition to your pot pie.

Pre heat oven to 425F. In a large pot heat your oil and saute your onions, celery thyme, oregano,and carrots until tender. Stir in your flour and continue to cook constantly stirring over low heat. Add your stock and milk. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until mixture thickens. Add turkey, vegetables and pre-boiled potatoes. Season with salt , pepper, and parsley. Roll out pastry dough and cover whatever vessel you have used for your turkey mixture. Either individual servings or 1 large pie plate or casserole. Bake in pre heated oven for 15. minutes lower heat to 350 and continue baking until tops are golden , about another 20-30 minutes.

RED and GREEN PEPPER JELLY

2010-10-11T16:25:00.002-04:00

You know the saying when life hands you lemons make lemonade? Well last week some very good friends gave my sister bags of peppers and well you guessed correctly, pepper jelly is what we turned it into, and now we have enough to enjoy ourselves and to share as gifts for the holiday.

Here is a sample of the 12 jars that were made from the batch of mostly green, yellow and red peppers.

I searched high and low for a good pepper jelly recipe, and in the end chose this one from the Chatelaine archives,on YouTube entitled ,'How to make red pepper jelly". www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynNygsa1dll

This recipe is great at breakfast over your bagel and cream cheese, on a cracker on it's own,my husband even puts it over peanut butter , but as we are coming into holiday season why not have some on hand over your warmed Brie wheel or jazz up your jar and give as a house gift with the recipe because after all food is for sharing. Enjoy!

Just in case this link does not work I will include the recipe here.

STERILIZE 3 JARS

6red peppers

3C. sugar(or Splenda substitute follow their direction)

1/2 C. apple cider vinegar

1-2tsp. Tabasco(Chipolte flavored)

1pouch liquid Certo ( pectin)

1.Clean peppers and quarter

2.Pulse and process in a food processor.

3.Drain the peppers and squeeze the pulp through a sieve until you have 1 cup of pepper juice.

4.Over medium heat bring to a boil the juice, sugar, vinegar and Tabasco. Boil for 3 minutes skim off the foam.

5. Add the liquid pectin and bring back to a boil for another minute. If necessary skim off the foam again.

6. Pour into jars,clean off rims and seal.

TOU GIAOURTIOU or ALMOND and YOGURT CAKE WITH CITRUS SYRUP

2010-10-04T13:31:00.000-04:00

I know what you are all thinking, not another cake! Believe me I am also cooking not just baking, but I just had to blog about this delicious Greek ALMOND and YOGURT CAKE with CITRUS SYRUP.

The cake tastes even better the day after it is made,when it has time to fully absorb the syrup. Serve the cake on it's own or with vanilla Ice Cream or with fresh fruit ,or like I did with some whipped cream.

This Greek cake recipe comes from a lovely book called The Foods of the Greek Islands by Aglaia Kemezi. I hope to make some more recipes from this cookbook so please stay tuned.

DIRECTIONS

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs separated

2 T. unsalted butter softened

1 cup yogurt

1 cup fine semolina

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup brandy

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 cup coarsely chopped unblanched almonds

SYRUP

1 1/2 cup sugar or 1 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons honey, or 4-5 tablespoons marmalade

1 1/4 cup water

Zest of 1/2 a lemon removed in strips with a vegetable peeler

3-4 T. Brandy

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a 10 inch round cake pan or a springform pan

Set aside 2 tablespoons of the sugar. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the remaining sugar with the egg yolks until light colored, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the butter yogurt and semolina.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Beat the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, together with the brandy and lemon zest.

In a large bowl beat the egg whites until they form peaks. Fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the almonds. Press then lightly with a spatula so that they are almost completely submerged. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T sugar.

Bake for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Meanwhile make the syrup

Stir the sugar , water and lemon peel in a small saucepan and bring to boil Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat if using marmalade add now. Add the brandy.

As soon as you remove the cake from the oven , remove the lemon peel from the syrup and very slowly spoon the syrup over the cake evenly and saturate the entire surface. Let cool before serving. Store at room temperature.

LEMON CHIFFON CAKE

2010-09-09T18:23:00.000-04:00

Ron has a birthday over the long week-end. We had a quiet celebration with just the family. Ron wanted a lighter cake this year and as he loves lemon decided to make his own lemon curd to use in the recipe although I usually just use a lemon pie filling mixture..This is a great cake to make when you are serving a heavier meal as it it light and fluffy, and no matter how much my guests say they can't eat another bite, they always manage to have room for this cake.

I had egg whites left over in the fridge from another recipe,

and I never know how long you are able to keep them without them spoiling so... I also made a Dacquoise with almonds, had no hazelnuts, and we managed to eat both cakes quite easily.

. All in all a very enjoyable evening.

The Dacquoise recipe can be found in last years archives.

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 C. flour

1T. bakeing powder

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. oil

6 egg yolks

3/4 C. water

1T. grated lemon rind

6 egg whites

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

LEMON FROSTING/FILLING

3/4 C.sugar

1 C. whipping cream

2 1/2 C lemon pie filling

Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir well to blend Add oil, egg yolks, water and lemon rind. Beat with mixer until smooth. Beat in smaller mixing bowl egg whites,cream of tartar to form stiff peaks. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar beating until very stiff peaks are formed. Then fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture gently but thoroughly. Turn batter into 10 inch tube pan. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes Invert and cool . Loosen edges when cool and shake pan to remove cake.

FILLING: Beat whipping cream to stiff peaks fold in lemon filling, chill if necessary.

Assemble cake bycutting layers , I only cut the cake in half, putting filling mixture inside and then use remaining lemon filling on the outside of the cake. Cake will need to be refrigerated before serving.

CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO CAKE

2010-08-29T16:42:00.000-04:00

It seems that there has been one birthday after another, and Ron's is still to come next Sunday. I don't mind,as it gives me an opportunity to try some of the cakes that I have had bookmarked for a while.
When a dear friend told me that her mix/master went kaput, it was only natural to offer to make the birthday cake for her daughter. After all, Seeta has made many an Indian dinner for us, lovingly put it into the tiff'n'carry and brought over to us to enjoy, and we have enjoyed them immensely.

The Cake had turned out exactly as I had hoped that it would, as the directions,while time consuming were easy to follow.

I did double the recipe as I felt a four layer cake looked more impressive, and to be truthful the single recipe said that I would be able to cut the cake into 3 layers but that was just not the case, as the best I could have gotten out of it would have been 2 layers, not 3.

I always worry that I do not put in enough butter cream in the center or then I worry I've put in too much and then won't have enough for the outside frosting. But in this case it all worked out correctly there was enough frosting for the entire cake and the frosting recipe was NOT doubled. As a matter of fact this was the first time I made a Swiss Meringue frosting and I was quite pleased with the end product.

I wanted to make a special birthday cake for this lovely, beautiful, gal and the Chocolate Pistachio Cake fit the bill.It was one that I was itching to try. I had it bookmarked for a few years now,(since 2008) and if you go to www.userealbutter.com, it's Jenny's recipe modified from Death by Chocolate by Marcel Desaulniers.
The cake was a huge hit and the evening was lovely.

CHOCOLATE CAKE
( I made two of these for my 4 layer cake)
11/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon flour
6 T. unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 oz. butter plus extra for coating the pan
2 oz, unsweetened chocolate broken into pieces
2 eggs
1 tsp.vanilla
1 tsp. raspberry vinegar
1 cup boiling water
Pre heat oven to 325 degrees
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a sifter. Sift onto wax paper or a bowl set aside.
Prepare your pans ( 2, 9x3 inch round pans) with butter, and parchment paper, I never use parchment paper because my pans are non-stick, and i never have a problem.
Gently melt unsweetened chocolate over water bath or on half power in micro, stirring to prevent burning. Set aside
Beat sugar and butter together in mixer fitted with paddle. Beat on medium for 1 minute, then on high for 1 minute,
Scrape down the sides and beat on high for another 15 seconds, after the addition of each egg.
Add vanilla and vinegar and beat on high for 20 seconds
Add the melted chocolate and mix on low for 10 seconds.
Scrape down the sides .
Boil the water.
On low add the dry ingredients, mix for 10 seconds.
CAREFULLY add the boiling water, continue to mix for 10 seconds on low, then increase to medium speed for another 5 seconds.
Pour into pans and bake for 45 minutes or until center comes out clean. I needed to add an additional 15 minutes for a total baking time of 60 minutes. I usually don't have a problem with my stove temperature, but this cake center was still sticky in the center at 45 minutes.
Cool Pans, then remove cake and cool another 20 minutes. Then put cake in fridge for 1 hour while you prepare the next stages.

PISTACHIOS AND VANILLA BUTTER CREAM
this amount was perfect for the 4 layer cake
8 egg whites
16 oz. sugar
1 pound butter at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups shelled pistachios

Blanche the pistachios in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Place nuts in a cotton tea towel and vigorously rub to loosen and remove the skins. Toast the pistachios on a baking sheet for 15 minutes at 325 and allow to cool at room temperature.
Reserve a few whole nuts for garnish and chop the rest.

Combine the egg whites and sugar in a bowl. Whisk constantly over a bain marie until 140F. temperature is reached. Then place bowl on mixer with balloon attachment and whisk until stiff.
Turn down whip speed to 3 and whip until cool to touch, this will take a while.
Change to a paddle and gradually add butter by tablespoon pieces. Once desired consistency is achieved add vanilla.
Take 2/3 of butter cream and fold in pistachios. this goes into the layers. The remainder 1/3 is for frosting the outside of the cake.

Ganache
6 tablespoons heavy cream
4 oz, semi-sweet chocolate chopped
Bring cream to boil and immediately remove from heat. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth and keep in fridge until firm for piping.

ASSEMBLY
Cut off the dome tops of the cake. Slice each cake into 2 layers. Because the cake is very dense, you could choose to make a simple syrup and soak the layers. I choice to use a raspberry liqueur to soak the cake because I knew it would be used after the actual birthday and I didn't want it to dry out.
Take 1/3 of the butter cream and spread in-between the layers.
Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer and then frost and decorate as desired. I spread a few pistachios over the top and then piped the ganache over it in swirls and piped some extra rose buds around the cake and put in the whole pistachios.
Happy Birthday Chetna, Enjoy.

SALMON DILL TARTAR

2010-08-17T18:16:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday on Thursday and Ronnie has been treating me with special treats every day this week. He's cute like that, it's his way of showing me that I'm special...even after 35 years..ahhh ! Enough of that !

Today's surprise was a salmon tartar.
The first time I had a salmon tartar was about 10 years ago at our favourite French Restaurant in the Gatineau Hills called Loree de Bois.

It was something that I always wanted to try at home, but truthfully just never got around to making.

Last year in Boulder Co. we celebrated Valentine's Day at the famous Flagstaff Restaurant, there I had tuna tartar as my appetizer, while Ron had some quail. Ron knows how much I enjoyed that tuna, I still talk and dream about it.It was quite the presentation with toasted triangles and was prepared at my table by the waiter.

What a lovely surprise my sweetie, made for me today.It was absolutely great and mouthwatering.

Can you tell that I enjoyed it?? I wonder what my surprise will be tomorrow?

DIRECTIONS
1 Fillet sushi grade Atlantic/or Pacific Salmon (make sure your salmon is fresh)
Dill
Chives
2t capers
Olive oil
Sliceand cube the salmon into small cubes about 1/16" thick or thicker if you prefer. Place cubed salmon in a glass bowl. Rough chop about 2T of dill and about 4 strands of chives and add to the salmon. Add 2T of capers to the salmon. Add about 2T of olive oil to the salmon and stir to coat the salmon. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate the tartar for about an hour to let all the herbs and spices penetrate the tartar. Approx 5 mins prior to serving squeeze half a lemon into the tartar and mix. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if required. You can also add some extra lemon if you prefer. Serve with toasted baguette

CHOCOLATE- RASPBERRY TORTE

2010-08-15T19:51:00.001-04:00

A very dear friend is celebrating a birthday and because her schedule has been very hectic lately and will continue to be so for another 2 weeks,a nice dinner celebration was not possible. But every birthday deserves a cake at the very least. The arrangements were made and coffee and cake it would be, even though it was only served after 10pm. I felt sorry for the gals that had to work the next day!

Barb loves chocolate and raspberries, so it wasn't very hard on deciding what cake to make, little did I know that I would be making it twice. I still don't quite know what went wrong, but suffice it to say the center of the cake was wobbly , even though I gave it an extra 10 minutes in the oven and then an additional 5 minutes. The end result was that when the cake cooled, it did solidify somewhat in the center and I thought that it would still be ok, seeing that it would have preserves in the center anyways,,, but then when I cut the cake in half it all crumbled to the point where no amount of patching or covering up with icing would help.Too bad because the cake itself was delicious, almost like a brownie texture.
Sometimes it just goes like that! Ron offered to help me start it all over again, but to be truthful , it was late already, I did not have the energy left to have another go at it and mostly, could not deal with another disappointment. The basement pantry had a box of chocolate Duncan Hines and I knew that this was going to be foolproof. Don't get me wrong I will have another go at the original cake batter, but at another date. Or, if any of you are going to try it do let me know if it works for you.
The inspiration for this cake comes from the Sachertorte, a famous cake that was created in the kitchen of Vienna's renowned Hotel Sacher. The dense cake is coated with apricot reserves and then topped with a chocolate glaze. This version features raspberry perseveres which provide a good counter point to the intense chocolate. Traditionally, |Sachertorte is eaten with lots of whipped cream. ( |While the original cake fell apart we are still enjoying the broken pieces with a cup of coffee as the cake itself is really very delicious and while the first attempt at it did not work for me it dose not mean ,the instructions are bad, as I have made many recipes from this book and they always work.I think it was just me.)

Ingredient's:
1C plain flour
8oz bitter sweet chocolate
3/4C unsalted butter
1C sugar
6 lg. eggs separated at room temperature
1C seedless raspberry reserves
Chocolate Glaze
Whipped cream optional

Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" spring form pan, set aside.

Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler placed over barely simmering water. Stir often until the butter and chocolate melt. Remove from over the water. Whisk 1/2 C of the sugar into the egg yolks and then stir the egg mixture into the chocolate. Using a mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites on medium high speed until soft peaks form while slowly adding the remaining 1/2c sugar.

Using a rubber spatula stir 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the flour. Add the remaining egg whites, folding gently and thoroughly. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan using the spatula.

Bake the cake until it puffs up and feels firm to the touch in the center. 25-30 mins. If the center looks soupy, bake for another 5mins. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 3mins, then release and lift of the pan sides. Place a wire rack on top of the cake and carefully invert them together. Lift off the pan bottom and peel off the parchment paper if you used it. Gently turn the cake back over onto another rack and let cool completely. Cover the cake with a clean slightly damp kitchen towel so the outside does not dry out as it cools.

To assemble the cake cut it in half horizontally, remove the top half. Using a icing spatula spread 1/3c of preserves on the bottom layer. Replace the top round. Spread the remaining preserves over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 30mins to firm up the preserves. Meanwhile make thew chocolate glaze. Refrigerate the cake for 30mins to set the glaze. Scrape any drippings from the sheet pan, rewarm the glaze and add a second coat. When the glaze sets up slightly transfer the cake to a serving platter. Serve immediately with whip cream.

Chocolate Glaze:
12oz semi sweet chocolate finely chopped
1c unsalted butter
2T corn syrup
Place the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in the top of a double boiler placed over barely simmering water and heat until the chocolate and butter melt, stirring often. Remove from heat and pour the glaze through a fine mesh sieve. Let cool to 92 degrees before serving. (Taken from Essentials of Baking Williams-Sonoma)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

MARSALA CHICKEN

2010-08-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

Our favorite Italian Restaurant on Preston Street serves a mouth watering Veal Marsala accompanied with beautiful buttery capellini, however, the young men in our house don't eat red meat and veal is most definitely out of the question. Personally, on a certain level I admire and even agree with their views on the use of veal, but from a culinary side, milk feed veal is a lovely meat and as I'm writing this post the veal scallopini I had 2 weeks ago, is still a vivid, delicious, memory.
That being said, in preparing meals , one can almost always substitute any meat for another without loosing the main components in a recipe. In this case it was the Marsala Sauce.
One day, I would just love to learn how to make all those delicious sauces that I have had in some of my favorite French Restaurants...but today's post is Italian, and while we are substituting chicken for veal, I wish you can have a taste of this sauce as it is just heavenly, (if I may say so myself).
It is a fool proof recipe that lends itself easily to pasta (like linguine) or even a lovely mashed potato like my boys like to have it.

Marsala-which comes from the island of Sicily- is a fortified wine, meaning it is infused with spirits. It has a rich, smoky flavor. I used Marsal. You could also use dry sherry.
The entire meal took 35 minutes, another great substitute is to use skinless, boneless, chicken thighs as they are more tender and tastier that chicken breasts, the choice is yours.

CHICKEN MARSALA
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram, crushed
1/8 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms ( you could use drained canned mushrooms)
1/4 cup sliced green onion
3 T butter/margarine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry Marsala or dry sherry
Hot cooked pasta, such as capellini or linguine(optional)

1.In a shallow bowl, stir together flour, marjoram,salt, and pepper. Place each chicken piece between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound chicken lightly to about 1/4 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. Lightly coat chicken pieces on both sides with the flour mixture, shake off excess.

2.Ina large skillet, cook mushrooms and green onion in 1 tablespoon of hot butter over medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes or until tender, remove from skillet. In the same skillet, cook chicken in remaining 2 tablespoons hot butter for the same time turning once.

3.Remove skillet from heat. Return mushrooms and green onion to skillet. Carefully add broth and Marsala to skillet. Bring mixture to boiling, reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 2 more minutes stirring occasionally. Season sauce to taste with additional salt and pepper. To serve , spoon mushroom mixture over chicken.

OLIVE OIL, YEAST, PLUM and ROSEMARY CAKE

2010-08-02T17:38:00.002-04:00

I can't remember from where this recipe came from,only that it was copied quickly on the back of an envelope and something that I was going to do last year. I was actually looking for another recipe when I came across the envelope and thought , "why not try this one?" after all the plums are in season and the rosemary is thriving in the garden.

My mother often made plum cake this time of year. German plum cake is usually made from yeast and prepared on a rectangular sheet with the plums quartered and layered on top and served with a dollop of whipped cream. While other cake batters are fine for the plums I prefer the yeast dough one. This recipe really intrigued me with the use of the olive oil and the addition of the rosemary,

The rosemary is incorporated in the preparation of the dough, can you see the little green flecks?

After the plums are placed on the dough you sprinkle another teaspoon of rosemary with the sugar over the plums.

The plum cake, was a success and a very easy lovely recipe it turned out to be as there was no kneading done by hand. Everything was completed in the mixer with the paddle and dough hook attachment. The only problem with the preparation of the cake is because it needs a double rise you should set aside a huge block of time. The first rise took 2 hours, the second rise in the spring form was 1.5 hours and then it took 1 hour in the oven. But well worth the effort.

Dough Ingredients;

250G flour

66g (1/4c) Milk

6g (2t) Instant Yeast

4g (2/3t) Salt

100g (2) Eggs

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1t chopped fresh rosemary

55g of sugar

113 (1/2c) olive oil

Topping Ingredients;

3 lg firm plums sliced

1t chopped fresh rosemary

34g of fine sugar

In the bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle combine the flour, milk, yeast, salt, eggs, lemon zest and rosemary. Mix at low speed, dough will be stiff at this point. Remove paddle and insert dough hook. On medium speed gradually add sugar in about 5 increments making sure sugar is fully incorporated in between each increment. Continue mixing at medium speed until the dough starts to come together around the hook about 2-5 minutes. Remove dough hook and change back to the paddle add the olive oil and mix until incorporated (this will take a while). If dough is still sticky add a tablespoon of flour at a time and lightly knead into the dough. (I added an additional 3T of flour to get dough not to be sticky) Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container cover and ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours.

Press the dough into a disc and with fingers spread it to fill a 10" spring form pan. Press the plum slices into the dough cover and proof for 1.5 hrs at room temperature. Pre-heat oven to 400F before baking sprinkle the cake with rosemary and sugar. Bake at 400 for 10mins and reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 40mins or until cake is golden brown. Cool on wire rack for 10mins, then release the pan and continue to cool.

ORANGE,JICAMA, AVACADO SALAD

2010-07-15T11:45:00.000-04:00

It's way too hot to cook these days.The temperatures are soaring and the air conditioner runs constantly. Even the thought of firing up the BBQ seems to take too much energy. To be truthful, people around here don't have much of an appetite but let's face it, you have got to eat., at least I do. So why not a salad as a main meal?
The original recipe is actually made with watercress, but as you can see I didn't have any, although I did make a special trip to the green grocer especially for it, as luck would have it , they were all out, not a bunch in the entire store, but the jicama was there, something that is usually much harder to obtain...go figure!
I will write the recipe below for the watercress salad, keeping in mind that you can make many substitutions. The salad was refreshing, healthy with a really great, clean tasting vinaigrette .

WATERCRESS SALAD WITH ORANGE,JICAMA,AND AVOCADO
the juice from 2 fresh lime
1 serano chili, thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 navel oranges,sliced, removing the pith and membrane
2 bunches watercress, large stems removed
1 small jicams peeled and finely julienned
1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, chile, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour in the oil in a thin steady stream while whisking constantly and thoroughly emulsified forming a vinaigrette. Set aside.
Prepare salad and orange slices,marinade jicama in extra lime or lemon juice.
Just before serving, drizzle the vinaigrette over the watercress mixture, carefully fold in the avocado slices, Taste and adjust the seasoning ,serve at once.

JICAMA
Is a member of the large legume family,the crunchy,ivory fleshed, brown- skinned jicama is a tuber used throughout Mexico. Its bland taste benefits from being marinated raw in lime juice or from being combined with fruits and vegetables.
Before using, peel away the skin and the fibrous layer beneath it with a sharp knife.(If jicama is hard to find you can substitute apples for it. In Ottawa, I found mine at the Asian store called T&T, Farm Boy carries it occasionally, ask for it.)

FISH TACOS

2010-07-04T22:35:00.003-04:00

I was over at a friend's house the other day and while sitting having a cold drink I picked up a new cookbook from her coffee table . It was a Williams-Sonoma Mexican cookbook. We have all had our share of Mexican classics such as Guacamole, Tacos, Enchiladas, Burritos just to name a few, but when my eye caught the recipe for a fish tacos, I immediately new what I was going to make for supper that night.

To be truthful I was getting a little tired of BBQing, and with the weather so hot I didn't want to be by the stove either but believe me, this recipe was so good everybody was still raving about it a whole day later!Well worth the little effort it took to make.

DIRECTIONS

To make the batter, in a bowl, stir together the flour, garlic salt, and ground chile/or cayenne pepper. Pour in the beer, whisking to make a smooth batter. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the creamy salsa: in a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup and yogurt until blended. Set aside. I used red snapper and talapia fillets and cut the fish into strips each 3-5" long (10cm) and 3/4" wide (2cm) and place in a glass bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, garlic salt and ground chile and toss to mix. Let marinade at room temperature for 10 minutes. Pour the oil to a dept of 1" (2.5cm) into a deep frying pan and heat to 375F this may take up to 5 minutes. Pat the fish strips dry with paper towels. One at a time, dip a strip into the batter allowing the excess to drip off and slip into the hot oil, do not allow the pieces to touch. Fry until the strips are crisp and golden approximately 7 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When all are fried transfer to a warmed serving plate. Put the salsa fresca, cabbage, and limes in separate small bowls and set on the table along with the fish, creamy salsa, tortillas, and hot pepper sauce. Let the diners make their own tacos wrapping the fish in a tortilla and adding the other items. If you prefer you can heat the tortillas in a frying pan.

SALSA FRESCA:

This chunky fresh salsa is the reigning condiments of Mexico. It also goes by the name of pico de gallo in some regions. In a Bowl toss together one pound of tomatoes cut into little pieces, a 1/4c finely chopped white onion, 1/4c loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro (or coriander), 3 serrano or jalapeno chiles seeded and finely chopped, 2T fresh lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

For the Batter:

1c flour

1t garlic salt

1/2tsp cayenne pepper or arbol chile ground

1c beer preferably dark or milk at room temperature

Creamy Salsa:

1/3c mayonnaise

1/3c ketchup

1/3c plain yogurt

Other Ingredients:

1lb red snapper or sea bass fillet

1t fresh lime juice

1/2tsp. garlic salt

1/4tsp. ground arbol chile or cayenne pepper

Canola oil for deep frying.

8-10 corn tortillas

Finely shredded cabbage, and the salsa fresca

8 lime quarters and bottled hot pepper sauce for serving.

(makes 8-10 tacos or 5 servings)

CHILLED GASPACHO

2010-06-24T12:38:00.002-04:00

Gazpacho soup today is basically known as a chilled tomato soup,but it is started out as traditional peasant soup from Portugal and Spain where it was a simple bread soup or stew, and back then it was all about the bread and not the tomatoes and peppers. Skipping the bread is actually not a bad thing if you are watching your weight,because the soup itself has tons of lovely vegetables it. So the choice is yours although I feel that the addition of the bread really makes the soup.

The recipe is basic and very easy to make and another lovely addition to any summer meal or BBQ. It needs to be chilled and I like to chill the plates also, but another thing this recipe has going for it , besides the flavour, is that you can make it a day ahead which all helps in marinating all the flavours together.

INGREDIENTS

8 medium ripe Roma tomatoes
1 green bell pepper seeded
1 red bell pepper seeded
1 slice of day old bread
1 cucumber
1 med. onion
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp.celery salt
salt/pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash of tobacco sauce(optional)

(If soup is too thick for your taste you can add some tomato or vegetable juice or a vegetable broth to make it a consistency that you prefer, should it be too liquidy you can add more bread or some tomato paste to thicken it.)

PREP

1.Roughly chop all vegetables

2.mince garlic

3.Tear bread into chunks

4.Add every ingredient to food processor and puree.

5.Do not over process , you may want to do this in batches.

6.Fresh herbs such as Parsley and cilantro make a nice addition.

7.Can be garnished with avocado slices or a large shrimp.

Chill and serve ( makes 8 generous servings)

APRICOT & ALMOND UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

2010-06-23T12:07:00.001-04:00

Apricots were in abundance at our local grocery store and to be quite honest it is the only stone fruit that we rarely eat. I couldn't really tell you why, probably because I find then too sweet and prefer to wait for the local peaches and nectarines to come in season. However, when I saw these delectable little jewels I couldn't resist picking some up and trying the recipe that was featured in our LCBO magazine.

The apricots were tart and very fragrant and are truly lovely combined with an almond based cake,making a perfect ending to an early summer meal.

175 ml unsalted butter, divided
125ml light brown sugar
500g apricots, quartered
200g almond paste
125ml sugar
4 lg eggs
2ml grated lemon rind
125ml flour
2 ml baking powder
1ml salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9" cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

Place 50ml butter in a small pot over medium low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar is melted. Spread sugar mixture in a thin layer on the bottom of cake pan.

Lay apricot in a decorative pattern over top of mixture.

Combine almond paste and remaining 125ml of butter in a bowl and beat until mixture is completely smooth.

Add sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Add eggs 1 at a time.

Add lemon rind and stir to combine.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, stir with a fork to combine.

Add flour mixture to almond mixture and beat just until flour is absorbed. Scrape batter over apricot, use spatula to smooth top.

Bake for 1 hour or until top is deeply browned and caramel is bubbling up around sides of the pan.

Allow to cool for 10 mins.

Run the edge of a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen cake then invert onto a rack to cool or onto a serving plate if serving warm.

Serves 8.

Father's Day Sour Cream Pancake Breakfast

2010-06-20T11:27:00.007-04:00

Yes, the "Man", always deserves a great breakfast, so how to make this one a little special was the question of the day. I am always on the lookout for a good pancake recipe but alas, Father's Day crept up on me this year and I didn't have time to peruse my endless growing library of cookbooks.
Maybe a nice buttermilk pancake?? but nope I didn't have any buttermilk
in the fridge, then I remembered an Ina Garten Sour Cream Pancake recipe, but much to my horror, I didn't even have sour cream in the fridge.Which is usually a staple in my house, but earlier this week a trip to the market had me buying the new first crop of delicious beets in a myriad of colors. So after making a pot of Borscht with the red ones, i saw that the kids depleted the sour cream as they used it in the soup every time they heated up a bowl, no problem because....
The good news was that I has some plain organic yogurt so I substituted that for the sour cream.

The "Man", is not a big fruit eater, an occasional orange, nectarine or banana if I really make a fuss. He will eat blueberries , so in went the blueberries in his pancakes.

The other men in this house like their pancakes plain. But this recipe easily lends itself to adding some diced or mashed bananas to the batter
a very yummy addition to any pancake batter. The recipe is your standard pancake batter so I'll just include the ingredients and for go the directions as everybody knows to just incorporate the wet with the dry and then prepare in your griddle or pan following the manufactures direction.

Along with the breakfast, the "Man" is being treated to a game of golf with his brother-in-law as the sons unfortunately had to work today, but we'll all get together for a big family supper this evening, which my sister is preparing and hosting... BONUS!!

To all the Dads out there have a great day ~ Relax and Enjoy!

SOUR CREAM PANCAKES

1-1/2 c flour

3 Tablespoon sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c sour cream (i used yogurt)

3/4 c milk

2 large eggs

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla

Makes a good 10-12 medium sized extra high and fluffy pancakes.

LEMON WAFFLES AND BLUEBERRY,BASIL SAUCE

2010-06-12T22:47:00.006-04:00

At our house, waffles are definitely a week-end treat, which in a way is too bad, because they really are not hard to make or very time consuming and if I say so myself ,they are very light and fluffy due to the whipped egg whites.
Lemon and blueberry are a great flavour pairing, although, I must say that I also enjoy a blueberry, orange pairing , either or would work lovely here, so use whatever you have on hand. Try adding some basil to the blueberry sauce for some extra KICK!

WAFFLE BATTER

1 3/4 cup sifted all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 3/4 2% milk (room temp)
1/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs seperated (at room temp)
2 t. icing sugar

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

2 cups wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. chopped basil (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Sift together first 4 ingredients and then stir in the lemon zest. In a smaller bowl whisk together milk, egg yolks and butter until smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and gradually stir in wet until just combined. DO NOT to stir. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.
Preheat waffle iron.
In a dry bowl whisk egg whites until fluffy. Gradually add icing sugar while beating until soft peaks form. Fold gently into waffle batter.
Ladle batter into waffle iron and cook as per machines instructions.

SAUCE

Combine blueberries, maple syrup and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, mashing blueberries slightly, until reduced and slightly thickened about 5 mins. Remove and cool stir in basil and serve over waffles. (makes 6 servings)

BBQ Season is here!

2010-06-05T20:17:00.019-04:00

Thanks to Blogger Aid-Changing the FACE of Famine's project View & Review, I was selected to sample and write a review on new products from Loblaw's Presidents Choice Biggest BBQ Event and Tour. For more information on their Great BBQ Event go their website and check their schedule to see when they will be touring your area and don't forget to enter the contest. But back to the surprise box that arrived last week.

How great it was to open the box and pull out this beautiful Presidents Choice cooler containing all new must try Presidents Choice BBQ products, and...

this luscious red apron!!

Here are a few of the items that were inside the cooler to help me get ready for BBQ season. PC Slider Thin Mini Burger Buns, PC New World EVOO, PC 100% Sparkling Fruit Juice, New PC Glaze With Balsamic Vinegar Of Modena, PC Maple Bacon Marinade, PC Grilling & Roasting Seasoning Grinder, PC Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies, andtheir new must try PC Thick Cut Ballpark Hot Dog Rippled Potato Chips. Attached to the package of buns was a $10 PC Gift Card to try the new PC Angus Sliders and a tub of the new PC Ice Cream Shop Flavours Ice Cream.

Supper that evening was a no brainer as I knew that I would be drizzling those new PC Slider Thin Mini Burger Buns with the new PC New World EVOO from Chile. In 2006 Chile beat Italy for the prestigious Sol D'Oro Prize for the World's Best Olive Oil. This EVOO originates from the same award-winning region, where olive groves have been cultivated for more than 400 years. The slider buns split apart easily and heated up nicely on the grill and were the perfect size for the Angus meat patty.

The new Grilling & Roasting Seasoning grinder with Sea Salt had the right amount of punch needed to spice up the burgers. It was a great addition to the BBQ cooler from Loblaw's.

Would you believe a chip that tastes like a hot dog? Well, believe it! The new must try PC bag of Thick Cut Ballpark Hot Dog Rippled Potato Chips tasted exactly like a hot dog from the stadium and was a great addition to the slider meal.

The cooler bag also contained various glazes and marinades. The Balsamic Vinegar Glaze conveniently comes in an upside down bottle and its thick glaze is great over grilled vegetables.

The next morning I decided to use the Maple Bacon Marinade for our pork chop dinner. The lovely flavors of the Maple Bacon Marinade would also be an excellent marinade for chicken.

By evening time the heavens opened and the rain came down but that didn't deter us from BBQing our delicious pork chops with the Maple Bacon Marinade.

A lovely addition to the meal was the 100% Sparkling Orange and Tangerine Fruit Juice over a glass filled with ice which was both refreshing and very tasty.

Last but not least, the cooler bag had a $10 PC Gift Card with which to purchase the Angus Sliders and thenew PC Ice Cream Shop Flavor Ice Cream that would go great between the yummy PC Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies. Wouldn't the ice cream and cookies make for a great ending to a great BBQ meal?

One of the great things about Presidents Choice is that along with their new great food products, as a company they are also involved in many charities in particular the Breakfast For Learning which provides nutrition programs to children of all ages across the country. Once again a huge thank you to Loblaw's Presidents Choice and their partners, and also to Blogger Aid-Changing the Face of Famine.Do take a minute to check out the wonderful food bloggers from around the world at the Blogger Aid link.

Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie

2010-05-30T11:02:00.012-04:00

I've been absent from blogging for a while, I apologize to my readers who have been missing my entries, but I've always maintained that when blogging becomes a chore I will give it up. Thankfully, that is not the case, it's just a matter of being extremely busy with work, the house, and family obligations.

One of the things that I love about May's bounty is the asparagus and the rhubarb. I especially love the white asparagus, but that will be highlighted in another blog.

Something sweet and tart and good with a cup of coffee was the way my tummy was feeling.

This Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie, is a recipe from The Canadian Living Magazine, I forget which issue but can be easily accessed from their web site or right here.

The recipe also calls for a topping which I chose to omit and instead substituted with a dollop of whipped cream.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. cold butter cubed

1/4 c. cold shortening cubed

1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

1/3 c. ice water

FILLING:

4 c. chopped Rhubarb

1 egg

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 c. sour cream

1/3 c. flour

TOPPING:

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. melted butter

Preparation:

In a food processor combine flour, salt, butter, shortening. Pulse until crumbs are formed. In liquid measure beat egg yolk and lemon juice, mix in enough iced water to make a 1/3 cup. Add to crumb mixture and pulse until ball forms. Form dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 Min's.

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough and fit into a 9" pie plate, trim edges and flute.

Filling:

Arrange rhubarb evenly in pie shell. In a bowl whisk egg, sugar, sour cream and flour until smooth. Pour over fruit evenly.

Topping:

In a small bowl mix flour with sugar, drizzle with butter and mix until crumbly. Spread over filling.

On bottom third of a 450F bake for 15 Min's. Reduce heat to 350F. and bake until edges puff, filling is slightly jiggly and topping is golden about 40 Min's. Let cool before serving.

A Little Lunch, the Salami not the Dog

2010-04-06T12:30:00.000-04:00

Ron is missing Cherry, she is Boo's daughter and probably our last dog,..... so he says. The jury is still out on that one! All our dogs have been ,"Lovey", dogs. I know that's not a real word but I think you know what I mean. She is cute, loyal, has quite the personality and is smart as a whip. I hope she will be around for a long while. I thought I'd send him a picture as he hasn't seen her for a few months.

Ron has me getting all the paper work together for taxes, he started the process and actually has a great system in place, but I'm anxious to do artsy, crafty things, or work in the garden (avoidance) and not much in the mood for adding up sums, so when HUNGER came calling I took a much needed break, and made myself a little lunch that didn't take much effort, but had a lot of flavour. Only thing missing was the wine, but had I had that I certainly would not be returning to the paper work. So mineral water it was!

An Easter Wish

2010-04-05T12:11:00.004-04:00

Daisies make me very happy. They are cheerful, sunny , simple blooms that remind me of spring and all things beautiful. They are one of my favorite flowers, when I got married 35 years ago, all my bridesmaids had daisy bouquets.
When I arrived back from Michigan my sister Heidi had supper ready and a beautiful daisy plant on the table. She remembered they are my favorite. So appropriate for Easter also, I know that the regal Lily is the Easter flower of choice, but for me it will always be the daisy.
I returned from Michigan , happy to be home for Easter but also a little sad that Ron is still there completing another phase of closures. I met so many lovely people in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. If I could have only one wish granted to me I would wish that all these lovely people will be able to find new jobs quickly, as many are wondering how to put food on the table and are in danger of losing their homes. Many of these people will be leaving their State, family and friends and will be looking for opportunities elsewhere, where they don't have this network of support. I do wish them all well. Easter is a time for new beginnings, I know that if they keep a positive outlook on life as one door closes another will open for them.

He Shoots..He Scores and Canada wins Gold in Hockey

2010-02-28T18:27:00.010-05:00

What a great Olympic Hockey Game. Ron has been in Grand Rapid Michigan since the beginning of February and has had to watch the Olympic Hockey games in a Roadhouse Restaurant, then he would have to do some heavy Bribing to the bartender in order for him to switch the channel to the hockey games, unfortunately the olympic hockey games were not telecast on any of the US channels.( Unless the US were playing) BUT not today... The Canada ,US game was on the local channels and we were able to watch in the comfort of our own room. We didn't catch the game from the beginning as Ron was still working, but Oh Boy we certainly were here for the best parts. Whoohoo, we won Gold!!!

I like to join Ron towards the end of his consult in the USA, this time I will be here for another month till the end of March. After eating out for all 3 meals the first week, my stomach started to rebel and it's time for me to start cooking some home cooked meals. We have a suite with a fridge ,microwave and stove top, no oven, thus , it really makes it a bit limited as to what to make. Also without all my spices and utensils within easy reach it takes the pleasure out of preparing food. If I had driven here I could have brought some of my stuff, but the thought of driving , by myself, in winter for 11 hours did not appeal to me, so I flew. We bought a Teflon electric frying to help the situation , last time in Boston we bought a crock pot all of which we leave behind, I really don't know why these hotel suites don't invest in some of these pots as they are much easier to clean and way more convenient to use instead of those aluminum ones were everything sticks to itand you need dynamite to clean them!

Anyways, not much to blog about food wise, today's meal was going to be burgers on a bun , but ended up being burgers in mushroom gravy with a Boston lettuce salad and rice with broccoli and carrots.

As, far as blogging about Michigan, I've been tagging along with Ron and we haven't had any time so far to do any sightseeing, although we were in Saugatuck yesterday, Cottage country with lovely beaches on lake Michigan, a very beautiful place in the summer, but a bit of a ghost town in the winter. I met the town Director of the Library a wonderful person, and we stopped into a little place to have a bowl of soup and discovered that the place is owned by a pastry chef and purchased some lovely homemade olive tapas and artisan bread, heavenly ! if you are in the area stop in and check it out, it's called Caravanserai. The people as always are fabulous, warm and funny and interesting, but they have no clue about Canada!! It's a long story and one day I will elaborate more fully, But to give you a hint, I heard an NBC US Olympic Newscaster refer to Vancouver as the Great White North TUNDRA!! OMG. Seriously....tundra Vancouver??? and there is more to Canada other than Toronto.... and OTTAWA is the nations Capital. But please don't get me started.

But back to food, after my stomach settles......

If anyone can recommend a great place to eat in Michigan's West Coast please let me know.

I'd love to blog about a good eatery.

BRAISED SHORT RIBS

2010-02-05T17:48:00.017-05:00

Ron's cousin Susan once went to me and said, "When do you find the time to do all that cooking?" Well Sue, the truth of the matter is I am just like any other person in our age group, I go through my phases of , "cooking up a storm", and then my dry spells, when it's easier just opening a can of soup and have a sandwich, or ordering in a pizza. Lately there has been more of the latter as I found myself in a bit of a funk with a sinus infection, that got cured, but today seems to be returning!
So, what you see above you is a meal that I prepared a while ago ( in November, that I had saved for just such an occasion as this, when I knew I wouldn't have the energy or inclination to cook and photograph all at the same time, after all I too am only human).
I'm not making any excuses, but frankly, some celebrations do not need to be blogged about all the time as I too want to enjoy the occasion and not always run around with a camera taking pictures, so when I do cook and am reasonably pleased with the outcome I do photograph and save these entries for a later blogging date date. This blog is an important part of me, but there is more to my life than blogging and I don't want it to become a chore but something I do that gives me pleasure. After all, you can pick up any food magazine and see better pictures and more detailed instructions than my abridged version, or for that matter more interesting meals to prepare. But, if you don't mind dropping by and looking, and hopefully getting some ideas from my blog than do continue to drop by and leave a comment on the blog.

I had mentioned some time ago that I had received a cookbook in the fall from BloggerAid Changing the Face of Famine , and find myself using this wonderful book as my go to book for some inspiration and seasonal cooking. This Braised Short Rib recipe is from their Fall section but could easily qualify as a winter comfort food.
These ribs made a beautiful succulent meal, perfect for a cool wintry evening. Season generously.

In a large skillet heat 3 T. oil over medium heat. Add the short ribs in batches and brown repeating until all ribs are done.Transfer to a plate.

In the same skillet add a little more oil and saute the celery, onion, carrots and garlic. About 5 minutes. Remove from skillet.

Add wine, port and vinegar to the skillet, stirring to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half about 10 minutes.

Add everything to a dutch oven and....

Add the beef stock.

The stock should cover the ribs, cover with a lid and simmer .

Bake until tender about 2 hours at 35o degrees. When done remove ribs and further reduce the sauce by 3 quarters , about another 23 minutes. You can garnish the ribs with some more salt, pepper and some gremolata. or serve with some nice mashed potatoes or mashed apples and parsnip.

SERVES 6

about 7 lbs of beef short ribs

salt and freshly cracked pepper

1/4 cup olive oil (separated)

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

3 garlic cloves

2 dried bay leaves

21/2 cups of hearty red wine

1 1/2 cups of port

2 T. balsamic vinegar

6 cups of beef stock.

from EARTH TO TABLE Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm by Jeff Crump and

Bettina Schurmann.

Indulgent Behaviour

2010-01-24T13:19:00.008-05:00

I've been MIA from my blog, no excuses, just taking some time off for myself. A sever sinus infection has made me miserable for a while, but thankfully a visit to the Dr. and some excellent meds are making me feel almost normal again.

I have also been letting hubby take over the kitchen as I haven't been up to wanting to do anything! The food has been good, some family favourites. Comfort food that has been blogged about already, but, just what the Dr. ordered. Thank fully, Ron is still home and willing to take over in the kitchen.

Instead I took the time to lick my wounds and just catch up on some reading ,"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society " , by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows, "Francesca's Kitchen", by Peter Pezzelli and currently I am reading the second book in the series by Steig Larsson "The Girl who Played with Fire".

All these books are excellent and totally different. Francesca's Kitchen was light reading about a middle aged widow living alone in Rhode Island . Her children are all grown, married with lives of their own and are scattered around the world. She has to come to terms with her life, what exactly is "family", and how to give purpose to her life now that her children no longer need her.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, was a lovely love story set during the war , told in the format of letters between the characters. What a lovely art, "Letter Writing" it's so personal , I felt a bit like a voyeur, looking into someone life, I just loved reading this book and would highly recommend it.

I must say my favourite hves been the books by Steig Larsson, mystery novels written in great style ,set in Sweden at the beginning of the millennium. His work kept me reading way into the wee hours of the morning. I have already ordered the third book," The Girl That Kicked The Hornet's Nest," due out in May. Unfortunately, the author passed away after completing this trilogy, so his brilliant thrillers are limited to these editions. Don't let that stop you from reading these highly charged modern day thrillers. Even Ron got hooked on his work.

I did not know if I would like this genre of work, but if I could make just one more recommendation I would highly recommend this author,Steig Larsson , check him out.

So folks, no food this time, just a little chat about some other things.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T13:48:00.005-05:00

Take a deep breath and relax. I want to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas. May your day be filled with peace and joy.

I was hopeing to post more entries this month but a problem with the computer, the server or even Blogger, made me eperience many moments of frustration. Such is life and I have long learned to just roll with the punches. I know how busy this season can be, but please take some time for reflection,take time for yourself and your family ,afterall, that is all that really matters.
I am looking forward to what 2010 has to bring, wishing you all the very best and don't forget to stop by and visit .
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.

BABA'S CINNAMON ROLLS

2009-12-21T13:22:00.009-05:00

Sometimes you just have to do the recipe the way it is written, I've tried playing with Baba's cinnamon roll recipe and they just don't turn out the same, what can I say!? Where this recipe came from I really don't know , all \I can say is that this is my kids (Who are now grown-up) favorite recipe.
I think the reason why is because Baba Pauline twisted in some softened Turkish delight into the nut, raisin brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Yes you heard me correctly Turkish Delight. Most boxes come with a selection of flavours, rose, lemon, mint, bergemon. Actually, it's because of these flavours that I like to make these cinnamon rolls for Christmas.
I actually prepared these early in November and because all of Baba's recipes are made in huge quantities I ended up with at least 15 dozen bags of these little gems to freeze. I personally like to eat them frozen straight from the freezer... it's like candy, but just bring them to room temperature or nook them for a bit and they make a lovely roll any time of year, not just for Christmas.

Start by proofing the yeast. use 3 envelopes of yeast, 1 cup of warm water 1tsp. sugar. Set aside and let it rise for 10 minutes. In the mean time prepare your milk

Heat 6 cups of milk , Do not boil, to this add 1/2 pound of butter and let butter melt. To this mixture add 7 beaten eggs.

In a large bowl add 8 cups of flour and 3tsp. of salt (this will be half of your total 16 cups) make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture in the middle and taking some of the flour and slowly start incorporating the yeast and flower. This is where things will get messy and tricky.

You will now slowly start adding the milk to your flour mixture. Do not add all the milk mixture at once....rather slowly add the flour and milk in small batches kneading as you go along. Eventually you will be adding the reserved other half (8 cups) of flour as your dough will be sticky as you continually are kneading. It will take the full 16 cups of flour and at the end you will still to some extent have a somewhat sticky dough, but not like it was in the beginning. Form into a ball (huge) oil a clean bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for1 1/2 hour. Pre-heat oven to 375.

When your dough is ready punch it down tear off a chunk and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into triangular stripes fill with cinnamon mixture and roll up. Place on a pan and bake for around 20 minutes or until golden.

The cinnamon mixture can be personalized to your individual tastes. Pauline would grind nuts, walnuts oer pecans, add both brown and white sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and of course every triagle before it was rolled up and a stringy piece of turkish felight in it. She would roll out a piece of turkish delight between her hands to softrn it and make it pliable. The addition of Turkish delight is optional, but I would like to encourage you to try this lovely addition.

RECIPE

1 box TURKISH DELIGHT .... break in pieces and roll in yopur hands to make squiggly worms

2C brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

2 c. raisins

1 1/2 c ground nuts

cinnamon to taste

Mix all these ingredienys together, this is your filling

3pkg yeast

1 c warm water

1 tsp sugar

Mix together and let proof for 10 minutes

1/2 lb. butter

6 c. warm milk

7 eggs beaten

Heat this over low heat . Do not boil

16 c. of flour 3 tsp. salt mix, Only use 1/2 of flour at the beginning gradually add the other half as you are incorporating milk mixture to flour mixture. Knead

Let the dough rise in a warm place roll out cut in stipes fill with cinnamon mixture and turkish delight, bake at 375 for 20 min, or until golden. Drizzel with icing sugat optional, freeze in plastic bags.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

2009-11-15T14:52:00.005-05:00

This is not the Julia Child's recipe but just a typical french braise. The recipe is out of the Food and Drink Autumn fall LCBO book (Liquor Control Board of Ontario). Saturday's are busy days in most households mine included. Weather permitting there is still some last minute yard work that needs to be done, groceries to be shopped and unloaded, cars that need washing and the ever endless house cleaning. When I have such a day I like to prepare some type of stew or casserole in the morning so that at the end of the busy day I am faced with a ready meal as opposed to still having to prepare one. This beef bourguignon is the perfect meal to prepare ahead and serve later.

Recipe;

2-1/2lbs of stewing meat cut into 2" cubes

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3T olive oil

4oz sliced double smoked bacon diced.

18 pearl onions, skinned

8oz small cremini mushrooms.

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cups red wine

2 cups beef stock

1 head garlic, dry papery layers brushed off, top third of bulb cut off.

1 bay leaf

2 stalks thyme

4 sprigs parsley

BEURRE MANIE

3 T softened butter

3T Flour

Preheat oven to 300F (150C)
Season meat with salt and pepper.
Heat 1T of oil in Dutch Oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and saute until slightly crisp. Remove from pan and reserve.
Add pearl onions and saute for 5mins. Add mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes or until onions are tender and mushrooms are browned. Remove onions and mushrooms and reserve. Wipe pan out.
Add another 1T of oil to pot and working in batches, add meat in single layers without crowding and brown on both sides about 1 minute per side. Remove meat and place in a strainer over a bowl to allow fat to drip out.
Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1T of oil to the pot. Add the chopped onions, carrots and celery and saute for 5mins or until softened. Add wine scraping up any brown bits from the base of the pan. Bring to boil and boil for 1min, then add stock. bay leaf, thyme and parsley sprigs. Bring back to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Stir in the meat.
Cover and bake for 2 - 21/2 hrs or until meat is tender. Add reserved bacon, onions and mushrooms, return pot to oven and bake another 15mins or until meat is very tender and sauce is rich.
To make Beurre Manie, combine butter and flour to make a paste.
If sauce is npt thick enough strain into a separate pot and add the beurre manie a bit at a time until it is thickened to your satisfaction. This should not be a very thick sauce. Season to taste and return to pot.

Serves 4-6

BLACK LENTIL SOUP

2009-11-10T16:00:00.005-05:00

I really don't know why it is called Black Lentil Soup,other than it does call for black lentils. I have never seen black lentils, I used brown ones, I have seen orange lentils and green ones, but regardless of the colour, all I do know is that this is a different version from the German lentil soup (My Mom's recipe) that I usually make.
I am always on the look-out for a good hearty soup recipe , as Ron and I often enjoy just a soup for an evening meal. We love it's simplicity, comfort and many times, we just don't feel like thinking about what to make. A soup is easy, it usually requires no special ingredients, just clean out the fridge's vegetable drawer usually works for me, soup is easy to freeze or to keep in the fridge for a few days.
This soup actually has a story attached to it, I found it in the November issue of the Food and Wine magazine that I subscribe to. I love Indian food, and the magazine had an excellent article about a chef/sommelier Rajat Parr who puts an Indian twist on some of his dishes, the Lentil soup, was one of the lovely dishes highlighted, and the one that I had decided to make . Lentils are something that my family enjoys eating. either as a main meal or an a accompaniment to a meal. The soup turned out to be a huge hit and as I was raving about it to my girlfriend Seeta, telling her about this article and the chef's spin on food, doesn't she say that she knows of this young fellow (Rajat Parr and his family and his success in California) needless to say I am now saving the article for her and enchanted to once again learn how small our world is and how we are all connected.
But back to the soup. This earthy soup is Parr's take on an Indian dal .

BLACK LENTIL SOUP
1 cup lentils (about 6 ounces)
2 cardamom pods
One 1-inch piece of ginger peeled and thinly sliced plus
2T. minced ginger
6 T. unsalted butter
1 diced onion
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. garam masala
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
Salt

In a pot, cover the lentils, cardamom and sliced ginger with 1" of water. Bring to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the lentils start to soften. Approx 10 mins. Drain the lentils and transfer to a bowl, discard the cardamom and ginger.
Melt 3T of butter in the pot. Add the onion, garlic and minced ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened (8 mins). Reduce the heat to low. Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne and garam masala and cook stirring until fragrant (approx 4 mins).
Add the stock, tomatoes and lentils and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer over moderate heat until the lentils are softened and soup has thickened (approx 1 hr). Stir in the remaining 2T of butter and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and serve.

(As a slight variation and because I add carrots to my mothers lentil soup recipe I also add 2 chopped carrots to this version.)

Tequila Lime BBQ Chicken & Pesto Gnocchi

2009-11-01T19:43:00.008-05:00

Ron was playing nursemaid, and chief chef, while I was suffering major pain with my sinus infection. Meals were simple, but oh so good. Every now and then, I would tell him to remember to take some pictures. The results were not were glamorous, but what it lacked in visual presentation, it made up in flavour. Ron also took the trouble to make home made gnocchi, you have just got to love the guy.

This is actually a lovely recipe from a Canadian chef named Rob Rainford. He is the Grill man on the Canadian Food network Channel. This recipe, is actually a great one to make in the summertime when your BBQ is all fired up, but Ron brought a little sunshine into a dismal winter day by changing a few ingredients, and just grilling them on the Foreman Grill/ The original recipe is called Tangerine Tequila Chicken Breasts and can be found at http://www.foodtv.ca/. Ron substituted limes for the tangerine and used chicken legs and thighs. I'll post the original recipe. On a personal note this recipe almost reminded me of my good friend Lynne's Bajan Chicken recipe that she made for me a year ago when I was undergoing radiation. I'll have to get her to pass along a family recipe and post it sometime soon as it was absolutely delicious!

8 chicken breasts skeined and de- boned ( Ron used legs and thighs)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1tsp dried chili peppers

zest and juice of 6 tangerines (Ron used limes)

3 T tequila

1 T fresh lime juice (Ron omitted this)

1/2 cup peanut or veg. oil

1T fresh mint leaves chopped 1/4 tsp. of salt.

In a med bowl wisk all ingredients.

Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade for basting.

Wash and pat dry chicken.

Place everything in a zip lock bag including pierced chicken and marinade for 3-6 hours.

Grill on our door or indoor grill basting as you go along.

PEROGIES Part II

2009-11-01T17:19:00.008-05:00

It's the first of November and it is beautiful outside. The sun is shinning and Ron and I should have taken a drive in the country, but last night I boiled and got my potatoes ready for my annual perogie making session , so I stuck to my original plan and got on with the work.

This is actually my second post on making perogies, I posted last year on the 9th of December on a wintry snowy day, but I fear that I may have scared some of you off from attempting these delicious little dough filled pastas. Last year I roughly made 15 dozen, as I did today , mainly because they freeze so beautifully and it is great to have a bag of these that you can easily defrost and presto a great home-cooked meal. I know that you can just as easily go to your local supermarket and pick up a bag of machine made perogies, but trust me they don't even come close to the REAL thing. So today I took particular care about counting, and measuring and have figured out for you a one batch recipe that will easily yield 36 or more perogies depending on the size of your cut-out. I usually make a double batch times two and I can easily get over 150 of them. But working solo to make that amount takes at least 6 hours and I realize that many young moms work and would rather do other things on a Sunday morning with their families that make perogies!

So, to give you some encouragement, here is a recipe that will take just a fraction of the time, yield at least 3 dozen and you can probably even freeze some for another meal.

FILLING

I made a Potato, cheddar ,onion filling today, but fillings are endless so use your imagination. Cheeses can range from Quark, Ricotta , to Cheese Whiz or Kraft Singles. You can add onions, bacon bits, parsley or whatever spice, herb that you like in your potatoes. I make perogies with a mushroom filling and a sauerkraut filling and even a ground meat filling. Like i said use your imagination.

Boil around 6-8 potatoes of medium size.

Drain and Mash potatoes with 250 Gr. of grated cheddar cheese. I used medium cheddar.

Saute 1 diced onion in some butter until translucent and add to mashed potato.

Set aside and let cool.

Take a soup spoon and scoop the mixture and form into little balls , this will be your filling. I do these balls in stages as I fill the perogies

SOFT RICH DOUGH

You will need to boil 1 potato in some water before you start the dough. Take out the potato and mash it while it still warm, save the potato water as you will need it, let it cool to lukewarm.

IN YOUR FOOD PROCESSOR

Add 1/2 cup of mashed potato ( that you boiled and set aside, not the filling)

Add 1/2 cup of lukewarm potato water

2 egg yolks

2 T. of oil,or shortening

Add 2 cups of flour mixed with 1 tsp. cream of tarter

Pulse until a ball forms.

Remove from Processor and place in a bowl to knead lightly,add 2 T. of flour at a time just until dough does not stick to your hands. Roughly 1/4 cup rarely more. This is a lovely rich soft dough. Let rest for 10 minutes in the bowl covered with a cloth.

Split the dough in 3 sections and roll out on a lightly floured board . The dough will roll out easily use a round cookie cutter, glass rim or even an empty cleaned soup can as a cutter, as this is a good size for the rounds. Naturally the bigger your circle the more filling you will need and then you also end up with less than 3 dozen. But by all means if a bigger circle is easier to work with then use it till you get the hang of making smaller ones.

Take one of your circles , stretch it out a bit like a pizza, the dough is elastic and will stretch easily, fill it with the filling, wet half of the edge with some water fold it in half and pinch the dough together. Make sure you pinch it closed as otherwise it will open when you boil them.

Place pinched and filled perogies on a clean towel. When hey are all complete, Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Place around 8-10 of your perogies into the boiling salted water. When they rise to the top they are done. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in cold water if you are planning on freezing them. Them remove from cold water ,pat dry , freeze on an oiled tray for 20 minutes then bag them for later use.

OTHERWISE, continue boiling the batches, remove from boiling water, OMIT cold water bath , place on tray and when ALL perogies are boiled, in a clean frying pan melt some butter and saute about 1/2 a diced onion. When lightly browned add your boiled perogies to frying pan, just to reheat them and serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream.

I know it sounds long but it truly isn't if you make a batch. Get the kids to help pinch and your hubbie to do the boiling. It really is easy and delish..... and then again you can double the recipe and really go to town !

Roast Loin of Pork with Sage

2009-10-22T14:06:00.000-04:00

The mornings are quite frosty, we even have to scrape off the car windows, but believe it or not, the sage in the herb garden is still growing strongly.
Actually besides being an extremely hardy herb it also multiplied and grew like a weed! Ron had a great idea of using a bunch of this lovely herb on the pork roast. He started by seasoning the pork roast his usual way, by studding it with garlic and cloves, covering it with Dijon mustard and seasoning it very well with just freshly ground pepper and kosher salt.
The new twist then was to utilize the abundant sage.
Voila.

He covered the entire roast with the sage leaves and then roasted it in the oven at 375 degrees. For about a titch over an hour. (You will have to adjust the cooking time to the size of your pork roast). What a wonderful juicy roast this turned out to be! Seriously I can't rave enough about how great this tasted, absolutely fantastic! We usually have left over pork roast for sandwiches but this time everybody had seconds.( Sorry no pictures of the finished roast we were all too anxious and hungry to take photos, it smelled so good we just wanted to EAT!)

MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA

2009-10-20T14:34:00.000-04:00

Naturally if you are lucky enough to have a wood burning stone oven, you have it made for making pizza's. However, most of us don't, so the next best thing would be a PIZZA STONE that can be found at most kitchen specialty stores. The trick is to make sure that your stone is very hot before you use it. ( Again, this recipe is from the Random House ,"Earth To Table" book that I previewed a few weeks ago.

When I know the kids are coming home for dinner, or even a great party idea, I like to set out a bowl of ingredients both fresh from the market and store bought (mostly organic if you can get it.) and let every one make their own pizza.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. and heat a pizza stone for at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured cutting board roll out one batch of pizza dough into 4 eight(8) inch circles, letting it rest about 3 minutes if it is too elastic to work.

Working quickly remove hot stone from oven and slide dough on to stone. Arrange toppings on dough. Brush edges of dough with extra virgin olive oil. Return stone to oven and bake until edges are golden and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the choice of topping ( the more topping the longer it will take).

TOPPINGS

TOMATOES: Use this versatile fruit to give inspiration. Try tomato confit( will blog this recipe at a later date) or sliced cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes. sun-dried tomatoes , smoked tomatoes or spicy tomato sauce.

CHEESES:local cheese not only makes delicious pizza, but you can introduce your guests and family to interesting flavours right on their doorstep. Try mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, gruyere,hard cheeses such as pecorino, or cheddar and cream cheeses.

MEATS: Aside from ham and pepperoni, all forms of charcuterie make excellent pizza toppings. Try smoked fish, salami, prosciutto, sausage, smoked turkey and smoked chicken.

EXTRAS:Add even more flavours with capers, lemon zest, chili peppers, hot sauce, anchovies, olives, and condiments such as La Bomba( recipe to follow in future blog , similar to an an anti pasto).

HERBS: Fresh herbs and lettuces add a real zing to even an ordinary pizza, We like arugula, Thai basil, tarragon and lemony sorrel. Add fresh herbs after the pizza comes out of the oven.

PIZZA DOUGH

MAKES 4 , 6 OUNCE PIZZA BALLS OR 1 LARGE BALL

3 CUPS FLOUR

2 tsp. DRY INSTANT YEAST

1 tsp. KOSHER SALT

1 1/2 CUPS WATER

1 T. EXTRA VIRGIN OIL

1 tsp. HONEY

Combine flour , yeast and salt in a standing mixer bowl.

Add 1 cup of the water oil and honey.

Attach the flat beater and mix on low speed until all is combined.

Remove the flat beater and attach the dough hook Gradually add the remaining water, mixing on low speed, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.

Turn onto lightly floured surface knead until dough is smooth and elastic , about 3 minutes.

Place in a large greased bowl, turning dough to grease all over. Cover with a clean damp towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour or so.

Dive dough into 4 balls. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking them under the bottom of the ball. Repeat about 4 or 5 times.

On a clean surface, roll each ball under the palm of your hands until smooth and firm.

Cover with a damp towel and let rise until dough has relaxed and started to rise again , 15-20 minutes.

The recipe says that you should be able to fit 4 small pizzas on one stone, but to tell you the truth, my stone only really holds 1 large pizza, and no matter how I placed it I couldn't get even 2 small doughs on it, so I don't know how big of a stone they are using, but I could only fit 1 on it small or large!

( see top of blog for further instructions for finishing and baking the pizza. )

MULLED CIDER and CRANBERRY

2009-10-17T18:52:00.005-04:00

I have been feeling a little under the weather, it seems that everybody is either sick already or like me feeling achy . I am not a big tea drinker but felt like I wanted something warm and soothing.

Last month I was asked to preview the book by Random House Canada called "EARTH TO TABLE" Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm, by Jeff Crump and Bettia Schurmann. In their Fall Section of recipes was this lovely Mulled Cider recipe. Having just recently purchased some apples and cider from the Market , it was practically a no brainer that I would make this at some point.

Not only did this drink soothe , but as an added bonus it filled my kitchen with a lovely aromatic.

Mulled Cider and Cranberry

makes 6 cups

4 cups pure organic apple cider

1 cup cranberry juice

2 tablespoons of brandy, I used more

1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4)

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 whole cloves (I used 4)

1 cinnamon stick

grated zest of 1 lemon and orange

apples slices and fresh cranberries to garnish

In a saucepan combine all the ingredients over medium heat just to combine the flavours do not boil. Strain and serve warm, add a few apple slices and cranberries to garnish.

WIENER SCHNITZEL/Bratkatoffel(Fried Potatoes)

2009-10-17T13:56:00.006-04:00

Here is a late Octoberfest menu that offers you an alternative to the standard sausage and sauerkraut meal. Sometimes I get a yen for a good schnitzel and potato salad, and so today i thought I would post a common German or Austrian meal. Schnitzel can be made from both pork or veal cutlets that are pounded as thin as you can and then breaded in the trilogy(flour,egg, and bread crumb mixture) and then fried. I prepared veal cutlets early this morning, seasoned them with salt/pepper , breaded then and then fried them up.I placed them on a sheet that I later covered with foil and placed in the oven for a quick reheat at 350degrees for about 20-30 minutes.

Instead of the potato salad i made some pan fried potatoes or bratkatoffel in German. I also get some double- smoked bacon from the Polish Deli (where I get most of my meats, cold-cuts, bacon and sausages) In Ottawa that would be Adams Sausages off St. Laurent Blvd. (They are the best!!) I sliced about 6 slices of bacon, add a diced onion, scrubbed and sliced potatoes and a little oil (if necessary) and fry the potatoes up. This to can be prepared early in the day and then rehated. Season with salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

Yes , this meal has a lot of fried components (not for heart patients) I had some left over cucumber salad and thought this would be a nice refreshing addition.

The husband thought a cold beer was more refreshing and a better addition to an Octoberfest meal. After all, what would an Octoberfest be without the beer? So "Bitte ein Bitt". Which is a great German beer to try if you haven't done so yet.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-10-12T11:01:00.005-04:00

Happy Thanksgiving . Yes, in Canada we celebrate it more than a month earlier than our American neighbours. but other than not having the infamous "Black Friday" Sales, our Thanksgiving can be just as hectic and freaky ! I've done it all , as much as 20 people at 2 tables, to just Ron and I. To be truthful I as I am getting older I yearn for just the quiet 2 or 4 some dinner, but alas to date it is still at least 10 people squished around the table. This year we were 8 and there was a little more breathing room.
I have scaled back with the preparations. I no longer stuff the bird and turn it into a 3-4 day production. I now buy a fresh bird and just brine it the night before and then at a decent hour the next morning roast the bird, with the cavity just filled with an aromatic filling. Besides the bird we make the mashed potatoes, maple carrots, my sister brought the stuffing, Kohlrabi in a cream sauce the cranberry ring, and a refreshing cucumber salad. There was plenty of both red and white wine and of course the obligatory pumpkin pie , creme caramel, banana bread, assorted chocolates and sugar pie. ( A bit overkill in the desserts, but that's ok.)
However, back to the bird... I've been braining the bird for the past 3 years now and I must say for me it is the only way to go. There are many brine sachets you can buy, but why bother when it is so easy to make your own. There are probably many brine recipes out there and they are all good, find one that appeals to you and give ita try. I swear you'll never go back, to the old way of preparing your turkey. The bird was so moist, tender and flavourful. I used to even make an aromatic butter and rub the entire bird under the skin with this mixture, but now find that brining the bird gives it more flavour without all that extra fat!

TURKEY BRINE
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1tsp black pepper corns
1tsp all spice berries
1 cinnamon stick
6 sprigs of rosemary
6 sprigs of thyme
6 sage leaves
1 1/2tsp. chopped candied ginger

Simmer above ingredients , let cool . To a large tub /pail (over 5 gallon) add 1 gallon of ice cubes, the turkey and cooled brine . Place in fridge and marinate over night.

The next morning remove turkey, wipe down, rub with canola oil, season with salt/ pepper and herbs of your choice. Place the aromatic filling in cavity and roast your bird according to the weight of your bird. When internal temperature reaches 170 degrees start basting the bird every 5 minutes for an additional 30 minutes to brown the bird. Let the bird rest before carving.

AROMATIC FILLING
In a bowl place 1 carrot roughly chopped, 1 onion quartered, 1 apple quartered, 6sage leaves, 6 sprigsrosemary, 1 stick cinnamon ,1 bay leaf, 1 cup water, microwave for 5 minutes. Remove the filling and stuff the cavity with this stuffing. You can put the water in the bottom of roasting pan or discard it.
6 springs of sage

Roast Pepper pasta

2009-09-29T12:40:00.003-04:00

So you've heard that saying when life hands you lemons, make juice? Well we've been busy here at home and sometimes even though the urge is there to make an elaborate meal, sometimes it's just easier to succumb to the fatigue and make something super simple.

For us that usually means a pasta dish. So just take whats hanging around , for us it was some tomatoes and peppers and make a sauce for the pasta. No recipe today as I'll let the pictures do the talking. Boiled some pasta, roasted some peppers added the tomatoes from the garden ,red ones that got made into sauce, yellow ones to garnish. A little parmigiano and a simple quick meal. Enjoy.

BloggerAid Book Review

2009-09-23T15:18:00.024-04:00

I am very proud to belong to a dedicated group of Food Bloggers that are trying to do their part in making a difference on Global Hunger. Our group is of course, BLOGGERAID CHANGING THE FACE OF FAMINE.
One of our projects will be our very own cookbook , "The Blogger Aid Cookbook."It will be released shortly and the proceeds from this book will benefit Friends of WFP.

BloggerAid is also hosting an event with publishers from around the world that have given them books to distribute for Review. I have been fortunate enough to be asked to review the book, EARTH to TABLE Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm from Random House (http://www.randomhouse.ca/) and by the authors Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann (http://www.earthtotable.ca/).

Thank you BloggerAid for your confidence in me.

This book was much anticipated and when it finally arrived everyone had their dibs on thumbing through it and quickly ear marking their favorite recipes from this book for a future meal. Trust me , if 4 people can request a different recipe from a book , you know that you have a winner on your hands.That event is a five star endorsement.

The author Jeff Crump developed his talents in Vancouver and California. He is a Canadian Slow Food Pioneer and the Executive Chef at the Ancaster Old Mill. His partner and award winner pastry chef,Bettina Schormann is also a proud member of the Slow Food Movement and also works with Jeff at the Ancaster Old Mill as the pastry chef.

The book itself is all about encouraging us to eat, "locally". Quite simply that means eating seasonally. The book is divided into four seasons and Jeff and Bettina have included the best and most delicious of what each season has to offer. Many recipes are classical, familiar, yet they are presented with a new twist, others are totally unexpected and exciting.

Each season is prefaced with a background journal of the authors own trials, tribulations and philosophy. Before each Season,there is a highlighted How To section and a Spotlight section that are both informative and helpful. Included is also a Profile section that introduces you some famous and innovative chefs from around the world like Heston Blumenthal and Thomas Keller.

The book was easy to read and thus made it a pleasure to peruse over a cup of coffee or even at night while lying in bed. All recipes have a little personal introduction, and everything is e clear and precise. Most recipes fit on one page and are accompanied by wonderful simple but rustic photographs taken by Edward Pond who in my opinion captured the essence of this book with his beautiful photographs.

This book arrived about ten days ago and as a true food blogger I was anxious to dazzle family and friends with an imediate recipe out of this book. As we were just at the end of summer and I had a whole basket of plums left I decided to make Jeff and Bettina's plum tart recipe (pg. 142). I ended up with eight individual galettes and one plum tart and these lasted a total of two days (see previous blog entry for the recipe). Ron who is our family pizza maker was anxious to try the pizza dough recipe on pg.184. It was made with local honey and yielded 4 -6 oz . balls of pizza dough and we all created our own personalized pizzas that ranged with toppings that included, potato and rosemary, yellow squash, sage, and pancetta to the traditional pepperoni and cheese.

The unanimous family decision was to make WHITE TRUFFLE RISOTTO with CAULIFLOWER. This recipe is out of the Fall section of the book . I had added some mushrooms because ,it was suggested in the book that the greater variety of mushrooms you use ,the more flavor your risotto will have. As I was not able to purchase any white truffle I did however, substitute this delicacy with 2tsp of white truffle oil that was drizzled over the dish. The reason why we chose the risotto recipe is because autumn is the time to really start cooking again, after the fast cold soups and salads of the summer. Autumns bounty is over-flowing and in the fall we crave something rich and earthy. Risotto is one such meal. Depending on how you make it, it can stand alone as a main meal or ca be made lighter as a side dish. By the addition of the pancetta, cauliflower, mushrooms and parmigiano you start to coax out new flavors and different textures in this dish. The White truffle Oil much to our amazement was both light and complex and made us feel we were eating a fabulous dish out of a a five star restaurant.

In our busy, time pressured lives I really feel we have become food robots. The risotto dish is a labor of love in that it does take time to properly cook the Arborio rice and to meld all the other flavors into the rice. We have to learn to slow down and to reconnect with the seasons and live more sustainable lives. The cookbook is filled with earthy recipes that do just that.

The bottom line is that this book helps you to rediscover the seasons. Seasonal eating ensures that you are consuming what is naturally good for you to eat at the right time of year. Don't get into the trap of eating the same foods all year round simply because they are more readily available. Eating seasonally is all about enjoying food rather than its abstinence and Earth to Table is the perfect tool to help you on your way. This truly is a beautiful book in every way.

Thank you once again to Random House Canada and BloggerAid.

WHITE TRUFFLE RISOTTO with CAULIFLOWER

(serves 4)

3/4 cup unsalted butter

5 cups wild mushrooms thinly slices

3 cups small cauliflower florets

2 shallots finely diced

1/4 cup diced pancetta

1 1/2 cup arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

4 cups hot chicken stock

1 cup grated parmigiano cheese

1T minced flat leaf parsley

1tsp minced fresh thyme

salt & freshly ground black pepper

shaved fresh white truffle or 2tsp white truffle oil

In a large skillet, melt 2T of butter over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, cauliflower, a pinch of salt and a splash of water; saute until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms appear dry, about 15 min's. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt 2T of butter over medium heat. Add shallots and pancetta; saute until until softened; about 2 min's. Stir in rice until well coated (do not let brown). Stir in wine and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup of stock and cook, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed before adding more. It will take about 20 min's to incorporate all of the liquid.

Stir in mushroom mixture ad cook until vegetables are tender and rice is creamy, about 5 min's. Stir in the remaning butter, cheese, parsley and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let stand for 2 min's. Ladle risotto into warm bowls ad garnish with shaved truffle or drizzle with the white truffle oil.

Last Bite of Summer Plum Tart

2009-09-18T15:15:00.010-04:00

So much to do so little time to do it all in. Where has the summer gone? Without getting too heavy I can honestly say that this has not been such a great summer. Oh, don't get me wrong there were some really super days always connected to family and good friends being together but as far as weather and vacation goes , nope the summer was a bust. Thank goodness we went to Florida in March for some sun and relaxation, because the summer so far has been full of rain and home- improvements that are at this very moment still on going.
Last week in the mail I received from RANDOM HOUSE CANADA (http://www.randomhouse.ca)a/ great book to View and Review for a very important Blog that I belong to called BloggerAid Chaning the Face of Famine,
but to be truthful other than just quickly flipping through the book ( how could I not resist doing that!) I haven't as yet, had the time to actually sit and give it the time it deserves. As a matter of fact a few family members have done exactly the same thing. Ron , the hubby,lingered at the pizza recipes and after reading the recipe said, "That's different I'd like to give that a try." Well that comment was a good sign because he is our resident pizza dough/pie maker so I pretty much suspected that this book has something new and different to add to everybody's traditional tried and true recipes. Ryan, The boy, was positively drooling over the White Truffle Risotto With Cauliflower recipe . Have I piqued your interest yet? Well let me share with you a last bite of summer.I still had some some lovely Ontario plums left and thought what a great way to end the summer and give you guys and gals a little peek at a recipe from the book with their Plum Tart. This one came from the book that I will be reviewing by Jeff Crump and Bettina Shorman called EARTH TO TABLE, Seasonal Recipes from Earth to Table.(http://www.earthtotable.ca/)
Stay tuned for more recipes and a review on this book.

PLUM TART
8 plums cut into wedges
2/3 c. sugar divided
1T. ground cinnamon
all purpose flour
1 recipe pate sucree
1/2 c. frangipane made with almonds
2 large egs lightly beaten
In a Bowl toss together plums, 1/2 c of the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Lightly sprinkle with flour and set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, divide pate sucree into equal portions. Using a floured rolling pin roll out into 7 inch rough circles.Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
Spoon 1 T. of frangipane in the center of each dough circle ad spread out evenly leaving a 2 inch border.
Place a scant 1cup of plum wedges in the center of each circle lift border of pastry up over filling, letting pastry fall naturally into folds.
Brush sides with egg and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. with rack placed in the bottom third bake tarts till filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown about 45 minutes.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

PATE SUCREE
2 1/2 C. flour
3 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 C. cold unsalted butter
2 large organic egg yolks
1/4- 1/2 cup ice water
In a bowl combine flour, sugar, and salt.
Using a box grater, grate butter into flour mixture.
Toss together like a salad using your fingers.
In another bowl whisk together yolks and water.
Add to flour mixture a few teaspoons at a time kneading dough until it comes together. Shape dough into a disk .
Wrap in plastic and chill for about 1 hour.

FRAGIPANE
1 C. unsalted butter softened
1/2 C. ground almonds
1/4 C. icing sugar
1/4 C. flour
2 organic eggs
Using an electric mixer mix butter , nuts,icing sugar flour and eggs until smooth

CLASSIC GENOISE

2009-09-13T12:45:00.005-04:00

It's Ron's birthday and one good turn deserves another! He baked a birthday cake for me, it's only fair that I do one for him. Ron's favourite cake is a Frankfurter Kranz torte and naturally he gets one every year, but this year I decided to make something different. They say that mastering a Classic Genoise is arguably the most important cake in a baker's repertoire. Mainly because The Genoise allows you the possibility of making a variety of different layer cakes using this as a the base.

The cake gets its personality from the cake syrup which is used to flavour and moisten it, as it tends to be drier than most cakes. After the cake cooled , I used a tooth pick to perforate the cake so that when it came

time to brush on the Kaluha syrup it would drain and moisten the cake nicely. Actually any simple syrup flavouring would work but the consensus was to booze up the cake.A simple syrup is made with equal parts of water and sucar brought to a boil and the any flavouring added to it. I also decided to go all out with the frosting, attempting a Rich Kaluha Butter cream for the outside and a Pastry Cream filling on the inside. What you don't see is the failure of these two frosting...10 egg yolks and nearly a pound of sweet butter later , suffice it to say that the mixture separated and no amount of trying to safe it (by adding confectioners sugar) did the trick. I still don't know what went wrong but it all went south when I added the syrup , yes this too called for syrup to be added to the mixture . I think it wasn't quite in that ball forming stage that it called for, even though it reached the required temperature. Everything was either still too hot or whatever because the frosting turned to liquid. Or maybe the Kaluha alcohol did something to the mixture. I don't know, but I do know that I didn't have time to figure things out just then, but will definitely try making this again.

In the end I used my quick version of what I make as a butter cream which is basically boiling vanilla pudding, cooling it and then in a standing mixer adding around 1 cup of butter while the mixer is running. As you can see you can add any flavouring to this or even cocoa powder to make it into a chocolate frosting.

All in all the Genoise was a wonderful batter and one that I would certainly make again. I do think that on my wish list would be to take a cake decorating course. Great taste and Ron really loved the cake even if it wasn't a Frankfurter Kranz (see that recipe under cakes.)

CLASSIC GENOISE

3/4 C cake flour

4 large eggs

2/3 C sugar

4 T unsalted melted and cooled butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Position rack in middle of oven and pre heat to 350. Butter a 9 inch cake pan and line the botton with buttered circle cut to fit, dust with flour.

Swift flour on to a plate a set aside.

Put eggs and sugar in a stand mixer and place in a pan in which the bowl will fit snuggly, fill it half way with water and bring it to a simmer.

Set the bowl with the eggs and sugar over simmering water (make sure it is not touching the water) Stir gently with a whisk only until mixture is warm and sugar disssolves (160 F).

Remove bowl from water and bring to stand with paddle attachment beat on HIGH speed until mixture is light and has tripled in size and is thick enough to fall like a ribbon , around 5-7 minutes.

Sift flour a second time over the batter using a rubber spatula fold in gently but quickly with as few strokes as possible while turning the bowl continously (I asked one of the boys to help rotate the bowl).

when incorporated gently fold in the butter and vanilla (I substituted Kaluha for vanilla) be careful not to over fold and deflate the eggs as the batter will lose it's volume.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake cake until it springs back or comes out clean with a toothpick approx. 30 minutes. Remove cake and plce on wire wrack to cool and remove parchment paper.

Variations

Citrus, oranfe flower, rose water, or alcohol for the vanilla.

I also made 2 of these cakes as I wanted it higher that just one cake cut in half.

A PEANUT-FREE GIFT BOX FROM LOBLAWS PART II

2009-09-10T12:43:00.028-04:00

Chelsea Elementary School / Loblaws Peanut -Free products

The following is my second instalment in BloggerAid Changing The Face Of Famine View and Review Program. I personally started the sampling with the low fat Blue Menu Peanut-Free Whole Wheat Bran Bites with Maple and a cup of tea and I can unequivocally state that not only did they hit the spot as a late afternoon pick me up but they were delicious and the subtle maple flavoring was a nice added touch. Dani my five year old niece entering kindergarten had the peanut-free animal crackers and told her mommy she would like them in her lunch box every time. Some of the big boys in the neighborhood who sampled the Loblaw's peanut-free Dipped and Chewy Chocolate Granola Bars said that not only were they great tasting but in a mock-up blind fold test could not tell the difference between the peanut-free brand and their regular brand. With a good cross selection of samplers the consensus is that they Loblaws Peanut-Free products passed the test in flavor and taste. 5star!

However, last week I went to visit one of the schools that I taught at within the Western Quebec School Board. Chelsea School is located in the municipality of Chelsea, Quebec, in the beautiful picturesque Gatineau Hills. It is a school committed first and foremost to the children that they serve. The purpose of my visit was to donate the rest of the Peanut-Free products that Loblaws had so generously sent to me (see previous post) and to meet with Ralph Mason the principal who was graciously going to distribute the products to Peanut- free classrooms . Those rooms that had a child in it with a peanut allergy.

When I taught there in early 2000 the school did have a Peanut-Free program in place to accommodate children with peanut allergies. Ralph mentioned that he was extremely concerned with the rise in numbers of allergy afflicted children at Chelsea school , in particular, peanut, egg, and milk. For him as a principal it means making drastic changes to existing policies and possibly going totally Peanut-Free throughout the entire school. However, this would require much dialogue and debate between himself and concerned parents on both sides of the issue.

More and more schools are banning peanut products as the number of kids that have this potentially threatening allergy has dramatically grown. At Chelsea, out of nearly 300 students 4 have severe peanut allergies (not to mention the number of students there with milk and egg allergies). However, with parents on both sides of the fence totally banning these products leaves the school smack in the middle of this controversial issue. What to do?

To totally ban these products can be seen as an infringement on the rights of parents and children without allergies. They believe that banning any specific food group is not teaching children how to live and grow in the real world, instead children should be taught to be on guard for the possibility of an allergic reaction and should be taught skills to deal with the situation. Thus, most schools have a workable compromise in place, after all, allergies are serious and should not be taken lightly.

Peanut and some other foods can cause the body to go into anaphylactic shock, a life threatening condition where a person's blood pressure and their air way narrows. This condition can normally be relieved with a dose of adrenaline, called an epinephrine pen.

At Chelsea school medication is held and dispensed at the office only. Ralph is looking into possibly having these epi-pens in the classrooms (in a safe and secure place) of those designated children that need them. This however will need discussion and negotiation between the parents and the school. In my opinion Chelsea has a very good policy in place that respects all parents and especially the children with these special needs.
Kindergarten classes are generally designated Peanut-Free because these young children have a tendency to put most things into their mouths. Classrooms with a peanut allergy child in it are designated as a Peanut-Free room. The child with the peanut allergy has his/her picture posted, a Peanut-Free logo is put on the outside classroom door and parents and classmates are asked to provide a Peanut-Free lunch kit in respect to the child with the peanut allergy. All classrooms do their part to reduce trash, go green and do their part to safe-guard against peanut allergies or children with allergies in general. One way of alleviating this problem is that all children eat their snacks at their desks before going out to recess. All trash is then collected in a contained area and students are asked to wash their hands and desk before going outside to play. Lunch is also eaten at their desk and similar precautions are taken. In common areas where tables are used these are frequently washed daily and again common sense precautions are stressed.

The bottom line is that you just cannot monitor what each child eats for breakfast or outside of home or school nor can you monitor every ones lunch kit. Schools are trying to do their part by educating the school population as a whole and putting policies in place to safe-guard children with allergies and above all to ask parents to diligently read labels.

President's Choice freshly baked Peanut- Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies .

Companies like Loblaws are also taking a leading role in producing and providing these products and making them easily accessible. It is just as easy for busy working parents to find these Peanut-Free products and replace them for their regular brand of cookies, crackers and granola bars. These products are comparable in price and the taste testing kids gave these products a thumbs up in taste and texture.In other words they are tha same, without the peanut! As always, there is nothing as safe, good or as nutritious as baking something yourself, but how convinient to be able to purchase Peanut-Free products such as the Peanut-Free Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip cookie that can easily be served as an after school snack. Also, how easy is it to include an individually wrapped Peanut-Free Crispy Rice Bar as a recess snack in a lunch kit making it a worry free product, just in case. I even used the Peanut-Free products in an after dinner parfait for dessert. Simply layer a decorative glass with a layer of jello, crushed Peanut-Free cookie or flavored Bran crackers and top with a layer of tasty yogurt, garnish with the peanut -free cookie. Voila, easy-peezee, pretty and Peanut-free. Once again a huge thank you to Loblaws for their Peanut-Free products. Thank you to the tasters who gave a huge thumbs up for flavor and texture of these products and to Ralph Mason who will distribute some of these Peanut-Free products to the classrooms with kids who have peanut allergies at Chelsea Elementary School.

For more information on Loblaws Peanut-Free products and other products contact http://www.pc.ca/

A PEANUT-FREE GIFT BOX FROM LOBLAW TO VIEW & REVIEW

2009-08-30T16:09:00.024-04:00

This is my first installment as part of my participation in BloggerAid Changing the Face of Famine's View and Review Program. This is the viewing part.

I have received my box from Loblaw filled with a great selection of Peanut Free products from President's Choice to review.

Thirty years ago when I started teaching ,children with peanut allergies were practically unheard of. The majority of kids came to school with a PB&J sandwich. Now, one child in every 150 in the world is afflicted with this allergy. I can remember when a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter was a staple in every classroom, because it was the product of choice for those children who inevitably forgot their lunch on the bus, at home, or whose parents simply failed to provide a lunch. Now it has become a school's mission to keep these children safe and many schools across Canada are enforcing stricter peanut-free rules.

Loblaw as a company is also playing an important part with making the difficult task of identifying peanut-free products a little easier. The consumer can now see a clear and prominent peanut-free logo on its packaging. Coast to coast the stores are incorporating displays and signs to help the consumer quickly identify these peanut-free items.

Let's take a closer look.

Loblaw has graciously filled the box with peanut-free snacks that focus on value, quality and convenience for parents during this hectic back to school time.

No-Name, is one of it's top two National Brands on the market and in my opinion they picked the best products to be made peanut-free. What better choice than Zoo Animal Snacks and Crispy Rice Marshmallow Squares. How often have I seen these in a child's lunch kit as a recess snack, what great items to be peanut-free.

President's Choice is the other National Brand in the top two category. How innovative of Loblaw to be expanding and revitalizing their peanut-free freshly baked products. These are produced off-site in a Loblaw's peanut-free baking facility. They offer a selection of ten peanut-free freshly baked items and have now included six new peanut-free products such as President's Choice Teensy Weensy Muffins in Blueberry, Carrot, Banana and Chocolate Chip, all individually wrapped and lunch box ready. I can't wait to try the President's Choice Soft Baked Cookies in Oatmeal Cranberry, Chocolate Chipand Banana Bread . These are going to be used as peanut-free desserts at my house.

When you ask consumers if they have seen or used any peanut-free products the standard response is, "Of course, President's Choice peanut-free Granola Bars." These are readily available and at a great value when purchased in the popular Club Pack format.

Loblaw is also taking the lead in expanding the peanut-free product line in their healthier Low-Fat President's Choice Blue Menu products. This is one of my favorite brands and it reflects Loblaw's commitment to address and serve the changing dietary needs of Canadians. WOW not only peanut-free but healthy and low in fat.

A huge thank you to Loblaw for a very generous sample box of peanut-free products. For more info on Loblaw, their stores and products please visit http://www.pc.ca/ and parents don't forget it's up to you to carefully read product labels to ensure safe family eating.

Stay tuned for part two. I will be visiting Chelsea School and donating the peanut-free products that Loblaw's has so provided. I will talking to teachers and children and getting their comments on these peanut-free products and we'll have some fun when I incorporate some of the peanut-free products into my own kitchen. Recipes to follow.

RUM CHOCOLATE WALNUT TORTE

2009-08-19T22:40:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday to me! Hubby made me a birthday cake the night before. You should have seen him surrounded by cook books and it was already 9pm! I had my doubts that this cake would materialize. In the end he found his mother's recipe for walnut torte written on a scrap piece of paper in her own version of some kind of shorthand that only she would understand. The amazing thing was that the recipe only had ingredients marked on it no directions what so ever. For her it was not a problem after all she made a cake practically every weekend, but for Ron this was definitely going to be a learning curve. I must say for the man who stayed up until midnight to pull the cake out of the oven and then got up early in the morning to frost it..."The man done good!" the cake was delicious, he is anxious to try baking it again, because he has already figured out that he whipped the egg whites a tad too much, and he would not leave it in the oven for a full hour, because as he said, "I smelled it already after 45 minutes I should have checked it at that time, instead of leaving it in there for the full hour!" Pauline had written at the end of the ingredients... Bake at 350 for 1 hour or less. Ron felt the cake needed Less! He solved the problem by saturating the cake with RUM, which as far as I was concerned made the cake extremely moist and packed a lovely punch!

I think it only fair to give you guys the ORIGINAL RECIPE as it was written by my MIL., but Ron felt that I should write what he did so...

Walnut Torte

8 oz of walnuts (Ground)

12 eggs separated

4 T. cake flour

2 t. baking powder

1 C. sugar

1t. coffee (optional)

4 cap-fuls of rum

Bake 350 for 1 hr. more or less

Frosting

1/2 lbs. of butter

3/4 C icing sugar

3 eggs

5 squares unsweetened chocolate melted

juice from 1/2 lemon

3T. rum

Ron figured out how to assemble the cake by doing the following... he said I should include his directions, so I'm typing as he dictates.

He...

1. Beat the egg yolks with the paddle attachment

2.Add the sugar and continue beating if you are adding the coffee and rum do it at this stage.

3. In food processor combine walnuts, flour and BP and pulse to a fine consistency

4. Beat egg whites until stiff

5. Add walnut mixture to egg and sugar batter

6. Gently fold in egg white to batter mixture do not overwork

7.Pour batter into 2 springform pans greased and floured or in Ron's case he poured the batter into 3 -9 inch round forms.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or less, as oven temperatures vary check after 45 minutes.

Cool on racks , when cool take a toothpick and poke holes in cakes. pour the rum onto cake layers to moisten before frosting.

Good Luck!

You gotta love men, they think they can do it all... it's easy peasy! I'm not complaining, I got a cake that he made with love !

PAIN PERDUU

2009-08-16T13:46:00.003-04:00

Pain Perdu is an old fashioned French nursery dessert. Very similar to French toast with a few twists. Ina Garten's recipe calls for a whole loaf of the Brioche bread and she makes mention that she likes to even serve this as a dessert when entertaining. the original recipe calls for strawberries soaked in Grand Marnier, I omitted this because mine was just a breakfast meal and while I had the Gran Marnier I didn't have any strawberries. As I mentioned the recipe's quantities will be great for a festive brunch but can easily be adapted for two.

PAIN PERDU
1/2 pint fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
2 T sugar, divided
3 T Grand Marnier, divided
6 x-large eggs
1 1/2 C milk or half&half
2 T honey
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. grated orange zest (I used lemon because I used blueberries and omitted the Booze)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 brioche loaf or challah bread
unsalted butter
vegetable oil and 1/2 C sliced blanched and toasted almonds
confectioners' sugar

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees
Soak the strawberries in 1T each of sugar and Grand Marnier
In a large bowl whisk together he eggs, milk, honey, 1T sugar, 2T of the GR, the vanilla, orange zest and salt. Slice the bread in 3/4 inch slices. Pour the egg mixture into a large shallow plate and soak a few slices of bread for 4 minutes turning once.
Heat 1 T each of butter and oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Take each slice of bread from the egg mixture , dip i side in the toasted almonds and place in the saute pan almonds side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until nicely browned.Place the cooked bread on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat until all bread is used.
Sprinkle with the confectionery sugar and serve hot with strawberries.

BRIOCHE LOAVES

2009-08-15T22:48:00.007-04:00

I love this brioche recipe out of Ina Garten's book Barefoot in Paris. Making bread is usually labour intensive , but this recipe is very quick, the only drawback is that you have to refrigerate the dough overnight. but then the next morning you take it out and with very little effort you place it in some pans and before you know it the kitchen just permeates with the lovely aroma of fresh baked bread.

Ina's recipe makes 2 loaves one to eat and one to freeze, but in my house the second one never makes it to the freezer. My sister likes hers plain just slice an serve. I of course need butter on mine ! Either way this bread is delicious and if any is left over I think I'm going to make some Pain Perdu tomorrow. Stay tuned kids, to find out what that is.

BRIOCHE

1/2 c warm water

1 package dried yeast

3 T. sugar

6 x-large eggs, room temperature

41/2 cups unbleached flour

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 lbs. unsalted butter at room temperate

1 egg mixed with 1T. milk for egg wash

Combine the water,yeast and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes, until yeast and sugar dissolve.

Add the eggs and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.

With the mixer on low speed add 2 cups of flour and salt and mix for 5 minutes. Still on low speed then add the other 2 cups of flour and again mix for 5 minutes.

Add the soft butter in chunks and continue mixing at low speed scraping down the sides of the bowl until well blended. With mixer still running add the additional 1/2 cup of flour. Switch the paddle to the dough hook and mix for an additional 2 minutes on low speed.

Scrape the dough into a large buttered bow with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning lat the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Grease two 81/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-in. loaf pans.

T urn the dough onto a light floured board and cut in half.

Pat each portion into a 6 x 8 -in. rectangle, then roll up each rectangle into a cylindrical loaf. Place each loaf n a greased pan, cover with a damp towel and set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush with the egg wash when they have risen and bake for 45 minutes, or until the tops spring back and it sounds slightly hollow when tapped. Turn the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool.

CHICKEN BARLEY STEW

2009-08-11T12:58:00.006-04:00

Well kids , summer has finally arrived to Ottawa, the weather has been downright balmy and yes I should be blogging about a beautiful summer salad or cold gazpacho,but hubby was in the mood for a comfy cozy stew/soup. As luck would have it I just came across just the thing in the Clean Eating magazine, a new take on the standard beef barley soup. The bonus to this recipe is that you make it in the crock pot the night before and voila supper is ready for the next day.
We woke up this morning to the wonderful fragrance of this hearty stew/ soup and had to fight down the urge to have it for breakfast, so we did the next best thing and had it for lunch.

Chicken Barley Stew

32 oz. low fat/ sodium chicken broth

1 T.minced garlic

1 tsp. garlic sea salt

1/2 T. thyme

1/2 T. basil

1/2 T. cilantro

1/2 T dill

2 bay leaves

1/2 T. freshly ground pepper

1 lb. cubed boneless, skinless chicken breast (uncooked)

1/2 cup uncooked black -eyed peas, rinsed

1/2 c. barley

1 medium sweet onion, cubed

3 large carrots cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch slices( I cubed them)

3 potatoes cleaned and cubed

8 T. low fat sour cream (optional)

Fill a slow cooker with broth, 8 oz water. garlic, herbs, and pepper. add chicken, peas and barley, then layer the onion,potatoes and carrots over top. liquid should just cover the vegetables. Do not stir.

Allow to simmer overnight. or at least 4-6 hours. Remove bay leaves before serving. Spoon one cup into each bowl and garnish with sour cream if desired. (230 cal. without sour cream)

SEVEN LAYER SALAD

2009-08-05T08:02:00.005-04:00

There are many versions of this easy to prepare salad and each one is a personal reflection of it's creator and is probably as good as the next. Some even have more than seven layers. The beauty of this salad is that it looks beautiful, is a crowd favorite and usually can last for a few days in the fridge , even though dressing has been added.
Basically , the salad consists of shredded lettuce, onions ( spring onions or red), frozen peas,chopped hard boiled eggs , crumbled and drained fried bacon ,cucumber, tomatoes and a generous layer of dressing. In my case Greek yogurt with a dollop of Miracle Whip mixed in. Don't forget the salt and pepper. Using a trifle bowl will display the beautiful layers.

"Blue Moon Over Kentucky" aka
BOO (2001/07/26-2009/07/27)
You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging much and the main reason has been that my heart has not been in it. If you recall Boo became ill over Mother's Day week-end and the diagnosis was Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia. In most cases dogs can continue to live a normal life with this disease, even though they are closely monitored and usually on lifetime medication. Unfortunately, Boo was just not responding to the various medications that she was placed on. After 2 months of a valiant struggle being poked sometimes as often as twice a week to draw blood , loosing weight almost daily and suffering with with horrific side effects of the prednisone and cyclosporin,, Boo was having a very difficult time with daily living.At the end, Boo developed Diabetes( at a dangerous level) on top of everything else, and I realized that I was being extremely selfish in prolonging her misery, but in my heart i was willing her to live, and to respond to the meds, I was so hopeful and I so wanted a cure for my Boo girl, that I put on my blinders. You see I always thought that she was young enough to spring back. Our first schnauzer lived to be 161/2 years old, and I just naturally assumed that Boo would be with us for a long time.
The Grenville Dundas Vet Clinic was exceptional. Boo's vet Dr. Nancy Dejong was an angel in disguise, there are not enough words to describe her skill. compassion and drive, Nancy went over and above what would normally have been considered a level of standardexcellent care that most clients receive at the Vet's.Nancy made countless of home phone calls on her days off to check on Boo and give me the latest blood work results, her constant vigil and research to try whatever she thought Boo could handle makes her my hero. She was relentless in her effort to help Boo. Lindsay the technician , who would take Boo for her blood and urine samples, is just the "Best", in my books. She too, always has a gentle hand with not only Boo but all the animals that I have seen her with. Helen , the office manager was also extremely helpful, concerned , encouraging and sympathetic. I am know that all the vets there knew Boo and probably had some hand in her treatment. It's just a wonderful clinic with caring loving people.
Boo will be missed, I still see her in so many places around the house and garden, there is a big hole in my heart right now that with time will heal and become smaller. She gave us all a lot of love and joy.

HONEY BUTTER CARROT CAKE with TOASTED PECANS and CITRUS CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2009-07-14T19:51:00.005-04:00

Trust me THIS is the one....read on...

Carrots are definitely at the top of the list as a multi tasker root vegetable. You name it and you can do it with a carrot. Eat it raw, shred it , boil it, mash it,bake it.It can stand on it's own, pair it up with other vegetables and of course the number one thing to do with carrots is turn them into a cake. I don't know anyone that does not have a carrot cake recipe in their recipe file. I have an least 3 recipes for carrot cake in my note book. (My mother-in-laws version, my sister's and mine that was given to me by Dell at least 30 years ago made with pineapples along with the carrots and everything else.
Alas, this is not my carrot cake...it's Ron's. He has been home now since the 1st f June, my ,"Honey-Do", list is just about complete and I can tell that Ron is itching to get back to work because he is puttering around the kitchen adding a pinch here and there to my cooking... (he thinks I don't see him do it!) and thus, after browsing through some old cooking and wine magazines came across this version of carrot cake from an L.C.B.O. 2003 Food and Wine edition.
I'll give the man some credit, THIS really is the BEST classic Carrot Cake I've ever had.

Honey Butter Carrot Cake
2C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves or all spice
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C butter softened
1/2 C honey
2 eggs
1 C sugar
1tsp vanilla
3 cups finely grated carrot
1 apple peeled and grated
1 C pecans coarsely chopped

ICING
1 250 g pkg regular cream cheese
1/2 C butter softened
2 T honey
2 T finely grated orange, lemon.lime zest or a mixture of all 3
2 tsp lemon juice
4-5C sifted icing sugar

Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees
Butter 2 ...9 inch pans
Stir flour with all the first 6 ingredients. In another bowl using an electric beater cream nutter until light and fluffy.
Slowly beat in honey the eggs one at a time.
Bear in sugar and vanilla.
Add flour mixture into butter mixture in thirds, stirring until just absorbed.
Stir in carrots, apples and pecans.
Divide batter into 2 pans.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean.
Invert and cool then ice.
Garnish with extra chopped pecans around the outer edges and swirls of either lemon or orange strips on top. Or leave as is..as it probably won't last long!

PEROSKI

2009-07-12T20:58:00.010-04:00

Have I mentioned yet that our summer so far has been an extremely wet one? I don't mean to be such a grouch, but when will the sun come out and play? With all this damp dreary weather I find myself sitting at the kitchen table and preparing more fall seasonal foods, instead of sitting by the pool catching some rays. Peroshki is another one of my Mother-in -laws recipes. Pyrohy, Pyrizky and Peroski all refer to a filled pastry made of yeast raised dough. The name stems from an archaic word ,PYR, meaning banquet which indicates that this pastry was more than likely featured at banquets in days past. Ukrainian dishes are neither spicy nor bland, they are subtle and pleasing having their own indefinable qualities. But the good thing about the fillings that go into these pastries is that you can spice them up any way you like them.

As with most Ukrainian dishes that involve dough, you might as well clear your day, because you might as well make a whole batch and freeze them for that occasion when you want to pull out something for an after school snack, or a quick lunch or snack. They also make a lovely appetizer . Fillings can either be savoury or sweet. Favourites in our house are mushroom fillings, sauerkraut, meat fillings (beef, pork, veal,saugage or combination of these , or chicken and turkey) .

I had a kilo of sauerkraut still in the freezer and thought that as it was another rain day again today I would use it up and make some peroski. First i boiled the sauerkraut in it's own juices and covered it with a little water, a bay leaf and some juniper berries, to soften it up and expel some of its bitterness, Then I drained it and in some oil sauteed some onions, double smoked bacon and added some chopped kielbasa. To this I then added the drained cooked sauerkraut and let it saute and simmer for about 45 minutes on low heat until tender . Make sure that it does not burn , you may add some white wine, or some more oil to prevent burning. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a bowl, and let it cool completely, I usually prepare the fillings the night before. I realize that a sauerkraut filling is not to everybodys taste buds, but as I said you can fill it with whatever filling you desire. A very quick meat filling that I make in a pinch when I don't want to boil and shred my beef is to fry up ground hamburger meant in onions and seasonings ,when cooked through I add a can of Campbell's mushroom soup ( without the added milk), cool this meat mixture and use that as a filling.Seasoning can be whatever you feel like from simple salt and pepper to more intense flavouring like chili and hot sauce.

PEROSKI

1 pkg. yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup sour cream

1/2 lb. tenderflake or crisco

1/2 tsp. salt

3 T sugar

4 Cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 tsp sugar and let stand for 10 minutes to proof.

Beat eggs and add the cup of sour cream to them.

Mix together the lard or vegetable shortening with the remaining sugar salt and flour. Add the yeast and egg sour cream mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon , beat well. Place dough in an oiled bowl cover with wax paper and top with a dinner plate and refrigerate overnight. In the morning roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick with a cookie cutter cut out circles, place about a heaping teaspoon of filling in each circle. Pinch together sided , form in an oval and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Let rise for about 15 minutes, brush with an egg wash and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the tops are golden. Place on rack to cool. These can be frozen and reheated in the microwave.(Depending on the size of your circle cut out this recipe should easily yield 6 dozen, I also made a meat filling with 1 kilo of hamburger meat and doubled the dough recipe , needless to say my freezer is starting to get full of goodies with all this rain weather) Oh my gosh I'm still complaining about the weather.

RATATOUILLE

2009-07-08T12:13:00.015-04:00

It's time to clean out the fridge again, that , and the fact that Ryan had stock taking last night would be home rather late and asked for a Ratatouille to eat when he got home. It's easy to reheat and add to rice. I usually don't add mushrooms to my version of this dish, but as I said, it was clean-up time. While I prefer a green pepper because the flavour is more distinct ,alas , it was only a red pepper that I had. The point here is, that this dish lends itself very easily to substitution, so long as the main components are present. (Onions, garlic, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers.) After I assemble all of the ingredients, I clean them and rough chop everything, as Ryan likes his vggies cut bigger and chunkier..

I will not give specific quantities as it just depends on what you have on hand. Last night I sauteed, 2 organic onions, 6 garlic cloves in some olive oil, until onions are translucent and you begin to smell the garlic.

Be careful not to let the onions or garlic burn.

I like to buy my tomato paste in tubes, the cans are always more than a recipe calls for, and I know that you can always freeze the extra, but I'm not organized enough to take it out of the freezer ahead of time.

This tube allows me to use only what I need. I squeezed out a very generous tablespoon into the sauteed onions and garlic.

Once it is fully Incorporated and beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan,

I made a cup of vegetable broth, and added it to the mixture.

You could also use chicken stock if you so prefer. Continue stirring for about one minute and now you are ready to add the chopped vegetables.

Please don't add the tomatoes until the end.

The eggplant will cook off tquickly creating more liquid, the zucchini will take the longest to cook. Ryan does not like crunchy vegetables, i usually cook the zucchini fist before adding the eggplant and peppers. Last night I just put a lid on the pan and let them steam through. Then after about 10 minutes I removed the lid and let the broth reduce down a bit. when you add the chopped tomatoes it will once again create more broth.

Add the diced tomatoes (fresh or canned) and at this stage lower the heat and just let the vegetables heat through as to your desired firmness of how you like to eat your veggies.

At the very end I like to adjust the seasoning, salt, pepper, chopped basil, I also added oregano

and then garnished with some chopped parsley. Ryan likes to eat his over a bowl of rice, the rest of us like it served cold with a crust of bread. You can also add an extrs drizzle of olive oil and some olives if you have them on hand.

Rain, rain go away

2009-07-07T07:01:00.004-04:00

It's 7:03 in the morning and we have another rain day! The patio is not being used very much this summer at all, as a matter of fact I don't know why the umbrella is still up?

Sunday was actually a nice day and we could have sat outside on the patio, but when the day was so nice it seemed a shame to just waste it. So we took the opportunity to go downtown and stroll by the Byward market and check things out. I picked up some fresh pasta and buns from LaBottega, some Polish Kielbasa from the Continental Deli, and some beefsteak tomatoes, spring onions and small cucumbers from the market. Later we had a coffee and a brioche at the outdoor cafe and just sat and watched all the tourists go by.

This year looks like we aren't going to have much of a summer, so you might as well take any opportunity to enjoy the day as they come along.

There has been cooking, of course, but rather than always running and getting the camera, I have been just enjoying the company and conversations that are taking place around the meals.It seems like everybody has been busy and it's nice to just be all together and get a chance to catch up. It's also nice to have Ron home for an extended time and be part of it all. ( I must say that when he is home I want him all to myself, but then there are obligations to be filled, dinners to be recipricated, and time for him to get in some golf with his friends, ect.) There has been much comfort foods this summer so far, Pate Chinois, Lasagna, heavier warmer meals, due mainly to the weather. On the occasion that we have BBQed, we didn't even have the pleasure of eating it outside. I think that I am sounding as blue as the weather, don't get me wrong I do love and appreciate the rain, but not for almost 5 straight weeks! Let's hope the sun comes out.

June Update

2009-06-26T15:50:00.006-04:00

Is it just me or has June gone by very quickly? The weather this week has been absolutely gorgeous and everything is in full bloom , thanks to all that rain that we had this month. I just love to see everything look so abundant as I take my early morning walk, it makes my heart sing. Alas, my Boo Girl is not joining me for any walks. She is still not stabilized after almost 6 weeks of medications, different foods, and new meds being introduced. Her little body's immune system is in overdrive and is attacking her red blood cells.
Added to this is the secondary problem of a stone in her bladder, that should not be ignored. So we are trying to treat 2 different ailments and unfortunately the different meds do not always work together. It has been a long process, but today we have had another good day (yesterday being the first) and hopefully, we are now on the right track. That would be a blessing.

The other reason, why I have been absent from the blog, is the fact that my kitchen has been undergoing a small reno. That involved some major work! The underneath counters needed to be emptied, ( i don't believe how much STUFF I had there, it filled over 3 Rubbermaid tubs, the whole dining room table held stuff, and there was junk all over the floor and under the dining table! But I am proud of myself because not only did I manage to donate some pots and pans, but I purged much of the things that were as old as the hills .

I am very pleased with my granite counter tops and back splash, but my pride and joy is my water faucet that goes on and off automatically with just a wave of the hand. It was a small fortune, but oh so worth it!! I am not sorry that I bought it. Mind you the plumber was not too happy with the installation muttering under his breath that he was not an "electrician", as he had never seen so many electrical wires that came with a tap!. But then he got even with us as he charged an arm and a leg for the installation.

We naturally, have been eating out quite a bit, but also when able B.B.Q.ing ...but without kitchen counters, a sink and water in the kitchen to work with the joy of preparing anything nice and blogging about it just wasn't there.

I will still be MIA from this blog a while longer as Ron is having some minor surgery and I will more that likely be joining him on his next assignment. But do check in, I'll be posting something, either a conversation, a restaurant review,or maybe even a meal if I am able too. Have a good summer.

CHERRY-RHUBARB-STREUSELKUCHEN

2009-05-24T14:59:00.005-04:00

Kuchen means cake, but this fast and easy recipe is made on a jelly roll sheet.
Last evening Jackie had given me some rhubarb and I knew just the recipe that I wanted to make.
While at my sister's house the other day , I had picked up a magazine that she had brought home from Switzerland. It was the May issue and they had this Cherry-rhubarb streusel recipe for Mother's day in it. I had planned on making it a few days ago, but every grocery store that I went to did not have any rhubarb. Would you believe that at one store they wanted to sell me Swiss chard, as rhubarb, because it had red stems. The funny thing is that it wasn't even a kid, but an adult gentleman from the produce department that kept insisting it was Rhubarb! Can you imagine that!!Anyways the problem was solved with the gift from Jackie.

This morning I set forth and made the cake. Susan, this piece is for you. When you called I was just putting the streusel on. 40 minutes later we could have had a coffee and a piece of cake. Too bad that you are in Montreal and I'm in Ottawa.
Oh well, we still had a nice chat and got caught up on things.

Cherry-Rhubarb-Streusel Cake
1.350 grams drained sour cherries ( my jar was over 500 gr. so I used 2/3 of the jar)
2.500 grams washed and cleaned rhubarb cut into 1 cm. pieces.
3.250 g. soft butter
4.200 g. sugar
5. a pinch of salt
6. zest of one lemon
7. 5 eggs
8.250 g. flour and 1 tsp. baking powder
For the streusel, some butter (40g.) sugar(50g) flour (100g.)and a dash of cinnamon.crumble together.
Drain the cherries and wash the rhubarb and slice into 1cm. pieces. In a mixing bowl cream the butter,sugar and salt and lemon zest.Alternately add the flour baking powder and eggs, until mixture is well blended. Pour into a 32x28 greased baking pan. Sprinkle the cherry and rhubarb over the dough and lightly press into the dough. Prepare streusel and place on top of fruit mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Garnish with some whipped cream, or serve as is . Delicious.

FRENCH FRIES

2009-05-22T20:26:00.006-04:00

Well those chip wagons are in full force in our neck of the woods, and I truly wish that I could say that I have been strong and passed them by, but alas, the flesh is weak and I have had them ...twice already! Ahh sad but true. Today was just one of those days when I could no longer "fake" cleaning the house. The central vac hose was blasting all day. The steam machine came out for the floors and the furniture polish made an appearance in I don't know how long. For supper there was only me and after working practically all day I didn't much feel like cooking or for that matter making a healthy salad. Today called for fries the quick kind that you just fry up in a frying pan , I didn't even have the energy to pull out the deep fryer now all I need is some wine to put my feet up and dip my fry into the mayo.

This is my Boo Girl she is really ill even though she may not look it in this photo.

On the weekend of Mother's day Boo was not her energetic self. She refused to eat and drink and late Sunday night her breathing was a bit laboured. When I took her to the vet on Monday the blood work and X-Rays showed that Boo had Immune- Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. Basically her immune system is not recognizing her red blood cells as being Good and is attacking them. Red blood cells supply oxygen to all your organs. I could hardly believe what I was hearing, one day she was healthy the next day she wasn't! We are in for a long haul. Presently she is on Pepsid and 6 Prednisone pills a day, twice weekly visits to the vet for blood tests to see if her red blood levels are going up. She was as low as 16 and is now at 34 but needs to get to 50. The vet said that she would more than likely be on meds for 6 months and even then when she gets tapered off she may relapse. So needless to say, we are all concerned and hoping for the best.

This is Cherry, Boo's daughter, she is also real sad as she can sense that something is not quite right

Boo and Cherry are always together these are my girlies!

ICEBERG WEDGE WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

2009-05-14T23:05:00.003-04:00

In recent years, iceberg salads have been supplanted by those of mixed lettuces and other tender greens. But I think that the iceberg wedge garnished with a thick blue cheese dressing still has a lot going for it. A little snip of some chives and voila I had a lunch ready in seconds.

Blue Cheese Dressing
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 c sour cream
juice of 1 lemon
dash of Tabasco sauce
sea salt/pepper
6 oz. crumbled blue cheese
3 T finely chopped chives , plus slivers of chives for garnish.
iceberg lettuce
Serve Chilled!

MINT-CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM

2009-05-13T13:45:00.006-04:00

OK here it is my first attempt at making ice cream. Why not ? I consider it an important food group, if you are like me can't you eat ice cream any time??

Do you really need an excuse or reason?

I sure don't.

A while back I mentioned my new ice-cream attachment. Everybody here immediately put in an order for their favorite. Ron ( who was still here and actually made the first batch made a custard base Coffee Ice Cream from David Lebovitz's book ,The Perfect Scoop. Ryan wanted Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream ( That is not made with any chocolate chip) from the Willams-Sonoma book called, Ice Cream, Rob wants the White Ice Cream , His will be the next batch made.
When I first foraged into ice cream making I was doing a Pioneer Unit with my grade 4 Class. We went to the Outdoor Ed. Center where we spent 2 days "Roughing " , it like in the "Old Days". While the kids were divided into groups, Dinner prep, dinner cooking, dessert, slop cleanup, the group that got Dessert, were quickly groaning when they realized that ice-cream would be cranked and churned by hand! But the results. oh my were delicious!
That was years ago, too many to say in this blog, but the good news is that I never forgot the taste of homemade ice cream and now that I have my machine ,it is something I plan on making quite often. Beware , it is not a quick process, requiring at least 2-3 days from beginning to end. There are short cuts one can take, but if you are going to go to this length to make home-made ice cream why cut corners now.

Mint Chocolate-Chip Ice Cream
1 1/2 C whole milk
1 1/2 C double cream
1 C packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 C plus 2 T. sugar
4 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
1 -2 drops green food coloring (optional)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
2 T. canola oil
In a saucepan combine milk, 1 C. of the cream and mint leaves. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges, remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile combine the egg yolk, sugar, salt and remaining 1/2 C cream in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture, until smooth. Pour this mixture back into the milk pan and cook over med heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer until it thickens. Do Not let the custard boil.
Strain through a sieve pressing on the mint with the back of a spoon.
Place the bowl into a larger bowl partially filled with ice cubes and cold water. Stir occasionally until cool. Cover with plastic wrap pressing it directly over the surface of the custard , chill at least 3 hours or overnight.

About an hour before freezing the ice cream melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir the chocolate until it is melted, then stir in the oil Transfer to a small pitcher. Let cool to room temp.

Pour the custard into the ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. When nearly frozen and the consistency of thick whipped cream, add the chocolate while the machine is churning. Transfer to a freezer safe container. Cover and freeze until firm. at least 3 hours. Makes about 1 quart,1 L.

SOUR CREAM YEAST ROLLS

2009-04-29T17:02:00.003-04:00

Spring has definitely arrived here in our Nation's Capitol. The trees are all a bud, the sun is shinning and the temperature has hit over 30 Celsius, teasing us with summer temperatures. I know it won't last but in the meantime I'll take it. So I've naturally been taking advantage of the nice days and been working in the garden and doing some spring cleaning. Ryan has been asking for some homemade rolls, in particular the potato rolls that are his favorite , but today I decided to do a quick sour cream yeast roll, that can be made quickly without much fuss. They are also a great dinner roll, or like I like them ,with some fresh sweet butter and homemade strawberry jam.

The recipe called to bake them in a 9X13 pan, but I had just taken out the round pan from the dishwasher, and decided to put them in there. You can see how versatile this recipe is. They were still steaming, when I couldn't wait any longer and just pulled one apart and slathered it with butter.

SOUR CREAM YEAST ROLLS

21/2-3 C. flour

2T. sugar

1 pkg. active dry yeast(1/4oz)

1 tsp. salt

1 C sour cream

1/4 C water

3 T. butter divided

1 egg

In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 C. of flour, sugar, yeast,and salt. In a small saucepan heat the sour cream, water and 2 T. of butter to 120 degrees, add to dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the egg and 1/2 C flour and beat for 2 minutes longer. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl , turning once to grease the top. Cover, place in a warm place and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and turn onto a lightly floured surface, divide into 12 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place into a greased 13 X9 baking pan, cover and let rise about 30 minutes, Bake at 375 for 30 minutes until golden brow. Brush with remaining butter that is melted , remove from pan onto rack.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY//Hummingbird cake

2009-04-14T14:43:00.006-04:00

For those of you who read my blog you know that I am not someone that spends much time reflecting on the past. I am a firm believer that whatever decisions I made in the past were made with te best intentions and to the best of my ability with the information that I had at the time and therefor, why look back there isn't anything I would do differently and I have no regrets. It is what it is. Thus, I have become someone who tries to live in ,"the present" and looks to always move forward. But that being said, it is time to share how this blog came to be because it is coming up to it's one year anniversary in a few days. I am going to break one of my rules and I am going to look back.
LIFE has a way of sometimes knocking you over, in the fall of 2007 I was looking forward to going back to teaching English to French immersions at my old elementary school.It was a part-time position that I just loved. After 30 years of teaching full time it was a nice to work the mornings and have the afternoons free, (relatively speaking, for those of you who know better, know there is no such thing as part time teaching, as you tend to spend most of your free time preparing for the next day, correcting, planning etc.) but the point was I could leave at noon and do what ever pleased me afterwards.
I had spent that summer with Ron in North Carolina and we had a wonderful rest on the coast in Naggs Head , but deep down I was exhausted and while I couldn't quite describe it I knew I was off. When we returned home I made the usual yearly Dr. appointments before returning to school, one was a routine mammogram. When I had a call back I wasn't worried because these things happen and besides, breast cancer doesn't run in my family. I think you can guess the rest. After the second mammogram everything happened super quick, the phone call, the consult, the biopsy, the surgery ,the treatment, the tears, the recovery. My two sons were absolutely wonderful, in their quiet way, they take after their dad (thank God) they took charge and took care of me. To fill in the empty spaces they encouraged me to start this blog and they put me on Facebook (I haven't quite figured that one out yet, but I'm getting there).This food blog has been such a wonderful surprise, I've turned into a foodie, I've found pleasure in cooking and baking again, I'm even getting interested in photography, but mostly I've discovered a wonderful group of supportive women and men that have inspired me, accepted me and allowed me to share and be a voyeur in their kitchens and life.
I wish I was more computer savvy, there is so much more that I want to do with this blog, but just don't know how. I want to do so much more with my photography but again ...don't know how. I'm a bit afraid of adding things to the blog but then worry if I've overloaded the system and it crashes I wouldn't know how to repair it. So, please bear with me, I'm still learning, I won't be shy anymore I'll start asking for help, hang in there with me I promise I'll get better. Hope you have enjoyed the year so far.Do take a look back, have a cup of coffee and drop me a line rita.stasi@gmail.com.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
3C flour
2C sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 C vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 (8 oz can ) crushed pineapple with juice
2C diced bananas
1C chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan or baking Vessel. Measure and mix first 7 ingredients. Stir in pineapple with juice and next 3 ingredients. Pour into pan.
Bake for 70 minutes.
Cool completely and then ice with cream cheese icing.
Garnish with lemon swirls or pineapple slices or pecans.

STRAWBERRIES AND MELONS WITH LIMONCELLO AND FRESH MINT/ PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

2009-04-12T01:11:00.015-04:00

Where has the time gone? I can hardly believe that it is Easter already. The last 2 weeks were spent in Florida for some much needed warmth, and relaxation, and the weather there did not disappoint us. How wonderful to walk in the sand and have the ocean waves come tickling my feet, or just relaxing on the porch catching some rays while reading a good book. It doesn't take much to make me happy. We ate out most evenings and I got my fill of grouper and crabs. We could have stayed for another week, but alas Ron got called to work , and we are going to have an Easter without him. So as a result, I am making a simple breakfast/brunch for my family and friends that are here.
Our LCBO puts out a seasonal book called,'Food & Drink", and it is always filled with wonderful simple recipes that taste good and are easy to make.

The limencello adds just a touch of sugar and superb refreshing flavour to fruit. The fruit can also be cubed if you don't have a melon scooper. I'm not including a recipe as it is self explanatory, don't forget to add some chopped mint to the fruit.

The Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus is another quick and easy starter that can actually be prepared the day before.

Snap off the bottoms of your asparagus, wash and dry , drizzle with some Olive oil and sprinkle with some salt . Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes if thin asparagus are used , a little longer for bigger asparagus. You can also grill them on med. heat on the B.B.Q. or Panini Grill. When cool wrap them with Prosciutto strips, or you can also use Westphalian ham.

I don't have it pictured but a lovely Lemon Aioli would be a great accompaniment to the asparagus.

Here is an easy one.

LEMON AIOLI

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel

2 tsp. lemon juice

pinch of cayenne

ALMOND DACQUOISE

2009-03-15T20:18:00.011-04:00

I am at a loss as to where to begin. Since Ron has been home we have been trying to fit it all in . Seeing some friends, dinner out, dinners at home,repairs around the house, taxes, grocery shopping, cooking,laundry, you know too much to do not enough time to do it all before the call comes and he is gone again. Such has been the last few days. Ron bought me a gift, he is such a sweetie, or , I complained way too much when he didn't bring it home from Boston, the much desired ice cream attachment to my Kitchen Aid. So many of my foodie gals make their own ice-cream and raved about the process and end results, so naturally , I was anxious to give it a try. Little did I know that the process takes at least a good 2 -3 days. But this blog is not about the ice- cream (we made coffee)or the THERMOMIX that is next on my wish lists ... but what to do with all the egg whites that have been accumulating as a result of some custards , ice-creams and baking recipes. Originally , I was going to try my hand at some macaroons, but as I mentioned things have been a bit hectic here, so after browsing in my William and Sonoma book called Essentials of Baking, for the macaroon recipe , I came across the Almond Daquoise and thought that this recipe would go much quicker and we could have it with the coffee ice-cream that was now cooling in the freezer.

Not only did this cake recipe solve the problem of the egg whites, but I realized what a wonderful alternative for a flour -free cake, for wheat restricted diets.

In this photo I am applying the butter cream, I will give you the very best butter cream recipe at the bottom of the blog, but I did not use this recipe. Since the cake was just going to be just for us, (not company), I like to look for short cuts,as I did not have the time to make the real butter cream version. A very quick and easy way of making a butter cream is to prepare a cooked vanilla pudding ( I used the Dr. Oetker pudding because I like to control the sugar that I add into the mixture). Prepare it according to package instructions. Cool the pudding, bring 1 cup of unsalted butter to room temperature, then when the butter is soft , in my standing mixer while the butter is being beaten , I add the pudding by the spoonfuls to the butter , and voila, butter cream! When the butter cream is spread between the layers and around the caked then...

Take the almonds and one of the layers of the dacquoise , grind in the food processor and decorate the cake with the crumbs

Lightly dust it with some powdered icing sugar and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

The funny thing is that, after we made the ice cream Ron said not to make the cake as we just finished the lime tart yesterday. As a rule ,we hardly ever have dessert , certainly not after dinner during the week,so to have 2 desserts in one week is quite out of the norm for us, but I have to admit this cake is so light and delish I would recommend that you try ,it should you ever have left over egg whites in your fridge and want to try something different.After he had his dessert, Ron did say that it was light and a good idea afterall.

Looks like we'll be sending some over to the neighbours.

A lovely little slice with the coffee ice-cream I made from scratch with my new ice-cream maker. (More about the ice-cream at a later blog as I plan on making quite a few creams and sorbets over the next few months.)

ALMOND DACQUOISE

1 1/3 C. plus 1/4 C. whole almonds, toasted

1 C. granulated sugar

2 tsp. corn starch

6 large egg whites at room temperature

1 tsp.vanilla extract

rich almond butter cream

confectioner sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 300 F. toast the almonds for 10-15 minutes. When cool put 1 1/3 C. of the almonds and 1/2 cup of the sugar and the corn starch in the food processor and grind to a powder.

Take parchment paper and 2 sheet pans, draw 2 8 inch circles on the parchments for a total of 4 rings.

With your whipping attachment put the egg whites in the bowl and whip until soft peeks form. Continue beating vigorously while adding the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla until the whites are stiff and glossy. Be careful not to over whip as they can become dry and powdery.

Pour the almonds over the egg whites and with a rubber spatula fold the almonds into the stiff egg whites.Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch open tip. Staring at the center of the circle make spirals until you reach the edge of your outline. Repeat this process so that you have 3 complete circles. The last circle will be not as complete as the other 3 because you will not have much batter left . that is Ok because this layer will become your crumbs to decorate the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes. The batter will be brown and golden cool on racks and remove the paper. They will firm up as they cool.

Prepare butter cream ( or try my quickie version ,listed at top)

when cake is cool and circles are uneven you can take a bread knife and saw edges to make circles even. Butter the first 3 layers with the butter cream. Take the 1/4 C. of toasted almonds the small 4th layer of baked batter and pulse in your food processor to decorate the top of your cake and around the sides. Dust with icing sugar (Optional) It will keep well covered in the fridge for 2 days.

ALMOND BUTTER CREAM

6 large egg yolks

2/3 C. sugar

1/2 C water

1 C. unsalted butter room temp.

2 tsp almond extract

1 C. pastry cream (recipe to follow)

Whisk egg yolks in a bowl and set aside

In a small sauce pan over medium high heat, combine the sugar and the water and bring to a boil. Cover and boil for 1 min. The steam willwash the sugar crystals down the sides of the pan. Uncover and continue to boil until syrup reaches 238F on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.

While constantly whisking pour the syrup SLOWLY into the egg yolks. Continue to beat until cool and thick. Beat the butter into the egg mixture until smooth and satiny , You are now ready to beat in the pastry cream to complete the butter cream process.

PASTRY CREAM

1 1/2 cup whole milk

1 vanilla bean halved lengthwise and scraped

4 large egg yolks

1/2 C. sugar

2 T cornstarch

2T butter

Over med heat , heat the milk and vanilla bits until bubbles form around the edges of the pot. Remove from heat and remove the vanilla bean pod. In a bowl whisk the egg yolks, sugar and corn starch until smooth. Slowly mix in the hot milk. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and over med. heat continue whisking until mixture thickens about 3 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl, add butter and stir until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Cover with film wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or 2 days.

While this is the real way to make butter cream, it certainly is a long process and absolutely worth it when making a butter cream. Especially when impressing your guests with fine desserts. However, you can see why I choose to make my version of a simpler butter cream, with just the pudding and butter. Actually it was a recipe that my mother often used for her tortes and everybody raved about them and no one was the wiser that she didn't always make the long version.

KEY LIME TART

2009-03-10T13:54:00.012-04:00

I can't remember the first time I had a key lime pie (that's how long it's been,) but what I can tell you is that once you've had one you're hooked for life. It's also one of my ,"Go to recipes", when I know that a light dessert is a must. Actually Ron makes the ULTIMATE key lime pie, but I'll let him blog his recipe at another time. Ron is coming home tonight (late) his plane only lands at 10:38, I know he isn't going to want a big meal so I made some chicken soup and should that be too much, I'm hoping that he will make some room for Key lime pie. The truth is that I had bought a bag of key lime last week and it was time to do something with them. I also wanted to make a lighter recipe and so decide to make a tart as opposed to a pie.

As you can see, Key limes are much smaller than Persian limes. Their skin is much more softer and they are more tart in flavour. I've included 2 Persian limes in the picture to show you the difference in size. The truth is the recipe called for 2/3 cups of lime juice and as we had used some of the key limes to flavour some coke and beer during the weekend, in truth it turned out that I needed to add the juice of the other 2 limes to get my required amount.

Instead of a pastry dough I decided to use up some graham cracker crumbs and some coconut. 1 cup of each. To that I added some melted 1/4 cup of butter. Mix together and press into a tart pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350.

Beat 3 egg yolks for 5 min. until creamy with around 2 teaspoons of grated lime. To this slowly add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk.Continue beating on medium speed until mixture is creamy and incorporated. Slowly to this mixture add the 2/3 cups of lime juice, continue to beat for a dew minutes, mixture will still be thick and creamy. Pour into partially baked tart, return to oven and continue baking at 350 for another 12-15 minutes. When done . remove from oven, cool on rack and then refrigerate, Serve with whipped cream.

Ready to go into the fridge. Won't make the whipped cream till Ron gets home.

8:05 the phone rings.

When Ron left Denver this morning the weather wasn't that great but he managed to get his flight and it left on time, but during the flight he got delayed and rerouted and it seems with only limited fuel left the flight landed late in Winnipeg, and by the time he got through customs he unfortunately missed his connecting flight to Ottawa. However, I think there is a conspiracy afloat...Ron was originally to have a 2 hour stopover in Winnipeg, his cousin Larry was going to meet him at the airport for coffee, catch up on news and help him pass the time. I heard that Larry brought the whole family entourage of cousins with him to the airport. Sounds more like my man has been kidnapped for the evening and he'll be returning to me tomorrow. That's OK Babe enjoy yourself.

One lonely slice for me. Wow that's tart...just the way I like it.

and plenty of pie left for tomorrow, just in time for a cup of coffee to share with my hubby.

Now doesn't that look great.

I know that most key lime pie has that smooth green color, and I could have added a few drops of food colouring to the lime mixture. I choose not to, but it's your choice. Would make a nice St. Patty's Day pie for next week's celebration.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

2009-03-07T21:30:00.006-05:00

I just love the way the kitchen smells when I am poaching something. All warm , fragrant with a hint of spice. Such was the case today. I was poaching the chicken for the chicken enchiladas and truly the house smelt heavenly. Isn't it amazing how some smells trigger certain emotions.There are probably many different ways of preparing enchiladas, all of them equally correct, but today's version is actually a Rachel Ray recipe that can be easily found on the food network or here:
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachel-ray/chicken-enchiladas-recipe/index.html/

Now for the confession, I had chicken breasts in the freezer, but when I went downstairs to the freezer to get them ,I found a package of turkey breasts that I had purchased a while ago. Costco sells everything in bulk and this was obviosly a left-over package that needed to be used up, before the chicken breasts. I made a quick decision to substitute them and use them up.Talking about using up things left over, enchiladas is a good way to use those left over tortillas from past fajitas and left-oversandwich wraps. As a result the enchiladas were made with spinach, tomato and regular tortillas and it didn't matter! If anything it added to the flavour.

Another short cut that I did was that I skipped making the sauce that Rachel Ray's recipe included and just used up the opened jar of left over salsa. That's the beauty of this recipe you can use up some of those things that just hang around forever in the fridge. I also didn't bother shredding the Monterey Cheese, but just layered the slices over the enchiladas and broiled under the broiler for about 6 minutes to get them nice and golden and bubbly.

A lovely Cesar salad accompanied this dish and even that was a quick job. I made the dressing all in the blender. If Ron had been home he would have rubbed the salad bowl with the garlic, beaten the egg yolk in the bowl, lovingly chopped the anchovies, added the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese and then ever so slowly drizzled in the olive oil and then whisked it all to a creamy perfection... not me I just threw everything in the blender and then at the end added the oil in a steady stream and adjusted the seasoning and my dressing I bet was just as good as Ron's. Anyways the entire meal was delicious even if I say so myself!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Filling
3C chicken broth
4 chicken breasts ( I used turkey)
1 bay leaf
2 springs fresh oregano (I only had dry)
1 small onion quartered

2T tomato paste (I used 3 because the turkey breast were so much larger than the chicken)

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

salt/pepper

SAUCE

2 c. tomato sauce

2 tsp hot cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. chili powder

21/2 cups shredded Monterey cheese

8 tortillas kept warm in oven while preparing the chicken.

Bring the broth to a boil and then add your chicken breasts. onion, bay leaf and oregano. Return to boil and then cover the dish and and reduce heat to a simmer and let the chicken poach for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and with 2 forks shred the chicken add the tomato paste, 1/2 cup of the broth liquid and then mix and add the seasoning.

Prepare the sauce ( or just cheat and use your left over salsa sauce like I did) When sauce is ready add a little to a baking dish. Take your tortillas and fill each with the chicken filling and roll up placing them seam down in the baking dish. Spoon the rest of the mixture over the dish , cover with the cheese and bake under the broiler until cheese is melted, golden and bubbling.

AS mentioned this is my improvised version for the authentic Rachel Ray recipe go to the site listed above.