What's Lori Cooking now?

Broccoli Potatoe Chowder

2012-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

Someone tweeted about a delicious sounding soup earlier this week, so I asked for the recipe. What I got was this. It made me laugh because there are no directions. Somehow it assumes that you know what to do. This is how the recipes are that I inherited from my grandmother. I love it. I'm going to re write it to tell you what I did and how I did it.

4 strips of bacon
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups milk
4 small red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
2 stalks broccoli, peel the stem and chop the whole thing
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

I cooked the bacon in my soup pot until it was crispy. While the bacon is cooking, cut up your veggies. Take the bacon out and chop it up, toss in the onions. Once the onions are clear, toss in the garlic.
When the onions and garlic are clear and soft, add the flour. Stir to make a roux (paste). Add a little bit of chicken broth, stir until it comes together. Add a little more chicken broth, stir until it comes together and bubbles a little bit. Then add the rest of the chicken broth, the bacon, broccoli and potatoes. Give it a good stir, then add the milk. Bring it up to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover it and let it simmer until the veggies are cooked through.

This is delicious!

When I reheat a bowl for lunch tomorrow I will be topping it with some shredded cheddar cheese.

Fig and Walnut Pate

2012-01-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

"the memory of a good French pâté can haunt you for years." -Julia Child

When I was in cooking school there was a whole course dedicated to pates and terrines. None of it impressed me at the time. In fact, I often referred to it as 'cat food'.

Late in December of 2010 I had a wonderful meal at a charming bistro in downtown Calgary and my date ordered the pate. Whenever we went out we shared everything, eating off each others plates. Yes, we were that couple. I was smitten. With my date at the time, but also the pate. It was light and creamy and oh so delicious. That day I vowed to try to make it myself.

For Christmas 2011 I bought myself a new food processor and I decided that the best way, the only way, to break her in was to make pate.

I did my research starting with MtAoFC and continued with the internet. As is typical of my style, I found about 3 recipes to combine into the recipe I eventually created. A good part of the fun was chasing down the best ingredients; chicken livers from Bon Ton meat market, walnuts and figs from Shaganappi Grocery and talking to the guy at the liquor store about cognac.

Here's what I came up with;

1 pound of chicken livers
1 cup chicken broth
1 small onion, sliced
1/8 tsp ground allspice

1 cup butter, softened
1 Tbsp cognac (I used Hennesy at the liquor store guys suggestion)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup whipping cream, whipped

1 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup dried black Mission figs

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1 french baguette (I made my own from scratch)

Simmer livers, broth and onion in a medium saucepan until livers are cooked through, stirring occasionally. About 12 minutes. Drain livers and onions and discard the cooking liquid. Transfer the livers and onions to the food processor. Add butter, cognac and salt. Puree until smooth, then fold in the whipped cream. Transfer to a serving dish. Cover and refrigerate until firm. About 4 hours.
Poach the figs in the wine for about 15 minutes. Drain and quarter the figs. Both the toasted walnuts and the poached figs are to garnish the pate. This probably works best if you mold the pate and turn it out onto a platter. Then you can press the walnuts into the side of the pate and cover the top of the pate with the figs.
Serve the fig, nuts and pate together to be smeared on to baguette rounds.

Raw chicken livers.

Livers and onion in my new machine.

A close up.

The finished product.

The finished product with garnishes.

Delicious!

It was delicious!
Some notes for next time;
- consider folding the walnuts into the pate mixture.
-pass the pate through a fine sieve to make it smoother.

As always, please let me know if you try this recipe.
Enjoy!

Tuxedo Cookies

2012-01-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

I made my Chocolate Espresso Shortbread recipe, cut them in about 2" rounds, then dressed them up for the party.

Nanaimo Bars

2012-01-16T17:17:00.000-08:00

After years of using the nanaimo bar recipe I found from Crisco. I modify it some, of course, but it's the one I use and it gets rave reviews.
I decided to try this recipe just to switch things up.
http://www.nanaimo.ca/EN/main/visitors/NanaimoBars.html

It got rave reviews by a small group of friends and I think it's better than the other recipe.

A dessert to please the whole family

2011-12-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

My brother and his family are coming tomorrow and Mom asked me to bring a cheesecake. My first cheesecake thought is chocolate, but my brother isn't a big chocolate fan (one of us is adopted I think). So, I was searching for a cheesecake recipe that didn't have chocolate and it just made me sad.
But then I had an idea. A wonderful idea.

Here's what I did; I made brownies in my cheesecake pan then I found a super easy no-bake cheesecake recipe and modified it to this;
1 (250g) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup of whipping cream, with 1/4 cup icing sugar, whipped to soft peaks
Beat the cream cheese with the sugar until it's smooth and fluffy. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread the cheese mixture on top of the brownie. Refrigerate overnight to let it firm up.

A classic topping is a can of cherry pie filling, but I'd rather make my own filling. I bought a bag of frozen whole strawberries. I put half of them in a small saucepan along with about 1/3 cup of water and 2 Tbsp brown sugar. I let them simmer until they were soft, then I pureed them with my immersion blender. Let the mixture simmer until it's thickened. You can thicken it with cornstarch if you like. Meanwhile, I chopped the other half of the strawberries into large chunks. Stir the strawberry chunks into the strawberry puree. This would work with any frozen or fresh fruit. Mangos, peaches or mixed berries would be delicious.

I will serve it tomorrow and post pictures and reviews from family members.

Fast food

2011-12-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

Ugh! What a week! What a day! I've been tired and grouchy and stressed out. And I've had a tummy ache for a day and a half. With a night of studying ahead and a sore belly I wanted something light, healthy, easy and quick. This was an experiment that went very well-I give me an A+.
First, I turned on the oven, then put my skillet on medium heat and added a splash of oil.
Then I threw in a handful of green beans right out of the freezer and about a tablespoon of curry. If you don't like curry, don't be dissuaded-use whatever spice or spice combo you like or just salt and pepper.

Then I added half a cup of rice. I have Jasmine on hand, but basmati or long grain would work too, but not minute rice.
I gave it a good stir to coat the rice in oil and coat everything in the curry.
Next I added a cup of water. I wanted to add chicken broth but it's frozen solid, so water it is, but you could use any liquid.
(idea! add ginger when you put in the beans and use orange juice as your liquid)

I put a frozen salmon fillet on top, added a little salt and put the lid on. I put it in the oven at 350F and, since I didn't really know what I was doing, checked it after 20 minutes. It needed more time, so I set the timer for 10 minutes. Next time I'll check it at 25 minutes because the salmon was a touch on the dry side.
Having said that, it was fantastic! I like sauce so I added a little teriyaki I found in the fridge and it was a beautiful dinner. There's no reason you couldn't bump it up a little and make it for 2 or 4. You'd need a larger pan if you were doing 4 I think, but you can figure it out.

And look at the cleanup! One pan and a rubber spatula.

I am a genius.
Now to rock the accounting studying just as hard.

Enjoy!

Stout Brownies

2011-11-20T07:25:00.001-08:00

This summer, I watched my neighbours cats while she went on vacation. One thing she left me as a thank you was a bottle of double chocolate stout.

Now, I love chocolate and I doubly love double chocolate, but am not a fan of stout. The combination of the two just seemed...weird. I kept telling myself I should drink it, but I couldn't. Then I came upon this recipe. I made a few teaks and brought it to my church potluck. The results are moist and rich.

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
8 ounces baking chocolate (I used 3 oz of bittersweet and 5 ounces of semi sweet)
3/4 cup chocolate chips
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup stout
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
In a double boiler set over low heat, melt butter, baking chocolate and 3/4 cup chocolate chips until smooth. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Pour in melted chocolate mixture and beat until combined.
Add flour-cocoa mixture and beat until just combined. Whisk in stout and vanilla. (It will take a few minutes for the beer to incorporate. I used more of a folding technique with the whisk for the first minute or two to keep everything from slopping everywhere.) Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips
Pour into a greased 9 x13 pan.
Bake in a 375F oven 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Oat Scones with Rhubarb compote

2011-11-13T10:12:00.001-08:00

Here's a recipe I didn't alter much except for the spices. I didn't have everything in the recipe so I used 2 big dashes of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, a dash of cloves, a dash of ginger.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pumpkin-oat-scones/detail.aspx

Before I started the scones, I threw 2 cups of frozen rhubarb and one chopped apple into a saucepan and turned it to medium. Then I threw in a couple of tablespoons of sugar and a little bit of Chinese 5-spice.

I put this on my scones. Breakfast was really tasty this morning. And easy.

How to make macaroni and cheese if you're not a chef

2011-11-12T08:58:00.001-08:00

This post is dedicated to my brother who wants creamy mac n cheese but doesn't want to feed his family the neon orange stuff. Maybe the best part about this recipe is that you make the sauce in the time it takes to cook the pasta. There's no reason to use the boxed stuff ever really.

First, fill the largest pot you have with water and bring it to a boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, start making your cheese sauce. At some point during the making of your cheese sauce, the water will come to a boil, pause your sauce, salt the water and put the pasta in and cook according to the package directions.

Cheese sauce;
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese
salt to taste
In a medium sized pot, on medium heat, melt the butter, then add the flour. (what you have here is called a roux) Stir in a splash of milk and stir until it's all incorporated and smooth, then add a little more milk, and keep stirring. Then add about half of the milk you have left. Keep it on medium heat and keep stirring. Put the rest of the milk in. Keep stirring while the sauce heats up and continues to thicken.
(Now you have a basic white sauce, which also happens to be the base of a creamy soup. From here you can add another cup of milk, a can of crushed tomatoes and you have cream of tomato soup. Or you can add cut cooked potatoes and a can of clams and you have clam chowder. The possibilities are endless.)
When the sauce is thick, taste it. If you can taste or feel the flour, let it simmer a little while longer. When it's good, add your cheese, turn off the heat and put the lid on. In a few minutes the cheese will be melted and you can stir it in. You now have a cheese sauce.
Stir the cheese sauce with your pasta and you can eat it or you can put it in a casserole dish and bake it at 350F until the top is crusty and bubbly. (feel free to top it with more cheese or crushed ritz crackers or bacon bits)
This is the most basic of macaroni and cheese. Here are some variations;
-cook a diced onion in the butter until the onion is clear at the beginning of making your sauce, then add the flour and continue making the sauce as directed.
-add dry mustard, a pinch of cayenne and/or a pinch of nutmeg to your cheese sauce to add a little punch of flavour.
-when your pasta is about half cooked, add a handful of raw or frozen veggies (broccoli is my fave)
-use any kind of cheese you want instead of cheddar. I have used leftover cheeseball, which was fantastic.
-if you want to cut the fat and calories replace half the milk with chicken broth. If you want it rich and creamy, use whole milk. Any milk you have on hand will work.

Enjoy!

Curried Pumpkin Soup

2011-11-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Here's what I did;

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp curry powder
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
2 cups pumpkin
3 cup vegetable broth
1 can lite coconut milk

Don't think for a minute that I measured anything.
Into a hot soup pot, a added the oil. When the oil was hot I threw in the onion and curry and a little salt. When the onion were soft I add the the garlic, ginger and pumpkin and put the lid on. I let everything get soft, then I added the vegetable broth and let it simmer for a little while, until everything seemed soft and fully cooked. Then I used my immersion blender to puree it all to smooth. Finally, I stirred in the coconut milk. Normally, a pureed soup like this is finished with cream, and you could do that but coconut milk takes it to an exotic place. A delicious place.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin bars

2011-11-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

So I bought a pumpkin.
I love pumpkin in baked goods; muffins, loaves, pancakes, cookies but not pie. I do not love pumpkin pie. Pumpkins are cheap this time of year and I really like having purreed pumpkin on hand for the aforementioned baked goods. Oh shoot-I should have taken pictures. I had this pumpkin, which I cut in quarters then scraped out the goo and seeds. (roasted the seeds-yum) Then I baked it in the oven at 350F for about an hour-until the inside flesh was soft. When it was cool enough to handle I took the peel off, cut the soft flesh into big chunks and took my potato masher to it. I left it a little lumpy on purpose, because I like lumps of pumpkin in my baking, but you could use your food processor or blender if you like. Then I put it into freezer bags-2 cups of pumpkin in each bag.
Last night I pulled out a bag of pumpkin and this morning I made these bars. I got the recipe from Allrecipes, but it called for a cup of oil. I swapped half of that oil with low fat plain yogurt. They are delicious!

4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c plain yogurt
2 cups of pumpkin puree (or 1 15 oz can)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Mix the eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
Spread into a lightly oiled 10 x 15 jelly roll pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 350F oven.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve or a cream cheese frosting.

I think the addition of a handful of cranberries, dried cranberries or raisins would be delicious. These bars are moist and delicious.

Enjoy!

Care Package

2011-08-28T18:17:00.001-07:00

Hi
I got the recipe for the scones and muffins in Company's Coming Muffins and More. I made them and brought some to my neighbour, some for my friend who just had a baby and some for my other friends for no particular reason. The rest for me. :)

Apple Cheddar Scones;
Saskatoonberry Scones;

Oatmeal Banana Muffins;

Pizza

2011-08-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight I tried a new pizza dough recipe and I love it. It's my new pizza dough recipe.

1 tsp instant or active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water (warm enough so that when you stick your finger in you can't feel it)
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Pour the water in the bowl of your stand-up mixer, sprinkle with the yeast. If it foams up in about a minute, mix in the rest of the ingredients using the dough hook. Let it knead for a little while. Here's where it could get tricky; if it's too sticky and wet add a little bit of flour at a time but if it's too dry sprinkle in some warm water. What you're looking for is for the dough to make a ball only by the action of the mixer. Once you have a ball of dough, let the machine knead it for a few minutes.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave it in a warm place to double in size. This will take about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. If using a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven as well, setting it on the lowest shelf.
Flatten the dough on a piece of parchment. Roll or stretch out into a circle, cover with sauce, then your toppings.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bottom of the crust is browned when you lift up the edge a little, and cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

The sauce is very easy and versatile. Start with a large can of tomatoes. Pour the can of tomatoes in a saucepan, add a few cloves of crushed garlic, some dried oregano, parsley and basil. Add some black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and a little bit of salt. Let it simmer on medium while the dough is rising. Use your stick blender to puree it.
If you want to add onions, go ahead, just grate them or chop them finely and stir them in, but I never do.

Pizza is easy and fun to make. Look in your fridge for toppings. I'm no parent but I've heard that if kids make their own food they're more likely to eat it so why not let them make a face with broccoli, red pepper strips or whatever you have on hand.

Enjoy!

Hummingbird Cake

2011-08-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard of Hummingbird Cake, ask your mom about it. It's a classic, old fashioned cake. One day I'll look into the history of the name, but for now I'll tell you that it's delicious. Here's my take on it;

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cups canola oil
3 eggs
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Grease Bundt pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or 9X13 pan, or 2 8-inch cake pans. You can even make cupcakes.
Measure flour, sugar, soda, salt, cinnamon, oil, eggs, vanilla into mixing bowl. Stir until combined. Stir in pineapple with juice, bananas, and coconut. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in 350F oven for about 70 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack or plate after cooling for 20 minutes.

Traditionally, this cake is frosted with cream cheese frosting, but when you sprinkle the pan with cinnamon sugar, icing isn't needed. In fact, this cake is so sweet and rich, you can get away without icing it, but feel free to slather on some cream cheese icing.

Corn Dog Casserole

2011-07-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Yup. You read right. I seldom make anything called a casserole and this recipe is fairly, erm... low brow. But. What I love about the Stampede can be counted on one hand. Top spot belongs to the Corn Dog. This casserole is really good and you don't have to endure any of the Stampede shenanigans to get it.

1 small onion, finely diced
2 cups celery, thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 package of weiners (sausage would be good too, but if you get the fresh sausage, made sure you cook it all the way through first.
1 package of corn bread (or muffin) mix (or use your own from scratch recipe for a dozen muffins or a 8 in square pan)
1 egg (follow package directions)
1 cup milk (follow package directions)
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

In a medium skillet, saute onions and celery in butter until they're soft. Meanwhile, slice wieners lengthwise into quarters, then cut into thirds. Add to onion mixture. Set aside 1 cup of mixture.
Mix the cornbread or muffins according to the package directions with egg and water or whatever your package calls for. Stir in all but the reserved wiener mixture and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese. Spread in a casserole dish, then top with green onions, the rest of the wiener mixture and the rest of the cheese-in that order so the cheese melts on top.

Bake in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with mustard and eat while wearing your best cowboy hat. Or not. :)

Honey Oatmeal Cookies

2011-07-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

I confess I changed the name of these cookies. The original recipe is Healthy Oatmeal Cookies (with Honey) If you'll refer to a time that I ranted about the use of the word 'healthy' in recipes you'll know why. They contain no butter or margarine and are sweetened with honey-no refined sugar.

bla bla bla

Make them because they are easy and yummy.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of oats (rolled is better, instant will do)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 dash cinnamon or more...or none at all
1 dash nutmeg or not

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup canola oil or olive oil or vegetable oil or corn oil
(feel free to replace some of the oil with plain yogurt or applesauce)
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp Water
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup raisins or craisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips
-or use 1 cup chocolate chips, or all raisins or some nuts, basically 1 cup of 'stuff'

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together, add all the wet stuff and the raisins and chocolate chips and stir. If the mixture seems a bit too wet, add a little bit more flour. Cool the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 325F oven for about 15 - 20 minutes.

Canada Day

2011-07-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

My mom used to make these for my brothers birthday parties; cakes in ice cream cones. I like the mini ones best because they are 2-bite sized.
Fill the cones about halfway with cake batter (your favourite recipe or mix) to allow for rising during baking.

Then bake as usual.

They come out looking like perfect ice cream cones, but they're cupcakes!

I decorated with white icing, red sprinkles and wee flags, but use your imagination.

Basil

2011-06-30T16:44:00.001-07:00

So I've been growing basil on my desk at the office. It's growth has been stalled lately so I decided it needed some pinching. So I pinched off the tops of the plants and made pesto.
I found a recipe for pesto here, which, uncharacteristically, I followed. I even measured most of the ingredients. :)
I boiled some penne pasta and cut up some asparagus. When the penne was almost cooked I threw in the asparagus and let it finish cooking. Tossed the whole thing with a blop of pesto.
Blop is a technical term, it's about 2 or 3 tablespoons.
Deeelicious!

Whole Wheat Rolls

2011-06-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

I make these regularly. They are quick, easy and delicious.
The original recipe is from Company's Coming Bread, here's my take on it;
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (one 1/4 oz pkg)
1 tsp salt
1 egg (or 2 eggs)
2 Tbsp butter, softened (canola or olive oil works too)
3 Tbsp honey (molasses works too)
1 1/2 cups warm water (milk works too)
1 1/2 to 2 cups white flour

Put the whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in your stand up mixer and fire it up. Mix the egg(s), butter, honey and about half a cup of the warm water in a measuring cup and slowly pour it in while the mixer is mixing. Slowly add the rest of the water (1 cup).
Slowly add enough white flour to make a soft dough and knead by hand or let your machine do it. 8 or 10 minutes of kneading is ideal.
I encourage you to get your hands in there and feel the dough, but some people don't like how it feels and sometimes you just don't have time to do that.
Oil a mixing bowl, oil your lump of dough, cover the bowl with a tea towel and put it in your oven with the oven light on. Let it rise until it's doubled-about an hour and a quarter.
Gently deflate the dough, roll it out into a rectangle and cut into 12 pieces, then roll into buns and place on a baking sheet. Feel free to make bigger buns or smaller buns or a loaf.
Let them rise about 45 minutes. Just until they're puffy again.
Bake at 400F for about 12 minutes.

Pudding Cake

2011-06-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a barbeque this weekend, the milk in my fridge turned and I came upon this post all in the same day. It seemed providential. You'll see that the original recipe called for buttermilk. In baking it's the same thing as sour milk. In fact, when milk or cream turn sour I throw it in the freezer if I don't bake something right away. You'll also notice that Mark's recipe called for fresh blueberries and lemon zest, which I didn't have, so I threw in the last of the frozen wildberries from my from my freezer and a splash of vanilla.

I/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sour milk (or buttermilk)

3 /4 cup sugar

3 eggs, separated

1 /3 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

1 1/2 cup wildberries

1 tablespoon vanilla

1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch ceramic or glass baking dish or a deep dish pie plate with butter.

2. Put the butter, sour milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the egg yolks, flour, and salt in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Pour the batter into a bowl. Stir in the berries and vanilla and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar while beating until the whites hold stiff peaks; fold them into the batter gently but thoroughly.

4. Turn the batter into the prepared dish and put the dish in a baking pan large enough to hold it comfortably. Add enough warm water to the baking pan to come to within an inch or so of the top of the dish. Transfer carefully to the oven and bake until the top is golden brown and the center is just set but slightly jiggly, about 50 minutes.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and cool the dish completely on a rack, cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours, before serving. This will keep in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days.

Mistakes

2011-06-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

It might be more satisfying to successfully recover from a mistake than to do it right in the first place.
I made a batch of buns for a gift this afternoon. I used my usual recipe, one that I make all the time so I make it with some confidence. I mixed the ingredients in my mixer, put it in the oven under a tea towel to rise, set the timer for an hour and a quarter and went about my other business.
I lifted the tea towel and to my surprise the dough hadn't changed shape nor size.
"What? My yeast is still good." as I leaned in for a sniff. Then I realized that I hadn't put any yeast in. My heart sunk. Fortunately I still had time.
Instead of scrapping the dough and starting fresh, I decided to put the dough back in the mixer and put the yeast in. I mixed it for a little while and it didn't seem to be mixing well so I threw in a tablespoon each of flour and water. It doesn't seem like much and really I have no idea what I was doing so I didn't even know if it would work.
Anyhow, I let it rise for an hour and a quarter. The dough had risen, doubled even but it looked oddly speckled. I wondered if that was granules of yeast that hadn't quite dissolved. I deflated the dough, shaped my buns and left them for the second rise. Well, third.
I baked them and even though they were speckly, they looked good. I cut one open and the texture inside is a little off-the size of the holes are uneven and the texture is a little chewy.
One bite reminded me that I had forgotten the salt. But they are good. I hope the recipient likes them.

I've made these buns enough times that making them no longer gives me a feeling of accomplishment. But making a major mistake and successfully fixing it does. Maybe there is a life lesson in there.

Marmalade Muffins

2011-05-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

2 cups flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup canola oil

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, marmalade and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Cocoa Spiced Pecans

2011-05-08T17:05:00.001-07:00

So I had some pecans kicking around in my freezer since Christmas (don't judge me-you do it too) and I was going to make Nigella Lawson's Union Square Cafe Spiced Nuts (which are delicious!) but then I ran across this blog and so I made these.
No need to repost the recipe, but they're so darned good I wanted to tell you about it.

Black Bean Soup

2011-05-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

You should know that Mark Bittman is a genius and an activist. His blog is one that I follow closely. I seldom follow his recipes but am often inspired by them and make my own. This recipe takes a long time but it's largely unattended. You could even make it in a slow cooker. Here is an exception with my own modifications;

1 Tbsp bacon fat

1 Tbsp canola oil

3 small onions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups cold coffee (leftover from this morning)

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp chipotle chili powder

2 Tbsp molasses

One cinnamon stick

1 pound dried beans, mostly pinto, with some black beans (I cleaned out my pantry) rinsed, then soaked for a few hours

Black pepper

Melt the fat and oil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Stir in the tomato, coffee, chili powders, molases, cinnamon, and beans and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the liquid bubbles steadily but not violently. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are beginning to soften, 30 to 40 minutes. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Continue cooking until the beans are tender, anywhere from another 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more sugar, salt, or pepper.

Great with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

Intense Brownie Recipe

2011-04-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I felt the need to try a new brownie recipe. I'm looking for rich, chewy goodness, not the cakey kind.

A combination of semi sweet chocolate chips and leftover easter bunny to make 6 ounces
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 capful pure vanilla extract
1 dash of salt
1 cup flour

Line a square glass pan with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and butter together in the top of a double boiler, stirring frequently. Let cool to warm.

Beat eggs with sugar until blended and frothy. Add cocoa powder, vanilla and salt and stir until well combined. Add the chocolate mixture and keep whisking until thoroughly combined, then add the flour and keep mixing until the mixture is incorporated. No white streaks should remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350F for about half an hour.

THESE BROWNIES ARE FANTASTIC!

Salmon and Rice

2011-04-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Look what I found in the clearance bin! I often get great deals at Safeway in the meat section. Look at the Safeway you go to for a clearance bin. If you cook it or throw it in the freezer right away it's still good-they're just making room for newer stuff.
So, I have an exam tonight and fish is brain food, so this is what I did for supper. I put a couple of slices of ginger, then some orange slices, then covered the dish and popped it into a 400F oven while I made the rice.

To the rice I added a wee bit of orange peel, some curry powder and I juiced the rest of the orange in place of some of the water.Tell me you can't do that after a long day at the office. Fresh, healthy, delicious. Steam some green beans while the rice is cooking or much on some raw veggies and dip while you wait for it to cook.

If you need a sauce for that (some people like sauce) Teriyaki would be good or warm up some marmalade or apricot jam with soy sauce (2 Tbsp each) in a coffee cup in the microwave.

Who knew Granola was so easy?

2011-04-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

Lots of people I suppose. I used to think that making granola meant making a huge batch. Then I read a blog post by one of my culinary heroes, who read it somewhere else.
Today I finally got around to trying it myself. Here's what I did;
I melted about 2 tbsp of butter in my cast iron skillet and added about 2 tbsp honey. Did I measure? No.
Then I threw in 2 handfuls of rolled oats and stirred the mixture around over medium heat for a couple of minutes, then decided to toss in some hazelnuts (a small handful) and cinnamon-just a little shake.
When it cooled I tossed in some dried mixed berries and some mixed seeds and called it good.

Creamy Broccoli and Butternut Squash Soup

2011-04-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

Some of you hate when I do this, but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm not going to give you a recipe. I also didn't take any pictures of the process (sorry about that) and the final product is a pureed soup, which I don't find very photogenic so I didn't take a picture.
I cleaned out my fridge tonight and you can too. You can use any vegetables you want and make your own delicious soup. If you do, please share it with me.
Here's what I did;
I peeled and chopped 2 stalks of broccoli and half of a butternut squash. I put them into a small pot with water up about halfway and some salt. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the veggies are soft. Puree them with a stick blender.
In a large pot I put about 2 tablespoons of canola oil and heat it up to medium. I added about the same amount of white flour and stirred to make a paste (it's called a roux at this point). Then I poured in the vegetable puree a little at a time, stirring all the while.
Then I added the last of the creamer I had left from the weekend for coffee - about half a cup and some milk. I just poured milk straight from the carton, stirring after each addition until it was about the thickness I wanted. I let it simmer a little while. While I checked facebook actually. Then I turned the heat off and threw in a handful of grated cheddar cheese. Stired until the cheese was melted. I tasted it and added some salt. I had a bowl of this and a whole wheat kaiser bun for supper and it was great!

Banana Bundt cake

2011-04-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Oh how my heart longs for this bundt pan. But I've had one like this since I moved out of my parents house 24 years ago. It's chipped and the teflon coating is peeling, which scares me a little, but it still works if I use enough butter and flour. Whenever a recipe calls for a bundt pan you could easily use a 9x13 cake pan. But bundt cakes are so pretty!

1/3 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plain yogurt (you could probably used flavoured yogurt too or sour cream)
Feel free to throw in a cup or so of chopped nuts or berries.

Beat the butter and sugar until they're creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla. Add bananas, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stirring just until combined.
Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan or 9x13 cake pan. Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes or until it's done. Cool a few minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Raspberry Squares

2011-04-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

Raspberry Squares are sweet, chewy and dead easy to make. No, there's no Irish Cream in this recipe, but I may have had a sip while baking.

Also, it was St Patricks Day.

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter

Mix the ingredients together like a pie dough; stir the dry ingredients together, cut in the butter, then stir in the egg and milk. Press it into a square glass pan.
Spread a thin layer of jam on top. Raspberry is classic, but really, use whatever you have. My mom made some kiwi jam and it was St Patricks Day so that's what I used. I was disappointed that they didn't look greener in the end, but they were really delicious.
Wait. I didn't tell you about the topping yet.

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup coconut
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Mix well and carefully smear over top of the jam layer. Bake for 25 minutes @350F

I love cooking for people who love to eat. And he's so cute. :)

Coconut Turkey on Rice

2011-04-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

I just love when this happens! My friend went to Bali recently and brought me some saffron! I could hardly wait to try it, but I didn't have time to go shopping, so I poked my head in my freezer and found a half a can of coconut milk and a turkey breast fillet. I also happened to have a small butternut squash kicking around.

So I peeled and diced half of the squash and put it in a hot pan with a little canola oil. Then I grated some fresh ginger on top. Squash is hard it it takes a while to cook. I don't know how long, but I let it hang out on medium heat until I figured it was about half cooked.
Then I cut up the turkey fillet and threw that in and let it all cook slowly together until it was mostly cooked.

Then I threw in half a roma tomato, the coconut milk, about half a cup of milk, a pinch of saffron and some salt.
I let it come up to temperature and served it over some curried rice that I found in the back of the fridge.

It was tremendous!
This is really fast and versatile. You could probably use green beans, asparagus or zucchini and for the turkey you could use chicken or shrimp. And if your friend didn't bring you some saffron from Bali, a pinch of curry powder would work really well too.
Try it and let me know how it turns out!

Applesauce Snack Cake

2011-03-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

I love snack cake! It's cake that you mix in the same pan you bake it. Easy to make, easy to clean up.

1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice, or a dash or two of each
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vinegar

Mix flour, brown sugar, spices, baking soda and salt with fork in ungreased square pan, 8 X 8 X 2 inches.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven 35 to 40 minutes.

"good for you" cookies

2011-03-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

If you read my previous post, you already know how I feel about "healthy" food, but my friend was raving about these cookies so I asked for the recipe. Not that much different from "regular" cookies. Since you don't use margarine or butter, the fat is not saturated, so I guess that's better for you. And there's no refined sugar, so I guess honey is better than refined sugar.

2 cups brown flour
2 cups oats
1-2 cups chocolate chips
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup oil (my friend uses olive oil, I used canola)
1 tsp vanilla

I just mix up all the dry then add the wet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. It makes about three dozen of the size I make.

Turkey Stir Fry

2011-03-06T07:58:00.001-08:00

I've been holding out on you.

I actually made this over a week ago. After I made it I decided not to post it because it's not much of a recipe. But when I saw the pictures I changed my mind.

I sliced up half of a turkey breast and one red bell pepper.

I sauteed the turkey breast until it was almost done, threw in the peppers and a handful of snow peas.
After I tossed it around in the pan for a while I put some peanut sauce in. I have a recipe for peanut sauce on my blog on a separate page. If I knew how to put a link here I would. :) I have used the president's choice peanut sauce and quite like it if you don't want to make your own, but it's really easy.
While all that was happening I made some rice, threw the stirfry on top and voila; dinner in less than half an hour.

Delicious, easy, nutritious!

World Class Waffles

2011-03-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

This little piece of paper had a home in my waffle maker for years. I'm surprised I didn't lose it. Recently it's been on my fridge. I don't recall where I clipped it from, but it has the phone number for Fleischmann's so I'd guess it was an ad for their yeast.
Anyway, it makes really excellent waffles.

2 1/4 c flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 pkg instant yeast
3/4 tsp salt
2 c milk
3 eggs
1/3 c melted butter or canola oil
2 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together, then add the wet to the dry and stir.
Let rise in the fridge overnight or in the oven with the light on for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Give it a good stir and bake in a hot waffle iron until golden.

My mom has made white sauce for waffles without a recipe since I was a kid. (about a hundred years) I can't make it nearly as well as she can, but here's the basic gist;
Warm up about 2 cups of milk with 3-4 Tbsp of butter on medium-low heat in a small saucepan. Mix 2 Tbsp flour and 2 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl or coffee cup and slowly add to the hot milk, stirring constantly. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until it's thick.

Today I made a clean-out-the-freezer topping for my waffles of about half a cup of chopped rhubarb, about a cup of cranberries and about a quarter cup of brown sugar. I threw that in a small pot with a splash of water-just enough so that it didn't burn, then put it on medium heat while the waffle batter was rising, then while I was cooking them.

Valentine Day Cookies

2011-02-13T09:36:00.001-08:00

This recipe is from Company's Coming Cookies. They weren't exactly what I was looking for but they are delicious and not too sweet, which is what you're looking for when you're going to pile the cookie with icing.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream butter and sugars together, add the egg and beat until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl, then add the milk and vanilla and beat again. Throw in the dry ingredients, then stir just until combined.
Mix a small amount of flour and icing sugar (2 Tbsp of each) for dusting your surface. Sprinkle your counter with the flour mixture, then roll out the dough to about a quarter inch thick. Cut out into any shape you want. Carefully transfer them to your cookie sheet. When you smoosh the leftover dough and re-roll it, be gentle and play with it as little as possible because the more you play with it, the tougher the final product will become. Of course, if your kids are helping you, roll it and smoosh it like crazy because you'll dunk them in milk anyhow and they'll just taste like love.
Bake them at 375F for about 10 minutes.

**The cookie cutter in the photo was made by my brother in shop class when he was in grade 7. (sometime in the 80's) I think he actually made it for our mom, but I have it. I am a sucker for the combination of sentimental and practical.**

When they are totally and completely cool, decorate them. You can use any frosting you like-a basic buttercream is delicious and kid friendly for putting in a baggie with the corner cut out, but I used the following glaze recipe because I wanted a clean, shiny finished product;

1 cup icing sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp flavouring if you want (vanilla, almond extract, peppermint, whatever)
food coloring - a drop or two depending on how intense you want the colour to be. Colours will intensify as the icing dries so colour it slightly paler than you want the final product to be.

(a note about corn syrup; dark corn syrup = light corn syrup + artificial colouring)

Just mix up the glaze ingredients and use with a piping bag. First, make an outline, then fill it in.

Blanquette de Veau

2011-02-05T16:33:00.000-08:00

x

3 lbs boned veal shoulder, cut into chunks
2 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 or 3 dried bay leaves
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp butter
1 medium white onion, diced (traditionally pearl onions are used but they can be hard to find)
1/2 tsp grated orange peel (traditionally lemon is used, but I had an orange)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp orange juice
Salt

Put the meat, broth, carrots, cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and simmer gently until meat is very tender when pierced, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
Saute onions and mushrooms in the butter until they start to turn brown. Turn off the heat. Remove the meat and carrots from the broth with a slotted spoon and add to the mushrooms. Throw away the bay leaves.
Add the orange peel and the cream to the broth and boil until it's reduced to 3 cups. Stir in the parsley.
Mix the cornstarch with 2 tbsp water and stir into the boiling broth mixture. Add orange juice, meat and vegetables, stirring to warm it up.
Serve with crusty bread.

Applesauce Cake

2011-01-10T17:42:00.001-08:00

This past summer I acquired more apples than I could use before they all went bad so I cooked a bunch up, smooshed and froze them. They were small, so I put them in a large pot, whole (yup, stems and all) a little bit of water in the bottom, lid on, and let them simmer until they were soft. Then I put them through a food mill, which kept all the peels, stems, seeds and core and gave me a beautiful, rosy, naturally sweet pulp. I froze the pulp in small containers-perfect for cakes, muffins or something to eat with yogurt. Of course, you can use a jar of prepared applesauce if you want.

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup yogurt
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup applesauce

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Grease and flour a bundt pan (or tube pan or 9X13).

Cream butter and yogurt, add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sir together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices, add to creamed mixture along with the applesauce and stir just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until done.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

2011-01-09T14:17:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me for suggestions about lentils recently. She told me that she purchased them, but wasn't sure what to do with them and she felt like they were mocking her. I know the feeling because I have a bag of organic brown and wild rice that is currently mocking me. Here's what I made this afternoon;

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
4 cups turkey broth (or chicken broth or water)
2 cups water
1 cup lentils
1 cup red kidney beans
1 cup black beans (a couple of kind of beans or a couple of cans of mixed beans-any beans will do)
1 large can tomatoes, smooshed with your hand
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 sticks of celery, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin

In large pot cook the onions, garlic, and ginger in a little olive oil until they're soft and clear. Throw everything else in and bring to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer and let it simmer and fill your home with a wonderful aroma for 1 or 2 hours until the lentils are soft and the vegetables are cooked. This would work in your slow cooker too.
Take about half of it out and puree it with my stick blender or food processor, then put it back in.

Thai Chicken with coconut lime rice

2011-01-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

Thai Chicken
I needed a recipe that did call for anything I didn't already have on hand, so I combined a couple of recipes I found and added my own touch. Here's roughly what I did;

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (I used Franks Red Hot with lime)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite sized chunks

Marinate in a baggie for a few hours in the fridge.

2 Tbsp canola oil
Half an onion, chopped
one carrot, peeled and sliced thin
3 Tbsp peanut sauce
1 cup chicken broth (I used turkey broth because that's what I had, but they're usually interchangeable)
1 Tbsp chili garlic paste
one orange pepper, chopped
one yellow pepper, chopped

Heat a large skillet, add the oil. When the oil is hot, throw in your onion and carrot and toss them around until they start to get a little soft. Pour the marinade off the chicken and toss the chicken in the pan. While the chicken is cooking, mix the peanut sauce, broth and chili paste together and when the chicken is about half cooked, pour it in. Toss the peppers on top and let the whole thing simmer until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thickened.

Coconut Lime rice

1 Tbsp butter
1 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp lime juice

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, then toss in the rice and coconut. Stir over medium heat until all the rice is coated with butter. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on for about 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. I got this started at the same time as I started the chicken and they were done at the same time.

Spicy Thai Shrimp Skewers

2011-01-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

A bag of frozen shrimp is a staple for me. They are relatively inexpensive, delicious and so quick. Pull a handful out of the freezer, throw them in a bowl of cold water and they'll thaw while you change from your work clothes to your sweats. Use them in a pasta sauce or as an appetizer or a late night snack.

I used this recipe as an appetizer for a Thai themed meal I served.
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp curry powder
1 pound shrimp - peeled and deveined, but with the tail on.

I marinated them while they thawed, then threaded them on skewers. I baked them at 375F for about 10 minutes, but you could grill or fry them.

Delicious on Naan bread!

New Years Thai Feast

2011-01-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Quentin really wanted to go to a New Years Eve Thai party he was invited to, but instead we went to his parents house and hung out with most of his family. It was nice. We ate an assortment of appetizers, drank a little too much gin slush and played some version of dominoes that I'd never seen before.
Tonight I have his undivided attention (potentially) and so am planning a Thai feast prepared by me with ingredients I have on hand.

Here's the menu;

Spicy Thai Shrimp skewers with fresh Naan to start.

Thai peanut chicken on coconut lime rice as the entree.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Cheesecake for dessert.

I'm pretty sure that the dessert is not in any way 'thai' but it's not intended to be. It's a combination of Quentin's favourite dessert (Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp) and what I have on hand (cheesecake)

Stay tuned for the recipes...

I love putting weird stuff in scrambled eggs

2010-12-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

Today's concoction; leftover broccoli and rice

Here's what I did;
I made my little fry pan sorta medium hot, then added a little bloop of bacon fat. Let it melt and get hot. Put 2 eggs and a smidge of yogurt in a bowl and beat it all up. Throw it on the bacon fat and stir it around a bit.
Threw my leftover broccoli and rice, stirred it some more. When the eggs were just about set, I tossed some cream cheese into the pan, gave it one good last stir, then on a plate.
This is fantastic.

Footnote
How I cooked my broccoli the other night;
Hot pan + olive oil
3 smallish or medium stalks of broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
Toss around for a while, add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic and a smattering of red pepper flakes. Throw on some salt and some black pepper if you want. Keep tossing it around, but every now and then let it sit-it's really good if you have some blackened bits on the edges of the broccoli flowers.

I know some of you really hate it when I do this non-recipe recipe thing, but I'd really like to encourage you to be fearless. This kind of food doesn't cost the world and the more you experiment the more you will know what works.
Just Cook It!

Nanaimo Bars

2010-12-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

I'm a foodie in general. I notice and know things about food and cooking that most people don't. If you've been following my blog, you probably are not surprised by this tidbit. Unlike many foodies I like to think of myself as very gracious. I may notice that you used a cake mix but I won't rat you out. Not only that, I'll enjoy it-some cake mixes are tasty.
However.
I am a complete snob when it comes to a few things. Nanaimo Bars are one of those things. Purchased from a grocery store? no thanks. Cappuccino flavoured? um, no. Mint flavoured? ew. Crumbly base? really? cuz it's so easy to avoid...

So when I started messing with my Nanaimo Bar recipe no one was more surprised than me. It all started when I made the base and realized that I didn't have graham cracker crumbs. I found some gingersnaps in the depths of my freezer and some Nilla wafers in my cupboard, I probably used about half of each, threw them in a bread bag and bashed them around with my rolling pin until they were fine crumbs.

The Base:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs
1 cup medium unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans (the original calls for walnuts, but pecans are good too)

Line a square pan with plastic wrap.
Cook the butter, sugar, cocoa and vanilla in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Add egg and heat just until the mixture starts to get thick. Remove from heat and add the crumbs, coconut and nuts. Press into the plastic lined pan. Cover with more plastic and put in the fridge until it's cool and firm. Hard really.

I figured I was already in this far, so I messed with the base. I always make a little more filling than the recipe calls for, but this time I replaced some of the butter with plain yogurt.

The Filling:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup plain yogurt
5 Tbsp custard powder
3 Tbsp milk (maybe with the yogurt you don't need milk at all, then you could get away with less icing sugar-I'll omit the milk next time I make this)
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups icing sugar (or so)

So go ahead and cream the butter, yogurt and custard powder together until smooth and creamy. Toss in the milk and vanilla. Keep beating, adding the icing sugar a little at a time until you have a fairly stiff icing. You want the bar to be able to hold it's shape when you cut it. Toss it back in the fridge and chill until firm. Freezing will also help set the chocolate layer, so feel free to freeze it at this point.

Top:
4 oz of semi sweet chocolate
1 1/2 tsp butter
Melt together in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly until it's smooth and melted. Spread over the filling and let the chocolate set.

Cut it into little pieces because most people think it's too rich and too sweet to have a big piece.

Oatmeal Jam Jams

2010-12-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Your aunt/grandma/mom/friend probably makes something similar and probably calls them something else, but these are the real deal. My Nana made them, my mom made them and now I make them. I have no children, so I'm expecting you to make them.

You can see that the recipe assumes you already know how to make cookies. In exchange for carrying on my family recipe I will provide better directions. You're welcome.

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Beat the butter and brown sugar until creamed and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, then beat until well combined.
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Add the dry ingredients, then mix until well combined.

Roll into little balls and dent with finger. Fill dent with jam. Bake at 350F for about 10 or 15 minutes.

I used jam that I bought at a groovy little farmers market in BC while I was staying at my friends "cabin"

Whipped Shortbread

2010-12-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

2 cup butter
1 cup icing sugar
3 cups flour
1 cup corn starch
decorations (candied cherries or sprinkles)

Using a heavy duty mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir together dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter while beating. With shortbread there are no wet ingredients so there's no fear of over mixing. Still, beat until it's all blended. Roll dough into little balls, dip into the sprinkles or decorate with cherries and place on baking sheet.
Bake at 300F for 20 minutes or so. The cookie should be set and barely golden on the bottom.

Pumpkin Cookies

2010-12-13T06:53:00.000-08:00

I used to make this recipe for 100 cookies when I volunteered as a cook for homeless people. It's easy, spicy, healthy and delicious.

24 cookies

1/2 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
2 egg

3 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt

1 c. pumpkin puree
2/3 c. raisins
1 c. chopped walnuts

Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg and beat until well blended.
Sift flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Add raisins and nuts.
Add dry ingredients to first mixture alternately with pumpkin. Mix thoroughly. Drop by teaspoons on a well-greased baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes @ 350 F or until done.

Indian Lentils

2010-12-11T10:43:00.001-08:00

My friend gave me this recipe and I have never once followed it precisely, but it tastes great every time.
1/2 c. lentils
3 c. water
1-2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
dash ajama seeds
2 cloves
1-2 hot peppers, slit
1 onion
1 small tomato, blended
1/4 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed hot peppers
1 1/2 tsp sugar

Wash lentils then cook in the water and salt until tender and soft. You could a can of lentils instead if you want.
Heat oil, add the ingredients in the order listed, stirring as you go. You'll want to let the onions cook before you add the rest of the ingredients. Add the lentils and cook for about 7 or 10 minutes

Garnish with;
1 tbsp cilantro leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice

Serve hot with rice.

Chocolate Espresso Shortbread

2010-12-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

2 cups butter (please do not use margarine for shortbread, I beg you)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coffee, ground
1/4 tsp salt

Beat butter until creamy. Add sugar gradually and keep beating until light and fluffy-about 5 minutes. Sift together dry ingredients, add to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated.

Separate into 4 balls, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least a few hours, but if you put it in Tupperware the dough will last for weeks. The flavour of the coffee increases after a few days.

Bring dough to room temperature and roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out into shapes and bake in a preheated 325F oven for about 20-25 minutes.
Dip in dark and/or white chocolate.

This is my usual Christmas season hostess gift wrapped in a pretty box or cellophane.

Almond Biscotti

2010-11-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

In December of 1992 I pulled a page out of a magazine for these twice baked cookies called biscotti. This same page is in my recipe box even today. It's getting a little...er...crunchy.
These are delicious and versatile. Take out the almonds, or not, and throw anything you want in; cranberries, chocolate chips... or replace 1/2 cup of flour with cocoa powder and make chocolate biscotti.

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup whole unblanched almonds
1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

1 egg white, beaten until frothy.

Mix the flour, baking powder and almonds in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and almond extract. Stir into the dry mixture and stir until a dough forms. Divide dough in half and roll into 2 12-in logs. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
Let cool for about 5 minutes. Cut diagonally into 3/4 in slices. Stand cookies upright on baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.

Best with coffee or a latte.

How to make broth

2010-10-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

Making your own broth is dead easy. Have you read the ingredients on a can or box of broth lately? Do you know what that stuff is? Me neither. Please please PLEASE make your own, freeze it and keep it on hand for soup, gravy, stew, in place of water when you make rice.

I covered making beef broth when I shared my french onion soup recipe, but I've had some questions recently about broth in general.

The very laziest way to make broth;

buy a pack of chicken necks and backs
or use the carcass from a roasted bird

Put the bones in a large pot, cover the bones with cold water. Bring to a gentle simmer and let simmer about 4 hours. Cool, drain and you have broth.

When I was in cooking school I learned many rules to making a good broth. In fine french cuisine what's important is having a clear broth. Flavour was secondary. I am not going to pass on any advice about how to make a broth to impress a french cooking instructor. I would rather help you make a broth that is full of flavour.

The Bones;
-raw bones (from any animal-chicken, beef, fish) make a different broth than roasted bones. If you're using the bones from a cooked bird, don't roast them, but if you're using raw bones, oil a rimmed baking sheet, then oil the bones and roast them at 425F for about half an hour until they're golden. Making stock using roasted bones gives a richer, deeper, sweeter flavour to your broth and a darker colour.

The Veggies;
-traditionally carrots, celery and onions are used to flavour broth. Peel them if you want and cut into large chunks. Use the papery onion peel too if you want-it will add a nice colour, but cut off the root end as it sometimes has dirt in it.
-same as with the bones you can choose to use raw or roasted veggies to enhance the flavour of your broth. Adding veggies to your broth adds a nice complex taste to your broth and using roasted veggies gives a deeper colour.
-pretty much any veggies can go into a broth. Try fennel, parsnips, tomatoes. Be careful not to use a strong vegetable like cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli as the flavours tend to be fairly bossy and will overpower the broth. I often save the tough bottom parts of asparagus in my freezer until I'm ready to make broth.

The Flavourings;
-traditionally, a bouquet garni is used to flavour a broth. You may use any combination of fresh or dried herbs to season your broth. Usually I save parsley stems in my freezer for broth and/or use dried parsley. I will also often season the broth with thyme, sage and bay leaves. Maybe some basil.
-whole peppercorns may be used as well
-do NOT add salt to your broth. Since you are making a general, all-purpose broth you don't know what you're going to use it for so leave it unsalted and salt the recipe you're using it in.

Putting it all together;
-the above mentioned ingredients are suggestions. My broth is usually dictated by what I have on hand more than anything else, but you can feel free to do what makes sense to you. Be not afraid!
-put the bones, veggies and flavourings in a large pot. Cover all the ingredients with cold water. Put the lid on and turn the heat to medium. Once it's simmering, turn it down to the lowest temperature you have and leave it to simmer. If you're using big beef bones you'll need at least 4 hours. Chicken necks and backs; 3 or 4 hours. Fish bones; 1 or 2 hours.

Turn off the heat and let it cool, then strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. This makes sure all the little chunks are out of your broth, but the flavour stays in.

Pour it in freezer baggies or plastic containers and freeze to use as you will.

Cottage Wheat Rolls

2010-10-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

(adapted from Company's Coming bread cookbook, which I highly recommend)

2 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups cottage cheese
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp molasses (or honey)
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 pkgs/4 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp baking soda
2-3 cups whole wheat flour

Beat eggs in a large stand-up mixer. Beat in sugar, cheese, oil, molasses and salt. Add first amount of flour, yeast and baking soda, then gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 10 minutes or so, either by hand or in your mixer.

Place in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled-about an hour and a half or two hours.

Gently deflate, shape into 2 dozen buns. I push the dough into a rectangle the size of my cutting board, then use my pizza wheel to cut into little squares. Shape the little squares into balls/buns. Let rise until doubled; about an hour and a half.

Bake at 3775F for 10-12 minutes.

Delicious!

Lentil Soup

2010-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Motivated to clear my cupboard of extra dry goods I searched for a lentil soup recipe. Of course I didn't find one I liked, so I found one that came close and played with it. Here's what I came up with;

1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 onion, diced fine
1 large carrot, diced fine
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
some fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 coffee cup of red lentils
about 2 litres of homemade chicken broth (make your own, please-don't use canned or powdered)
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp parsley
1 packed frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Cook the onion, carrots, garlic and ginger until soft. Throw in the curry. Rinse the lentils, then add them. Add the broth, tomatoes and parsely. Simmer until the lentils are soft. Add the spinach and bring back up to heat.

Banana Tea Bread

2010-10-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

I was in the mood to use up some bananas from my freezer but not with my usual recipe, so I pulled out a cookbook I don't use all that often; The 99% Fat-free Cookbook. Of course I tweaked it a bit...

1 egg white
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas, smooshed with a fork
1/4 cup light corn syrup (I think next time I'll use honey)

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1+ tsp cinnammon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Beat egg, egg white and milk until frothy. Beat in yogurt, brown sugar and vanilla. Add bananas and syrup. Beat together until mixed.
Mix together dry ingredients, then add to the banana mixture and stir just until mixed.

Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan until the pan is about half full. Put the rest of the batter in a muffin pan. Or make 2 loaves. One big loaf might not work as well-I advise against that.

Bake at 375F about 45-50 minutes until it's done.

It actually turned out a little dry. Yup, baked goods need fat.

Dutch Babies ?

2010-10-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I look for a quick easy recipe and occasionally I even follow a recipe. This morning I did both and it turned out great.

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons butter

Put your cast iron skillet inside oven and heat oven to 475F. Beat eggs with a whisk, then add milk, then whisk in flour, nutmeg and salt.
Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425F. Smear butter in hot skillet so that inside of skillet is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet and return skillet to oven.
Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes.
I threw some fresh strawberries and maple syrup on top.

Bacon and chocolate

2010-09-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I dipped crisp 2 inch bacon pieces in dark chocolate. They were ok. I mean, I ate them all, but...meh. They weren't great.

When I saw the recipe for Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes I was intrigued. This will be a different thing, I thought. So I bookmarked it and gave it a shot.

The verdict is that that bacon flavour is not very pronounced. The chocolate takes over. It is a very good chocolate cupcake though. Moist and chocolate-y.

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes

12 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup cold, strong coffee
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, coffee, yogurt, milk and oil. Stir just until blended. Mix in 3/4 of the bacon, reserving the rest for garnish. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.

Bake in a 375F oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack.

Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting and sprinkle reserved bacon crumbles on top.

this is not a recipe

2010-09-11T08:12:00.001-07:00

I am getting very weary of reading recipes that have the worth "healthy" at the beginning of them.

I just read a recipe for "healthy" quesadillas and I think my head popped off.
Why do we have to do this? Why do we have to categorize food into healthy and unhealthy categories? And on what basis do we categorize any given food? Fat? Calories? Antioxidant properties? Where/how it was grown?

What if...now work with me here...but what if each food in and of itself is not inherently healthy or unhealthy? What if it's your lifestyle over the course of a day, week, month, year that's either healthy or not?

I mean really, if you ate nothing but raw carrots your skin would turn orange, you would get very sick and die. Are carrots unhealthy?

What purpose does it serve to label food "bad" or "good", "healthy" or "unhealthy" What if living a healthy life means eating a variety of foods, moving around some, getting enough sleep and avoiding stress? That leaves room for a piece of cheesecake now and then doesn't it? And maybe a vodka and soda?

I know, I know, this is all very counter to what we all keep reading but the truth is, as a nation we're getting fatter and fatter. We keep talking about healthy this and healthy that but adult onset diabetes has been described as an epidemic. I'd say guilt is just as bad for us as eating too much cheesecake. In fact there have been studies proving that guilt blocks the digestion process and pleasure is known to help aid digestion.

So how about this; put away those labels when you eat. Come on, you know what a healthy diet looks like. Eat your veggies. Get some whole grains in you and lean meat. Drink lots of water. Avoid food that comes with directions or that you can get at a drive through...most of the time. And enjoy your food. Slow down and focus on your meal. Take time to prepare something that's good then enjoy it with a glass of wine and your friends or family. Or just yourself and today's newspaper. Go for a walk after supper, then go to bed early.

Now that sounds healthy.

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-08-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oats
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
3/4 cup french vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the egg, yogurt, oil, orange juice and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raspberries and chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Double Oat Raison Poppyseed Muffins with no oats.

2010-08-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup milk
1 cup saskatoon berries
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, nutmeg and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, juice and milk.
3. Stir flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just moist. Stir in berries and poppy seeds; mix well. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan; fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Serve warm.

Ground Pork on Noodles

2010-07-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm aware that it's a billion degrees out there, but I was hungry. And I like to cook. So sue me. This is what I had for supper tonight and it was fantastic!

4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 lb ground pork
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp green curry paste
2 Tbsp fish sauce
ground black pepper
chopped cilantro or parsley

Cook the garlic, onion and ginger in a little bit of oil until they're soft and clear. Add the pork and cook on medium heat until the meat is cooked. Add the soy sauce, curry, fish sauce and pepper. Let it simmer a few minutes.
Meanwhile cook some rice noodles or spaghetti noodles according to the package.
Throw the pork mixture over the noodles, garnish with cilantro or parsley.
It's delicious, really.
Next time I will throw some veggies in to round it out as a meal. Or steam some veggies and serve on the side. Or have and apple for dessert.

Chinese Five-Spice Kettle Corn

2010-07-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

I love the sweet-salty-crunchy of kettle corn and have wanted to try making it for some time. When I came upon this recipe in a magazine I couldn't resist. It didn't turn out quite as sweet as I hoped for but it's spicy and tasty.

1/2 c. popcorn
2 Tbsp canola oil
4 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp Chinese 5 Spice powder
1 tsp salt

In a large pot with a tight fitting lid over medium heat combine popcorn the ingredients. Shake constantly. Once the popcorn begins to pop, turn the heat down to medium low. Continue to shake until popping slows down. Leave it with the lid on until the popping stops. Drizzle with melted butter.

I have been a hot-air popcorn popper for several years, so I was nervous about making popcorn on the stove again for the first time since I was a kid. It turned out quite well. The exciting thing is that you could use any spice or spice blend you wanted. Imagine using chipotle chili powder. Or curry. oooo the possibilities are endless

Peanut Sauce

2010-06-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

Use chicken broth to make this sauce as thick or thin as you like.
If you like coconut flavor in your peanut sauce, add a teaspoon of coconut extract instead of coconut milk, which is high in saturated fat.

1/4-1/2 cup light or regular peanut butter 
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
 2 Tbsp. brown sugar or honey
 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar or lime juice
 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
 1-2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
 1 tsp. sesame oil
 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. curry paste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender or jar and whiz or shake until smooth. Refrigerate until you need it.

Coconut Macaroons

2010-05-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

One really good thing about attending a pot luck dinner once a week is that you have a reason to use up stuff from your pantry. Like the time you needed 1/2 cup of coconut but the smallest bag of coconut you could find was much bigger so you wind up with this rogue container of coconut. So I asked myself what I should do with this coconut and, of course, the first thing I thought of was those coconut squares my mom made with raspberry jam, but then I'd have to buy jam. Macaroons! Coconut macaroons. I found a recipe close to what I wanted then tweaked. You know I can't leave a recipe alone.

When you're beating egg whites, use a non plastic bowl. I use my stand up mixer, which has a stainless bowl, so that makes it easy and I rinse it out with a wee bit of vinegar before I start. Don't wipe it, even if there are a few drops of vinegar in the bowl after you swish. The vinegar rids any traces of fat from the bowl and the acid helps add volume to your egg whites.

4 egg whites (I buy the carton of egg whites and always have it on hand-use half a cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp coconut extract (you could go without or use almond extract but I think the coconut extract makes it smell like a tropical vacation)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour (no whole wheat)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups coconut (shredded fine or coarse or flaked, sweetened or unsweetened-whatever you have is fine, but if you're going to the store for this recipe-unsweetened flakes)

Preheat oven to 300F. Grease and flour cookie sheet.

Beat egg whites, vanilla and coconut extract until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, and whip until stiff. Toss together flour, salt, and coconut in a separate bowl; fold into egg whites. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until slightly golden. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for easy removal.

Try not to eat them all before the pot luck.

Fettucine Alfredo

2010-05-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is not the healthiest dish in the world, but it's a classic and it's delicious.

1/4 cup of butter
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 pound fettuccine (fresh pasta is best for a dish like this, but dry will do)
2 egg yolks
1 cup Parmesan cheese (the closest you can get to freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese the better)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cook cream and butter together in a medium saucepan until they are melted together, around 1 minute. Turn off heat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta.

Strain pasta and add the butter and cream mixture. Turn the heat on medium and add the egg yolks, cheese and black pepper.

Stir vigorously, mixing the egg yolks and cheese in and coating all of the pasta with the sauce.

Serve immediately, garnish with additional parmesan cheese on top.

Bean Stuff

2010-05-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Bean Stuff is a family tradition. I believe it's the only recipe my brother ever asked my mom for. Well maybe the meatloaf. Oooh I should give you guys the meatloaf recipe... Anyhow-I have never made Bean Stuff before. For one thing it's something my mom has been making for years and I have trouble leaving a recipe alone-there's a real danger I'll fancy it up too much. I also know from experience that there are many things I just can't do as well as mom so it's best to just let her have it. I don't know why but I thought of making Bean Stuff for the neighbourhood Chili Night I attend almost-monthly. That's why I made it tonight.

A word about beans before we begin. I have been trying to use fewer canned beans and more dried beans lately because the cans are lined with the kind of plastic you don't want touching your food. (Read up on BPA's.) So even though the original recipe calls for a few cans of different kinds of beans I used mostly navy beans because that's what I had on hand.

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
19 oz. can tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can lima beans, drained
(I didn't use either kidney nor lima beans-that's where I used the navy beans. You could use 2 cans of what ever kind of beans you want)
14 oz. can pork & beans (I did use a can of pork n beans
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in a large dutch oven, add the beef, onion and green pepper and cook until the beef is brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer. If you have time, throw a lid on it and put it in the oven for 2 hours at 300F.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

2010-05-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

I love cranberries and I love cheap so when I find a bag of fresh cranberries for 99 cents after Christmas I throw a bag or two in my shopping cart and toss them in the freezer. Then, when I want muffins in May...viola!

I found this recipe on the internet and cut the fat in half and replacing it with low fat plain yogurt.

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
the zest of 2 oranges
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bag frozen cranberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or use muffin papers.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, orange peel, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger.
Cut in butter and yogurt, Stir in juice, vanilla, eggs and cranberries.

Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

A word about spices

2010-05-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

One of the most common questions people ask me, when we get on to the subject of food and cooking has to do with the use of spices.

How do I know what spices to use? How did YOU know which spices to use for a certain dish?

The short answer is experience combined with personal preference.

When I was in cooking school a chef challenged us one day saying that we should know every spice and herb in the cupboard without labels.

Wait. What?
Yup. He said that if it was up to him he'd rip the labels off all the jars.

Really? Why? Because cooking is a sensual experience and it's possible to identify spices by sight and smell. This doesn't happen overnight but he challenged us. Every time you open the spice cupboard to follow a recipe, smell the contents and read the label.
I took that as a dare and started doing that. I still do that now. I do it as part of the pleasure of cooking, though and I just love the smell of spices. In fact, very few of my spice jars are labelled. I can tell by looking at it and to confirm I smell. That and I'm too lazy to label the containers.

Another trick is to notice when you're making a new recipe, what the ethnicity is and what spices are called for. If you're trying a Morrocan tagine, for example, I'll bet there's cinnamon and cumin. Read the menu when you go to that restaurant you love-or ask the server what spices are used. As you become more familiar with how different spices taste individually and with other spices you can use this knowledge when you cook.

While I encourage you to fall in love with cooking I understand that this is over-the-top behaviour for people who just want to get good food on the table. If you're looking for a shortcut don't be afraid to buy a collection of spice blends. There are a lot of good ones at your grocery store; Greek, Italian, Mexican, Barbeque. These all purpose spice blends can be used to flavour anything...everything! For your chicken breasts; smear the breast with oil, then sprinkle with the spice blend and bake. Or you could make a dip; equal parts mayo and sour cream plus your spice blend makes a great dip for chips or veggies. Use them when you scramble eggs or make soup. Toss diced potatoes in olive oil and a blend of spices then bake.

Finally, don't be afraid.

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."
Harriet Van Horne

Butter Turkey

2010-05-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Butter Turkey doesn't sound right. It sounds like turkey and butter. Everyone knows the famous Indian dish; Butter Chicken and they know it's not just butter and chicken, but...well. So I had a turkey breast and I wanted to try this recipe. Of course if you want to use chicken, go ahead.
This is delicious and will feed probably about 4 people.

(note; this is waaaaay better the next day)

2/3 c low fat or fat free plain yogurt
1/2 c. ground almonds
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3 bay leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
4 green cardamom pods
1 tsp fresh ginger pulp
2 cloves of garlic, minced
(please don't think I actually measure the spices)
1 kg. boneless skinless turkey breast, cut in bite sized pieces

Stir all together in a glass bowl and let it hang out in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Add 2 cups canned tomatoes to the bowl of turkey and other stuff.

1 tsp butter
1 tsp canola oil
1 onion, diced

Saute the onion in the butter and oil until the onions are clear, then add the turkey mixture and let it simmer about 10 minutes or until the turkey is cooked.

Add 4 Tbsp half & half cream and a handful of chopped cilantro and give it a good stir.

Garnish with more chopped cilantro and over some basmati rice.

Crusty Dinner Rolls

2010-05-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

I invited my friend over for soup and buns tonight. I don't have much flour on hand so I was scouring the internet for a recipe for 1 dozen buns. The sheer weirdness of folding beaten egg whites into bread dough forced me to make this recipe. Of course I didn't follow the recipe to the letter. Here's what I did;

2 egg whites

1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp honey
1 package active dry yeast
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and set aside.

In large mixing bowl (I used my standup mixer) place the warm water, honey, yeast butter, oil and salt. Add 1 cup of the flour and beat at low speed for a couple of minutes.
Fold in the egg whites by hand, then slowly add enough flour to a soft dough. Knead 8 to 10 minutes, adding a bit more flour if dough sticks.
Grease bowl then roll dough in it (to prevent dry top); cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk.
Deflate dough then remove from bowl and cut in 12 pieces.
Roll each piece in a ball or pillow shape and place on greased cookie sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart.
Cover lightly and let rise in warm place until double in bulk.
Brush with water and bake in 400°F oven 15 minutes.
One dozen rolls.

Fluffy Frozen Lemon Squares...sort of

2010-04-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

My mom has a really good imagination and a lot of faith in my cooking skills. So when I invite her for dinner and ask what she wants, she feels free to pull something out of her imagination and give me something like "Fluffy Frozen Lemon Squares" Upon further questioning it seems she has a vague memory of some dessert she had once in the early 80's that included Dream Whip and a package of lemon jello. Sure enough, an extensive internet search reveals an abundance of recipes that call for some frozen whipped topping. In case you're an anonymous stranger reading this let me tell you that when I'm reading a recipe and I see something like that in the ingredients list I move on. But mom wants what mom wants and I did ask.

Here's what I came up with;

For the base;
half a package of vanilla cookies crushed to fine crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
zest of one lemon

Mix together and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Pop it in the freezer while you're putting the rest together.

4 egg whites
1/2 cup of sugar
zest of half a lemon

Beat the egg whites until foamy, then slowly add the sugar and lemon zest and beat until almost stiff peaks form. Set aside while you beat the cream.

1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp sugar
zest of half a lemon
juice of 2 lemons

Whip all the ingredients together. With the lemon juice in there the cream won't become as stiff as whipped cream but that's ok. Beat it until it's thick and fluffy.

Fold the cream into the egg whites and pour over the crumbs in the springform pan. Freeze until firm.

Serve with berries.

Melktert

2010-04-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have an African friend, who's been visiting Canada for the past few months. One day when she was over for tea she was looking at an African cookbook I have and she pointed out a couple of recipes that "you have to make" Melktert (or Milktart in English) was one of them.

First, the recipe said that it was better and perhaps more authentic with puff pastry than with regular pie pastry, so that's what I used. If I make it again I will use my standard pie dough recipe. This is because puff pastry is too puffy to carry a proper pie filling. I thawed the puff pastry as directed on the package, then rolled it out into my pie plates. It puffed up into a big beautiful, golden pillow so I scored it about an inch in from the edge and pushed the middle piece in a little. This left me with something reminiscent of a pie shell suitable for filling but kinda messy looking. I'd recommend using your own pie recipe, blind baked. Even if your usual pie dough is from frozen. My mom uses those all the time and they're perfectly fine. It's what's inside that counts.

The filling;
4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp butter
2 or 3 cinnamon sticks

Bring this mixture just to a boil then remove from the heat. This is called scalding the milk. Take the cinnamon sticks out.

2 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt

Mix in a small bowl with a whisk and pour in about 1/2 a cup of the hot milk. Whisk until it's smooth. Add 4 egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Put the milk on medium heat and pour the egg mixture into the milk slowly while whisking.

A couple of notes here;
-cooling the milk a little, then adding the eggs, then pouring the mixture back into the milk is called tempering. If you put eggs into hot milk you'd have egg lumps, which is not what you want. You want the eggs to thicken the milk along with the flour and the cornstarch
-I opened my cornstarch container to discover approximately 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. I added that and threw in about 4 extra Tbsp of flour.

Stir the milk mixture constantly over medium heat for about 5 minutes to thicken it. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract.

At this point you have pudding. Or custard.

Whip 4 egg whites with 1/3 cup sugar until stiff peaks form, but don't overbeat them or they will become dry and brittle.

Fold in the custard mixture and pour into 2 pie shells. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350F and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Traditional garnish is a dusting of cinnamon. It was all just too white for me so I'm serving it with some fresh strawberries.

It's still in the oven. I hope it turns out.

Clean out the fridge frittata

2010-04-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

It's a couple of days before pay day and some of the veggies are getting a little tired. So I decided a frittata was in order. For the most part-this is not a science. Take what's in your fridge and make dinner. Or brunch.

about a tsp of bacon fat (you keep bacon fat in your freezer don't you?)
1/4 red onion, grated
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 medium russet potatoes, grated

Toss this all around in an oven proof skillet until the potatoes start to soften. Sprinkle with parsley, oregano and salt.

about 1/3 of a red bell pepper, diced small
2 roma tomatoes gutted and diced

Throw these on top of the potatoes. Turn off the burner and turn the oven on to 350F.

about a handful of fresh spinach
sprinkle with nutmeg and a little more salt

half a small container of feta cheese, crumbled (this was probably about 3/4 cup)
Sprinkle that on the spinach.

Beat up;
3 eggs
1 cup milk

Pour over everything and pop it in the oven for a few minutes-until the eggs are almost set. It will finish cooking as it cools.

Enjoy!

Very Special Brownies

2010-04-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking. No, they're not *that* special. Read on;

1/4 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. melted butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
Beat all these up together.

3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp b. powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon
Combine, then add to the egg mixture.

Pour into a greased 8 in square cake pan and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until they're done.

Best warm with chocolate ice cream.

Raspberry Buttermilk pancakes

2010-04-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

The basic recipe is one I found on the internet that calls itself Ihop Buttermilk Pancakes. I'm not sure what makes it Ihop because I've been to ihop both in Canada and the US and their pancakes weren't nearly as good as the ones I made today. Maybe it's the raspberries

1 1/4 c. flour
1 egg
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. canola oil
1 pinch salt

frozen berries

Mix together in the order given. It's ok if the batter is a little lumpy but it's not ok to overmix it. Just stir it until it's all together-looking. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium and drop batter onto the hot pan. Place some frozen raspberries on top of the pancakes. No need to thaw them first. When they look dry around the edges, flip them over and finish cooking.

I ran out of raspberries so my last 3 pancakes had blueberries on them. I bet chocolate chips would be really good too.

Serve with bacon and a little too much maple syrup.

French Onion Soup

2010-03-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to share my recipe for French Onion Soup. The problem is that it's not so much a recipe as an event. I suppose I could give you a "recipe" but that would just feel wrong. There is so much to say about every component that doesn't fit in a regular recipe. So many variations and options and theory-art and science and much to say about my journey to French Onion Soup perfection. I will spare you the science and the details of my journey, but will impart as much information as necessary to create the best French Onion Soup you've ever served and to embark on your own journey French Onion Soup perfection.

The Broth

(make this the day before)

one big package of beef bones
one large onion
a couple of carrots
some peppercorns
a couple of bay leaves
a sprig or two of thyme and/or rosemary

Most grocery stores will have beef bones and they're cheap. If you don't see any, flag down a meat department employee and ask for beef soup bones.

Put the bones in a large pan. Cut the root end off the onion, remove only the first papery layer and cut it into big chunks then toss in the pan. Cut the carrots into large pieces and toss them in too. Drizzle the whole lot with some canola oil. Roast in a 450F oven until the beef is dark. How long this takes will depend on how big the pieces of bone are. Stop just shy of burnt.
Put everything in a large soup pot, add the spices and herbs then cover with cold water. Put the lid on and turn the heat to medium. Once it starts to simmer, turn it down to the lowest setting possible and leave it there for 6 or 8 hours.
Strain the chunks off through a cheesecloth.
You now have a beautiful broth for soup or gravy or any kind of sauce. I freeze broth in freezer bags. If you do it so that the frozen packet is flat it takes up hardly any room in your freezer and thaws really quickly. This is important for me because I have a wee apartment freezer and don't own a microwave.

The Bread

(also make the day before)

3 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water

Mix flour, sugar, yeast and salt together, add the warm water. Mix until it forms a ball, then knead for 5 minutes at least. Bread dough can be fussy and you really have to practice to know how much water to use and get the kneading technique down. I don't want to scare you away because baking your own bread is very much worth the effort. Please don't be discouraged if your first attempt(s) don't look like what you get in the local bakery. What you're making is a different thing entirely so it's not fair to compare.
Smear some oil on the dough, put it in a bowl with a towel over it and leave it in a warm place to rise for about an hour. Ideally it will double in size.
Gently deflate the dough, divide in two and shape into 2 baguettes. Cover with a tea towel while you're preheating the oven to 375F. Bake for about 20 minutes until the loaves are golden.

The Onions

1 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 pounds onions
1 tsp sugar

Cut the onions in half, root to blossom end, then slice so that you get julienne strips.
Heat a large pan to medium or medium low, preferably non-stick, heat the oil. Throw all the onions in, sprinkle with sugar.
Resist the urge to stir the onions until they have started to colour. Once the bottom layer has a bit of colour, give the onions a stir, then leave them alone again until the bottom layer gets colour again.
The key to carmelizing onions is to leave them alone. Don't stand there and stir them or they will never get brown.

The Soup

Carmelized onions
1 1/2 to 2 litres of beef broth
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup merlot
salt

Move the onions to your soup pot. Deglaze the onion pan and add to the soup pot. Add the beef broth, thyme, merlot and salt. Bring up to heat. Taste it and adjust the seasonings.

The assembly and presentation

Slice the bread into thick slices. Toast until crunchy.
Shred mozzerella and provolone cheese. I use about half and half. Toss together so it's mixed evenly.
Ladle the soup into individual oven proof soup bowls. Top each bowl with a toasted slice of bread, put a little too much cheese on top of that, then put under the broiler until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
It will be too hot to eat for a few minutes.

Enjoy with a glass of wine.

Raspberry Oat Muffins

2010-03-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

1 cup oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
dash nutmeg
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a muffin pan, or use paper liners.

Combine oats and buttermilk, and set aside for 5 minutes. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together the egg, oil, brown sugar and vanilla. Blend in the oat mixture. Toss the raspberries into the flour mixture, then stir into the rest of the ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.
Bake at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Shepherds Pie

2010-03-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

2 tbsp oil
1 small onion, diced

2 lbs ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 handful frozen green beans
1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup flour
1 can beef broth

1 tbsp pureed parsley
fresh sage, chopped

Mashed potatoes;
5 potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
3 whole garlic cloves
1/4 c. cream
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. skim milk if you need it

Heat the oil in the pan, cook the onions until soft. Add ground beef, stir and cook, adding the rest of the veggies in the order given. Once the beef is cooked, stir in the flour, then add the beef stock. Stir and let it simmer until it thickens. Add the herbs and turn the heat off. Put it in a casserole dish.

What I like to do is put half of this mixture in one dish and put it in the freezer. When you want to eat it, thaw it, cover with mashed potatoes and bake.

After you put the potatoes and whole garlic cloves in a large pot, put about an inch or two of cold water in. Add plenty of salt and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Drain the water, add the cream and butter and mash the potatoes with a masher. Add as much skim milk to make the potatoes as creamy and soft as you like it.

Cover the meat mixture with your mashed potatoes and bake at 350F until it's all hot
top with mashed potatoes and bake until the whole thing is hot. You can tell because the meat mixture will bubble and push through the potatoes.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

2010-03-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

Crust:

2 c. Nilla wafers
1/4 c. melted butter
Crush the wafers, stir with melted butter and press into a glass pie plate. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes.

Filling:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
2 squares (2 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar. The secret to a smooth creamy cheesecake is right here. Stop, scrape the beaters and beat. Repeat until the mixture is smoooth and do not add the eggs until it is. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Scrape the beaters and beat some more. If you got the mixture smooth when it was only cheese and sugar you should be good here. Blend in Bailey's. Stir in melted chocolate. Pour into crust.

Bake 10 minutes at 450°F, then turn the temp down to 250°F for 55 minutes. Cheesecake should still be a little loose and jiggle in the middle. Turn the oven off and prop the door open partway. Let the cake cool as the oven cools. Cooling the cake this way will minimize the cracking you often see in cheesecake.

Lemon Bars

2010-03-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

When it comes to Lemon Bars I am frequently disappointed because usually there is a distinct lack of lemony flavour. I like pucker power when it comes to Lemon Bars or lemon anything for that matter. That's why I took a classic Lemon Bar recipe and kicked it up a notch.
In Calgary, lemons are usually best in January, February and into the spring a little bit so make this recipe then.

1 large, juicy lemon
First, use your zester and get as much zest as you can from the lemon and put it in a small bowl. No need to measure. Then juice the heck out of the lemon.

Base;
1 cup flour
1/4 cup icing sugar
about half of your lemon zest
1/4 cup butter

Mix the flour, sugar and zest together, then melt the butter and mix it in. Press into a square glass pan. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350F oven. Cool.

Filling;
1 cup white sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
lemon juice and the rest of the zest.
Mix the sugar, flour and baking powder together. Beat the eggs with the lemon juice and zest then add to the sugar mixture. Pour this mixture over the cooled base. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.

When it's cool dust with icing sugar and serve with blackberries or some other kind of berries.

Italian Sausage soup

2010-02-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

2 tbsp olive oil
Heat up the oil in a large soup pot, like a dutch oven on medium heat.

Add;
1/2 large onion, chopped
Let the onions get clear, stirring frequently.

Then add;
4 cloves garlic, minced
dried oregano
dried basil
dried parsley or fresh or frozen purree
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
4 hot Italian sausages, cooked and sliced
1/2 can diced tomatoes
1 package frozen chopped spinach
2 c navy beans (I use dried beans, soak, then cook before adding but canned are good too.)
chicken broth to cover and bring up to the top of the pot.

Just add the ingredients in the order given, bring up to a simmer, taste, correct seasoning if necessary, then eat.

Chicken Shwarma

2010-02-28T14:22:00.000-08:00

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup plain yogurt (sour cream works in a pinch, or buttermilk or sour milk)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp shwarma spice
1/4 tsp cardamom
2 chicken thighs
1 chicken breast (or some combination of chicken meat)
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces or strips. Stir all ingredients together and let marinate at least 4 hours. Overnight is better.

Bake at 350 F for about half an hour or until chicken is cooked.

Sauce;
1/2 c tahini
1/4 c plain yogurt
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried
salt and pepper to taste
Mix together in a small bowl and let sit until you're ready to eat.

4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced or some green onion, chopped
some shredded lettuce
pita bread

Smear pita bread with the sauce, then add chicken and veggies. Roll it up and eat it.

Applesauce Cake

2010-02-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

I didn't find the recipe I was looking for so I changed one that was close and this is what I came up with;

3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1 dash cloves

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups yogurt
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan (that's an angel food cake pan) I haven't tried but I'm sure a bundt pan would work or a 9 X 13 or 2 8 inch squares or a square and a round or muffins...

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together and set aside.
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, add sugar, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, mix together and pour into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

I think it would be great with walnuts stirred in, raisins or even cranberries.

Potato Bread

2010-01-10T11:16:00.001-08:00

I had some guests coming for dinner recently and decided to make potato bread to go with the meal. I mixed the ingredients, put it in the oven to rise for an hour and when I took it out it hadn't changed at all. Wondering what happened I looked at the recipe to try to figure out what I missed. yeast! I didn't put any yeast in the darn bread! I threw the dough back in the mixer along with some yeast not having any idea whether this would work or not. I put it back in the oven to rise, then continued with the recipe. I was really disappointed with the results, but served it anyway. Julia child said “You should never apologize at the table. People will think, ‘Yes, it’s really not so good'". My guests told me they thought it was fantastic and one even asked for the recipe. Here it is;

2 eggs
1 1/4 c. warm milk
1/2 c. potato water (if you made the potatoes from scratch, otherwise plain water is fine)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 c. mashed potatoes
3 c. flour
1 pkg of instant yeast

Beat the eggs until frothy, then add the rest of the ingredients in the order given. Beat until batter is smooth. Work in enough flour ( about 5 cups) to make a soft dough, knead 8 or 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place it in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and put in the oven with the light on for about an hour or until about doubled in bulk.

Gently deflate the dough, separate into 2 and shape into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans.
Cover with tea towel and back in the oven with the light on for about half an hour. Take the loaves out of the oven, then preheat to 375F and bake them for 30 to 40 minutes until golden and they sound hollow when you tap them.

Enjoy!

Festive Pumpkin Cheesecake

2009-11-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

inspired by Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook

Crust;
3/4 cup of crushed gingersnaps
1/2 cup toast pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix it all up together and press it into a springform pan. Chill for one hour.

Filling;
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not the pie filling)
3 eggs
1/4 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
3 pkgs (250g each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cream
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together pumpkin and eggs, brown sugar, spices and salt. In a large bowl cream the cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in cream, cornstarch, vanilla, then the pumpkin mixture. Pour into crust and bake at 350F 50-55 minutes or until centre is just set.

Topping;
2 cups sour cream
2 Tbsp sugar
Mix together. Spread over top of hot cheesecake and bake 5 more minutes. Run knife around edge of pan after you take it out of the oven.

Chill overnight covered. Decorate with pecan halves.

How to make chicken soup if you're not a cook

2009-11-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

This is for my brother because my niece is sick, but I thought a few of you would be interested.

One onion (or a part of an onion or no onion) cut up into bite sized pieces or smaller
1 clove of garlic (or a lot of cloves of garlic or garlic powder or no garlic) smooshed or chopped into the smallest possible pieces
3 carrots peeled and sliced thin or a handful of those baby peeled carrots, cut small (or more carrots or no carrots)
2 sticks of celery (or more or no celery) sliced or cut very small
Other optional vegetable ideas include but not limited to; zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, green beans. Use fresh, frozen or canned. Fresh is best, but frozen is considered nutritionally a close second or just as good.
4 skinless chicken thighs, cut up into small pieces (or a couple of boneless skinless breasts)
2 litres of chicken broth (use the yellow powdered stuff if you have to, but don’t tell me if you do)
A sprinkle of parsely
Look in your cupboard for herbs (green stuff) you have on hand. Thyme, sage, basil, oregano are all good. Poultry seasoning is a blend of herbs that would also work well.
Salt, pepper and some hot pepper flakes or cayenne if you want.

Get a large pot, put it on medium and add some oil (if you have no oil, use butter or margarine) add the onions and cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic. Then add the chicken. Cook this and stir every now and then until the chicken is no longer pink and the onions look clear.
Throw the rest of the ingredients in. When the liquid starts to move, wiggle or bubble a little bit, this is called a simmer. Turn it down to low and let it simmer until the vegetables are cooked. The best way to tell if they’re cooked is to taste one.

If you want noodles in it, cook them separately and put them in. Same for rice. Or potatoes.
But I think a whole grain bun is better.

Making soup is an art not a science. Feel good about what you’re doing and don’t be afraid.

Bon Apetit!

Sausage, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

2009-08-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

As much as I hate recipe titles that read like a shopping list, here's your recipe today. I just can't think of another name for it. Yet.
1 Tbsp canola oil
3 hot italian turkey sausages
1 red onion, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 can black beans
1 tsp cumin
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup tomato puree
Heat the pan, then add the oil. Squish the sausage meat out of the casing and drop into the hot pan. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed and simmer until the sweet potato is cooked.
I intend to serve it tomorrow. I'll post a review then.

Chicken Shawarma

2009-08-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

Marinade;
1/2 c cider vinegar
1/4 c plain yogurt
1 Tbsp canola oil
pepper
1 tsp shawarma spice (a mixture of allspice, cloves, cinammon, nutmeg and ginger)
1/4 tsp cardamom

Mix together and pour over 8 chicken thighs. Let marinate overnight or at least 4 hours. Bake @350 about half an hour. Pull off the skin, remove the bones and chop coarsely.

Tahini sauce;
1/2 c tahini
1/4 c plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
splash of olive oil
1 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper

Mix together and let the flavour marry for a few hours.

Assemble the Shawarma;
Smear tahini sauce on a pita bread, add lettuce, sliced onion and chopped tomato, then the chicken. Wrap it up and eat it.

Red River Cereal bread

2009-06-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

Bread making is where art and science meet to create something wonderful. Something nourishing for your body, mind and spirit. It helps to know how things work, but is not essential to success. Every ingredient serves a specific purpose and all work together toward the outcome.
Success may take practice. There are days it will not turn out well for no apparent good reason. Please do not give up. The more you do it the better you will get. You will learn to look at your dough, feel it, smell it and know if it needs more flour or to be kneaded a little longer.
Besides, it's homemade bread. Even when it's bad it's good.

1 cup Red River Cereal (or Sunny Boy) (1/4 c. cereal cooked in 1 c. water)
1 tablespoons butter
1 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons honey or molasses

3 cups unbleached flour (or all-purpose, or whole wheat)
1 package instant yeast

1 c. buttermilk (when milk goes south in my fridge I throw it in a container and put it in the freezer to use for a recipe that calls for buttermilk like this one. You could use regular milk with some acid like vinegar or lemon juice or yogurt or even water)

While the cereal is cooling add the butter, salt and honey.

Mix together the flour and the yeast.

Once the cereal mixture is room temperature, add it to the flour along with the buttermilk and mix. Add flour slowly until you have a soft, sticky dough. I do all of this in my stand up mixer. You could take it out and knead it on the counter if you like. This is not only therapeutic, but improves the texture of the bread.

Place the dough in an oil bowl, put oil on top of the dough, cover with a dry towel and put in a warm place.

The dough will double in about 45 minutes or an hour.

Punch it down (just deflate it, kneading is not necessary). Cut it in two and form two loaves. Place them in greased loaf pans, cover with a dry cloth and rise again until doubled. About 30-45 minutes.

Bake at 350F for about 30-45 minutes. Until they look done.

Super Fantastic Shrimp and Noodles

2009-06-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

This dinner came together 'accidentally' and was fantastic!

Marinate 20 shrimp in;
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chili sauce
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Stir fry in the order given;
one bloop of canola oil
half an onion
half a red pepper
half a green pepper
one carrot
one celery stick
shrimp

Meanwhile cook some spaghetti (rice would be delicious too)

Peanut sauce;

1/2 cup peanut butter
zest and juice of one small lime
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 clove garlic
dash ginger powder
1 tbsp sugar in the raw
1 tbsp chili garlic paste
1/2 cup hot water
Shake it all about. I made this right in the peanut butter jar with what was left-I just threw everything in.

Throw some peanut sauce in when you throw the shrimp in. By the time the shrimp is cooked, the sauce will have thickened a little.

Toss some peanut sauce with the spaghetti, then serve with the stir fried veggies and shrimp.

Streusel Apple Coffeecake

2009-06-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

The weather is cold and grim.
I have too many apples in the fridge.
Mmmmm...CAKE!

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a fork until crumbly. Stir in walnuts. Set aside

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups plain yogurt
2 apples - peeled, cored and sliced. Granny Smith are my favourite for baking, but use whatever you have on hand.

Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Then stir in the vanilla and yogurt. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until blended.

Pour about half of the batter into the Bundt pan, sprinkle with 1/4 of the streusel, and layer with apples. Sprinkle with 1/2 the remaining streusel. Pour in the remaining batter, and top with the remaining 1/4 streusel. Lightly pat the top layer of streusel so it sticks to the cake batter.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes in a 350 F oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Place cookie sheet over pan and carefully invert both. Remove Bundt pan, and let the cake cool completely.

Dust it with icing sugar to make it pretty.

Creamy Poppyseed Salad Dressing

2009-05-31T11:02:00.000-07:00

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup yogurt
juice of half a lime
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp poppyseeds
a few twists of pepper

Throw it all in a jar and shake it like crazy. Let it sit overnight before using it if you can.

Saucy Fudge Pudding

2009-05-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

This is my go-to recipe. It's quick, easy and so very delicious. Also, it's full of ingredients I always have on hand.

1 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
dash cinnamon (optional)
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Mix together in the order given. Put in an 8-in casserole dish.

3/4 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. hot water (hot from the tap hot, not boiling hot)

Mix together until the sugar is dissolved and pour over the first mixture.
DO NOT STIR!
To clarify; you will have a lump of batter covered with a runny mixture.

Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

While it bakes the pudding will rise to the top and there will be a beautiful fudge sauce on the bottom.

Best served warm.

**a note about cinnamon and chocolate**
Cinnamon and chocolate are a great and classic flavour combination although still unexpected. I usually (depending on my mood) put a dash of cinnamon in any chocolate I'm baking; cake, brownies, cookies. It seems to enhance the flavour of the chocolate and adds a "what is that?" to your dish. In a good way.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2009-05-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Also known as Stacey's birthday cupcakes.

In a flash of inspiration I came up with this idea. I substituted half of the butter in my usual icing recipe with smooth peanut butter. I then smeared it on my chocolate cupcakes and sprinkled with chocolate sprinkles. Pretty and delicious. The icing doesn't have the same consistency as regular icing and so it doesn't pipe from a piping bag as well, but the taste is fantastic.

Here's what I did;
1/4 c butter
1/4 c peanut butter
wee splash of vanilla
2 cups of icing sugar (about)
splash of milk (as needed)

Mixed it all up in my stand up mixer. I played around with the consistency a bit-you know, a little more milk, a little more icing sugar.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

2008-09-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oats
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
Mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl until evenly blended. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk, egg, and oil. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, just until all ingredients are moistened. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling to the top.
Bake in preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes.

What I had for supper tonight

2008-09-28T12:01:00.002-07:00

Indian Stir-Fried Shrimp in Cream Sauce (Bhagari Jhinga)

* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon white sugar
* 1 teaspoon garam masala
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 1 cup coconut milk
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon cold water

1. In a medium bowl, stir together tomato paste, salt, sugar, garam masala, ground cumin seed, ground red pepper, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lemon juice, and coconut milk. Set coconut sauce aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Immediately stir in garlic, and cook until garlic begins to brown. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp is opaque; this should take only a minute or two. Pour the coconut sauce over the shrimp; cook until the sauce begins to simmer. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water; stir into the sauce, and continue cooking until thick.

Serve over basmati rice. Yummmmmm

Sunday morning breakfast

2008-09-28T12:01:00.001-07:00

I did an experiment this morning. Here's the final recipe;

6 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
toss with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and put in a deep casserole dish

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
-stir it together

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons peanut butter
-cut the butters into the dry mixture with a pastry blender or rub together with your fingers.

Pat the mixture on top of the apples and bake the whole thing at 350F for about an hour. You can tell it's done because it bubbles around the edges.

I've made apple crisp before but I've never put peanut butter in it before. It's delicious! I may never make it the other way again.

Muhammara

2008-03-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

3 red bell peppers, roasted

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses

1/4 tsp. cumin (optional)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the roasted peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and cumin until well blended and smooth.

With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If it's too thick, add a few spoonfuls of water. To serve, spread the muhammara in a bowl, top with a walnut half and drizzle with a little extra olive oil if you like. Serve with fresh pitas or pita chips.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Per 1/4 cup: 164 calories, 8.8 g total fat (0.8 g saturated fat, 3.2 g monounsaturated fat, 4.3 g polyunsaturated fat), 4.7 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.2 g fiber. 45% calories from fat.

sesame chicken

2007-11-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
5 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken thighs - cut into chunks
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1/2 cup green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons honey
DIRECTIONS:
In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, black pepper, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes. Place a few pieces of chicken at a time into the bag, and shake to coat. Remove to a platter.
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place chicken into skillet, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken, and set aside. Stir onion wedges and bell pepper slices into skillet; cook until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove, and set aside.
Return chicken to skillet, and reduce heat to low. Mix in teriyaki marinade, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, and honey; stir until sauce thickens. Return onion and bell pepper to the skillet. Warm through, and serve.

Teriyaki sauce
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup+2 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
1/4 cup+2 Tbsp white sugar, divided
8 green onions, cut into 1 1/2 inch sections
4 slices fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup honey
DIRECTIONS:
Combine soy sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, green onions, ginger and garlic in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring the mixture to a slight boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Pour the remaining white and brown sugar and the honey into the saucepan. Bring to a boil. The mixture will rise and foam, when it does this and doubles in size remove the pan from heat and cool.

Pumpkin pancakes

2007-11-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

2 c. flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Sift together.

1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp vinegar

Mix together, then add sifted dry ingredients to combine.

Make pancakes on the griddle as usual.

I serve these with toasted pecans and real maple syrup.

Family Picnic Time

2007-07-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

So, you've agreed.

One of your children said " let's go on a picnic" so you picked a day and decided on a destination close to nature, far from the hubbub of daily life. As you draw up your list of stuff to bring, bug spray, a Frisbee, a blanket...you wonder what in the world you're going to eat. You know that if you had thought if it before now you would have made an Italian inspired pasta salad and homemade fried chicken a la Martha Stewart, but, your husband is washing the car and you all want to leave as soon as he gets back. What to bring?

First, think outside the plate. You're not eating where you normally eat, so don't eat what normally eat. Take a look in the fridge. What about fresh veggies and dip? Fresh fruit. Leftover pizza is great cold. Leftover pasta, chicken, maybe some lunch meat. Juice boxes. Some of that leftover 7 layer dip. Cheese. Poke your head in the cupboard and throw some granola bars in. Maybe some crackers and chips. Raisins, nuts and smarties thrown in a container makes trail mix. Finger food is fun, easier to serve than the usual and grazing (eating a small amount at a time) allows for more Frisbee tossing. It lets you off the hook, too. Just think, you can open the cooler and go park under a tree with your book or toss the Frisbee with your husband, which leaves everyone free to eat something when they feel hungry.

Don't forget the wet naps or a damp facecloth in a ziplock baggie.

Hummus goes well with fresh veggies, crakers, chips or pita bread

4 large cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 c tahini (sesame paste)
5 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin, ground
1/2 tsp chili powder

Throw the garlic in the food processor while it's running. Then add everything else and puree until it's smooth and creamy. You might have to stop the machine part way through and scrape it down. A lower fat version would replace some or all of the olive oil with plain low fat yogurt. The raw garlic delivers a bite, which increases as the dip matures in
your fridge. Alternatively, roast the garlic a little to tame it. Then you might need 8 cloves.