Merry Christmas

I just wanted to drop a line to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to all my awesome readers!  I hope you and your families have a wonderful time together.  If you are heading out of town, travel safe.  Enjoy every minute of the holiday and try not to get wrapped up in all the chaos and stress of it all.  Relax and enjoy one another.


PS: I learned a very important lesson this morning while trying to make a cherry cheese cake.  Heavy cream is whipping cream NOT  table cream. Dammit.  Back to the drawing board...

Taco Salad

A student suggested that we make taco salad this week for our food lab.  What a great suggestion!  It was a hit.  When I got home tonight I decided to make it for hubster because I knew he would love it.  I didn't have prepackaged taco seasoning or Catalina salad dressing so I made both from scratch.  I also used ground chicken instead of beef.  It turned out GREAT!

Taco Salad
1 Romain heart, chopped
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 lb ground chicken (or beef)
1 huge handful cheese Doritos, crushed
1/2 package taco seasoning *see recipe below for homemade seasoning
1/2 cup water
Catalina dressing to taste *see recipe below for homemade dressing

Cook ground chicken over medium heat until cooked through.  Drain fat if needed.  Add taco seasoning and water.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until liquid is almost gone.  Serve over salad that has been prepared with other toppings.  Enjoy!  My students really enjoyed this meal...so did my husband!

Catalina Dressing

1/4 cup ketchup 

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup olive oil 

salt and pepper

Shake together in a mason jar.

Taco Seasoning

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

 

Power Through

Let's face it, life can throw us some pretty crappy situations.  Just when you don't think you can handle one other thing, that one other thing happens. The amazing thing is, you always get through it.  We are all capable of powering through the craziest $h!t and when you get to the other side you think 'whoa, how did I survive that?'. There are so many little things that seem to help me power through the B.S. Here are some of my favourite pick-me-ups in no particular order:

• A Starbucks beverage of any sort
• Snail mail
• A compliment from a stranger (or student!)
• My family!
• A pep talk from a good friend
• Going out for dinner with my husband
• Candles (Pine or pumpkin spice scents are my fav!)
• Going on a walk with my pup
• Will Farrell movies
• Flowers - my amazing Mother sent me flowers 2 weeks ago!  How thoughtful!
• Text messages in the middle of the day
• A dirty joke
• Red wine
• Music

For those of you going through a tough time right now try to do a few little pick-me-up things for yourself.  For those of you who aren't going through a tough time right now, do something nice for someone who is.  It quite possibly could be the pick-me-up that they need to get through...

~ Dr. Phil Jill
 

Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Crisps

I'm not one to shop at Metro.  I find the prices at 24 hour grocery stores to be outrageous but I only need two items so I ran in. On my way to the checkout I grabbed a box of crackers from one of those store front displays (I'm a sucker like that...that's what she said). They are fabulous! I think you might be able to purchase them at Food Basics as well (I will look next time I'm there and let you know).   They are Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Crisps and are Iresistibles brand (ain't that the truth!).  According to the box they are "Artian biscuits (ummm, whatever that means) made from the finest grains and seeds.  Excellent with cheese, dips or on their own." I agree!  They would be AMAZING with brie cheese.  A quick and easily transportable appetizer to bring to a holiday party.  I think the box ran me about $4.00.  Worth every penny.... they are gone already....opps....

 

3rd Annual Cookie Exchange

Last night was our 3rd annual cookie exchange with some lovely friends. This is my 2nd cookie exchange that I've been sick for. ugh!  Last year I had to make 6 dozen cookies while nursing the worst hangover of life and this year I'm working through a brutal cold.  I cannot even begin to tell you how brutal it was baking cookies last year when I couldn't even stomach water. This year was a much more enjoyable experience. I decided to make the same cookies and last year and ended up making 4 batches (about 90 cookies) of Chewy Ginger Cookies.  The other ladies made Pecan Puff Cookies, Peanut Butter Balls, Chocolate Almond Bark, Sugar Cookies and Rolled Chocolate Short Bread. A great variety.  I will eventually get the recipes for all of the treats. I've 'sampled' all of them and they are all Y.U.M.M.Y. and look pretty cute too!

Cabbage Soup

I'm currently fighting off my 2nd cold of the school year. blah. After doing some reading on natural health remedies I thought it would be good to put my leftover cabbage to good use.  Cabbage soup it is.  Here is some information I found....

"Health Benefits: Eating cabbage soup can also offer a range of health benefits. Cabbage is packed with nutrients. One cup of cabbage has nearly an entire day's recommended daily allowance of vitamin K, and half the amount of vitamin C you need each day. It also has plenty of fiber and B vitamins. As a vegetable in the cruciferous family, it contains plenty of phytonutrients, or beneficial plant chemicals that are useful for everything from cleansing our system of toxins to lowering our risks for a variety of cancers. In addition, cabbage can contribute to gastrointestinal health, and can be beneficial for a range of women's health issues."   Information from: http://www.ehow.com/list_5793708_cabbage-soup-benefits.html

Ingredients
1/2 small cabbage, shredded (or 1/4 of a large cabbage)
splash of olive oil
2 beef or chicken bouillon cubes
4 cups of water
1/4 of a onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Method
Over medium heat heat olive oil in a pot.  Throw in garlic and onion into pot and cook for a few minutes. Toss in everything else and simmer for 25 minutes.

Coleslaw

I eat pretty much anything except for weird meats (that's what she said). I certainly get every dollar's worth at a buffet. I love pasta, veggies, potatoes, fruit, breads, cheese, everything!  Last week while speed walking through the produce isles at the grocery store I realized that I've never bought a cabbage. Weird.  So I tossed one in my cart. Cabbage is one of the foods on my "indifferent" foods list along with pie, yogurt, stew and corn to name a few.  Tonight I had meatballs (found here) and decided that a coleslaw side would be a perfect compliment.

Ingredients
1/2 small-medium cabbage
1 large carrot
1/4 of a red onion
1/2 cup mayo
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
salt & pepper

Method
shred cabbage and carrot (I used my food processor).  Shred red onion much smaller then the cabbage and carrot.  In a bowl mix mayo, vinegar, mustard powder, salt and pepper.  Pour over cabbage, carrot and onion to coat.  Eat.

now....what to do with this leftover cabbage....

Winning X2

Last night this girl won her very own turkey!  That's right, a turkey! I found out that I might actually be relatively good at curling. hmm, who knew?! Closest rock to the turkey won!

 Mama, Jill's bringing home the bacon turkey for Christmas  this year... woot woot!

Movember

A lot of people I know participated in Movember this year. Good on ya!

I attended a 'Stash Bash at a friends place on the weekend and these lovely cookies were one of the yummy snacks served.  They were delish!  Check out the recipe here.

Looking to donate? You still have time!

MOVEMBER

Half Chickens with Pesto

Last week I took a small container of my homemade pesto (found here) out of the freezer with every intention of making pasta but completely forgot.  Tonight I was cooking up half chickens and decided to spread pesto all over the chicken before baking.  It turned out fantastic.

Baked Chicken
2 half chickens (enough for 4 servings)
1-2 tablespoons pesto

Paint pesto over chicken and bake at 400 degrees for at least 35 minutes, or until juices run clear. Serve with a veggie side (I did roasted asparagus with melted provolone cheese)

Baked Shrimp & Caesar Salad

Monday was shit. Yeah, I said it. But I was determined to make Tuesday a better day and decided to make one of my favourite meals for dinner.  Baked garlic shrimp, Caesar salad (homemade dressing!) and fresh french bread. Heaven.on.a.plate. (I might have stolen that quote from The O.C. circa 2004). It is ridiculously easy and ridiculously bad for you but oh so tasty.

Baked Garlic Shrimp for 2
12 shrimp, cooked, devained, tails off
3 tablespoons butter, cut into 12 pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated cheese (whatever cheese you have. I always mix cheeses together)

Can be purchased at Dollarama

Place one shrimp in each of the sections of an escargot baking dish. Spread minces garlic on each of the shrimp.  Place cube of butter on each shrimp. Cover with cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Put on HI broil for 2 minutes to crisp up top of cheese.  Serve with french bread for dipping.
OHHHHH SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD!



Salad Dressing
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 tbsp mayo (depending on how creamy you like it) <-- that's what she said.
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
splash of lemon juice
splash of Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper

Place everything in a mason jar. Shake and pour over a bed of romain lettuce.

Chai Nog Latte

In my next life I'm going to be an owner of a quaint coffee shop who doesn't actually do anything except sit in the shop, drink (free) coffee and read novels all day. Lazy Barista Boss. Sign me up.

 *For the out-of-the-loop people:  barista (from the Italian for "bartender") is a person, usually a coffee-house employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.

Tonight's latte concoction; Chai Nog Latte. This is DELISH!



Ingredients
1/3 mug of chai tea concentrate (more info here)
1/3 mug milk
1/3 mug eggnog

Method
Toss in the microwave for 1 min 40 seconds. Remove and whip with milk frother.

En-freakin'-Joy.

Cookie Gadget

Gadgets ain't ma thang. Sure, they all have a purpose, but they usually have a very specific function, are used infrequently and take up valuable space. Am I right, or am I right?

Last Christmas my brother and his wife gave me a kitchen gadget and if I'm being honest here, I was planning on donating once the "I've kept it for a year so now I don't have to feel bad getting rid of it" rule was up (If you are reading MM, I'm sorry!).  However, a few weeks ago I decided to take it for a test drive. I definitely changed my tune - this bad boy isn't going anywhere. I can now make the perfect sized cookies with just one hand. Buddy, I'm sorry I ever doubted you...

Update: The cookie gadget (aka: Cookie Dropper) was purchased at Lee Valley (check it out here). I took a picture of my gadget (that's what she said), but didn't realize that I was actually taking a video (that's what HE said).  It's probably just me, but I find this video motage of spoon footage halarious! I think I need to get out more. (ugh! For some reason the clip won't upload. I will try again tomorrow.)

Emptying the fridge...

I've been a slacker with the blog for the past few weeks. My bad. I've been distracted with Christmas decorating and shopping.  I'm proud to say that I'm about 90% done my Christmas shopping. WOOT WOOT!  This year I work right up until December 23rd, BOO! I wanted to get all the shopping done long before then so I can spend the week leading up to Christmas enjoying life, and not wandering the mall and having the urge to punch people between the eyes or drop kick them.  I even made a spreadsheet of gift ideas and budgeting. I must have been avoiding laundry or something...

This week we ordered Chinese food so we've been working on those leftovers for a bit.  I haven't spent much time in the kitchen at all... with the exception of making this soup. I noticed a few days ago that I had some veggies that needed to be used up or else I'd have the toss them.  Quick fix; soup. I basically threw everything in a pot and simmered for and hour.  If you have extra veggies hanging around that aren't going to last much longer, think about whipping together a quick soup to limit the amount of food tossed.

what I used:
1 can lentils, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup quinoa, rinced thoroughly
2 leeks, halved & sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 carrot, sliced
3/4 cup corn
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1 red pepper, diced
4 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste

It made A LOT of soup so I put most in the freezer to use later. 
  

Make a friend!

Starbucks
Buy One Holiday Drink & Get One Free

Novemeber 17-20th

2-5pm

Can I get a BOOYA!

Want more deets? Check them out here

Winning

I'm one of those people who never win anything.  I wouldn't go as far as to say that I'm an unlucky person because I have been dealt some pretty awesome cards. However, I have now learned to expect absolutely nothing from any raffle, 50/50 draws or contest that I participate in (except the warm fuzzy feeling of money going to a good cause, right?!)  Well folks, that all changed on Thursday. I WON A CAKE!  Talk about a great day at work, eh?  I walked into school with half a cup of lukewarm coffee in my hands and walked out of the building with a huge chocolate cake with beautiful tidied fondant icing.

Winning...

Salsa

I don't know what I was thinking but I decided to hit Costco on Friday evening after work. Hell.On.Earth. Why don't people understand how to operate a shopping cart? It's a simple concept folks - stick to the right and everyone will keep moving.  That is until someone decides to leave their cart in the middle of the isle, on a slight angle preventing everyone from getting by all because they saw the jumbo ketchup on sale back 10 feet.  I digress. 2 months ago I purchased amazing salsa from Costco so I was on a mission to get it again since my brother, sister-in-law and adorable nephew were visiting the following day. Darn it!  They weren't carrying that brand anymore. I decided to whip together some homemade salsa instead so grabbed some tomatoes and red peppers and headed for the checkout (who am I kidding!? I didn't just purchase those two items.  I've never left Costco without dropping at least a hundred buckaroos).  The salsa turned out pretty good!

Ingredients

6-8 tomatoes, diced

1 small onion, diced (small)

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/8 cup diced jalapenos (alter amount depending on heat tolerance)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Toss everything into a pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every so often.  Cool and serve.  Keeps in fridge for a week.

Curry Carrot & Squash Soup

Yes, I realize that I've posted a lot of carrot based soups this fall, however we had a lot of carrots to use up from our garden. I have to say, our homegrown carrots are delicious.  Far better then those mini carrots they sell at the store that dry up so quickly.  I try to stay away from those since they don't have a great taste and are preserved using some not-so-good-for-you stuff.  What more info? Check out this article on mini carrots - pretty interesting! I digress. This soup has been our favourite so far because the curry gives it a little kick. A perfect weekend lunch.

Ingredients
6 large carrots, chopped (you don't have to peel them but make sure to wash 'em though)
1 smallish butternut squash, peeled & chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon curry

Method
In a large pot over medium heat a slash of olive oil.  Once warm add garlic and stir for two minutes.  Add onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add squash and curry power, stir and cook for 5 minutes.  Add chicken stock, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.  Transfer in batches to food process to puree. Serve with a little sour cream or grated cheese on top. 

Pumpkin Seeds X 3

2009

I love the holidays and all of the traditions that go along with them.  From decorating the Christmas tree to big family meals to carving pumpkins at Halloween, I love it all!  As mentioned here, I'm not particularly good at paying attention to fine detail, so when it comes time to carve pumpkins they end up looking like a 4 year old designed them.  Here is the proof...

2008

2007 (Mine is on the left...)

2011

This year my husband and I carved a pumpkin together (usually we each have our own).  My role was designer and seed baker, his was carver.  This is the design I came up with. Oh jeez! Ok, enough with pointing out things I'm terrible at and onto something that I can sometimes pull off. Cooking!  Our locally grown pumpkin was jammed full of large, lovely looking seeds that were just asking to be roasted.  I decided to make three different flavours; salty, sweet and savoury.

Method for all seeds:
Rinse seeds thoroughly with warm water and remove pumpkin gunk.  Spread seeds on a paper towel to absorb excess water. Put in a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of melted butter for ever 1 cup of pumpkin seeds.  Toss until covered. Add your chosen flavouring and toss again.  Sprinkle on cookie sheet in a single layer and cook at 300 degrees and bake 45-60 minutes, flipping once half way through.

Salty:

Add salt to taste, you could even throw in some pepper too.

Sweet:

1 tablespoon sugar

a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg & clove (to taste)

Savoury:

splash of Worcestershire sauce

a sprinkle of garlic powder, Cayenne pepper and salt (to taste)

Banana Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Cranky Pants

This afternoon was spent helping my husband drag trees out of the bush that will be used to heat our house this winter.  Although it ended up being a beautiful day I wasn't feeling it, I ended up putting my Cranky Pants on this morning.  Now that I'm home I feel the need to bake an "I'm sorry for being a grumpster" treat for my patient hubby. Hope he likes it.  I had 4 overly ripe bananas that I wanted to use up and couldn't face making another loaf of banana bread. I spent a few minutes looking around the Internet for inspiration and found a good looking recipe that I ended up modifying a bit.  I haven't sampled it yet but it certainly smells DELISH! I will let you know shorty how it turned out. *turned out good!  Next time I'll bake in a rectangular dish so it comes out thinner.

Batter Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large very ripe bananas

3 tablespoons coffee cream, milk or buttermilk...whatever you have :) 

Crumble Ingredients
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the crumble ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Using a stand or hand mixer cream sugar, butter and egg until fluffy. Add bananas and milk/cream and continuing mixing.  Add flour, salt, baking power and baking soda and mix until everything it is blended well.  In a greased rectangular baking pan pour in half of the batter.  Sprinkle with half the crumble mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and crumble. Bake 45 minutes or until centre is cooked through.

One Dish Chicken & Broccoli

Campbell's soup to the rescue!  This recipe is modified from a can of Cream of Chicken Campbell's Soup.  I'm pumped that it only took one pan to make, especially since I enjoy doing dishes just about as much as I enjoy grocery shopping (details here).  To be honest, I don't enjoy chicken all that much (too bland for this guys taste buds), so I have to flavour the 'f out of it.  This recipe does just that.  I served it with boiled red potatoes seasoned with butter, salt and pepper.




Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 large crown broccoli, cut into pieces
1 green onion, chopped (or about 4 tablespoons of diced regular onion)

Method
Heat olive oil in a large fry pan and add chicken.  Brown chicken on each side (about 4 minutes each side).  Add onions and cook about 3 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 7-10 minutes (or until broccoli is cooked to preference).  Serve over rice or with a side of potato.

The greatest food on the planet

It doesn't matter where it comes from, who makes it or what's on it....

I LOVE PIZZA. 

Greatest food on the planet.  Why you ask?!

• You can eat it cold or hot
• So many crust options - thick, thin, whole wheat, rosemary, gluten free etc.
• You can eat it for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner
• Dessert pizza! HELLO!
• It can be spicy by adding chili flakes to the sauce or hot peppers as a topping
• It can be savoury by using a smokey BBQ sauce instead of the typical pizza sauce
• You can make it fancy with goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and a pesto sauce
• It's dippable!  Ranch salad dressing and pizza crust is heavenly...
•  It cures a hangover
• It's an awesome celebration food
• It usually has all 4 food groups
• You can make it healthy!
• It can be made at home, bought frozen or delivered (unless you live in the boons like me)
• Let's face it, it smells ridiculously GOOD!
• Everyone loves it.  If you don't, stop lying to yourself
• You can make it in any shape you want! Heart pizza - - so romantic!
• It's so good that it only took me 3 minutes to write this list

I made homemade pizza tonight (recipe found here) and cannot wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

Jill, out.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

This is super simple and tastes pretty darn good! It took about 5 minutes of prep and 35 minutes to cook.

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, butterflied & tenderized
3 tablespoons low fat sour cream
2 cups fresh spinach
Up to 1/4 cup grated extra old cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
*Optional - 4 strips bacon (I didn't do this put it would taste darn GOOD!)

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Slice each chicken breast lengthwise until its just attached on one side (this is called butterflying).  Open up and cover with a piece of plastic wrap.  Using a meat tenderizer smack the $#*! out of it until its large enough to roll with a filling inside.  Throw spinach in the microwave until it wilts (1 min).  In a bowl mix wilted spinach, sour cream, cheese and garlic.  Spread mixture into chicken.  Roll chicken breasts and secure with tooth picks. If you decided to use bacon, wrap around chicken at this point.  In a oven proof dish, cook for 35 minutes.  Remove tooth picks and serve with a spinach salad. Bam!  Quick, easy and simple!

California Strawberry Salad

Thanksgiving meal round 2, here we come!  I am contributing a salad and decided on a California Strawberry Salad.  I would have preferred to use goat cheese but it were sold out at the grocery store yesterday - - - feta it is!  This salad has a great mixture of sweet and salty flavours and the sliced almonds add a decent crunch since baby greens are a little on the soft side (that's that she said).  You could add a few shrimp, a salmon steak or a grilled chicken breast to make it a meal.  E.n.j.o.y.

Yields: One big salad for a group

Salad Ingredients
1 head of romaine (you don't need this but I had it in the fridge and wanted to use it up)
1 small container mixed baby greens
1 brick feta OR goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar toasted sliced almonds (in a fry pan over med. heat mix 3 tbsp sugar & almonds until sugar melts. remove & cool)

Maple Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
pinch of salt
* mix everything together

Add dressing just before you serve so it doesn't go soggy.

Autumn Soup; bunny style

We planted our veggie garden very late this year since we were anticipating a move over the summer (wishful thinking!) so our carrots are finally ready to be pulled (that's what she said).  I decided to make another pureed soup and opted for straight up carrot. Ya, I live on the edge like that.  Both my husband and I have a slight gag reflex when it comes to cooked carrots so I was crossing my fingers that this soup wasn't going to have the same flavour.  Mission accomplished!  The soup turned out great and only took about 35-40 minutes, start to finish. 

Yields: 1 big pot of soup - probably 12 servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter/marg
10-15 decent sized carrots, peeled and chopped
2 small onion, chopped
1 medium potato (optional - I added it to thicken up the soup with its' natural starch)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
*or instead of the water and cubes, add 4 cups of stock
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Method
In a large pot over medium heat melt butter and add garlic and onion.  Once onion goes clearish (about 4 minutes) add the carrots, potatoes and wine.  Simmer for 5 minutes until the alcohol is cooked off.  Add water, cubes and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.  Transfer in batches to food processor.  Puree and serve.  YUM!

Apple Pie & Gulten free Apple Crisp

Not my actual apple pie - i wish!
Today we remember Steve Jobs

I'm all appled out!  Today at 8:10am half of my class made apple crisp for their weekly food lab.  When I arrived home tonight and had to make an apple pie and an apple crisp for my family Thanksgiving meal.  Tomorrow morning at 8:10am the other half of my class will be making, yup you guessed it; apple crisp. Apples and I are on a break right now.  By the time Thanksgiving rolls around I'll be opting for pumpkin pie for dessert instead.

APPLE PIE RECIPE
Crust Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, chilled and diced 

1/2 cup ice water

Filling Ingredients
12 small assorted apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze Ingredients
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons sugar

Method
In stand mixer combine flour and salt. Add butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. split in half and wrap each ball in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes or overnight. Roll each dough ball out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place one crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Trim edge even to pie plate. Set other crust aside.

In large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Stir together sugar, flour and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples and toss until coated. Scrape into pie shell.

Place other crust on top of pie and fold under. Gently lift bottom pastry rim and fold overhang under rim; press together to seal. Make a few slits in the crust to let steam escape will baking.  Brush top crust with egg and water mixture and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then turn down heat to 350 degrees for 40 additional minutes. I've actually put the raw pie in the freezer until Saturday when I will transport it to my hometown.  If you are baking from frozen add 10 additional minutes.

GLUTEN FREE APPLE CRISP
 Yields: 1 large serving

Ingredients
2 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
splash lemon juice
1/2 cups pecans, crushed
1 tablespoon butter
pinch nutmeg

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange apple slices in a small greased oven proof dish. In a food processor chop walnuts finely.  Add remaining ingredients to food processor and mix.  Spread mixture over apples.  Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with ice cream. 

Pumpkin Pie

Judging by today's weather you wouldn't know that Fall has already arrived which means Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Can I get a "Booya!".  I love the time spent with family and friends, delicious home cooking, autumn colours and the crisp fall air.  What I don't like is that harvest time on the farm always, without fail, falls on the long weekend.  I am heading to my hometown this weekend and unfortunately the hubinator is unable to join in the festivities.  Can I get a "bru-tal". Since he won't be around to enjoy the awesomeness that is Thanksgiving dinner I felt sorry for the sucker.  I am in charge of making dessert; pumpkin and mile high apple pie.  I'm not one for pies but my husband is die hard so I felt sorry for him when I was whipping up the pumpkin pie... so I made two.  Yes, that is correct, my husband got his very own Thanksgiving pie.  He better be damn Thankful...

Yields: 2 nine inch pies

FYI: I used premade, frozen crusts - I'm a cheater.  Tomorrow I am making homemade pastry for my mile high apple pie and will post when I have a few minutes.

Ingredients
1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (425 ml)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can carnation evaporated milk

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees C.  Whisk together all ingredients except evaporated milk.  Once everything is thoroughly mixed, slowly mix in milk.  Pour mixture into pie crusts.  Cook for 65 minutes on bottom rack.

Choco & PB Cookies

Have I mentioned that I love peanut butter? Yesterday while the hubster was cleaning out the wood stove I decided to do some baking (yes, we are pioneers). These cookies have a subtle PB flava-flav and are perfectly chewy, just so long as you don't over cook them.  This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies so you can earn brownie points (or should I say cookie points) by taking them to work and sharing with colleagues.  Hope you likie as much as I likie.

I think this kid loves PB too!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, corn syrup, water, and vanilla. In a seperate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt then stir into the peanut butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Check out this girls blog! I think she might love PB and chocolate more then I do!

Another Modest Facelift

Earlier this year I revamped the look of my blog (here), and although I liked it, I felt it didn't truly reflected me. Today I spent time creating yet another new look and am happy with how it turned out.  This new look feels much more like me!  Hope you agree.

Over the next month I hope to add some more features/pages to my blog to give it a little more depth and not be only about cooking.  I'm the first to admit that I'm definitely not technologically inclined so it will take some time for me to figure out how to do this. Keep checking back for these "coming soon" changes.

Thanks for reading!

Bro's BBQ Sauce

Last weekend my husband and I dropped by my brother and sister-in-laws place to snuggle with our precious 5 week-old nephew.  When we walked in we were greeted by an amazing aroma of homemade BBQ simmering on the stove.  My brother had whipped up a giant batch of sauce and gave us a jar to take home. BOOYA! We absolutely loved it and found it was the perfect mixture of sweet and savoury.  Thanks bro!

Ingredients
1 large bottle of ketchup
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2-1 cup water (depending on how thick you want it) ...........(that's what she said)

Method

Mix all ingredients in a pot and simmer on the stove for 10-15 minutes. Store in fridge.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is the first time I've ever made a chicken pot pie.  In fact, I don't think I've eaten one since before I moved out of my parents house years and years ago.  My husband has been in a soccer tournament all day, playing 4 games back-to-back.  It's a wee bit chilly out there today so I wanted to make a cozy dinner for when he gets home. I've had a box of puff pastry in the freezer for quite sometime and I wanted to use it up.  I purchased it in hopes that I'd make a creative appetizer when friends came over a few months back but I never got around to it.  Story of my life (I dream big...ha!).  After reading 4 different recipes for pot pie this is what I came up with using items that I had around the kitchen.  Hope it tastes good! (picture to come - opps, I forgot to take a picture.)
*Next time I make this I will use a real pie crust and you should too.  The puff pastry was good, but I think they pie crust would be WAY better.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cubed
2 medium potatoes, partially peeled & cubed
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 frozen peas
1/2 frozen corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon sage
salt and pepper to taste
1 square of puff pastry, thawed (takes about 3 hours to thaw on the counter)
1 egg

Method
Boil potatoes until they are close to done.  Remove from heat and drain. Cook cubed chicken in a frying pan with olive oil. Add onion once chicken is just about done.  Cook 4 more minutes or until onion begins to go clear. Add all ingredients (except puff pastry & egg) into a large bowl. Mix until coated. Grease a deep dish pie plate (or shallowish casserole dish).  Pour mixture into dish. On a floured surface roll out puff pastry until it is the size of your dish.  Place on top, making sure no pastry is hanging over the edge.  Beat egg and paint onto top of pastry.  Discard remaining egg. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 
This is a great dish to prepare before company arrives because you can just toss it in the oven once they arrive and you can visit without distraction.

Baked Chicken Fingers & Potato Wedges

Chicken fingers are where its' at! Tonight I made a salad with our homegrown lettuce (that will likely be toast after the perdicted cold weather tonight), homemade potato wedges and baked chicken fingers.  A perfect Friday night dinner!  It took 10 minutes to prepare everything.  Super quick meal.

Potato Wedges Ingredients
2 large yellow potatoes, washed and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Basil, oregano, thyme, basil, sat and pepper (sprinkle of each)

Method
Cut potatoes into wedges and put into a bowl. Pour oil and balsamic vinegar over and mix to cover potatoes. Add herbs and spices.  Mix to coat.  Put onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.  Flip once half way through.

Chicken Fingers Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (for spice!)

Method
Cut chicken breasts into long, skinny strips.  Put into bowl and cover with remaining ingredients. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, flipping once half way.

Cold Remedies

Today was a busy day of holding down the couch.  Within the first few weeks of every new school year colds are spread around the school like wild fires. I usually fight them off for at least the first few weeks but this year, not so much. It's only week 2 and I'm home sick.  Ugh!  I am determined to recover by tomorrow and am doing everything I can to get to a healthier state.  I've always hated taking medication because I don't feel I benefit at all from it.  In fact, it usually leaves me feeling groggy and with less money in my wallet.  Today's helpful home remedies include:


Gingered Carrot and Squash Soup (leftovers from the fridge - woot woot!)

Vicks Steamer
1 teaspoon Vicks Vaporub
Salad bowl of boiling water

Melt vaporub in water. Cover with a towel and pop your head in there and take deep breaths. Amazing!

Ginger Tea
4 cups water
1 tablespoon sliced fresh ginger

Over high heat bring water to a boil.  Add fresh ginger and boil for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and strain ginger.  Pour water into a mug with a slice of lemon.  Enjoy!

Neti Pot
Find more information here

9.11.

Today, we remember.

xoxo

Picture borrowed from here



Gingered Carrot & Squash Soup

It is 7:00pm and I am writing this post in my pjs. Not because I am going to bed shortly, but rather because I didn't change out of them yet!  Today was the ultimate lazy day. I went from the couch, to the garden to pick some veggies, to the kitchen to make soup for lunches this week, to the couch, back to the kitchen to make pesto for the freezer, back to the couch and finally back to the kitchen to make pork chops with mushroom sauce for dinner.  Life.is.tough.

This soup is perfect for Autumn.  I might even make it to have for a light lunch on Thanksgiving before a big turkey feast. Yum!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
4 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
5 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sour cream to garnish

Method
In a large pot over medium heat add butter, carrots, garlic, onion and ginger root and cook for 10 minutes. Add stock, salt, pepper and squash and bring to a simmer for about 25 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour into food processor in batches and purée until smooth. Return to pot to reheat over medium heat.  Serve with a blob of sour cream on top. Enjoy!

Blackberry Crisp

A friend of ours is going away on business for two months.  We are certainly going to miss seeing him.  He is coming for a visit tonight so I decided to whip together a blackberry crisp with our homegrown berries.  I haven't tried it yet but I will let you know how it turns out.  It took about 5 minutes to prepare - SUPER simple!  Our berries are quite tart so I added 3/4 cup of frozen raspberries to mix it up a bit. 

Ingredients

2 cups blackberries
3/4 cup raspberries
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice concentrate
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup flour (whole wheat or white)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 margarine

Method
Place berries in a greased rectangular baking dish.  Mix sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and water together in a bowl and pour over berries.  In a bowl mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and margarine (use a pastry blender...and if you are like me and don't own one, cut in butter with two knives). Sprinkle on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

** I'm back to report that it was yummy!  Could have used more "crisp" on the top....

5000 Views!

Thank you to all of my followers for visiting my blog.  Today my blog has reached 5,000 hits in 13 months! YA! Tomorrow it's back to reality for me. Back to school preparations. BLAH! Summer, it has been fun.  You have treated me well, and I will miss you.   Until next year...



Chai Update

A few weeks ago I blogged about at home Tazo Chai Lattes.  I have since found the product at The Superstore, hiding in the natural food isle.  It sells for $6.29 regular price which is a a great scored compared to Walmarts regular price of $7.98. Gotta love finding cheaper stuff, and at a Canadian store to boot! Cha-ching!

Kale Chips

Kale is my new best friend.  We are so close that I would almost be willing to wear this tee.  A few more weeks of hanging out and maybe I could be persuaded.  This morning I made kale chips and I am PUMPED about the outcome. I am by far a salty and savoury snacker and would demolish a bag of Miss. Vicky's over a bowl of ice cream any day! I am thrilled to have found a chip alternative.  WOOT WOOT (fist pump to the air...).  They are ridiculously easy to make and you can put whatever seasoning on them you heart desires.  Today I did an olive oil with soy sauce and freshly ground pepper.  YUMMY!



Ingredients
1/2 a bunch of kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
freshly ground pepper




Method
Wash kale, dry and trim the steams off.  Rip into bite sized pieces (I didn't do this but next time I will) and lay on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. In a small bowl mix olive oil and soy sauce.  Paint onto kale leaves.  Sprinkle pepper on top.  Pop in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on a paper towel so excess oil is removed.  Serve at room temperature once they have crisped up. YUMMY!

Shrimp Quinoa with Kale

Kale...hmmm.  I don't think I've ever eaten it before.  A girlfriend told me that she cooks with kale and has even made kale chips (I'll attempt later in the week), so I decided to give kale a chance.  Tonight I made a shrimp quinoa with kale which earned a two thumbs up from Mr. Hubby.  He said he really liked the texture of it.  I use spinach A LOT when I cook which basically turns to mush when you add it to stuff, but kale seems to keep a little crunch. I will definitely be adding kale to my regular purchases from the grocery store. Kale packs a punch in the nutrition department (check it out!).

Quinoa Ingredients (pssst: this is very good for you! TRY IT!)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Throw everything into a pot over medium heat until it boils.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for
20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes.  Fluff with fork.

Shrimp and Kale Tomato Sauce Ingredients
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bag of cooked, peeled, tails off shrimp (about 50 small shrimp)
2 cups kale, chopped
1 cup pasta sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice concentrate
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Your cooked quinoa that you have set aside
fresh Parmesan cheese to garnish

Method
In a large fry pan heat olive oil. Add the garlic red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute. Add everything else except for the quinoa and cheese.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Serve over quinoa and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.  This is very similar to a pasta dish but much better for you!

More is not always better...

While sipping on my coffee this morning I caught up with a great friend of mine on the phone.  While chatting she was making a batch of pancakes and asked "why are my pancakes always so flat?".  The answer; over mixing the flour.  This goes for all baked goods.  You can't go wrong over creaming something (that's what she said), which is when you mix butter and sugar but as soon as you add flour to the mix you need to take it easy.  I suggest using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatcula to fold in the flour instead of using an electric hand mixer.  You will definitely get a much more FLUFFY pancake (or banana bread or whatever baked good you are making).

So there you have it, more is not always better...

Good Eats

We are home from the cottage and likely more pale then before we left.  Despite the rain nearly everyday ,we had a relaxing vacation with friends.  One of the highlights - the food!  As mentioned in my previous post, each couple signed up for a day of cooking.  The dinners were amazing!!  Throughout the course of the week we had steak and potatoes with sauteed mushrooms, homemade pita pizzas on the BBQ, beef and chicken tacos with fresh guacamole, lasagna from scratch with double cheese garlic bread, and pork souvlaki with tzatiki.  YUM! As promised, here are my recipes. 

Tzatiki Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic (I had forgotten this so I used garlic powder instead)
1 container of Greek yogurt (about 1.5 cups)  PC has an awesome one for $3.99
1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoon dried dill
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together at least two hours before serving and chill in fridge.  Serve with pork souvlaki kabobs for dipping.

Pork Souvlaki Ingredients
1 lemon, juiced (or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice concentrate)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 lbs pork tenderloin, cubed (fat trimmed)

Method
Mix everything together in a bowl and drizzle over prok. Put in fridge to marinate for at least 12 hours.  Thread onto kabob sticks and throw on the BBQ until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes each side. Don't forget to soak sticks in water for about 30 minutes so they don't burn.

Cottage Hummus

My husband and I are getting ready to head up north with a bunch of friends.  We are beyond excited about escaping for the week, but more specifically we are pumped to be spending our vacay with our amazing friends. We booked the cottage in February and have been 'planning' since early May.  Cooking for 10 people everyday would be brutal so we decided that each couple would sign up for a day and is responsible for purchasing, transporting, preparing and serving brunch and dinner.  Smart! We are doing french toast with fruit for brunch and pork souvlaki and vegetable kabobs with tzatziki (whoa, that's tough to spell! Had to google it....) and a Greek pasta salad. I will posted recipes once I return.

Collectively, we decided it would be easiest to hit Costco and stock up on snack foods for everyone.  Another smart idea! One of the snack requests; hummus.  Being the cheapo that I am, I will never, ever buy premade hummus again.  Although delicious, it is ridiculously over priced! I offered to make a huge homemade batch a bring it up.  It is different the my other hummus recipe and has roasted garlic (a requests from a fellow cottager) which give it a sweeter flavour. Here is the breakdown of the total cost of this triple batch of hummus:

$2.37 (3 cans chick peas)
$0.96 (2 jumbo garlic bulbs)
~0.60 (tahini, salt, olive oil, lemon juice - I had already)
TOTAL: $3.93     (*I didn't even use a calculator to add this up!! Hope it's correct.)

This amount of hummus at the store would have been well over $10.00.  This way there are ZERO preservatives/additives and I get the satisfaction knowing I saved a few buckaroos.  Enjoy!

Yields: 3 1/2 cups of hummus

Ingredients
3 cans of chick peas, drained and rinsed (you'd be surprised how much salt is on those suckers!)
2 bulbs garlic, roasted (Chop tips off top of bulb. Drizzle with olive oil & wrap in foil. Bake at 375 for 1 hr. Once cooled, pop out garlic cloves)
4 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice concentration (or juice from 1 large lemon)
1/4 warm water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Paprika to garnish the top with

Method
Throw everything is a food processor and mix until creamy. If it's not creamy enough add a little olive oil at a time until desired texture. Serve with veggie sticks, crackers and pita triangles.