Too busy.

So busy. So very, very, very busy.

In my absence, please enjoy Barefoot Contessa vs The Turkey.

And also check out Suggestive Barefoot Contessa Moment of the Day.

That Ina is a treasure!

Weekend Cookbook Challenge

The first challenge is up.

Please check it out.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge - New and Improved!

Back in September I started the Weekend Cookbook Challenge on my blog. I have so many cookbooks that I have never cooked out of, and I thought it was time to change that. To my surprise, people were interested in it, and were asking me if I was planning on making it an event where other people could participate.

I've teamed up with the fabulous Alicat from Something So Clever and we've turned the WCC into a challenge that is open to anyone who wants to participate. We are very excited about this and hope that you guys are too!

So stay tuned, we'll be letting you know what the first challenge will be shortly!

Saturday night dinner - steak with tomato-olive relish

Steak with tomato olive relish - origin unknown.

1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives
2 tb olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tb minced red onion

Place all ingredients into food processor. Process until blended but still chunky.

Cook your steaks as you like them. Toast a thick slice of french or sourdough bread. Spread with relish, and top with your steak.

Roasted Asparagus

This is truly the best way to cook asparagus. One bundle of asparagus serves 4 people.
Preheat broiler. Wash and trim the asparagus. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and add a couple of generous glugs of olive oil. (Don't season with pepper as it will burn.) Toss together and spread out in an even layer on the pan. Take 2 large garlic cloves, peel and cut in half. Stick them under the spears so they don't burn. Place the tray under the broiler for about 4 or 5 minutes. Take out, stir and back under the broiler for another 4 minutes. Check them at this point. They should be bright green and have a few brown and crisp spots. Turn onto a plate, season with a bit more salt and some lemon juice. This goes very well with steak.

Bean and Veg soup

Here is a nice hearty soup recipe. I made this one cold day for lunch and it was good. I always use homemade salsa in this, and our salsa tends to be fairly spicy. If yours is not, throw in some tabasco or chile flakes.

2 tb olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 carrot, sliced into rounds
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 can mixed beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 cup salsa
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tb red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Heat the oil over medium high heat and saute the onion, garlic, carrot and pepper for 10 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Either serve as is or puree half the soup in a blender or food processor and return to pot.

The most terrible recipe in the world.

Friends, life cannot be all sunshine and flowers. Sometimes something happens to you that you think you may never recover from.

Such a thing happened to me last night.

While innocently flipping through a cookbook I came across a recipe that struck fear in my heart, and literally made Scott leave the room. It is a recipe that would make grown men cry, and no one hungry.

I give to you...

Penis Stew
by Jennifer Patterson

1 lb of ram or bull penis
3 tb oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
salt and pepper

Scald the penis** (!!!!!!!!), drain and clean it. Place in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Remove the scum and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and slice. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion garlic and coriander until the onion is golden. Add the penis slices** (!!!!!) and fry on both sides for a few minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients, add enough water to cover and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours, until tender. Add a little water from time to time to keep from burning.

(** Two things I never thought I would say. Ever. )

Now I know there are lots of people out there who enjoy organ meat, tripe, sweetbreads, all that sort of stuff, it's called offal. And that's fine by me. Good for you, you are more adventurous than I will ever be. I'm sure it tastes really good.

But seriously, PENIS?

Recipe recommendation

Head over to Kayak Soup and try out Linda's recipe for Sticky Coconut Chicken with Chili Glaze. Chicken thighs are my favorite cut of chicken and I just happened to have some coconut milk left over from another recipe. It was a knockout dish. The chicken itself was great. I cooked it on the bbq, so it had that smoky charbroiled taste that went very well with the coconut and ginger. It was a really wonderful dish. I am looking forward to making it again very soon.


That chile sauce had a wonderful kick to it too. We had ours with smashed spuds and stir fry veg.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

Serve this with the Chicken Satay.


1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tb tamari
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp hot chile sauce
3 tb lemon juice

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients except lemon juice. Add the lemon juice to taste. Add water or additional lemon juice to thin to the desired consistency.
Serve at room temperature.

Chicken Satay

This is a nice and gingery, mildly spicy satay. I cooked this on my George Foreman grill, but next time I'll grill it on the bbq.

Chicken Satay

1 tb chopped ginger
1/4 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup tamari
1 tsp hot chile sauce
2 tb lemon juice
1 tb sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients but the chicken in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Slice the chicken into strips. Transfer to a bowl and pour the marinade over. Stir to combine, then cover and refrigerate at least one hour.
Heat bbq or grill pan. Thread chicken on skewers and grill until chicken is cooked through. Serve with peanut dipping sauce.

Potato-Leek Soup

This is a family recipe for THE BEST potato leek soup ever!

1 1/2 cups diced leeks, approximately 2
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic minced
4 tb butter
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups diced potato
1 cup heavy cream (I use milk)
salt and pepper

Saute leeks, onion and garlic in butter. Add the broth and potatos, cover and simmer until potatos are tender. Puree, then add cream or milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Coffee granita

Coffee granita with baileys whip cream - a twist on after dinner coffee.

Granita from Gourmet, Baileys whip cream from Scott

Granita:

2 cups hot espresso or strong coffee
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Stir together coffee and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Pour into an 8 inch metal pan and freeze, stirring every 30 mins until slushy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Stir vigorously until smoother in texture. Freeze until firm enough to scoop, about 30 minutes more.

Baileys Whip Cream:

Whip heavy cream until at soft peaks. Add Baileys liquer to taste, and whip 2 or 3 minutes more.

Spoon granita into glasses or bowls and top with cream.

Aboot me

(You know how everyone says that Canadians say "aboot" instead of "about"? Well we totally don't. But anyway.)

I am taking some time out of my busy day to do a Q&A.
I have got these questions from many different sources.
Feel free to play along. If you do, leave me a comment or email me so I can learn some stuff about you too!

5 movies you've seen recently
Batman Begins (because Scott wanted to see it)
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (kind of funny)
Super Size Me (freaked me the hell out!)
A Very Long Engagement (wonderful!)
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (i love harry potter)

5 random songs from your mp3 player
Smoke and Ashes by Tracey Chapman (such a good cd)
Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall (this one always cheers me up)
It's a Sin by Pet Shop Boys (the 80's!)
I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness (they crack me up)
Are We The Waiting by Green Day (I love Green Day and I always will. Especially Mike Dirnt.Grrrrowl!)

Yesterday I...
was completely stressed out at work. Went home and had a couple of drinks, watched tv and went to bed.

Today I...
am completely stressed out at work. Have to go pick up my car from the shop and go to the gym before going to the grocery store to find something for dinner, then go home, make dinner, eat dinner, clean up after dinner, then go to bed. I'm tired today.

Tomorrow I...
hope to sleep in.

What are you listening to right now?
Green Day, baby!

What color of pants are you wearing?
Um, I'm wearing green pants, with a brown shirt and black shoes. Did I mention I'm tired today?

What's on your mouse pad?
Here at work, it's plain black. At home it has a bulls eye on it.

Favorite meal - breakfast, lunch or dinner?
dinner.

Favorite snack?
Plain pita chips. In the summer, fresh fruit.

Favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Water or a smoothie.

Favorite alcoholic drink?
Rye and Coke.

Pancakes or Waffles?
Pancakes. My stupid waffle iron NEVER works.

Pasta, Rice or Potatos?
Potatos.

What site is a must see for visitors to your city?
I guess the Calgary Stampede. We also have a very nice Zoo.

Stretch your right arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
My printer.

What is the last thing you watched on TV?
The MTV Europe Awards last night.

With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
My desk fan. Our office building is incredibly warm today.

When did you last go outside?
Just before noon. I walked to Tim Hortons and got a bowl of chili.

When did you last laugh?
Last night.

What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Some pictures, some work certificates, a calendar and a SpongeBob Squarepants sticker.

Tell me something about you I don't know
I am terrified of dogs.

Two truths and a lie. Which is the lie?
I have a hard time sleeping on a regular basis.
I graduated from University.
I used to be a vegetarian, but one day I had an overwhelming desire to have a ham sandwich.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Morning person.

What color is your bedroom?
White.

What color is your bathroom?
White. We haven't painted anywhere in the house yet. We are still trying to get the basement finished.

What should you be doing right now, instead of this?
Working, but my boss is out of town this week, so I am having an extended lunch.

Steak with spicy tomatos and feta

I love tomatoes and feta cheese any way I can get them. Here's a good, fast and tasty recipe. My amounts are just a guideline. It's all approximate, so put in however much of each ingredient you want.

steak
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 to 1 whole jalapeno pepper, diced finely
handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup or so of feta

Put the tomatoes on a baking sheet and put under the broiler until they start to pop. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix about 1/3 cup of olive oil and the rest of the ingredients. Add the tomatoes, mix gently and season with salt and pepper. Cook your steak as you like them, then slice thinly, plate and top with the tomato mixture.

Fuzzy picture! But doesn't it look good?