i like to cook

Bread Baking Babes - Cuban Bread

2012-01-16T22:33:00.003-06:00

Cuban Bread by Bernard Clayton from New Complete Book of Breads.

Delicious. Scrumptious. Amazing.

The bread so nice I made it twice.

Easy.

Want to be a Buddy? Bake the bread, recipe here, then send a link to Ilva at luculliandelights AT gmail DOT com by January 28. Use the subject "Bread Baking Buddy" in your email.

Bread Baking Babes Buddies - Hamburger Buns

2011-07-29T17:00:00.000-06:00

Thank you thank you to all the Babes and now our Buddies that joined me in baking the bread I chose for July, Hamburger Buns from Williams Sonoma. I am so happy that you enjoyed them so much. It's definitely a recipe I will make again.

girlichef

Bread Experience

Judy's Gross Eats

My apology to Rita at Soep Kipje, I can't get a photo of her delicious buns to download.

A Messy Kitchen

Thanks again Ladies! Y'all are the best looking Bread Baking Buddies I've ever seen!

(If I missed anyone, a million apologies. Please email me again. If you are a late comer, let me know and I'll add you too!)

Great Gazpacho

2011-07-25T22:40:00.000-06:00

I had a hankerin' (oh yes I did) for gazpacho now that our weather has turned more summery. I was going to make my usual version with V8, but in the freezer I found a bag of tomatos that I had oven roasted and frozen last fall.

I used this recipe as my inspiration, but I went much simpler.

2 bell peppers (I used one orange and one red) whizzed smooth in the food processor with a few cloves of garlic and a spoon of sugar. I added my thawed tomatos and juice and pureed until smooth. I stirred in a couple of shots of red wine vinegar and some salt, then chilled for an hour.

Serve with a piece of cheesy toast, and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert.

Bread Baking Babes - Hamburger Buns

2011-07-16T04:59:00.001-06:00

Good grief! Can you believe it's already July 16th? Not only does that mean that July is already more than half over (sob) but that also means it's time for the Bread o' the Month from the Bread Baking Babes. And guess who got to choose the bread this time around? Moi!

I chose Hamburger Buns from a recipe card I picked up in Williams Sonoma.

The recipe gives instructions for regular sized buns as well as sliders (aka the most adorable things ever).

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Williams-Sonoma

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) milk

8 Tbs (1stick/125 g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

4 cups (625 g) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

5 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs kosher salt

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and butter and heat until the butter is melted, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to 105-155'F (40 to 46'C). Add the yeast and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the 4 cups of flour, the sugar and salt and beat on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the milk mixture and knead until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, oil the inside of the bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 10 by 7 1/2 inch (25 by 19 cm) rectangle. Using a ruler as a guide, cut the dough into 2 1/2 inch (6cm) squares. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the buns evenly apart, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400'F (200'C)

Remove the plastic wrap from the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg mixture (I brushed the tops with milk) and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Bake until the buns and golder and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of a bun registers 190'F (88'C), 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the buns to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut in half and use as hamburger buns. Makes 12 hamburger buns.

For slider buns: Follow the instructions above but roll out the dough into a 9 inch (23 cm) square. Cut into 1 1/2 inch (4cm) squares and place on 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Position one rack in the upper third of an over and one rack in the lower third and preheat to 400'F (200'C). Brush the tops with the egg mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Bake for about 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and 180 degrees halfway through baking. Makes 36 slider buns.

Time got away from me once again and I didn't have time to try to make slider buns before it was time to post. But I hope to soon and will show off my results.

Please visit the participating Babes listed over on the left. I've seen some preview pictures from some of them and they've got some amazing buns (hee!)

If you'd like to be a Buddy, please make the bread and post about it by July 29th. Send mt a link at iliketocook AT shaw DOT ca.

Sorry I've been so absent and things are kind of not interesting around here. I'm working hard on getting myself out of this funk. Keep your fingers crossed for me please.

Peace!

Grocery Shop, July 10

2011-07-10T22:47:00.003-06:00

Bought at DeMille's Farm Market in Salmon Arm.

Corn, kale, leaf lettuce, 2 kinds of apples, blueberries, cherries, carrots, potatos. Missing: loaf of cheese bread.

jellyfish part 2

2011-06-20T19:32:00.001-06:00

Vancouver Aquarium. 2010.

Bread Baking Babes - Irish While Soda Bread with Herbs

2011-06-16T03:24:00.000-06:00

Kitchen of the month - Ilva from Lucullian Delights.

Recipe - Irish White Soda Bread with Herbs

Result - Delicious and easy.

Delicious and easy are 2 of my favorite things!

Apologies for this brief post.

If you'd like to be a buddy, or just make the bread, visit Ilva's website here to see the recipe.

All the Babes are listed over on the left for your viewing pleasure.

Mighty Life List - Dragon Fruit

2011-06-10T06:57:00.000-06:00

Sweet and mellow with a crunch like a kiwi fruit. Yum.

Noble Pig, Kamloops

2011-06-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

(december 2010)

deep fried pickles

tropical pizza

cubano sandwich

the noble pig

650 victoria st

website coming soon (?)

Chicken and Salad from Jamie Oliver

2011-05-31T04:55:00.001-06:00

I received "Jamie's America" for Christmas - just a beautiful book. The photos of not only the food but also the places visited are spectacular. I haven't spent a lot of time with this book yet, but 2 recipes jumped out at me and demanded to be made- Southern Pecan and Apple Salad, and Competition Chicken.

I have a weakness for bbq - good bbq, real(ish) bbq, and this chicken is definitely the best bbq chicken I've made. That didn't use a bbq.

Southern Pecan and Apple Salad

So delicious. I was really pleased with this. Super easy and very tasty. And if you click this link here, you can see the nutritional info courtesy of Health.com (although they've scaled it down to 6 servings and in the book it's 4).

Bread Baking Babes - Stromboli

2011-05-16T03:00:00.000-06:00

Elle from Feeding My Enthusiasms was the lucky lady to choose our bread for May, and she chose the Stromboli.

The stromboli is a sandwich in every slice - meat and cheese layered on a lovely bread dough, rolled up and baked. The recipe is straightforward to make and the results are delicious.

Our stromboli was layered with proscuitto and salami and swiss cheese and basil. I rolled it up as tight as I could, sprinkled it with salt and baked it.

Unfortunately I forgot the apparently critical step of piercing the bread before cooking, presumably so your bread doesn't bake up hollow like mine did.

Regardless of the big air pockets in the bread, it was delicious. As Elle mentioned in her post to us Babes, this is a perfect picnic food. If the warm weather decides to stick around, maybe we'll find out!

Please visit Elle for the recipe, and all the deets on being a Buddy with her delicious pick. And please visit the participating Babes (listed over on the left) to see their breads as well.

Cheers!

Bread Baking Babes - Dan's Garlic Bread

2011-04-16T08:14:00.003-06:00

Miracles of miracles I managed to bake this months Bread Baking Babes Bread - Dan's Garlic Bread from Natashya at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies.

This is a FANTASTIC garlic bread. At first the recipe intimidated me, but it's not hard or complicated, it just takes a while.

You start by cooking some whole garlic cloves and making them fabulous. When you dough is ready they get kneaded in.

The dough is cut into 3 loaves for baking. I think I overworked the dough at the cutting and forming stage, but they came out very rustic and adorable.

If Scott hadn't been home when I made this, and knew that there were 3 loaves, I would have eaten a whole one myself. Can I say it again? Fabulous.

You guys will want to make this. Go and visit Natashya and get the recipe here.

Happy Saturday!

Green Chile Cheeseburger

2011-04-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

I have always liked hamburgers. But when I was pregnant, I LOVED them. I ate them nearly every week, more often if possible. We mostly made our own at home, but we did eat them out occasionally - a few times at Red Robin (teriyaki burger with pineapple), if I was lucky enough to get my prenatal appointment scheduled just before lunch. I was not above fast food burgers either, and may have waddled over to McDonalds (more than once) on my lunch break for a hamburger (regular burger, extra ketchup). At home my favorite was a burger cooked on the barbecue with barbecue sauce and topped with cheese and relish. I never got very fancy, because spending time on fancy burgers meant it took longer before I could start eating.

We haven't had burgers very often lately, and I'm not sure why. It seems I am always looking for fast and easy and cheap and healthy meals, and I guess I forgot that a burger can fit that bill. Hey, 3 out of 4 ain't bad.

We were talking about burgers a few weeks ago and this recipe popped into my head - Robert Olguin's Buckhorn Burger recipe from Bobby Flay's Throwdown cookbook.

A green chile cheeseburger sounds like a lot of work, but this one really isn't. Cook your burger, and while it's cooking, heat a small pan, with a touch of oil, and add some diced red onion. Let that cook for a couple of minutes, then divide into piles (1 pile for each burger you are cooking). Top each pile with some cheese and let it sit over low heat to melt the cheese and soften the onions. In another pan mix some diced green chiles (we used canned) and some granulated garlic and warm through. Spoon the chiles on to the onion and cheese piles. Put your burgers on the buns, top the patty's with the onion/cheese/chile piles, and garnish with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mustard.

Yum, yum.

Chicken Lu'au

2011-04-03T10:52:00.000-06:00

I tried this recipe out after we decided to have a Hawaiian Feast for Christmas. It didn't make the cut, but it was a great dish. I think it's the only dish I've made out of my Sam Choy cookbook, but I've marked so many pages I'd like to try. The photos in the book are absolutely mouthwatering! We may have to have a Hawaiian week here. I'll use Sam and my Maui Taco book as well.....Here I come Hibachi Miso Chicken with Peanut Butter!

What I liked most about this dish was that it had spinach in it. I too often turn to my "staple" vegetables (peas, corn, carrots) and forget about the rest. I haven't had the interest and passion for cooking lately that I used to have and it's been reflecting in my dinner menus.

The recipe in the book calls for young taro leaves, which are to be boiled first, but notes that fresh spinach can be used instead.

Chicken Lu'au

from Sam Choy's Cooking

1 pound spinach

3/4 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, cubed

2 Tb butter

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp salt

In a large saucepan heat butter and saute onions until translucent. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken stock, coconut milk, spinach and salt. Simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

I'm not including a picture because they're just that bad...

2011-03-29T17:29:00.000-06:00

I came across Nigella Lawson's recipe for Apple Latkes and lo and behold I had all the ingredients on hand for breakfast the next day.

They were fairly fast to make and very very delicious - my bottomless pit of a child ate 4 of them!

I have no photos to show as all the ones I took were so bad I was ashamed. And if you've seen some of the pictures I've posted over the years then you'll know just how bad they were.

Recipe: Apple Latkes

Light and fluffy scrambled eggs

2011-03-26T17:24:00.000-06:00

This is my new favorite way to make scrambled eggs. They come out amazingly light and fluffy and contain only 2 ingredients.

Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese

Crack your eggs (however many you need) into a bowl and whisk. Add 1 tablespoon of cottage cheese for every egg. Whisk again. Cook as you normally would cook your scrambled eggs. (Please don't let them brown. Brown scrambled eggs are just wrong.)

Sunday

2011-03-13T14:22:00.001-06:00

We started off Sunday with toast and scrambled eggs and strawberries and blackberries.

I made a HUGE pot of pasta sauce with zucchini, onions, garlic, red bell pepper, mushrooms and spinach. There was enough to fill 9 containers for freezing.

I got our menu plan and shopping list done.

Then it was time to read.

Paxton is having his nap and I'm psyching myself up to attack the tower of laundry that's piling up. Later we'll head out for groceries and maybe a walk.

Happy Sunday.

we made our own double down

2011-02-27T07:20:00.001-06:00

This post was timely.....4 or 5 months ago. You may remember the big fuss the KFC Double Down caused - the "sandwich" made with chicken in place of the bun?

I wanted to go and try one, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So instead we made our own.

I cut the chicken breasts in half through the middle, then dipped them in beaten egg while, then panko bread crumbs. And then I baked 'em.

Meanwhile, I crisped some pancetta, and made a honey mustard sauce with honey, mustard and yogurt. When the chicken was cooked we topped one piece with sauce, cheese (I think it was Swiss) and pancetta. Then laid the second piece of chicken on top.

And here is the finished product.

The end result was good - the chicken was flavorful and crunchy. Pancetta is always tasty and the sauce was quite nice. It was fun to try but not something I'd make on a regular basis. How it would compare to an actual double down though, I guess I might never know.

Cooking Book 5

2011-02-25T22:56:00.000-06:00

Thai Chicken Wings, The Young Thailand Cookbook

Man I wish I owned this book.

Mango Chicken Salad, Martha Stewart

Delicious! I skipped the mango chutney in the salad and used lettuce instead of spinach. I would make this again. Recipe here.

Ham and Apple Wraps with Dip, you guessed it, Martha Stewart.

These were fine, nothing thrilling. A little different. I didn't love the dip though. Recipe here.

Jicama Citrus Salad, Martha Stewart

I really liked this salad. Crunchy and...citrusy. I left out the cucumber. Recipe here.

I don't know what this is.

Or this.

Bubble and Squeak, no recipe.

So easy. Mix leftover mashed potatos with leftover cooked carrots and brussel sprouts. Heat some olive oil and butter over medium high heat, spread the veggies in and cook until brown on both sides.

________________________________________

I do love to change my mind, abandon project etc, and I'm doing it again. This will be it for now at least on Book 5. It's too difficult to fit some of the recipes into our world full of kid, work, school etc. There are still some I want to make, so the book will be back but now let's move on to a new one....Book 3!

Bread Baking Babes 3 Year Babe-eversary!

2011-02-16T04:27:00.001-06:00

3 years!

What lasts 3 years anymore? Not much.

What started for me 3 years ago with this baking group became something important and inspiring in my life. A group of ladies from different countries, different lives, different ages, different experience levels became Babes and friends and made a forum where we can talk and share both our triumphs and tragedies in bread and in life.

To celebrate our Third Anniversary of our group we decided to take a walk down memory lane. Bake a bread from our archives.

When we first made the decision, I thought I might made 3 breads, one from each year of Babe-hood, but man. I hate to say I don't have the time or energy right now. So I picked one I was most proud of the first time around.

I chose to make Gorel's Brunkans Langa bread again.

What I love about this bread is the color, the rustic shape of the loaf, the hearty and just slightly sour taste. I also love that although this is a bread that takes time (5 days), it is not a difficult bread. It's an easy bread when you want to bake but don't have a day or large chunk of a day to devote.

My beautiful Babes, past and present! I raise my glass to you. Thank you for the last 3 years. Thank you for your kindness and friendship and support and inspiration. I can't wait to see what we'll do next.

Cheers!

Waiter, there's goat cheese in my burrito!

2011-02-14T02:22:00.000-06:00

The first time I saw this recipe it didn't appeal to me at all. Goat cheese and burritos don't seem like they could go together. But the idea grew on me and we gave it a try. Loved it. The tangy cheese is brilliant with the beans and tomatos.

This is a very fast and low maintenance recipe. Other than cooking some rice there's only a bit of chopping and less than 10 minutes of cooking.

I altered the original recipe slightly - I'd say you could get 4-6 nice sized burritos out of this.

Goat Cheese Burritos

adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

1 tb oil

1 bunch of green onions, washed well and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp ground cumin

3 tomatos, chopped

2 cups cooked rice

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

soft goats cheese (2 or more tb per burrito)

flour tortillas

sour cream

salsa

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the green onions, garlic and cumin to the pan and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Meanwhile in another medium pan, heat the black beans and a couple of tablespoons of water over medium heat until hot. Drain off the water. Add the tomatos to the onion mixture and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the rice.

Spread the goats cheese on the tortillas. Spoon the rice mixture on top of the cheese and top with beans. Add salsa and sour cream if desired. Roll up and dig in.

Under-the-highchair-mat

2011-02-13T10:23:00.000-06:00

Shortly after I wrote about gift ideas for parents of babies just starting to eat, I discovered a long forgotten piece of oil cloth in our storage closet. It definitely helps to keep the floor a bit cleaner during feeding time.

SuperFoods for Babies and Children

2011-02-12T13:00:00.001-06:00

If you have a kid, you gotta feed them. It can be stressful when you begin introducing solid food into your babies diet, worrying that you're choosing the right foods at the right time.

A great resource for starting out, or adding more variety to your child's diet is SuperFoods for Babies and Children, by Annabel Karmel.

SuperFoods covers nutrition from 6 months to 3+ years. And what is great about this book, among other things, is it holds the belief (as I do) that children shouldn't be fed separate meals from their parents, that everyone can and should eat the same things. Things like more fruits and vegetables and less foods that come out of cans. Annabel discusses Superfoods, foods by color categories (Red, Green, White, etc), and the ingredients of a proper diet. But this book isn't boring or preachy. The information is well laid out and informative.

So far we've made 4 dishes from the book, out of the 1-2 Years chapter:

Easy Salmon Croquettes (pg 106)

This one was for Scott and Paxton as I don't like salmon. It uses a can of salmon and was incredibly easy to make (4 ingredients) and they both loved it. Scott said it would really only be as good as your salmon is, so use as good a quality as you can afford.

Oven Fried Root Vegetables (pg 107)

My favorite of the 4. Roasted potatos, yams and carrots with a dip of cream cheese and ketchup and green onions. I must admit I didn't think the dip would be very good but it was. A good way to sneak in some extra calcium.

Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce (pg 102)

Meatballs made with ground beef, onion and apple in a sauce with tomatos, bell peppers and a bit of sugar. A little finicky to make, but delicious.

Cheese and Zucchini Sausages (pg 100)

Meatless sausages made with cheese and zucchini and bread. You definitely want to make these ahead and chill them in the fridge so they hold together during cooking. Paxton really liked these alot, all 3 of us did.

My one quibble with this book has to do with the last 2 recipes above; both used bread or bread crumbs, and both recipes called for white bread or bread crumbs. I found this a little surprising in a book about eating well and teaching children good nutritional habits. I used whole wheat bread and crumbs in both recipes. I don't know. Why wouldn't you?

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with a small child. We all gotta eat and it might as well be good, fun healthy food, right?

Thanks, Simon and Schuster!

Momofuku's Ginger Scallion Noodles

2011-02-09T11:08:00.000-06:00

Momofuku - pretty excellent book. Pretty excellent noodles.

Ginger Scallion Noodles.

Recipe here.

Make the pickles and cauliflower too. Fo sho.

Wine and Dine 2011 is almost over

2011-02-05T14:02:00.002-06:00

Every year during Wine and Dine I vow to tell you about it and I never do. At the beginning of every year restaurants in the area create special menus at special prices ($15, 25, 35) for a couple of weeks. The first year we were out here we went to 3 or 4 restaurants; last year and this year we've gotten to one, which is better than none.

Last night we went to Storms Restaurant for dinner. I chose the $15 menu and for $15 I had:

Appetizer - a bowl of the most incredible cream based soup with turkey, spinach and red bell pepper.

Entree - delicious pork schnitzel with a mushroom sauce, mashed potatos, and fabulous mixed veggies.

Dessert - a nice lemon tart.

For $15! A helluva good deal.

If you're in the area and have no plans tonight or tomorrow night, visit the Wine and Dine website and find a restaurant to visit.

Spam Fried Rice

2011-02-03T22:20:00.000-06:00

Scott is a fan of canned meat, so when I mentioned I saw a recipe for Spam Fried Rice he was super excited and made sure it found its way onto this week's menu list.

Spam Fried Rice from The Cookbook Junkie.

I am not so much a fan of canned meat, but I have to admit this was really good. I may have even had seconds.

Next time I make it I'm going to add peas. And Scott will think he's died and gone to heaven.

Bread Baking Babes 3 year Babe-eversary....coming soon

2011-02-01T04:14:00.001-06:00

Us Babes are celebrating 3 years together. 3 years of bread, 3 years of friendship, 3 years of rude talk, scotch talk, helpful advice, shoulders to cry on.

To celebrate, we are looking back at what we've accomplished together:

2008 (from left to right) February: Karen Royal Crown Tortano (in Dutch) and in English:

March: Lien Coccodrillo

April: Tanna Sullivan Street Pizza

May: Sher - Poilane-Style Miche

June: Mary Breadchick's Dark Onion Rye

July: - in memory of Sher who passed away July 20 2008; this month we made something from her blog, something that reminded us of the warm and witty personality Sher was. The news of her passing shocked us. She is our Angel Babe.

August: Ilva Whole Wheat Pita

September : Monique Sûkerbôlle

October : Sara Challah

November: Görel The Rosendal Crisp Bread

December: Lynn Yule Wreath

In our second year, the loaves of 2009;

2009 (from left to right): January Katie Croissants

February Tanna Pane ai Cinque Cereali con Nod (Five-Grain Bread with Walnuts)

March Sara Pane Francese

April Mary Ethiopian Injera

May Ilva Pane di Pasta Tenera Condita (Italian Knot Bread)

June Lien Asparagus Bread (in English and Dutch)

July Natashya Sukkar bi Tahin (Beirut Tahini Swirls)

August Görel Russian Black Bread

September Karen Chinese Flower Steam Buns

October Gretchen Tanta Wawa (Peruvian Bread Babies)

November Monique Brioche Mousseline

December Katie Viennese Striesel

And our third year 2010;

2010 (from left to right) January Lynn Curried Naan

February Karen Ensaimada

March Mary Gluten Free No Knead Hearty Seeded Sandwich Bread

April Sara Potato Bread with Chives

May Natashya Tunisian Spicy Breads

June Lien Korni (in English and Dutch)

July Lynn Yeasted Sprouted Wheat Bread

August Tanna Sweet Portuguese Bread

September Görel Brunkans Långa

October Elizabeth Broa: Portuguese Corn Bread

November Susan Cornucopia

December Ilva Taralli Pugliesi

How gorgeous is that?

Come back and visit us on the 16th to see our celebration!

Weekend Herb Blogging - Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

2011-01-30T12:19:00.002-06:00

Scott made this fabulous salad for dinner on Monday night; a quick meal before I left for school. It was very fast to put together and was so flavorful. If we loved it this much in the winter I can only imagine how great it will be on a hot summers night.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

4 to 6 garlic cloves

1 cup chopped and loosely packed cilantro

1/2 jalapeno or other fresh hot pepper, chopped (optional)

3 TB sugar

1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

3 TB Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce, OR 1 tsp salt

12 oz dried rice vermicelli

2 carrots peeled and cut into a thin julienne or grated

1 english cucumber halved, seeded and cut into thin slices

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

4 (we used much more) Napa cabbage leaves (optional)

1/4 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped

mint for garnish

Place the garlic, cilantro and hot pepper in a food processor, process until coarsely chopped. Add the sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce or salt and blend again. Let sit while you chop the vegetables and cook the noodles.

Cook the rice noodles until just tender in boiling water. Drain and rinse with cold water until the noodles are cool. Place in a large bowl.

Toss the noodles with the vegetables and dressing. Garnish each serving with peanuts and additional mint.

__________________________________________

My fellow Babe and just all-around lovely person Astrid of Paulchens Food Blog is hosting this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, so I must send this salad full of cilantro and mint for her to include in the round up! See more details here.

Cooking Book 5

2011-01-27T06:33:00.000-06:00

I was planning on giving you an exhaustive list of all the recipes in my Book 5 - what I'm going to cook, what I've already cooked, what I'm skipping.

Meh. Do any of us care that much? No, I didn't think so.

I've still got quite a list of recipes to try. So far this has been fun and I'm glad I'm doing it.

Here we go:

Zucchini Tart with Bacon, adapted from The Best Recipes In The World

I don't know how much this differs from the original but hot damn this was good. This was GOOD.

Pizza dough (I use my new favorite from Canadian Living's Vegetarian Cookbook)

3-4 small zucchini, shredded

3-4 slices bacon, chopped

3 cloves garlic

brie cheese (or other as desired)

Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat until cooked but not too well done. Saute the zucchini and garlic in the bacon fat until golden.

Prebake the pizza dough until firm but not done. Top with the zucchini and bacon and sprinkle lightly with cheese. Bake until the crust is brown and cheese is melted.

Red Beans with Cheese, Martha Stewart

This was a fast, tasty dinner. Versatile too; I spooned the beans over half a baked potato. Scott rolled his in a tortilla with lettuce and tomato. The baby smeared his into his hair. Recipe here.

Black Bean and Corn Tacos, Vegetarian Times

Another keeper. Recipe here.

This was a not very good sweet and sour chicken recipe. Enough said.

Vegetable Linguine, Vegetarian Times

This was pretty gross. Asparagus and zucchini sliced with a vegetable peeler and cut into "noodles". Which is good! The problem is the recipe tells you to cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes, which is at least 1 minute too long. These were mushy and unappetizing. We fed them to the baby.

Spiced Shredded Pork, Martha Stewart

I think one of the best things about this project is rediscovering Martha. I've made some pretty kick ass MS recipes from this book. This one was super good. Recipe here. This is a good make ahead one too, I cooked and shredded the pork, then refrigerated it with the butter and oil and salt and pepper mixed in. The next night all I had to do was broil the pork while I cut the veggies. So fast.

Udon Lunch

2011-01-21T19:53:00.000-06:00

Udon lunch at the Japanese Cultural Centre, 160 Vernon Ave. Next lunch February 25. Reservations 250-376-9629 to reserve or for information.

I love my...

2011-01-20T07:20:00.000-06:00

Scrap Trap.

I got this for Christmas and LOVE it. The scrap trap hooks onto your kitchen drawer so you can push all your food trimmings into it while you prep your food.

It comes with a handy scraper that stores in the front, and can be washed in the dishwasher.

Scrap Trap.

spaghetti squash with sauce

2011-01-15T06:40:00.000-06:00

This is a simple to make dish perfect for winter. Cook a spaghetti squash (in the microwave ((PIERCE IT FIRST!)) or oven or steamer) and scrape the flesh from the skin. Rub an oven safe dish with butter and garlic and spoon a little pasta sauce on the bottom of the dish to cover. Season your squash lightly with salt and pepper and add to the dish. Then cover with more sauce, top with some grated cheese (mozza is our favorite) and bake until hot and bubbly.

Serve with salad and bread to mop up the leftover sauce.

Little Stuffed Pumpkins

2011-01-12T09:26:00.000-06:00

Close to the end of market season here one of the vendors was selling the most adorable wee pumpkins. I thought they were decoration only, but the seller told me that they were perfect for baking so I bought a few to play with.

You can see how teeny they were in comparison to the ruler.

I hollowed them out and made a stuffing of white and wild rice, mushroom, garlic, and the little bit of pumpkin I carved out. I seasoned it with s&p and parsley.

I sprinkled on a little parmesan and baked them until they were soft and the cheese was brown. I popped the lids on before I took the photo.

Spicy Pork and Tofu Soup

2011-01-10T05:57:00.001-06:00

We were in Vancouver in the Spring and ate at a little noodle shop, the name of which I forgot to write down, unfortunately. I had spicy tofu and noodle soup, which had pork and corn and green onions in it and it was so wonderful. I think about it fondly.

I had to come up with my own version because who knows if or when I'll ever get back to that little shop again. This version, my first version, I left out the corn and replaced the noodles with rice. It was really delicious and satisfied my craving perfectly, although I think I'll still try to make one or two more variations.

2 tb vegetable oil

1 tb finely chopped fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic finely chopped

250 grams ground pork

1 tb (or more or less to taste) chili garlic paste

4 cups chicken stock

2 tb soy sauce

3 green onions, finely sliced plus more for garnish

1 pkg soft tofu, chopped or squished into small bits with your fingers

cooked rice

Heat the oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant and softening. Add the pork and cook until no longer pink. Stir in the chili garlic sauce and cook for 1 minute.

Add the stock and soy sauce, turn heat to high and bring to the boil. Add the green onions and the tofu. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and spoon some rice into each bowl. Sprinkle with more green onion.

Hawaiian Christmas Dinner - Pineapple Coleslaw

2011-01-09T04:16:00.001-06:00

This was one of my favorite things I ate in Hawaii when we were there in 2007, apart from anything from Maui Taco.

I vowed when we returned from our trip I would find a wonderful pineapple coleslaw recipe....but I guess I sort of forgot about it. Until we were planning this meal and I knew it had to be added. Luckily Paula at The Cookbook Junkie had the perfect recipe for Pineapple Coleslaw, from one of the Diners Drive Ins and Dives cookbooks.

My Mom made this and apparently we didn't take any photos, but it looks like...coleslaw, so I guess we'll all be ok. Anyhoo, my Mom said she increased the amount of carrot and decreased the sugar a bit. It was the best slaw I've ever ever had. Fo sho.

Hawaiian Christmas Dinner - Bacon Wrapped Pineapple

2011-01-07T08:19:00.000-06:00

I have wanted to try bacon wrapped pineapple for years but it never happened. In November when I was shopping for food for Pax's birthday dinner I decided to add an appetizer for the adults but couldn't think of anything. Then I saw a pineapple and thought why not? We had some at home, all I needed to buy was bacon.

They were delicious and so we added them as an appetizer to Christmas dinner.

Cut your pineapple into cubes, I was aiming for one good size mouthful. Cut your bacon strips in half lengthwise.

Preheat your oven to 400' and line a baking sheet with foil.

Wrap the pineapple in the bacon:

Place on the baking sheet and if you like, sprinkle with a little bit of brown sugar.

Bake until the bacon is crisp, 15-20 minutes. Start keeping an eye on them around 10, so they don't get too crispy.

These are so easy to make and so tasty!

Christmas Dinner 2010

Hawaiian Christmas Dinner - Kalua Pig

2011-01-06T15:06:00.001-06:00

We had to have Kalua Pig as part of our Hawaiian Christmas dinner. Fortunately I found a recipe that didn't require us to dig a pit in the backyard to cook it.

The recipe came from Ono Kine Grindz. Basically you take a pork butt (also known as shoulder), rub it with salt and liquid smoke, wrap it in banana or ti leaves and cook it in the oven or crock pot.

The dish turned out perfectly. The pork was so tender it fell apart when we looked at it. The only thing I would do differently is season it more aggressively with salt. The recipe calls for salt to taste and I went too light.

If/when I find a pork butt on sale I'm going to cook it the same way but without the leaves (which sadly I am out of now), and serve it with some good homemade bbq sauce, coleslaw, buns and beans.

Hawaiian Christmas Dinner 2010

Menu plan

2011-01-03T11:49:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope 2011 is off to a good start for you. My poor baby has been sort of sick so there's not much sleep happening over here for anyone.

Here's what we're going to be eating the next few days -

Monday (today!) ham leftovers from our New Years Day dinner.

Tuesday Ranch chicken

Wednesday Fish tacos

Thursday Mango Chicken salad

Friday Pasta with peas and ham

Saturday Mexican turkey

Sunday Jamaican beef patties

Monday Thai chicken wings

And the best part of all of this.....my shopping list for the week has 4 items* on it! I've got all the stuff I need in the freezer, pantry and fridge.

Go me!

*Note - this doesn't mean I will leave the grocery store with only 4 items.

2010-2011

2010-12-31T17:35:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things to do on New Years Day is get my new calendar ready to put up in the kitchen - to move all the important dates to the calendar, but also look back at what happened in the past year.

The last quarter of 2010 has been really bad for my family. I am glad to see this year go and am struggling to hold on to hope that 2011 will be better.

I'm not doing that end of year "meme" (ugh) anymore, instead I thought I'd tell you about my resolutions and some other stuff.

Last year my resolutions were pretty much the same as the few years before; lose weight, not worry so much, be more organized. Shockingly I did not succeed on any of them.

This year my resolutions/hopes are:

Be kind. To myself.
Everyone is their own worst critic, but I am incredibly, horribly hard on myself. I have had a tough few months and my inner critic has made them even harder. So I resolve to stop it. And be nice.
It will be interesting to see if I can do it.

Be more organized.
I completely fail at this every year and it is a source of stress for me. I am going to try very very hard to fix this. Supposedly I am a grown up, so I should act like one.

Watch better tv.
I don't watch much tv anymore, what with chasing a 13 month old boy around 24 hours a day, but many nights after the baby is asleep and the house is "clean" and I've done my exercise, I flop in front of the tv and watch whatever is on. It's an alright way to pass a hour or so, but I'd rather feel enlightened or productive in that time. I've recently started watching documentaries while I am on our elliptical machine and I am enjoying it. I saw the first season of Everest: Beyond the Limit on Netflix and was completely spellbound. These people who risk their lives and the lives of others to climb a mountain! I must admit it's led to a bit of an Everest obsession with me. (PS If anyone knows how I can see/buy seasons 2 and 3 (I think that's it?) of this PLEASE let me know. I can't find them anywhere.)

Read more.
It's hard to read when you have a small kid that you can't take your eyes off of because if you do he'll go stick his hands in the toilet or try to climb up the bookshelf or just fall over and bonk his head. It's been a long time since I've read a book and most of the time I don't even read the paper. I am trying to change that, and surprise surprise, I'm currently reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, which is about Everest.

Get in better shape (lose weight).
I am slooooooooowly working on this and that's all I'll say, because talking about it makes me feel more awkward and uncomfortable that I already am. But I am trying.

Learn stuff. Everyday.
This is a general, all purpose one. I want to watch shows that teach me and read books and websites that interest me. I want to find beauty and joy in life. I am excited to be taking a night class for the next couple of months and I hope that I can further my education after that, even if it's one course at a time.

Huh. That might be it. Well, let's call that it as this has taken me far longer than I thought it would and it's time to turn off the computer and get ready to push 2010 out the door and welcome 2011 with open arms.

I wish you and yours all the best tonight. Be safe.

Reverb 10, Day 26/Christmas Dinner

2010-12-26T22:05:00.002-06:00

December 26 – Soul Food What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul? (Author: Elise Marie Collins)

Well I love food and I love most kinds but the best meal that sticks in my head right now is from last night, Christmas Dinner.

If you've read here for a while you know that I've convinced my family to have non-traditional Christmas dinners the past few years. We've had Swedish (2006), French Canadian (2007), Italian (2008), and last year we had Turducken.

This year we went Hawaiian.

Back in 2007 we went on a family holiday to Hawaii, one of the best trips of my life. We went to a luau and ate at local restaurants when we ate out and really enjoyed the food. So for our dinner this year I wanted to recreate some of the dishes we had on our trip.

We made Kalua Pig.

Kalua Pig is made with liquid smoke, Hawaiian salt and Ti or Banana leaves. Bizarrely enough we had Hawaiian salt (from our trip) in the cupboard and banana leaves (from Calgary) in the freezer.

We bought some decorations from the dollar store.

We started our dinner with Coconut Shrimp and Bacon Wrapped Pineapple.

We had Kalua Pig,

And Chicken Long Rice,

And Maui Ribs,

We also had rice, Cucumber Salad and Pineapple Coleslaw, but I can't find any photos of the salads.

For dessert my Mom made Pineapple Upside down Cake.

The food was all fantastic and over the next week I will share the recipes with you, but the best part was having a great dinner with my family. I am thankful I have them and thankful that they are nice enough to forgo a Turkey Dinner on Christmas Day to play along with me.

(Yep, we've already started on our menu for next year!)

Cheers!

2010-12-24T10:52:00.000-06:00

A Happy Holidays to you all. I hope you have a wonderful time with your loved ones.

The Christmas Dinner Plan!

We are working on getting our dinner ready. This is probably the biggest dinner we've prepared. There will be 5 meats. Yeah, I said 5.

Peace and love. Stay safe!

Bread Baking Babe-aversary

2010-12-23T02:22:00.000-06:00

The Bread Baking Babes anniversary is coming up in February and we'd like YOU to pick the Anniversary Bread recipe for February 2011.

* What's your favorite bread?
* What bread haven’t you ever been able to get to turn out the way you want?
* What bread scares you the most?
* What's the bread recipe you’ve baked the most?
* What bread do you dream about baking?
* What bread do you...?

Scour your bread-baking cookbooks, recipe boxes and bread-baking sites to make your choice. We’ll ask you to submit your desired recipe soon. And after we've narrowed the list down to a manageable number of choices, we’ll ask you to vote on one for us to bake and post for our anniversary in February.

Please email your bread recipe/link to me at iliketocook AT shaw DOT ca

Cheers!

Reverb 10, day 22

2010-12-22T15:00:00.001-06:00

December 22 – Travel How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year? (Author: Tara Hunt)

Let's talk about my boy, who took plane(s), train(s), boats and automobiles this year. We didn't go anywhere exotic, but we did have a good time.

Pax visited Vancouver and area, Sun Peaks, Salmon Arm, Calgary.......that might be it.

He saw the ocean. He had his toes dipped in the lake. He met my aunt and uncle (his great aunt and uncle). He saw his Grandmother and his aunts, uncles and cousins. He met some of his parents old friends. Some of his grandparents friends too. He wore his little tux onesie when his best auntie and uncle got married.

We have no illusions of exciting trips in 2011. I hope for at least 2 trips to Calgary to visit family, that's it.

3 recipes you should try

2010-12-22T05:34:00.001-06:00

We had a pre-Christmas dinner at my parents house on the weekend, so we could all get our turkey fix before our nontraditional dinner on the 25th. Of course I didn't take any photos, and I'm steamed about that because it was fantastic and delicious. They made turkey, carrots cooked in mango juice (I think), brussel sprouts with bacon, mashed potatos and raisin bread stuffing. And gravy. The stuffing and the potatos were the best of a stellar bunch. I found the recipes on Chatelaine.com:

Sausage and raisin stuffing

I'd never had stuffing with meat in it before, and didn't think it was very appealing, but this was really really good. The only think I personally would do differently would be to cut the sausages smaller.

Mashed potatoes with parmesan and scallions

Yum!

Also I squeezed in one more tasty treat after my 3 cookies I shared with you. I made Saltine Cracker Candy and it was amazing! Easy and delicious.

Nigella's Rapid Ragu-ish

2010-12-21T01:38:00.001-06:00

I am in a new area of what kind of food I am cooking - it has to be cheap/I have most of the ingredients already, and it should be something that the baby can also eat. I thought I had a package of ground beef in the freezer so I marked Nigella's Rapid Ragu to make last week. I don't eat lamb, but I knew this would be tasty with beef. Turns out we didn't have any ground beef but there was some ground turkey, so I used that.

Also, you can't buy jarred caramelized onions here, so I just made my own from half an onion, and I didn't have green lentils but red. And I didn't use Marsala, or have cheddar cheese. But other than that it was just like hers!

It was really really good, all 3 of us liked it and I will make it again.

Reverb 10, day 20

2010-12-20T18:20:00.001-06:00

December 20 – Beyond Avoidance What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?) (Author: Jake Nickell)

I am in many areas of my life, horribly unorganized. We have a little office at home where we keep the bills, paperwork, important stuff, etc. I am mostly in charge of it and it always looks like a cyclone has just shot through the room. Every once in a while I get it almost clean, almost completely put together but I just don't get is quite all done. And then it all gets messy and crappy again. It makes me tired.

Will I do it? Keep it clean and tidy and organized in 2011 and beyond? Let's hope so.

Reverb 10, Day 18

2010-12-19T15:00:00.001-06:00

December 18 – Try What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it? (Author: Kaileen Elise)

I had started thinking in the summer that I'd like to take a class in....something, but wasn't sure exactly what.

I'm happy to say, as you've already read if you're following my reverb posts, that next month I am taking a night class at the university, and I hope to take another one in the early spring, if I can. I am excited.

I was hoping to cross a few more things off my life list. Although I know many of them are pipe dreams that will never happen (going to Spain, Italy, Churchill, etc), but here are a couple of things I hope to accomplish in 2011 that are either on my list or related to it.

Run the Terry Fox run in September.

Make a baby blanket for my will be born in May nephew

Make cheese

Take the Mondo Beyondo Class

What are YOU going to do in 2011?

Cooking Book 5 - Project Notebook.

2010-12-19T08:19:00.000-06:00

5 more recipes from Book 5 -

Well this is annoying. I'm not actually sure which recipe this is. Until I figure it out, let's call this "Chicken".

Nope, not embarrassed about that all all.

Aha! I know this dish - Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, Young Thailand Cookbook.

So very very delicious. This is a cookbook to be owned, people.

Chinese BBQ Drumsticks, source unknown

1/2 cup bbq sauce

2 tb hoisin sauce

1 tb sesame oil

12 chicken drumsticks

1 lime

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a bowl mix the bbq sauce, hoisin and oil. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Place chicken on baking sheet and drizzle with remaining sauce.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Squeeze lime over the chicken and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup, Me

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1 tb oil

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 bunch broccoli florets, chopped up

1/2 cup milk

170 g shredded cheddar cheese

saute the onion in the oil until soft. add the broth and broccoli and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender. puree with an immersion blender or a regular blender. return to low heat and stir in the milk and cheese. stir until the cheese is melted. season with salt and pepper if desired.

Thai Chicken Fried Rice, Young Thailand Cookbook

Just like the other fried rice recipe above from the same book, so good. My 2 new favorite ways to use up leftover rice.

bbb fail!

2010-12-18T05:34:00.003-06:00

i can't believe i did it, but i did. i totally forgot about the december bread baking buddies bread this month.

my apologies to all, especially to Ilva, the kitchen of the month.

please visit the babes, listed over there on the left to see their beautiful "Taralli Pugliesi".

Whipped peanut butter

2010-12-17T21:45:00.002-06:00

A couple of months ago I received a jar of the newest peanut butter from Kraft, Whipped Peanut Butter. This stuff is pretty awesome, I have to tell you. It has a lighter and fluffier consistency than regular peanut butter. It's easier to spread, feels lighter in the mouth and mixes into other ingredients super well.

I abstained from peanut butter while I was pregnant and then nursing, so my favorite way to eat this is pretty much straight out of the jar! I really do like how easily scoopable and spreadable this is.

In addition to giant mouthfuls, we also made sandwiches and smoothies and pizzas with the new peanut butter.

Choco-pb smoothie

1 cup milk

1 frozen banana

3 tb chocolate syrup

2-3 tb whipped peanut butter

handful of ice cubes

Blend in a blender. Makes 2 glasses

Thai Chicken Pizza

I mixed the whipped peanut butter with hoisin sauce and spread it on a pre-baked pizza crust. Then I topped it with sliced red bell pepper, slices of cooked chicken and shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake until the crust is brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter would also be good in these other recipes of mine:

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Stuffed French Toast

Peanut Butter and Bacon Toast

Quinoa Peanut Butter Cookies

3 Days of Christmas Cookies

2010-12-16T05:34:00.001-06:00

Day 3 - Vanilla Shortbread

1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup soft butter

Sift together the cornstarch, icing sugar, salt and flour. Blend in butter and vanilla until a soft smooth dough forms. Shape into 1" balls and chill 30 -60 minutes. Place 1 1/2" apart on a cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a floured fork. Bake 300' for 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool.

Reverb 10, Day 15

2010-12-15T22:16:00.000-06:00

December 15 – 5 Minutes Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010. (Author: Patti Digh)

My Mom and my boy, Dec 2010.

I know there are those out there who would say my answer is "such a cliche" (I know this cause I've seen them complaining about others on Twitter) but my answer is all about my family.

Watching my boy grow and change from a little immobile slug to a crawling, nearly walking ball of terror (in a good way).

Watching my parents light up every time they see the baby.

Watching Scott's mother with her grandsons.

Watching my big guy and little guy together.

We've had some shitty (oh, so shitty) moments this year that I'd love to forget. But the amazing moments outweigh them by a jillion.

3 Days of Christmas Cookies

2010-12-15T11:11:00.002-06:00

Day 2 - Buttery Almond Lace Cookies

Buttery Almond Lace Cookies - from Chatelaine

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp orange juice

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup sliced hazelnuts or almonds

1 tsp grated orange peel

Position oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, orange juice, flour and salt. Then whisk in beaten egg. Stir in nuts and orange peel. Mixture will be wet.

Drop 1 tsp batter for each cookie onto prepared sheets, about 2 in. apart. Batter will spread. Bake in top and bottom thirds of oven, switching and rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden brown and centres are light golden, 6 to 7 min. Repeat with remaining batter.

Cool cookies on baking sheets for 2 min. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.

My 3 days of Christmas cookies

2010-12-14T09:26:00.001-06:00

Day One - Nutchos

Nutchos from Best of Bridge

2 - 10 oz packages semisweet chocolate chips

10 oz package peanut butter chips

2 cups salted peanuts

7 oz ripple potato chips, coarsely crumbled

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and peanut butter chips. Stir in peanuts and crumbled chips. Drop onto cookie sheet and leave to cool. Store in refrigerator.

Delicious!

Reverb 10, Day 13

2010-12-13T22:37:00.002-06:00

December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step? (Author: Scott Belsky)

What's my next step? My next step is next month when I begin to take the first of what I hope is many night classes at the University.

Go me!

Some recipes I'm not making from Book 5

2010-12-11T16:05:00.000-06:00

Not that there is anything wrong with these recipes, but I'm skipping making them for reasons of time, cost, seasonality, or just general I don't wanna.

Kir Royale, Barefoot Contessa.

Mango Sorbet, Barefoot Contessa.

Canyon Ranch Guacamole

Crisp and Spicy Snack Mix from Cooking Light

Fava Bean and Pasta Toss, Vegetarian Times.

Blood Orange Bellini, Mario Batali.

Reverb 10, Day 11

2010-12-11T03:12:00.001-06:00

December 11 – 11 Things What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)
Instead of saying what I DON'T need in 2011, here's 11 things I do need -

Eat less junk food.

Drink less fluids that are not water.

Worry less about what people think of me.

Concentrate more on what I think of me - in a positive way only.

Work on becoming more organized (again) and getting my sh*t in order.

Get a good budget going, and bills under control.

Build a wardrobe of clothes that I look good in. Or decent. Or passable.

Read. Everyday.

Take a class in something. Anything.

Be active everyday.

Be oh so thankful for all i have.

Cooking Book 5 (Project Notebook)

2010-12-10T13:00:00.000-06:00

HA! I bet you thought I'd abandoned this project like so many before. Nope. It's just that this one is a little labor intensive, with having to match up the photos to the recipes in the book and write about it. Well, it's labor intensive for me.

Here's another 5 -

Mexican Bean Dip, American Heart Association

I made this up as a filling for quesadillas. It was easy and delicious.

Mexican Bean Dip

American Heart Association

16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley and cilantro

2 tb salsa

2 tb lime juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp chile powder

1/2 tsp cumin

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until fairly smooth.

Creamed Spinach, unknown source

I'm glad I don't know the source for this as it wasn't very good. I won't make this again.

White Bean and Pasta Soup, American Heart Association

I made some changes to this to use up what I had on hand. Absolutely delicious. We've made variations on this a few times in the past couple of months.

Bean and Pasta Soup

1 15 oz can beans (I use white, kidney or black beans) rinsed and drained

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup diced tomato

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

3/4 cup small pasta shapes

parmesan cheese for serving

optional ingredients:

greens (like kale or spinach)

meat (i love chorizo)

Stir together the beans, broth, tomato and herbs in a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Add the pasta and cook, covered, until the pasta is tender. If you are adding cooked greens or meat, add a couple of minutes before the pasta is done to heat them through. If adding raw kale, slice thinly and add at the same time as the noodles.

Marinated Grilled Beef, Young Thailand Cookbook

This was good, nothing spectacular. Slices of beef marinated briefly in soy, garlic, pepper and sugar, then grilled.

Shrimps with Chile and Basil, Young Thailand Cookbook

This is such an excellent recipe. I am not a huge shrimp fan (unless, sadly they are battered or breaded) but I enjoyed this very much.

Here's my version with a few changes

3 tb oil

1 tb minced garlic

1 pinch (or more) of dried chile flakes

16 good sized shrimps, peeled and deveined

1 red bell pepper, cut into squares

3 tb soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

4 tb water

1 tsp hoisin sauce

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tb water

Heat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic and the chile flakes, shrimp and bell pepper. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce through hoisin sauce. Cook 1 minute more. Shred the basil leaves and stir them in. Mix the cornstarch and water and stir in. Cook until the sauce has thickened.

Tomorrow, a list of some I'm NOT making from the book.

Reverb 10, Day 10

2010-12-10T10:26:00.002-06:00

December 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

My ongoing decision to get healthier. I make this decision 18575474869 times per year. Right now though, I feel like maybe it's sticking. It's still a battle, because I'm an emotional person (and eater), but even though the progress is SLOW, I think, I know I'm making progress.

Reverb 10, Day 9

2010-12-09T21:09:00.000-06:00

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

There was only one, because we are the farthest things from party-ers that there is. My sister and brother in law got married at the end of June.

Wedding Pie!

I was the MC for the event and I was petrified. But after my first little speech I relaxed and started having fun. If I might say, I was the hit of the night. In fact a couple of months later when we were visiting the family again, my brother in law began to introduce me to a friend who interrupted him and said he remembered me as the funny MC from the wedding.

Funny ha-ha, not funny peculiar. I assume. I hope.

Reverb 10, Day 8

2010-12-08T18:25:00.001-06:00

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)

Ooof. I am not a person who can easily think positively about myself, especially lately. I've been struggling with this one since last night and finally I can do it, with Wordle's help.

I have a food blog. It isn't the best one out there but it's mine and I love it.

A "Word Cloud" from my blog 12/8/10

Reverb 10, Day 6

2010-12-06T14:22:00.000-06:00

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

This is a bit of a coincidence as at the brunch we went to yesterday we made sugar scrubs! I was planning to share it with you, so I can do it now.

This is a super simple craft from Martha Stewart. Mix salt or sugar with a carrier oil (I used olive oil), scent with essential oil and color with food coloring if desired.

I made 3 - a blue scented with peppermint, pink scented with anise, and what was supposed to be a purple but ended up more brown with cinnamon (which is kind of fitting).

I am putting these by the sink in the kitchen so I can give my hands a decadent scrub whenever needed.

I would really like to make a blanket for my will-be-born-in-May niece or nephew. Besides not having time, I also can't knit, crochet or sew. But still, I hope to actually do this project.

Fruit Dip

2010-12-06T09:26:00.000-06:00

We went to a Christmas brunch yesterday at a family friends house, and our contribution was to be a fruit salad. I am not a huge fruit salad fan as I think they always taste mushy. I looked briefly on the internet for a fruit salad recipe but I couldn't find anything that sounded appealing. Scott suggested doing a fruit tray with dip. What a clever man!

We did grapes, pineapple, apple and banana. The banana was sliced at the last minute to keep it from going mushy.

We made a fruit dip to go alongside.

Raspberry Friut Dip

adapted from Fit It and Enjoy It Healthy Cookbook

1 cup raspberries

1 cup light dessert topping

1 small container (approx 175 g/6 oz) raspberry yogurt

1/2 tsp or to taste ground ginger

Place the berries in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the yogurt and topping. Add ground ginger to taste. Serve with fruit.

Reverb 10, Day 5

2010-12-05T22:34:00.002-06:00

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

This is something I'm still working on. Letting go of expectations of other people.

People do not do, say, act what/how you think they should. Just because someone is your friend/family/whatever does not mean they will always hit the bar you think they should.

Don't expect it, and you may be pleasantly surprised. And if you're not, then you're not getting yourself upset or mad about it. Hopefully. At least that is what I'm working towards.

2010-12-04T15:00:00.000-06:00

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

Are you kidding? I live in a sense of wonder. Look at this guy.

Deep Dish Pizza

2010-12-04T07:39:00.000-06:00

For years now we've wanted to try deep dish pizza. From what we'd seen from magazines and tv this kind of pizza was nothing like we'd had before. A sturdy, deep (of course) crust with the toppings put on in an unusual order - meat first, on the bare dough, followed by the cheese and then the tomato sauce, but lots and lots of it, not a thin layer. It sounded interesting and delicious. I found a recipe that was simple and we gave it a try.

Don't let these terrible photos deter you, this is good pizza! I used my new favorite pizza dough recipe from Canadian Living and we were very happy with the results. If you want to try deep dish pizza and aren't on a diet, this is the recipe to start with.

Reverb 10, Day 3

2010-12-03T05:34:00.000-06:00

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

I have had many alive and happy moments this year, but one of the first I thought of was a day in April, when Scott and the baby and I were in Vancouver. We were in Stanley Park. The sun was shining, the sky was beautiful and blue. The air smelled perfect. And I was with my boys.

Daisy's Holiday Cooking

2010-12-02T23:59:00.000-06:00

This is another book that I can recommend for gift giving for the holidays, Daisy's Holiday Cooking, by Daisy Martinez.

If you or someone you know loves to entertain and loves to have not just the same old, same old, this is a book you'll want to have.

Daisy's Holiday Cooking is full of delicious recipes, with a Latin twist, for the holidays, or any kind of celebration. There are 10 menus in the book, each with a variety of mouthwatering recipes. Each section contains the recipes, notes (on ingredients, preparation and what to do with leftovers), and a preparation schedule which shows you how to easily prep and make the food without having a breakdown in the kitchen. Most recipes come with a picture, for your end result goal.

The book contains a wide variety of recipes from drinks to salads to soups, to much fancier dishes such as Achiote Rubbed Turkey with Manchamanteles. A lovely little book with lots of fun inside. Definitely a winner.

We tried 4 recipes:

Pumpkin Spice Mantecadas (pumpkin muffins). I can't find my photos of these. They were delicious little muffins, full of spice and wonderfully flavored with pecans.

Lime Hollandaise

Unfortunately this one didn't work for me. It separated. The recipe, as all, is clearly written and easy to follow, so it's hard to say if it was me or the recipe. This was my first time making a "real" hollandaise, as I usually make either from a packet or the blender method. However, the addition of the lime was really interesting and fun.

Turkey Bacon and Avocado Panini

You can't go wrong with a panini, and this one has a delicious sundried tomato mayonnaise. Simple but decadent.

"Casa de Steak" Salad

A lovely salad with bacon and radish, and an easy to make blue cheese dressing.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster!

Reverb 10, Day 2

2010-12-02T22:29:00.000-06:00

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

I am the queen, The Queen, of procrastination. I used to be so organized and on top of everything. But the past few years, well before the baby, I slowly slid into the form of a Grade A procrastinator. How does this affect my, ahem, 'writing', as it is? I sit down in front of the computer to write a post and I spend all the time aimlessly reading news, emails, twitter, blogs, recipes, gossip sites...anything but write. I don't mean to, but it just happens. Every time.

Can I eliminate it? Who the hell knows? All the piles of papers, jobs and semi completed chores around here suggest no time soon.

Reverb 10 Day 1, a day late.

2010-12-02T22:21:00.000-06:00

I came across this project - reverb 10 on Twitter. It is a month long assignment for December, to mull over the past year, and to look forward to 2011. Every day this month there is a prompt - a question - to answer however you'd like; through a blog post, an update on twitter, a photo - the way you are inspired.

So tonight I signed up.

This has been a year of various struggles for me. Good and bad. I hope that taking part in this will..... I'm not sure. Help me continue to clear my mind? Restore some spirit and confidence? Feel inspired and calm? We shall see.

Taken on a family trip to Davison Orchard in Vernon.

Day 1

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

The minute I read this, a thousand negative words flooded my head. I was trying to choose which one to use when I stopped. I didn't let myself be negative about a year that was both wonderful and difficult. So I made myself choose a positive word instead.

Family.

Our families have been wonderful, helpful and supportive this year. We've been blessed to spend lots of time with both sides, both here and in Alberta. I don't know what we would do without them, and I am thankful, so very thankful to have them.

What word do I hope will encapsulate 2011?

Peace.

Breakfast Wafflewich

2010-12-01T05:57:00.000-06:00

Ooof, this is old. Months and months and months. I made a big batch of waffles so I would have some to reheat for fast breakfasts in the mornings to come. (Like my own batch of Eggos!) Sadly this particular recipe didn't reheat very well. Some I fed to the birds, but I turned a few into breakfast sandwiches.

I briefly toasted 2 waffles per sandwich, just enough to get the chill off them. Then I layered cheese and ham between them and toasted again to fully warm and melt some cheesy goodness.

An egg, or some tomato slices would be welcome additions.

Holiday Gift Ideas - Food

2010-11-29T06:40:00.001-06:00

Buy it:

artisnal baking and dessert salt kit.

make a sushi kit - package together a sushi rolling mat, bag of sushi rice, nori sheets, wasabi and a bottle of soy sauce.

beer glasses and 6 pack of imported beer.

turkey brining kit.

make a cheese plate - buy a pretty plate and a few (3 to 5) different cheeses.

chocolate.

magic reindeer food.

Make it:

homemade pancake mix. pour into a jar, attach instructions with a ribbon. gift with a bottle of maple syrup, if you're feeling fancy.

flavored salt - lavender, citrus (finely grated citrus peel,dried, mixed with salt), roasted salt and pepper.

bbq rub - i like this rub from Bobby Flay.

yule wreath -very pretty and delicious.

fudge wreath from Rachael Ray. I've wanted to make this for a while now.

salted caramels - i would like to try to make these too.

shortbread cookies, of course.

Holiday Gift Ideas - Tools and Gadgets

2010-11-28T03:17:00.001-06:00

Some practical, some fun and silly.

Make shooter glasses out of ice.

Merry and Bright towel.

food pod silicone cooking tool. man, i want this!

keep calm and eat a cupcake love this!

excellent aprons.

le Creuset salt crock

star wars cookie cutters. Scott wants these bad.

cookbook stand WITH measurement conversion chart.

decorating pen.

kids alphabet apron.

custom cake toppers.

tomorrow - the final list - food!

Holiday Gift Ideas - For Babies and the Parents Who Feed Them

2010-11-27T05:54:00.001-06:00

If you are buying a gift for someone who's expecting or already has a little one, consider food related gifts for the baby. They gotta eat too! Doctors recommend starting solid foods at 6 months. If your friend or family is considering making their own baby food (as we did), here's some stuff they could use.

Baby Food Books - this is vital if you don't know what the heck a baby should eat (we didn't). My favorite is Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months. This was my bible the first few months Paxton ate solid food. There is so much information in the book on what foods to introduce when, what to hold off for a while, allergies, and lots of simple and healthful recipes. Pax is a year old now so we are working him towards more "grown up food", but I still use the book as a guide, especially for allergies as Scott's family has some.

Equipment - you don't have to go crazy for equipment but there a a couple of things you should have -

Food processor - this is important, especially the first couple of months when the baby is eating thin smooth food. You don't have to spend a million dollars, but get a good sturdy one that can be used for other meal prep too. Stay away from those ones designed only for baby food, unless you are rich or something. If a food processor is more money than you planned on spending, get others to chip in or give a gift card with instructions for the money to go to a processor.

Cutting boards - for, you know, cutting up the food before cooking and also for finger food. They're not too expensive so you could buy a few and wrap a ribbon around them. Buy plastic so they can be scrubbed and tossed in the dishwasher.

Steamer insert - the first couple of months most of the baby's food is steamed or baked. Buy a silicone steamer that can be tossed into any pot to steam fruits and veggies.

Potato masher - when the baby starts moving to thicker textures, use a masher to leave some lumps behind. This one is pretty cute.

Storage trays - I am a big fan of Baby Cubes. They work very well. They are freezer, dishwasher and microwave safe, have a holding tray and attached lids. They just make the job easier. And now we use them to also store his cut up finger foods.

Ice Cube trays - if you don't want to go the route of the storage trays, buy some ice cube trays. Load up with food, cover with plastic wrap and freeze, then move the cubes to zippered storage bags.

Floor Mat - Lord, I wish we had one of these. Kids make a mess when they eat, it's just the way it is. Buy a mat like this to go under the highchair, or better yet if you are crafty, make one.

Tableware - plastic and inexpensive. Paxton loves to lick his plates and bowls, then hurl them to the floor. We've got these Kalas plates and bowls. We used this silicone spoon for the few few months, and now use ones that are still plastic but a little more sturdy as Pax likes to use the soft spoon as a catapult for his food.

Bibs. Lots of bibs.

Facecloths - we have an enormous pile of facecloths. When Pax was a little little guy we used them for wiping his face, cleaning up spit ups, and poop removal. Now we was his hands and face (obvs) in the am and pm as well as after meals; bathtime, and we use them as wipes during mealtimes. They also make fun play hats.

If the baby you are buying for is ready to eat now and you think it would be appreciated, think about making some basic foods yourself, freezing and delivering them. There are lots of good websites out there. You can't go wrong with purees of apple or yam or pear.

Or give the intended a coupon good for one baby food making session. Then show up with a bag of appropriate fruits, veggies etc, make sure you have all the necessary supplies, and fill the freezer up!

Nextie: Tools and gadgets.

Holiday Gift Ideas - Cookbooks

2010-11-26T01:51:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again. Do you struggle to find the "perfect" gift for your loved ones? Fear not! The next few days I'll share some kitchen and food related gift ideas. The perfect gift for someone may lurk within...

Cookbooks

I am a HUGE cookbook-aholic, although most of mine come from charity book sales and secondhand shops. Here's some books I love AND some books I wish I owned:

Nigella Lawson's Kitchen - click to see what I thought of it. In summary though, a gorgeous book with delicious recipes. On Amazon.

Bobby Flay's Throwdown A fun show turns out a really fun book. My family are STILL having throwdowns. I think they're addicted. On Amazon.

Canadian Living Vegetarian A brilliant book for everyone, not just Vegetarians. My favorite book this year. On Amazon.

The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon I bought this because they're are NO Vietnamese restaurants in Kamloops and it's my favorite food. I really like this book, informative and easy to follow.

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City A fun book to read if you've ever dreamed about living in Paris. Delicious recipes too.

And here's some books I don't own but I wish I did but I know they'd make great gifts:

Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I borrowed this from the library and was immediately sad that I had to take it back. What a book! A gorgeous collection of French home cooking.

I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris. I borrowed this one from the library too and it was hilarious.

Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris. How can this not be excellent?

Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For--From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes also by Isa Chandra. Love her food.

Next - Cookin' ~~with~~ for babies.

Foule

2010-11-25T13:03:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Emmy from Vegan Diva tweeted a photo of her Foule Mudammas she was having for breakfast. It reminded me that I've been wanting to try this dish for literally years and years.

Foule

1 can chick peas

1 tsp cumin

1/2 bunch parsley

3 garlic cloves

3 tb lemon juice

5 tb olive oil

1 large tomato, diced

salt and pepper

Place the chickpeas and their liquid in a frying pan over medium high heat, until simmering. Add the cumin, and mash the beans with a potato masher until lumpy. Finely chop the parsley and garlic and place in a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, olive oil and tomato. When the beans have thickened, stir in the parsley mixture. Simmer until hot, taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with pita bread, tomato slices and feta cheese.

Nigella

2010-11-23T09:44:00.003-06:00

I am a humongous fan of Nigella Lawson. I enjoy her books and shows, and think she's a wonderful speaker and writer. I love the use of language to describe food.

Kitchen, Recipes from the Heart of the Home is her latest, and 8th book. This a a massive book, 500 pages, with 13 food chapters as well as lists, hints and help. The book is gorgeous and the photography is lovely as usual for her books. Each recipe has at least one photo of the dish which is always helpful to know what your end result should look like.

Many recipes have notes at the bottom of the page for instructions on making the dish ahead, as well as instructions for freezing and reheating. Some recipes also have companion recipes to use up the leftovers. Great idea.

We tried 8 recipes from the book:

Papparedelle with butternut and blue cheese (pg 333)

I have never had pasta with blue cheese before. It took me a few bites to like this but once I did, I really did. Excellent and impressive.

Tomato Curry (pg 108)

This dish fell flat for us. I had high hopes but in the end I just didn't think there was much flavor.

Lemon Meringue Fool (pg 168)

A quick dessert that is also delicious.

Korean Keema (pg 76)

Ground turkey stir fried with a spicy sauce. Fast and tasty.

Spicy Sausage Patties with Lettuce Wraps (pg 421)

Fun finger food.

Fiery Potato Cakes (pg 387)

This is the "leftover recipe" from the Tangy Parsnip and Potato Mash recipe. Lovely little cakes with a kick.

Crustless Pizza (pg 26)

An easy little dish that reminded me a little of a Yorkshire pudding. That's a good thing.

Pumpkin Scones (pg 451)

Surprise ingredient: Parmesan cheese!

As all the other Nigella books that have come before this, I love this book. It's gorgeous, packed with beautiful pictures of mouthwatering food, and of course Nigella's writing style is stunning. However having said that, my one complaint about the book is this. Many of the introductions to the recipes are long. Like, an entire page long. I found myself getting slightly irritated and thinking "get on with it already!". Right now is not a time in my life for lounging with poetry-style cookbooks, which is a shame. But that is a small quibble to have with such a lovely book.

Thanks, Random House!

weekly menu plan

2010-11-22T20:03:00.000-06:00

The camera/computer connection is misbehaving and I have no photos to show you of the delicious lasagna resting on the counter, which is too bad, cause man it looks goooooood!

Monday (today) lasagna made w zucchini, mushroom and bell pepper

Tuesday bean spinach and chorizo soup, buns

Wednesday bubble and squeak, salad

Thursday bbq kebabs, veggies

Friday bean burritos

Saturday soup i can't tell you about

Sunday Paxton's Birthday Dinner!

Monday Nigella Lawson's rapid ragu

jellyfish

2010-11-20T20:59:00.001-06:00

At the Vancouver Aquarium.

Chile Oil

2010-11-19T10:23:00.000-06:00

I was making up my weekly meal list a couple of weeks ago and was contemplating adding a dish that required chile oil. I didn't have any such oil in the cupboard and didn't want to spend money buying some, so I made up a little batch, and it took hardly any time at all.

I put some canola oil in a small pot over low heat (you DON'T want the oil to boil!), and added some dried chiles. A couple of spoonfuls. I let the oil and chile infuse for 20 minutes or so, then turned off the heat and let it cool completely.

I strained the oil thru a coffee filter to get out all the chiles and poured it into a small bottle.

Pretty, cheap, and delicious to boot.

Greek Salad

2010-11-18T13:39:00.000-06:00

If I close my eyes while I eat this, I can almost believe it's still summer. That it's warm out, I'm wearing sandals instead of shoes and socks and my coats are hung at the back of the closet. If I open my eyes I'll see snow, and 0 degrees and socks and boots. So I'll keep 'em closed and eat this salad.

Throw down some lettuce, then top with chopped tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, pitted and diced kalamata olives. Dress with a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. Top with feta.

Stuff and things

2010-11-17T08:14:00.000-06:00

These are all dishes I made in the summer and wrote about in the summer. Since it's November and there's now SNOW on the ground, I will share them with you.

_____________________________________________________

I found this recipe for Strawberries with Basil Granita in a Food Network magazine, and thought it sounded so wonderful. I made it, and eh. It was ok.

I loved the cold granita with the berries, and in theory the granita was good - cold, sweet basil equals yum - but it was just too sweet. I would play with this recipe, and work on getting it less sweet. But it sure has potential.

_______________________________________

frick frick frick. I just messed up and deleted the photo for this dish. Look up stupid in the dictionary, and they may well have a picture of me.

I saved this recipe from Deb last year, for her Thai Chickpea Curry, and made it earlier this month. We had it for dinner the next 2 nights and it was marvelous. I didn't follow the vegetable part of this recipe, just threw in what I had, which was sweet potatos, peas, cauliflower and carrots.

If you like curry, try this recipe. So, so good.

_______________________________________

I had some strawberries that were heading south faster than we could eat them. Instead of turning them into a smoothie like I normally would, I decided to make some fast jam.

I gave the berries a quick chop, then put them in a pan over medium heat. When they started to bubble, I added some maple syrup and a splash of balsamic vinegar, and then mashed them with a potato masher.

We liked it.

________________________________________

I made these on Canada Day - I call them "meatballs stuffed with tomatos stuffed with cheese". I took some grape tomatos, cut off the stem end and cleaned out the seeds with the point of a knife. I stuffed them with cheese (I had some Laughing Cow pieces, but any cheese would work). I mixed some ground chicken with salt and pepper and then formed meatballs around the tomatos. Then I grilled 'em.

And lo, they were good.

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This is THE banana bread from Cookin' with Coolio, and if you don't own this book you are a fool, A FOOL, I tell you. We've made this approx 137548686597 times and love it. What are you waiting for?

__________________________________

If you weren't quite convinced you should pick up a copy of The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook, this will seal the deal. We tried the vegetable pancake recipe, made it for some dinner guests and it got RAVE reviews. I ended up in a fork fight for the last piece with a guy who doesn't even like veggies that much. (We shared it, like civilized people do)
I have no photos but man oh man, it ruled. It ruled hard.

Bread Baking Babes - Cornucopia

2010-11-16T04:16:00.000-06:00

This will be a brief post as I have a sorta-sick little baby curled up in bed next to me, slowly worming his way on my side of the bed, pushing me off.

This months Bread Baking Babe hostess with the mostess is one of our new members, Susan, from Wild Yeast. Since it's American Thanksgiving soon, she chose a decorative bread, the Cornucopia.

I initially wasn't going to make the bread as we Canadians have already had Thanksgiving and if I put out any sort of decoration on the table, Pax will just throw his lunch at it, but I thought it might be sort of fun to try to make an edible version.

Now I am not in the least bit artistic. At all. I nearly failed Art when required to take it in school. So be warned, what is below is not pretty.

My initial idea was to make mini cornucopias and fill them with salad, but I realized when I was halfway through making the second one that they were too big to be individual servings.

Sunday when I made these was kind of a weird day and I ended up pulling out a bag of mixed nuts to try to dress up my sad little corni for a photo.

See? So not pretty.

But other Babes have made some pretty spectacular ones. So check them out, their sites are listed over on the right, and visit Susan for instructions if you'd like to make your own, here.

Bobby Flay's Throwdown

2010-11-09T14:30:00.001-06:00

Bobby Flay is one of my favorite chefs. I love his books and his shows, especially Throwdown. Last year I spent hours and hours scouring the internet looking for recipes that sounded similar to the ones he and his competitor made on an episode (struck out, but got over it as I no longer remember what episode it was). So I was really excited to hear that his next book would be Throwdown, a collection of recipes from the show.

And I was even more excited when I was asked to take part in a Throwdown to celebrate the book coming out.

The plan was this - pick a Bobby Flay recipe out of Throwdown and make it as well as challenge dish. Just like on the show! Judge the recipes and blog about the results.

It was really fun to sit down and read this book. Each section begins with a short writeup on the episode by Bobby; who he's competing against, information on the dish, what his plan was, etc. I found these all really really interesting. And the recipes! Both recipes from the Throwdown are there, with the winner noted.

We had a hard time, but a fun time, picking recipes to try for our Throwdown at Home. We went with 2 - a cocktail challenge and the Muffuletta challenge.

Before the dinner we made judging sheets, as well as "A" and "B" labels. The dork in me really enjoyed that.

We started dinner with our cocktail challenge - Bobby Flay's The Throwdown Cocktail vs a Pina Colada.

Pina Colada is A, Throwdown Cocktail is B.

We each gave the drinks a mark out of 20, judging on appearance, aroma and taste. 3 of the 4 of us chose Bobby Flay's drink. For me, it was no contest. The Throwdown Cocktail, with pineapple, mint, basil and ginger syrup was AMAZING. It left that sad little pina colada in the dust.

And we moved on to the Muffulettas. Scott really wanted to try the sandwich, but we'd never made a real one before, so we decided to recreated the whole Throwdown, and make the competitors, Mike and Jack Serio's Muffuletta as well.

The Serio's sandwich is A, Bobby Flay's is B.

Because none of us are experts on Muffuletta's, we used the same criteria as the drink - appearance, aroma and taste. This one was a little tougher as they were both really really great sandwiches. The Serio's used the traditional olive salad; Bobby Flay's had a olive mayonnaise. Both were absolutely crammed with meat and cheese - we had to buy 6 different kinds of meats and 3 cheeses for the sandwiches! - and it took us a long time to declare a winner. But we did, and again 3 to 1 we declared Bobby Flay's sandwich the winner.

We had so much fun that we had another Throwdown at my parents house. They chose Chicken Pot Pie. Bobby Flay's Chicken Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Crust vs Sandy Pollock and Crystal Cook's World's Greatest Chicken Pot Pie.

World's Greatest is A, Bobby Flay's is B.

My parents chose Crust, Filling and Overall Comfort Factor for the judging criteria. The pies scored nearly even on filling and comfort factor, but A was the winner for crust, and took the Throwdown.

We made Bobby's Grilled Rib Eye with Molasses Mustard Glaze as well,

Which was really good. The glaze was fabulous.

My parents also tried the Collucci Brother's Meatloaf, and gave us a piece. It was fine, but I was pretty surprised that it beat Bobby's Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf, as I've made the turkey version from Food Network Magazine and it was delicious.

We had a blast at the dinners and I was surprised at how into the judging we got. They were really fun and definitely something I would do again.

If you like delicious food, then tell yourself this - you're ready for Throwdown (the book)!

Thanks,Random House!

Project Notebook - Book 5

2010-11-07T06:40:00.001-06:00

So I've been feeling down lately. Real down. Down, down down.

I figured I needed a hobby, or a project to keep my mind a little more busy. But hobbies are darn near impossible when you've got a crawling little guy that gets into everything. And potentially expensive. So I decided to make it cooking oriented, since I have to cook anyways.

I thought about heading to the used book store and finding a new cookbook, maybe try the ole "cooking through the book" thing again. But why spend money on a book when I've got a bookshelf full? But I couldn't find one that I thought I could, or wanted to, make a dent in. And then I realized I had the perfect project. All my notebooks. I'm up to 14 or 15 now, I think. They are all recipes that I chose to keep, that for one reason or another I wanted to make. So why not start cooking through all these recipes I've been saving for years?

I call it "Project Notebook", for lack of a more imaginative/better name.

I have given myself a few rules. I can make any changes I want to or need to. If I have previously made a recipe I don't have to make it again, unless I want to. And if there's anything I want to skip, I will.

I am starting with Book 5, because that's the first one I grabbed off the shelf. I've been working on this project for a while now (month? month and a half?) and I no longer remember what order I've made these in, but I do remember this one was first.

Tomato Tartar with Tomato Water Sauce, Jacques Pepin

This was definitely the way to get this project started. This was AWESOME.

Diced tomato, onion and bread with a tomato juice and olive oil vinaigrette. I made this 3 times in as many weeks and can't wait until tomato season next year to make it again and again. Just super.

I found the recipe online, slightly changed from what I have written down. The tartar in my notebook has 3 tb of olive oil in it, and there are no herbs in the tomato water. Recipe.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage, Rachael Ray

Easy to make breakfast sausage with not bad flavor.

Recipe

Pasta all Checca, Canyon Ranch

I made this after our Davison Farms visit in September, with their yellow tomatos. I liked that it was no cook and had tons of flavor.

Recipe

Grilled Steak and Mashed Potato Wrap, Rachael Ray

I found a little steak in the freezer and had wraps and potatos, this project has actually been very helpful in using up food I have in the freezer and cupboard. This reminds me of a restaurant I went to years ago with my friend Simon in Calgary, they did all sorts of wraps and soups. I loved it because they had wraps I had never imagined, like steak and potatos, or turkey and cranberry. It was a good restaurant.

Orzo with Ham and Goat Cheese, Gourmet

It turns out we have made this before. It's really good.

Beef Hoisin Mini Meatballs, Rachael Ray

I do love me a good meatball, and these were ok. Kind of a soft texture. Hoisin and garlic and green onions in the meatballs, browned and simmered in a sauce of hoisin, red current jelly, garlic, ginger and water. I made these because I had some red current jelly I wanted to use up.

6 recipes down!

Canadian Living Vegetarian

2010-11-05T09:43:00.000-06:00

I have mentioned time and again how much we love Vegetarian food. We try to eat meatless at least a few days a week (which doesn't always happen), and I am always on the lookout and happy to find new delicious vegetarian recipes.

My new very very favorite cookbook is Canadian Living: The Vegetarian Collection.

This is a flat out terrific book. The 8 recipe chapters focus on different food categories rather than courses or themes - pulses and beans, grains, pasta, and more. Each recipe comes with prep and cook times and (YAY) nutritional information. Not every recipe comes with a photo, but the photos are absolutely mouthwatering. Just beautiful.

There are tips and tricks scattered among the recipes: how to cook dried beans, information on different nuts and seeds, the difference between tofu and tempeh, cooking tips for pasta. The recipes are all well-written and easy to follow. There is definitely something in this book for everyone, vegetarian or not.

We tried 9 recipes for this review - we just couldn't stop!

Pasta with Mushroom Bolognese (pasta, pg 105)

Homemade Ricotta (stocks, sauces, breads & basics, pg 258)

I made cheese, y'all! And it was easy and delicious.

Tomato Pizza Sauce (stocks, sauces, breads & basics, pg 270)

Pizza Dough (stocks, sauces, breads & basics, pg 268)

The finished pizza with the dough (my new favorite pizza dough recipe), sauce and ricotta.

Corn Tempura (vegetables, pg 217)

Vegetarian Chili Fries (pulses and beans, pg 30) my new favorite way to cook fries.

Tofu Salad Sandwiches (tofu, tempeh & soy, pg 119) deeeelicious.

Toasted Guacamole, Brie & Tomato Sandwiches (eggs & cheese, pg 186)

Meatless Polpette in Tomato Sauce (vegetables, pg 230)

thank you, Random House!

Mighty Life List - Sticky Rice Ball

2010-11-04T11:29:00.000-06:00

I'm trying 10 new foods a year for my life list. When we were in Calgary we went to Chinatown and I spotted these Mini Green Tea Red Bean Sticky Rice Balls (whew! what a name!).

I hate to say it, but I did not like this. At all. The red beans, I just didn't like them. Couldn't even swallow my bite.

Oh well, they can't all be winners.

Jarritos

2010-11-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

A fun part of having this blog is getting the opportunity to try new products from time to time. Recently we got to try some sodas from Jarritos. Jarritos is a Mexican soda company that uses natural sugar and comes in 11 flavors (in beautiful glass bottles), like pineapple. Now where I live pop comes in few flavors, basically cola, rootbeer, lemon lime and orange (that doesn't taste like oranges). So to try sodas with such exotic flavors was quite a treat.

We started by trying some straight up - the strawberry, the mandarin and the Toronja (grapefruit). They were delicious - very light and fresh and real tasting. The mandarin wasn't my favorite, but that's because I don't like orange pop. BUT it tasted way better than the orange pop you can buy here, Scott assures. I was most afraid of trying the Tamarind, because how unappealing does tamarind soda sound? I was SO WRONG. The Tamarind was my very favorite of the bunch. I still miss it.

We also played around a little. We made ice cubes out of the Jamaica soda -

And then added some mango soda.

Delicious! We also made ice cubes from lime soda and mixed it with pineapple. So good.

We tried a couple of alcoholic drinks too. We mixed the Toronja with vodka (kind of like a Greyhound) which was really nice, and also tried the Limon-lima with Pimms. Yum.

And for dessert, a scoop of mango ice cream turned the Pineapple soda into a delicious float.

You can find Jarritos at their website here.

Jarritos is also on Facebook,

twitter,

and flickr.

Sad Cheese

2010-11-03T04:56:00.000-06:00

We bought some meat and cheese for a special something you'll hear about soon, and we opened up the packages, this was peeking out at me from the swiss cheese:

Awww, so sad, but so cute.

Somebody stop me

2010-11-01T18:38:00.000-06:00

I roasted pumpkin seeds today for the first time in probably 4 years.

They turned out super well and now I can't stop eating them. I wish I had more. Lots more.

I sprinkled them with roasted salt and pepper which I always have in my cupboard. I love the smoky, salty, spiciness of it and it's excellent on pumpkin seeds. Can't wait until next year to make more.

We got Boo'd!

2010-10-31T20:44:00.000-06:00

It's Paxton's first Halloween, and last summer before he was born, when we were in Calgary we bought a little pumpkin costume from a consignment shop. Last week Scott put him in it (those of you on my Facebook already know this) and I cried for 20 minutes. Where did my baby go? Who is this big 11 month old BOY? We got him back in the costume today for some photos (on facebook and flickr). Man, I got me a cute little one.

Here are our pumpkins this year. Scott did this very impressive Frankenstein:

I did this one, from an old Martha Stewart magazine, I think. I used a drill and drilled holes all over it:

Late this afternoon someone rang our doorbell and when Scott opened the door there was a bag of candy on the mat

We got Boo'd! I read about this a couple of years ago on Suburban Bliss.

I thought it was a fantastic idea but we don't know any of our neighbors but one, and they don't celebrate Halloween. But since whoever Boo'd us doesn't know us, it doesn't matter. I'll be doing this next year for sure.

But someone remind me, ok?

Zucchini Sticks with Hollandaise Sauce

2010-10-20T10:24:00.001-06:00

I remember when I was a kid that my parents would have company over and sometimes my mom would make zucchini sticks with hollandaise sauce. I LIVED for these nights. Seriously, this dish would make it onto my last meal menu.

The zucchini sticks are basic - sliced zuke dunked in beaten egg, then tossed in seasoned flour and fried in an inch or 2 of oil until nice and brown. Drain briefly on paper towels so you don't burn your little mouth.

I make my hollandaise sauce from the recipe my Mom gave me, from Best of Bridge - here. The best, seriously.

If you're underweight and need to put on a few pounds fast, make up a big ole batch of this. If you're a pudge like me, make it once every 5 years and dream about it the rest of the time.

Bread Baking Babes - Portuguese Corn Bread

2010-10-16T23:07:00.008-06:00

This month the bread for our Bread Baking Babes was chosen by Elizabeth from blog from OUR kitchen. She picked a Portuguese bread called "Broa". The bread is made with cornmeal and corn flour, with about a jillion, or maybe around 6 risings.

But it's a pretty straightforward bread. I was a little worried about how mine would turn out as my dough seemed a little more....solid than the recipe wrote. Elizabeth talked about sloppy dough, and having to use a scraper to move the dough, but mine was very.....doughy.

But it seemed to be behaving and rose well. I slashed the dough before I baked it, as I have become quite interested in slashing. The slashing came out not too bad, could have been worse, could have been better. As for the bread itself - I liked it. A nice crisp crust and a delicious, slightly corny interior.

Wanna be a Bread Baking Buddy this month? Head over to Elizabeth's for the recipe and make the bread and send her a link by October 29.

Cheers!

Chicken Fries with Tatziki Dip

2010-10-15T05:54:00.005-06:00

This was a fun dinner I made a few months ago, I was working on a bunch of "fries" posts that went nowhere. This was one of my favorites. (The carrot fries were awesome, but the photos and notes are missing, feared never to be seen again.)

I cut a chicken breast into strips, then tossed them with some greek seasoning. I made a tatziki dip with yogurt, shredded cucumber, diced tomato, lemon juice and more greek spice. Then I dunked the chicken into a tempura batter and cooked them in a couple of inches of oil.

Tempura batter
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup cold water

Whisk all ingredients together. Let stand 30 minutes before using.

Greek Chicken Wraps

2010-10-13T00:36:00.001-06:00

I love meals that are easy. I love meals that produce leftovers (most of the time). And I love wraps.

There was a pack of chicken legs in the freezer and some greek seasoning in the cupboard. And some tortillas in the fridge. Greek wraps!

I set out bowls of chopped cucumber, lettuce, tomatos and olives, and crumbled feta cheese.

The chicken legs were doused in the greek spice, then grilled on the bbq. Once done, the meat was removed from the bone and chopped.

Layer the veggies, cheese and meat as you like on the tortilla, and dollop tatziki on top for good measure. Add a little hot sauce if you're feeling spicy. Roll up and devour.

Balls! Of Cake!

2010-10-08T01:32:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you've all seen cake balls before, they've been floating around the internet for a couple of years now, most noticeably by Bakerella, who makes some phenomenal stuff.

This summer I was reading a parenting magazine that had an article about food on sticks for kids, and they had done cake pops, cake balls on sticks, with a sugar glaze instead of a dipped chocolate crust. I thought they looked fun and easy and it just happened that I needed to make a dessert for an upcoming family birthday.

I gave them a test run and while we enjoyed the cake balls, the glaze didn't work very well. Also, the dessert was going to have to travel to a different city and be stored overnight in a hotel fridge, so doing cake pops with sticks wasn't looking like a good idea. So we stuck with the balls.

Here is Bakerella's post on cake balls, if you'd like to see.

So you bake a cake. I made a box cake mix, I believe it was butter pecan. Bake it and let it cool. They break it up with your hands into fine crumbs.

Then you add frosting, again store bought. I used cream cheese frosting. Bakerella's tutorial uses a whole can and the magazine article used 1/2 a can. I used about 3/4's. Plop in the frosting and mix well until evenly incorporated and the cake will hold together in balls and you like the taste. Then form into balls. You could use a little scoop, but I just used my hands. I went fairly small, so the balls could be 1 or 2 bites. I got about 60. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Then you've got to coat them in something, cause they aren't very cute naked. As I said the glaze (powdered sugar and milk) didn't work for me, so I bought some of those candy chips from Michaels to dip them in. I am not very good with finicky stuff, so they didn't come out smooth, and some didn't even get a very good coating, but they looked not bad. I stuck them in little candy papers. And chilled again in the fridge.

Because these were for a birthday, I set some aside plain and some we "decorated" with icing tubes to read "Happy Birthday".

The end result looked like Paxton may have made them, but! They tasted great and was a cute alternative to a traditional birthday cake. These would be fun for any kind of party and super fun for kids. I guess I'll have to work on my decorating skills for future kid birthday parties.....

Japadog

2010-10-07T19:23:00.000-06:00

In the spring I visited Vancouver twice and it was my goal, my mission, to eat at Japa Dog at least once. And I did.

The hardest part was finding them, what with my very bad map reading skills. At the time they were working on opening their first store front on Robson St, which they've now done, and so I had to hunt down one of their carts. Finally I found one AND managed to be near it during operating hours!

After a brief wait, in which I could read the list of all the "famous" people who've eaten there (Today show people, Anthony Bourdain, Steven Segal) we got our dogs. I got the Terimayo, a hot dog with teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo and seaweed.

Scott got what I think was the Oroshi dog, with grated radish, green onion, and "special" soy sauce.

Verdict - they were both pretty good. The seaweed was awkward to eat, as lots of the pieces blew off as we ate on the side of the road. But teryiaki and mayo can make stuff like that all better. The grated radish was very refreshing and delicious. If I was hungry and in the area, I would most likely go back.

bites

2010-10-03T14:11:00.000-06:00

Last month at my fathers request I made him and my mom my pork skewers with almond butter sauce, the recipe I have entered in the Maple Leaf contest.

You still have time to vote for me! Go to facebook, and visit the Maple Leaf page. You have to "like" the page, and then click on the red box that says Vote Now, and then you can click on (MY) any recipe you like, and then click on the "like" button.

That'd be super. Thanks.

___________________________

I have some really excellent cookbook reviews coming up this month and next month, but I want to tell you right now about one that I bought myself - Balls!: Round the World Fare for All Occasions by Angela Murrills. I LOVE THIS BOOK. It has, as it states on the cover "Over 100 Ball-istic recipes" for every kind of meatball, fruitball, riceball, dessertball, fishball, and pretty much anything round that you could think of. We've tried the French Meatball and Onion Soup (which was amazing), the Gehaktballen (Dutch Meatballs) (very very nice), Boules Provencales (tasty), Bistro "Steak" with Oven Fries (delicious), and Grapes Glaces (refreshing). I've got many many more of the recipes marked, and when Fall arrives (it is so gorgeous right now! And how many parenthesis am I using here???) we'll give some more of them a try. Check out this book, you'll love it.

___________________________

Last month I crossed something off my Life List - I gave blood.

I tried to do that in the spring, but because I'd given birth just a few months before I was not eligible. Then I got a little freaked out and avoided making an appointment for the rest of spring/all summer when I could have given. But they called me last month and I stopped being a weenie and went and did it.

It was a piece of cake. And I'll be doing it again and again for sure. Free cookies!

___________________________

If you happen to be in the BC area, here's 3 things you might like. First, in Vernon - Davison Orchard, about an hour away from Kamloops (where I live). We went last month for the first time and enjoyed it. Paxton is a little too young for the kid activities, but we had a nice walk and a delicious lunch which included apple pie and fresh apple juice, and the most delicious turkey and spinach sandwich. Then we bought a bunch of apples and tomatos and delicious rye bread and went home. Paxton enjoyed the tomato container.

Also last month we went with my parents to the annual autumn feast at Thistle Farms. It was a beautiful setting and the food was lovely. I hope to go back again.

And last, the Salmon Run has started up at Adams River. This is an annual occurrence, which I've mentioned before. This is the biggest run in about 100 years, with millions and millions of salmon swimming home to spawn before they die. We've seen them swimming up the Thompson River, right at the park downtown, which is something we haven't seen in other years. We haven't gone to Adams River yet, probably in a couple of weeks, but I'll share photos and more info with you then.

Happy Sunday!

Wordless Recipe - S'mores

2010-09-30T03:56:00.003-06:00

Can You Cook Rachael Ray Recipes in 30 Minutes? Recipe 6 - Beans and Rice

2010-09-26T01:16:00.002-06:00

Here's our last recipe for this wee project - Smoky Red Rice and Chorizo with Black Beans.

Basically 4 steps to this - cook the rice. Puree some roasted peppers and such and stir into the rice. Cook the chorizo. Cook together the tomatos, beans, onions and garlic. Oh, step 5 - assemble.

I had some thinly sliced chorizo in the freezer, cut like pepperoni for pizza, so I cut it into fourths and used that. I used probably a third of what the recipe calls for, but because it was cut thin, there was a lot of it. I drained the tomatos for the beans as per the instructions, but I wished I hadn't. I would have liked that sauce to be a little juicer.

How long did it take?

A respectable 26 minutes.

Well, I am pretty happy with the results of this. Out of 6 recipes, only 2 took longer than 30 minutes, and all 6 were very good meals that I would make again.

Now if I could get some less fun projects cleared off my plate.....