Pink Sky at Night

Sailors delight

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A very Happy Christmas and Holiday Season to all of you out there.
I wish you all a wonderful peaceful Christmas spent with the ones you love.
Thanks to all of you out there who email me, comment, or just check out my blog from time to time. I appreciate your time and effort, and are glad you appreciate mine.

Cheers!

Sara

Turkey Burgers

Good Lord, I swear that my food tastes better than it looks in these pictures. If you're ever in Calgary, stop by and show me how to use my camera properly. I'll buy you a beer.

I got this idea from an older copy of Organic Style magazine, but changed it a bit to suit my tastes.

Makes 4 burgers

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
salt
pepper
brie cheese, cut into slices
4 slices of ham
spinach leaves
mango chutney
4 slices french bread

Mix the turkey, onion, salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties and cook on your bbq or a grill pan. Meanwhile, toast the bread. Spread the spinach on the bread and put a piece of ham on each sandwich. When the burgers are done, lay the slices of brie on the burgers and cover to let the cheese melt a bit. Then put the burgers on the bread, top with some chutney and serve.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge Round Up

Hey you! Go over to the new Weekend Cookbook Challenge site and check out the roundup from our first challenge, "A recipe from your oldest cookbook".
Do it!

Help me make Paella!

Saturday night we went to a big Christmas party and had the best dinner. Had I not had a "few" cocktails before dinner, I would have taken some pictures of the fabulous spread. We ate at a Spanish restaurant. We had some really great tapas - honey chicken, grilled sausage, scallops, langostines, and tortellini and cheese. But the highlight of the night was the paella. It was remarkable. Very flavorful, and absolutely full of chicken, calamari, mussels, clams and shrimp. Frankly, it was the highlight of my weekend!

I'd love to make my own paella. I even received a paella pan this year as a gift.

So here are some recipes I've found from:

Delia Smith
Rob Feenie
Man Made Food
Jamie Oliver

There are so many out there! Gah. I won't eat rabbit, so all those are out. I don't want vegetarian. I don't want beans. I would rather the stock be chicken than fish. I don't want diced up seafood, I want big chunks. I don't want pepperoni.

Can you help me? Does anyone out there have a kick-ass paella recipe they'd like to share with me? I'd love you forever!

Weekend Cookbook Challenge - My Oldest Cookbook

I am excited to write my first post for the new Weekend Cookbook Challenge hosted by myself and Alicat. I am really looking forward to the recipes and memories that all of the contributors will share.

The first challenge for the new WCC is to cook something out of the cookbook you have owned the longest. When I was younger I would regularly clean out my cookbooks, selling those I had no longer had an interest in to the used book store. So, my cookbook that I have had the longest was given to me by my Grandmother when I was getting ready to leave home at 18. It's called The Working Family's Cookbook. My sweet Grandmother never knew that I couldn't afford to cook anything out of here; I existed on toast and peas and rice and cheap food bought from the restaurant I worked at. I only kept this book because my Grandmother had given it to me;it's not something I would have bought for myself. Had I got it as a gift from someone else, it would have been out of my collection long ago. But now my Grandmother is gone, and this cookbook is one of the memories I have of her. I will never, ever give up this cookbook, and plan on cooking as many recipes out of it as I can, for her.

Well! On to the recipe. Since the weather here took a turn for the worse last week, I decided to make a hearty winter-y type dish. And sometimes nothing says winter better than a casserole.


Chicken Broccoli and Garlic Pasta Casserole
Serves 4
Adapted from the Working Family's Cookbook by Irena Chalmers
8 oz Radiatore pasta
3 cups broccoli florets and thinly sliced and peeled stem
3 tb butter
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tb flour
1 tsp dry thyme
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
2 chicken breasts, cut into thin slices
Pinch ground nutmeg
parsley
1 small container cottage cheese
Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.

Steam the broccoli for 5 minutes. Add to the pasta.

Heat oven to 350'.

In a large pan, heat butter over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic. Add thyme and flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the stock and milk and whisk to combine. Add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.


Stir in the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. It's ok if the chicken is not fully cook through. Remove from the stove and season with salt pepper and nutmeg. Add to the bowl with the pasta and broccoli and stir to combine.

Line a 11x8 baking dish with parchment paper and pour in the pasta mixture. Spread the cottage cheese to top and grate some Parmesan cheese over the top.

Look at Scott go!

Bake for 20 minutes, then put under the broiler for 5 minutes or so to melt and brown the top.

This was very good and fairly quick too. I might add a bit more garlic and something other than thyme next time I make it. And maybe I'll try replacing the chicken and broccoli with something else. Ham and peas? Slices of pork tenderloin and mushrooms? Mmmmm, the possibilities could be endless.

Reminder - WCC!

Hey everyone, please don't forget about the Weekend Cookbook Challenge! The deadline is Monday, and the theme is about your first cookbook.

Check out the website here.

Cheddar and Ham Biscuits

This recipe is from a friend of a friend and was given to me years ago. These are very tasty, and will keep for 4 or 5 days, if you didn't gobble them down as soon as they came out of the oven, like we usually do!

3 cups flour
1 tb dried rosemary
1 tb baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup grated cheddar
3/4 cup chopped ham
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400'. If you have a pestle and mortar, grind the rosemary until fragrant. If you don't have a p&m, place the rosemary on a cutting board and roll over it a few times with a rolling pin or heavy jar. Combine the flour, rosemary, baking powder salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers. Stir in the buttermilk just until it forms a dough. It will be crumbly. Turn out and knead to incorporate any loose crumbs. Pat the dough into a 6 inch square and cut into biscuits. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook, turning halfway until cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes.

Breakfast Casserole

Here's a recipe that my Mom made for Christmas Day breakfast a couple of years ago. Scott just loved it. We have it every couple of months. Very nice in the winter. It's not a complicated recipe and could be made for 1 or 10 people. Just throw in how much of each ingredient you want.

Frozen commercial hash browns, or potatos, parboiled and diced
Sliced deli ham, diced
Brie, diced
Eggs

Fry the potatos until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Set them aside into a large mixing bowl. Add the diced ham and Brie and mix well. Preheat the oven to 375'. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Pour the mixture into the dish and lightly press it down. With the back of a large spoon, like a ladle, make an impression in the potatos. This is where your egg will sit, so make as many impressions as you need eggs. Try not to crowd them too closely together. Crack an egg into each indent. Season with salt and pepper. If you are like me and don't like eggs any way but scrambled and hard boiled, just scramble your egg with some water and pour into the indent. I always do mine last as it seeps a bit more than the whole eggs. Bake for 10 minutes or so, until the eggs are done to your liking. Plate up and serve with ketchup and Tabasco.

Too busy.

So busy. So very, very, very busy.

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

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

That Ina is a treasure!

Weekend Cookbook Challenge

The first challenge is up.

Please check it out.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge - New and Improved!

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

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

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

Saturday night dinner - steak with tomato-olive relish

Steak with tomato olive relish - origin unknown.

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

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

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

Roasted Asparagus

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

Bean and Veg soup

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

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

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

The most terrible recipe in the world.

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

Such a thing happened to me last night.

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

I give to you...

Penis Stew
by Jennifer Patterson

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

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

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

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

But seriously, PENIS?

Recipe recommendation

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


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

Peanut Dipping Sauce

Serve this with the Chicken Satay.


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

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

Chicken Satay

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

Chicken Satay

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

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

Potato-Leek Soup

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

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

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