Sunday, October 26, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Bread Baking Babes - Challah
I am verrrrrry excited to be the "Kitchen of the Month" for October with my bread baking friends The Bread Baking Babes. It's a lot of pressure to come up with a recipe for these ladies; something interesting, fun, different....
I sat myself down with my copy of The New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook that Scott bought me from a book sale earlier this year (we love book sales!), and at one point I had 18 bread recipes marked! It was a tough choice, but I decided on Challah (pronounced hallah) bread.
I chose the recipe for 2 reasons, first because the dough didn't sound too difficult to make, and second because I've never made a braided dough before and these baking groups have woken up the part of my teeny brain that wants to experiment more with bread baking. Damn them! In the nicest way of course.
So you make the dough, let it rise, and then divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, for 2 loaves. Then you split each piece into two unequal (2/3 and 1/3 pieces), and split each of those pieces into 3. Roll the pieces into ropes, and braid them.
Lay the smaller braid on top of the larger braid and seal the ends together.
Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with poppy seeds (if desired, I didn't) and let rise again.
Then bake, let cool, and stand back and admire your beautiful loaves of bread. The one on the right lost some definition because I covered them with plastic wrap for the second rise. I guess I shouldn't have done that.
Pretty!
Please check out my bread baking friends today and see how amazing their Challahs turned out:
Bake My Day (Karen), Cookie Baker Lynn (Lynn), Living on Bread and Water (Monique), Lucullian Delights (Ilva), My Kitchen in Half Cups (Tanna),Notitie van Lien (Lien), The Sour Dough (Mary aka Breadchick), Thyme of Cooking (Katie), and Grain Doe (Gorel).
Edited To Add: My apologies to all the Bread Baking Buddies out there! If you'd like to be a Bread Baking Buddy, please make the bread and send me a link to your post by October 31! My email is iliketocook AT shaw DOT ca.
Challah
from The New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook
Makes two loaves
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups flour, unsifted
3 TB sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 package dry active yeast
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
pinch powdered saffron
1 cup warm water (120-130'F)
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp cold water
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
Combine 1 1/4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in the softened butter. Stir the saffron into the warm water until it dissolves. Add a little at a time to the flour mixture and blend thoroughly. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer and medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally. Separate the yolk and white of one egg. Blend the single egg white and the other 3 whole eggs into the batter. Reserve the single egg yolk. Stir 1/2 cup of flour into the batter and beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Blend in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured board about 8 to 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it once to grease the top. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft free place until double in bulk (approximately one hour).
Flour a pastry board lightly and set the dough on it. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Divide each portion into 2 pieces, using 1/3 of the dough for one piece, and 2/3 of the dough for the other. Divide the large piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each of these into 12 inch ropes. Braid the ropes together tightly, using your fingers to press the dough together at the ends. Divide the smaller piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each of these into 10 inch ropes and braid tightly. Place the smaller braid on top of the larger one and seal the ends. Repeat this process to form the second loaf.
Place both braided loaves on a greased baking sheet. Mix the reserved single egg yolk with the 1 tsp of cold water and brush the top of the loaves with the mixture. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, and let the loaves rise until double in bulk in a warm draft free place (approximately one hour). Bake in a 400' over for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks.
I sat myself down with my copy of The New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook that Scott bought me from a book sale earlier this year (we love book sales!), and at one point I had 18 bread recipes marked! It was a tough choice, but I decided on Challah (pronounced hallah) bread.
I chose the recipe for 2 reasons, first because the dough didn't sound too difficult to make, and second because I've never made a braided dough before and these baking groups have woken up the part of my teeny brain that wants to experiment more with bread baking. Damn them! In the nicest way of course.
So you make the dough, let it rise, and then divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, for 2 loaves. Then you split each piece into two unequal (2/3 and 1/3 pieces), and split each of those pieces into 3. Roll the pieces into ropes, and braid them.
Lay the smaller braid on top of the larger braid and seal the ends together.
Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with poppy seeds (if desired, I didn't) and let rise again.
Then bake, let cool, and stand back and admire your beautiful loaves of bread. The one on the right lost some definition because I covered them with plastic wrap for the second rise. I guess I shouldn't have done that.
Pretty!
Please check out my bread baking friends today and see how amazing their Challahs turned out:Bake My Day (Karen), Cookie Baker Lynn (Lynn), Living on Bread and Water (Monique), Lucullian Delights (Ilva), My Kitchen in Half Cups (Tanna),Notitie van Lien (Lien), The Sour Dough (Mary aka Breadchick), Thyme of Cooking (Katie), and Grain Doe (Gorel).
Edited To Add: My apologies to all the Bread Baking Buddies out there! If you'd like to be a Bread Baking Buddy, please make the bread and send me a link to your post by October 31! My email is iliketocook AT shaw DOT ca.
Challah
from The New York Times Bread and Soup Cookbook
Makes two loaves
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups flour, unsifted
3 TB sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 package dry active yeast
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
pinch powdered saffron
1 cup warm water (120-130'F)
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp cold water
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
Combine 1 1/4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in the softened butter. Stir the saffron into the warm water until it dissolves. Add a little at a time to the flour mixture and blend thoroughly. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer and medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally. Separate the yolk and white of one egg. Blend the single egg white and the other 3 whole eggs into the batter. Reserve the single egg yolk. Stir 1/2 cup of flour into the batter and beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Blend in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured board about 8 to 10 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it once to grease the top. Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft free place until double in bulk (approximately one hour).
Flour a pastry board lightly and set the dough on it. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Divide each portion into 2 pieces, using 1/3 of the dough for one piece, and 2/3 of the dough for the other. Divide the large piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each of these into 12 inch ropes. Braid the ropes together tightly, using your fingers to press the dough together at the ends. Divide the smaller piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each of these into 10 inch ropes and braid tightly. Place the smaller braid on top of the larger one and seal the ends. Repeat this process to form the second loaf.
Place both braided loaves on a greased baking sheet. Mix the reserved single egg yolk with the 1 tsp of cold water and brush the top of the loaves with the mixture. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, and let the loaves rise until double in bulk in a warm draft free place (approximately one hour). Bake in a 400' over for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
That Cookbook Thing II Poulet au Porto, or Dinde au Porto, or a good use for turkey leftovers
We're back from a little longer than usual break with our fourth Julia Child dish for That Cookbook Thing (part deux). Up this round is Poulet au Porto (Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream and Mushrooms). I'll wait a second while you wipe the drool off your chin. You take Julia's roast chicken, and serve it with a most delicious sounding sauce of port wine, mushrooms, cream and cognac. I know!
Even though we had plenty of time to make this recipe, I still missed the selected posting date. I just couldn't get organized before or after our holiday, and then all of a sudden Thanksgiving was upon us and how could I make a whole chicken when we'll be eating turkey in a few days and how can I make a chicken now when we've got 85 pounds of leftover turkey in the fridge? Since I'd already missed the posting date I almost skipped this one entirely, but those in the group who'd already made it seemed so pleased with it I didn't want to miss out. And then it hit me - I could kill 2 birds (hee!) with one stone and make the dish with leftover turkey!
So I did that tonight. If you follow the recipe properly, you roast your chicken before starting the sauce. The sauce itself takes about 30 minutes to prepare and is pretty straightforward, although you will dirty many a pan. I made the sauce and while it was having its last simmer, warmed up some turkey in the microwave and then continued with the recipe. It was wonderfully delicious; creamy and mushroomy and boozy. A perfect cool weather dinner.
Not pretty, but pretty tasty.
I'd make this again in a heartbeat, both my leftover turkey way and the true way. And if you'd like to try it, here's the recipe, posted over at Mikes.
Bon Appetit!
Even though we had plenty of time to make this recipe, I still missed the selected posting date. I just couldn't get organized before or after our holiday, and then all of a sudden Thanksgiving was upon us and how could I make a whole chicken when we'll be eating turkey in a few days and how can I make a chicken now when we've got 85 pounds of leftover turkey in the fridge? Since I'd already missed the posting date I almost skipped this one entirely, but those in the group who'd already made it seemed so pleased with it I didn't want to miss out. And then it hit me - I could kill 2 birds (hee!) with one stone and make the dish with leftover turkey!
So I did that tonight. If you follow the recipe properly, you roast your chicken before starting the sauce. The sauce itself takes about 30 minutes to prepare and is pretty straightforward, although you will dirty many a pan. I made the sauce and while it was having its last simmer, warmed up some turkey in the microwave and then continued with the recipe. It was wonderfully delicious; creamy and mushroomy and boozy. A perfect cool weather dinner.
Not pretty, but pretty tasty.
I'd make this again in a heartbeat, both my leftover turkey way and the true way. And if you'd like to try it, here's the recipe, posted over at Mikes.
Bon Appetit!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Weekend Cookbook Challenge 33 - Fall Vegetables
I don't know about where you live, but here Fall has arrived with a bang. I feel like I haven't been warm in a week. My salad greens are sitting quietly in the fridge as I've been making foods to keep us warm; soups, casseroles etc. I had planned to find a soup or stew recipe that would fit into October's Weekend Cookbook Challenge theme - Fall Vegetables, as chosen by Lisa, our host from Confessions of an Apron Queen.
But last month Scott bought me a new cookbook for my birthday - Classic Rachel Ray 30 Minute Meals. And the first recipe I opened the book to last week was perfect for both the challenge and a warming dinner - Potato and Apple Home Fries.
This was very nice, and I'll make this again with a few changes. I'd definitely add some onion, and I might add a little more apple. I'll also play around with the seasoning. Our grill spice blend didn't add anything to the dish.
Get your Fall Vegetable posts to Lisa by October 31! Her email is winnx5 at yahoo dot com.
Potato and Apple Home Fries
from Classic Rachel Ray 30 Minute Meals
3 tb butter
24 oz diced breakfast potatos (aka hashbrowns) or 24 oz cooked diced potatos
1/2 lb ham steak, dinced
1 green apple, cored and diced
1 tb grill seasoning
Heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and let melt. Add potatos, ham and apple and season them with the grill spice. Turn every 5 minutes or so, letting the potatos brown on all sides. Cook 20 minutes, then serve.
But last month Scott bought me a new cookbook for my birthday - Classic Rachel Ray 30 Minute Meals. And the first recipe I opened the book to last week was perfect for both the challenge and a warming dinner - Potato and Apple Home Fries.
This was very nice, and I'll make this again with a few changes. I'd definitely add some onion, and I might add a little more apple. I'll also play around with the seasoning. Our grill spice blend didn't add anything to the dish.
Get your Fall Vegetable posts to Lisa by October 31! Her email is winnx5 at yahoo dot com.
Potato and Apple Home Fries
from Classic Rachel Ray 30 Minute Meals
3 tb butter
24 oz diced breakfast potatos (aka hashbrowns) or 24 oz cooked diced potatos
1/2 lb ham steak, dinced
1 green apple, cored and diced
1 tb grill seasoning
Heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and let melt. Add potatos, ham and apple and season them with the grill spice. Turn every 5 minutes or so, letting the potatos brown on all sides. Cook 20 minutes, then serve.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Food TV Cooking Club - Anna Olson's Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada, and this month's Foodtv.ca cooking club recipe was a perfect dish to make this weekend, Anna Olson's Perfect Pumpkin Pie.
I am not a fan at all of pumpkin pie. But it's one of Scotts favorite desserts, so we made it to take to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner last night.
The recipe calls for you to make your own crust as well as the filling. I have never had luck with pie crusts, but this one was very easy to make. I had no trouble rolling it or lining the pan. I was very surprised to see that the crust was not baked before the filling is poured in. But I figured Anna must know what she's talking about.
The filling was just as easy to make. Canned pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses, spices, eggs, cream and brandy are whisked together.
I poured the filling into the crust - well, most of it. Not all the filling would fit in. Then I followed the baking instructions: 10 minutes at 400', then 20 to 30 more minutes at 350'.
I had to cook mine for an extra 10 minutes to get it set enough around the edges. It smelled wonderful and the color was so deep and beautiful. We barely had the pie cooked before it was time to go to my parents house, so the pie cooled out on their balcony until after dinner.
The day before, we'd run into my parents at the grocery store. My Mom showed me a magazine cover with Paula Deen on it, with a pumpkin pie decorated as a jack o lantern. So we tried that too:
The pie was amazing. Really, truly, amazing. The filling was smooth, creamy, perfectly spiced, and almost mousse-like. It was borderline being slightly uncooked, but none of us complained. I cut myself a little sliver to be polite, gobbled it down and went back for a second sliver. We all loved it, even my Dad who is not a dessert person. He gave it a 9 out of 10. The rest of us gave it an 8 because the crust was definitely slightly undercooked. The crust should have been pre-baked before the filling was added.
Thanks very much to Elana at the Food for Thought blog for picking this recipe! This truly is the perfect pumpkin pie.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am not a fan at all of pumpkin pie. But it's one of Scotts favorite desserts, so we made it to take to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner last night.
The recipe calls for you to make your own crust as well as the filling. I have never had luck with pie crusts, but this one was very easy to make. I had no trouble rolling it or lining the pan. I was very surprised to see that the crust was not baked before the filling is poured in. But I figured Anna must know what she's talking about.
The filling was just as easy to make. Canned pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses, spices, eggs, cream and brandy are whisked together.
I poured the filling into the crust - well, most of it. Not all the filling would fit in. Then I followed the baking instructions: 10 minutes at 400', then 20 to 30 more minutes at 350'.
I had to cook mine for an extra 10 minutes to get it set enough around the edges. It smelled wonderful and the color was so deep and beautiful. We barely had the pie cooked before it was time to go to my parents house, so the pie cooled out on their balcony until after dinner.
The day before, we'd run into my parents at the grocery store. My Mom showed me a magazine cover with Paula Deen on it, with a pumpkin pie decorated as a jack o lantern. So we tried that too:
The pie was amazing. Really, truly, amazing. The filling was smooth, creamy, perfectly spiced, and almost mousse-like. It was borderline being slightly uncooked, but none of us complained. I cut myself a little sliver to be polite, gobbled it down and went back for a second sliver. We all loved it, even my Dad who is not a dessert person. He gave it a 9 out of 10. The rest of us gave it an 8 because the crust was definitely slightly undercooked. The crust should have been pre-baked before the filling was added.
Thanks very much to Elana at the Food for Thought blog for picking this recipe! This truly is the perfect pumpkin pie.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, October 06, 2008
Weekend Cookbook Challenge 32 Roundup
A great big Thanks to Carla at Chocolate Moosey for hosting
WCC 32 - Garlic.
She got some fantastic entries, as you can see here.
Garlic Jelly from Megan's Cookin.
October's WCC will be hosted by Lisa from Confessions of an Apron Queen.
The theme is Fall Vegetables and the deadline is October 31.
Please email your posts to Lisa at winnx5 at yahoo dot com.
WCC 32 - Garlic.
She got some fantastic entries, as you can see here.
Garlic Jelly from Megan's Cookin.October's WCC will be hosted by Lisa from Confessions of an Apron Queen.
The theme is Fall Vegetables and the deadline is October 31.
Please email your posts to Lisa at winnx5 at yahoo dot com.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Presto Pasta - Chicken Tetrazzini
I can't believe it's been a couple of months since I last took part in Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights! And speaking of time flying, summer is over! And how the hell is it October??? The time, it really do fly.
Anyhoo, this week I am sharing a dish I learned how to make when I was just a young lass. I don't know where my Mom got the recipe from, but it has always been a favorite of mine. Chicken Tetrazzini. I love this, especially in the fall and winter. It's hearty, warming, tasty and easy. And you can have it on the table in around an hour.
I've made a few changes since I first copied down this recipe in my Sara's Cookbook #1 all those many years ago. My tetrazzini, let me show you it.
Ok, heat 1 tb of oil in a medium or large pan over medium high heat. Chop up a small onion and 2 or 3 garlic cloves. When your pan is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook a couple more minutes. Then add some skinless chicken - this dish is going to make 4 servings, so I usually use 2 breasts or 4 drumsticks - and brown the chicken on all sides.
Then add a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 3/4 of the soup can of milk, and a can of mushroom pieces (drained). Whisk until smooth. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, turning chicken pieces once or twice.
While the chicken and sauce are simmering, cook yourself up some pasta, enough for 4 people (maybe 1/2 lb? I never measure). Stir the pasta into the sauce. Pour the pasta into your baking dish and top with the chicken.
Top with grated parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400' for 20 minutes.
Slice up the chicken breasts, plate up and enjoy!
Check back with Ruth next Friday for the weekly Presto Pasta Roundup!
Anyhoo, this week I am sharing a dish I learned how to make when I was just a young lass. I don't know where my Mom got the recipe from, but it has always been a favorite of mine. Chicken Tetrazzini. I love this, especially in the fall and winter. It's hearty, warming, tasty and easy. And you can have it on the table in around an hour.
I've made a few changes since I first copied down this recipe in my Sara's Cookbook #1 all those many years ago. My tetrazzini, let me show you it.
Ok, heat 1 tb of oil in a medium or large pan over medium high heat. Chop up a small onion and 2 or 3 garlic cloves. When your pan is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook a couple more minutes. Then add some skinless chicken - this dish is going to make 4 servings, so I usually use 2 breasts or 4 drumsticks - and brown the chicken on all sides.
Then add a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, 3/4 of the soup can of milk, and a can of mushroom pieces (drained). Whisk until smooth. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, turning chicken pieces once or twice.
While the chicken and sauce are simmering, cook yourself up some pasta, enough for 4 people (maybe 1/2 lb? I never measure). Stir the pasta into the sauce. Pour the pasta into your baking dish and top with the chicken.
Top with grated parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400' for 20 minutes.
Slice up the chicken breasts, plate up and enjoy!
Check back with Ruth next Friday for the weekly Presto Pasta Roundup!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Bread Baking Babes - Sukerbolle
It's end of the month time and that means it's time for this months bread from our Bread Baking Babes. This month Monique of Living on bread and water chose our bread, and she chose a bread from the Friesland area of Holland. It's called Sukerbolle, or Sugarbread in English. It's a sweet bread with ginger syrup and sugar lumps mixed in. Doesn't that sound good?
Guess what? It is! I had to make a couple of changes as some ingredients are not sold here, but I think that my bread is not too far off the original. Here's the recipe from Monique.
I couldn't find ginger syrup and ran out of time to try to make my own before our holiday, so I subbed ginger marmalade instead. I also used instant yeast instead of fresh, and used bashed up sugar cubes instead of sugar grains.
After the dough had risen it was time to mix in the cinnamon and sugar. It basically rips apart your pretty dough, but soldier on. It's what has to happen. Make sure you grease the hell out of your pan, this gets sticky.
Let the bread cool for a while in the tin after baking. You don't want to be burned by the hot sugar. Like I was.
This bread was really fun and tasted fantastic. Most of the sugar melted into the bread, and I loved the faint ginger taste the marmalade left behind. This is a perfect breakfast bread, and I've decided there's a good chance this will appear on our breakfast table Christmas morning.
Check out the rest of the Babes (listed over on the right) and see how they did with the bread. Cheers!
Monday, September 15, 2008
It's a mouthful - Curried Chicken and Endive Sandwiches with Pancetta
I had the tv on the food channel Saturday morning while I did some stuff around the house. This dish caught my eye and I made it for dinner tonight - Curried Chicken and Endive Sandwich with Pancetta from Giada De Laurentiis. I couldn't find a recipe for it online, so here's some vague directions for what I made tonight. And you should make them too, these were mighty fine.
Here's what you need:
endive, washed and chopped, like cabbage for coleslaw, or however you like
cooked chicken, I used one breast half to make sandwiches for the 2 of us
buns
mayonnaise
curry powder
salt
lemon juice
honey
pancetta, one slice per sandwich
Chop up your chicken and endive. I'd go somewhere between equal parts and 2 parts chicken to 1 part endive, whatever floats your boat. Toss them together in a bowl.
In a small bowl, mix together some mayo (I use light), curry powder, lemon juice, honey and salt. Make it taste good. I can't really tell you more than that, I didn't follow a recipe. The add it to the chicken and endive. Mix it up. Taste it. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Meanwhile, cook your pancetta slices, 1 per sandwich.
Put your chicken mixture on your buns,
Top with pancetta,
Eat, and wish you'd made more than 2 sandwiches.
Here's what you need:
endive, washed and chopped, like cabbage for coleslaw, or however you like
cooked chicken, I used one breast half to make sandwiches for the 2 of us
buns
mayonnaise
curry powder
salt
lemon juice
honey
pancetta, one slice per sandwich
Chop up your chicken and endive. I'd go somewhere between equal parts and 2 parts chicken to 1 part endive, whatever floats your boat. Toss them together in a bowl.
In a small bowl, mix together some mayo (I use light), curry powder, lemon juice, honey and salt. Make it taste good. I can't really tell you more than that, I didn't follow a recipe. The add it to the chicken and endive. Mix it up. Taste it. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Meanwhile, cook your pancetta slices, 1 per sandwich.
Put your chicken mixture on your buns,
Top with pancetta,
Eat, and wish you'd made more than 2 sandwiches.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Weekend Cookbook Challenge 32 - Garlic
September's Weekend Cookbook Challenge is being hosted by Carla at Chocolate Moosey and garlic is her theme, which is fantastic; garlic is one of my favorite ingredients.
Garlic made it into my ABC's of food, and is just as good for you as it is tasty. Carla asked that our dishes for WCC feature garlic as a key ingredient, and this one sure does - garlic salad dressing.
I found the recipe in Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. This book is a real treasure, there are so many wonderful recipes.
Before I share the recipe with you, look at this little mixer I bought from the grocery store. It was in the discount bin and I paid about 3 bucks for it. It's from Starfrit, but I can't find it on their website. You toss all your ingredients in, put on the top, and squeeze the little tab on the top to make the blades spin. It's no more effective than a bowl and a whisk really, but it does have measurements on the side, and it provides a nice workout for your thumb while you mix.
So! This dressing could not be more simple. Whisk together 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used low fat), 1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt (I used non fat), 2 chopped garlic cloves (I used 4!), 1 tsp Dijon mustard, and 2 Tb lemon juice. The recipe as written didn't call for any salt or pepper, which I thought wasn't right, so we added some S&P.
Mix it up, and then let it chill for a while for all the flavors to blend.
Pour it over your salad, or serve as a dip for veggies, or even chips.
This was so nice, very creamy, and VERY garlicy. But that's not a complaint, that's a complement! This is definitely a keeper.
Get your garlic filled recipes to Carla by September 30. Her email is mooseymoosecc at hotmail dot com.
Garlic made it into my ABC's of food, and is just as good for you as it is tasty. Carla asked that our dishes for WCC feature garlic as a key ingredient, and this one sure does - garlic salad dressing.
I found the recipe in Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. This book is a real treasure, there are so many wonderful recipes.
Before I share the recipe with you, look at this little mixer I bought from the grocery store. It was in the discount bin and I paid about 3 bucks for it. It's from Starfrit, but I can't find it on their website. You toss all your ingredients in, put on the top, and squeeze the little tab on the top to make the blades spin. It's no more effective than a bowl and a whisk really, but it does have measurements on the side, and it provides a nice workout for your thumb while you mix.
So! This dressing could not be more simple. Whisk together 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used low fat), 1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt (I used non fat), 2 chopped garlic cloves (I used 4!), 1 tsp Dijon mustard, and 2 Tb lemon juice. The recipe as written didn't call for any salt or pepper, which I thought wasn't right, so we added some S&P. 
Mix it up, and then let it chill for a while for all the flavors to blend.
Pour it over your salad, or serve as a dip for veggies, or even chips.
This was so nice, very creamy, and VERY garlicy. But that's not a complaint, that's a complement! This is definitely a keeper.Get your garlic filled recipes to Carla by September 30. Her email is mooseymoosecc at hotmail dot com.
Monday, September 08, 2008
the end of the garden, and a recipe for broccoli
We pulled out most of the garden yesterday, and overall, it was pretty disappointing. We aren't able to dig out an area of grass to put in a garden (due to underground sprinklers), so we planted our veggies in the existing flower garden.
You may remember we had a fair amount of success with our garden last year in Calgary. I was certain that this year would blow that away, Kamloops has generally better weather than Calgary. It wasn't, but there were 3 reasons - a late spring, some extremely hot weather, and not really great soil. So this was a learning year, I need better soil and a little more water for next year.
Total failures included: lettuce (which was first attacked by caterpillars, and then the heat killed it), squash plant, watermelon, many basil plants, mint, fennel, zucchini. Partial successes came from: rhubarb plant (looks pretty bad but is hanging in there), raspberry bushes (this is their first year so they haven't produced yet, hopefully they will survive the winter), celery (grew nicely but is quite tough), the rest of the herbs (hung in there but never produced much), and potatos.
The winners in the garden were the tomato plants and the kale. If there is anyone out there who lives in Kamloops who would like some kale, email me. Seriously. There is so much kale I don't know what to do. I am going to have to start leaving it on peoples doorsteps.
This tomato plant has given us a lot of tomatos this year, and has looked half dead the whole time. I am pretty sure it's on its last legs now.
Our sad little potato plot.
2 heirloom tomato plants. They were late bloomers but now have many green, although small, tomatos.
The kale. It grows even as we speak.
The celery.
Herbs for drying. Rosemary, sage, mint and basil.
Our potato harvest. That's all of them, and that's as big as they got.
I found a copy of the Christmas 2007 Bon Appetit in my magazine rack last week. I pulled out a couple of recipes to try, and one looked like it would go with the schnitzel I was making for dinner on Saturday night. It was easy to make ahead and was delicious.
Broccoli Pecorino Gratinata
I used half the amount of broccoli as there were 4 of us. I cut back the butter to 2 tb, and sprayed the dish with nonstick spray instead of buttering it. I also used 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. It was a great dish, only lightly cheesey so the broccoli could really shine through. Next time, I'm adding garlic!
You may remember we had a fair amount of success with our garden last year in Calgary. I was certain that this year would blow that away, Kamloops has generally better weather than Calgary. It wasn't, but there were 3 reasons - a late spring, some extremely hot weather, and not really great soil. So this was a learning year, I need better soil and a little more water for next year.
Total failures included: lettuce (which was first attacked by caterpillars, and then the heat killed it), squash plant, watermelon, many basil plants, mint, fennel, zucchini. Partial successes came from: rhubarb plant (looks pretty bad but is hanging in there), raspberry bushes (this is their first year so they haven't produced yet, hopefully they will survive the winter), celery (grew nicely but is quite tough), the rest of the herbs (hung in there but never produced much), and potatos.
The winners in the garden were the tomato plants and the kale. If there is anyone out there who lives in Kamloops who would like some kale, email me. Seriously. There is so much kale I don't know what to do. I am going to have to start leaving it on peoples doorsteps.
This tomato plant has given us a lot of tomatos this year, and has looked half dead the whole time. I am pretty sure it's on its last legs now.
Our sad little potato plot.
2 heirloom tomato plants. They were late bloomers but now have many green, although small, tomatos.
The kale. It grows even as we speak.
The celery.
Herbs for drying. Rosemary, sage, mint and basil.
Our potato harvest. That's all of them, and that's as big as they got.
I found a copy of the Christmas 2007 Bon Appetit in my magazine rack last week. I pulled out a couple of recipes to try, and one looked like it would go with the schnitzel I was making for dinner on Saturday night. It was easy to make ahead and was delicious.
Broccoli Pecorino GratinataI used half the amount of broccoli as there were 4 of us. I cut back the butter to 2 tb, and sprayed the dish with nonstick spray instead of buttering it. I also used 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. It was a great dish, only lightly cheesey so the broccoli could really shine through. Next time, I'm adding garlic!
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Market and Fair
I'm getting bummed out; the market will close next month! How can it possibly already be September??? The bannock people weren't there today (boo!) but we got a nice haul:
Leeks (I'll be making Potato Leek Soup tomorrow), chives, lemon cucumbers, plums, peaches, honey and squash. And look what I found at the grocery store:
Tim Tams! I first read about these on a food blog and I've been wanting to try one for years. And now I have a box.
After the market and grocery shopping we went to the Knutsford Fall Fair. We saw some kids riding around on little pony carts (god, I really wanted to do that!), and checked out all the winners for food and crafts.
Have a great weekend!
Leeks (I'll be making Potato Leek Soup tomorrow), chives, lemon cucumbers, plums, peaches, honey and squash. And look what I found at the grocery store:
Tim Tams! I first read about these on a food blog and I've been wanting to try one for years. And now I have a box.
After the market and grocery shopping we went to the Knutsford Fall Fair. We saw some kids riding around on little pony carts (god, I really wanted to do that!), and checked out all the winners for food and crafts.
Have a great weekend!
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