Updates

Thanks to all of you who left comments and suggestions on my last post. The Swedish dinner is sort of coming along - I am on the search for side dishes/veggies now. Keep sending ideas/websites if you have 'em! Thanks!

Yesterday I went to 2 used book stores looking for ANYTHING Swedish. I was basically unsuccessful at both stores - all I found were a few recipes for Swedish Meatballs in some "Food of the World" type cookbooks. The second store was so cluttered and unorganized that I was there for nearly an hour. It was not a total bust; I did buy 2 books.
First is Skinny Feasts by Dee Hobsbawn-Smith. It looks brand new and still has it's original $20.00 price tag on the back. I got it for $1.99! Whooo! The other one is called The New Cook and I got that one for $5.99.
The hunt continues!




Don't forget the next Weekend Cookbook Challenge entry date is only two weeks away! The theme for the 11th edition of WCC is Party Food. So whip up anything party-like and email me (iliketocookATshawDOTca) by December 1.

See you on Friday for the letter F!

Swedish Meatball Dinner and a cry for help.

My parents are coming out for Christmas this year.
Last year at their house, my dad mentioned that one year he'd like to have a Swedish Christmas dinner. I've decided this will be the year.
However, I'm running into a brick wall. What do you serve at a Swedish Christmas dinner? Other than desserts, the only Swedish meals I know are Salmon (which I don't like) and Swedish Meatballs. Our community library doesn't seem to have any Swedish cookbooks and with Christmas coming I can't really afford to buy a new cookbook.
So my dear friends in the computer: can any of you help me? Do you have any suggestions for recipes or websites I could try?

MY FAMILY'S CHRISTMAS HAPPINESS IS IN YOUR HANDS! No pressure though.

Here's our first attempt at Swedish Meatballs which I have to say went very very well.I used Schneiders Oh Naturel! Meatless Meatballs because that's what we had, and I swear, you couldn't tell the difference. Scott didn't. And lingonberry jam is my new favorite jam. Who knew jam and gravy went so well together? Not me.

So anyway, if anyone out there can lend a hand, I sure would appreciate it.
Cheers!

E is for...

E is for Eggs.
Who: Eggs
What: Eggs are... well, we all know what eggs are. Let's just say that most eggs that are consumed by us are of the chicken variety. You can also get duck, goose, ostrich and quail. The shell is also edible, but is rarely eaten.
When: Eggs are readily available.
Where: Hmm, eggs are readily available everywhere!
Why: Eggs are an excellent source of protein. They are also a good source of Vitamins A, D and E. All the fat contained in an egg is in the yolk. One egg has 70 calories and 5 grams of fat.

The health community seems to always be changing their minds on whether eggs are actually bad or good for us. Right now it seems that the general consensus is that eggs are good. They are inexpensive and easy to prepare. Eggs can be used in sweet and savory dishes. On their own they can be hard or soft boiled, pickled, scrambled, fried and baked. Eggs are crucial in the preparation of Mayonnaise, Hollandaise sauce, and custards.

Did you know? The world's largest omelet was made in Madrid by Chef Carlos Fernandez. It was made from 5,000 eggs and weighed 1,320 lbs!


Damn Good Eggs
2 servings

6 eggs
2 tb butter
2 tb cream
salt and pepper

equipment:
double boiler or a pot and large heat proof bowl.

Fill the bottom of your real or makeshift double boiler with water, about half full. Make sure the water doesn't touch the top pot or bowl. Bring water to a simmer. Place the top of the double boiler or bowl over. Put 1 tb of butter in the bowl and heat until the butter is melted. Check the water occasionally to make sure it is never at more than a gentle simmer. When the butter is melted, crack in the eggs and add the cream. Stir gently to blend together. Let cook over the simmering water, stirring carefully every 2-3 minutes.When the eggs are almost set to your liking, break up the last tb of butter over top and fold in. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until set.
Serve straight away. Squirt with ketchup if you must, but they won't need it!



Egg Foo Young

Serves 2-4

6 eggs
1 can of oriental vegetables, drained
oil

Sauce

1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tb sugar
2 tb tamari
1 tb rice vinegar

Whisk together the eggs and the vegetables (I sometimes add some grated carrot or thinly sliced mushrooms to the vegetables depending what brand I buy and what they have in them. This particular time the veggies were bean sprouts, water chestnuts and baby corn). Heat a bit of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot add a ladleful of the eggs to form a small patty. Cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides until set. Keep them warm while you make the rest of the patties.

Serve with the sauce or with hoisin or soy.

To make the sauce - combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Serve warm over the egg foo young.


Previous Alphabet Posts:
A is for...
B is for...
C is for...
D is for...

CBBP2!

Look at all my beautiful treats I received courtesy of Canadian Blogging By Post 2! I was paired up with the lovely Brilynn of Jumbo Empanadas. Besides a very sweet letter, Brilynn included some wonderful gifts from her garden and some local homemade chocolates!
From the left: Apple Butter, which I can't wait to try - I've never had it before, Wild Cherry Syrup, yummy Chocolates that have almost all been eaten, dried Morels from Brilynn's property and Zucchini Relish made from her Mom's recipe.

Thanks so much, I can't wait to start digging into some of this on the weekend. And Brilynn, you'll have to send me a recipe for what to do with the morels. I've never had them before and don't want to waste them.

Also, a big thanks to Jasmine at Confessions of a Cardamom Addict for hosting CBBP2. Thanks for asking me to take part!

Spotlight On - Baking: From My Home To Yours - The Round-up!

Hey everyone, and thanks for coming to check out the round-up for Spotlight on - Baking: From My Home To Yours. This is a cookbook event/review that I organized with my friends at Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company. We asked 24 bloggers to join me in checking out the new cookbook Baking: From My Home To Yours by the wonderful Dorie Greenspan.

I would like to thank all the bloggers who agreed to take part in this with me. I've enjoyed chatting with so many of you over this past month, getting to know you a bit better and discovering some new food blogs from you along the way. I'm glad all of you had a good time too.

We've got lots of great reviews and delicious food, so let's get started.

First up we have the lovely Jasmine from Toronto, Ontario and her always delicious blog Confessions of a Cardamom Addict. Jasmine has also just started up a new site The Sensual Gourmet that you should check out too. For the Spotlight Jasmine tried out the Mango Bread, Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies, Tiramisu Cake and the All American All Delicious Apple Pie.



Kalyn is the author of the popular blog Kalyn's Kitchen in Salt Lake City, Utah. As many of you know, Kalyn's blog is mainly about the South Beach Diet, so I was so happy when she agreed to join us and prepare a (somewhat) suitable dessert for those on the program. The Parisian Apple Tartlet looks delicious for anyone, dieter or not. Thanks Kalyn!





Next up is Peabody from the totally amazing blog Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. Last month Peabody won the Edible Category in Does My Blog Look Good In This? and it was well deserved. She rocked this event with the Chipster Topped Brownies and Cranberry Upside Downer.








Michelle and her blog Je Mange la Ville hail from beautiful Portland Oregon. She made the Swedish Visiting Cake and some delicious Real Butterscotch Pudding. Thanks for joining me Michelle!





Nic at the popular Baking Sheet is from Los Angeles, California. She is a great baker and enjoyed Dorie's Cinnamon Chocolate Square.










Here's our first international blogger! Pam is a wonderful blogger and soon-to-be-mom over at Posie's Place in Germany. Despite calling herself a novice baker, Pam really hit it out of the park with the scrumptious Tall and Creamy Cheesecake. Pam I hope you saved me a piece!




And my good friend Mary (aka Breadchick) with her blog The Sour Dough from Cambridge, Massachusetts who co-hosted WCC #10 with me tried out a ton of recipes! Ready, here we go, My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Flaky Apple Turnovers, Caramel Topped Flan, and the cover recipe - Devil's Food White Out Cake. They all look super Mary!



One of my favorite Canadian bloggers, heck, favorite bloggers from anywhere is Ruth from Toronto Ontario and the delicious Once Upon a Feast. Ruth says that Dorie's Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies are the best brownies she's tasted EVER! Sounds good to me, thanks so much for taking part Ruth!





Another favorite of mine is the lovely Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice who is also from Toronto, Ontario. There must be something in the water! Ivonne tried out the Buttery Jam Cookies and Flaky Apple Turnovers and loved both. Grazie, Ivonne for taking part in the Spotlight!






Next up is Haalo and Cook Almost Anything At Least Once from Melbourne Australia. Haalo has some of the most beautiful food photos on the internet, in my opinion. For the Spotlight Haalo prepared the Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler and Brown Sugar Bundt Cake








Say Hi to another fellow Canadian, recently moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia; Paige aka Chef Girl. Paige enjoyed both the Oatmeal Breakfast Bread and Cranberry Upside Downer. Thanks for taking part in the Spotlight Paige!




Rachel from Baltimore, Maryland has two great blogs; the always yummy Coconut and Lime and her newer site, the stylish Food Maven. Here's what Rachel thought of the Allspice Crumb Muffins and Brrrownies.




I was so thrilled when Emmy from Vegan Diva agreed to take part. With many people either unable to or choosing not to eat dairy/animal products, Emmy takes 2 recipes and shows us how they can be veganized. Here's her versions of Dorie's Dimply Plum Cake and Peanuttiest Blondies. Emmy, thanks again!







I love to visit Lea at Copperpots in Viera, Florida. She's so much fun and has tons of great looking food. Thanks Lea for trying out the Basic Biscuits and Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. They look super!





Not only does Sarah Jane has a fabulous blog, Chef Sarah Jane, she also has a fabulous name! (It's sort of weird too, she's Sarah Jane, I'm Sara Jean...)Another Canadian, but living in LA, Sarah gave two of the most popular recipes a try, My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies and Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.




And here's the lovely Lis from Ohio and her equally lovely blog La Mia Cucina. Lis baked up a storm to share with us the World Peace Cookies, Tarte Tatin and Almost Fudge Gateau and the Sugar Bundt Cake. Lis, you rock! And PS - Happy Birthday!





Morgan made my day when she agreed to take part in this here Spotlight! She is a fellow Calgarian and author of the food/life (is it OK that I called it that?) blog Musings of a Wench. Morgan checked out two recipes - My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies and Coconut Tea Cake.




I'm sure most of you know Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey? from Weimar, Germany. Meeta has both wonderful recipes and some beautiful photography on her site. Thank you, Meeta, for trying out theClassic Brownies and Cranberry Upside Downer for us. Gorgeous as usual!







I was very happy to discover Pavani and Cooks Hideout a while back. Pavani cooks tons of amazing looking food, and I've tried some of her Indian recipes. So. Good! I'm so glad Pavani agreed to help me out for the Spotlight. Here's her review of the book and the Gooey Chocolate Cakes.



Linda, who joined me for a different cookbook review in the summer, is back again! Here's Linda's (from Kayak Soup) take on the Applesauce Spice Bars.






Next is Jen from Sydney Australia and her lovely site Milk and Cookies. Jen has some fabulous baking and restaurant reviews. I wish I could fly over to Sydney and eat at some of those places, they sound so good. Jen tried her hand at the Rugelach and World Peace Cookies and loved both. Thanks Jen.








Yay!!! Tanna has come back from her long trip (lucky gal!) and has a new website too, The Half Cup. Unfortunately her first site became corrupted. Sorry Tanna. But thank you so much for taking part and trying out all these yummy recipes: Dimply Plum Cakes, Sweet Potato Biscuits and Madelines.







Do you all know Stephanie? The whiz of a hostess over at Dispensing Happiness? Among other things, she hosts a Blog Party every month; you should check it out. Stephanie and her cool cupcake stand joined in and tried out the Chocolate Chunk Muffins, Allspice Crumb Muffins and Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops.







A Thank You to Cate from Sweetnicks who squeezed us into her very busy schedule. Hope your Mom is feeling better Cate. Cate couldn't resist trying the Quintuple Chocolate Brownies and frankly, who could blame her? They sound delicious.








And me, well I'm Sara of i like to cook, from Calgary Alberta and I enjoyed every minute of this event! I'd like to thank my husband Scott and all my other tasters who helped me eat all the Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins, Coco Nana Bread, Brownie Buttons, Fresh Mango Bread and Buttery Jam Cookies. It was tough, but somehow we did it!



I love special guests, and here's one for the round up. Helen from Tartelette emailed me and told me that she too had this book and was loving every single thing she had made out of it. Helen has a delicious blog full of scrumptious treats. Helen - I'm still waiting for one of your delicious macaroons! Is it on it's way?? Thanks for emailing me Helen, and thanks for contributing your posts on Dorie's Lemon Merengue Tarts and Applesauce Spice Bars. Delicious!





Well friends, that's it! Once again I'd like to thank all the bloggers who took part . I'd also like to thank Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company, especially David, for asking me to work with them for this event. It was a total thrill. And finally, a HUGE thank you to Dorie Greenspan for just being a warm, talented and gracious person. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

Cheers!

Retro Recipe Challenge 4 - Fall Favorites

It's my first time at Retro Recipe Challenge, having just discovered it. This is pretty cool; who doesn't love retro food and recipes?

Retro Recipe Challenge number 4 is Fall Favorites. So find a recipe that is perfect for fall that was published between 1920 and 1980 and join in the fun.

I chose what I am sure is my oldest cookbook, The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer.It was published in 1937. Scott bought this for me earlier this year at a book sale. I think he paid 50 cents! Can you imagine?

I love this book; I love to flip through it, smell it's musty old book smell and read recipes that I will never, ever try (Calves Brain Fritters, anyone? Or perhaps Potted Pigeon? Maybe Fried Pigs Feet?).

I chose two recipes that the book recommends for fall: Corn Meal Gem Muffins and Tomato Curry.
I knew the muffins would be good, I mean how can corn muffins not be good? And they were, especially hot from the oven. They didn't rise very high; I am not sure if that is just the way they are or if perhaps I need to replace my baking powder. The tomato curry interested me right away; Scott was not so sure when he saw there was apple in it. IT WAS SO GOOD! We will be having this a lot, I know it.

Tomato Curry
From The Boston Cooking School Cook Book
serves 6 as a side dish

2 tb butter
1/2 tb finely chopped onion
1 sour apple, pared, cored and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup stock (I used vegetable stock)
2 cups tomatos, cut in pieces or canned
1/2 tb curry powder
1 tsp vinegar
salt and pepper
1 cup boiled rice

Cook onion in butter until yellow. Add apple and cook 8 minutes. Add stock, tomatos, curry, vinegar and salt and pepper. Bring to the boiling point, and rice and cook 5 minutes.


Corn Meal Gem Muffins
From The Boston Cooking School Cook Book
makes 12

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tb sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tb melted butter
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten

Combine dry ingredients. Combine liquid ingredients and add to dry mixture as quickly as possible, mixing only enough to dampen flour. Drop by spoonfuls in buttered muffin pans and bake 25 minutes in a hot oven (400').

Thanks to Laura Rebecca for hosting this excellent event.

Tagged with rrc4

D is for...

D is for Dog. Hot Dog!
Who: The Hot Dog.
What: Most hot dogs are made from lightly seasoned beef or pork. There are also chicken, turkey and vegetarian dogs too.
When: The hot dog was invented in the 17th century in Germany. Today, they are a staple of summer - sports games and backyard barbecues.
Where: They became popular in North America in the late 1800's, known as Frankfurters. The name "Hot Dog" became popular in the 1890's.
Why: Shockingly, Hot Dogs don't really provide your body with any nutrition. An Oscar Mayer Beef Frank - alone, with no bun or condiments contains 140 calories, 13 grams of fat and 460 mg of sodium per dog.

In Europe in the mid 1800's people said that trucks roamed around cities collection stray dogs that were then taken to factories and ground up to make the sausages, and they were called "Dog Sandwiches".

The debate rages on as to what are "acceptable" toppings for hot dogs. Some insist it's mustard only. For others it's Sauerkraut. Chili and cheese? Relish and onions? Ketchup and pickles? Plain? Pick your favorite.

We have two "gourmet" hot dog shops in Calgary and recently Scott and I checked out Le Chien Chaud. We tried two dogs - the Mexican and the French.
The Mexican Dog was loaded with mustard, salsa, ground hot peppers and cheddar and topped with a sprig of cilantro. This is a dog not for the faint of heart - this bugger was spicy!!! We had a hard time finishing it.
The French Dog was divine. Dijon mustard, sauteed mushrooms and Gruyere cheese. Very very good.


How can you talk about hot dogs and not mention Corn Dogs? Make your own corn dogs at home - go here. Link to Food and Wine site via Nosheteria.

Beaners and Wieners for Grownups
1 can brown beans
2 hot dogs sliced into rounds
hot sauce to taste
3 tb smoky bbq sauce, or to taste

In a small pot over medium heat combine the beans and hot dogs. Add the hot sauce and bbq sauce and heat until the hot dogs are hot. Check seasonings and add more hot sauce, bbq sauce and salt and pepper as needed.

Spotlight On - Baking: From My Home To Yours

There are some people in this world who would laugh themselves into a coma if they knew that I was hosting a spotlight to review a cookbook on baking. I am intimidated by baking; it is not known to be one of my strong points. I've got about 3 desserts that I can make no problem. If I'm asked to bring a baked item to a lunch or dinner, you can bet it will be one of those 3. Ditto if someone is having a birthday or any sort of celebration. Fortunately all three desserts are really good, but I think my friends, family and co-workers are probably getting tired of them. Well, the times are a changin'. For the better!

When I got my copy of the ginormous Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan from the wonderful people at Houghton Mifflin Company, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. There's no way I'll be able to make any of this! was the first thought in my head.

I am glad to say I proved myself wrong.

I have fallen head over heels for this book and I am feeling much more confident about baking than I ever have before. I think this is a book that anyone with any level of cooking experience from novice to expert would enjoy. There are recipes in here for everyone, from simple to more difficult and dramatic.
The book is divided into 6 sections: Breakfast Sweets, Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Tarts, Spoon Desserts and Base Recipes. All of the 200 plus recipes have both serving and storing tips, all very helpful. Many of the recipes have "Playing Around" tips too, to vary the recipe. Instead of making the delicious looking Cranberry Upside-Downer Cake, you could change it to a Summery Peach Upside-Downer with just a few tips from Dorie.

All the recipes are informative and thorough. As a fairly novice baker I appreciated the tips that are sprinkled in the recipes, letting you know if a dough will be thick or thin, if a cookie dough will or will not spread while baking, or why a mixture may look curdled during the preparation. Very helpful information for all bakers.

There are some truly gorgeous pictures in this book, but be warned; not all recipes have a picture to accompany it. In most cases I don't think this is a problem (although I did run into trouble on my last recipe).



Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins.
These are probably the best corn muffins I've ever had. As spicy as you want to make them, a bit sweet and lots of corn, cilantro and peppers.
Coco-Nana Bread
Was the biggest hit at my office. A lovely color with lots of chocolate throughout, nice and moist. Make sure you are a banana fan; these were a little too heavy on the banana for me, even with all the chocolate.
Brownie Buttons.
Scott chose this one, I am not a real brownie person. These could convert me though. I loved the orange zest and the white chocolate on top. The recipe was simple and took no time to get together.
My hands down favorite was the Fresh Mango Bread. I love mangos but have never had them in any sort of baked good before. This was GOOD. The mango flavor was subtle but there and the ginger and lime added a nice kick. I didn't want to share this one with my testers, but they pried it out of my hands anyway.

Buttery Jam Cookies (made with Lingonberry Jam).
This was the most disappointing to me, not because of the taste - they were very good - because of what they looked like. As I pulled the first sheet of cookies out of the over I couldn't help wondering if I had done something wrong. Were they supposed to look like little pale lumps? This was the only time I wished I had a picture to look at. I'm sure Dories' Buttery Jam Cookies don't look like this!


With absolutely no hesitation I can say that I recommend this book to anyone who likes to bake or who wants to start. Dorie has written and co-written 9 books with the likes of Julia Child, Daniel Boulud and Pierre Herme. How can you go wrong?

Fresh Mango Bread
From Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

3 large eggs
3/4 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups diced mango (from 1 large peeled and pitted mango)
3/4 cup moist, plump golden raisins
grated zest of 1/2 lime

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350'. Butter an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.
Whisk the eggs and oil together.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, switch to s sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mix until blended. The batter will be very thick (really more like a dough than a batter) and not easily mixed, but persevere, it will soon come together. Stir in the mango, raisins and zest. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake the bread for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. (If the bread looks as if it's getting too brown as it bakes, cover it loosely with a foil tent.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

Ernest Hemingway

When Scott and I got married one of the gifts we received was a gift certificate to a restaurant on 17th Avenue called The Sultans Tent. We had an absoltely terrific dinner there and one of my favorite parts was my drink (surprise, surprise). The waiter called it an "Ernest Hemingway" and it was crushed mint, rum and coke. It was very delicious.

Sadly the restaurant is no more, which is really a shame. But I've got a huge mint plant in my front yard so don't cry for me.



Ernest Hemingway

Small handful mint leaves
Ice
Rum
Cola

Wash mint leaves and place in a glass. With a muddler or spoon, gently crush leaves to release their oil. Add ice, one ounce of rum and top the glass up with cola.

Drink with someone you love. Or like.