Here we go, the roll call for the recipes I made this month that I think are worth your time. Enjoy!
November 3rd: Roasted-vegetable salad and Caramelized pumpkin seeds
November 4th: Hot and sour chicken soup
November 5th: Parmesan Bread Sticks
November 6th: Artisan bread, Crispy French Fries with Mustard Mayonnaise, Sticky Chicken Wings
November 7th: Thai Pork with Spicy Noodles
November 8th: Lemony Snow Peas
November 9th: Double Mushroom Risotto
November 11th: Risotto cakes, roasted cauliflower
November 14th: Artisan bread, Bean-free chili
November 17th: Mac & Cheese
November 19th: Garlic Knots
November 20th: Lemon, Sage & Garlic Roast Chicken, Classic Gingerbread Cookies
November 21st: Fish cakes
November 23rd: Sausage tomato sauce
November 24th: Freezer biscuits
November 26th: Honey-Dijon chicken
November 28th: Lasagna, Caesar Salad & Pfeffernüsse
November 29th: Fish & potato succotash
Can you believe it's December already?! EGAD. Who's ready for Christmas? Not me!
November 30, 2010
November 30th: Quinoa-broccoli salad
Verdict:
Toss: quinoa-broccoli salad
For all you who always ask me for a good quinoa recipe: this is a good one! I know, I just wrote "toss" up there, but you know how it goes, my criteria is a bit tighter than most. Most's? Whatever. It's late. Anyway, I made this riff on a broccoli salad tonight, which I have to say, is not as good as the broccoli-bacon-cheese drenched in mayo salad, but might leaving you feeling a bit better about yourself. Here it is (from the Ottawa Citizen):
Broccoli and Quinoa Salad
1/2 cup (125 mL) quinoa, rinsed
2 cups (500 mL) chopped broccoli florets
1/3 cup (75 mL) dried cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup (60 mL) mayonnaise
1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt
1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon zest
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) honey
pinch each, salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) water to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
Add broccoli,* cranberries and sunflower seeds to the quinoa.
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over quinoa mixture and toss to coat.
Makes 6-8 servings.
*I recommended blanching your broccoli 1-2 minutes prior to adding it to the salad. It's my personal preference to have the broccoli a little more tender than raw.
Toss: quinoa-broccoli salad
For all you who always ask me for a good quinoa recipe: this is a good one! I know, I just wrote "toss" up there, but you know how it goes, my criteria is a bit tighter than most. Most's? Whatever. It's late. Anyway, I made this riff on a broccoli salad tonight, which I have to say, is not as good as the broccoli-bacon-cheese drenched in mayo salad, but might leaving you feeling a bit better about yourself. Here it is (from the Ottawa Citizen):
Broccoli and Quinoa Salad
1/2 cup (125 mL) quinoa, rinsed
2 cups (500 mL) chopped broccoli florets
1/3 cup (75 mL) dried cranberries or raisins
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup (60 mL) mayonnaise
1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt
1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon zest
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) honey
pinch each, salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) water to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
Add broccoli,* cranberries and sunflower seeds to the quinoa.
In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over quinoa mixture and toss to coat.
Makes 6-8 servings.
*I recommended blanching your broccoli 1-2 minutes prior to adding it to the salad. It's my personal preference to have the broccoli a little more tender than raw.
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| Not the most appetizing looking, I know, but it's good! |
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| Complete meal. |
November 29, 2010
November 29th: Lima Beans & Fish!
Verdict:
Try Again: fish with potato succotash
Oh, come on. You know you wanna. After I tried lima beans in September, I knew I had to do them again. My bag of Green Giant "Valley Selections" Lima Beans (free advertising!) had a good-sounding recipe on the back, and I made it tonight for supper: Halibut with Potato Succotash. In our case, it was haddock. In any case, we loved it and left not a scrap behind. I'm telling you. You've got to try lima beans. Word to the wise: dice the potato small, like frozen hash brown size.
Try Again: fish with potato succotash
Oh, come on. You know you wanna. After I tried lima beans in September, I knew I had to do them again. My bag of Green Giant "Valley Selections" Lima Beans (free advertising!) had a good-sounding recipe on the back, and I made it tonight for supper: Halibut with Potato Succotash. In our case, it was haddock. In any case, we loved it and left not a scrap behind. I'm telling you. You've got to try lima beans. Word to the wise: dice the potato small, like frozen hash brown size.
 |
| (Haddock hiding under the vegetables.) |
November 28, 2010
November 28th: Make ahead meal: Vegetarian lasagna (+ Caesar salad & Pfeffernüsse)
Verdict:
Keeper: Pfeffernüsse
Try Again: lasagna & Caesar salad
Tonight we finished up the last of our cook-ahead foods from Cook's Illustrated. After the failed make-ahead manicotti, I wasn't holding out much hope on this one. Oven-ready noodles again, about which I am leery. This one had no ricotta though, but rather lots of mozza and Parm to hold it together, which was promising. It's vegetarian and upon reading the recipe I thought, if I can find a decent vegetarian lasagna to make, I'll be laughing. I have the meat lasagna down to a T, thanks to my parents and their amazing recipe, but haven't found a vegetarian one that can hold its own. So here was the test. I assembled the lasagna a couple weeks ago, froze it, and defrosted it in the refrigerator over two days. I was worried right off the bat when I took a look at it before putting it in the oven. The noodles were already soft. I figured they would end up squishy, just like the noodles in the manicotti did.
And the verdict? Surprisingly good. The noodles didn't seem too squishy, the lasagna had rich taste, and was filling, as only lasagna can be. When I asked G how he felt about the lack of meat, he said he didn't miss it at all. A ringing endorsement, I would say!
Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
5 tbsps olive oil
1 (10 oz) bag spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, minced
1 lb cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced thin
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tbsps chopped fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add spinach in handfuls and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste; transfer spinach to colander. Let cool, then gently squeeze any excess liquid from spinach and transfer to medium bowl.
Wipe pot clean and add 2 more tbsps oil; return pot to medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until golden. Season with salt and pepper to taste; transfer to medium bowl with spinach and set aside.
Add remaining 2 tbsps oil and garlic; return pot to medium heat and cook until garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes; bring to simmer and cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce into large measuring cup and add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Lay 3 noodles over sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or sides of the dish. Spread 1 cup prepared vegetables evenly over noodles, 2/3 cup sauce evenly over vegetables, and 1 cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan evenly over sauce. Repeat layering of noodles, vegetables, sauce and cheeses twice more. For fourth and final layer, lay last 3 noodles over previous layer and top with remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
TO STORE: Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze, tightly wrapped with additional layer of foil, for up to 1 month. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator for at least 24 hours before baking.
TO SERVE: Before baking, allow lasagna to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375°F. Remove plastic wrap and wrap dish tightly with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil. Return lasagna to oven and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
To serve right away, bake as described above, reducing covered baking time to 15 minutes.
Serves 6-8.
To accompany the lasagna, I made a Caesar salad, also from Cook's Illustrated. I intended to put in the required two anchovy fillets, but alas, when I pulled mine out of the depths of the fridge, I discovered the best before date on them was sometime in 2009. It probably suited the vegetarian at the table just fine that I made the Caesar sans fish. I was happy with this recipe. The anchovies likely would have improved the flavour of the dressing, but even without them it was tangy and yummy. The croutons were great; why do we buy them packaged when you can make them easily and they taste so much better?
Caesar Salad
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, pressed
1 6-inch piece baguette, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 oz Parmesan, finely grated
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
1 tbsp each lemon juice, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard
3 romaine hearts, torn into bite-size pieces, or two 10-oz bags chopped romaine lettuce
2 oz Parmesan, shredded
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Whisk oil and garlic; reserve half of mixture. Toss bread cubes with remaining oil mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake croutons on rimmed baking sheet until golden, 15-20 minutes. Cool.
Process mayonnaise, grated Parmesan, anchovies, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste in blender until smooth. With blender running, slowly add reserved oil mixture until incorporated.
Toss romaine, shredded Parmesan, and dressing in large bowl. Toss in croutons and serve.
Serves 6-8.
The winner for today was the pfeffernüsse. I am doing a cookie exchange with some friends, and these hard little spicy cookies are one of my contributions. The recipe appeared in November 2006's Chatelaine, and I made it once years ago and have meant to again ever since. They're flavourful little bites that make a good accompaniment to a warm beverage.
I can't find the recipe online. Here you go:
Pfeffernüsse
1/2 cup (125 mL) candied lemon or orange peel
1 tbsp (15 mL) all-purpose flour
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 mL) ground almonds
1 tsp (5 mL) each ground cardamom and cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each baking soda, nutmeg, allspice and cloves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
2 eggs
3/4 cup (175 mL) each granulated sugar and packed brown sugar
1/2 cup icing sugar
In a food processor, whirl 1 tbsp (15 mL) flour with peel until ground. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir 2 cups (500 mL) flour with almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper. (Really, put in a whole 1/4 tsp (1 mL) of pepper!) In a large bowl, beat eggs with granulated and brown sugars, 3 minutes. Gradually beat in flour mixture, then candied peel mixture. Continue beating until mixture begins to form a ball. Remove and press into a ball, then wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight to allow flavours to develop.
To bake, arrange oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pinch off about 1 tbsp (15 mL) dough and roll into a bowl. Place on baking sheet. Continue with remaining dough, spacing balls about 2 inches apart. Bake on 2 racks, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden, 12 to 14 minutes. (Watch them closely!) Remove to a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, place icing sugar in a small bowl. Once cookies are baked and still slightly warm, gently toss in sugar until evenly coated. Place back on cooling rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days or freeze up to 1 month.
Makes 40-50 cookies.
Keeper: Pfeffernüsse
Try Again: lasagna & Caesar salad
Tonight we finished up the last of our cook-ahead foods from Cook's Illustrated. After the failed make-ahead manicotti, I wasn't holding out much hope on this one. Oven-ready noodles again, about which I am leery. This one had no ricotta though, but rather lots of mozza and Parm to hold it together, which was promising. It's vegetarian and upon reading the recipe I thought, if I can find a decent vegetarian lasagna to make, I'll be laughing. I have the meat lasagna down to a T, thanks to my parents and their amazing recipe, but haven't found a vegetarian one that can hold its own. So here was the test. I assembled the lasagna a couple weeks ago, froze it, and defrosted it in the refrigerator over two days. I was worried right off the bat when I took a look at it before putting it in the oven. The noodles were already soft. I figured they would end up squishy, just like the noodles in the manicotti did.
And the verdict? Surprisingly good. The noodles didn't seem too squishy, the lasagna had rich taste, and was filling, as only lasagna can be. When I asked G how he felt about the lack of meat, he said he didn't miss it at all. A ringing endorsement, I would say!
Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
5 tbsps olive oil
1 (10 oz) bag spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, minced
1 lb cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced thin
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tbsps chopped fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
3 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add spinach in handfuls and cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste; transfer spinach to colander. Let cool, then gently squeeze any excess liquid from spinach and transfer to medium bowl.
Wipe pot clean and add 2 more tbsps oil; return pot to medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until golden. Season with salt and pepper to taste; transfer to medium bowl with spinach and set aside.
Add remaining 2 tbsps oil and garlic; return pot to medium heat and cook until garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes; bring to simmer and cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce into large measuring cup and add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce evenly over bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Lay 3 noodles over sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or sides of the dish. Spread 1 cup prepared vegetables evenly over noodles, 2/3 cup sauce evenly over vegetables, and 1 cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan evenly over sauce. Repeat layering of noodles, vegetables, sauce and cheeses twice more. For fourth and final layer, lay last 3 noodles over previous layer and top with remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
TO STORE: Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day or freeze, tightly wrapped with additional layer of foil, for up to 1 month. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator for at least 24 hours before baking.
TO SERVE: Before baking, allow lasagna to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375°F. Remove plastic wrap and wrap dish tightly with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil. Return lasagna to oven and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
To serve right away, bake as described above, reducing covered baking time to 15 minutes.
Serves 6-8.
To accompany the lasagna, I made a Caesar salad, also from Cook's Illustrated. I intended to put in the required two anchovy fillets, but alas, when I pulled mine out of the depths of the fridge, I discovered the best before date on them was sometime in 2009. It probably suited the vegetarian at the table just fine that I made the Caesar sans fish. I was happy with this recipe. The anchovies likely would have improved the flavour of the dressing, but even without them it was tangy and yummy. The croutons were great; why do we buy them packaged when you can make them easily and they taste so much better?
Caesar Salad
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, pressed
1 6-inch piece baguette, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 oz Parmesan, finely grated
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
1 tbsp each lemon juice, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard
3 romaine hearts, torn into bite-size pieces, or two 10-oz bags chopped romaine lettuce
2 oz Parmesan, shredded
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Whisk oil and garlic; reserve half of mixture. Toss bread cubes with remaining oil mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake croutons on rimmed baking sheet until golden, 15-20 minutes. Cool.
Process mayonnaise, grated Parmesan, anchovies, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste in blender until smooth. With blender running, slowly add reserved oil mixture until incorporated.
Toss romaine, shredded Parmesan, and dressing in large bowl. Toss in croutons and serve.
Serves 6-8.
The winner for today was the pfeffernüsse. I am doing a cookie exchange with some friends, and these hard little spicy cookies are one of my contributions. The recipe appeared in November 2006's Chatelaine, and I made it once years ago and have meant to again ever since. They're flavourful little bites that make a good accompaniment to a warm beverage.
I can't find the recipe online. Here you go:
Pfeffernüsse
1/2 cup (125 mL) candied lemon or orange peel
1 tbsp (15 mL) all-purpose flour
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 mL) ground almonds
1 tsp (5 mL) each ground cardamom and cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each baking soda, nutmeg, allspice and cloves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
2 eggs
3/4 cup (175 mL) each granulated sugar and packed brown sugar
1/2 cup icing sugar
In a food processor, whirl 1 tbsp (15 mL) flour with peel until ground. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir 2 cups (500 mL) flour with almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper. (Really, put in a whole 1/4 tsp (1 mL) of pepper!) In a large bowl, beat eggs with granulated and brown sugars, 3 minutes. Gradually beat in flour mixture, then candied peel mixture. Continue beating until mixture begins to form a ball. Remove and press into a ball, then wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight to allow flavours to develop.
To bake, arrange oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pinch off about 1 tbsp (15 mL) dough and roll into a bowl. Place on baking sheet. Continue with remaining dough, spacing balls about 2 inches apart. Bake on 2 racks, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden, 12 to 14 minutes. (Watch them closely!) Remove to a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, place icing sugar in a small bowl. Once cookies are baked and still slightly warm, gently toss in sugar until evenly coated. Place back on cooling rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days or freeze up to 1 month.
Makes 40-50 cookies.
November 27th: steak salad
From the keeper book: Teriyaki Beef Salad. This one is so good, Chatelaine published it twice: in July 2004 and again in April 2009. They occasionally repeat recipes in the magazine, which I tend to notice, since I've been obsessively making most of their recipes for over six years now. This one deserves repeating though; it's one of our long-time faves. I should note, we usually make this one in the summer. Tonight when I went out to turn on the BBQ, I found the knobs frozen in place, so, oh well, I fried up the steak instead. Turned out just fine. I did have some pangs of conscience over buying Mexican asparagus in November; I'm making a bad habit of that this fall. The asparagus was on the bitter side though, which is what happens when you buy it six months out of season.
November 27, 2010
November 26th: honey dijon chicken
From the keeper book: Honey-Dijon chicken. This originally came from December 2005's Chatelaine, but I changed it. Here's my version:
Honey-Dijon chicken
2 tsp (10 mL) butter
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup (75 mL) apple juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) each Dijon and liquid honey
1/8 tsp (1 mL) cayenne
1/4 cup (50 mL) sour cream
Melt butter in a large frying pan set over medium heat. When hot, add chicken and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, stir together juice, Dijon, honey and cayenne. When chicken is golden, add juice mixture. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, turning occasionally, until chicken feels springy when pressed, 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove chicken to plates. Stir sour cream into sauce and pour sauce into bowls. Serve alongside chicken.
Serves 2.
Halfway through the meal, Olivia turned to me and said, "I love this chicken, Mommy." Enough said.
Honey-Dijon chicken
2 tsp (10 mL) butter
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup (75 mL) apple juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) each Dijon and liquid honey
1/8 tsp (1 mL) cayenne
1/4 cup (50 mL) sour cream
Melt butter in a large frying pan set over medium heat. When hot, add chicken and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, stir together juice, Dijon, honey and cayenne. When chicken is golden, add juice mixture. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, turning occasionally, until chicken feels springy when pressed, 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove chicken to plates. Stir sour cream into sauce and pour sauce into bowls. Serve alongside chicken.
Serves 2.
Halfway through the meal, Olivia turned to me and said, "I love this chicken, Mommy." Enough said.
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| More bok choy! |
November 25th: easy shrimp stir-fry
Verdict:
Toss: Shrimp stir-fry
A quick reference to this recipe, which I didn't love, but was dead easy and pretty good. I'm doing another shrimp stir-fry next week too; keep your eyes out for that one!
From Clean Eating Mag: Cajun Shrimp Stir-Fry. (Can't find this recipe on the clean eating mag website, but found it elsewhere. Thank you, Google.) I added some baby bok choy* to the pan, and would recommend reducing the time on cooking the shrimp from 3 min to 1.
*Baby bok choy back story:
Wednesday night. I planned to make a dead easy soup, a repeat from November 2009's Chatelaine: Japanese dumpling soup. After the meal, we decided to toss the recipe and I figured it wasn't worth blogging about. However. When I bought groceries on the weekend, I couldn't find the one baby bok choy I needed for the soup, so I sent Greg to Farm Boy to get one. Due to the fact we got into an argument prior to the shopping trip, the message about what I wanted wasn't entirely clear, and he bought a BIG bag of itty-bitty bok choys. We have been eating bok choy every day since, and there is not much of a dent in the bag. Thus, bok choy in the shrimp stir-fry.
Toss: Shrimp stir-fry
A quick reference to this recipe, which I didn't love, but was dead easy and pretty good. I'm doing another shrimp stir-fry next week too; keep your eyes out for that one!
From Clean Eating Mag: Cajun Shrimp Stir-Fry. (Can't find this recipe on the clean eating mag website, but found it elsewhere. Thank you, Google.) I added some baby bok choy* to the pan, and would recommend reducing the time on cooking the shrimp from 3 min to 1.
*Baby bok choy back story:
Wednesday night. I planned to make a dead easy soup, a repeat from November 2009's Chatelaine: Japanese dumpling soup. After the meal, we decided to toss the recipe and I figured it wasn't worth blogging about. However. When I bought groceries on the weekend, I couldn't find the one baby bok choy I needed for the soup, so I sent Greg to Farm Boy to get one. Due to the fact we got into an argument prior to the shopping trip, the message about what I wanted wasn't entirely clear, and he bought a BIG bag of itty-bitty bok choys. We have been eating bok choy every day since, and there is not much of a dent in the bag. Thus, bok choy in the shrimp stir-fry.
November 26, 2010
November 24th: Make ahead snack: Biscuits
Verdict:
Try Again: freezer biscuits
Again, in preparation for perhaps not wanting to cook this week, I made and froze three types of biscuit dough over the last couple weekends from Cook's Illustrated: Freezer Biscuits.
This recipe spurned me to purchase something I've been missing from my kitchen supplies: a biscuit cutter. I have been making biscuits for at least ten years, always using a drinking glass to cut the dough. I'm a worrier. One of my worries when making biscuits is the closed top of the glass: does it somehow affect the biscuit and make it less than perfect, taste- or texture-wise? Problem solved, as I now own not one, but two biscuit cutters! They are the same size, so redundant, but they came in a pack of two, and they are nice, heavy, stainless steel ones that can go in the dishwasher, which is a BIG selling point in this household. Shannon can attest to this. I think we annoyed her when she lived with us, with our "everything that can go in the dishwasher will go in the dishwasher" mantra.
The dough is so tasty, Olivia and I ate a lot of the scraps from the biscuit-pressing process. The whipping cream lends itself to richness of character, and it's so simple! Here's O, whisking the dry ingredients in the chive version:
Here is the finished product:
Here is the recipe:
Freezer Biscuits
6 cups flour, plus more for work surface
2 tbsps each sugar and baking powder
1 1/2 tsps salt
4 1/2 cups whipping cream
Line large baking sheet with parchment; set aside. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in cream with a wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and gather into ball. Knead dough briefly until smooth, about 60 seconds, adding extra flour as needed if dough is too sticky.
Pat dough into 3/4-inch thick circle. Cut out biscuits using biscuit cutter, trying to cut as many biscuits as possible without reworking dough. Lay biscuits on prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1/2 inch apart. Gather up scraps of dough and knead briefly to combine, then repeat process. Discard (or eat!) remaining dough.
Place baking sheet in freezer and freeze biscuits until solid, about 6 hours. Transfer biscuits to bag or container and freeze for up to 1 month. Do not thaw before baking.
Bake from frozen at 450°F for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot.
Makes 24 biscuits.
Variations:
Cheddar cheese freezer biscuits
Toss 6 ounces Cheddar cheese, cut into rough 1/4-inch pieces, into flour mixture before adding whipping cream.
Herb freezer biscuits
Whisk 6 tbsps minced fresh mild herbs (chives, dill) or 3 tbsps minced fresh hearty herbs (thyme, rosemary) into flour mixture before adding whipping cream.
I made 1/3 the recipe (about 8 biscuits), 3 times and tried each variation, for a total of 24 biscuits. I really liked the plain and the Cheddar, but didn't dig the chive so much. Maybe another herb would be more suitable.
Try Again: freezer biscuits
Again, in preparation for perhaps not wanting to cook this week, I made and froze three types of biscuit dough over the last couple weekends from Cook's Illustrated: Freezer Biscuits.
This recipe spurned me to purchase something I've been missing from my kitchen supplies: a biscuit cutter. I have been making biscuits for at least ten years, always using a drinking glass to cut the dough. I'm a worrier. One of my worries when making biscuits is the closed top of the glass: does it somehow affect the biscuit and make it less than perfect, taste- or texture-wise? Problem solved, as I now own not one, but two biscuit cutters! They are the same size, so redundant, but they came in a pack of two, and they are nice, heavy, stainless steel ones that can go in the dishwasher, which is a BIG selling point in this household. Shannon can attest to this. I think we annoyed her when she lived with us, with our "everything that can go in the dishwasher will go in the dishwasher" mantra.
The dough is so tasty, Olivia and I ate a lot of the scraps from the biscuit-pressing process. The whipping cream lends itself to richness of character, and it's so simple! Here's O, whisking the dry ingredients in the chive version:
 |
| Look at that index finger. What technique! |
Here is the finished product:
 |
| L-R: chive, Cheddar, plain |
Here is the recipe:
Freezer Biscuits
6 cups flour, plus more for work surface
2 tbsps each sugar and baking powder
1 1/2 tsps salt
4 1/2 cups whipping cream
Line large baking sheet with parchment; set aside. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in cream with a wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and gather into ball. Knead dough briefly until smooth, about 60 seconds, adding extra flour as needed if dough is too sticky.
Pat dough into 3/4-inch thick circle. Cut out biscuits using biscuit cutter, trying to cut as many biscuits as possible without reworking dough. Lay biscuits on prepared baking sheet, spaced about 1/2 inch apart. Gather up scraps of dough and knead briefly to combine, then repeat process. Discard (or eat!) remaining dough.
Place baking sheet in freezer and freeze biscuits until solid, about 6 hours. Transfer biscuits to bag or container and freeze for up to 1 month. Do not thaw before baking.
Bake from frozen at 450°F for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve hot.
Makes 24 biscuits.
Variations:
Cheddar cheese freezer biscuits
Toss 6 ounces Cheddar cheese, cut into rough 1/4-inch pieces, into flour mixture before adding whipping cream.
Herb freezer biscuits
Whisk 6 tbsps minced fresh mild herbs (chives, dill) or 3 tbsps minced fresh hearty herbs (thyme, rosemary) into flour mixture before adding whipping cream.
I made 1/3 the recipe (about 8 biscuits), 3 times and tried each variation, for a total of 24 biscuits. I really liked the plain and the Cheddar, but didn't dig the chive so much. Maybe another herb would be more suitable.
November 23, 2010
November 23rd: Make ahead meal: Manicotti
Verdict:
Toss: manicotti
Try Again: sausage tomato sauce
Here I am, still alive. That's an enjoyable place to be.
The last couple of weeks, I've been dedicating some weekend time to preparing food to put in the freezer, in preparation for surgery week (that's now!). Two days ago, I pulled the first meal out of the freezer and left it in the fridge for two days to thaw, and tonight we had, from Cook's Illustrated: Streamlined Manicotti. At least, that's what they're calling it. Let me tell you, this was a labour-intensive project on the prep side, and a time-intensive project on the cooking side. This recipe will not be kept, which is unfortunate after all the work I put into it. I'm attaching a link, but it doesn't work because (annoying) they don't post all their recipes online for free. I would type it out for you, but hey, it sucked, and right now I'm not interested in promoting Cook's Illustrated.
Here's what I wrote the night I made it, a Sunday night a few weeks back:
I was tired tonight because I spent two hours making manicotti after Olivia went to bed, which is going in the freezer to eat in a couple weeks' time. More on that later. My feet and calves are killing me. Bed calls.
I have problems with both oven-ready noodles and ricotta. This recipe promises to streamline the process of making manicotti. It took me two hours of prep, prior to cooling, freezing, defrosting and cooking. That, to me, is not streamlined.
And, sure enough, after eating:
I haven't liked ricotta in the past, thought I'd give it one last try, and have now vowed never to buy it again. The oven-ready noodles (lasagna noodles rolled up to form manicotti) came out mushy. Even after 40 hours of defrosting in the fridge, the dish took way longer in the oven than the recipe called for. Every time I checked it, the centre was still cold. One of my least favourite things to do as a mother is tell my 2 year old that supper will be "a little longer." If a recipe tells me it will take 75 minutes to bake, and it takes 105, I turn into a cranky mama.
Okay, we all know I'm not a pasta fan, right? It behooves me to say that G & O did like supper tonight, however, it was agreed we would toss the recipe. And alright, I will give the recipe this: delicious sauce. I opted for the sausage version, which goes like this:
Sausage tomato sauce
2 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice
2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 tbsps chopped fresh basil leaves
1) Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining can tomatoes.
2) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, stirring to break it into pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
3) Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil; season with salt to taste.
Toss: manicotti
Try Again: sausage tomato sauce
Here I am, still alive. That's an enjoyable place to be.
The last couple of weeks, I've been dedicating some weekend time to preparing food to put in the freezer, in preparation for surgery week (that's now!). Two days ago, I pulled the first meal out of the freezer and left it in the fridge for two days to thaw, and tonight we had, from Cook's Illustrated: Streamlined Manicotti. At least, that's what they're calling it. Let me tell you, this was a labour-intensive project on the prep side, and a time-intensive project on the cooking side. This recipe will not be kept, which is unfortunate after all the work I put into it. I'm attaching a link, but it doesn't work because (annoying) they don't post all their recipes online for free. I would type it out for you, but hey, it sucked, and right now I'm not interested in promoting Cook's Illustrated.
Here's what I wrote the night I made it, a Sunday night a few weeks back:
I was tired tonight because I spent two hours making manicotti after Olivia went to bed, which is going in the freezer to eat in a couple weeks' time. More on that later. My feet and calves are killing me. Bed calls.
I have problems with both oven-ready noodles and ricotta. This recipe promises to streamline the process of making manicotti. It took me two hours of prep, prior to cooling, freezing, defrosting and cooking. That, to me, is not streamlined.
And, sure enough, after eating:
I haven't liked ricotta in the past, thought I'd give it one last try, and have now vowed never to buy it again. The oven-ready noodles (lasagna noodles rolled up to form manicotti) came out mushy. Even after 40 hours of defrosting in the fridge, the dish took way longer in the oven than the recipe called for. Every time I checked it, the centre was still cold. One of my least favourite things to do as a mother is tell my 2 year old that supper will be "a little longer." If a recipe tells me it will take 75 minutes to bake, and it takes 105, I turn into a cranky mama.
Okay, we all know I'm not a pasta fan, right? It behooves me to say that G & O did like supper tonight, however, it was agreed we would toss the recipe. And alright, I will give the recipe this: delicious sauce. I opted for the sausage version, which goes like this:
Sausage tomato sauce
2 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice
2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 tbsps chopped fresh basil leaves
1) Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining can tomatoes.
2) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, stirring to break it into pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
3) Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil; season with salt to taste.
November 21st: fish cakes! and apples & sweet potatoes baked together + more cookies
Verdict:
Try Again: fish cakes
Toss: apples & sweet potatoes
Sunday night. I am (self-)routine-bound most days of the week, but no more so than on Sunday night. I do not go off schedule. However, I'm having surgery this week, which makes me a little more morbid than usual, and I opted this weekend to optimize my time with Olivia, just in case I don't make it. You never know. Therefore, when Greg suggested (last minute) that we join Casey, Kelly & Ella at the Barrhaven Parade of Lights (Santa Claus parade) on Sunday evening, I thought I'd better go for it. This was fun for the kids in snowsuits and sucked for the adults in jeans and sneakers. Lesson learned.
Unfortunately, I had been soaking salt cod in preparation for making fish cakes, and even though we were out of the house for several hours, which encompassed supper time, I wanted to go ahead with making supper, no matter how late it ended up being. Which led to:
First, the side dish: From Cooking With My Kid: Baked Sweet Potatoes & Apples. O would have loved these, had she still been awake when we were eating them. Hopefully she enjoys them in her lunch this week. G & I were more indifferent however, so, banished.
Now, for some back story:
When I was home in August, I was in Sobeys with Mom, guru of all things in the kitchen, and we were at the fish counter where Mom was buying salmon. Noting the packages of salt fish on display, and having always wondered what to do with one (especially after reading Sylvanus Now), I asked Mom, who promptly bought a package, took it home, and amazed me with her fish cake-making skills. Well, she amazed me a day or two later, as one of the catches with salt fish is you have to soak it in fresh water to get the salt out of the fish. Combine cooked fish with some potatoes and herbs, dredge and fry and voilà: fish cake heaven. I ate more fish cakes than anyone else that night.
I've been wanting to make fish cakes ever since. But blast it, the salt fish in Ottawa's grocery stores don't have recipe on the back of the package (yes, M followed a recipe on the package). They have some reference to a web site, but who wants to go looking online for recipes? Oops, that's what I do all the time. In the meantime though, there appeared a recipe in the Citizen, so I decided to go with that one. I had to modify slightly, as this is a deep-fry recipe, and I pan-fried in my lovely new Scanpan frying pan.
Here's the recipe, including several questions it raised in my mind, to which I do not have the answers:
Fishcakes and Aioli
Makes about 25 pieces.
For fishcakes:
1 lb (454 g) salt cod
4 cups (1 L) milk
2.75 lbs (1.25 kg) potatoes
1/2 cup (125 mL) parsley
1/2 cup (125 mL) dill
1/2 bunch chives
1/2 cup (125 mL) flour
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
oil for frying
Ingredients for crumbing:
1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
flour for dredging
panko bread crumbs to coat
For aioli:
1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
To prepare salt cod:
1) Soak salt cod in cold water in refrigerator for 24 hours; remove from refrigerator and rinse repeatedly throughout second day to remove excess salt.*
2) Place rinsed salt cod in large pot and cover with milk; bring to boil and simmer until tender.** Strain and let cool; discard milk.
To form fishcakes:
1) Peel potatoes and place in large pot with water. Bring to boil and simmer until cooked.
2) Strain and mash.
3) Roughly chop all herbs.
4) In a large bowl, flake the salt cod into small pieces.
5) Add potato, herbs and flour. Combine well (do not overwork).
6) Season to taste, if necessary (salt cod will add salt to the mixture).***
To crumb:
1) Combine milk and eggs in one bowl. Place panko and flour in two additional bowls.
2) Form salt cod into small cakes, about 1/4 cup (75 mL) each.
3) Dredge fishcakes in flour, shaking off excess, then in egg and milk mixture and finally, crumb in panko.
To fry:
1) Heat large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil when hot and allow to heat. Fry fishcakes for 5 minutes each side, lowering heat if necessary, until golden brown and heated through. Fishcakes can be refrigerated. Do not freeze.
To prepare aioli:
1) Combine all ingredients and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
*Does this mean you are actually supposed to leave it on the counter-top during the second day? I didn't like that idea, so I kept it in the fridge, and changed the water a couple times over the course of the day.
**How long should salt cod take to get tender? Quickly, like fresh fish? Over a longer period of time? I had no idea. I boiled for about 15 minutes, which, from what I read online, should be okay.
***I didn't add salt or pepper; tasted fine.
Did I mention? We loved these. The garlic aioli was delish. Were they as good as Mom's fish cakes? I think maybe. The only thing they were missing, in my opinion, was onion. G doesn't enjoy onion as I do, so I think he'd disagree.
Also today, I pulled another pack of gingerbread dough from the freezer and made one of the suggested options from November 2009's Chatelaine: Sugar crackle cookies. I would say these were not as good as the gingerbread men, but were tasty in their own right. Better as a treat with tea. In this case, the recipe is supposed to make 35 cookies, and my 1/4 package made 10. I'm beginning to think I didn't divide my dough evenly.
Try Again: fish cakes
Toss: apples & sweet potatoes
Sunday night. I am (self-)routine-bound most days of the week, but no more so than on Sunday night. I do not go off schedule. However, I'm having surgery this week, which makes me a little more morbid than usual, and I opted this weekend to optimize my time with Olivia, just in case I don't make it. You never know. Therefore, when Greg suggested (last minute) that we join Casey, Kelly & Ella at the Barrhaven Parade of Lights (Santa Claus parade) on Sunday evening, I thought I'd better go for it. This was fun for the kids in snowsuits and sucked for the adults in jeans and sneakers. Lesson learned.
Unfortunately, I had been soaking salt cod in preparation for making fish cakes, and even though we were out of the house for several hours, which encompassed supper time, I wanted to go ahead with making supper, no matter how late it ended up being. Which led to:
First, the side dish: From Cooking With My Kid: Baked Sweet Potatoes & Apples. O would have loved these, had she still been awake when we were eating them. Hopefully she enjoys them in her lunch this week. G & I were more indifferent however, so, banished.
Now, for some back story:
When I was home in August, I was in Sobeys with Mom, guru of all things in the kitchen, and we were at the fish counter where Mom was buying salmon. Noting the packages of salt fish on display, and having always wondered what to do with one (especially after reading Sylvanus Now), I asked Mom, who promptly bought a package, took it home, and amazed me with her fish cake-making skills. Well, she amazed me a day or two later, as one of the catches with salt fish is you have to soak it in fresh water to get the salt out of the fish. Combine cooked fish with some potatoes and herbs, dredge and fry and voilà: fish cake heaven. I ate more fish cakes than anyone else that night.
I've been wanting to make fish cakes ever since. But blast it, the salt fish in Ottawa's grocery stores don't have recipe on the back of the package (yes, M followed a recipe on the package). They have some reference to a web site, but who wants to go looking online for recipes? Oops, that's what I do all the time. In the meantime though, there appeared a recipe in the Citizen, so I decided to go with that one. I had to modify slightly, as this is a deep-fry recipe, and I pan-fried in my lovely new Scanpan frying pan.
Here's the recipe, including several questions it raised in my mind, to which I do not have the answers:
Fishcakes and Aioli
Makes about 25 pieces.
For fishcakes:
1 lb (454 g) salt cod
4 cups (1 L) milk
2.75 lbs (1.25 kg) potatoes
1/2 cup (125 mL) parsley
1/2 cup (125 mL) dill
1/2 bunch chives
1/2 cup (125 mL) flour
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
oil for frying
Ingredients for crumbing:
1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
flour for dredging
panko bread crumbs to coat
For aioli:
1 cup (250 mL) mayonnaise
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
To prepare salt cod:
1) Soak salt cod in cold water in refrigerator for 24 hours; remove from refrigerator and rinse repeatedly throughout second day to remove excess salt.*
2) Place rinsed salt cod in large pot and cover with milk; bring to boil and simmer until tender.** Strain and let cool; discard milk.
To form fishcakes:
1) Peel potatoes and place in large pot with water. Bring to boil and simmer until cooked.
2) Strain and mash.
3) Roughly chop all herbs.
4) In a large bowl, flake the salt cod into small pieces.
5) Add potato, herbs and flour. Combine well (do not overwork).
6) Season to taste, if necessary (salt cod will add salt to the mixture).***
To crumb:
1) Combine milk and eggs in one bowl. Place panko and flour in two additional bowls.
2) Form salt cod into small cakes, about 1/4 cup (75 mL) each.
3) Dredge fishcakes in flour, shaking off excess, then in egg and milk mixture and finally, crumb in panko.
To fry:
1) Heat large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil when hot and allow to heat. Fry fishcakes for 5 minutes each side, lowering heat if necessary, until golden brown and heated through. Fishcakes can be refrigerated. Do not freeze.
To prepare aioli:
1) Combine all ingredients and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
*Does this mean you are actually supposed to leave it on the counter-top during the second day? I didn't like that idea, so I kept it in the fridge, and changed the water a couple times over the course of the day.
**How long should salt cod take to get tender? Quickly, like fresh fish? Over a longer period of time? I had no idea. I boiled for about 15 minutes, which, from what I read online, should be okay.
***I didn't add salt or pepper; tasted fine.
Did I mention? We loved these. The garlic aioli was delish. Were they as good as Mom's fish cakes? I think maybe. The only thing they were missing, in my opinion, was onion. G doesn't enjoy onion as I do, so I think he'd disagree.
 |
| Can you see the time on the clock? 10:01 p.m. That's when supper was finished. |
November 22, 2010
November 20th: keeper chicken with sage, lemon and garlic + gingerbread cookies
This Saturday night I went for pure indulgence again (two nights in a row!). Baked potatoes loaded with toppings (no bacon, even though I was tempted to pull some from the freezer) and one of my favourite chicken recipes: from Epicurious: Lemon, Sage and Garlic Roast Chicken. I should note, this is one of my favourite recipes, but not so for G or O. O is funny about meat. She'll eat it with ketchup, but I didn't give her any on this night, so she didn't eat much chicken. G likes the recipe but doesn't love it, though he indulges my obsession with lemon, and he shares my obsession with garlic.
The best part of cooking this meal was that I got to put my new cookware to the test. The last two years in a row, Tee has given me a gift certificate to Ma Cuisine for Christmas. This is a cookware store in Ottawa that I hadn't found time to visit apparently, as I still had both gift certificates, unused, set aside. At the same time, I busted one of my frying pans and our two others were old and probably weren't great ones to begin with. All of which led to: frying pan shopping! We hit Ma Cuisine, salivated over the copper pots that were literally chained to the shelf, and then got a run-down on the others that we could actually afford. With the gift certificates and Greg's impending riches in mind if not in hand, we bought two amazing frying pans from a company I've never heard of: Scanpan.
Let's be clear that I shill for no one. However, if Scanpan would like to hire me to talk about how amazing their product is, sign me up, because I am in love with these frying pans. They are oven-proof to 500°F, so I shouldn't have any mishaps as with my poor Paderno pan.
One other thing: I made gingerbread dough last weekend, and today pulled one of four packs out of the freezer to make gingerbread men with Olivia. AWESOME. This is a recipe from November 2009's Chatelaine: Classic gingerbread cookies. I didn't make the cookies last year, but saved the recipe as I knew someday I would want to make them with O. One note: the recipe says it makes 50 cookies. With my 1/4 dough package, I made only 7. Also: a shout out to Kat, who gave me a piping bag and tips a million years ago and I have finally used them! I knew I would one day.
 |
| broken leg in cast, t-shirt & hat, bow tie, hula skirt, snowsuit, girl, boy |
November 19th: Garlic knots et al.
Verdict:
Try Again: garlic knots
Ah, Friday. How I do love you. This Friday was an excellent day, as I attended Olivia's daycare's playgroup, and got to see her participate in circle time with a big group of kids. Can I brag about how well-behaved she is? I think part of it may actually be shyness, as she sat still, but didn't sing any of the songs, which she definitely knows. At home she sings her heart out.
For supper, I went back to Chatelaine pizza dough, and turned it into these amazing Garlic knots from in erika's kitchen. That's two good recipes from that site so far; thanks, Erika! This was a total indulgence meal. Greg refilled the propane tank, and we feasted on BBQ'd steak, bread and sugar snap peas. So good. One note: the pizza dough recipe makes 2 lbs of dough; the garlic knots recipe calls for 1 lb of dough, and we only ate about half of the knots. Good to know should you want to make this one at home! Also, I didn't save the leftover knots; I didn't think they would keep well after soaking in oil. Oh yes, I used unsalted butter in this recipe and next time I plan to try salted. That's it! Yum yum.
Try Again: garlic knots
Ah, Friday. How I do love you. This Friday was an excellent day, as I attended Olivia's daycare's playgroup, and got to see her participate in circle time with a big group of kids. Can I brag about how well-behaved she is? I think part of it may actually be shyness, as she sat still, but didn't sing any of the songs, which she definitely knows. At home she sings her heart out.
For supper, I went back to Chatelaine pizza dough, and turned it into these amazing Garlic knots from in erika's kitchen. That's two good recipes from that site so far; thanks, Erika! This was a total indulgence meal. Greg refilled the propane tank, and we feasted on BBQ'd steak, bread and sugar snap peas. So good. One note: the pizza dough recipe makes 2 lbs of dough; the garlic knots recipe calls for 1 lb of dough, and we only ate about half of the knots. Good to know should you want to make this one at home! Also, I didn't save the leftover knots; I didn't think they would keep well after soaking in oil. Oh yes, I used unsalted butter in this recipe and next time I plan to try salted. That's it! Yum yum.
 |
| Olivia's portion |
November 18, 2010
November 18th: vegetable hash and eggs
Try Again: hash & eggs
I found this recipe on a blog (the vegetarian salmon) I am following, although I followed the original recipe, which came from a Food Network chef (Ellie Krieger: Southwestern Hash). I do not remember this chef from my days of maternity leave, 24-hour marathon breastfeeding sessions in front of the TV, watching the food network and thinking, "when will I ever cook again?" Who knew I would have a foodie for a child and get my cooking back on track in relatively-speaking no time at all? I do not, however, have time to watch TV any more.
This meal is essentially fried vegetables with a fried egg on top. Pretty simple, filling and tasty. I topped my first serving with Tabasco, which sent me running for milk. I topped my second serving with Cheddar cheese, which improved the flavour all around. Next time I'll add a cup of frozen corn to the mix. Yum.
I found this recipe on a blog (the vegetarian salmon) I am following, although I followed the original recipe, which came from a Food Network chef (Ellie Krieger: Southwestern Hash). I do not remember this chef from my days of maternity leave, 24-hour marathon breastfeeding sessions in front of the TV, watching the food network and thinking, "when will I ever cook again?" Who knew I would have a foodie for a child and get my cooking back on track in relatively-speaking no time at all? I do not, however, have time to watch TV any more.
This meal is essentially fried vegetables with a fried egg on top. Pretty simple, filling and tasty. I topped my first serving with Tabasco, which sent me running for milk. I topped my second serving with Cheddar cheese, which improved the flavour all around. Next time I'll add a cup of frozen corn to the mix. Yum.
November 17, 2010
November 17th: mac & cheese
Problem: Just back from Montreal. Needing quick supper and homey food. Solution: Mac & Cheese. Even I like this one, and I'm not much into pasta. I have a couple good mac & cheese recipes, but this one is the simplest: from November 2004's Chatelaine: Mac 'n' cheese. Mmm.
November 14, 2010
November 14th: pear & cranberry muffins, artisan bread take 2, bean-free chili
Verdict:
Keeper: muffins, artisan bread, bean-free chili
Today, I managed to avoid leaving the house even once, which makes an amazing difference in the number of hours one can devote to one's past times, in my case meaning hours in the kitchen. I likely would have spent the same number of hours in the kitchen, but been more stressed out, if I had done things that needed to be done, like gone to the grocery store and the drug store. I'll worry about those things later.
During my multitudinous hours in the kitchen, I made pear and cranberry muffins and I prepped dough for gingerbread cookies (more on those whenever I get around to baking them). This was a second go-around for the muffins, and these are really good muffins, though I would say they are closer to a cupcake in terms of the amount of sugar in them. That must be why they taste so good. I think I'll keep this recipe; I just need to see what I think after eating one tomorrow for breakfast.
The recipe came from the Ottawa Citizen, November 2009, and I believe it may be a Karen Barnaby (Fish House Restaurant, Stanley Park, Vancouver) recipe, but I can't confirm that.
Pear and Cranberry Muffins
1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tablespoons (90 mL) flour*
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup (160 mL) vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
2 teaspoons (10 mL) apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups (560 mL) flour*
1 teaspoon (5 mL) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) cored ripe pear (about 1 1/2 pears), diced into 1/2-inch (1-cm) chunks
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries (or raisins, if preferred)
*I used a combination of all-purpose white and whole wheat flours
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
Prepare a 15-cup muffin tin.
To make the topping, combine the 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar, 6 tablespoons (90 mL) flour, butter and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix until crumbly.
Beat the 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Combine the water and vinegar.
Sift the flour, soda and salt together and blend into the oil mixture alternately with the water.
Add the pears and cranberries and mix until just combined. Spoon into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle generously with the topping.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched.
Makes 15 muffins (or 12 muffins and 12 mini muffins) (mini muffins take 20 minutes to bake)
For supper, I whipped up artisan bread for the second time, with a few modifications. I wasn't planning to make the bread, but Patricia called me Saturday night as she was in the process of making the bread and I was inspired to make it as well. This time, though, I followed the recipe from Cook's Illustrated, which took the original Sullivan Street Bakery bread, reduced the liquid, and added in a bit of kneading to the process. Rather than using all water as the liquid, this one is a combination of water, beer and vinegar. The loaf turned out better than my first try, probably at least in part because I saved a few pieces of Saran from some mushrooms I bought and used those as plastic wrap over my bowl as I let the dough rise over night. I think I'll stick with this recipe in future; this loaf was more attractive, cooked perfectly, and tasted amazing.
To accompany the bread for supper I made a bean-free chili. This was a re-try from November 2009's Chatelaine: South-of-the-border sauce. The recipe I am keeping; the name I am not. This is a cross between a pasta sauce and a chili, without the pasta or the beans, the two parts I like the least. It's like it was meant to be. The recipe suggests serving the sauce on bread, which is what we did last year, and we didn't like that, so today we just ate it in bowls, à la chili, with bread on the side. This was the ideal way to eat it. Suggested toppings are sour cream and cheddar cheese (good) and avocado, which would probably be fabulous, but mine didn't ripen enough from the time I bought it on Friday. That's what happens when I plan meals last minute, as I did with this one. Had I known in advance I would need an avocado, I would have bought it a week ago.
Greg is in love with the bread, and me because of it. He swore tonight was the best meal we've ever had ever.
I'm off to Montreal for the next few days for work, so there will be no blogging for a bit. :)
Keeper: muffins, artisan bread, bean-free chili
Today, I managed to avoid leaving the house even once, which makes an amazing difference in the number of hours one can devote to one's past times, in my case meaning hours in the kitchen. I likely would have spent the same number of hours in the kitchen, but been more stressed out, if I had done things that needed to be done, like gone to the grocery store and the drug store. I'll worry about those things later.
During my multitudinous hours in the kitchen, I made pear and cranberry muffins and I prepped dough for gingerbread cookies (more on those whenever I get around to baking them). This was a second go-around for the muffins, and these are really good muffins, though I would say they are closer to a cupcake in terms of the amount of sugar in them. That must be why they taste so good. I think I'll keep this recipe; I just need to see what I think after eating one tomorrow for breakfast.
The recipe came from the Ottawa Citizen, November 2009, and I believe it may be a Karen Barnaby (Fish House Restaurant, Stanley Park, Vancouver) recipe, but I can't confirm that.
Pear and Cranberry Muffins
1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar, firmly packed
6 tablespoons (90 mL) flour*
1/4 cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup (160 mL) vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
2 teaspoons (10 mL) apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups (560 mL) flour*
1 teaspoon (5 mL) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) cored ripe pear (about 1 1/2 pears), diced into 1/2-inch (1-cm) chunks
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries (or raisins, if preferred)
*I used a combination of all-purpose white and whole wheat flours
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
Prepare a 15-cup muffin tin.
To make the topping, combine the 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar, 6 tablespoons (90 mL) flour, butter and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix until crumbly.
Beat the 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Combine the water and vinegar.
Sift the flour, soda and salt together and blend into the oil mixture alternately with the water.
Add the pears and cranberries and mix until just combined. Spoon into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle generously with the topping.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched.
Makes 15 muffins (or 12 muffins and 12 mini muffins) (mini muffins take 20 minutes to bake)
For supper, I whipped up artisan bread for the second time, with a few modifications. I wasn't planning to make the bread, but Patricia called me Saturday night as she was in the process of making the bread and I was inspired to make it as well. This time, though, I followed the recipe from Cook's Illustrated, which took the original Sullivan Street Bakery bread, reduced the liquid, and added in a bit of kneading to the process. Rather than using all water as the liquid, this one is a combination of water, beer and vinegar. The loaf turned out better than my first try, probably at least in part because I saved a few pieces of Saran from some mushrooms I bought and used those as plastic wrap over my bowl as I let the dough rise over night. I think I'll stick with this recipe in future; this loaf was more attractive, cooked perfectly, and tasted amazing.
To accompany the bread for supper I made a bean-free chili. This was a re-try from November 2009's Chatelaine: South-of-the-border sauce. The recipe I am keeping; the name I am not. This is a cross between a pasta sauce and a chili, without the pasta or the beans, the two parts I like the least. It's like it was meant to be. The recipe suggests serving the sauce on bread, which is what we did last year, and we didn't like that, so today we just ate it in bowls, à la chili, with bread on the side. This was the ideal way to eat it. Suggested toppings are sour cream and cheddar cheese (good) and avocado, which would probably be fabulous, but mine didn't ripen enough from the time I bought it on Friday. That's what happens when I plan meals last minute, as I did with this one. Had I known in advance I would need an avocado, I would have bought it a week ago.
Greg is in love with the bread, and me because of it. He swore tonight was the best meal we've ever had ever.
I'm off to Montreal for the next few days for work, so there will be no blogging for a bit. :)
November 11, 2010
November 11th: Risotto cakes, roasted cauliflower + tahini, apricot chicken
Verdict:
Try Again: risotto cakes, roasted cauliflower
Toss: tahini sauce, apricot chicken
Yay! With impeccable timing, I came across a recipe that calls for leftover risotto. Simply take your risotto, mix in some egg, scoop it into a patty, dip in flour and pan-fry. Lovely. This is what Olivia and I had for lunch today, a hearty lunch that was well-appreciated after standing in the cold and crowds that is Remembrance Day in Ottawa. Not complaining, mind you; standing in cold and crowds is much preferable to fighting in a war. Olivia was so great during the ceremony; she was quiet as can be during the moment of silence.
I don't have a pic of the Pan-fried Risotto Cakes, which I found via another blog I am following: in erika's kitchen. I didn't use the suggested bacon; cooking that would have added a step and I wasn't interested in the extra time required. I still have more risotto leftover, so I may make these again over the weekend.
I made a white supper tonight. This happens every once and awhile when I don't think things through and end up cooking all pale foods. In tonight's case, it was potatoes, chicken and cauliflower. White, white and white. The chicken was a re-try from last year: from November 2009's Today's Parent: Apricot Almond Chicken. I completely messed up this recipe, which calls for dredging the chicken in egg and breadcrumbs/almonds prior to frying. I had the chicken in the frying pan for several minutes before I realized I had completely skipped the dredging step. No biggie, thought I, and I poured the egg over top, then sprinkled on the breadcrumbs and almonds, and popped the whole deal into the oven, as per the recipe. Turned out okay, a little eggy around the edges, but whatevs. I'm tossing the recipe, however, because it was a little on the sweet side.
To accompany, I roasted some cauliflower and potatoes and made a tahini sauce to top the cauliflower. The tahini sauce wasn't as good as a cheese sauce, my favourite cauliflower topping, but the roasting was a great way to go. I have a tendency to overcook cauliflower, and roasting solved that problem. I will do that cooking method again, which came from November 2010's Chatelaine: Roasted Cauliflower and Tahini.
Teaching my last BodyFlow class for probably (hopefully only!) 8 weeks or so tomorrow, must go get some rest so I can make it a good one...
Try Again: risotto cakes, roasted cauliflower
Toss: tahini sauce, apricot chicken
Yay! With impeccable timing, I came across a recipe that calls for leftover risotto. Simply take your risotto, mix in some egg, scoop it into a patty, dip in flour and pan-fry. Lovely. This is what Olivia and I had for lunch today, a hearty lunch that was well-appreciated after standing in the cold and crowds that is Remembrance Day in Ottawa. Not complaining, mind you; standing in cold and crowds is much preferable to fighting in a war. Olivia was so great during the ceremony; she was quiet as can be during the moment of silence.
I don't have a pic of the Pan-fried Risotto Cakes, which I found via another blog I am following: in erika's kitchen. I didn't use the suggested bacon; cooking that would have added a step and I wasn't interested in the extra time required. I still have more risotto leftover, so I may make these again over the weekend.
I made a white supper tonight. This happens every once and awhile when I don't think things through and end up cooking all pale foods. In tonight's case, it was potatoes, chicken and cauliflower. White, white and white. The chicken was a re-try from last year: from November 2009's Today's Parent: Apricot Almond Chicken. I completely messed up this recipe, which calls for dredging the chicken in egg and breadcrumbs/almonds prior to frying. I had the chicken in the frying pan for several minutes before I realized I had completely skipped the dredging step. No biggie, thought I, and I poured the egg over top, then sprinkled on the breadcrumbs and almonds, and popped the whole deal into the oven, as per the recipe. Turned out okay, a little eggy around the edges, but whatevs. I'm tossing the recipe, however, because it was a little on the sweet side.
To accompany, I roasted some cauliflower and potatoes and made a tahini sauce to top the cauliflower. The tahini sauce wasn't as good as a cheese sauce, my favourite cauliflower topping, but the roasting was a great way to go. I have a tendency to overcook cauliflower, and roasting solved that problem. I will do that cooking method again, which came from November 2010's Chatelaine: Roasted Cauliflower and Tahini.
Teaching my last BodyFlow class for probably (hopefully only!) 8 weeks or so tomorrow, must go get some rest so I can make it a good one...
November 9, 2010
November 9th: Double mushroom risotto
Verdict:
Keeper: mushroom risotto
Meat Free Tuesday: a re-try from November 2009's Chatelaine: Double Mushroom Risotto. This is a rather decadent weeknight meal, and it is fairly labour-intensive (lots of stirring) but still on the quick side. I like to make it just so Greg and I can say "risotto" like Gordon Ramsay and pretend we're on Hell's Kitchen. Greg offered to throw my risotto in the trash (Bin It!) if it wasn't perfect. I declined. Besides, I think Ramsay might give mine a pass. Maybe.
This risotto is quite delicious, and that's why I'm keeping the recipe, but I think it might make a better side or starter (like on Hell's Kitchen!) rather than as the main dish. Problem is, it makes a lot, so unless I'm hosting a dinner party, we're going to be eating risotto for days on end. And the recipe doesn't divide well, unless you have a way to use up half a carton of chicken broth, half a bunch of chives and half a package of dried mushrooms. Hmm.
Keeper: mushroom risotto
Meat Free Tuesday: a re-try from November 2009's Chatelaine: Double Mushroom Risotto. This is a rather decadent weeknight meal, and it is fairly labour-intensive (lots of stirring) but still on the quick side. I like to make it just so Greg and I can say "risotto" like Gordon Ramsay and pretend we're on Hell's Kitchen. Greg offered to throw my risotto in the trash (Bin It!) if it wasn't perfect. I declined. Besides, I think Ramsay might give mine a pass. Maybe.
This risotto is quite delicious, and that's why I'm keeping the recipe, but I think it might make a better side or starter (like on Hell's Kitchen!) rather than as the main dish. Problem is, it makes a lot, so unless I'm hosting a dinner party, we're going to be eating risotto for days on end. And the recipe doesn't divide well, unless you have a way to use up half a carton of chicken broth, half a bunch of chives and half a package of dried mushrooms. Hmm.
November 8th: Salmon cakes, Lemony snow peas and Herbed couscous
Verdict:
Try Again: Lemony snow peas
Toss: Salmon cakes and herbed couscous
Monday night quick meal: from November 2010's Chatelaine: Salmon Cakes with Lemony Snow Peas, and from Cooking with My Kid: Herbed Couscous. This was a decent meal, with a bit of prep time, but it's necessary to do all the work up front as it comes together quickly. The salmon cakes were good, but I'm still reminiscing over the AMAZING fish cakes Mom made when I was home this summer, and nothing resembling a fish cake will live up to that memory for some time to come. The couscous, despite copious amounts of butter and oil, was just okay, I thought. I may have mentioned a few times though, that I'm not much of a grain person.
But the snow peas, mmm. I will make these again, with much more garlic than the recipe calls for. This takes all of 2 minutes to cook, so a really easy side dish for another night.
Try Again: Lemony snow peas
Toss: Salmon cakes and herbed couscous
Monday night quick meal: from November 2010's Chatelaine: Salmon Cakes with Lemony Snow Peas, and from Cooking with My Kid: Herbed Couscous. This was a decent meal, with a bit of prep time, but it's necessary to do all the work up front as it comes together quickly. The salmon cakes were good, but I'm still reminiscing over the AMAZING fish cakes Mom made when I was home this summer, and nothing resembling a fish cake will live up to that memory for some time to come. The couscous, despite copious amounts of butter and oil, was just okay, I thought. I may have mentioned a few times though, that I'm not much of a grain person.
But the snow peas, mmm. I will make these again, with much more garlic than the recipe calls for. This takes all of 2 minutes to cook, so a really easy side dish for another night.
November 8, 2010
November 7th: Thai Pork with Spicy Noodles & Cranberry butter-tart squares
Verdict:
Try Again: pork and squares
Sunday. Tonight's supper is one we've eaten every year for the past three years, and we just can't quite bring ourselves to either put it in the keeper book or toss it. It's really good, it is. It's pretty easy too. BUT. I like the spice level, Greg finds it a bit too much and Olivia (this is her first year eating it, after successful exposure to peanuts) said it was too spicy and wouldn't eat it. She's not going to enjoy her lunch for the next two days, unfortunately. Greg wants me to try again with less chili-garlic sauce. I want to just keep it already. Want to weigh in on the debate? Check out November 2007's Chatelaine: Thai Pork with Spicy Noodles.
I'm getting a bit of a jump start on Christmas baking this year. I have some shortbread and pumpkin chocolate cheesecake in the freezer already, and tonight I baked up some squares to add to the collection. From November 2005's Chatelaine: Cranberry butter-tart squares. I've given these a "try again" up top there because I can't quite decide if they are good enough to keep. They're simple to make and pretty to look at and they taste good, but are they good enough? Hmm. Sometimes I'm just too tired to form an opinion.
Try Again: pork and squares
Sunday. Tonight's supper is one we've eaten every year for the past three years, and we just can't quite bring ourselves to either put it in the keeper book or toss it. It's really good, it is. It's pretty easy too. BUT. I like the spice level, Greg finds it a bit too much and Olivia (this is her first year eating it, after successful exposure to peanuts) said it was too spicy and wouldn't eat it. She's not going to enjoy her lunch for the next two days, unfortunately. Greg wants me to try again with less chili-garlic sauce. I want to just keep it already. Want to weigh in on the debate? Check out November 2007's Chatelaine: Thai Pork with Spicy Noodles.
I'm getting a bit of a jump start on Christmas baking this year. I have some shortbread and pumpkin chocolate cheesecake in the freezer already, and tonight I baked up some squares to add to the collection. From November 2005's Chatelaine: Cranberry butter-tart squares. I've given these a "try again" up top there because I can't quite decide if they are good enough to keep. They're simple to make and pretty to look at and they taste good, but are they good enough? Hmm. Sometimes I'm just too tired to form an opinion.
November 6th: artisan bread, fries and wings
Verdict:
Try Again: artisan bread, French fries, wings
Saturday!
Lunch: Even though Cooking With My Kid proclaimed this Artisan Bread was not difficult, she admitted to having doubts ahead of time. I too had my doubts about how easy this bread would be, and I too was wrong. It was dead simple. Easy peasy. I actually followed the original recipe, but might try the whole wheat version in future, or maybe a garlic or rosemary bread, mmm. The bread came out of the oven gorgeous and delicious. I would suggest letting it brown up a bit more than I did, as my loaf was a touch doughy in the centre. When making this, my dough didn't appear to rise much. I couldn't form the ball they talk about because the dough was too runny. But it still worked out in the long run, so I have to vouch for this recipe. One thing: if you eschew plastic wrap as I do, you might want to cover the bread with wax paper or something prior to letting it sit overnight. I didn't, and it ended up with a bit of a crust on it by morning, which is not what you want. Olivia and I had this bread for lunch with meat, cheese and fruit, and we felt very Lord of the Ringsy. Maybe she didn't. I did.
Supper: I make home fries all the time. I don't usually bother with a recipe. Tonight, however, I wanted to try one I came across on Canadian Living.com and I'm so glad I did. From June 2008's Canadian Living: Crispy French Fries with Mustard Mayonnaise. These are easily the best fries I've ever made. I made them in the oven (rather than deep fryer) and I made the suggested accompaniment of mayo dip. The two together were like heaven in my mouth. I used three baking potatoes (2 lbs) to make these and G, O and I didn't leave a fry uneaten.
I screwed up the other recipe of the night, which is too bad, as I suspect it may be a good one. I found it on the Martha Stewart website; from March 2010's Everyday Food: Sticky Chicken Wings. I was overly focussed on making the fries and wasn't paying enough attention to the oven, and alas, I burnt the wings. I hadn't cooked the wings as suggested, but rather breaded the wings, baked them, boiled up the sauce separately, and tossed the cooked (burnt) wings in the sauce. This method should have worked well, had I been more on the ball.
Try Again: artisan bread, French fries, wings
Saturday!
Lunch: Even though Cooking With My Kid proclaimed this Artisan Bread was not difficult, she admitted to having doubts ahead of time. I too had my doubts about how easy this bread would be, and I too was wrong. It was dead simple. Easy peasy. I actually followed the original recipe, but might try the whole wheat version in future, or maybe a garlic or rosemary bread, mmm. The bread came out of the oven gorgeous and delicious. I would suggest letting it brown up a bit more than I did, as my loaf was a touch doughy in the centre. When making this, my dough didn't appear to rise much. I couldn't form the ball they talk about because the dough was too runny. But it still worked out in the long run, so I have to vouch for this recipe. One thing: if you eschew plastic wrap as I do, you might want to cover the bread with wax paper or something prior to letting it sit overnight. I didn't, and it ended up with a bit of a crust on it by morning, which is not what you want. Olivia and I had this bread for lunch with meat, cheese and fruit, and we felt very Lord of the Ringsy. Maybe she didn't. I did.
Supper: I make home fries all the time. I don't usually bother with a recipe. Tonight, however, I wanted to try one I came across on Canadian Living.com and I'm so glad I did. From June 2008's Canadian Living: Crispy French Fries with Mustard Mayonnaise. These are easily the best fries I've ever made. I made them in the oven (rather than deep fryer) and I made the suggested accompaniment of mayo dip. The two together were like heaven in my mouth. I used three baking potatoes (2 lbs) to make these and G, O and I didn't leave a fry uneaten.
I screwed up the other recipe of the night, which is too bad, as I suspect it may be a good one. I found it on the Martha Stewart website; from March 2010's Everyday Food: Sticky Chicken Wings. I was overly focussed on making the fries and wasn't paying enough attention to the oven, and alas, I burnt the wings. I hadn't cooked the wings as suggested, but rather breaded the wings, baked them, boiled up the sauce separately, and tossed the cooked (burnt) wings in the sauce. This method should have worked well, had I been more on the ball.
November 5th: Proscuitto rolls, bread sticks, Italian mussels
Verdict:
Try Again: bread sticks
Toss: prosciutto rolls, mussels
Friday. A little change of pace from pizza night. Our pizza nights have been making a lot of leftovers, which Greg has been dutifully eating, and apparently even he has limits on the amount of pizza he wants to eat, so when I suggested a change this week, he was all for it.
From November 2010's Chatelaine: Prosciutto Salad Rolls were easy to make and gorgeous to look at, but were a little on the boring side, taste-wise. That was my opinion. Olivia ate four of them and Greg said they were a perfect blend of sweet, salty and tart, so I appear to be outvoted on these. I'm tossing the recipe anyway. Sorry, kids.
From Cooking With My Kid (my new go-to website, apparently!): Parmesan Bread Sticks. I messed these up. I made pizza dough from Chatelaine (I've fallen back on this one after a few weeks away), but I forgot to weigh it, and I believe I made my bread sticks twice as big as I should have. I still have half the dough in the fridge, and I intended to try again with smaller sizes to see how they turned out, but the weekend slipped away from me.
Finally, from Holiday 2009's Chatelaine: Italian mussels were a re-try from last year. This recipe, mussels in a tomato sauce, is now hitting the recycling pile. Really, the best mussels are those dipped in garlic butter. My one suggestion for this recipe is that if you do try it, definitely use a strong-flavoured or spicy tomato sauce; I didn't, and the sauce was bland (it does get watered down in the cooking process).
Try Again: bread sticks
Toss: prosciutto rolls, mussels
Friday. A little change of pace from pizza night. Our pizza nights have been making a lot of leftovers, which Greg has been dutifully eating, and apparently even he has limits on the amount of pizza he wants to eat, so when I suggested a change this week, he was all for it.
From November 2010's Chatelaine: Prosciutto Salad Rolls were easy to make and gorgeous to look at, but were a little on the boring side, taste-wise. That was my opinion. Olivia ate four of them and Greg said they were a perfect blend of sweet, salty and tart, so I appear to be outvoted on these. I'm tossing the recipe anyway. Sorry, kids.
From Cooking With My Kid (my new go-to website, apparently!): Parmesan Bread Sticks. I messed these up. I made pizza dough from Chatelaine (I've fallen back on this one after a few weeks away), but I forgot to weigh it, and I believe I made my bread sticks twice as big as I should have. I still have half the dough in the fridge, and I intended to try again with smaller sizes to see how they turned out, but the weekend slipped away from me.
Finally, from Holiday 2009's Chatelaine: Italian mussels were a re-try from last year. This recipe, mussels in a tomato sauce, is now hitting the recycling pile. Really, the best mussels are those dipped in garlic butter. My one suggestion for this recipe is that if you do try it, definitely use a strong-flavoured or spicy tomato sauce; I didn't, and the sauce was bland (it does get watered down in the cooking process).
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