September 11th: green beans amandine

My comments from the first time I made this: "I loved it. Greg was indifferent." This year, second go-around, he is on board. He says it's because I cooked the green beans so perfectly this time. I recommend upping the almonds to a 1/2 cup for the full recipe (I made half the recipe). I loaded my serving with extra lemon zest and lemon juice and it was oh so tart and delicious. The toasted nuts give it a lovely - nutty - flavour. Will do again, especially since I have buy-in from the fam now. From May 2010's Today's Parent: Green Beans Amandine.

March 20th: broccoli salad, veggies & tortellini

I have a broccoli salad recipe that I L O V E, that came from Jane (Y. L., not M.). Here it is:


3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
2 heads of broccoli, cut into pieces and blanched*
1/2 red onion, finely diced
10-12 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, stir together first three ingredients. Add remaining ingredients, stir until combined, and if there is time, let the salad sit to develop flavours.

*My preference, always, is to blanch the broccoli for one minute in boiling water, then plunge in cold water to stop the cooking. Perfectly al dente every time. I do this for every broccoli salad I make.

Unfortunately, this recipe is high in sugar, salt and fat, and I feel sick every time I eat it. Alas. So I try broccoli salad recipes every time I come across a new one that sounds good. Tonight, I tried one from March 2011's Chatelaine: Broccoli-almond salad. This one has no bacon or cheese, adds in some toasted almonds (yum) and lightens up the sauce a great deal. The apple cider vinegar adds a distinctly different flavour than the white vinegar, which I like. I found it a little light on sauce and would recommend making a bit extra. Also, blanch your broccoli. Otherwise, I think I have a new winner. Definitely no ill feelings after eating this one.

Also for supper, I altered a pasta recipe I found in March 2010's Chatelaine: Bacon and veggie ravioli. Here's my version:


Veggies & Tortellini

• 700-g pkg tri-colour three cheese tortellini
• 1 small or 1/2 large onion
• 2 sweet peppers, preferably yellow or orange
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• salt
• 142 g baby spinach
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add tortellini to boiling water. Cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, slice onion into thin strips and coarsely chop peppers.
2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium. Add onion, pepper and tomatoes. Sprinkle with pinches of salt. Stir occasionally, until onion is tender and tomatoes begin to soften, about 5 min.
3. Drain pasta, then return to pot. Add tomato mixture along with spinach to pot. Stir often until spinach begins to wilt, about 1 min. Serve and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

I purposely make my garlic bread look like store-bought,
just to amuse myself.

January 19th: Lemon chicken and feta

I was starving tonight, which does not make for the most objective opinion. This meal was so good, I kept eating past the point of being full because I wanted to keep eating it FOREVER. A retry from last year, now a keeper: from January 2010's Chatelaine: Lemon chicken and feta (and broccoli and almonds). I made rice on the side. Here's my insider secret to the best rice in the world: Knorr chicken broth powder. Yes, it has MSG. That's probably why it makes the rice taste so damn good. Sprinkle it liberally in the water while waiting for the pot to come to a boil. Also, I squeezed a tonne of lemon juice over my entire plate tonight. You may have noticed my obsession with lemon. A lemony meal makes Kirsten happy. One last note: I recommend doubling or tripling the amount of almonds called for. Then enjoy this awesome supper.

Hard to see the chicken and cheese in the sea of broccoli and almonds!