For supper tonight, two great recipes from August 2015's Chatelaine:
Grilled Jerk pork chops with pineapple salsa
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded*
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp salt
4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2-in. thick
PINEAPPLE SALSA**
1 pineapple, cored and diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt
PREHEAT barbecue to medium.
WHIRL jalapenos with lime juice, canola oil, allspice, dried thyme and 3/4 tsp salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl and add pork chops. Turn until pork is well coated. Set aside.
STIR pineapple with red onion, bell pepper, mint, lime juice, canola oil and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl.
OIL grill. Barbecue pork chops, lid open, 3 to 4 min. Flip pork chops and brush with remaining marinade. Continue grilling until no pink remains, 3 more min. Let rest, 5 min. Serve with pineapple salsa.
Makes 4 servings.
*I used one jalapeño; that was enough for us
**I made half the salsa for 3 pork chops; that was enough for us too
Quinoa pilaf
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium pan over medium. Add 1 finely chopped onion and cook until soft, 3-4 min. Stir in 1 3/4 cups chicken stock and 1 cup quinoa. Boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, until tender, 15-20 min. Stir in 1/4 cup each toasted pine nuts and finely chopped parsley.
Makes 4 servings.
I had a craving for oatmeal cookies and decided to make this recipe yesterday, despite the reviews saying it is not an oatmealy oatmeal cookie. This is correct, but the cookies are still delicious. I did not bother chopping the walnuts, because I was making these late at night and just wanted to go to sleep (but also wanted cookies to eat for breakfast, that’s right, breakfast), but it turns out the big pieces of walnut halves were just plain awesome. I weighed out the amount of chocolate chips required (12 oz) and then used less than half because that looked like way, way too many chocolate chips to me. I prefer my cookies only slightly chocolate chippy. I used coconut oil where it called for vegetable shortening. In future, an additional change I might make is to remove the nutmeg. I have a newly-purchased jar of ground nutmeg and it is so fresh the cookies tasted strongly of nutmeg and I found it to be a bit much. You should make these cookies! Just not when what you really want is an oatmeal cookie. From Epicurious:
Chocolate chip walnut oatmeal cookies
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 3.4-ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips (or, like, 5 oz of chocolate chips is PLENTY)
1 1/2 cups walnuts pieces or halves (about 6 ounces)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover cookie sheets with parchment.
Beat coconut oil and unsalted butter in large bowl until light. Gradually add white and brown sugars and beat mixture until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla pudding mix, vanilla extract, baking soda, water, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg (if using) and salt and mix until well blended. Mix in oats, then flour. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Drop cookie dough by large rounded spoonfuls (about 3 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies appear dry and tops are lightly cracked and soft when pressed, about 12 minutes (do not overbake).* Cool cookies 5 minutes on cookie sheets. Transfer cookies to racks and cool. (Store cookies in airtight container.)
Makes about 30 cookies.
*I baked one pan a little longer to create a stiffer cookie on purpose. I like 'em like that. The softer ones I froze, then I later I can pull them from the freezer and reheat them in the oven and they won’t be dried out because they were moist to start with (I hope).
BAH! I'm sorry. No pictures. :(
Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts
September 10, 2015
September 7, 2015
September 7th: oven-roasted tomatoes, rigatoni with pork ragù
Our vegetable garden is exploding with tomatoes, and I've spent three days trying to perfect an oven-roasted tomato recipe. This is a recipe that easily uses up 3-5 tomatoes, depending on their size, and when you do get it right, it's fabulous. My first batch, I completely forgot about in the oven and I was attempting to have a nap and couldn't figure out what the annoying beeping from the kitchen was: my oven timer telling me to get the tomatoes out. They were black, burnt and crispy. I ate half them anyway. My second batch I cooked at a lower temperature and had to take out before they were done because I had to leave the house. They were red, squishy and not quite done. I ate the whole pan in one sitting. My third batch was pretty close to perfection: cooked, crispy, deeelicious. I ate most of them, shared a few with my family, and packed two in a container for a snack at work.
From Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Missing Goat Farm:
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
3-5 ripe tomatoes, any size, thinly sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 225F.*
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay as many tomato slices as you can fit on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in preheated oven for about 2 hours and 20 minutes. They should look dry and should be crispy when you pick them up. You can store these in the fridge to use over a week or so.
*Part of what took me so long to get this recipe right was figuring out the right temperature for my oven, which runs cold. I found 275F to be a good one for me.
I spent a good part of Labour Day labouring (I crack myself up) over a pork ragu sauce. It was worth the labour.
From Epicurious:
Rigatoni with Pork Ragù
1 medium onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1" pieces
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (I used 1 tsp dried)
1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound ground pork
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound mezzi rigatoni or penne rigate
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano plus more
Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Purée tomatoes with juices in processor; set aside.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add reserved vegetable mixture to drippings in pot, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8-10 minutes.
Stir tomato paste and 1 cup water in a small bowl; add to pot. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-8 minutes.
Add reserved meat and tomato purée and 1 cup water.* Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, adding more water as needed to keep meat nearly submerged,** until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Season with salt.
DO AHEAD: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat before continuing.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce; stir to coat. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Divide among bowls; top with more Parmesan.
*I used up some leftover white wine in place of the water.
**I had to add quite a bit of water, probably two cups.
Supper, with Greek salad.
From Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Missing Goat Farm:
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
3-5 ripe tomatoes, any size, thinly sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 225F.*
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay as many tomato slices as you can fit on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in preheated oven for about 2 hours and 20 minutes. They should look dry and should be crispy when you pick them up. You can store these in the fridge to use over a week or so.
*Part of what took me so long to get this recipe right was figuring out the right temperature for my oven, which runs cold. I found 275F to be a good one for me.
I spent a good part of Labour Day labouring (I crack myself up) over a pork ragu sauce. It was worth the labour.
From Epicurious:
Rigatoni with Pork Ragù
1 medium onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1" pieces
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (I used 1 tsp dried)
1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound ground pork
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound mezzi rigatoni or penne rigate
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano plus more
Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Purée tomatoes with juices in processor; set aside.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add reserved vegetable mixture to drippings in pot, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8-10 minutes.
Stir tomato paste and 1 cup water in a small bowl; add to pot. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-8 minutes.
Add reserved meat and tomato purée and 1 cup water.* Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, adding more water as needed to keep meat nearly submerged,** until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Season with salt.
DO AHEAD: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat before continuing.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce; stir to coat. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Divide among bowls; top with more Parmesan.
*I used up some leftover white wine in place of the water.
**I had to add quite a bit of water, probably two cups.
Supper, with Greek salad.
July 17, 2014
July 17th: Peppered pork schnitzel with watercress salad
Oh, hello there, Blogosphere, miss me much? Let's not get all fussy about April, May or June, alright? What's done is done. Ah, July...
Just returned from vacation, and I'm happy to be flexing my cooking muscles in my own kitchen again. Greg declared tonight's meal the best one he's had in two weeks. I'm happy my cooking is better than Pizza Pizza and My Favourite Chinese Food.
In June, I flew twice to Nova Scotia, without my children in tow. Since I had time, I treated myself to two food magazines, one each from the YOW and YHZ airports. Tonight's meal comes from olive magazine, a British food magazine I was previously unfamiliar with. Now I have a pile of recipes I want to make, all involving weighed ingredients and Celsius oven temperatures. I converted for your ease. :)
Peppered pork schnitzel with watercress salad
dried breadcrumbs, 75 g (about 1 cup)
ground black pepper, 1 tsp
salt, to taste
egg, 1 large, beaten
flour for dusting
fast fry pork chops, 4 small or 2 large, about 300 g in total
oil (grapeseed or other high heat handling oil, plus olive for salad)
watercress, 2 handfuls
red onion, 1/2 small, finely sliced
cherry tomatoes, 10, halved
radishes, 2, sliced thin
lemon, 1, half juiced, half in wedges
mayonnaise, to serve (optional)
Mix the breadcrumbs, pepper and a good pinch of salt together and spread over a plate. Put the egg on another plate. Dust the pork in a little flour then dip in egg and coat in the seasoned breadcrumbs.
Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add the schnitzel and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes until crisp and golden.
While the pork is cooking, put the watercress, onion, tomatoes and radishes in bowl and dress with lemon juice, olive oil and season. Toss together, then serve with the pork, some lemon wedges and a dollop of mayo, if you like.
Serves 2.
Notice how the ingredient name comes before the measurement? It also doesn't tell you how high to heat the pan, or how exactly to dress the salad, like they expect you just to know. Those crafty Brits, making my brain work harder, or maybe just expecting me not to need my hand held.
This recipe is simple, simple, and it was pretty good. I just noticed now it calls for a lot of pepper (thus the title, doh!); I didn't use the amount called for, I just ground some over the breadcrumbs. The radishes were my own addition, when I found them in my crisper still looking good from whenever I bought them weeks (months?) ago. Do you see how much oil this recipe requires for frying the pork? Now that is an amount I can appreciate, non of this North American weight watching 1 tsp bullshit. (Sorry, Dad.)
To accompany, I made oven-roasted mini potatoes, a staple in our household, even though I am the only potato lover (what is wrong with these people?!). Take some baby potatoes, halve the big ones, toss them all with a couple of good lugs of olive oil, loads of salt and pepper, and roast at 425°F for about 30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, throw in some diced garlic (lots, if you're a Sellers!). Delish.
Just returned from vacation, and I'm happy to be flexing my cooking muscles in my own kitchen again. Greg declared tonight's meal the best one he's had in two weeks. I'm happy my cooking is better than Pizza Pizza and My Favourite Chinese Food.
In June, I flew twice to Nova Scotia, without my children in tow. Since I had time, I treated myself to two food magazines, one each from the YOW and YHZ airports. Tonight's meal comes from olive magazine, a British food magazine I was previously unfamiliar with. Now I have a pile of recipes I want to make, all involving weighed ingredients and Celsius oven temperatures. I converted for your ease. :)
Peppered pork schnitzel with watercress salad
dried breadcrumbs, 75 g (about 1 cup)
ground black pepper, 1 tsp
salt, to taste
egg, 1 large, beaten
flour for dusting
fast fry pork chops, 4 small or 2 large, about 300 g in total
oil (grapeseed or other high heat handling oil, plus olive for salad)
watercress, 2 handfuls
red onion, 1/2 small, finely sliced
cherry tomatoes, 10, halved
radishes, 2, sliced thin
lemon, 1, half juiced, half in wedges
mayonnaise, to serve (optional)
Mix the breadcrumbs, pepper and a good pinch of salt together and spread over a plate. Put the egg on another plate. Dust the pork in a little flour then dip in egg and coat in the seasoned breadcrumbs.
Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add the schnitzel and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes until crisp and golden.
While the pork is cooking, put the watercress, onion, tomatoes and radishes in bowl and dress with lemon juice, olive oil and season. Toss together, then serve with the pork, some lemon wedges and a dollop of mayo, if you like.
Notice how the ingredient name comes before the measurement? It also doesn't tell you how high to heat the pan, or how exactly to dress the salad, like they expect you just to know. Those crafty Brits, making my brain work harder, or maybe just expecting me not to need my hand held.
This recipe is simple, simple, and it was pretty good. I just noticed now it calls for a lot of pepper (thus the title, doh!); I didn't use the amount called for, I just ground some over the breadcrumbs. The radishes were my own addition, when I found them in my crisper still looking good from whenever I bought them weeks (months?) ago. Do you see how much oil this recipe requires for frying the pork? Now that is an amount I can appreciate, non of this North American weight watching 1 tsp bullshit. (Sorry, Dad.)
To accompany, I made oven-roasted mini potatoes, a staple in our household, even though I am the only potato lover (what is wrong with these people?!). Take some baby potatoes, halve the big ones, toss them all with a couple of good lugs of olive oil, loads of salt and pepper, and roast at 425°F for about 30 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, throw in some diced garlic (lots, if you're a Sellers!). Delish.
January 9, 2014
January 9th: Pork Adobo + Cabbage
I'll keep this one short. The recipe was good, but I won't be making it again. From January 2014's Chatelaine: Pork Adobo with Cabbage
Instructions
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high. Add 2 tbsp canola oil, then half of 2 pork tenderloins, cut into bite-size chunks. Cook until pork is dark golden on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat with remaining pork.
Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce and 4 tsp brown sugar to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Add pork and cook until cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Stir in 2 green onions, sliced diagonally, then transfer mixture to a bowl or platter.
Return pan to stovetop over high. Add 1 tbsp canola oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 8 cups sliced napa cabbage and 1/4 tsp salt.
Cook, stirring often, until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Serve alongside Pork Adobo, with jasmine rice if desired.
Serves 4.
Instructions
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high. Add 2 tbsp canola oil, then half of 2 pork tenderloins, cut into bite-size chunks. Cook until pork is dark golden on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat with remaining pork.
Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce and 4 tsp brown sugar to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Add pork and cook until cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Stir in 2 green onions, sliced diagonally, then transfer mixture to a bowl or platter.
Return pan to stovetop over high. Add 1 tbsp canola oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 8 cups sliced napa cabbage and 1/4 tsp salt.
Cook, stirring often, until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Serve alongside Pork Adobo, with jasmine rice if desired.
Serves 4.
January 7, 2014
January 7th: Cranberry Muffins, Pork Za'atar
Otherwise known as, "Don't try to potty train your child and cook at the same time."
Sadie will be two in March. I would never have considered potty training her yet, if she weren't pulling at her diaper and saying "pee" in a most distressed manner since sometime last November. Santa obliged and brought her a potty, which she loves, and since this week is the return to school and schedules, this is the week to really give it a go, I thought. The potty is set up in the kitchen, well away from carpets, and we've been letting Sadie go bottomless to see what happens. This morning I decided to make muffins. Sadie was a gem, running around mostly naked, entertaining herself, sitting on her potty and reading her potty book and then, bam!, peeing in the potty and making it sing. The potty sings when you pee in it. Or when you cover the two sensors in the bottom with your hand, as Sadie has also discovered. The morning went so smoothly, I thought to give it a go again tonight. Big Mistake.
Sadie hasn't been napping recently. Not sure what is up with that. She seems to think she gets two hours of playtime in her crib in the afternoons. Today was one of those days. Then she dissed my muffins. So by the time I was making supper (Greg and Olivia were gone to piano lessons), Sadie was tired, hungry and driving me up the wall. Why I let her go bottomless I'll never know. In the 45 minutes G&O were gone, I toasted pine nuts, dissected one grapefruit, mixed together spices, and cleaned up 6 pees: 2 in the potty and 4 on the floor. Supper was late, Sadie and I were both cranky and for what?! Sigh. We'll try again tomorrow.
[This is where I'm tempted to post an oh-so-cute picture of Sadie on her potty online for the world to see, but I will resist temptation.]
Onto the food! From the 2013 Milk Calendar:
Cranberry Crumble Muffins
1/3 cup (75 mL) quick cooking oats
1/4 cup (60 mL) packed brown sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour
2 tsps (10 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each, baking soda and salt
3/4 cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt (not fat free)
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, melted
2 cups (500 mL) fresh or frozen cranberries
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
Crumble: In a small bowl, combine oats, sugar, cinnamon and butter; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all-purpose and whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, egg, milk, yogurt and butter until blended. Pour over dry ingredients and sprinkle with cranberries; stir just until moistened.
Spoon into prepared muffin pan; sprinkle tops with crumble. Bake for about 25 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.
Makes 12 muffins
I thought these muffins were delicious. I love cranberries, and sour things generally, and these muffins weren't horribly sweet and cake-like as some muffins are. Good texture too, firm but moist. I would definitely make them again. Sadie wouldn't even try them. Olivia ate half of one and said she didn't like it. Grace ate one and asked for another. Taye ate half of one and left the room. Greg is trying to avoid grains, he says his biggest pitfall, and if he eats one he'll eat three so he's not eating any. More for me, I guess. And Grace. And Olivia's lunch, whether she wants one or not.
For Supper! From January 2014 Chatelaine:
Za'atar Pork with Grapefruit Salad
Instructions
Preheat broiler. Arrange 4 boneless pork chops on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine 1 tbsp za'atar with 1 tbsp sesame seeds and 1/2 tsp salt. Sprinkle over pork chops. Broil in top third of oven 3-5 minutes.
Remove segments from 2 pink grapefruits, reserving juice separately. Toss 4 cups packed baby spinach with grapefruit segments and 1/4 cup each coarsely chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts in a large bowl.
Whisk 3 tbsp reserved grapefruit juice with 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1/2 tsp honey in a medium bowl. Drizzle salad with dressing just before serving.
Several notes: the original recipe called for 8 lamb chops; I'm not a big lamb fan and have a ton of pork chops in my freezer so subbed those in. We all four of us liked the pork. Success! The recipe said to broil the meat on parchment, which I did. I don't think parchment is supposed to be used for broiling and mine certainly burnt. Also, at 5 minutes under the pre-heated broiler, our chops were over cooked, so I've reduced the cooking time above from the original. None of us liked the grapefruit salad. I even hesitated to type it out here. We do like grapefruits, and I love toasted pine nuts like they are the best thing in the world, but this salad sucked. Will not be tried again. Za'atar: I've been reading about this for the past few years and noticed they sell it at Loblaws now, so thought this would be a good chance to give it a go. According to Chatelaine "This earthy Middle Eastern spice blend is the flavour of the year. Make your own by mixing 3 tbsp thyme with 3 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 tsp sumac or lemon zest, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt." It was yummy stuff.
Sadie will be two in March. I would never have considered potty training her yet, if she weren't pulling at her diaper and saying "pee" in a most distressed manner since sometime last November. Santa obliged and brought her a potty, which she loves, and since this week is the return to school and schedules, this is the week to really give it a go, I thought. The potty is set up in the kitchen, well away from carpets, and we've been letting Sadie go bottomless to see what happens. This morning I decided to make muffins. Sadie was a gem, running around mostly naked, entertaining herself, sitting on her potty and reading her potty book and then, bam!, peeing in the potty and making it sing. The potty sings when you pee in it. Or when you cover the two sensors in the bottom with your hand, as Sadie has also discovered. The morning went so smoothly, I thought to give it a go again tonight. Big Mistake.
Sadie hasn't been napping recently. Not sure what is up with that. She seems to think she gets two hours of playtime in her crib in the afternoons. Today was one of those days. Then she dissed my muffins. So by the time I was making supper (Greg and Olivia were gone to piano lessons), Sadie was tired, hungry and driving me up the wall. Why I let her go bottomless I'll never know. In the 45 minutes G&O were gone, I toasted pine nuts, dissected one grapefruit, mixed together spices, and cleaned up 6 pees: 2 in the potty and 4 on the floor. Supper was late, Sadie and I were both cranky and for what?! Sigh. We'll try again tomorrow.
[This is where I'm tempted to post an oh-so-cute picture of Sadie on her potty online for the world to see, but I will resist temptation.]
Onto the food! From the 2013 Milk Calendar:
Cranberry Crumble Muffins
1/3 cup (75 mL) quick cooking oats
1/4 cup (60 mL) packed brown sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour
2 tsps (10 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each, baking soda and salt
3/4 cup (175 mL) packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt (not fat free)
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, melted
2 cups (500 mL) fresh or frozen cranberries
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
Crumble: In a small bowl, combine oats, sugar, cinnamon and butter; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all-purpose and whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, egg, milk, yogurt and butter until blended. Pour over dry ingredients and sprinkle with cranberries; stir just until moistened.
Spoon into prepared muffin pan; sprinkle tops with crumble. Bake for about 25 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.
Makes 12 muffins
I thought these muffins were delicious. I love cranberries, and sour things generally, and these muffins weren't horribly sweet and cake-like as some muffins are. Good texture too, firm but moist. I would definitely make them again. Sadie wouldn't even try them. Olivia ate half of one and said she didn't like it. Grace ate one and asked for another. Taye ate half of one and left the room. Greg is trying to avoid grains, he says his biggest pitfall, and if he eats one he'll eat three so he's not eating any. More for me, I guess. And Grace. And Olivia's lunch, whether she wants one or not.
For Supper! From January 2014 Chatelaine:
Za'atar Pork with Grapefruit Salad
Instructions
Preheat broiler. Arrange 4 boneless pork chops on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine 1 tbsp za'atar with 1 tbsp sesame seeds and 1/2 tsp salt. Sprinkle over pork chops. Broil in top third of oven 3-5 minutes.
Remove segments from 2 pink grapefruits, reserving juice separately. Toss 4 cups packed baby spinach with grapefruit segments and 1/4 cup each coarsely chopped parsley and toasted pine nuts in a large bowl.
Whisk 3 tbsp reserved grapefruit juice with 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1/2 tsp honey in a medium bowl. Drizzle salad with dressing just before serving.
Several notes: the original recipe called for 8 lamb chops; I'm not a big lamb fan and have a ton of pork chops in my freezer so subbed those in. We all four of us liked the pork. Success! The recipe said to broil the meat on parchment, which I did. I don't think parchment is supposed to be used for broiling and mine certainly burnt. Also, at 5 minutes under the pre-heated broiler, our chops were over cooked, so I've reduced the cooking time above from the original. None of us liked the grapefruit salad. I even hesitated to type it out here. We do like grapefruits, and I love toasted pine nuts like they are the best thing in the world, but this salad sucked. Will not be tried again. Za'atar: I've been reading about this for the past few years and noticed they sell it at Loblaws now, so thought this would be a good chance to give it a go. According to Chatelaine "This earthy Middle Eastern spice blend is the flavour of the year. Make your own by mixing 3 tbsp thyme with 3 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 tsp sumac or lemon zest, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt." It was yummy stuff.
January 4, 2014
January 4th: Pork and Mushroom Alfredo
This is a cheater post, as I'm repeating a recipe from 2011: Mushroom Alfredo. The teeny difference is that this time I added meat. I have a bunch of pork chops in the freezer and have been looking for ways to use them up. I thought this would work well, and it did. Chicken and shrimp would also be good, I think. And since I haven't gotten around to blogging in 7 months, I'm easing in...
350 g fresh fettuccine
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fettuccine according to package directions, approximately 5 minutes. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta.
Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add pork and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add cream and butter and heat through, simmering gently. Stir in ¼ cup reserved cooking water, cooked pasta, and Parmesan cheese. Thin with more water if necessary.
Serve and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with more Parmesan cheese if desired.
Makes 4 servings.
*Can substitute 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 1 lb raw peeled deveined large shrimp. If using shrimp, add to pan at same time as garlic.
Served with (gasp) store-bought pre-packaged Caesar salad. I never.
Pork & Mushroom Alfredo
350 g fresh fettuccine
1 tbsp each unsalted butter and olive oil
1 lb boneless pork chops, chopped*
1 lb boneless pork chops, chopped*
1 lb assorted mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¾ cup half and half (10%) cream
6 tbsps unsalted butter
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fettuccine according to package directions, approximately 5 minutes. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta.
Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add pork and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add cream and butter and heat through, simmering gently. Stir in ¼ cup reserved cooking water, cooked pasta, and Parmesan cheese. Thin with more water if necessary.
Serve and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with more Parmesan cheese if desired.
Makes 4 servings.
*Can substitute 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 1 lb raw peeled deveined large shrimp. If using shrimp, add to pan at same time as garlic.
Served with (gasp) store-bought pre-packaged Caesar salad. I never.
February 29, 2012
February 29th: Vermont Pork Chops
Why Vermont? No idea. Maybe the maple syrup. Mine's from Quebec though. Maybe I should re-title Quebec Pork Chops. I pulled this recipe out of the Ottawa Citizen a few weeks back. To quote the article, "The sauce is great with pork, ham, turkey or chicken. Warm it on its own and serve with any of these cooked meats or use it as a dipping sauce. It can be served hot or at room temperature."
I've never seen Olivia eat so much pork, let alone ask for seconds and thirds. Amazing what a whole lot of sugar will do:
Vermont Pork Chops
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
vegetable oil
2 pork chops
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mix together maple syrup, brown sugar and mustard, and set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown pork chops 2 minutes, turn, and salt and pepper the cooked side. Brown second side 2 minutes. Cover with a lid and cook 2 minutes or until pork is cooked through.
Remove to a plate. Add sauce to skillet and heat several seconds, scraping up any browned bits. Serve pork with sauce spooned over top.
Makes 2 servings.
Served with boiled potatoes and Dijon Brussels Sprouts.
I've never seen Olivia eat so much pork, let alone ask for seconds and thirds. Amazing what a whole lot of sugar will do:
Vermont Pork Chops
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
vegetable oil
2 pork chops
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mix together maple syrup, brown sugar and mustard, and set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Brown pork chops 2 minutes, turn, and salt and pepper the cooked side. Brown second side 2 minutes. Cover with a lid and cook 2 minutes or until pork is cooked through.
Remove to a plate. Add sauce to skillet and heat several seconds, scraping up any browned bits. Serve pork with sauce spooned over top.
Makes 2 servings.
Served with boiled potatoes and Dijon Brussels Sprouts.
November 28, 2011
November 27th: mini chocolate orange muffins
Did you receive your 2012 Milk Calendar? I certainly got mine! I also got a jumpstart on the 2012 recipes, with O at my side, making mini chocolate orange muffins. They were pretty tasty. 48 mini muffins!
I also put the November 2011 recipe to the test: roast pork tenderloin and mushroom dinner. This is kind of like pork and mushroom soup, but on the healthier side. We didn't love this one. The white potatoes didn't cook through, even with much longer in the oven. If I were to do it again, I would drop the sweet potatoes, double and dice the white potatoes, and double the mushrooms. That might be worth a re-try. The pork was tender and delicious.
I also put the November 2011 recipe to the test: roast pork tenderloin and mushroom dinner. This is kind of like pork and mushroom soup, but on the healthier side. We didn't love this one. The white potatoes didn't cook through, even with much longer in the oven. If I were to do it again, I would drop the sweet potatoes, double and dice the white potatoes, and double the mushrooms. That might be worth a re-try. The pork was tender and delicious.
November 26, 2011
November 18th: chocolate-stuffed chocolate chip peanut butter cookies and pork chops with Swiss chard and cranberries
I chalk it up to a bad case of baby brain. I set out to make my second batch of Christmas cookie exchange cookies, and the whole thing was a disaster. I'm still scratching my head as to why. It was Sunday afternoon. I had had a nap, so was well rested. Greg and Olivia were out, so the house was quiet. I scrubbed the kitchen top to bottom, so the setting was clean. In other words, there were no distractions and no excuses!
I set out to make an epicurious recipe: Chocolate-stuffed chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. Two chocolate chip cookies sandwiched together with a chocolate layer. Fancy, yes, but not over-the-top. I decided to replace the milk chocolate with darker chocolate for a richer and less cloying taste. And so I proceed:
I mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and set it aside. I mix the wet ingredients in a second bowl and set it aside. I turn on the oven and prepare my pans. I then begin scooping batter onto my pan. I'm a little concerned, as the batter is much runnier than a cookie batter usually is. Enough runnier that I decide to take a picture:
I set the first pan in the hot oven. I am thinking, maybe the batter is runny because they are going to be sandwich cookies, and they need to be flatter. At this point, I realize I've forgotten to stir in the chocolate chips. Okay, no problem; the cookies in the oven will be the bottoms and I'll add the chocolate chips to the remaining batter and they will be the tops. I decide to halve the number of chipits. Then I scoop out the second pan.
All this takes place within three minutes, after which time I am ready to prepare my chocolate filling, reach for the bowl and - oh - see that I have a full bowl of dry ingredients I forgot to mix into the wet! So that's why the batter was runny! I hastily grab the pan out of the oven and without even thinking, pour the batter (it is warm and runny and pours no problem) back into the bowl, whereupon it promptly sets the chocolate chips to melting. I do the same with the second prepared pan of batter, then dump in the dry ingredients and stir the whole mess together.
At this point, I think, a break to re-group is required. I leave the kitchen for an hour.
To sum up, I later re-scooped and baked the cookies, forgetting to set my oven properly, and ended up burning the first pan. Thus, I have half-melted-half-the-amount-called-for-chocolate-chips, improperly stirred in flour, half burnt, stuffed cookies, looking thusly:
Taste-wise, they were not awful. We ate the burnt-est of the burnt and I froze the rest - not enough in the end for my cookie exchange in any case. Maybe we'll bring them out for our Christmas party.
I'd like to say supper went better. I was cooking an old fave, also from epicurious: Pork chops with Swiss chard and cranberries. It's a slightly complicated recipe, so again, it seemed like this would be a good day to tackle it, what with having the house to myself and being all clean (the house) and relaxed (me, although slightly frazzled based on the cookie incident). I didn't go terribly wrong with this recipe, but did get a little overwhelmed at one point when I had all four burners on the stove on, plus the oven. But look how beautifully supper turned out:
It was delicious, too.
I set out to make an epicurious recipe: Chocolate-stuffed chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. Two chocolate chip cookies sandwiched together with a chocolate layer. Fancy, yes, but not over-the-top. I decided to replace the milk chocolate with darker chocolate for a richer and less cloying taste. And so I proceed:
I mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and set it aside. I mix the wet ingredients in a second bowl and set it aside. I turn on the oven and prepare my pans. I then begin scooping batter onto my pan. I'm a little concerned, as the batter is much runnier than a cookie batter usually is. Enough runnier that I decide to take a picture:
I set the first pan in the hot oven. I am thinking, maybe the batter is runny because they are going to be sandwich cookies, and they need to be flatter. At this point, I realize I've forgotten to stir in the chocolate chips. Okay, no problem; the cookies in the oven will be the bottoms and I'll add the chocolate chips to the remaining batter and they will be the tops. I decide to halve the number of chipits. Then I scoop out the second pan.
All this takes place within three minutes, after which time I am ready to prepare my chocolate filling, reach for the bowl and - oh - see that I have a full bowl of dry ingredients I forgot to mix into the wet! So that's why the batter was runny! I hastily grab the pan out of the oven and without even thinking, pour the batter (it is warm and runny and pours no problem) back into the bowl, whereupon it promptly sets the chocolate chips to melting. I do the same with the second prepared pan of batter, then dump in the dry ingredients and stir the whole mess together.
At this point, I think, a break to re-group is required. I leave the kitchen for an hour.
To sum up, I later re-scooped and baked the cookies, forgetting to set my oven properly, and ended up burning the first pan. Thus, I have half-melted-half-the-amount-called-for-chocolate-chips, improperly stirred in flour, half burnt, stuffed cookies, looking thusly:
Taste-wise, they were not awful. We ate the burnt-est of the burnt and I froze the rest - not enough in the end for my cookie exchange in any case. Maybe we'll bring them out for our Christmas party.
I'd like to say supper went better. I was cooking an old fave, also from epicurious: Pork chops with Swiss chard and cranberries. It's a slightly complicated recipe, so again, it seemed like this would be a good day to tackle it, what with having the house to myself and being all clean (the house) and relaxed (me, although slightly frazzled based on the cookie incident). I didn't go terribly wrong with this recipe, but did get a little overwhelmed at one point when I had all four burners on the stove on, plus the oven. But look how beautifully supper turned out:
It was delicious, too.
October 22, 2011
October 20th: apple-cabbage pork
In September, I did my last work trip of the year, to Vancouver. I picked up a few magazines to entertain me on the two 5-hour plane rides, including October 2011's Canadian Family, which I don't think I've read before. It's not a bad magazine, and I folded down a couple of recipes I wanted to try, including this one. The opportunity seemed ripe when my last box of farm veggies included three small heads of savoy cabbage. I used up all three in this recipe.
Sautéed Pork with Warm Cabbage-and-Apple Slaw
6 centre cut boneless pork medallions (1 1/4 lbs)*
2 tsp caraway seeds, divided
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp butter
3 firm apples, cored and sliced**
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bag chopped cabbage mix, or 1 lb sliced cabbage
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar***
3/4 cup chicken stock
Sprinkle salt, pepper and 1 tsp caraway seeds over both sides of pork. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan, over medium-high heat, swirling pan to distribute oil. Sear pork without moving until browned, about 2 minutes each side (oil should sizzle but not smoke). Remove to a plate.
*I used 2 butterflied boneless pork chops, about the same weight.
**The original recipe called for one apple. When would you ever divide one apple between six people? I used two and next time will use three. Can't get enough apple with my pork. Also, the recipe called for peeling the apple. I disagree.
***DO NOT OMIT the apple cider vinegar. The flavour is fantastic.
I thought the amount of caraway seed called for might be too much, but I put in the full amount. I was surprised first of all to find a bottle of caraway seeds in the cupboard. Then Greg and I were both surprised that we loved this recipe, and loved the taste of caraway. According to the bottle, caraway pairs well with cabbage, and so it does. This is the meal that made me feel I have my post-first trimester cooking mojo back. Enjoyment in the cooking process, check. Enjoyment of strong flavours, check. Wanting to cook/write about cooking/eat all the time again, check check check. Bring on the next three months!
Sautéed Pork with Warm Cabbage-and-Apple Slaw
6 centre cut boneless pork medallions (1 1/4 lbs)*
2 tsp caraway seeds, divided
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp butter
3 firm apples, cored and sliced**
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bag chopped cabbage mix, or 1 lb sliced cabbage
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar***
3/4 cup chicken stock
Sprinkle salt, pepper and 1 tsp caraway seeds over both sides of pork. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan, over medium-high heat, swirling pan to distribute oil. Sear pork without moving until browned, about 2 minutes each side (oil should sizzle but not smoke). Remove to a plate.
Melt butter in the same pan, swirling to distribute. Add apple and sauté until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes; turn apple slices. Do not overcook apple; slices should still be firm. Transfer to plate with pork.
Add remaining oil and sauté onion until soft. Add cabbage, apple cider vinegar, stock and remaining caraway and stir together. Season lightly with salt and pepper; scrape pan bottom to loosen browned bits, cover and let cook for 5 minutes until cabbage has wilted. Stir and then add pork and apples on top of cabbage [see photo]. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until pork is warm, most liquid has reduced and cabbage is tender, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 6 servings.
*I used 2 butterflied boneless pork chops, about the same weight.
**The original recipe called for one apple. When would you ever divide one apple between six people? I used two and next time will use three. Can't get enough apple with my pork. Also, the recipe called for peeling the apple. I disagree.
***DO NOT OMIT the apple cider vinegar. The flavour is fantastic.
I thought the amount of caraway seed called for might be too much, but I put in the full amount. I was surprised first of all to find a bottle of caraway seeds in the cupboard. Then Greg and I were both surprised that we loved this recipe, and loved the taste of caraway. According to the bottle, caraway pairs well with cabbage, and so it does. This is the meal that made me feel I have my post-first trimester cooking mojo back. Enjoyment in the cooking process, check. Enjoyment of strong flavours, check. Wanting to cook/write about cooking/eat all the time again, check check check. Bring on the next three months!
September 27, 2011
September 27th: spaghetti squash with pomodoro sauce
I have been working for years on squash, trying to get myself to like them. I try all the varieties, and I try all different approaches to them. Nothing seems to work. I do like a tiny acorn squash, roasted and drenched in maple syrup, about once a year. I have yet to convince G or O to get on board the squash train, and I can't really blame them.
However, with our veggie baskets from the farm including several squash recently, I'm on task again. In the past week, I've cooked two spaghetti squash and one delicata. I have three more delicatas and two huge acorns to get through yet. Jeepers. I did some searching on Epicurious and found this spaghetti squash with pomodoro sauce recipe which - surprise! - all three of us ended up liking. I had reservations about spaghetti sauce on squash; it just sounds wrong, but, it actually works. The sauce is so flavourful itself, you actually don't taste the squash, and the texture of the squash is close enough to pasta that it doesn't seem weird. Best bonus: upping the health factor with more veggies! The sauce is spicy though; if you have spice-averse eaters, I recommend cutting back on the red pepper flakes.
We had enough sauce left over that tomorrow night I'm going to cook up some sausage in the sauce and have it over pasta for real.
I served this with Mediterranean pork chops from October 2011's Chatelaine, but they were not too exciting, so I'm tossing the recipe.
However, with our veggie baskets from the farm including several squash recently, I'm on task again. In the past week, I've cooked two spaghetti squash and one delicata. I have three more delicatas and two huge acorns to get through yet. Jeepers. I did some searching on Epicurious and found this spaghetti squash with pomodoro sauce recipe which - surprise! - all three of us ended up liking. I had reservations about spaghetti sauce on squash; it just sounds wrong, but, it actually works. The sauce is so flavourful itself, you actually don't taste the squash, and the texture of the squash is close enough to pasta that it doesn't seem weird. Best bonus: upping the health factor with more veggies! The sauce is spicy though; if you have spice-averse eaters, I recommend cutting back on the red pepper flakes.
We had enough sauce left over that tomorrow night I'm going to cook up some sausage in the sauce and have it over pasta for real.
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| Notice the purple basil on the sauce - gorgeous! |
I served this with Mediterranean pork chops from October 2011's Chatelaine, but they were not too exciting, so I'm tossing the recipe.
July 22, 2011
July 11th-14th: repeats
I've been really busy with work. And teaching classes. Those two things take so much energy. I feel what little I have left I should give to my family. So I'm behind. Let's get caught up. To start: back it up a week...
I've spent the past week:
I've spent the past week:
(a) in Montreal:
and (b) with a houseguest (of whom I didn't take any pictures).
For the Montreal trip, I made some juice I first tasted at my friend Janice's house, and which I thought would be good hangover juice. It's a bit of lemonade with orange juice added for flavour, and it's great whether you've been running or drinking (or in the case of Greg and me trying to beat the crowds to the Metro after the concert, both!):
Combine the juices of 4 oranges and 2 lemons. Add 1/4 cup sugar or to taste. Top up with water to 1/5 L. Delish!
Once back to Ottawa, and with Shannon in town, we cooked up a bunch of favourites, and it was a yummy week indeed. Monday, we had, from July 2010's Chatelaine: Chicken with Island Rub. Last year, I thought it was good. This year, I thought it was not good enough to keep. Tuesday, I made my favourite ragout of spring vegetables, which Shannon was not quite as keen on. Wednesday, we repeated last week's salmon with dill sauce, which was a hit. Thursday, we finished off with a repeat of Zach's visit's mixed mushroom gratin. This time I doubled the recipe and we ate every last drop.
The only new recipe we tried out came from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry: grilled pork tenderloin with a tangy apple jelly and Dijon mustard sauce.
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup finely minced shallots
2 tbsp grated gingerroot
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup apple jelly
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1 pork tenderloin
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Prepare all ingredients before starting.
Preheat grill. Season pork with salt and pepper. Grill pork for about 16 minutes, turning occasionally.
To make sauce, melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, gingerroot and garlic. Cook and stir until shallots begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn them.
Add apple jelly, Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well. Cook and stir for 3 minutes, until jelly completely melts and sauce begins to thicken. Reduce heat if it's bubbling too much. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
Slice pork and either drizzle sauce over pork, or serve on the side for dipping.
Makes 2-3 servings.
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| Clockwise from right: apple-mustard sauce, grilled pork tenderloin, mixed mushroom gratin, baby swiss chard. |
June 12, 2011
June 12th: miso pork kebabs and tomato sauce
For supper tonight, from June 2011's Chatelaine: Miso-glazed pork kebabs. I was looking for a reason to use some of the miso paste I bought last fall. It doesn't seem to go bad, which is great. It made the pork pretty tasty too. Might try this one again.
I've already posted a couple of good tomato sauce recipes, but I have another favourite I haven't shared yet: from May 2007's Chatelaine: Basic Tomato Sauce. I made this one tonight to have a couple bottles on hand; it makes 2.5 L of sauce and freezes well.
I've already posted a couple of good tomato sauce recipes, but I have another favourite I haven't shared yet: from May 2007's Chatelaine: Basic Tomato Sauce. I made this one tonight to have a couple bottles on hand; it makes 2.5 L of sauce and freezes well.
May 1, 2011
Easter week!: baked oatmeal, mushroom gratin, hazelnut cheesecake & Easter dinner
Wow, I appear to have dropped off the face of the planet. What actually happened is I have been blissfully on vacation: simply at home for 10 days with next to nothing going on. I did some cooking, but a lot of easy meals or meals I've already blogged about. Oh, and of course, Zach was here for 4 days. Let's get to the yummy food we've had this week:
April 26th: baked oatmeal, mixed mushroom gratin, hazelnut cheesecake
The Baked Oatmeal was a breakfast recipe from Heidi Swanson's super natural every day, via Martha Stewart Living: a banana, blueberry, almond, baked oatmeal. It takes a bit of time, so for breakfast it's not so great, but for brunch, fantastic. I thought it was great-tasting; the rest of my household was a little indifferent. If you eat it right away, it's loose and oatmeal-textured. If you let it sit, you can slice it into slightly stiffer squares. Top with maple syrup for decadence!
I made the mixed mushroom gratin, which was featured in the Ottawa Citizen, for supper and served it with no-knead bread (this time I used a recipe from Steamy Kitchen). The baked mushroom-cream-Parmesan-panko crumb recipe said it served 4, but I had my doubts and doubled it. Good thing; I could have quadrupled it easily for the 4 of us! This was so delicious; we will definitely be making it again. The recipe comes from 3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men.
Mixed Mushroom Gratin
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) thinly sliced shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (1 L) sliced mixed mushrooms
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup (50 mL) 35% cream
1/4 cup (50 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (50 mL) panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp (2 mL) chopped thyme leaves
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté shallots and garlic until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high. Sauté quickly, seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour in cream and reduce by half.
Transfer mushrooms to an ovenproof serving dish. Combine Parmesan cheese, panko crumbs and thyme; sprinkle over mushrooms.
Place under preheated broiler until crust becomes light golden brown. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-4.
As mentioned, Zach was here, and offered in advance of his visit to make cheesecake, an offer I gladly accepted. And so he arrived, frangelico in hand, to whip up a chocolate hazelnut cheesecake. In turn, I offered him the opportunity to guest blog, and so ... here goes:
Verdict:
April 27th: Easter dinner
And so we come to the main event of the week: Easter dinner! Usually I make Easter dinner for my family of three (and previously, two) on Easter weekend, but what with taking the week off work and having Zach arriving on Easter Monday, I decided to postpone my fancy dinner till Zach's last night here, that being Wednesday. And since I also offered to sub a class on Wednesday afternoon, I had to request my unwitting guest take over the cooking in my absence. And so we prepared:
Lemon and pepper roast pork
Herbed goat cheese soufflés
Tangy tomato salsa
Collard greens
Whipping cream-smashed potatoes
For the roast pork, I highly recommend making the lemon pepper rub from scratch. I've made the roast with both homemade and store-bought rub, and homemade is infinitely better. Whichever way you make it, I recommend omitting or reducing the salt in the main recipe. Minus the collard greens, which were a stand-in for my usual steamed yellow and green beans, this is the same Easter dinner menu, from April 2004's Chatelaine, that I've been making yearly since 2004. Every year we declare it delicious and agree to repeat the following year. This year we added a new voice to our accord.
More from Zach:
April 26th: baked oatmeal, mixed mushroom gratin, hazelnut cheesecake
The Baked Oatmeal was a breakfast recipe from Heidi Swanson's super natural every day, via Martha Stewart Living: a banana, blueberry, almond, baked oatmeal. It takes a bit of time, so for breakfast it's not so great, but for brunch, fantastic. I thought it was great-tasting; the rest of my household was a little indifferent. If you eat it right away, it's loose and oatmeal-textured. If you let it sit, you can slice it into slightly stiffer squares. Top with maple syrup for decadence!
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| Bananas on the bottom (For the non-banana fans, I'm thinking apples?) |
 |
| Then blueberries (or other berries) |
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| Oat mixture Then pour over milk mixture and top with more berries and nuts (not pictured) |
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| Post-baking |
 |
| Slice and serve |
I made the mixed mushroom gratin, which was featured in the Ottawa Citizen, for supper and served it with no-knead bread (this time I used a recipe from Steamy Kitchen). The baked mushroom-cream-Parmesan-panko crumb recipe said it served 4, but I had my doubts and doubled it. Good thing; I could have quadrupled it easily for the 4 of us! This was so delicious; we will definitely be making it again. The recipe comes from 3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men.
Mixed Mushroom Gratin
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) thinly sliced shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (1 L) sliced mixed mushrooms
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup (50 mL) 35% cream
1/4 cup (50 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (50 mL) panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp (2 mL) chopped thyme leaves
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté shallots and garlic until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high. Sauté quickly, seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour in cream and reduce by half.
Transfer mushrooms to an ovenproof serving dish. Combine Parmesan cheese, panko crumbs and thyme; sprinkle over mushrooms.
Place under preheated broiler until crust becomes light golden brown. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-4.
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| Mushrooms and shallots cooked and ready to go |
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| Topped with panko crumbs, Parmesan & thyme |
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| Broiled and ready for eating |
As mentioned, Zach was here, and offered in advance of his visit to make cheesecake, an offer I gladly accepted. And so he arrived, frangelico in hand, to whip up a chocolate hazelnut cheesecake. In turn, I offered him the opportunity to guest blog, and so ... here goes:
Verdict:
Hazelnut-chocolate cheesecake - a keeper
Easter dinner - Fo Sho's the same [see more below]
I was just hanging around in Upper Canada this week, and happened to stop in to Ottawa - Kirsten was all like, "Write me a guest blog?" and here we are. It's been a good time - O remains an excellent kid (although with a tempestuous demeanour occasionally [she still needs her naps {as does her mother, geez! DETAILS CENSORED BY KIRSTEN}]). It was a relaxing trip, spent mostly in the house, doing nothing - a perfect vacation. O and I got to stand next to a window one night, and listen/watch a thunder, lightning and rainstorm. Memorable quotes:
"Will there be more flunder and lighting?"
"Why it raining in the house?"
"Aye aye, ma'am!"
I was giving her naval substitutes for words; this last was "yes mommy". She had more trouble with bulkhead and porthole; she remained convinced they were walls and windows. Stubborn girl. Like her mother. And her grandfather. And her aunt. All on the Sellers side.
Both of the meals/foods I helped prepare were old(ish) favourites. The first was brought to the table, if you will, by myself; the second by Kirsten.
My Heavenly Chipped Chocolate and Hazelnut Cheesecake recipe was from allrecipes.com. If you want to try it for yourself, I recommend also following their general tips for cheesecake baking. I don't know if I followed all of those steps exactly, but the water bath is important.
This was the third time I'd made this cheesecake - unfortunately, it was also the worst of the three; things just didn't go well. I decided to try, at Natascia's suggestion (from the second time I'd made it) not to put the chocolate chips into the actual cheesecake batter. It was fine. I prefer with the chocolate chips, but both are acceptable. What went wrong was a leaky water bath. The whole bottom half of the cake appeared to get soaked. It wasn't really noticeable after it had drip-dried, cooled, been garnished and then eaten. However, the knowledge that it had happened kind of put me off the whole thing. Be warned: make sure that tinfoil is waterproof.
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| Zach/cheesecake |
April 27th: Easter dinner
And so we come to the main event of the week: Easter dinner! Usually I make Easter dinner for my family of three (and previously, two) on Easter weekend, but what with taking the week off work and having Zach arriving on Easter Monday, I decided to postpone my fancy dinner till Zach's last night here, that being Wednesday. And since I also offered to sub a class on Wednesday afternoon, I had to request my unwitting guest take over the cooking in my absence. And so we prepared:
Lemon and pepper roast pork
Herbed goat cheese soufflés
Tangy tomato salsa
Collard greens
Whipping cream-smashed potatoes
For the roast pork, I highly recommend making the lemon pepper rub from scratch. I've made the roast with both homemade and store-bought rub, and homemade is infinitely better. Whichever way you make it, I recommend omitting or reducing the salt in the main recipe. Minus the collard greens, which were a stand-in for my usual steamed yellow and green beans, this is the same Easter dinner menu, from April 2004's Chatelaine, that I've been making yearly since 2004. Every year we declare it delicious and agree to repeat the following year. This year we added a new voice to our accord.
More from Zach:
The second meal was truly Agent K's - I just helped her out with a few parts of it. It was delicious. Everything about it was tasty. The soufflés didn't come out of their dishes very well, and appeared a bit raw, but still tasted good. K-dot suggested the pork was slightly overcooked - I think that's just a fascination of Sellerian women: always they find a way to complain about the cooking of a fancy meal's meat dish. Always. It's like a fun pass time or something. I've always found them all delicious, and this was no exception. However, if anyone's looking for advice? I recommend more lamb.
In the end, I rubbed down and cooked the pork, made the salsa, and dealt with the final stages of the soufflé. It all went off without a hitch, and Kirsten found herself more able to enjoy the meal, with the reduction in cooking stress. I really enjoyed the salsa, especially after having just made it, before it sat and the flavours melded. Definitely a recipe I'll take up.
Here are some Pictures! Yay food!
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| Homemade lemon pepper rub |
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| Roast pork |
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| The complete dinner, along with candle ("fancy supper" for Olivia) and a daffodil Olivia kindly picked from the garden |
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