January 12th: Roasted Marinated Cauliflower

I was cooking up a vegetarian feast tonight: quinoa & spinach, roasted chickpeas, roasted baby tomatoes, and the only recipe I'm going to talk about: marinated roasted cauliflower. I came across this one on Instructables. You marinate cauliflower overnight in a vinaigrette, then roast and eat. The recipe says the cauliflower can also be eaten raw after marinating, and I think I might try this again in future; the few pieces I munched on before putting the pan in the oven were tasty. As evidenced by the picture, the garlic in my marinade (I used more than called for) burnt in the oven. The roasted cauliflower was good, but I think I preferred it raw.

Also, check out my new pan; I received two for Christmas: Paderno Eco-Green bakeware pans. They clean up like a charm!

January 10th: Cheesy Rice Casserole

I first made this cheesy rice casserole on New Year’s Day for supper. We flew back from Nova Scotia on New Year’s Eve and our flight was delayed 6 hours, so that by the time we landed, all the grocery stores were closed. Having been gone for a week and having just come through Christmas prior to the trip, there was limited selection in the food department at our house. Pulling out all the resources I could think of, I picked up a few basics at Shopper’s Drug Mart, then  defrosted hamburger meat and cooked up tacos with a taco kit I had in the cupboard. We didn’t have lettuce and tomatoes to top the tacos, so I supplemented with celery fried with the meat and shredded carrots to go on top. Luckily we had cheese, and I had bought sour cream and salsa at Shopper’s, forgetting that taco kits include salsa. In any case, it wasn’t bad, all things considered.

I really really wanted to have fresh produce, but given it wasn’t a possibility, I decided to make this cheesy rice casserole to accompany the tacos. It’s a simple casserole where you throw cooked rice, whatever veggies you have on hand, and cheese into a baking dish; include a bit of broth to hold it together and bake. In my case, I used celery, onion and green onion, because that’s what I had. I used a combination of cheddar cheese and a strong hard cheese that didn’t melt, which we didn’t like. The result was so-so.

I decided to try it again this week, when I could play around a bit more with the ingredients. When I made mushroom fried rice on Sunday, I made a huge pot of rice, then put half of it in the fried rice and half in the fridge for this casserole. It was great getting home Tuesday night after work and Olivia’s haircut and knowing that the first part of the supper preparation was already done. For this week’s version, I used 1 cup of carrots (2 carrots), ½ cup each diced celery and onion (1 of each), 1 cup sliced green onions (3) and 2 cups packed baby spinach. Then I loaded on the mozzarella cheese – at least twice as much as the recipe called for. The result was, simply, awesome. I don't see any reason you couldn't throw some meat in there too, and call it a day.


[I didn't take a picture because I thought, oh, I already have a picture from the last time. Silly.]

While it baked away, I took two bone-in pork chops, sliced off and sliced up the meat, and left it to marinate in hoisin and sesame oil. Once the casserole was out, a quick broil of the meat on each side, with some sesame seeds sprinkled on top, and supper was complete. The pork was a variation on the Sesame Pork Bites I made last year, leaving out the green onions and toothpicks. With the casserole in the oven and the pork marinating, Olivia and I had time to snuggle on the couch and talk about babies in bellies, a hot topic at our house these days. A good night.

January 8th: Beef & Broccoli Stir-fry

My mom received a cookbook for Christmas this year: Best Recipes Ever (from the combined forces of CBC and Canadian Living). When I was home post-Christmas, I spent a few hours flipping through this cookbook and identifying recipes to make. Conveniently, they are online! They appear to be basic recipes that won't leave me frustrated and just might be delicious. Tonight I made the first one: Beef & Broccoli Stir-fry. This recipe comes together in about 10 minutes, so get everything prepped in advance and you are good to go. It was, as hoped, simple and tasty. I recommend cutting up the broccoli a bit, as some of the bigger pieces in my stir-fry were still raw-hard. Otherwise, yum. I also used ginger purée rather than fresh gingerroot, so reduced the amount from 1 tbsp to 1 tsp. Perfect. Served with mushroom fried rice.

January 4th: Roasted Garlic Shrimp

Simple supper tonight, but so delicious, I didn't manage to save any for my lunch tomorrow. I made rice, and to accompany, a quick pan fry of sugar snap peas with garlic and red pepper flakes. The pièce de résistance, pulling the whole meal together, was this simple recipe I found in the Ottawa Citizen, by chef and food writer Eric Akis:


Roasted Garlic Shrimp


24 medium or large raw shrimp, peeled and patted dry
1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil
2 tbsps (30 mL) lemon juice
3+ large garlic cloves, halved and thinly sliced
pinch crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 tsp (1 mL) paprika
sea salt, to taste
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh parsley


Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place shrimp in a single layer in baking pan with sides.


Combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and paprika in a small bowl and pour over shrimp. Sprinkle shrimp with salt. Roast 8 to 10 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked.


Sprinkle with parsley and serve.


Makes 4 servings.

January 2nd: Fig Muffins, Vanilla Pudding Cake

New Year. New you. New me. Much to look forward to in 2012!


What is a food blog without a camera? That is my question this week. My camera has died, for real this time, and I don't know when a replacement will be purchased. Current funds need to go towards things like skates and helmet for daughter #1, nursery set up for baby-to-be, and pre-natal yoga classes for yours truly.


At times that Greg is home, I will make do with his iphone. At other times ... my blog will be sadly picture-less. I apologize.


Facing the return to the grind tomorrow, I decided to cook up a last fancy meal before weeknight reality sets in. Then I got really inspired, and made muffins for breakfast and cake for dessert. It was a good last day at home.


For breakfast, I made, from the 2012 Milk Calendar: Walnut-Fig Muffins. These are healthy, with whole wheat flour, ground flaxseed, and just figs and honey for sweetener. They are tasty too. I'll be eating these for breakfast at work this week, which should make the return a little easier.

I found my fancy supper recipe in the Ottawa Citizen in November, although it originally comes from Ruhlman's Twenty, by Michael Ruhlman: Weekday Coq au Vin. Despite its "weekday" name, I figured it would take too long for a normal weeknight, and that was good thinking. This took forever, didn't cook according to plan, and after all the work that went into it, I'm tossing the recipe. Really, it's just chicken legs, and they don't even have that much meat on them. Not enough reward for the effort.


For dessert, I made another recipe from the 2012 Milk Calendar: Vanilla Pudding Cake, served with a sprinkle of icing sugar and strawberries from the freezer (and wow, these taste so much better than the fresh ones available this time of year). After all the excess in our lives since Halloween, I told Olivia yesterday that there would be no more treats. She protested some, but not too much. Then tonight when I told her I was making cake, she gave me the most confused and quizzical look and said, "But you said no more treats!" What a smart cookie. I told her homemade treats occasionally will still be okay. She's down with that.

December 23rd: Hashbrown Casserole

This is just like last year. We have a crazy Christmas Eve eve party, for which I make a tonne of food, but in the midst of partying, I don't have time/don't think to take pictures of the food. Coincidentally, I don't have any pictures from the party at all, as I think my camera may finally have bitten the dust. So I have no visual aids to accompany this recipe for Hashbrown Casserole. This is an old favourite around the Sellers household, especially at Christmastime. It's also best to make it when serving a crowd, because it's not the healthiest, but it is the tastiest, and if you don't have to share, you are likely to overeat. Here it is:

Hashbrown Casserole

500 mL (large tub) sour cream

2 cans cream of chicken soup*

½ cup salted butter, melted and slightly cooled

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, preferably old

1 kg (2 lbs) frozen hashbrowns

Several green onions, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, soup, butter and cheese. Stir in hashbrowns. Spread into a large casserole dish (13 x 9 inch). Bake for 1 ½ hours until golden and hot.

Optional: green onions can also be stirred into the mixture, or sprinkled on top, before or after cooking.

Serves 8-10.

*Can sub cream of mushroom or cream of broccoli for a vegetarian version. Tastes better with cream of chicken.

December 21st: Dijon chicken and Dijon Brussels Sprouts

I was hoping to have more than one fabulous Brussels sprouts recipe to share this month, and luckily, tonight's meal makes it two. I re-tried one earlier this month from epicurious: Chicken, Brussels sprouts and cranberries, but even varying the recipe a bit from the first time I made it, it is not a keeper. Tonight's meal though: oooohhhh, success! Conversation between me and Olivia as we ate:


O: "I could drink this sauce."
K: "Because it's so yummy?"
O: "Yeah."
K: "I agree."


From smitten kitchen: Dijon chicken and Dijon Brussels Sprouts. Essentially the same sauce for both your chicken and your sprouts. I didn't make anything else to go with supper, so it's a good thing Greg wasn't here, because I ate part of his portion too. I could not stop; it was just too delicious.

The only thing I would change is cooking the Brussels sprouts for just a bit shorter than the recipe indicates, unless you like 'em mushy. I don't.


I would have made more, but I also had to make blondies for my work Christmas potluck tomorrow and two pans of hashbrown casserole (recipe to follow in a few days) for our Christmas Eve eve party. A girl can only do so much. And I was single parenting tonight. Plus all my other nightly requirements. Egad. Maybe I'll sleep in Nova Scotia. Can't come soon enough. O agrees!