September 10th: Grilled jerk pork chops with pineapple salsa, quinoa pilaff, and chocolate chip walnut oatmeal cookies

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. :(

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.

September 2nd: Packet-baked mushrooms with thyme & Summer vegetable hash

Breakfast for supper!


I took a wee gander back in time to see if I had blogged about this recipe in the past and yes! I have. Not sure if I’ve made it in the intervening years but was ready to give it a go again. Sadie has become a mushroom lover, while Olivia, sadly, has turned away from the joy that is mushrooms. Perhaps she’ll work her way back. I do recall, as a child, I enjoyed canned mushrooms only. Disgusting.


Although my notes of years ago said not to bother eating this recipe with toast, (a) I decided to make this a full-on breakfast for supper meal (with no meat), and (b) Greg has been on a bread-making kick recently so I wanted to take advantage of his latest cheese bread. Good choice! Toasted cheese bread is a delicious accompaniment to this meal. I did take my years-ago advice and added pepper to the goat cheese coating. Good choice.


To round out the meal, I made eggs (over-hard [oops] for me & G, scrambled for Olivia, her favourite, presuming they are served with ketchup) and a vegetable hash. Sadie is my non-egg-eating child. I have tried every form of egg under the sun, with no luck. Even French toast, if it is at all eggy, will be turned away. She’ll eat most other things though, so I let her get away with this. No eggs for Sadie, no mushrooms for Olivia. When did my one-bite rule fall apart?!

I would make and eat both these recipes again tomorrow.


From September 2010's Chatelaine: Packet-baked mushrooms with thyme


3 228-g pkgs button or cremini mushrooms
130-g log soft goat cheese
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp melted butter
8 slices country bread (or homemade cheese bread, should you have some handy)


Position rack in centre of oven. Preheat to 450F. Cut out 4 14-in. squares of parchment. Fold each square in half diagonally then open up and lay flat.


Slice mushrooms in half and divide among parchment squares. Fold each into a triangular-shaped packet. Fold and crimp edges and twist ends to seal. Place packets on baking sheet.

Bake until packets puff up, about 20 to 25 min.


Roll goat cheese in thyme and pepper to coat. Slice into 4 rounds. When mushrooms are done, snip open tops of packets. Drizzle mushrooms with butter and top with cheese. Serve with toast.


From August 2015's Chatelaine: Summer vegetable hash

Cook 1/2 red onion, finely chopped, in 2 tbsp butter in a large pan over medium until soft, 3 minutes. Add 1 finely diced zucchini and cook until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups corn kernels and continue cooking until warmed through, 1 minute more. Stir in 1/4 cup finely chopped basil.

September 1st: Shrimp Curry

Back in the Saddle Again


There you have it folks: a hiatus from (full-time, paid) work, and a hiatus from the blogosphere.


SHE’S BAAAAAACK!


I spent a couple of days toward the end of August planning my meals for the month of September, to ease my transition to work, and Olivia's and Sadie’s transitions to school and daycare. Then I went shopping and bought all the meat (now frozen) and dry goods I need to make all those meals, with the thought that I can pick up the fresher items I need on a weekly basis. All good, EXCEPT I forgot minor details, like Shannon, Rod, and Jessie are visiting for a week in September. Some tweaks will have to be made.


For today’s easy, back-to-work, first post-work supper, I chose to make a shrimp curry by Ricardo (of Ricardo fame). Luckily, Greg’s garden is producing an abundance of tomatoes, just in time!

Here's the original recipe:

Shrimp Curry
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh ginger, finely grated*
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can 14 oz (398 ml) coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) garam masala
1 green or red chile pepper, chopped (optional)*
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
2 lbs (1 kg) fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined*
The juice of 1 lime
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish


In a skillet, brown the onion in the oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, garam masala, pepper and salt. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Add the shrimp. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and sprinkle with coriander leaves. Adjust the seasoning and serve.


*I made a few changes. (a) I rarely use fresh gingeroot, finding it to be persnickety. I used 1 tsp ginger paste for this recipe. (b) I wanted my children to eat the food, so I did not add a spicy pepper. I did add a sweet red pepper, to up the nutrient quotient. In future I would add some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. (c) I used half the amount of shrimp, and my curry was, as a result, a bit soupy.

I served this with basmati rice. It was quite good. Would I make it again? Hm. Maybe.

I'm rusty: I forgot to take a picture.

September 25th: fish, potatoes, tomatoes

Delicious meal from October 2012's Chatelaine: roasted fish and creamy dill sauce plus taters and tomaters (their title, not mine!). So good, I'm thinking of making it again next week. Recipes, with some modifications by me:


Fish

4 skinless fish fillets, such as tilapia, halibut or snapper, no thicker than 1/2 inch, about 450 g
1/2 tsp salt
12 thin slices of lemon
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Arrange fish on parchment and sprinkle with salt. Season with pepper. Top each fillet with lemon slices.

Roast in centre of oven until a knife tip inserted into the thickest part of fish and held for 10 sec comes out warm, 10 to 20 min.

Stir mayo with sour cream and dill in a small bowl. Serve with fish.

Serves 4.


Potatoes, Tomatoes

24 mini potatoes, quartered
3 cups cherry tomatoes, about 2 pints
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp salt
4+ garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Toss potatoes and tomatoes with oil and salt on prepared sheet. Season with pepper. Roast in centre of oven until potatoes are almost fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Scatter garlic over mixture, then return to oven. Continue roasting until potatoes are dark golden around the edges, about 10 more minutes.

Serves 4.

If you actually follow that part about adding the garlic just before the end, you might end up not with burnt garlic. I didn't listen and did get burnt garlic.

August 17th: s'mores popcorn balls

Yes, this is a real thing! This is like taking a rice krispie square, popcorn, and a s'more and mashing them all up together. In other words: awesome. When I was home in NS in July, I took photographs of many recipes from Mom's cookbooks, and tonight I decided to make this one, from Best Recipes Ever (2):

S'mores Popcorn Balls

10 cups (2.4 L) popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped)
2 cups (500 mL) pieces (1/2-inch/1 cm) graham crackers, (about 15 crackers)
6 cups (1.5 L) mini marshmallows (you'll need a 400 g bag), divided
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

Topping:
2 oz (57 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

In large greased roasting pan, toss together popcorn, graham crackers and 1 cup of the marshmallows. Set aside.

In large saucepan, melt remaining marshmallows with butter over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Immediately pour over popcorn mixture; stir with greased spatula to coat.

Let cool enough to handle. With greased hands, form by 3/4 cup into balls. Place on waxed paper–lined tray; let cool.

Topping: In heatproof bowl over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate. [Or just use the microwave, that's what I did. ;)] Using fork, drizzle all over popcorn balls; refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.

Turn balls over and drizzle with remaining chocolate; refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes. (Make-ahead: Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store for up to 24 hours.)

Makes about 10.

Notice I didn't take the time to drizzle the chocolate nicely from the tines of a fork.
I scraped it out of the bowl with a spatula.

Neither of my kids was able to finish their popcorn ball.
Next time, I might make them smaller.

July 19th: Cinnamon chicken bulgar pilaf

Another winner from olive magazine! I didn't really expect to like this one, but it was awesome! Again, Sadie cleaned her plate! Who would have guessed bulgar would be such a hit?

Cinnamon chicken bulgar pilaf

cinnamon, 1/4 tsp
ground cumin, a large pinch
chicken thighs, 4 small
olive oil
onion, 1 small, finely chopped
garlic, 1 clove, crushed
bulgar wheat, 90 g (1/2 cup)
chicken stock, 2 cups*
spinach, 100 g, chopped (4 cups)
butter
toasted chopped almonds, 2 tbsp

Rub the spices and some seasoning into the chicken thighs and brown all over in a little olive oil. Cover and cook through.

Meanwhile, fry the onion in a little oil until softened, add the garlic and fry for a minute, then add the bulgar and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until the stock has been absorbed. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Fluff the pilaff, dot with butter** and sprinkle with the almonds. Serve with the chicken and any juices.

Serves 2.

*The original recipe called for 150 mL (2/3 cup) of chicken stock. In my large frying pan, this liquid quickly dried up before the time was up. I ended up adding more and more stock, till I used about 2 cups total, and there was some left in the pan. I'm not sure how soft bulgar wheat is supposed to get (it was fairly chewy), but I found lots of liquid made it better.
**Oo ya, don't skip this step! Butter makes all the difference in the flavour!

July 18th: Family Steak and Vegetable Platter

From Foodland Ontario calendar, recipe for month of July. SADIE ATE EVERY SCRAP OF FOOD ON HER PLATE. Including potatoes. And tomatoes. I will make this recipe every single day from now on...

Family Steak and Vegetable Platter

1 lb (500 g) boneless Ontario Beef Top Sirloin or other grilling steak, 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick
1 lb (500 g) small Ontario Potatoes, scrubbed
8 oz (250 g) Ontario Green Beans, trimmed
2 Ontario Tomatoes, any colour, cut into wedges
2 Ontario Green Onions, thinly sliced
4 cups (1 L) torn mixed Ontario Salad greens

Dressing:
1/4 cup (50 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar
2 cloves Ontario Garlic, pressed
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh Ontario Thyme
2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard
1 tsp (5 mL) Ontario liquid Honey
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each coarse salt and ground pepper

Dressing: In small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, 2 tsp (10 mL) of the thyme, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Remove 2 tsp (10 mL) and brush one side of the steak with half. Place steak, dressing side down on greased grill over medium-high heat. Brush with remaining half of removed dressing; close lid and grill, turning once, until medium-rare, about 8 minutes, or until desired doneness. Transfer to cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes before thinly slicing across the grain.

Meanwhile, in large pot of lightly salted water, bring potatoes to boil; cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add green beans; cook for 5 minutes or until beans are tender. Drain vegetables and run under cold water; drain well.

Cut potatoes into quarters or halves (depending on size); arrange in section on large platter. Fill rest of platter with sections of beef, beans, tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Sprinkle with remaining dressing and with thyme; toss gently to coat.


Serves 4.

I skipped the platter presentation and did individual plates. I added watercress and radish to our plates, and for our dressing, I used Liquid Gold's Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar. Delicious!

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.

March 23rd: Quinoa Tabbouleh & Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

I can't believe I waited a month to write about my baby turning 2! This awesome kid is so much fun to have around and completes our family so perfectly; I can barely remember what it was like before we had her. In the time leading up to and since her birthday, she has become more independent and communicative; I enjoy her company each and every day.

Sadie Birthday Baby

For Sadie's birthday dinner, we had a big family party, with members from both sides of the family in attendance for the first time in my children's lifetime! At Greg's request, I laid out a healthy spread, which included roasted broccoli and cauliflower, roasted pork tenderloin, and a quinoa tabbouleh salad, the last of which I pulled off epicurious:


Quinoa Tabbouleh

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4" pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Bring quinoa, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then let cool.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer cooled quinoa to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately; chill.

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

Makes 6 servings.

Going from memory, I think I altered the recipe a bit, increasing the lemon and reducing the oil, and reducing both the parsley and mint by a bit. I didn't keep notes, so this is guesswork. I do remember the salad was well-received and we enjoyed it.

For dessert, I used my Martha Stewart's Cupcakes cookbook and made:

Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips*

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate chips*

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Peanut Butter Filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.

Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 tablespoon peanut butter filling. Repeat with another tablespoon of batter, and top with 1 teaspoon filling. Swirl top of cupcake batter and filling with a wooden skewer or toothpick.

Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centres comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Makes 12.

*The original called for chocolate, chopped. I always use chips. The chopping is done!

Peanut Butter Filling

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir together all ingredients until smooth. Use immediately.

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

Thanks to Olivia bringing it to my attention just in time, I remembered one of our guests had a peanut allergy, so I subbed Wow Butter in for the peanut butter. The cupcakes were good, but I suspect with real peanut butter, they would be a truly wow experience.

That's March complete. Now for April. Eep.

March 16th: Hearty Pasta & Bean Soup

After many days of eating this soup, I decided to toss the recipe, but if you're feeding a crowd and could use it up quickly, it was pretty good. From March 2014's Chatelaine: Hearty Pasta & Bean Soup.

Hearty Pasta & Bean Soup

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil*
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups finely diced pancetta, (about 150 g) [I used bacon]
2 red potatoes, diced
2 900-mL cartons no-salt chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups macaroni
540-mL can romano or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
4 slices Italian bread, toasted
1 garlic clove, cut in half

HEAT a large pot over medium. Add 1 tbsp oil, then onion and pancetta. Cook until onion is soft, about 3 min. Add potatoes, broth, salt and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 min.

ADD pasta and continue cooking until pasta is tender, about 8 min. Stir in beans. Ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan and parsley. Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil. Serve with toasted bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with remaining 1 tbsp oil.

*I used regular olive oil for the frying, and extra virgin for the drizzling at the end.

March 13th: All-Purpose Baking Mix and Chicken Pot Pie

I have blogged previously about my all-time favourite chicken pot pie recipe, which is to die for. Death bed food, right there. For a weeknight supper though, a bit time consuming. This one is a bit simpler. Still a bit of time involved, but not too bad, and the results are pretty tasty. From March 2014's Chatelaine: All-Purpose Baking Mix and Chicken Pot Pie.

First step is to whip up some all-purpose baking mix, which you can keep on hand for a month after making. I see now I should throw out my supply, as I haven't used it in the last month, although Chatelaine has various suggested ways to use it, including pancakes, biscuits and cookies.

All-Purpose Baking Mix

3 cups all-purpose flour (OR 1 1/2 cups each all-purpose and whole wheat flours)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

WHISK all ingredients together in medium bowl until combined. Use right away or store in an airtight container in a cool dry place up to 1 month.

Makes 3 cups.

Chicken Pot Pie

HEAT a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high. Add 1 tbsp butter, then 2 carrots, cut into 1/4-in. coins; 1 cup chopped red onion; and a 227-g pkg cremini mushrooms, quartered.

COOK until mushrooms are tender, 3 to 4 min. Stir in 2 tbsp butter, then 2 tbsp all-purpose flour. Cook, stirring constantly for 30 sec. Add 1/2 cup white wine and continue cooking, 2 to 3 min. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, then 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded. Cook until thickened. Stir in 1 tbsp chopped dill.

MIX 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Baking Mix with 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed, and 1 cup milk in a bowl until mixture comes together. Scrape onto a floured surface and roll out to 11 in. wide and 1/4 in. thick. Use a 3-in. cookie cutter to cut 8 rounds of dough, re-rolling scraps as needed. Place rounds over chicken mixture. Brush tops with 1 beaten egg.

BAKE at 425F until golden, 15 to 20 min.

My cookie cutter must be smaller than 3 inches,
as I cut out 12 rounds, enough to fill the pan,
but I could have kept going.

Life imitating art.

We all liked this recipe. In future, I might try doubling the liquids (wine and chicken broth), as it was a bit dry the first night, and very dry the next day. It was also very meaty, probably not necessary to pick that rotisserie chicken clean.

March 12th: Baked Beans

This is a slightly cheater post, as I blogged about these beans three years ago, but I didn't include the recipe that time, so I will this time. This was the absolute perfect March Break apres ski meal. I tossed every thing in the slow cooker before Greg, O and I hit the slopes, then supper was ready and waiting when we got home. Lovely. It was also perfect timing, as they've been eating baked beans and molasses in The Long Winter, which O and I have been slogging through. She was excited to try them, but didn't like them any more this time than she did when she was 3. Alas. From March 2011's Chatelaine: Classic Baked Beans.

Classic Baked Beans

1 onion, finely chopped
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup fancy molasses
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot red-chili flakes
2 cups dry navy beans, rinsed
341 mL bottle beer

Stir onion with bacon, molasses, ketchup, Dijon, salt and chili flakes in slow-cooker insert. Stir in beans, beer and 3 cups of water until combined. Cover and cook on low until beans are tender, about 10 hours. Serve with baguette slices topped with grated cheese and broiled. Beans will keep well, refrigerated, up to a week.


Makes 6 servings.

March 10th: Moroccan Lentil Stew

Oopsy. Tad bit behind. Keeping this short and sweet. I wasn't going to make this recipe but Greg saw it and thought it looked good, so I made it and good thing: it was delicious! It tastes a lot like chili, but vegetarian and likely healthier. Yum yum. From March 2014's Chatelaine: Moroccan Lentil Stew.

Moroccan Lentil Stew

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high. Add 2 tsp canola oil, then 1 finely chopped medium onion. Cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, about 3 min. Add 2 tbsp curry paste,* 1 cup rinsed red lentils and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender and have absorbed all the liquid, about 30 min.

Add a 796-mL can whole tomatoes to lentils along with 1/2 tsp salt. Gently boil, uncovered, until stew reduces slightly, 5 to 10 min. Garnish with 1/4 cup each toasted slivered almonds and chopped fresh parsley. Serve with a fresh baguette.

Serves 4.


*The recipe called for Madras curry paste. I found this in the grocery store, and noting it had several chili peppers indicating a level of spiciness I figured my girls wouldn't go in for, I instead used the mild Indian curry paste I had in the fridge at home.

March 6th: Chicken & Bok Choy with Crunchy Shallots

I was super pleased with this recipe tonight: it was delicious, and both my girls ate bok choy without complaint, and Olivia almost said she liked it. I love bok choy and would make it MUCH more often if others agreed. Post-supper, I was out of the house tonight and when I came home, the whole house still smelled of fish sauce. Maybe not so good. From March 2014's Chatelaine: Chicken & Bok Choy with Crunchy Shallots.

Chicken & Bok Choy with Crunchy Shallots

Cover 125 g fine rice-vermicelli noodles with boiling water in a large bowl. Let stand, stirring frequently, until tender, 5 to 7 min. Drain. Return to bowl.

Dice 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Combine with 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce and 1 tsp hot chili-garlic sauce in a medium bowl. Stir to coat. Heat a very large non-stick pan over medium-high. Add 2 tsp canola oil, then chicken, reserving marinade. Cook until chicken is no longer pink, 2 to 3 min. Move chicken to sides of pan and add 10 baby bok choy, halved lengthwise. Cook, stirring often, until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 min. Transfer chicken and bok choy to a platter.

Add noodles to pan along with reserved marinade. Cook until heated through, at least 2 min. Divide among 4 plates. Top with chicken and bok choy and any liquid. Sprinkle 1/3 cup fried shallots over the plates and serve with a wedge of lime.


Makes 4 servings.

A couple notes: the recipe called for 10 baby bok choy, halved. I find they come in such varying sizes, you have to play this one by ear. I bought 8 (shout out to Farm Boy, who sells them in bulk!) and probably could have bought less, but I do love bok choy and I'll eat them all myself. I split them into leaves, then sliced up the bigger leaves. I fried them in two batches, for 6 minutes each. That almost doubled the overall cook time. Plan accordingly!

The recipe called for packaged fried shallots. I couldn't find these, nor do I imagine they are very good for you, so I made my own: I diced up shallots and lightly fried them in olive oil, then sprinkled panko crumbs on top and fried a few minutes more, then salted and peppered. Delicious.