Little Chef and I

Quinoa and sweet potatoes casserole

2010-02-24T09:29:00.001-05:00

About a month ago I made the decision to make another change to my vegetarian diet, not a big one but definitely a healthier one. I adopted the "Eat Clean Diet" developed by Tosca Reno. I look at my eating habits and life style as a goal, something I work on I to improve every day, not as something I already achieved, so this change is starting small: for the beginning I completely excluded from mine and my family's diet all process food, especially white flour and white sugar. It was a much easier thing to do that I thought.
We are a very active family my boys are doing sports every day and my husband and I, 3 to 4 times a week ( depending on time and schedule). Kick-boxing is an amazing way to work out, its fun and in 45 minutes you burn between 600 to 800 calories (wow)! Thanks Monica!

Anyway let's get back to the recipe. This recipe comes from Tosca Reno's cookbook" The eat clean diet cookbook". I only made some little changes in the recipe to suit my taste.

Ingredients:

1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
2 ribs celery trimmed and chopped
4 cloves garlic finely minced
3/4 cup quinoa ( or if not available, bulgur, wheat berries or brown rice works too)very well rinsed.
2 tsp of italian herbs or if you like, Herbs of Provence ( my favorite)
1 1/2 cup of low sodium vegetable stock or water ( I used water)
2 sweet potatoes scrubbed and cooked ( in the microwave, or baked in the oven)
1 cup of canned stewed tomatoes
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup frozen edamame
sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large heavy-based skillet,heat the olive oil, add the onion garlic, quinoa ( or your favorite grain)the herbs and celery. Cook until the onion and celery are soft ( about 5 to 6 minutes)

Add water or stock and the cup of stewed tomatoes. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook until the quinoa or the grain you chose is tender.

Scrub the sweet potatoes and cook. I did so in the microwave, but you can use the oven as well. The only difference is that in the microwave it takes 6 to 7 minutes, in the oven on 450˚F about 45 minutes.

When the grain is tender add the frozen edamame and chickpeas, salt and pepper. Stir well. Place the mixture in a prepared 6 quart casserole (lightly oiled).

Slice the sweet potatoes and arrange on top of the mixture.

Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and bake in a preheated oven of 400˚F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Falafel

2010-02-22T08:36:00.000-05:00

Just because I'm a vegetarian dose not mean that I don't like "meatballs". Of course I do! Only mine are meatless. Falafels are easy to make, and very tasty. I usually serve these with fresh made salsa and pita.

Ingredients:

2 cups of dried chickpeas

1 small onion

2 garlic gloves minced

5 tbsp of fresh parsley ( or 3 tsp dry)

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp of water

oil for deep frying

Soak the chickpeas in 1 liter of water for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Drain and place in a food processor.

Process for 30 to 40 seconds or until finely ground. Add the onion, parsley, garlic,cumin, baking powder and 1 tbsp of water. Process for another 10 seconds to make a rough paste.

Using your hands, shape heaped tbsp of the falafel mixture into balls. If there is any excess liquid squeeze it out.

Into a heavy-based pan pour oil about third full. Heat the oil. Lower the falafel balls into the oil and cook in batches for about 3 minutes, until brown all over.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Enjoy!

Fruity Chocolate Roll

2010-02-10T08:22:00.000-05:00

The fruity chocolate roll is one of Brandon's favorite desserts. He always helps with crushing the cookies, and mixing everything together. Cass is very good at crushing the cookies too, he is also very fast ( like always, everything turns into a competition in our house). I always make triple the recipe, just because is more convenient to have the rolls in the freezer for when they want something sweet. I will list the recipe with the original quantities it makes 2 small rolls or one larger.

Ingredients:

250 g of plain sweet biscuits crushed

1 cup of bottled fruit mince ( I used the organic one with brandy flavour)

2 cups of desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

100 g of butter (unsalted)

100 g of semisweet chocolate chips

Icing (optional)

1 tbsp of cocoa sifted

1/4 cup of icing sugar sifted

1 tbsp of warm water

30 g unsalted butter(room temperature)

desiccated coconut to garnish

In a large mixing bowl combine the crushed biscuits, fruit mince and coconut.

Combine the chocolate,and butter in a double broiler, stir over barely simmering water until melted. Pour over the biscuit mixture.

With a wooden spoon stir until the mixture is well combined ( or you can use your clean hands).

On a sheet of plastic wrap. Scoop the mixture. Shape it in a log, and wrap it tightly. Tie the ends.

Place the roll(s) in the freezer for 4-6 hours or over night.

To make the icing:

Combine the sifted icing sugar and cocoa in a small bowl, add the water. Mix well. Add the softened butter and whisk until smooth.

Using a spatula spread the icing over the roll.

Sprinkle some coconut over the roll. Place the roll in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes for the icing to harden.

Cut the roll into slices and....

.... Enjoy!

Those are the biscuits that I used for the roll.

Baked Meatballs

2010-01-22T09:06:00.000-05:00

Meatballs are a dish that I grew up with, my mom used to make those once a week and we never had left overs. Back then my mom used to fry them, now we bake them, much more healthier.

Ingredients:

1 kg of chicken ground meat (or turkey)

2 cups of bread crumbs ( I used Italian)

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp of dry herbs (I used italian herbs)

1 extra large ( or 2 small) egg lightly beaten

1 medium potato peeled and finely shredded

1 tsp of smoked paprika

1/4 cup chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste.

Place all the ingredients except the chicken broth and the beaten egg, in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken broth and egg and mix well. With moist hands form heaped tbsp of mixture into balls, and place them on a baking sheet fitted with a greased cooling rack ( that's the one I found works best).

Place in a preheated oven of 400˚F for 30 to 35 minutes ( or depending on your oven). The meatballs are done when the colour is a nice golden brown and no longer pink inside.

When the meatballs are cooked thru, you can served them with a side dish, mashed potatoes is my boys favorite side dish next to meatballs or you can take it a step further which I usually do and the boys just love it.

In an oven proof dish pour about 1 cup of pizza sauce or your favorite pasta sauce. What you need is to make sure that the bottom of the dish is generously covered in sauce. Place the meatballs in the sauce. I have three boys so I usually make about 13-14.

Top with a little more sauce spooned on each meatball and with shredded cheese. I used muenster cheese but mozzarella works just as well.

Place in the oven (which should be nice and hot same 400˚F) for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with your favorite side dish.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Bread

2010-01-21T08:34:00.000-05:00

Banana bread is something that I make on weekly bases. I buy organic bananas and unfortunately those don't last for to long. Banana bread is the answer to my to ripe to eat bananas. This recipe comes from a very acclaimed canadian chef Jean Paré. It can be find in her book "Most Loved Festive Baking".

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter ( room temperature)

2/3 cup of granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup of mashed banana (3 medium)

1 tsp of vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts ( optional)

2 tbsp of cocoa (sifted)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar.

Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed it. Add banana and vanilla.

Beat well.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Stir until just moistened.

Add the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Stir well. Spread the batter evenly in a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.

Bake in a preheated oven of 350˚F for 1 hour, or until the wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand in pan for 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack.

Enjoy!

More banana recipes

Chocolate banana cupcakes.

Classic banana sour-cream bread.

Banana walnut brownies.

Vegetarian Chili

2010-01-19T09:09:00.003-05:00

I have been so busy lately, no time for blogging. My boys were sick one after another, then myself, and now we started again.... The worst winter I can remember when it comes to the health chapter.

Anyway, this is one of my "comfort dishes". I make it without meat but if you like meat ground turkey or beef would work great in it.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions chopped

Optional 1 package of veggie ground meat (or turkey or beef) about 300 g.

1 medium carrot peeled and chopped

1 yellow pepper seeded and chopped

1 can of crushed tomatoes ( italian or chili)

1 can of kidney beans ( or chickpeas) rinsed and drain

1 cup of frozen corn kennels

1 cup of vegetable broth

1 can of tomato condense soup

3 tbsp of chili powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp coriander

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until soft. If using meat or veggie ground meat now is the time to add it. Continue to cook over medium heat for a few minutes stirring continually.

If you are not using meat then add the yellow pepper and carrot and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the kidney beans and crushed tomatoes.

Add the rest of the ingredients except parsley and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes.

Garnish with parsley.

Serve with a green salad and lots of good bread.

Enjoy!

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

2010-01-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

Happy new year! Everyone sorry I haven't been blogging in a while I'm pretty busy with school and martial arts. Today is a new smoothie that will make taste buds go crazy for more. This smoothie is healthy and goes great with your new years resolution of staying healthy.

It's fast to make it only takes 10 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients

1 cup of your favorite strawberry juice

1 cup of loose pack frozen strawberries

1 medium banana peeled and cut up

1 cup of low fat yogurt

Fresh strawberries to garnish

Step1:

In a blender combine Strawberry juice,Frozen Strawberries,1 medium banana and low fat yogurt.

Cover and blend until smooth.

To serve pour in two glasses. If you like you can garnish with fresh strawberries.

Serve with more fresh fruits and a croissant for a great breakfast.

Made and post it by Cass Sandru (a.k.a The smoothie master)

Stay Healthy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-12-31T11:27:00.002-05:00

New Years Widget by Widgia

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T18:43:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a safe holiday season!
I also want to wish you a Happy New Year, and I want to thank all my readers for their support.

I guess waiting for Santa is tiring......!

Glee and Soft Pretzels

2009-12-16T09:16:00.000-05:00

Cass is my partner when it comes to watching TV, and that because we like the same kind of shows Even though there aren't many shows worth watching these days ( I really, really dislike live TV shows). So what are we watching you ask? Well, we love the selfish, egoistic, sarcastic and brilliant doctor House, we don't miss a show, Cass has a soft spot( and i've grown to like him) for Monk, and the most favorite of all is GLEE. Yes, we are what Cass calls irrecuperable gleeks! And if you love broadway shows Glee would be one of your favorite shows as well. Today is wednesday but unfortunately is a Gleeless wednesday. The show is over until april American idol took its place. The first season does not come out on DVD until the 29th ( this month), we plan to watch every wednesday one episode until april "to refresh our memory". Even now as I type glee music is playing in the background from Cassidy's ipod.

So what is the connection between Glee and the pretzels? Well, the pretzels are the snack we have every time we watch Glee, Cass is big on traditions, he loves to make new ones, and he does make new ones very often, so he declared a "tradition" in our house to have pretzels when we watch Glee. Why pretzels today you ask, if Glee season is over and doesn't come out on DVD until the end of the month?

All I can say is "Thank God for modern technology and for On Demand TV" The last 4 episodes of Glee are still available On Demand so Glee is still on in our house tonight so are the pretzels. Yay!

I should get back to the recipe, maybe you guys can use it for a "new tradition in your house".

And Cass has a question: "How many of you are gleeks as well?"

Here is one of the songs from the Glee show, enjoyed while reading.

Ingredients:

3 to 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups organic oats
2 tbsp of granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp of yeast
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp of butter or margarine
1 egg lightly beaten

Combine 2 cups of flour, the oats, sea salt in a large mixing bowl.

Heat milk, water, sugar and butter or margarine in a small saucepan until very warm and the butter is almost melted. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle yeast over top and let stand for 10 minutes until frothy.

Add the yeast to the flour and with an electric mixer beat on low speed for about 30 seconds then on high speed for about 3 minutes. By hand, add enough of the remaining flour gradually until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest on the floured surface for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly greased 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. It's easier if you pat the dough into a rectangle and then divide.

Roll each piece into a 12 inch long rope, form into a pretzel and place onto the baking sheet. Cover and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Brush with the egg, and if desired sprinkle with coarse sea salt or more oats.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve as a snack.

This recipe I found in the Quaker recipe booklet, all the recipes are with made with oats.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

2009-12-09T17:10:00.001-05:00

I love everything that has banana in it. At least twice a week I make banana bread or chocolate banana bread or banana brownies, you get the idea..... I'm the only one that eats bananas in our house, and because I buy organic ones they don't last to long so I have bananas for baking. The boys don't eat bananas but they sure love banana brownies.

Yesterday afternoon I had about 4 bananas that were on the way of going bad so brownies was the choice for 2 of them, but I had 2 left so I decided to bake some chocolate banana cupcakes. OK. don't think we were going to eat all of those bake goods. The cupcakes I decided to send them to my husband's work for his colleagues, as a morning treat next to a cup of coffee. We just had the first snow storm of this winter and I'm sure that the drive to work was brutal, so everyone could use a pick me up.

Ingredients for 18 cupcakes

1 cup of whole-wheat flour

1 cup of all-purpose flour

2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

2 tbsp pure cocoa

1/2 cup of unsalted butter room temperature

1 cup of granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 large very ripe bananas mashed

1/4 cup milk

1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup of walnuts chopped

For people with nut allergy, you can omit the walnuts, if you would like some crunch in it I recommend for this particular recipe a cup of a high fiber cereal.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line the standard muffin tins with paper liners ( 18 of them).

In a large bowl mix both flours, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa.

In another mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar on high speed until creamy ( about 5 minutes) scraping down the bowl as needed it. Add the eggs one of the time beating well after each addition ( scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed it).

With the mixer on low speed add the bananas and mix well. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk( starting and ending with the dry ingredients)

Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips by hand.

Spoon the batter into the cups filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes on the wire rack.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee!

This recipe I adapted with just small modifications from The Golden Book of Chocolate.

Other banana recipes you might be interested in.

Banana Walnut Brownies
Classic Sour Cream Banana Bread with Walnuts

Frosted Crescents

2009-12-08T16:06:00.004-05:00

We are ready for Christmas. The tree is up, and the kids had lots of fun putting up the decorations, of course there were the usual arguments over what ornament goes where.... And rearranging all the ornaments that Alex placed only at the bottom of the tree ( in all fairness, that's how high he can reach). But in the end everybody was happy and pleased with the end product, and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and some frosted crescents. Every year I bake some holiday cookies for the day the tree goes up. This year were the frosted crescents, soft and melt in your mouth cookies, goes great with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

Ingredients:

1 cup of all-purpose flour( 4 1/2 oz)

1/4 cup finely crushed macadamia nuts (2 1/4 oz)

1/4 cup granulated sugar (2 1/4 oz)

1/2 tsp grated orange zest

1/2 cup unsalted butter chopped (4 1/2 oz)

1 egg yolk

icing sugar, to dust

For my readers that are allergic to nuts. In any baking recipe that calls for nuts, you can substitute with a high in fiber cereal ( ground fine if the recipe calls for ground nuts) or with oats. You will still get the nice crunch but is nut free. Make sure to measure after you ground the cereal or oats, If you like you can even lightly toast the oats or cereal before grounding.

My friend Maria has asked for a substitute, her son like many other kids is allergic to nuts.

Stay safe this Holiday season!

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper, set aside.

Sift the flour into a medium bowl and add the sugar,orange zest and butter. Using your fingers rub the butter into the flour, until the mixture reassembles fine crumbs.

Add the ground nuts and egg yolk.

Mix until well combined and the mixture forms a soft dough.

Shape leveled teaspoonfuls into small crescents and place into prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until pale golden in colour. While the crescents are still warm, sift icing sugar over them.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate!

Here is our Christmas tree and of course Alex!

Those are my favorite ornaments, the boys made them last year ( alex had help from Cass)

The tree is placed on a small balcony on the second floor overlooking the two story entrance. The boys choose the place two years ago when we moved into the house. They love the fact that when they go to sleep they can still see the light from the Christmas tree.

This post is part of the " It's time to jingle again" hosted by Priyanka Srivastava at Asankhana. You can submit your favorite Christmas post.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

2009-12-02T10:06:00.001-05:00

Christmas is almost here, yay! Everywhere you look decorations are up, and a festive atmosphere is in the air. You can find Santa at every mall, which are swarming with people buying presents.

Therefore the festive baking it has been on my mind lately. I don't start baking festive cookies until december. The first festive cookie this year, is one of Brandon's favorite cookies: the lemon cream cheese cookies with lemon icing. Those cookies are very soft and with a refreshing lemon flavour, the glaze is optional but makes for a more festive look.

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter or hard margarine ( I used soya margarine, my butter was in the freezer :( when i decided to make the cookies)

1 cup of soft brown sugar

4 oz cream cheese (half of block cut lengthwise )

2 eggs( each of them lightly beaten)

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

The zest from one lemon.

Lemon glaze

2 cups of icing sugar

4 tbsp of lemon juice

Silver cachous to decorate ( if desired)

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Grease 2 large baking sheets or line with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, cream cheese, butter or margarine.

Until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one by one mixing well after each addition. Sift the flour and baking soda in a different bowl. With the paddle attachment or with a spatula stir in the flour mixture. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and mix well.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets ( about 40 of them) making sure they are well spaced.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes rotating baking pans half way thru the cooking time to ensure uniform baking.

Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack.

To make the icing:

Place the icing sugar and lemon juice in a heat proof bowl over a pot with simmering water. Stir until smooth.

Remove from heat. Keep the bowl over the pot with hot water wile dipping the cookies in the glaze.

Place the cookies on the cooling rack for the glaze to harden.

You can decorate with some silver cachous for a more festive look. I only decorated a few of them.

Enjoy!

Variation to this cookies. Substitute the lemon juice and lemon zest with orange juice and orange zest for orange cream cheese cookies.

Oreo Biscotti

2009-11-28T18:00:00.003-05:00

What's a cup of hot chocolate without a biscotti? Undrinkable! In our house. Alexander loves, hot chocolate and he loves cookies and biscotti. I make different kinds of biscotti, but the oreo one is his favorite, that's because he loves oreo cookies, but he prefers biscotti for "dipping" in his hot chocolate.

In the last week we have been watching Toy Story 1 and 2 ( more times that I wanna remember), he is very excited abut the third one coming out in the summer of next year, that's all he talks about. I have to admit that I'm pretty excited as well. I watched the first one with my son Brandon when it first came out, then with Cass when the second one was released, and I'm so happy that Alex is going to go to the theater to experience the third one ( in 3D). Until then we are watching the 1 and 2, and I have bookmarked the theatrical trailer on you tube for the third one ( otherwise I have to search for it 10 times a day). He loves when Buz is speaking spanish.... His grandmother ( my mom) already bought for him the new Buzz and Woody toys. He can't wait until Christmas when she's coming over.

The cup of hot chocolate in the above picture, I got it ready for him, so he can enjoy it while watching the "Trailer" again.

Actually, here is the famous trailer. Enjoy!

Now back to the biscotti. This recipe I found on Kraft foods website. Very easy to make, and delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 1/2 baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
16 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped ( about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl mix sugar, butter ( melted), eggs and vanilla, until well blended.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Add the chopped Oreo cookies.

Mix well. Divide the dough in 2 equal portions. With floured hands shape into logs. Place the logs on greased baking sheet.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown, or the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Cut each log into 16 slices 1/2 inch thick. You can cut it diagonally or straight. I cut them straight.

Place the biscotti cut side up on the same baking sheet, return to the oven for another 10 to 12 minutes, on each side or until lightly toasted on both sides. Cool on a wire rack. If you like the biscotti can be drizzled with melted chocolate.

Enjoy with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee, while watching Buz and Woody ( again).

Another Oreo recipe you might like. Oreo Cupcakes.

Greek chicken and Potatoes

2009-11-23T10:51:00.004-05:00

My son Brandon, loves any food that has greek in its name. When I found this recipe of greek chicken and potatoes on Rouxbe online cooking school I knew was going to be a hit with him, after all the Pork tenderloin sandwiches are a weekly meal in our house( and that's a rouxbe recipe as well)

I was hesitant to make the full recipe, it makes a lot.... And my boys are not very good at eating leftovers. After careful consideration ( on not having to cook the following day) I made the full recipe.

The leftover chicken I cut it up in strips and store it in a glass container together with the pan juices, and from there they used the chicken, with some crumbled feta cheese and whole wheat buns to make "the best greek sandwiches ever" in Brandon's words. The recipe is for greek chicken and potatoes. If you make only the chicken you should make only half of the dressing recipe.

For the

Greek chicken and for the Greek potatoes. Feeds 8 to 10 people. I'm a great fan of Rouxbe online cooking school and that's all thanks to my foodie friend Steve who introduced me to the site.

Ingredients for dressing enough for 8 single chicken breasts and the potatoes.

8 cloves of garlic

1/2 grainy mustard

6 tbsp honey

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1 tbsp of greek seasoning

1 tbsp lemon pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 tbsp lemon zest

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Start by peeling the garlic, place in a food processor and purée. Add grainy mustard, honey, Dijon mustard, greek seasoning, lemon pepper, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times to blend. Add lemon zest and juice. Keep the processor running wile you slowly pour the oil. Take care not to over mix. The consistency should be thick.

You can marinate the chicken ahead of time, for extra flavour. Just place the chicken in a large bowl and pour half of the dressing over it. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours.

To cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the chicken on it. Discard any remaining dressing. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, or until no longer pink inside.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Pour any pan juices over the chicken.

For the Greek potatoes. You will need.

1/2 recipe Greek dressing

1/8 cup chopped rosemary ( optional)

freshly ground black pepper.

8 large Yukon potatoes.

Wash the potatoes and cut of any damage parts. Cut the potatoes in wedges. Finely chop the rosemary if using ( I didn't have any in the house at that time )

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the potatoes with the dressing, add the rosemary. Toss well.

Place the potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Place in a 400˚F preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss, return to the oven and bake for 15 to 25 minutes longer.

Serve with greek chicken, steamed veggies and a greek salad.

Make your own greek condiment. No MSG and no salt it's easier to control the sodium. I found this recipe on the rouxbe site, posted by Dawn the creator of the greek chicken recipe.

I usually make more and store it in a glass jar. Here is the recipe

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dry mint

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 dried marjoram

1/2 tsp dried onion ( or onion powder)

1/4 tsp dried minced garlic( or garlic powder)

Optional

pinch dry rosemary

pinch dried lemon peel

salt and pepper

I made mine X 10. Its convenient to have it ready made on hand for other recipe that call for greek condiment.

Enjoy!

PS. I got a few notices from readers that they can not post comments. It must be a problem from blogger :( Thank you to all of you who tried to comment but were not able :)

Soft Naan Bread

2009-11-19T16:14:00.002-05:00

Naan bread! One of my favorite flat breads. I used to buy it from supermarket, where besides the fact that it is very expensive you pay over $3 for a package of 3 naan breads, when you read the ingredients there are so many that have nothing to do with flour, milk or oil ..... Of course I decided to make my own, so just like that I started looking for a good recipe. You think it would be easy with the internet and so many food recipe sites. Right?! Well, so did I. I was wrong!

The first recipe that came up in my search was Emeril Lagasse's naan bread. I was happy, I like Emeril!

Well, his naan bread didn't taste like naan bread, and was hard, I mean really really hard, it tasted more like hard pita bread, nothing like what I expected. So the search was still on. I don't remember how many recipes I tried from different sites and you tube, nothing was like the soft naan bread that I liked.

Then, I got fed up and decided to make my own recipe. It might not be authentic naan bread, but is soft, delicious and very easy to make. I love it, the boys love it, my husband loves it...... that's all I care about.

So if you are looking for an authentic naan bread recipe, this is not the one for you. If you are looking for a soft naan bread then here you are........ :D

I use a base recipe which I will list bellow, to that recipe sometimes I add herbs just for flavour, those ingredients will be listed as optional. Also I will post pictures from both the original and the herbed naan bread. Choose which one you like best. The recipe makes about 30 naan breads, if that's to much' you can adjust the recipe to fit your needs; make just half of the recipe. It also freezes well!

Ingredients.

2 cups milk

2 tbsp sugar

4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

2 tsp sea salt

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ( or you can use any oil you like. I'm a fan of E.V. olive oil)

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg lightly beaten ( for extra softness, but if you are a vegan you can omit it)

Optional

1 tbsp of dry parsley

1 tbsp of dry chives

1/2 tsp of cumin

Or, your favorite herbs. Rosemary is one of my favorite as well!

Place the milk and sugar in a small heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the milk is very warm. Remove to a small bowl and let stand for about 5 minutes to cool down.

Sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

In a large bowl mix the flour, salt and herbs if using. Make a wheel in the center and add the olive oil and the egg lightly beaten.

Stir to dissolve the yeast, and add to the wheel. Mix until you get a dough.
Turn dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes adding very little flour to prevent sticking. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl, turning once to coat the top.

Cover with cling wrap and tea towel and let stand in a draft free place for 40 to 50 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Turn the dough on a clean surface and punch down to help expel the air.

With herbs.

Without herbs.

Divide the dough in about 30 equal potions.

I made them into little balls, but it's not necessary. Flatten each portion, out.

With herbs.

Without herbs.

Preheat a nonstick frying pan ( I used the griddle from my stove) over medium heat.

This is purely optional but i like spraying the griddle or frying pan with some butter flavored nonstick cooking spray. It helps the naan bread not to stick together if you decide to freeze it, and it gives a nice coating helping it stay soft longer.

Cook the naan bread for about 1 minute.

Then flip and cook for a minute more.

Remove to a cooling rack.

Serve warm, with your favorite dip, works great with soup. my boys love it for panini sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2009-11-18T07:59:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that I cannot walk by a book store without going in for a browse... and I cannot live the store without buying a cookbook. I was especially happy when a few weeks ago I found a small booklet released by the" Company's Coming", entitled Coffee Cake Classic. Amazing recipes, I can't wait to try them. So far I only tried one, the sour cream coffee cake, which was Cass's choice. It tasted delicious and was very easy to make. The sour cream keeps it moist, can be served on its own or with a dollop of whipped cream.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup of granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup of light sour cream

1 tsp of pure vanilla

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp of baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Cinnamon nut topping

1/2 cup of brown sugar packed

3 tbsp of chopped walnuts or pecans

1 tsp of ground cinnamon .

Beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one by one beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla, beat well.

Combine the flour,baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add to the butter mixture and stir.

Spread half of the mixture evenly in a greased 9 x 9 inch baking pan ( I used a larger baking pan because a doubled the recipe)

Cinnamon nut topping.

Combine the brown sugar, finely chopped walnuts or pecans and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the mixture over batter in the pan.

Drop the remaining batter by tablespoonfuls over the batter, to make it easier to spread.

Spread evenly.

Sprinkle the rest of the topping evenly over the batter

Bake in a preheated oven of 350˚F, for 40 minutes. Every oven is different so the test with the toothpick works best.

The cake is ready when the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean!

Serve with a dollop of light whipped cream and a steaming cup of coffee.

Enjoy!

Here is a picture of the booklet that the recipe comes from

Potato Bread

2009-11-16T08:28:00.001-05:00

I did mention many times that my boys only eat home made bread! Cass is complaining that the store bought one gives him headaches, Brandon doesn't say anything, just, wrinkles his nose, and Alex is the most innocent one he only asks if next time I can make my own bread because he loves it better. I feel like a bad mom and that I let my kids down when I run out of time for baking fresh bread, and time is something, in short supply for me. I'm on a tight schedule everyday. Driving three kids to school, with different times of starting and dismissal from school, then every afternoon we have sports. 6 days a week. And finishing my house work in between. Yeah... it's a rush.

Potato bread, it's the bread I usually make over the week, in the weekends I go more fancy with herb bread, buttermilk rolls , etc.

This bread is delicious, it could be made white or whole wheat, Great for sandwiches and especially for grilled cheese sandwiches which are Alex's and Cass's favorites. It also freezes well. The recipe is for 2 but I usually make 4 and freeze 2 of them.

Ingredients.

1 medium potato peeled and cut into small cubes

water

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

3 tbsp granulated sugar

2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast

3 1/2 cups of bread flour ( or all-purpose flour) first amount

2 tsp of sea salt

1 1/2 cup of bread flour ( or all-purpose flour) second amount

Cook the potato in water and salt in a small saucepan for about 15 minutes until very tender. Drain. Mash very well or, I used a potato ricer. Keep warm into a medium bowl.

Combine the 2 cups of milk, 1/4 cup butter and 3 tbsp of sugar into a small heavy saucepan. Heat and stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into an extra large bowl stir to make sure the butter has completely melted. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle yeast over top and let stand for 10 minutes longer until the yeast is foamy. Stir until yeast is dissolved.

Add the first amount of flour ( 3 1/2 cups)salt, and potato. Mix until a soft dough forms.

Work in enough of the second amount of flour ( 1 1/2 cups) until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, knead for 10 minutes adding more flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

Place dough into an oiled large bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with cling wrap and tea towel and let stand in a draft free area for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a clean surface.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.

Flatten one portion into a rectangle. Roll up tightly, starting from the short side facing you. Place into a

9 x 5 x 3 inches greased loaf pan, stretching the dough if necessary to fit, and tucking the ends in.

Repeat with the second portion.

Cover with cling wrap and tea towel and let rise for about 1 hour, until the dough rises to the top of the pans.

Bake into a preheated oven of 400˚F, for 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 375˚F and bake for 18 to 20 minutes more. Each oven is different, the bread is baked when golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Let stand in pans for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool.

Each loaf cuts into about 16 pieces for a total of 32 slices.

Especially delicious for sandwiches or, grilled cheese sandwiches.

Variation: you can substitute 1 1/2 cups of flour (from the first amount of 3 1/2 cup) with whole wheat flour or whole grain flour. You will have 2 cup of bread flour ( or all-purpose flour) + 1 1/2 of whole wheat flour. Continue with the recipe as described.

Enjoy!

Squash and Lentil Stew

2009-11-10T08:03:00.001-05:00

Time ,time, time! It's something that I've been press of lately. Cass has return to school after almost 2 weeks of absence, and the caching up with his homework has started. We have projects to do and books to read...

And of course sport every day so it seems like I've been going and going and going just like the energizer bunny ( you know the one from the commercial). Finally today I have some time to finish my posting I am so behind... :(

This dish, is one of my favorites for the fall, easy, fast and delicious. I found the recipe years back in one of my vegetarian books "foods that don't bite back". All the dishes in the book are simple and very delicious.

Ingredients:

400 gr butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil

3 leeks chopped

1 pack (320 gr) of italian veggie ground meat ( or the same amount of any ground meat)

1 cup of lentils ( I used green)

3 cups of vegetable stock

1 tbsp tarragon

salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and the chopped leek and sauté for 3-4 minutes until soft.

Add the ground meat and sauté for a couple more minutes.

Add the lentils.

The vegetable stock and tarragon. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Peel and cut the squash into bite size pieces.

After 15 minutes add the squash. Continue to simmer until the squash and lentils are cooked. Approximately 20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches with Rosemary Potatoes.

2009-11-02T12:27:00.002-05:00

My son Cass is home sick with chicken pox since monday last week. Not fun! Besides missing a week of school ( he is not to sad about it) he also missed 2 Halloween parties on friday, one at the school, and the most important one at the Dojo where he does Ju-jitsu. Now, that was a problem. His brothers both of them were able to attend and he was not very pleased to be left behind.

Seeing your child unhappy and not being able to do anything about it is the most unsettling felling a mother can have. I had to do something to put a smile on his face (and he has a great smile), so, we decided to have a movie party at home, and he got to choose the menu.

We spend a few hours going over recipes until he was satisfied. I have to admit that I was utterly surprised at his choice of pork sandwiches. Cass doesn't like pork, he never ever eats pork, only chicken and fish. I can count on my fingers how many time a year I make pork. So here is to show you that the expression " We eat with our eyes first " is true! Or how important the pictures of a recipe are, in this case the video.

In the end this was the menu that he decide on.

Pork tenderloin sandwiches

Roasted rosemary potatoes

Sour cream coffee cake.

Since my first days on the food buzz back in may, I had made many great friends. One of them is Steve who is (what I like to call) an ambassador for Rouxbe online cooking school. Steve had send me over the months many great posts, I love the videos of the recipes and the daily lessons they have.

The pork tenderloin sandwiches and the roasted potatoes are both recipes from Rouxbe website.

I only made one minor change in the pork tenderloin recipe by adding the smoked paprika and using whole grain baguette, I also used 4 pork tenderloins not only one ( small ones)

I cannot tell you how much Cass loved the pork. It is his favorite "dish" now. And that says a lot! Cass is picky! This is the child that claimed that the store bought bread gives him HEADACHES !!!!! As a result I should make sure I ALWAYS have Fresh home made bread....!!!!!

So, back to the food.

Pork tenderloin sandwiches.

Ingredients:

For brining the pork ( optional, but highly recommended)

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup hot water

1 tsp juniper berries ( i didn't have any, couldn't find 'em in the supermarket, so I will say is optional)

1 small bunch fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 clove garlic ( smashed)

3 cups cold water

1 pork tenderloin ( I used 4 small ones)

To cook the pork you will need

extra virgin olive oil ( for the frying pan)

1 tbsp of butter

salt and pepper to taste ( I used sea salt)

about 4 tbsp of smoked paprika ( optional)

To make the sandwiches you will need:

1 or 2 baguettes ( depending on how manny pork tenderloins you use. I would say one per pork tenderloin)

Caramelized onions ( I used 4 big vidalia onions, but I had some left over)

About 400 g thickly sliced cheese. The recipe calls for brie cheese ( I used Swiss cheese for my husband, and creamy havarty for the boys)

Start by removing the excess fat and the silver skin from the pork tenderloin.

To make the brine, use a dish big enough to accommodate the pork tenderloin(s), mix the hot water with the salt and sugar. Add the fresh thyme, the bay leaves, the spices and the smashed clove of garlic.

Let infuse for about 10 minutes. Add the 3 cups of cold water. Mix. Place the pork in the brine making sure is fully submerged. Cover the dish and place in the fridge for 1 or 2 hours.

After 2 hours remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towel. Discard the brine. Slice the pork across into 1/2 thick slices into medallions.

Using the flat side of a mallet, flatten each medallion slightly. Season with sea salt, pepper and smoked paprika if using.

To cook the pork, preheat a large nonstick pan to medium-high heat. When is hot add the olive oil and the tbsp of butter and let it melt. Add the pork in a single layer and cook for about 1 minute until you see a bit of white around the edges.

Flip it over and cook for about 1 minute longer.

Transfer the pork to a tray or dish to rest ( and keep warm) while you cook the next batch. Don't forget to add more olive oil as needed it. When all the pork is cooked cover to keep warm .

To make the sandwiches:

Slice the baguettes into 1/2-inch slices ( slightly angled) and place on a baking sheet. Preheat the broil and toast the bread for about 1 minute ( keep an eye on it)

Add a small amount of caramelized onions on each slice of bread.

Add the sliced cheese, and return to the oven for 30 or 40 seconds until the cheese is slightly melted.

Top with one piece of pork, and more onions ( if you like ). Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

If you are interested in seeing the cooking video for the pork tenderloin ( and I fully recommend it) here is the link.

For the roasted potatoes that I served with the pork sandwiches.

You will need

About 1.5 pounds small potatoes ( I used a variety pack) or fingerling potatoes.

1 generous tbsp of fresh rosemary finely chopped.

3 tbsp of extra- virgin olive oil.

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Wash and dry the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a big mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil,add the chopped rosemary and season with sea salt and pepper.

Line a baking tray with tin foil. Add the potatoes in a single layer. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, turn the potatoes over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Test the potatoes by inserting a knife into the thickest part. It should slide off easily.

To see the video recipe for the roasted potatoes here is the link( again, you should watch it and browse thru other recipe videos they have on their site.

Serve with the sandwiches, and enjoy while watching a great movie. Contrary to what I expected we had a comedy movie night. Usually we vote for what movie to be watched, this time he got to choose, and I fully expected a Tim Burton movie (Cass is his biggest fan) but he bypass Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Coraline and even The night before Christmas his all time favorite; For National security and Big Momma's House ( with funny Martin Lawrence)

We had a great time! It was a Happy Halloween! Or in Cass's words.

The Night Before Halloween!

Apple UpSide-Down Cake

2009-10-30T07:46:00.001-04:00

This is one of my family's favorite deserts with apples. Curious enough I found this recipe years ago in a "Milk" calendar, actually is the 1998 calendar and still have it. I still buy the calendar every year, I love the recipes they feature. Especially because like in the calendar's name all of them are made with milk. The calendar is sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, and all the recipes are created especially for the calendar. a great way to include more dairy in your diet ( no offense to any vegans).

Ingredients:

Topping

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp bread crumbs

4 apples, cored and sliced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cake batter:

3/4 cup butter softened

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup ground almonds

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

To make the topping, butter a 13x9 inches baking pan and sprinkle bread crumbs. Set aside.

In a large bowl toss the apple slices with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Arrange the apple slices evenly on bottom of the baking pan.

To make cake batter:

Beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in ground almonds and eggs. Stir in the rest of the ingredients until smooth.

Spoon batter over apples. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

Or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Place on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, if necessary run a knife around the edges. After 15 minutes, place the cooling rack on top of the baking pan and invert the cake. Let cool completely before cutting.

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Enjoy!

Savory Chicken with Sausages

2009-10-26T20:53:00.000-04:00

This is one of Brandon's favorite sunday dish, he loves the sausages and also the spicy tang that the chicken gets seasoned with, being cooked together with the sausages.

Serve with roasted potatoes and a crispy green salad and you'll have everybody singing your praises.

I used mild Italian sausages but if you are adventurous you can use hot sausages, also the chicken tights can be replaced by chicken drumsticks.

Ingredients:

Chicken tights bone in and skin on about 2 1/2 lb.

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried sage

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

8 mild Italian sausages about 1 1/2 lb

1 cup dry white wine

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Trim any excess fat from the chicken.

In a small bowl combine the oil, minced garlic, thyme, sage and lemon juice and stir to mix well.

Brush over both sides of the chicken tights, and brush any remaining mixture over the bottom of the roasting pan. I used some of the mixture to brush the sausages too.

Place the chicken skin side down on the roasting pan, and arrange the sausages around the chicken.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes, turn the chicken skin side up and stir in the wine into the pan juices and baste the chicken.

Increase the oven temperature to 425˚F, and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes basting frequently until the chicken is tender and golden ( the cooking time might differ depending on your oven).

Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange on a plate and if you wish cut up the sausages into 1 inch pieces and arrange around the chicken.

Enjoy!

Awards!

2009-10-26T10:20:00.002-04:00

I"m starting this week with two new awards, a great way if I may say so!
I have to thank Kristy for the "Creative Blogger" award.
And I have to thank Shelly for "One Lovely Blog" award

Because I love this awards and I want to keep them ( or the award police is going to remove them LOL)

I am going to list seven things about myself.

I'm a sucker for my kids, I can't ground them, even if I do 1 hour later they are ungrounded. AND THEY KNOW THIS!

There is one thing I love more than baking and that is reading. I could spend an entire day curled up on the couch reading.

My favorite books to read is fiction, fantasy fiction. Yes, my dear friends I love gargoyles, dragons, ferries, witches and wizards. I guess we all have a kid inside us, mine comes "to light " when I read.

For my day to start right I have to be the first one up, so I can have my cup of coffee undisturbed.

I have a great stand up mixer ( was a very expensive gift from my husband) but to his dismay, I always knead the dough by hand.

I HATE shopping for cloths. But I could spend hours in the kitchen department.

The best compliment I ever got was from my son Cass when he was in SK. He told the teacher and everybody else that his mom is 19 years old ( I was 31). I couldn't convince him for the rest of the year otherwise. Now is an inside joke between us.

Furthermore I would like to give those awards to some of my foodie friends who inspire me everyday.

Simona @ Alison's trials

Dara @ Cooking' Canuck

Bri @ Take, Bake, taste and Create

Rebecca @ Chow and Chatter

Rachel @ Laptops and Stovetops

Tania @ Dulcis in Furno

Claudia @ Pegasuslegend

My foodie friends, when you pick up your awards and post it, please make sure you list 7 things about yourself and pass it to 7 other blogs.

Thank you!

I just received one more award from Rebecca at Chow and Chatter. It's a friendship award. Thank you Rebecca.

Danish Pastry "Flowers"

2009-10-24T07:28:00.000-04:00

I love making those for weekend mornings. I usually make the dough on saturday night, and place it in the fridge until morning. The boys love to wake up to the smell of freshly baked danish. Works great with hot chocolate and of course with a cup of steaming coffee.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup warm water

1 tsp granulated sugar

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup cold butter cut up

1 cup milk

2 large eggs fork beaten

1 large egg fork beaten

16 tbsp of raspberry gem, or apricot gem, or lemon curd

16 tsp of cream cheese cut in small thin cubes ( optional)

Icing sugar to dust.

Stir warm water and sugar in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved, sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Combine the flour,granulated sugar,salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour the milk into small saucepan. Heat and stir on medium heat until very hot. Transfer to a separate medium bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Slowly add the 2 fork beaten eggs.

Add the yeast mixture. Stir.

Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms. Place in a separate greased large bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with greased wax paper and tea towel. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

This is how the dough looks after a night in the fridge.

Divide the dough in 2 portions. Roll out 1 portion on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle of about 8x16 inches. Cut the rectangle into 8 smaller rectangles.

Fold the corners of each rectangle almost to the center. Press down to make a dent. Arrange on a, greased baking sheet( or lined with silicon mat). Brushed with the 1 egg fork beaten. Repeat with remaining portion of dough.

Place 1 small cub of cream cheese if using, and spoon 1 tbsp of gem on top. I made some with raspberry gem.

And some with apricot gem. Cover loosely with wax paper and tea towel and let rest for another 15 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven of 400˚F, for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool down on a cooling rack, sprinkle with icing sugar if desired.

Enjoy!

English Rice Pudding

2009-10-22T09:58:00.002-04:00

I love rice, one of my favorite side dish is risotto. It's just logic that also rice used for desert would be at the top of my list.

This recipe I found years ago in a rice recipe cookbook, since then it became one of our favorite rice desert.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of short grain rice

2/3 cup of water

1 liter of milk ( 4 cups, not fat free)

1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup of whipping cream

3 egg yolks

3 tbsp of sugar

3 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 315˚F. Lightly grease an 7 cup ovenproof dish. Half fill a baking dish with water and place in the oven.

Wash the rice and leave to drain in a sieve for 10 minutes.

Bring the 2/3 cup of water to boil in a heavy saucepan, stir in the rice and let boil for 2 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

Stir in the milk and vanilla extract and bring to a boil stirring. Turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the rice is cooked.

In a small bowl combine the egg yolks, whipping cream and the sugar.

Remove the rice from the stove and set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the egg yolk mixture.

Beat the 3 egg whites in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites thru the rice mixture then pour into the prepared dish.

Place the dish in the baking tin (the one that you placed in the oven earlier). Bake for 30 minuted or until a golden color on top

After 30 minutes, when the rice pudding has a nice color on top, cover with tin foil and bake for another 45-50 minutes until just firm.

Serve warm. Dust with icing sugar if desired or serve with fresh fruits.

Enjoy!

Chicken With Wine And Grapes

2009-10-19T09:40:00.000-04:00

This recipe is a great fall recipe, I love the idea of the grapes baked with the chicken. In this recipe I used bone in chicken breast, but any part of the chicken would work, or a whole chicken. This recipe originated in the Chianti region of northern Italy, where at the end of the summer, grapes mature and hang from the vines in plump bunches. Look for red or black grapes for this recipe.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts ( bone in and with skin )

1 lemon cut in half

2 tsp of dried sage

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

4-5 small bunches of grapes

2 tbsp of smoked paprika

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

Trim any excess fat from the chicken and rub with the half of lemon.

Mix the sage, paprika, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the herbs over both sides of the chicken breasts.

Place in a baking dish. Drizzle with the oil. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. In a small saucepan heat gently the wine and chicken stock.

After 20 minutes, mix 1/2 cup of the wine and chicken stock mixture in the baking pan and baste the chicken breast with the pan juices. Arrange the grapes around the chicken and bake for 35 to 40 minutes longer basting with the pan juices and adding the rest of the wine mixture as needed it.

Continue basting the chicken and grapes with the pan juices and bake until golden brown and the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked. ( that depends on your oven).

Serve with your favorite side dish.

Enjoy!

Awards from Simona

2009-10-15T14:13:00.002-04:00

Those awards were offered to me by my friend Simona at Alison's Trial. Thank you Simona! It's a great pleasure, and I'm extremely fortunate to have you as a friend.

And I'm offering those further to a few of my foodies friends.

Drick @ Drick's Rambling Cafe

Tien at Cooking With Tien

Rita @Sage cuisine

Take, bake, taste, create

Oana @ Oana's kitchen

Lydia @ Simply Lydia

Low-Fat Muesli Muffins

2009-10-15T07:56:00.000-04:00

After Thanksgiving ( Canadian Thanksgiving), I decided that we should take a break from dessert, you know.... Give my oven a break and my waistband too.

Well, it didn't last to long, just until the boys started looking for "something sweet" to eat. Just like that the break was over, so I took my base muffin recipe and " remodeled it" to turn it into this low-fat muffin that I absolutely love, and the boys too ( surprisingly). Not to sweet, but definitely a dessert. Makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole-wheat flour ( I used organic)

1/2 cup of rolled oats ( organic is best)

2 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup raw sugar ( or brown sugar if raw sugar not available)

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup of low-fat natural yogurt ( I had some blueberry yogurt left over that I used)

1 tsp of pure vanilla extract.

Topping:

1 tbsp of whole-wheat flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp of raw sugar ( or brown sugar)

1/4 cup of muesli ( granola, I used home made)

1 tbsp of vegetable oil.

Variations: substitute the yogurt with the same amount of puréed banana, or apple sauce.

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a 12 muffin tin with paper liners, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a different mixing bowl combine the sugar, egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract and yogurt. Mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until just combined.

Divide the batter equally between the prepared tins.

To make the topping:

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle equally over the top of the muffins.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy! Without feeling guilty!

Creamed Chicken

2009-10-11T10:56:00.002-04:00

I am so behind with my posts! This week my friend Monica got married and I was busy making the wedding cakes ( 3 of them) and finishing with the biscotti that were handed out as thank you present for the guests ( pictures of those coming soon).

Now, I had a pool on my blog for which recipe to post next, and the creamy chicken won by far....

That tells me that every one has problems with their "left overs". This dish is very easy and tasty. That tasty that my son Brandon that just walked by my computer and saw the pictures has asked for creamy chicken. Lucky for him I'm making chicken soup and I can use the chicken meat from the soup and make the creamy chicken.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp of unsalted butter (or 3 tbsp of light olive oil )

1/2 cup chopped shallots ( or red onion)

2 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp of all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups of heated chicken stock ( or vegetable)

1/2 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup of light cream ( 5% or 10% )

2 cups of cooked chicken diced.

1/2 cup parmesan ( optional)

Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a frying pan ( or 2 tbsp of oil), add the shallots and cook stirring for 3-4 minutes. Add the parsley .

Add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter to the pan ( or 1 of oil). Add the flour and cook stirring for 1 minute. Gradually add 1 cup of the stock and cook stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add the paprika and salt and pepper. Simmer gently over low heat for 5 minutes.

Dice the chicken.

Add 1 cup of heated chicken stock, and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Gradually mix in the cream and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the rest of the stock and the chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes until chicken is heated thru and the flavors are blended.

Remove from stove. Stir in 1/2 cup of parmesan if desired.

Garnish with more parsley and serve over steamed rice or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

2009-10-03T12:32:00.000-04:00

Classic tiramisu is one of my boys favorite dessert, even Cass who doesn't like coffee flavored desserts loves tiramisu. So, Brandon was asking for a wile now when are we going to try the tiramisu cupcakes?

Translation! Mom when are YOU going to make the tiramisu cupcakes?

Well, finally the day arrived when the tiramisu cupcakes got their turn. Needless to say these were devoured that very afternoon. I got to taste one myself, and I have to say they were delicious, probably they would have taste better if given the chance to rest in the fridge for 2 or 3 hours, but no chance with my boys. Makes 18 cupcakes. The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups cake flour ( not self rising)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup milk

1 vanilla bean split length wise, seed scraped and reserved

4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature cut into pieces ( 1/2 stick)

3 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature

1 cup sugar

coffee marsala syrup ( recipe follows)

1/3 cup strong espresso

1 once marsala

1/4 cup sugar.

mascarpone frosting ( recipe follows)

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners sugar sifted

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting.

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Line standard tins with paper liners, and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds.

Heat the milk, vanilla pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear.

Remove from heat and add butter whisk until melted. Let rest for 15 minutes. Strain the milk mixture thru a fine sieve into a bowl and discard pod.

With a mixer on medium speed whisk together the eggs, eggs yolks and sugar. Set the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk by hand until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm ( about 5-6 minutes). Remove the bowl from heat.

With an electric mixer on high speed whisk until mixture is fluffy, and pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds.

Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches.

Stir 1 cup of batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken. Fold the milk mixture into the remaining batter until until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins. Bake, rotating tins, for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the coffee-marsala syrup.

Stir together coffee, marsala and sugar until very well combined.

Transfer tins to wire rack to cool completely before removing the cupcakes.

Brush the cupcakes with the syrup. Repeat until all the syrup has been used. Allow the cupcakes to absorb the syrup for 30 minutes.

To make the frosting.

Whisk mascarpone and icing sugar ( confectioners sugar) until smooth.

Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese until completely incorporated.

Decorate the cupcakes with dollops of frosting, and dust with cocoa.

Enjoy!

Apple-Oatmeal Cookies

2009-10-02T09:37:00.000-04:00

My son Brandon adores oatmeal cookies. I always have the cookie jar filled with oatmeal cookies. From all the recipes I have tried those ones are by far his favorites, Cass for example loves the tofu oatmeal cookies so, I have to alternate the recipes so everybody is happy. Luckily, Alex loves both kinds the apple ones and the tofu ones.

Here are Brandon's apple oatmeal cookies. I used home made apple sauce, but the one bought from the store works just as well.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or hard margarine
2/3 cup apple sauce
2 tbsp apple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar or raw brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/3 cup rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon mat, set aside.

Place the butter, sugar, apple sauce and apple juice in a food processor.

Blend until smooth and fluffy.

In a small bowl mix the baking soda, vanilla extract and water. Add to the food processor and mix well.

In a different bowl mix together the flour, oats and pinch of salt.

Pour the apple mixture into a large bowl. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the apple mixture.

Drop spoon full of mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, ensuring that they are well spaced.

Bake into the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with a cup of hot chocolate.

Enjoy!

Easy Goulash

2009-09-30T09:33:00.002-04:00

This is a dish I grew up with, my mom used to make it very often when we where kids. Maybe I should say this dish is inspired by the one my mom used to make, I simplified the dish a little to suite my boys taste and the time I have to spend on cooking during weekdays . It's much faster then the one my mom used to make but just as delicious.

I used boneless chicken tights because they cook much faster than chicken drumsticks, but any of them would be delicious in this dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless chicken tights

3 big potatoes ( or 3 medium, recommended golden Yukon)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion chopped ( recommended viddalia)

1 clove garlic minced

7 1/2 oz caned tomatoes cut up or same amount of tomato sauce.

1/4 cup water or chicken stock

2 tbsp smoked paprika ( or hungarian paprika)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1/2 tsp dried marjoram

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf ( optional)

2 tbsp+ 2 tbsp water to thicken sauce if needed or desired

Pepper to taste.

Cut the chicken tights into 1-inch cubes, set aside. Peel and dice the potatoes, set aside.

In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, heat the 1 tbsp of oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain off the fat. Add the potatoes, tomatoes (or tomato sauce), 1/4 cup water, paprika, salt, caraway seeds, marjoram, pepper and thyme.

Bring to a boil , reduce the heat. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender about 15-20 minutes, and the chicken is cooked.

Stir together the 2 tbsp of flour and 2 tbsp of water. Stir into the chicken goulash, and cook and stir until thicken and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. This step only if needed, if you like a thicker sauce.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream over hot cooked noodles, or polenta.

Enjoy!

Gingerbread Pull-Apart Rolls

2009-09-29T08:07:00.002-04:00

I know, I know, its not Christmas yet but Alexander has been asking for gingerbread cookies for the past 2 weeks. Every time we are going shopping he's looking for the gingerbread house kit, I tried to explain to him that we still have same other holidays to celebrate until Christmas..... All I got were puppy eyes.

So finally we came to an understanding I offered to make the gingerbread rolls. He wasn't impressed at first, that until he smelled the ginger, after that he pulled his stool next to the oven so he can see the rolls bake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
2 tbsp fancy molasses
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tbsp butter
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp fresh grated ginger or 1 1/2 ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1 large egg fork beaten
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour ( approximately)
2 tbsp butter melted for brushing the rolls.

Combine warm water and granulated sugar in small bowl, sprinkle yeast over top and let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

Combine the brown sugar, molasses, milk, butter and salt in a small saucepan.

Heat and stir on medium for 2 minutes. Until butter is melted and the brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat let stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Add to the yeast mixture and stir well.

Combine the flour, grated ginger, ground cinnamon and all spice in a large mixing bowl.

Add the beaten egg and the yeast mixture to the flour. Stir until smooth.

Work in the second amount of flour (1 1/4 cups) 1/4 cup at the time, mixing until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface .

Knead adding the third amount of flour (1/4 cup) one tbsp at the time if needed it to prevent sticking.

Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Place in an oiled bowl turning once to grease top. Cover with cling wrap and tea towel. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until double in size.

Punch down the dough and turn on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in 12 equal portions.

Roll each portion into a ball,arrange into a greased 9 inch round pan.

Cover with cling wrap and tea towel and let rest for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Bake in an 375˚F preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.

Remove from oven.

Immediately brush tops with melted butter. Let stand in pan for 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.

Serve for breakfast with your favorite jam or pure maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Rosemary Chicken with Potatoes

2009-09-27T12:37:00.000-04:00

This recipe is especially for my friend Rekha. I wasn't sure if I should post it, it's that easy to make. No step by step pictures because are only two steps to make it.

But Rekha kept asking when am I going to post it, so I change my mind, and because Kenny ( her son) is my son's Cass best friend and incidentally when it comes to food they like the same things.

So here it is the very easy chicken rosemary with potatoes.

Ingredients:

For about 2 lb. of boneless chicken tights or chicken drumsticks.
juice from 1/2 lemon
5 Yukon golden potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock ( made from bullion or cub works)
1 tbsp smoked paprika ( or any kind of paprika) smoked paprika is available at Bulk Barn ( for Canadians)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes. Trim the chicken tights of any visible fat.

In an oven save dish, add the potatoes and chicken tights.

Add the olive oil, the juice from the lemon, sprinkle rosemary, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.

Bake in the oven uncovered for 20 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup stock and gently toss, making sure that you turn the chicken pieces. Bake for 15 more minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the potatoes are tender.

If you are using chicken drumsticks increase the baking time to 30 minutes than add the stock and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Potato Bake

2009-09-26T15:20:00.004-04:00

I think that the best think about fall is that the oven gets turned on more ( like every day). I love baking, from bread to cookies to savory foods, everything goes in the oven.

One of my favorite dishes is potato bake. A very versatile dish. I don't think I made it twice the same way ( same ingredients). I always use what I have on hand, or what I'm in a mood for. So, this is "this times recipe", but of course feel free to change it.

Ingredients:
12 slices turkey bacon diced
1 onion diced ( about 1 cup) recommended viddalia
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream ( not low-fat)
3 lb. Yukon gold potatoes , peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup sliced scallions ( green onion)
2 cups grated three cheeses mix ( or your favorite mix of cheeses)
1 tbsp of smoked paprika to sprinkle ( optional)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Cook bacon until crisp and remove to drain.

Sauté de onion over medium heat for about 5 minutes

Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute more. Add the milk and bring up to a simmer. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt and pepper.

In an oven proof dish spoon a little of the milk mixture and arrange a layer of the sliced potatoes.

Spoon a layer of milk mixture over potatoes and sprinkle with bacon, green onion and cheese. Dollop small amounts of sour cream on top and if desired sprinkle with smoked paprika.

Repeat the layer until all the potatoes are used. Finish with cheese and sour cream.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Then remove the cover an d bake for 20 minutes more.

Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Club Sandwich Roll

2009-09-23T12:14:00.003-04:00

Left overs. I don't know about your kids, but mine are not very good at eating left overs, they like only fresh made food. My husband says that that's the way I thought them, well...... he is right (but don't tell him). Therefore I have to reinvent my left overs into a new fresh food.

So yesterdays chicken drumsticks became todays club sandwich roll perfect for lunch with a bowl of soup.

This recipe belongs to one of my favorite canadian chefs Anna Olson. Love her and her recipes and especially her cooking show " Fresh, with Anna Olson". She lives in the Niagara Falls region and in all her shows she promotes the local farms and fresh markets.

I had changed the recipe a little, to suite the taste of my 3 boys, but if you are interested in the original recipe you can find it here.

Ingredients:

Dough

2 cups warm water
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp cornmeal
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( plus more for kneading)
2 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Filling

10 strips turkey bacon ( or your favorite bacon)
3 cup of cooked chicken meat ( I used chicken drumsticks but chicken breast would work very well)shredded
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp dry parsley leafs
2 1/2 cups shredded three cheeses mix or cheddar cheese or your favorite mix.

Dough.

Mix the water, honey, cornmeal together and sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

In the bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment combine 4 cups( from the total of 4 1/2 cups of flour), salt, olive oil and the yeast mixture. Knead on low speed until the dough comes together. Add the remaining flour if the dough is sticky and clings to the side of the bowl.

Continue mixing on low speed for another 7 minutes or turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap and tea towel and place in a draft free place to rise for 1 hour.

Cook the bacon strips. Place on paper towel to drain.

Shred the chicken.

After one hour the dough is ready to be filled.

Roll the dough (on a lightly floured surface) into a rectangular sheet of approximately 18 x 9 inches.

Arrange bacon strips on the dough.

Sprinkle the shredded chicken and the smoked paprika and parsley flakes.

Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Roll the dough up from the short end, and pace into a 10 X 5 inches greased loaf pan. Cover the dough with tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

bake into a preheated oven of 375˚F for 20 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350˚F and bake for another 25 minutes.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out on a cooling rack.

Serve warm with a bowl of steaming soup or as an appetizer.

Note: if desired when the loaf is taken out of the oven the top it can be " rubbed" with a piece of butter for a nice shine and to keep it soft.

Enjoy!

Stir-Fried Crispy Tofu with Noodles

2009-09-21T10:34:00.001-04:00

Tofu and noodles, is one of my favorite dishes. I love that is very quick to make and taste delicious. Of course you have the added bonus that is high in protein and low in fat. I choose for this dish yellow pepper, onion and scallions but you can substitute with whatever you have on hand or with your favorite asian greens.

Ingredients:

350 g firm tofu cut into small pieces
2 tbsp peanut oil or sesame oil
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp finely grated ginger
3/4 cup rice flour
vegetable oil for frying
2 onions cut into thin wedges
2 garlic cloves finely minced
2 tsp brown sugar
1 yellow pepper cut into thin strips
5 scallions ( green onion) cut into short lengths
2 tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 package of noodles cooked according to manufacturing instructions, to serve with or, steamed rice.

Cut the tofu into small pieces, place into a non-metallic bowl.

In a different bowl mix together the peanut oil, soy sauce and ginger.

Pour over the tofu and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Drain tofu reserving the marinated.

Toss several pieces at the time in the rice flour to coat heavily.

Heat a wok or a frying pan until very hot. Add about 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Working in batches , stir-fry the tofu over medium heat about 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden. Remove from wok, drain on paper towel and keep warm.

Drain any oil from the wok. Reheat the wok add 1 tbsp of fresh oil and stir-fry the onion, garlic and the sugar for about 3 minutes.

Add the yellow pepper, scallions, sherry, orange zest and reserve tofu marinade.

Stir fry for about 1 minute.

Add tofu and stir and toss to heat through.

Serve with noodles or steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Swirling Nutella Cookies

2009-09-17T08:25:00.004-04:00

Nutella! Probably the most popular sweet spread in the world. Nutella got its start in 1963 in Italy produced by the Ferrero company. The mixture of chocolate, hazelnut paste and skim milk is adored by kids everywhere and could be find in over 75 countries around the world.

My boys definitely are part of that category. Nutella is a constant companion for breakfast from waffles to pancakes or just plain toast. Cookies with nutella spread....... What could be better? 1 recipe yields about 36 cookies.

3/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread ( recommended Nutella)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the chocolate spread and chopped walnuts in a small bowl.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Add flour mixture . Stir to combine. Shape the dough into a ball.

Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to an 8 x 10 inch (20 x 25 cm) rectangle. Trim the edges. Discard top sheet of wax paper.

Spread the chocolate mixture over dough, living an 1/2 inch border at each long edge.

Roll up tightly from the long side, jelly roll-style, using the wax paper as a guide.

Press seam against roll to seal. Wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour .

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with silicon mats.

Cut the cookies into 1/4 inch slices (6 mm)

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Cheddar Cheese and Herb Muffins

2009-09-15T11:47:00.002-04:00

Cheddar cheese originated in the town name Cheddar in England. Today many countries around the world produce cheddar cheese, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand , etc. Canadian cheddar cheeses are smoother, have creamier texture,and great balance of flavor and sharpness.

I love cooking with cheddar, actually is one of my favorite cheeses to eat or cook with. So when I came across this recipe in one of my baking books I had to try it. Those cheddar cheese muffins can easily replace the dinner rolls or are great in the morning with breakfast. The fresh herbs compliments very well the cheese and delivers fragrance to each bite.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 fresh grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp honey
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400˚F ( 200˚C). Line a 12 standard muffin tin with paper or silicon liners. Set aside.

In a bowl stir together the all purpose flour , whole wheat flour,baking powder, baking soda, salt, chives and rosemary. Add 1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese from the total of 1 1/2 cups. Reserve the 1/4 cup, set aside.

In a bowl whisk together the eggs until blended,then stir in the buttermilk,honey and olive oil.

Pour over the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cups. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese evenly over the tops.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan on the wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Pork With Zesty Barbecue Sauce

2009-09-13T09:26:00.004-04:00

Pork is a favorite of my son's Brandon. Actually he is the only one in the house that loves pork. Usually he likes to cook it by himself, but sometime he asks for the zesty barbecue pork. This is all about the sauce, of course it can be used with any other meat, chicken or beef or one other favorite of Brandon's spare ribs. We don't really make it during the summer, to hot for the oven to be on for a long period of time but once the autumn comes..... no problem.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

Ingredients:

About 2 pounds of pork, chicken or spare ribs.
For the zesty barbecue sauce
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 very large onion ( recommended vidalia ) finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp chili powder
pinch cayenne pepper

Heat the oil and cook onion and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes until soften.

Add the brown sugar and cook stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from stove and stir in the rest of the ingredients, until well mixed.

Line a an oven proof dish with tin foil and arrange the meat on it.

Pour the sauce over the top and cover with tin foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours (the time varies with the type of meat you use and your oven), uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.

Serve with your favorite side dish. Works great with mashed potatoes or polenta.

Enjoy!

Streusel Toping Apple Cake

2009-09-10T06:46:00.003-04:00

The word streusel is a german word, meaning "something scattered or sprinkled" and refers to a crumb topping of butter, flour and sugar that is baked on top of muffins,cakes or breads.

In todays modern days, spices and nuts are added to the original streusel topping, and also is used in rich pastries or baked inside the cakes. Any way you decide to use it is definitely a delicious addition.
In this particular cake the combination of apples and sour cream in the batter balances well with the sweetness and richness of the streusel topping.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
8 tbsp unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled ( 1 stick)
2 apples peeled, cored and chopped recommended Granny Smith ( about 2 cups)

Streusel Toping

1 cup brown sugar firmly packed.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

6 tbsp cold unsalted butter cut in 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup chopped walnuts.

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter an 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a different mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs just until the egg yolks is combined with the egg whites. Add the sour cream, milk and melted butter. Mix well.

To make the topping.

In a medium bowl mix together all the ingredients for the topping except the butter. Mix until well combined. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Peel and cut the apple. Add the egg mixture to the flour and mix until just moistened. Add the cut apple. Mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the topping over the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Let cool in the pan on the rack for 10 minutes. Cut and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serve with a cup of coffee or your favorite tea.

Enjoy!

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

2009-09-07T06:54:00.003-04:00

Boston cream pie. Who doesn't love Boston cream pie, or Boston cream doughnuts? I know my boys do. I'm so happy that Martha Stewart has this recipe in her cupcakes book. Those were so fun to make, and are really delicious. In half an hour after I was done with everything there were 4 left out of 20. I think that says it all.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp unsalted butter plus more for buttering the tins ( room temperature)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for the tins.

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

3 large eggs room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pastry cream ( recipe follows )

Ingredients:

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

pinch salt

2 cups milk

1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache glaze ( recipe follows)

6 oz semisweet chocolate chopped ( or chocolate chips )

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp light corn syrup ( optional)

Preheat oven to F. 350 Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Bring milk and butter to a boil.

Mix until completely melted.

With an electric mixer set on high, beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy, pale and thick ( about 5 minutes) enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds.

Reduce the speed to medium and gradually add the flour mixture whisking until just incorporated.

With the mixer on low speed add the hot milk mixture in slow stream. Mix until smooth. Beat in the vanilla.

This is how is suppose to look.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins ( there are 20 cupcakes ). Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Let the cupcakes cool down in the tins for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting.

To make the pastry cream:

In a small saucepan combine sugar, corn starch and salt and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly add the milk in a slow steady stream.

Cook until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Whisking continually pour on third of the milk mixture slowly in the egg yolks ( this step is called tempering which keeps the yolks from curdling).

Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and return the saucepan on the stove over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens about 2 to 4 minutes.

Remove from stove and add the vanilla. Mix well. Strain the mixture thru a fine sieve in a heat proof bowl.

Cover with parchment paper directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. refrigerate for 2 hours.

To make the chocolate ganache glaze:

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the cream and corn syrup( if using) to a boil and pour over the chocolate. using a spatula start mixing from the center working towards the edges. Mix until the chocolate is melted, smooth and glossy.

To assemble the cupcakes. Cut each cupcakes horizontally. Spoon about 1 generous tbsp on the bottom part. Place the top and spoon ganache on top.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!