more than burnt toast

A Recipe for Michael Smith's Frozen Butter Biscuits for Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T09:56:00.004-08:00

Frozen Butter Biscuits

A quick post today to allow me to attend to the bazilion and one things that need to be done. It is not Thanksgiving here in Canada so my head is not immersed in sausepans, nor do I want to stick my head in the oven either. I'd like to take a few moments to wish all of our American friends a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have many hands to make the work lighter. I know they are down to the crunch on preparing for their feasts with their family and friends.

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,

for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,

because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who

are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,

and they can become your blessings.

I have had these biscuits waiting on the sidelines to have their time to SHINE!!! These are gold-standard biscuits from Canadian Chef Michael Smith. These are another one of the down-home dishes I enjoyed from his latest cookbook The Best of Chef at Home which I reviewed in an earlier post. His secret? Frozen butter! It’s an old pastry chef’s trick that has served him well. Butter tastes great and adds that flavour that is just essential when baking biscuits. When the butter is frozen it becomes very easy to shred into the dough. This allows for a very flaky biscuit. I broke the biscuits in half and topped them with Greek yogurt from Pike Place Market in Seattle as well as some homemade raspberry preserves. These flaky morsels did not last long and are so versatile. I have made them several times adding different cheeses and herbs.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

**Frozen Butter Biscuits**
by Canadian Chef Michael Smith from the Best of Chef at Home
print Michael's recipe

4 cups of all-purpose flour

2 large spoonfuls of baking powder

2 small spoonfuls of salt

2 sticks/8 oz/ 1 cup of frozen butter

1-1/2 cups of milk

a sprinkle or two of salt and pepper

*****************
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until they’re evenly mixed. Grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Shred it through the large holes of a box grater or potato grater directly into the flour. Toss gently with your fingers until the butter shards are spread evenly throughout the flour.

Pour the milk into the flour mixture and stir with an upside down wooden spoon to form a dough mass. The handle of the spoon is gentler on the dough. Fold the dough over a few times with your hands until all the ingredients come together. If necessary add a few spoonfuls more milk to help gather up any stray flour. This kneading will strengthen the dough a bit but not enough to toughen the biscuits. It will also help them form a crisp crust when they bake.

Pat the dough out on a lightly floured cutting board forming a loose round shape. Cut into wedges – like a pie - or any other shape you’re in the mood for. Position on a baking sheet; sprinkle on a bit of coarse salt and coarsely ground pepper. Bake for fifteen minutes or so. You’ll know they’re done when they turn golden brown. Enjoy at once with lots of brown butter!

A Recipe for Butternut Squash Focaccia with Caramelized Onions

2009-11-22T13:20:00.018-08:00

Butternut Focaccia with Caramelized Onions

Who doesn't love the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven? This feeling is something you just can't purchase at your local bakery or at Costco. Making bread is an act to not only feed my family and myself, but to nourish my soul as well. I can pick up a fresh loaf of bread within a five-minute walking distance from my home, but I occasionally like to make my own bread just for the comfort factor. When I attended the very first ever Foodbuzz Festival I was one of the lucky recipients of the new Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg book Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I have been eagerly browsing through it's pages and have my eye on a pumpkin brioche, but before I venture into artisan breads I was looking for something to do with the leftover mashed, roasted butternut squash I had on hand.

One bread I enjoy making at home is focaccia. In addition to thinking it's one of the easier breads to bake, I also love it's diversity. It is quite often baked with sea salt and rosemary, but, you can easily add thyme or sage instead, not to mention goat cheese, caramelized onions, olives, garlic, nuts, anchovies, and fresh tomatoes.The sky is the limit!!!!Don't you just love it!!!

Focaccia or panis focacius is a traditional Italian bread whose recipe dates back to ancient Rome. It was a flat bread baked in the ashes of the fireplace. The word is derived from the Latin focus meaning “centre” and also “fireplace” ...the fireplace being in the centre of the house. Like pizza, it is made from a simple and basic yeast dough that is often cooked with olive oil.

As mentioned earlier I had some leftover butternut squash so I decided to bake a focaccia loosely based on a recipe I found on the internet from Gattina of Kitchen Unplugged. The Internet is a very useful tool when searching for ideas. She had produced a foccacia using mashed pototoes so I said to myself why not try butternut squash instead. When I was in Greece a few years back on the small island of Kea at Keartisinal Aglaia Kremezi taught us how to make a focaccia using zucchini picked fresh from her garden and then grated into the dough. What Aglaia taught me was to make use of what is available to you as well as use the best ingredients possible. This is how you will become a success in your own kitchen and leave people wanting more!!!

To follow through with the almost sweet tendencies of the squash I chose to caramelize some cippolini onions to add on top. These are small sweet onions, having more residual sugar than garden-variety white or yellow onions, but not quite as sweet as shallots. Their sweetness makes for a lovely addition to recipes where you might want to use whole caramelized onions. Replace the cipollini onions with shallots if you cannot find them as they will substitute very well. Shallots are quite a bit pricier. The onions add a sweet flavor that plays off the salt in this bread nicely. Feel free to use chopped kalamata olives instead, add goat cheese, or just use herbs and salt. To add that depth of flavour you will find the method of roasting your butternut squash here.

Once the dough has risen it is common practice to "dot" the bread. This creates multiple wells in the bread by using a finger or the handle of a utensil to poke the unbaked risen dough. As a way to preserve moisture in the bread, olive oil is then spread over the dough, by hand or with a pastry brush prior to rising and baking. Whatever you do, your house will smell like HOME. It is simply not something that can be duplicated!!!!

The verdict.....This bread was delicious and can be made in stages or made all in the same day depending on your own schedule. Everything about it appealed to me. This is the perfect base recipe for making all sorts of different flavoured focaccia bread! With it's gorgeous orange hue this would be perfect for the American Thanksgiving coming up. A Happy holiday to all our American friends. I will be making this again and again and have even entered it in a recipe contest.

**Butternut Squash Focaccia with Caramelized Onions**

Print this More Than Burnt Toast Original

8 oz /1 cup mashed butternut squash, precooked ( I had leftover roasted butternut which makes a world of difference!!)

25g fresh yeast or 1 package dry

3 cups flour (+ 1/4 cup for dusting)

1 cup whole milk, lukewarm

2 teaspoons sea salt (and extra for topping)

5 teaspoons canola or corn oil

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil ( and extra for drizzling on top)

1 teaspoons dried crushed oregano

a little water (if the dough is too dry)

1 cup caramelized onions (see recipe below)

dash of chili flakes or red peppercorns

*************************

In a large mixing bowl, combine fresh yeast, flour, mashed butternut squash, oregano, both oils and salt. Add milk (most of it but not all... later during the kneading after you get a good feeling of its moisture, then decide if more milk is needed).

Dust the work table with 1/4 cup of flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough until elastic and smooth. Please note that the dough in the beginning feels a bit dry, but later turns sticky (so don't rush to add excessive liquid too soon). The dough should be slightly sticky.

Put the dough in a large bowl pregreased with olive oil, cover with pre-greased plastic wrap and place the bowl on the lowest shelf of the fridge; let it proof overnight.

The following day remove the dough from the fridge and fold it (but do not knead) a few times, just to re-distribute the yeast cells.

Grease the baking tray with olive oil, and your hands too; gently press the dough until it reaches the sides of the pan. This may require a resting period depending on whether or not the dough is too springy depending on the gluten content of your flour. Sprinkle with the caramelized onions and chili flakes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it has a doubled in volume.

"Dot" the bread with your finger or the handle of a wooden spoon to create dimples. If the dough seems sticky dip your finger into a tiny bit of flour or olive oil. Brush olive oil onto the surface of bread. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Pre-heat oven to 230 C/450 F.

Bake the focaccia for 5 minutes, then lower to 200 C/400 F until it's done, it may take 20 - 25 mins in total. Unmold the bread and let it completely cool on a rack.The focaccia tastes best in the first 2 days.

Good enough to make 6 sandwiches, or simply to cut into chunks, accompanied with tomato sauce (or in this case a nice dip or spread).

Caramelized Onions

1 cup sliced cipollini onions (or shallots)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

Heat olive oil in a medium to large pan. Add onions and sauté on medium low for about five minutes. Add the sugar and stir. Cook the onions until they are soft and a light golden colour.

What are our friends doing with focaccia?????????????

Susan at A Year in Bread - Easy Rosemary Focaccia
Luisa of The Wednesday Chef - Focaccia di Patate
Seven Fishes.com - Easy Italian Herb Focaccia
Martha Stewart - Eggplant Focaccia
Bay Area Bites - Caramelized Cipollini Onion Focaccia
Margot of Coffee & Vanilla - Green Olive Focaccia
Pinch My Salt - Herbed Focaccia from the Bread Bakers Apprentice

A Recipe for Ricotta and Butternut Squash Stuffed Pasta Shells with Pesto

2009-11-18T08:00:00.018-08:00

Ricotta and Butternut Squash Stuffed Pasta with Pesto

Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard, to get her poor doggie a bone, and when she got there the cupboard was bare.....well you know the rest. Yes the cupboards here at MTBT were bare so what to do, what to do? Shall I call out for pizza, invite myself to a friends for dinner or get creative in the kitchen and use what I have available. Canadian Chef Michael Smith would be so proud!! Put those chef hats on tight because Valli is in the kitchen!!!!! Could it be that even a week later I am still reeling from all the wonderful food we had in San Francisco at the Foodbuzz Festival and still need a reality check...sigh....This is probably the first meal I have actually attempted in the past week or so without just pulling something from the freezer. Well I was feeling creative so let's see what we have in the kitchen to work with without heading to the grocers.

I was in the mood for pasta and I see some of those jumbo pasta shells peaking out from the dark recesses. In my pantry there is an entire cupboard dedicated to pasta in every shape and size from reginette to orecchiette. I imagine your "foodie" cupboards to be the same the same.

When making delicious pasta dishes, be sure to choose a pasta shape and sauce that compliments each other. Thin, delicate pastas like angel hair or thin spaghetti, should be served with light, slightly thinner sauces. Thicker pasta shapes, like fettuccine, work well with heavier sauces. Pasta shapes with holes or ridges like mostaccioli or radiatore, are perfect receptacles for chunkier sauces.

Now let's get back to making that dish. Put your bifocals on Ms. Burnt Toast. What about that bright orange squash that has been eyeballing you for the past few weeks? It has been there since October when you purchased it at the farmers market!!!! Sheesh!!!! With its thick orange flesh and its nutty sweet flavor, the butternut squash has become a favorite ingredient around here in casseroles, quick breads, muffins, soups and even pie...so why not pasta. I have coveted many an autumnal pasta dish on many of your blogs over the past few months that have used squash and pumpkin.

Check the freezer...ooh pesto!!!!! I have afterall been dubbed the "pesto queen" by some. I have some frozen and ready to go made with toasted pine nuts and some with walnuts, either of which would offer a rich nutty flavour that would marry well with the autumn flavours of the butternut squash. I think any dish that I adore has to have at least one tablespoon of basil pesto to remind me of summer!!!! Could it be any better than the reminder of fresh basil and other herbs basking in the sun. Now don't go daydreaming Ms. Burnt Toast. You have the masses to feed...well not really...but you know. Open the fridge door...note to self...remove leftovers and chuck in bin before something reaches out and grabs you!!! What do you see?....the remainders of a container of fresh ricotta from the Italian supermarket and some Parmigiano-Reggiano ...so let's go!!!!!

This dish was healthy as well as delicious. The pesto will impart a garlicky robust flavour to both the tomato sauce and the ricotta filling. This compliments the sweet buttery flavour of the butternut squash perfectly. I was thinking some mushrooms would go so well in the sauce as well when I make this the next time!!!!
I am sending this dish over to Presto Pasta Nights which is the invention of the lovely and talented Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast - Every Kitchen Tells It's Stories. I can hardly believe that this is week #140 of PPN!!! How does Ruth keep it all together with all of her other commitments as well. You rock woman!!!! This week's host is Kait of Pots and Plots.

Also check out the new KNORK that I received in my "goodie" bag at the Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco. That's it pictured up above. It's designed to provide the benefits of both a knife and a fork. It's the next best thing to chopsticks!!!!Imagine it even gives you one less thing to wash or load up in the dishwasher since you will never find a use for your knife again...except for steak knives of course!
**Ricotta and Butternut Squash Stuffed Pasta Shells with Pesto**
Print this recipe
Serves 5 - 6

20 jumbo pasta shells
2 cups cubed roasted, such as butternut or banana
salt and white pepper to taste
pinch nutmeg
1 (500gram) container ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons homemade or store-bought pesto ( had some spinach pesto in the freezer as well)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 -14-oz ( 398 mL) can tomato sauce, or homemade
2 tablespoons cold water

**************************
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil to cook the pasta. Add the pasta, return to a boil and adjust the heat so the water gently boils. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

When the pasta shells are cooked, drain well, cool in cold water and drain well again. Thoroughly mash the baked squash and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the ricotta cheese in a medium bowl and mix in the eggs, 2 tablespoons of the pesto, salt, pepper, pinch of nutmeg and quarter-cup of the Parmesan cheese. Pour the tomato sauce and water into a 9-by-13-inch casserole; mix in the remaining 2 tablespoons of the pesto.

Divide and stuff the mashed squash into the bottom part of the pasta shells. Top the squash with the ricotta mixture, stuffing the pasta shells as full as you can get them.

Set the stuffed pasta shells, stuffed side up, on top of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle the shells with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the pasta is golden on top.

To Roast Squash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of aluminium foil and spray liberally with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the squash on a cutting board. With a small strong knife, remove the stem portion of the squash. Slice the squash in half end-to-end.

Scrape the seeds and pulp from the center of the squash with a large spoon and discard. Then cut each portion in half, creating four pieces which are approximately equal in size.

Place the wedges on the baking sheet, with the cut side up. Using a pastry brush, coat each piece of butternut squash with melted butter.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the buttered squash pieces.

Cover the squash with foil, and place in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender. Remove the pan from the oven, and let the squash stand for 5 minutes. Remove flesh and mash thoroughly.

Check out what our friends are doing with their butternut squash....

Foodista - Butternut Squash and Chorizo Pasta
Evil Shenanigans - Pasta with Gruyere and Butternut Squash
The Paupered Chef - Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce
Adventures in Shaw - Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna
Andrea Meyers - Roasted Butternut Squash with Penne
Guilty Kitchen - Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Vegetables
Kait's Plate - Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Cannelloni with Butternut Squash Cream Sauce
Jenn & Roberto of Leftover Queen - Rigatoni with Butternut Squash and Prawns
Joan of FOODalogue - Squash Stuffed Pasta 2 Ways
Eats Well With Others - Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Butternut Squash

Food buzz....Take 2

2009-11-17T05:28:00.014-08:00

I Love Foodbuzz!!!!

It is official. I Love Foodbuzz!!!! This is the sentiment that we heard over and over again at the 1st Annual Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco. This food extravaganza weekend was filled with opportunities not only to connect with all the Foodbuzz bloggers you have been following for the past few years, but also to meet up with world class food artisans, wine and beer makers, and outstanding California producers. The list is endless!!!! The sold-out Festival was a 3- day weekend full of interactive food-focused events and discussions. The experience was designed to engage and connect the food blogging community, in addition to cultivating valuable experiences, friendships and knowledge to blog about afterwards. You have read many accounts of this well put together event over the past week including our own first few days in San Francisco. Each attendee brought home a different experience, but the common thread is that everyone enjoyed their weekend in San Francisco and can't wait for next year!!!!

My sentiments exactly!!!!

My day started off with pastries and fruit at the Ferry Building where I met Ryan "The Girl" one of the amazing staff at Foodbuzz who pulled this off. I also reconnected with Chez Pim who was on our BlogHer panel with me last month where we spoke about How Our Blogs Can Save the World representing BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine. She was there signing her new book. This followed by a seminar with Sue from Cowgirl Creamery who guided us through 5 cheeses. She was a wealth of knowledge and has a passion for cheese that could not be matched. In 1997, Peggy Smith, a seventeen-year veteran at my "still to try favourite restaurant" Chez Panisse, joined Sue Conley, a former owner of Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley, to create Tomales Bay Foods in downtown Point Reyes Station in western Marin County. The Tomales location included Cowgirl Creamery, a viewable cheese manufacturing facility, which utilized Straus organic milk. Their flagship store is downstairs at the Ferry Building where Sue and Peggy feature their own award-winning cheeses along with cheese from around the world. In the seminar we were fortunate to try their delicious Fromage Blanc with a touch of creme fraiche that imparted a slight tanginess, Inverness, Mt Tam, Red Hawk seasonal cheese and their new (and yet to be released) Batch 11. You NEED all of these cheeses each with its own attributes!!!!!

Morning Buzz with Cowgirl Creamery

After the seminar I moved on to explore The Ferry Building Marketplace located within the historic Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street along the Bay where shops large and small celebrate food in all its forms, offering everything from artisan cheeses, artisan breads made with organic flour, California olives oils including citrus olive oils with names like Blood Orange, Lisbon Lemon, and Persian Lime, macarons and French pastries, a myriad of exotic mushrooms, to the freshest of local fish and seafood. This is California where food never tasted fresher!!!! Where ingredients are fresh, recipes are simple, yet the results are sophisticated and intoxicating. It is also the home of Sur la Table which has long been associated with farmers markets. I visited the original Sur La Table that was founded in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Farmers Market a few weeks ago. With retail locations across the country, an e-commerce site, and a mail order catalog, Sur La Table carefully designs each store to have its own distinctive look and feel.From Moroccan tagines, Portuguese cataplanas and Spanish paella pans, to tart pans and tutove pins, Sur La Table provides the unexpected and a sense of discovery. Here I started collecting those "stocking stuffers" for Christmas with wild abandon!!!

I met up with Joan of FOODalogue where we were able to try a new taste sensation Sea Beans on the main floor. We wandered the farmers market for hours with new sights and sounds at every turn. Joan was a wealth of knowledge about the different fruits and vegetables we were seeing. Some were exotic like Buddha's Hands. For over a millennium, the Chinese and Japanese have prized the bizarre Buddha's Hand Citron, which looks like a cross between a giant lemon and a squid, and can perfume a room for weeks with its mysterious fragrance. I'd use it for it's zest or to make some citrus flavoured vodka!!!! Joan also introduced me to Pimientos de Padrón which are small green peppers roughly the size of your thumb. They’re fried in olive oil, salted, and served at many tapas bars in Spain. Besides being salty and sweet, most people eat Pimientos de Padrón for the fun of it. Eating them is considered a form of culinary Russian roulette. Some are sweet. Others are hot enough to make your head spin. I NEED these. We also met up with some very quirky characters from Cirque de Soleil who engaged passersby.

All the Ferry Building has to offer...

From here it was a quick jaunt to the Metreon in the afternoon where a mix of bloggers, artisan producers, brands, wineries, breweries and chefs converged for the three-hour "Tasting Pavilion." Attendees had the opportunity to sip, share, taste and talk as they learned about everything ranging from chocolate and wines, to artisan confections and local produce from Frog Hollow Farms. Alder Yarrow, the granddaddy of wine bloggers and proprietor of Vinography.Com, guided two tasting seminars... "California Sparkling Wine" and "Underappreciated California Merlots."

Also in the Tasting Pavillion were the winners in the Bertolli Sauce Kitchen. The three bloggers, selected by the Foodbuzz community to demo their recipes, used Bertolli Sauces as the backbone of their own inventive appetizers or main courses which were fortunately dished out to all the eager bloggers in the crowd. Nearby, six bloggers were featured as Nature's Pride "Bread Ambassadors," cooked and demonstrated their own unique winning recipes integrating Nature's Pride bread for their fellow food bloggers to sample. I also had the opportunity to meet up with long time blogging friend Kelly of Sass and Veracity and my new discovery Josee of Daydreamer Desserts.

Tasting Pavilion at the Metreon

Many of you may have heard me rave about the Farm to Table Outstanding in the Field dinners. I have always dreamed of attending one of their dinners at long communal tables with new found friends each time they have come to my province of British Columbia here in Canada. So far I have always had obstacles in my way for one reason or another. This year in my area they held a dinner at the University of British Columbia Farm in Vancouver as well as in Pemberton, which is up near Whistler, both about 4 hours from my home. Imagine my insane delight on Saturday night when Foodbuzz teamed up with "Outstanding in the Field" for a farm-to-table family-style feast. Saturday night’s Foodbuzz dinner & awards ceremony was beautifully set in the Greenleaf Produce building. It is not an easy task to bring a few hundred people together for a dinner in a warehouse at one long snaking table with a makeshift kitchen. Somehow, with the help of some great locals and I am sure a lot of hard work, it all came together flawlessly. As Jenn says, " Very rustic and the perfect environment to enjoy a menu of farm fresh products. Our menu was created by Chef Dennis Lee of Namu. All of the food was local, organic and sustainable and the meats were all pasture-raised. It was really nice to enjoy a guilt free meal of the highest quality." We had a truly wonderful and memorable dinner, in really great company. I had the honour of sitting with our posse and longtime blogger friends Peter of Souvlaki For The Soul, who came all the way from Australia to be at the festival, Jenn and Roberto of The Leftover Queen and The Foodie Blogroll, Peter and Christey of FotoCuisine , Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen (my cohort for the weekend and co-founder of BloggerAid - Changing the Face of Famine) , Joan of FOODalogue, Pat of FoodWedsHerbs and Claudia of Jet Set Wisdom. Randall Grahm, of Bonny Doon Vineyard, paired wines for the event, talked with diners about each wine and provided tasting notes. It was a magical evening where 250 bloggers from the world over sat at long snaking tables of mismatched china and were the recipients of some of the best food known to man. We have been inundated by brussel sprouts recipes on Foodbuzz blogs ever since!!!!!We had some real converts!!!! After dinner, Foodbuzz honoured the Foodbuzz community's incredible blogging talent at the First-Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Awards Ceremony. During the course of the evening I also met Marc of No Recipes and Blog Away Hunger and Lori Lynn from Taste With the Eyes and Father Adam.

Outstanding in the Field is Outstanding....

This was an incredible weekend that I hope next year you all have a chance to attend. The city of San Francsico is always so welcoming and Foodbuzz made this a magical experience. But what makes a weekend one for the memory books was meeting (or at least trying to meet) 250 bloggers from 27 States and 4 countries who we already had so much in common with... a passion for food and our blogs....and we obsessively photograph each and every bite we eat and never blink an eye!!!! Thank you Foodbuzz and thank you everyone who made this an experience of a lifetime...until next year...adieu!!! Giz and I missed the brunch at Luni and instead headed to the Napa Valley for some more wine tasting and a true California experience.....stay tuned!!!!

Some photos courtesy of Peter of Peter G Photography , Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen and Joan of FOODalogue.

Old friends and new...

Check out what old and new friends are Buzzing about at the Foodbuzz Festival......

Jenn and Roberto of Leftover Queen and Foodie Blogroll
Joan of Foodalogue
Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen
Diana of A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa
Jerry of Cooking by the Seat of My Pants
Mardi of Eat, Live Travel, Write
Lori Lynn of Taste with The Eyes
Chrystal & Amir of The Duo Dishes

Foodbuzz.... Take 1

2009-11-15T08:00:00.007-08:00

I wouldn't normally consider myself a superstitious person but the events of this past Friday...yes Friday the 13th...had me singing another tune. Not singing in the literal sense (that would clear a room very quickly) but feeling differently about life's direction and taking the bull by the horns.

One event in the past week that was certainly an adventure, if not life changing, was the few days spent in San Francisco at the Foodbuzz Festival. You have heard about this event countless times over the past week, but after car accidents, book releases, and loosing fillings I am a little behind the times. It has been months in the planning for not only the talented staff over at Foodbuzz but for Giz and I to meet up in the big city. I met Giz and her daughter through their blog Equal Opportunity Kitchen and what transpired from there was nothing short of a miracle. In the past year we started a social network BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine, published a cookbook to raise money for the School Meals Programme and finally met in San Francisco at Foodbuzz. You probably thought all along that since we both live in Canada and both have similar ideologies that our paths would have crossed long ago. We are on opposite ends of this huge country we call Canada but are not very far apart in our long term goals. It was like meeting a long lost friend after all this time and even if we were both tired we sprung into action and set out to explore San Francisco.

After flights from opposite ends of the country we met for the first time at our home for the next 4 days The Galleria Park Hotel which is a stylish boutique hotel in Union Square in downtown San Francisco and part of a group of hotels in the Joie de Vivre chain. I give a shout out to the attentive staff at the hotel as well as their social awareness. Joie de Vivre Hotels is a grass roots organization that strives to have a positive impact on their community. Each of their hotels is dedicated to donating to organizations in their communities.

As an extension of Joie de Vivre Gives, each hotel participates in the You Can Make a Difference program launched in April of 2008. The primary objective is to engage their hotel guests by giving them the option to add an additional $1 of their total bill for each night they stay with them.

Galleria Park Hotel’s philanthropic partner in the You Can Make a Difference program is The Gum Moon Asian Women's Resource Center where they address the needs of women and children in geographic and social transition. They provide services and programs that help develop life skills that help people integrate into society in order to support themselves and their families. Kudos to the Joie de Vivre!!!

First stop for Giz and I.....Chinatown. I was in San Francisco last month so read all about Chinatown in my last post. Where else can you find beautiful scarves for $1.50 and fun and fanciful cosies for your wine bottles. Mix this with the local flavours, sights and sounds and it is an idyllic way to spend an afternoon... and let's face it we were starving!!!!!

Day 2 lead us to North Beach, with deep roots in the Italian community, where we sought out macaroons the size of our heads that had inspired me on my last trip. As Canadians we visited our very first Trader Joe's which we have read about countless times on your blogs and also visited Fisherman's Wharf; which I missed during my last visit. I was fascinated by the shapely sourdough and the sea lions at Pier 39 with their engaging personalities.

In the evening we met up with our fellow Foodbuzz attendees for a Welcome reception at the Hotele Vitale, also a part of the Joie de Vivre chain for the beginning of the 1st-Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival!!!! To kick off the weekend we met for happy hour on the 8th floor with spectacular views of the city all round. Brian our bartender and 250 food bloggers became best friends:D We had a ridiculously delicious schedule of events planned for the entire weekend. There were attendees from 27 States and 4 countries who we already had so much in common with... a passion for food and our blogs....and we obsessively photograph each and every bite we eat!!!!! Can you imagine the mass sigh of relief when everyone in the room could whip out their cameras in the middle of an intriguing conversation and no one would blink an eye!!!

From there we moved on to the Ferry Building and an outdoor extravaganza to titillate our taste buds and "rev" us up for more to come. What a line up of tasty treats from the Mission District to the Ferry Building and everything in between!!!! From authentic wood-fire oven pizza, to rotisserie roasted porchetta on a bun, to antojito style tacos, to organic oysters... all culminating with organic ice cream and cupcake nibbles.

This weekend went down as one for the memory books. Kudos to the staff at Foodbuzz for pulling it all together to make it one of the best foodie weekends imaginable!!!!! I hope you all get to attend next year!!!!!!More to follow tomorrow........................................ Foodbuzz Take 2......

It's Here.......

2009-11-14T06:18:00.012-08:00

It's Here.....

After a year of collaberation and hard work from a small group of dedicated members we are proud to announce the BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine Cookbook is flying off the shelves!!!! "We should all be proud of our efforts", say administrators Giz and Val.

Food does not simply nourish the body; food also celebrates what makes the world diverse, as well as what unites us. The BloggerAid Cook Book is a collection of international recipes illustrating that we can work together and unite for a greater cause. The over 130 authors of this cookbook are food bloggers from around the world who have endeavored to make a difference by raising funds for the World Food Programme and encompassing their passion for "all things foodie" at the same time.

Through these recipes they share their traditions and an insatiable curiosity about new flavours. They pay tribute to the home cooking of our grandmothers, while celebrating the exoticism and richness of a world brought closer together by their hopes to make a difference. With recipes such as Tomato-Cheese Ravioli with Eggplant Sauce, Spicy Serundeng Tuna and Peanuts, Serrano Ham Paella with Oyster Mushrooms, Raspberry Mascarpone Bites and Triple Layer Orange-Passion Fruit Tart we are doing our part to say that bloggers can change the face of famine.

100% of BloggerAid-CFF's proceeds from the cookbook will be sent directly to the WFP's School Meals Programme, which benefits an average of 22 million hungry children each year. School meals are important on many levels. In countries where school attendance is low, the promise of at least one nutritious meal each day boosts enrollment and promotes regular attendance. Our children are the key to a better future.

This book is a virtual way for all of us, wherever we may be and however rich or poor we may be, to pull up a chair at the same table and share what we have.

Follow this link to purchase your copy of The BloggerAid Cookbook. If you tell 2 friends and they tell 2 friends we can be well on our way to making a difference. Remember it takes only 25 cents to feed a child a school lunch...imagine the possibilities!!!!

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club Serves up "Windowpane Potato Chips" & "Sliders with Dijon-Shallot Relish" for the Holidays

2009-11-12T01:01:00.014-08:00

Windowpane Potatoes

Well we're home from the Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco. Before I can tell you all about it it's time for our monthly get together!!! So glad you could join us once again!!!! This month our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club chose the theme TAPAS, APPETIZERS & SMALL PLATES in honour of the looming holiday. Check out this month's menu where we share our ideas for a cocktail party that will knock your socks off...and just in time for the holiday season!!!!!!! We love to share these ideas with you each month by putting together a delicious meal for each other through our Virtual Supper Club. The idea is simple because we all share a common interest in cooking and all things "foodie". This is a team effort where we get together virtually once a month and combine what Cooking Light readers like best...good food with great company!!! Why don't you join in by visiting us at their blog Test Kitchen Secrets. Bring your own dish and join the party!!!!!

Ultimately this is what has brought myself Val of More Than Burnt Toast, Helene of La Cuisine d'Helene, Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch, Jamie of Mom's Cooking Club and Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen together to share their love of food, blogging and their commitment to a health conscious lifestyle to create the very 1st ever Virtual Supper Club sponsored by Cooking Light magazine!!! We all share a love for Cooking Light magazine which has an emphasis on healthy eating and living. Each issue covers light cuisine and included more than 70 delicious and flavourful recipes. It also explores food and nutrition news as well as fitness, health and beauty.

Now what about those appetizers!!!! Appetizer recipes come in all shapes and sizes and from all 4 corners of the world. The French refer to them as hors d'œuvres or in the case of a one-bite appetizer they are called an amuse-bouche. Antipasto is the Italian equivalent of hors d'oeuvres, meaning “before the meal" typically consisting of savory cold foods such as cheeses and raw or marinated vegetables, as well as cold cuts and cured meats such as prosciutto. These tasty little morsels of food, no matter what you want to call them, can be as simple as a slice of mild cheese with a cracker to a hearty soup of onions and French bread. An appetizer refers to a small portion of food served before a meal, but it can also refer to the first course of a meal. As the years have gone by appetizers have evolved into a whole new meaning and with international influence can become a meal in itself.

They are referred to as "orektika" in Greece but are outshadowed by the more popular mezes table which can be an array or appetizers or little plates. The little plates are shared by everyone at the table, which provides a wonderful variety of flavour and texture sensations for each guest. Mezes is usually translated from Greek to English as "appetizer's", but, this translation does not do justice to the fundamental role mezes play in Greek tradition. Zorbas the Greek sums up the essence of Mezes the best....

"On the coast I felt for the first time what a pleasant thing it could be to have a meal. We started eating and drinking, the conversation became animated. I at last realized that eating was a spiritual function and the meat, bread, and wine were the raw materials from which the soul is made."

Similar to mezes, Spanish tapas can be practically anything from a chunk of tuna, cocktail onion and an olive skewered on a long toothpick to meat with sauce served piping hot in a miniature clay dish. They are served day in and day out in every bar and café in Spain. So much a part of the culture and social scene that the Spanish people invented the verb "tapear" which means to go and eat tapas! Here tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine where we hit the tapas restaurants and order as many different tapas we feel we can eat and combine them to make a full meal. Just like in Greek tradition the serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them. When last in San Francisco we discovered a fabulous Catalan tapas place run by a food blogger Brett Emerson called Contigo. He chronicled the birth of his new Spanish restaurant on his blog In Praise of Sardines.

According to The Joy of Cooking, the original tapas were the slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. This was a practical measure meant to prevent fruit flies from hovering over the sweet sherry. The meat used to cover the sherry was normally ham or chorizo, which are both very salty and activate thirst. Because of this, bartenders and restaurant owners began creating a variety of snacks to serve with sherry, thus increasing their alcohol sales. The tapas eventually became as important as the sherry.

Sliders with Shallot-Dijon Relish

Distance prevents the 5 ladies of our Virtual Supper Club from gathering as a group in each others homes but we have enjoyed getting to know one another and have developed an international appetizer bar from the pages of Cooking Light magazine that is sure to bring smiles when your family and friends visit your home this holiday season. See us on their blog Test Kitchen Secrets!!! What better way to enjoy each others company virtually as well as begin the holiday season than with tapas and appetizers.

For our virtual feast I was delighted with these see-through Windowpane Potato Chips. Fresh herbs were sandwiched together between 2 paper-thin slices of potato. Very impressive for your guests and a sure-fire conversation starter. I continued on with another delicious appetizer Sliders with Shallot-Dijon Relish. These were perfect tiny tidbits and it was hard to stop at just one. Helene brought spicy Grilled Pepper Poppers which had our taste buds hopping here. Shelby really enjoyed this challenge. She outdid herself with tiny flavourful bites of Harvest Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts....so good!!!!Aggie delighted us with Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese. These were quick to make and were devoured even quicker. Her West Indies Shrimp rounded out our cocktail party with finesse!!! Jamie WOWED us with her Warm Cranberry-Walnut Brie . She says this brie was unbelievable! So simple to make but OMG delicious. She also treated us to some amazing seafood Mini Crab Cakes with Herbed Aio li . Check out each of our blogs for photos and links and enjoy the party!!!!

2009-11-05T04:25:00.003-08:00

I am in San Francisco at the Foodbuzz Festival as we speak. Can't wait to tell you all about it!!!!

I leave you with this thought......

Canadian Chef Josée di Stasio and a Recipe for Pasta with Tuna & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2009-11-02T08:33:00.010-08:00

If you have been following More Than Burnt Toast you will know I started a weekly feature to highlight Canadian Chefs a few months back. Other commitments slowed my progress down, but now we are back in full force to bring you all that Canada has to offer!!! Through your TV networks, or perhaps on other blogs, or even just right here on More Than Burnt Toast you may have heard of some of our Canadian chefs. For those of you who haven't, I hope you will find it interesting to see what our chefs are up to, a little about their history and how they came to love what they do. For the next few months I will continue to feature one of our Canadian chefs each week. There will be some chefs you have heard of and adore and some lesser known who are up and coming. As the eleventh installment in my Canadian Chef series I introduce you to:

Josée di Stasio

Josée di Stasio is the host of the popular television cooking show, à la di Stasio in French -speaking Canada. Up to a few years ago she was a very happy food stylist working in the magazine and television advertising world in her native province of Quebec. Her friend, the popular francophone broadcaster Daniel Pinard, asked her to substitute for him on a TV show and she rapidly became one of "la belle province's" top culinary stars.

As a result, the award-winning cookbook author, television host and chef, has been a household name in her native Quebec for years. She has several French language cookbooks on the market and has just had one of her best selling cookbooks (which are based on the recipes from her cooking show) translated into English. The books were published initially in French, the first in 2004 and the second in 2007. With their full-colour photographs its is like having a friend in the kitchen.

She is rapidly becoming a darling for English-speaking Canadians too. I must admit to not being familar with her show until after the release of her English version book earlier this year. You know how that goes and once a person comes into your limelight you see their name everywhere!!!! Josée's casual but elegant recipes are simple to prepare and perfect for entertaining family and friends. Her delicious new book has a wonderful selection of classic and contemporary recipes always with an Italian flair and always using seasonal ingredients. Josée di Stasio's cooking is ultimately Italian, which means using few ingredients which allows the true flavours of a dish to shine. From "Pesto" to "Biscotti Double Chocolat"... the recipes are bursting with an Italian flavour!

She is focused on the sheer pleasure of cooking and its accessibility and loves the idea of people using her recipes as a guideline or a "jumping-off point". She wants to encourage creativity among cooks from beginners to the well-seasoned. She is a self-described lover of food with a gift for creating simple dishes and getting others to understand that they, too, can be creative in the kitchen. “I want to be a support for cooks, for them to want to make a recipe once and then play with the ingredients the next time,” she says.

This fall, Josée di Stasio presented the fourth season of her popular cooking show À la di Stasio. The show is in French but she draws you in with her inviting and funny personality... the fact that you only have a general idea of what is happening is AOK. The show, like di Stasio, is focused on the sheer pleasure of cooking and its accessibility. She likes recipes that don't require great long ingredient lists and dishes that go directly from oven to table. "If Jamie Oliver epitomises modern Anglo-Italian, then perhaps Josée de Stasio has added a French-Canadian twist." She is certainly proud of her roots.

I have yet to get my hands on a copy of her book but I discovered thisdelicious recipe on the Internet. If you close your eyes you can imagine yourself sitting in a vineyard somewhere in Italy....or in the Okanagan Valley. It has the complex and robust flavours of tuna packed in oil and sun-dried tomatoes with a touch of lemon zing.

I am headed to San Francisco for the Foodbuzz Festival on Thursday so the pages of More Than Burnt Toast will be silent for a while. The festival promises to be an experience of a lifetime where we will have a "hands on tasting, eating, drinking, networking and learning" weekend. We will be meeting many amazing foodie friends, and return home with awesome experiences to blog about. My partner and I at BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine will also be headed for a day of touring Napa Valley wine country. I can't wait to tell you all about it!!!!

**Pasta with Tuna and Sun-Dried Tomatoes**
a recipe by Josee di Stasio

Printable Recipe

4 tablespoons (60 mL), store-bought or homemade sun-dried tomato pesto*
zest of one lemon, finely grated
juice of 1/2 a lemon
aprroximately 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
15-20 black olives, pitted and chopped
200g (7 oz) spaghetti, or other shaped pasta
1 (198g /7 oz ) can tuna (packed in oil), drained and flaked
finely chopped Italian parsley, arugula, or basil, to taste
salt and freshly-ground pepper

**********************************
In a bowl, mix together the pesto, the lemon zest and juice, the oil and the olives.

In a large pot, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water following the manufacturer's instructions. Remove 60 mL of the pasta cooking water and set aside, then drain the pasta.

Mix the hot pasta with the sauce, adding enough of the reserved pasta water so that the sauce clings lightly to all the pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tuna flakes and mix gently. Divide into two serving bowls, and garnish with the fresh herbs.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Makes 3/4 cup (180 mL)

1 cup (250 mL) sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) basil leaves
About 1/3 cup (80 mL) olive oil (or the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

******************************
Drain the tomatoes. If the sun-dried-tomato oil is good quality, use it to make the pesto. In a food processor, pulse-chop the tomatoes and the basil. (At this point you can added extra flavourings, such as 1/4 cup (50 mL) grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, 1/4 cup (50 mL) pine nuts or toasted almond batonnets, a pinch of chopped garlic, or a dash of hot pepper paste).With the motor running, gradually add the oil until the paste is well mixed but not chopped too fine; you want to maintain a slightly chunky, toothsome texture. Season to taste.

Serves 2

"Life in Food is so Rich"

You may also enjoy Josée' other recipes:

Steamed Spiced Chocolate Pudding

Pasta pepe e Cacio

Ham & Egg Ramekins

Fresh Fennel & Italian Sausage on Fennel

"The Best of Chef at Home" by Michael Smith...Impress Yourself in Your Own Kitchen with Maritime Potato Fish Cakes and 2 Other Recipes

2009-10-30T08:34:00.005-07:00

Macaroni & Cheese

As a member of BloggerAid-Changing the F ace of Famine's project View & Review I was excited when I had the opportunity to receive the latest cookbook from one of my favourite Food Network stars....Michael Smith. The book came to me to review through the generosity of Canadian publisher MDG & Associates. Whenever possible I rejoice in "all things Canadian" so to say that my reviewing a book by "one of our own" was a real treat for me is an understatement. Excitement was the order of the day at The More Than Burnt Toast household!!!

The Best of Chef at Home is a followup of one of Chef Michael Smith 's previous books Chef at Home. It's the second in the series and draws on recipes from all 6 seasons of his popular show Chef at Home. It is a collection of the comfort foods that Michael is most passionate about and makes in his own kitchen at home for his own family. This is the kind of book that makes you want to start cooking homey and comforting dishes right away with a few gourmet or vegetarian meals and twists thrown in.

When I received the book I sat down with a cup of tea and began to read. First of all I have to give the book kudos for it's great design. There is no dust jacket, just a pseudo jacket which saves you from those annoying covers that keep falling off. As I delved deeper I found that quite a few of the recipes I could make that day without taking a trip to the local grocers for ingredients. This not only makes cooking economical but convenient as well. This cookbook is filled with recipes that offer all of the comforts of a home cooked meal.

When I look back at the recipes here on More Than Burnt Toast I see that for the most part I have highlighted recipes that follow the same philosophies. A dish from my kitchen has to be flavourful and make good use of local ingredients whenever possible. I can honestly say that each and every recipe in this outstanding cookbook fits that bill. It was very hard to choose what to prepare from this cookbook with options such as Tomato Basil Bruschetta, Maritime Clam Chowder, Grilled Pineapple Red Onion Salad, Orange Ginger Beef, Brined Holiday Turkey with Herb Gravy and Molten Chocolate Cakes. In the end I decided I would create the challenge for myself to make dishes with ingredients I already had on hand. I believe that Michael would like that I have rediscovered my "freestyling" ways and used what I had available to present an overall review of his exceptional cookbook. Each of the recipes chosen used ingredients I already had in my pantry and refrigerator such as a velvety smooth macaroni and cheese, chewy chocolate chip cookies and down-home potato fish cakes.

The secret to chewy chocolate chip cookies.....corn syrup....

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Many of the 120 recipes are what can be labeled as comfort foods so it felt like I was already part of the family since I would readily prepare any of these same dishes for my own loved ones at home. The recipes are both simple and easy to adapt and reflect Michael's belief that making great food is about relaxing, enjoying the process, and losing yourself in the moment. With all the exotic cuisines available to us in our global market, we often forget how comforting simple and classic foods can be. This is THE perfect book for this season when all you want to do is begin nesting and move into hibernation mode. His cookbook includes everything from quick recipes for weekday meals to fancier dinner party fare for entertaining guests. No foie grois, no fluff just real food with real flavours.

Michael's laid-back approach encourages creativity in the kitchen. This cookbook contains countless suggestions for altering and adjusting each recipe until it is truly your own. I love how he teaches and encourages young cooks to experiment with food and try new things. His enthusiasm for food is definitely contagious and creates an inviting atmosphere throughout this cookbook in which people can learn to have fun in the kitchen. It has easy to follow instructions for each dish and helpful suggestions on how you can "freestyle" each dish. Essentially you have now doubled or tripled the 120 recipes published. The secret to successful "freestyle" cooking is to combine your own creativity with the basic idea and instinctive insight within each recipe. For example when I made the chocolate chip cookies I followed the "freestyling" suggestions and replaced 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with granulated sugar and then added 1/2 cup of toasted pecans as well.

Michael Smith's philosophy on his cooking shows as well as in previous cookbooks has always been that a recipe is only a guideline and needs only your creativity and what you have available to make a dish your own. One of the things I have appreciated most about the approach that Smith takes in this book is the fact that he repeatedly invites and encourages would-be chefs to experiment and get creative in the kitchen, with both quantities and ingredients alike. As he says, "You don't have to be a scientist, nutritionist or chef to be a great cook. Your food doesn't have to be picture perfect, enticingly exotic or new and exciting. Great cooking is simply about relaxing in the kitchen, and enjoying the process." As he suggests in this book why not try adding pine nuts to your chocolate chip cookies, curry powder in a classic chicken stew, or rosemary or saffron in your panna cotta? Every recipe contained in this cookbook is a timeless classic, and each encourages you to stir in your own personality. If you follow the basics in this cookbook, you can create flavourful food for your family and friends with a personal touch. They will love you all the more!!!!This makes this book perfect for the person who is just starting out or a seasoned veteran who wants to get back to their "foodie" roots.

Michael says, "As a chef I have an interesting relationship with cookbooks, I write them but I don’t rely on them. I see them as more a reference resource than a guidebook. I may find ideas in them but unless I’m baking I rarely follow the recipes exactly as written. Over the years this has resulted in some spectacular successes and some dismal failures, lets just say no-one will ever forget the Roast Thai Curry Turkey. That’s why this book is designed to be a launching point for your own "freestyling" kitchen adventures. Each recipe covers the basics you need but they also include lots of insight and freestyle suggestions so you can impress yourself in your own kitchen!"

I asked to share a recipe from the cookbook with you for Potato Fish Cakes. This one's for you my friend and partner in crime Giz. I know you are always looking for ways to enjoy fish. Historically, fish cakes have been one of the most common ways to enjoy seafood in the Maritime provinces in Canada where Michael lives. Traditionally they were made with salt cod. From the early sixteenth century, the huge and lucrative cod fisheries on the coasts and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland offshore attracted fishing vessels manned by Basque, Portuguese, French, and British sailors. Before settlement, these groups salted cod in summer fish-drying camps, and then dried it on "flakes." Michael's version uses lighter, fresh salmon you can find in your local grocery store or fishmongers. I am sure the salmon would have been amazing but I used fresh cod since it was what I had available in keeping with the "freestyling" challenge I set for myself in reviewing this cookbook.

Potato Fish Cakes

**Potato Fish Cakes**
by Chef Michael Smith from "The Best of Chef at Home"
Printed with permission

Splash or two of vegetable oil
2 boneless fillets salmon, or any other fish, about 12 ounces (340 g) total
Sprinkle or two of sea salt, freshly ground pepper
4 large baking (russet) potatoes, peeled
2 eggs, whisked together
1 tablespoon (15 mL) Dijon mustard
2 green onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons (25 mL) all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tablespoons (25 mL) butter
*******************************
Preheat a sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat.

Add a splash of oil to the pan, enough to cover bottom with a thin film. Season the salmon with salt, pepper and carefully place in the pan to sear fillets on both sides until golden brown, crispy and cooked through.

Boil or steam potatoes. Toss hot potatoes into a mixing bowl and use a potato masher to mash until smooth. Add the salmon, eggs, mustard and green onions; season with more salt, pepper, if necessary and beat with a wooden spoon until everything is very well combined. Form into evenly shaped cakes and dredge in flour.

Clean out the skillet and preheat over medium-high heat. Add another splash of oil and 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 25 mL) of butter. When butter melts and sizzles, add fish cakes and pan-fry until golden and crispy on both sides.

Variation: Try adding some of your favourite fresh herbs -- tarragon, dill, parsley, oregano and thyme leaves all work well. For a flavour twist, you may substitute horseradish for the mustard. Fish cakes are traditionally served with mustard pickles but tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and even salsa are good as well.

Chef Michael Smith has been cooking professionally for over twenty years. An honours graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, his early career was spent in restaurants from London to South America. In 1992 he returned to Canada and joined the kitchen at PEI’s The Inn at Bay Fortune. Six years later, Chef Michael invited television cameras into the Inn’s country kitchen for his first hit television show, The Inn Chef. What followed was Food Network's Chef at Home, Chef at Large and his latest show Chef Abroad. He is the winner of the James Beard Award for Cooking Show Excellence. When he isn’t traveling the world with Chef Abroad, Michael loves spending time at home on PEI with his partner Rachel and their son Gabriel.

The book was launched at Fall Flavours, with Chef Michael's crew cooking all 120 recipes during the food festival.

"Remember words have no flavour; you have to add your own."

You may also like......

Classic Macaroni & Cheese
Macaroni & Cheese Casserole
Salmon Cakes with Tartar Sauce
Grown Up Mac 'n' Cheese
___________________________________________________________________

As foodies I am sure that many of us have thought of writing our own cookbook. We must think about this all the time. Oh maybe not for mass publication but at least for your children, your families, your friends or to create fundraisers for your local organizations. Over at BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine we're very fortunate to have partnered with a very kind sponsor who donated a prize. They are a family owned and orientated company dedicated to the mission of doing something to help in whatever way they can.

On another note, The BloggerAid Cook Book that we have worked so hard on for the past year will be available soon on our Amazon bookstore. It was published by Create Space and we are just waiting for the proof. We will let you know!!!!

The Cookbook People have not only donated one of their own software packages as a prize, they have gone the extra mile and sent out a challenge for all members of BloggerAid - Changing the Face of Famine. Their software allows you to create a quality cookbook. You can make one copy or as many copies as you like since you make it at home on your own computer

The Challenge?????

Simply make a blog post about their software on your site and the company has generously offered to donate $20 to the School Meals Programme for each member who mentions them. (Limit one per member.) You can discuss the $20 donation, their donation of software as a prize, or whatever. The Cookbook People will ship worldwide and are wonderful people to work with. Just let us know at blogs4famine(at)gmail(dot)com when you post so that we can tabulate the amount of money being raised and thanks for participating. The money will be sent directly to the Friends of the World Food Programme by The Cookbook People.

If 25 cents feeds one child at school for a day imagine how far $500 will go!!!!!!

A Recipe for Pumpkin Spiced Chili from Culinary School of the Rockies

2009-10-27T13:16:00.004-07:00

Pumpkin Spiced Chili

I had some leftover pumpkin when I made that Cinnamon Streusel Topped Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving but wanted to make something out of the ordinary, something with WOW factor and not just another cake or loaf...although that would have been delicious!!!!!What caught my eye was a Pumpkin Spiced Chili I found in a newsletter I receive from Culinary School of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado that lightens up a chili recipe by using ground turkey with the added bonus of pureed pumpkin and don't forget the chilies!!!! You never know some day I may just visit and enjoy some of their cooking classes while visiting friends in Denver. I have also followed their blog Amuse-Bouche for some time which has delicious recipes as well.

Once Thanksgiving has come and gone it is time to switch gears and bring out the warm sweaters, start a fire and begin to browse through my trusted cookbooks for comforting dishes to ward off any chill in the air. Living in Canada cold weather is an inevitable and unavoidable part of winter. Since I won't be moving to the Bahamas any time soon we have to think of ways to keep warm during the cold winter months and food usually plays a huge role. Chili is one of those comfort foods that are also quick and easy to prepare.

With Hallowe'en this coming weekend our minds have turned to witches and goblins. But, pumpkins are not just an icon of Hallowe'en and are very versatile. Like carrots, pumpkins are loaded with the antioxidant beta carotene as well as potassium and fiber. With only 49 calories per cup, this tasty squash is a great fit for a healthy diet. Not only does this recipe use the leftover canned pumpkin that has a low caloric intake but it has the added bonus of being made with ground turkey as well.

For baking purposes just be sure to use sugar pumpkins which are also called pie pumpkins or sweet pumpkin. They are smaller, sweeter, and less fibrous, which makes them a great choice for cooking. They belong to the winter squash family and are delicious prepared in similar ways to their veggie cousins. They are small and sweet, with dark orange-coloured flesh that are perfect for pies, soups, muffins and breads. Choose smooth, deep-orange pumpkins that are heavy for their size, without cracks or soft spots. They can be stored in the pantry for up to one month. These fresh pumpkins can be peeled, seeded and diced, then used just as you would other winter squashes such as acorn or butternut. Unlike these deeply ridged, hard squash line the acorn, smooth sugar pumpkins are easy to prepare. Cut off the top and bottom ends, then use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. For tougher skin, make a few more passes with the peeler.

They can be cooked and pureed for a mashed-type side, or processed further to become the base of a velvety, low-fat soup. Just like it's squash cousin, pumpkin can be roasted, which will bring out its natural sweetness and will enhance its deep, earthy flavors. Their solid texture turns creamy with roasting, steaming, sautéing, or pureeing. Their sweet-savory flavour works as well with sweet ingredients (like honey, maple, brown sugar, and molasses) as it does with savoury ones (like dried crushed red pepper, salty cheeses, and wild mushrooms). Assertive herbs such as cilantro, rosemary, and sage are wonderful with sugar pumpkin. As you'd expect, so are baking spices like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Most parts of the pumpkin are edible including the fleshy shell, the seeds and the flowers so nothing will go to waste with a little ingenuity.

Although most people use store-bought canned pumpkin, homemade pumpkin purée can serve the same purpose. A medium-sized (4 pound) sugar pumpkin should yield around 1-1/2 cups of mashed pumpkin. To make your own puree follow one of 3 easy methods. This puree can be used in all of your recipes calling for canned pumpkin.

Avoid field pumpkins, which are bred for perfect jack o' lanterns but tend to be too large and stringy for baking. They were developed specifically to be oversized and thin-walled, with a huge seed pocket and a relatively small proportion of flesh. Jack-o'-lanterns are safe to eat, but for baking purposes their stringy texture doesn't make the silkiest purée. They're best suited for decoration, festive containers for soups or stews or plain old-fashioned chucking and just won't taste good!!!!

While you can certainly make pumpkin desserts and dishes with fresh pumpkin, canned pureed pumpkin that you can purchase at the grocery store can be more consistent as well as convenient. Don't confuse canned pureed pumpkin with the already sweetened and spiced "pie mix."Canned pumpkin puree worked really well in the chili recipe below. Quite often canned pumpkin comes in large cans so use those leftovers.

What better way to welcome cooler weather with a gourmet twist on an autumn comfort classic...CHILI!!!!!!! You can also heat things up by adding some extra chilies!!!!!!!

**Pumpkin Spiced Chili** Print this recipe
Serves 4 - 6

1 tablespoon oil
1 cup chopped onion
½ green bell pepper, chopped
½ yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, finely minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can red kidney beans
2 cups (1 14.5 ounce can) pumpkin puree
1 ½ tablespoons medium chili powder
½ tablespoon cumin
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste (at least 3 good shakes) or 1 Tbsp Siracha sauce

For Garnish:

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream

***************
Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Sauté the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Make room in the center of the skillet, add turkey and brown about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, and cayenne or Siracha sauce.

Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes.

To garnish, serve each bowl of chili topped with cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream sprinkled with cilantro.

If you are "nesting" and need more comforting dishes you may enjoy:

Eat-the-Bowl Mole Chili
Alton Brown Slow Cooker Chili
Chili con Carne with Chili Cheddar Shortcakes Gourmet :(
Pierce Street Vegetarian Chili Recipe 101 Cookbooks
Beef & Three Bean Chili Pinch My Salt
The Obama Family Chili Recipe
Roasted Pumpkin with Shallots and Sage
Rigatoni with Roasted Pumpkin and Goat Cheese
Pumpkin and Pecorino Gratin

Sights and Sounds of Pike Place Market...A Virtual Tour

2009-10-27T08:32:00.001-07:00

I promised a quick tour of one of my favourite haunts when I headed south this past weekend. I was lucky enough to travel with 42 other women on a mission to "shop till you drop" in the Seattle area. In true "foodie" style I did my obligatory shopping, but, then spent the day where I really wanted to be at the market along with locals and tourists alike. When travelling I want the opportunity to meet the people who live there and experience the culture and food sensations of a country first hand.

Pike Place Market is a public market overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront in Seattle, Washington. It is just a hop skip and a jump from the border to this amazing experience from my home town. The sun was shining and a perfect day for a stroll to experience all that Pike Place Market has to offer.

There’s more to the market than just food, fish and flowers. It’s not only the culinary heartbeat, but it’s really the soul of what makes Seattle a great city. It is a place of business for many small farmers, artisans, antique dealers, theatres, small family-owned restaurants, fish mongers, fresh produce stands and merchants and remains one of Seattle's most popular tourist destinations.

The Market is built on the edge of a steep hill where they have made good use of every inch of space.The Market opened 101 years ago in August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continually operated public farmers' markets in the United States. In 2007 the market celebrated it's 100 year anniversary and is internationally recognized as America's best farmers' market and the epicenter of Seattle's lively food culture.

Local farmers and craftspeople sell year-round in the arcades from tables they rent from the Market on a daily basis. The founders of Pike Place Market try to stay true to it's agricultural roots and maintain its integrity. The result is a jubilant, open-air celebration of fresh regional fruits and vegetables, seasonal flowers, herbs, seafood, spices, cheeses, hand-crafted work by artisans, eclectic shops, and fine restaurants and eateries.

The Market is a nine-acre National Historic District, and home to more than 100 farmers, 200 artists and craftspeople, 600 small businesses, 500 residents and 306 street performers (who are able perform anywhere there is a musical note painted on the sidewalk).

One of the interesting attractions we saw at Pike Market is the gum wall at the Market Theater in Post Alley. This Gum Wall, also known as the Wall of Gum, is one of the least known (attractions of the historic Pike Place Market which is usually known internationally for its fish throwers and as the location of the original Starbucks logo. This gum wall began with theater patrons waiting outside, placing a blob of chewing gum on the wall and sticking a penny or other coin in it. The coins would be picked off by other people, and the wall was cleaned of gum two or three times before the powers that be gave up and the wall became an interactive work of art. Now people chew wads of gum and shape letters and figures from it, as well as adding the conventional blobs. Yes that is gum all over the wall below. You can see other photos here and here....

Here in this revered nine-acre community with its cracked walkways and uneven but original cobblestone streets, the scents of seasonal flowers mingle with Dungeness crabs and spicy teas and the lively street musicians or "buskers" compete with the theatrical vendors. All have a story to tell.

My roommate and I decided to have lunch at Pike Place Chowder which is the home of Americas Best Chowder. They were eventually banned from competition and put in the Chowder Hall of Fame being unbeatable. Their clam chowder has won first-place awards everywhere in the country and may be the only chowder to have accomplished this fete on both coasts. This place does chowder, pure and simple. And while their great New England-style clam chowder has national awards, they also do Manhattan clam chowder, smoked salmon chowder, mixed seafood chowder, and even a Southwestern-style chowder with chicken and corn. We were lucky to sample 3 of their chowders including a Seared Scallop which was my personal favourite with a "nutty" flavour. This tiny place is tucked away in Pike Place Market's Post Alley.

If you every have the chance Pike Place Market is a must see.

A Recipe for Nutella Swirl Poundcake

2009-10-21T12:25:00.014-07:00

Nutella Swirl Poundcake

When browsing through those monthly food magazines in our collections I am sure we all come across countless recipes that we bookmark to create in our own kitchens someday. Like everyone else I have stacks of cookbooks and magazines with recipes patiently waiting in line to show up in the More Than Burnt Toast kitchen.

Now every once in a while you come across a recipe that simply will not wait and wants to stand up and be counted. These recipes bump all of the other recipes out of the running!!!! This recipe from Food & Wine magazine did just that!!!!! It made me stand at attention and do cartwheels from one end of the hallway to another. Now if you can imagine me being that flexible and gymnastic...well bless your heart:D

Speaking for Nutella lovers everywhere I can tell you it's a blend of hazelnuts and chocolate that's been ground to a blissfully smooth, creamy and heavenly spread...is that a choir of angels I hear? When spread onto a slice of bread, or smeared over crepes or waffles, it's a simple snack that is even vaguely good for you. Maybe it's the idea of spreadable chocolate, or maybe it's the deeply satisfying combination of chocolate and hazelnuts, but there's something about Nutella that inspires devotion from the masses.

Nutella's origins date to 1946, when Pietro Ferrero, who owned a bakery in Alba, Italy, began grinding the hazelnuts that were plentiful in the Piedmont region to extend his cocoa supply after World War 11. Chocolate and hazelnuts have been mixed together to form gianduja (the term given to chocolate-hazelnut paste) in the region since the 1800s. But Ferrero took things one step further, blending the heady mixture into a spreadable confection that was even more economical and easy to use. In 1964, the spread was officially renamed Nutella and world domination soon followed.

Two years ago, bloggers Sara Rosso of Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle Fabio of Bleeding Espresso even designated February 5th as World Nutella Day, which has a growing following. Whoever underestimated the power of the Internet and the blogging community?

I am heading off to Seattle this weekend on a bus with 45 other women. Most will be in "shop till you drop" mode but I am headed to Pike Market for some Greek yogurt, cheese and Italian wine.

I decided to make this eyeopening cake today since the kidlets L'il Burnt Toast and the boy are coming to dinner. Stay tuned for the rest of the menu when we return.

**Nutella Swirl Poundcake**

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
One 13-ounce jar Nutella

*********************************
Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour. In a glass measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually beat in the egg mixture until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until just incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer.

Spread one-third of the batter in the prepared pan, then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not overmix.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, turn it right side up and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut the cake into slices and serve.

Note: The pound cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Getting Back to My Canadian Roots with a Recipe for Pate Chinois

2009-10-17T05:48:00.005-07:00

Throughout the years I have lived and worked in numerous provinces throughout Canada from the small fishing villages of Newfoundland, to the rolling foothills of Alberta. I grew up in an urban centre very close to the Greater Toronto Area in what is referred to as Mennonite country in the province of Ontario with it's rolling hills, orchards and farmland. This is where my passion for food and the "foodie" culture began to reach fever pitch. I now live and work in the Okanagan Valley in the interior of British Columbia framed by picture-postcard views of lakes and mountains and a cluster of outstanding wineries, countless orchards and seasonal farm stands, restaurants and artisan-food producers. They all take full advantage of our areas natural abundance and is very similar to where I grew up in Ontario. It is easy to see why Canadians are passionate about their food and what we consume.

Canada is a huge melting pot for different cultures and nationalities. The country is approximately 5,000 km from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean's with each of the provinces and territories diverse in their history. It is hard to define what is truly Canadian and what we have adopted from other cultures and nationalities. One thing I do know is that we have such an abundance of fresh produce and other natural resources that we make good use of what we have. Each province is unique in what would be considered their traditional dishes depending on the nationality of who settled there as well as what is available locally!! Canadians are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of eating locally produced food in all our provinces for many reasons. It tastes better, it supports the community, and, because it doesn’t need to be shipped long distances, it’s better for the environment.

I have spent periods of time in "La Belle Provence" Quebec which has it's own unique history and culture to share based on it's deep French roots. Stretching between the Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Quebec is Canada’s largest and the second most populated province. Fiercely independent, Quebec is the only Canadian province with a majority of French-Canadian residents. What I love about Quebec and it's city and rural areas is its French flavour which still remains through it's food, history and culture. French food traditions abound in their rustic country breads, tourtiere (meat pie) , cretons, artisan cheeses (like Oka, made by Trappist monks), and foie gras. Soupe aux pois (yellow pea soup) with salt pork is a national French-Canadian dish. Feves au Lard (Quebec Baked Beans) are often cooked with maple syrup. "Poutine" is a yummy concoction and a favourite snack food of mine consisting of french fries, hot brown gravy and fresh cheese curds that's as unhealthy as it is delicious. You can find it in all-night take-out joints and gourmet restaurants alike since it is highly addictive and comes with a variety of toppings from tomato sauce (poutine Italien) to fois gras. I am thinking it should replace Soupe aux Pois as our national dish!!!!! "Tarte au Sucre" or Sugar pie is as sweet as it sounds, made with a variety of sugars and maple syrup, boiled to a fudge and made into a pie. The province of Quebec produces more maple syrup than any other Canadian province!!!! And don't forget Montreal-Smoked Meat which is similar to pastrami for your sandwiches and Montreal bagels baked in wood-fired ovens and a personal favourite.

When the weather starts to get cooler I have a need to start nesting and part of this process is to rediscover my Canadian roots through food. There is something comforting and ethereal about getting back to your roots. This reminded me of Pâté Chinois (Chinese Pie) which is a French Canadian dish similar to English cottage pie, shepherd's pie or French hachis Parmentier. It is a traditional French Canadian main course, and is often served during the cold months of the year here in the Great White North. It is typically served with pickled beets or eggs. It is made from ground beef which is sometimes mixed with sautéed diced onions on the bottom layer, canned corn (either whole-kernel, creamed, or a mixture) for the middle layer, and mashed potatoes on top. Variations may include sprinkling paprika on top of the potatoes, reversing the layering of ingredients, adding diced bell peppers to the ground beef, and serving the dish with pickled eggs or beets. I first tried this dish in Alberta when one of my room mates was French Canadian although he referred to the dish as "Pate Chez Mois" or "Pate of my house".

Pâté Chinois is not a Chinese recipe as the name implies. One possible explanation for the 'Chinese' reference is that it was introduced to French Canadian railway workers by Chinese cooks during the building of the North American railroads in the late 19th century. These cooks made it under instruction from the railway bosses (of English extraction) as an easily-prepared, inexpensive version of the popular cottage pie, with the sauce in the tinned creamed-corn serving as a substitute for the gravy. The French Canadian railway workers became fond of it and brought the recipe back with them to their home communities. From there it was brought to the textile mill communities of Maine New Hampshire, Massachusetts,and Rhode Island where many French Canadians immigrated to work in the mills during the early 20th century.

Become an honourary Canadian and give this recipe a try or rediscover your own roots!!!

**Pate Chinois (Chinese Pie)**

Print this recipe

8 medium fresh whole white potatoes
1 garlic clove whole
1 lb ground beef
1 - 2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow or Spanish onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, finely diced1 large carrot, finely diced
1 (15oz) can creamed sweet corn with sauce
grainy mustard to taste
Worcestershire sauce (a few shakes)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Sliced Pickled Beets, chilled

************************
Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until soft, drain. Mash potatoes, adding 2 tablespoons butter, Parmesan cheese and just enough buttermilk to achieve a spreadable consistency. Set aside.

Over medium heat in saute pan cook onion, carrot, bell pepper, and celery in butter approximately 5 minutes. Add beef to pan and fry until no longer pink. Add salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook on low heat for about 30min. Drain fat and put ground beef mixture in bottom of casserole dish.

Top meat mixture with creamed corn and spread evenly over beef.

Spread the mashed potatoes across the top to form a 'crust'. Lightly sprinkle with paprika, and salt/pepper to taste, and make tracks with a fork, if desired.

Bake uncovered at 400F until the potatoes are golden brown, approximately 25 minutes.

Serve hot with a generous portion of sliced chilled pickled beets.

Notes: shredded sharp cheddar cheese can be added on top of potatoes before cooking.

You may also want to try:

Leftover Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Upside Down Shepherds Pie

A Recipe for Garlic-Leek Soup with Garlic Chips & Chives for World Food Day

2009-10-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

Garlic-Leek Soup with Garlic Chips & Chives

Those of you who know me know that I support the World Food Programme and the issue of world famine in many ways. One way to raise awareness is with bringing your attention to World Food Day which is today October 16. It is one day set aside by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and has been celebrated each year since 1945. Please take the time to read about this day in my previous post on World Food Day and what we can each do as individuals to raise awareness.

Potatoes by far are one of my best-loved vegetables, and not merely because French fries and poutine are synonomous with my every day life. Even among those of us who eat, and LOVE a variety of vegetables, potatoes rank as number ONE. At least that is what I hear out in the blogosphere. The reasons are simple... comfort, ease, versatility...and flavour!! The tuber in a few words simply tastes good. Adaptability is the advantage of their neutrality and probably the reason why so many standard cookbooks have more options for potatoes than for any other vegetable.

Classic potato leek soup is perfect for these cooler fall evenings and perfect for bringing awareness to world hunger because it is so adaptabable as well as being inexpensive....and it can be served in a Red Cup. The WFP Fill The Cup Campaign aims to raise funds and awareness for their programs. The red cup is a symbol of hope, representing WFP’s approach to addressing child hunger.

Our Social Network BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine supports the World Food Program and their School Meals Program and is raising funds right now with our cookbook project. (The BloggerAid Cookbook will be available soon after many months of a combined effort by our members). School meals often come in the form of porridge, served in a cup. WFP encourages people to “Fill the Cup” by making a donation or volunteering to help raise awareness.
It costs as little as 25 cents to provide a healthy meal to a child in school; $50 will feed a child for the entire year.

**Garlic-Leek Potato Soup with Garlic Chips & Chives**

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium leek, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed, and diced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 whole heads garlic, rinsed, outer skin removed
6 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 cups potatoes, diced (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
Garlic Chips (recipe follows)

************
Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add leek and diced carrots and cook until soft but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add prepared whole garlic heads, broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper; partially cover pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until garlic is very tender when pierced with tip of knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Discard bay leaves. Remove garlic heads; using tongs or paper towels, slice off tops, squeeze garlic heads at root end until cloves slip out of their skins. Using fork, mash garlic to smooth paste in bowl. Stir cream, and half of mashed garlic into soup; heat soup until hot, about 2 minutes. Taste soup; add remaining garlic paste if desired. Using immersion blender, process soup until creamy, with some potato chunks remaining. Adjust consistency with more broth if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and serve, sprinkling each portion with chives and garlic chips.

Garlic Chips

3 tablespoons olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, sliced thin lengthwise
salt

*********************
Heat oil and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.Cook, turning frequently, until light golden brown, about 3 minutes.Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to plate lined with paper towels; discard oil.

If creamy delicious soups appeal to you you may also be interested in:

Chunky Potato and Swiss Chowder
Garlic Scape Vichyssoise
Jerry at Cooking by the Seat of My Pants Thick and Creamy Potato Bacon Soup
Nook and Pantry Baked Potato Soup
Elise at Simply Recipes Ham, Potato and Leek Soup
Peabody at Culinary Concoctions Potato Cheese Soup
House and Home Curried Potato Soup
Mayo Clinic Potato Soup with Apples & Brie
Gluten Free Vegetarian Book of Yum) Curry Sweet Potato Peanut Soup
Orangette Fennel-Potato Soup with Dilled Crème Fraîche
The Perfect Pantry Leek Potato and Salmon Soup

Our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club Cooks With Wine....a Recipe for Baked Rice with Butternut Squash

2009-10-13T04:59:00.014-07:00

Baked Rice with Butternut Squash

We are so glad that you have decided to join us once again for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. This is a monthly event where 5 ladies nationwide get together to create a delicious meal with a theme in mind. For the month of October we are "COOKING WITH WINE". The Baked Rice with Butternut Squash is very reminiscent of risotto without all the watching and stirring. It was not only flavourful and seasonal but every bit worth trying from the pages of Cooking Light magazine!!!!!

For this months dinner we shared a few bottles of wine virtually as well as creating a delicious menu from the pages of Cooking Light. As an excellent beginning to our incredible menu Shelby brought Cheese Fondue with Apples. Next on the menu was a gooey, cheesy French Onion Soup brought to the table by Helene. Jamie prepared our main dish of Salmon with White Wine Mustard Sauce which was the perfect balance of flavours. As a side dish to pair with the salmon I offered a baked risotto dish, Baked Rice with Butternut Squash as you see above. It was so flavourful and a perfect accompaniment. For dessert Aggie brought the most luscious seasonal Red Wine Pear Crisp with Spiced Streusel. What would you bring to the table? Visit the Cooking Light blog Test Kitchen Secrets and make something delicious from the pages of the magazine to add to our dinner...the more the merrier!!!!.

Autumn is here in full force in Okanagan Wine Country. These crisper, shorter days are a perfect time to watch the grapes ripen in the sun and indulge ourselves in the harvest celebrations. There are three main seasons of wine production in the Okanagan... Spring, Fall and Winter. The third, is the ice wine season which is a relatively new enterprise for our area. The Annual Okanagan Fall Wine Festival is an experience for anyone who loves fabulous wine accompanied by great food and unique events. Who wouldn't love a party that goes on for 10 days!!!! No wonder this event is rated as one of the top 100 events in North America!!!! Most of the tours of the Okanagan wineries are free and include sample tasting of this year's newest vintages. Special events, such as lunches, banquets and formal wine tasting gatherings require prepurchased tickets.

The Okanagan Valley is British Columbia's oldest and main grape-growing region. We lie on the same latitude as northern German and French vineyards but the Okanagan Valley is not all classified as a "cool-climate" growing region. We have distinct microclimates throughout the Valley, from the hot, sandy, desert soils in the southern valley to the cooler vineyard sites in the north, with their deep topsoil and clay. Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir grow in the south, while Pinot blanc, Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer are grown in the mid and northern regions, some left to freeze on the vine for our region's famed Icewines.

The British Columbia wine industry was reborn in the late 1980s when many cool-climate, hybrid grape varieties were uprooted and replaced with vinifera wine grapes which now thrive along Lakes Okanagan, Skaha and Osoyoos and as far north as just above the 50th latitude. As a result of this bold government-subsidized "pull-out program," 90% of the hybrid-grape vineyards in the Okanagan Valley were removed, setting the stage for plantings of vinifera grapes. Less than 10 inches of annual rainfall are typical here since this region falls within the northernmost extension of the Sonora Desert...a desert that shares its influence with both the Okanagan and eastern Washington wine regions.

This month our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club chose the theme COOKING WITH WINE in honour of the season. We all share a love for Cooking Light magazine which has an emphasis on healthy eating and living. Each issue covers light cuisine and includes more than 70 delicious and flavourful recipes. It also explores food and nutrition news as well as fitness, health and beauty.

We would love to share these ideas with you each month by putting together a delicious meal for each other through our Virtual Supper Club. The idea is simple because we all share a common interest in cooking and all things "foodie". This is a team effort where we get together virtually once a month and combine what Cooking Light readers like best...good food with great company!!!

Ultimately this is what has brought myself Val of More Than Burnt Toast, Helene of La Cuisine d'Helene, Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch, Jamie of Mom's Cooking Club and Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen together to share their love of food, blogging and their commitment to a health conscious lifestyle to create the very 1st ever Virtual Supper Club sponsored by Cooking Light magazine!!!Check out this months menu where we share our ideas for a succulent dinner where everything is made with the nectar of the season.....WINE!!!!

We will also be featured on the Cooking Light blog site as well as sharing their fantastic recipes with you all!!!!!! Although distance prevents us from gathering as a group in each others homes we have enjoyed getting to know one another and have developed a menu from Cooking Light magazine that is sure to bring smiles when your family and friends share your table this autumnal season. See us on their blog Test Kitchen Secrets!!!

We Give Thanks for a Recipe for Cinnamon Streusel-Nut Pumpkin Pie

2009-10-11T10:01:00.014-07:00

Even if you are not celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend take a moment to think of those less fortunate than ourselves. Today is dedicated to the holiday that encourages us to step back and give thanks for all the blessings we have.

I am grateful that I have done all that I can to guide my daughter in spreading her wings and become the beautiful woman she is today. She is loving, kind and considerate of others. On this day she has taken on the challenge of preparing the feast...yes she has learned to cook in true foodie style...sometimes a little by osmosis and sometimes by sheer talent and intuitiveness. She is attending university to become a dietician so has plenty to teach her mom as well.

Today I am sharing with you my favourite pumpkin pie recipe. I don't recall where the recipe came from after a number of years, but I can attest to the fact that it adds a welcoming end to any holiday feast. For L'il Burnt Toast it just wouldn't be October without pumpkin pie somewhere along the road. You can find my recipe for Cinnamon Streusel-Nut Pumpkin Pie in a past post.

Let me share these other pumpkin recipes with you:

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnut Topping
Thanks for the Memories Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Pots de Creme Three Ways Foodie with Family
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake My Cookbook Addiction
Pumpkin and Chocolate Layer Cake Baking Bites
Chocolate-Pumpkin Tart Martha

Fill the Cup for World Food Day with Garlic Potato Soup with Garlic Chips and Chives

2009-10-09T09:21:00.005-07:00

World Food Day - October 16th

Those of you who know me know that I support the World Food Programme and the issue of world famine in many ways. One way to raise awareness is with bringing your attention to World Food Day which is one day set aside by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It has been celebrated each year on October 16 since 1945.

The theme for this years conference to raise awareness for world famine is:

Achieving Food Security in Times of Crisis

As my way of raising awareness for the issue of hunger here in our own communities or worldwide I have created a recipe that can be served in a cup like the Red Cup representative of the School Meals Program. Serving food at school helps alleviate hunger among the world’s poorest children. If even one child is allowed to go to school it provides them with not only food but with an education and the tools which are key to a better future for themselves as well as their own communities. If one child is educated imagine what would happen to an entire village with children in school!!! The future starts with our children!!!

I encourage you to make your voice count by preparing a dish and raising awareness on your own blog. Your dish can be inexpensive, it can be something that represents your part of the world or simply prepare something you enjoy and would like to share. It can be a family favourite or a regional favourite that uses local and perhaps seasonal ingredients. Just serve it in a cup to represent feeding one child a healthy and nutritious lunch at school or enabling a girl to attend school rather than staying at home to help take care of her family.

Post your recipe on your blog with a link back to the World Food Day Day site and one/or all of Fill The Cup campaign or the School Meals Program.

Stay tuned on October 15th for my recipe for Garlic-Leek Soup with Garlic Chips and Chives that is not only an inexpensive dish to make but very versatile with ingredients that can be easily substituted.

The objectives of World Food Day are to heighten our awareness of the problem of hunger in the world and to bring to our attention to what we can do about it personally. It is a day to encourage us and our governments to be well informed on the issues and to have a plan of action!!! World Food Day brings to our attention the plight of 862 million undernourished people around the world ...even in our own backyards!! To find out more about what you can do in your area... visit their World Food Day site.

It costs as little as 25 cents to provide a healthy meal to a child in school; $50 will feed a child for the entire year.

On a more personal level one way to help hunger in your community that has my full support is to help your local Food Bank. There are many families that need our help on a daily basis to bring nutritional food into their home. Our local Food Bank in our community of 107,000 people was established in 1983 to provide short-term support to local families and individuals in need of temporary assistance. Annually, they serve more than 30,000 people including nearly 10,000 children, distributing over $2 million in food.

Think about those in your own community this Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.

A Recipe for Orchard Apple Salad... a taste of autumn

2009-10-04T10:02:00.008-07:00

Orchard Apple Salad

I've been daydreaming about autumn again today, particularly about our local orchards and their fresh apple cider and delicious potato doughnuts sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon! With the magical smell of autumn in the air come other heavenly aromas of the season. Autumn trips to the apple orchard or cider mill are the type of thing that beautiful childhood memories are made of. I have been more than happy to pass these traditions down to my own daughter and someday my grandkids...hint...hint. My daughter follows my blog so that is for you kidlet! Some of these wonderful places have been around as long as the 1800s.

As a child a trip to the apple orchard was a yearly journey. Mom and dad would dress us up in warm mittens and scarves which we would be peeling off in no time after exploring everything the orchard had to offer. The lazy autumn sun would beat down on our faces and we'd be oblivious of anything else other than picking the best of the best and to see who could get the most apples into their basket. The cool nights in Ontario were perfect for keeping the apples crisp and fresh with a slightly sour tang that is just not duplicated any other time of the year.

Now here in British Columbia I passed this tradition down to my own daughter who loved to hop aboard the hay wagon, head for the petting zoo to see how the animals had grown over the summer months; all the while with a huge smile and a moustache of cinnamon and sugar. We would spend countless hours roaming the corn maze and filling our faces with luscious butter tarts and warming ourselves with mulled apple cider pressed from the apples that morning.

The first apple trees were planted in the Okanagan Valley well over a 100 years ago. Father Pandosy, a priest, had arrived in Kelowna in 1859 to set up a Catholic mission here. He was one of the first white settlers in the Okanagan Valley. On the mission property, he planted a few apple trees for the other residents of the mission.The Okanagan’s first commercial orchard did not appear until over 30 years after Father Pandosy planted his first few trees.

What better way to explore these autumnal flavours with a fresh harvest salad made with apples gleaned from your own local orchards. Start your own traditions or pass them down to the next generation. This salad is a recipe from Travis Hackle a local chef that has been altered slightly to make use of what I had available. I am submitting this recipe to the No Croutons Required event this month with the theme - The Storecupboard Round. The challenge this month is to create a vegetarian soup or salad using ingredients already in your cupboard and not heading to the local shops. In my cupboard I had walnuts, apple cider vinegar, olive and grapeseed oils, Dijon mustard, dried rosemary and parsley, dried cranberries and blueberries. To use my friend Giz's words, "The results were nothing short of magical".

The founders of this event are the talented duo Holler of Tinned Tomatoes and fellow Canadian Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen. Both of these ladies follow a vegetarian and healthy lifestyle which is evident in each of their feature stories. They have heard me say this before but they are both such sweeties that I have to participate in their event as often as I can...and I will say it again!!

Print this recipe

**Orchard Apple Salad**

Toasted Walnuts

1 cup walnut halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch dry thyme
sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

100 ml apple cider vinegar
100 ml olive oil
200 ml grapeseed oil
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
50 ml water
2 teaspoons white sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Salad 2 - 3 lb mixed greens
2 apples, sliced
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries

***********************
Vinaigrette: Thoroughly blend all ingredients in a blender.

Toasted Walnuts: Toss ingredients together and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes at 400 F.

Salad: Toss the lettuce leaves and vinaigrette together. Plate and top with the toasted walnuts and remaining salad ingredients.

You might also enjoy......................

Jamie Oliver - Southern Pecan and Apple Salad
White on Rice Couple - Asian and Pistachio Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Canadian Living - Apple and Spinach Salad with Cheddar
Fearless Kitchen - Apple, Honeyed Walnut and Paneer Salad
Food Network - Apple Carpaccio with Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad, Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Epic Roots - Mâche Salad with Caramelized Pearl Onions and Green Apple

A Wander through San Francisco's Chinatown

2009-10-02T06:36:00.004-07:00

San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest Chinese community on the West Coast, and the second largest in the United States next to New York City's. "This city within a city is a historic maze of mysterious sights, where an ancient culture from the other side of the world survives and flourishes with remarkable authenticity" It is one of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco which I had only a short time to wander through.

The reality of Chinatown is that there are two Chinatowns. One belongs to the locals, the other charms the tourists. They overlap and dance with each other, drawing more visitors annually than the Golden Gate Bridge.

Why the popularity? Because visitors expect something they won't find anywhere else. They expect to be stunned and enchanted and stuffed with great food. And you will. I can't wait to go back and explore on a deeper level and peel off the layers of what Chinatown is all about.

You don't need an itinerary to tackle Chinatown. Wandering aimlessly, weaving between locals and ducking into shops is enough of a plan. Main Street for tourists is Grant Avenue, which is more about cheap and kitschy plastic Buddhas than the long heritage of Chinatown. A word of advise if you are headed up to the North Beach area, Grant Street is a relatively flat route to the top without the use of the cable car system. It should definitely be seen, but moving on to the next block can be more rewarding.

Chinatown Gate is a gloriously decorated gate that marks the entry to Grant Avenue's Chinatown, the tourist's Chinatown. It was unveiled in 1970, and helped secure the street's status as the neighborhood's center. Once you're past the gate, you'll see elaborate 1920s streetlights sculpted to resemble golden dragons lighting the way. The sights and sounds of Chinatown are worth even a quick visit on your way to explore the rest of what San Francisco has to offer.

Beginning our Sojourn in San Francisco in North Beach's "Little Italy"

2009-10-01T06:59:00.012-07:00

Visiting San Francisco isn't just about the famous sights like Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars. I found it to be a warm city full of engaging, friendly and welcoming people. I was in the city attending BlogHer Food which to the credit of all of the organizers was a very well run event with plenty of exciting activities, speakers and celebrity bloggers as well as Food Network stars amongst us. Please check out this article by Genie of The Inadvertent Gardener, who was the moderator of our session, about How to use your food (or non-food) blog to save the world .

I found myself in the city for several days before the conference so in true "foodie" fashion I had to get my fill of all that the city had to offer. I started off by exploring neighborhoods like North Beach. This can be a wonderful way to experience the city as the residents do. Seeking out some less well known sights in North Beach gave me the chance to relax, rub shoulders with residents and get a glimpse of the city as it really is.

North Beach's cafes, restaurants, and parks evoke a feeling of romantic Italy. Enjoy sipping a delicious coffee in a romantic outdoor cafe with a delicious pastry. Indulge in a huge pasta meal with perhaps a bit of wine... just a "smidge."

North Beach is that rare thing ...a neighborhood that manages to be a perennial hit with tourists like me, and also remains a beloved hangout for San Franciscans. It's best known as San Francisco's "Little Italy", with its high density of check clothed "ristorantes", "caffes" and Old World delicatessens. It's also a popular pilgrimage for fans of the Beat movement seeking the old haunts of Kerouac and Ginsberg. However, North Beach is no relic, and it has much to offer beyond pasta and poetry.

I went on a guided tour with Tom from Local Taste of the City Tours. As you taste everything from cappuccinos, chocolate truffles, sour dough and foccacia breads, cream filled pastries, macaroons the size of small tea plates, olive oils, specialty meats, arancini and more, your senses and your taste buds will come alive!!!!! I walked up the same steps to the church that Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe attended, I sat down in a cafe where Pavarotti, Bill Cosby and members of the Beat generation hung out. There was a little history thrown in along with more than our share of fabulous foods!!!!!It was a wonderful way to introduce myself to a new city...next stop was Chinatown!!!!

To get a taste of "Little Italy" try these recipes:

Taste.com.au - Suppli al telefono (bocconcini-filled risotto balls)
About. com - Arancini di Riso

Recipe for Orzo Risotto for O-Ovarian Cancer

2009-09-29T09:50:00.010-07:00

O-rzo Risotto is based on a delicious dish I have been making for years after visiting Aglaia Kremezi at her cooking school Keartisanal on the island of Kea in Greece. It’s foolproof, and can be adapted to any number of vegetables you find at the farmer’s market or have taking over your garden. It shows how crumbled feta becomes a thick, creamy sauce that absorbs and amplifies the other flavours of this dish and what a difference the two cornerstones of Greek cooking, olive oil and lemons, can make to a seemingly familiar dish. This amazing dish can be served as a side or as all important main dish just like risotto. It is indescribably good and one of my all time favourite dishes!!!!!!

The dish brings back many wonderful memories of my time on Kea with Aglaia, Costas, Kostis, Marcie, the kids and Pope and Melek!!!! Aglaia Kremezi is a Julia Child winning cookbook author and writes for several publications as well. Each morning we gathered as a group to pick fresh herbs, tender grape leaves, lemons, zucchini blossoms and seasonal vegetables from Aglaia's extensive gardens to prepare a sumptuous lunch. In Aglaias style.... what was available in the garden dictated what was on the menu. Some days we would linger over a glass of wine under the arbour and enjoy our efforts; and other days we would venture to a secluded beach where we barbecued freshly caught fish. We hiked many of the ancient trails from one end of the island to the other with a botany lesson thrown in here and there. If you enjoy seafood, immersing yourself in a different culture and instant friendships this is the place for you.

I am submitting this recipe to the 2nd Annual O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month hosted by Michelle of Bleeding Espresso and Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy. This is the second year for the O Foods Contest for Ovarian Cancer Awareness. The O Foods tradition is in honor of award-winning pastry chef Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen. Gina has been fighting ovarian cancer for the past year and a half, and in addition to physically battling the disease, she has also started the Cowgirl Cure Foundation to raise awareness and money for research as well.

I am too late to submit my recipe for the contest but I am hoping the ladies will consider me for the roundup as we all raise awareness for this worthy event. That's what galavanting off to San Francisco will do!!! Check out the rounds at Bleeding Espresso and Ms. Adventures in Italy

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose, but include bloating, pelvic and/or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency).

There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.

In spite of this, patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.

When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.

Please help spread the word about ovarian cancer. Together we can make enough noise to kill this silent killer.

**O-rzo Risotto with Zucchini, Dill and Feta**
Print this recipe

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup olive oil
4 - 5 cloves of peeled and thinly sliced garlic
4 cups diced or grated zucchini or yellow squash
1/2 cup white wine
1 lb orzo (approximately 2 cups)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T grated or shredded lemon zest
1-1 1/2 cups feta cheese, mashed
fennel fronds, fresh dill or mint

*******************
To serve six as a main course or eight as a side dish, heat chicken or vegetable broth or, if you don’t have broth, water. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add 4 or 5 cloves of peeled and thinly sliced garlic and four cups of diced or grated zucchini or yellow squash. Sauté, stirring, for 10 minutes over medium-high heat; the squash will exude a good deal of liquid. Add 1/2 cup of white wine, a pound of orzo, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir to coat the pasta with oil. Pour in three cups of broth and continue to cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently and adding more liquid as needed. The pasta can be al dente, for the risotto effect, or cooked completely through, as you like.Remove the cooked orzo from the heat and add freshly squeezed lemon juice, grated or shredded lemon zest, and 1 -1/2 cups of feta cheese, mashed with a fork (and now: magic sauce). Buy the least salty feta you can find and save some of the crumbs for garnish. Snip over the risotto whatever combination you like of fennel fronds, fresh dill, and mint. Let the garden tell you how to season an irresistibly Greek, and simple, dish.

You may also enjoy......

Greek Avgolemeno Soup with Orzo
Andrea Meyers - Orzo with Parmesan and Basil
Hugging the Coast - Creamy Indian Spiced Orzo Pudding
Jennifer Garner - Shrimp and Orzo
Vegetarian Times - Orzo with Lemony Leek Sauce,

Cheese Lovers Mac 'N' Cheese

2009-09-21T17:03:00.013-07:00

Cheese Lovers Mac 'N' Cheese

It is lights out for a few days here on More Than Burnt Toast. I am headed to San Francisco!! I will be touring the city with a ferry ride to Sausalito included (any thoughts on where to eat in Sausalito?); indulging myself with a "foodie" tour of Little Italy; am invited to Chef Michael Mina’s newest outpost RN74 as guests of The Mushroom Council;and also headed to dinner at Contigo a star on the culinary scene with blogging friends old and new. Of course there is the conference itself where there is a line up of amazing activities and speakers. All in all I am looking forward to these next few days with anticipation!!!! It will be fun to meet a lot of the bloggers that we visit each and every day.

I am headed to San Francisco as a guest speaker at BlogHer Food. I will be speaking as a part of a panel about BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine and "How Blogs Can Save the World", along with Genie of The Inadvertent Gardener and The Hunger Challenge, Lydia of The Perfect Pantry and Drop In & Decorate as well as Pim of Chez Pim and Menu for Hope.

Before I head south I leave you with a very comforting dish that was part of the Ultimate Recipe Showdown Comfort Foods. The winner of the competition was Rick Massa with his Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese . I found the recipe on Emily's site Sugar Plum. "Our" girl was there and did so well in the competition!!!! I have wanted to make this for a while but had to wait until the cooler weather arrived....weeeellllllllll here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The mac 'n' cheese was heavenly...and such comfort food on these cooler evenings. So, off to the city and I look forward to catching up with you all when I get back. In the meantime check out these other mac 'n' cheese recipes..........

White on Rice Couple - One Pot, Stove Top, Creamy Mac and Cheese
Mushroom Channel - Mushroom Mac 'n' Cheese with Mustard Greens
BlogHer - Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Cooking Light - Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Royal Foodie Joust

2009-09-18T03:10:00.004-07:00

It has been a little while since I entered the monthy event the Royal Foodie Joust over at Jenn's site Leftover Queen . Jenn is our talented and industrious mentor who developed the Foodie Blog Roll which now has over 5,000 members. When I started entering the Joust I remember saying it had a mere 1,000 members. How times change!!! Can you imagine visiting so many wonderful food blogs!!! Each month the previous month's winner of the Joust chooses 3 ingredients for the following months challenge. The Royal Foodie Joust is a fun monthly peer voted competition that is hosted on TheLeftoverQueen/FoodieBlogroll Forum! Like a fine wine it gets better with age. Every month the competition gets stiffer and more creative as Jousters try to outdo each other! I would agree and say that it is also one of the friendliest competitions I have ever seen. As Jenn says, "We don’t bite, unless of course there is real food in our faces."

This month the winner chose:

apples, cayenne pepper and maple syrup.

Let the GAMES BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!I immediately thought of some delicious chicken/apple sausages I wanted to duplicate. Now you could have these for dinner with a roasted sweet potato mash and an apple cider sauce, but for this time around I chose to have these beauties for my breakfast with the works...sunny-side up eggs, hashbrowns and Canadian bacon. This is a simple and homey use of the 3 ingredients that is sure to please. If you have any leftovers bring on the puff pastry and make heart-healthy sausage rolls for a great beginning for any cocktail party......very retro!!!!

** Chicken-Apple Sausage**

2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 small Fuji apples, peeled and grated
2 pounds ground chicken breast
1/4 to 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

*********************
In a large, heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and apples and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and cool. In a large bowl combine the chicken, maple syrup, thyme, sage, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add the cooled onion mixture and mix well.

On a plastic-covered surface, form the mixture into 8 (4-ounce) patties, about 3 inches in diameter each. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add 4 patties to the pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and serve hot. Melt the butter in a nonstick saute pan over medium heat.

For a hearty breakfast serve with eggs, hashbrowns and bacon.

"Back To Nature" from Kraft Canada

2009-09-17T05:02:00.005-07:00

Last week I was contacted to review a new product from Kraft Canada and their Back to Nature products. I do the occasional review on my blog if tyhe product is a healthy alternative, available here in Canada or eco-friendly. A day later a beautiful basket arrived at my doorstep with a sampling of each variety they had to offer compliments of Edelman. Nuts are a great snack on their own, but there are many wonderful fruits, seeds and other foods that can be mixed with them to create delicious flavour combinations as they have for their 6 nut/fruit combinations for their new product line.

When it comes to snacking, more and more Canadians are realizing the benefits of nuts which are one of the world’s oldest and most satisfying grab-and-go foods. According to their web site nut consumption is on the rise. In fact, nut consumption in Canada grew by 14% in one year alone, with trail mix growth increasing by 22%. Nuts are definitely a staple in my home and purchased regularily.

This does not mean, however, that all nuts are created equal. Back to Nature is dedicated to keeping ingredients the way nature intended them to be. Some nuts are low quality, processed, or may contain preservatives and artificial flavours that just aren’t found in nature. Not only can this make a difference in the nutrition and health value of the nuts, but it can affect the taste too.
Nuts have natural oils and can spoil quickly if exposed to oxygen. Often packaged nuts are not sealed adequately or there is no barrier to prevent oxygen from leaking inside the bag, resulting in stale and sometimes even spoiled nuts. Instead the company uses nitrogen flushing—a 100% natural process that helps keep nuts fresh in the package before they are opened. Before sealing the bag, the package is filled with nitrogen, which in turn pushes the excess oxygen out of the bag. This keeps the nuts fresher, longer. This packaging method is standard practice with coffee beans, which also have natural oils that can spoil. The packages also come with a quick seal feature so that you can seal in the freshness and consume your product at a later time if you want to have only a handful at a time. They also do not require scissors or your teeth to open the packaging which is a bonus if you are out and about.

Another great thing about Back to Nature is that it has no artificial additives, preservatives, sweeteners, chemicals, hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. It’s 100% natural. They also only use premium ingredients...the best available nuts and harvested fruits. Nut types are individually roasted in small batches. Almonds separated from pistachios separated from cashews so that each nut retains their original flavour and crunch. Even the dried cranberries are juicy because the cranberries they use are dried with their juices intact.

Trail mix is a combination of dried fruit, grains, nuts, and sometimes chocolate which is developed as a snack food to be taken along on outdoor hikes, trips or as an after-school snack. I would consider it an ideal snack food because it is tasty, lightweight, easy to store, and nutritious, and provides a quick boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit and sustained energy from the mono - and polyunsaturated fats in nuts. I am headed to San Francisco next week for BlogHer Food with day trips exploring the city as well as the coast, so, these packages will come in very handy in my day pack. Some of the nuts are already gone and were so fresh and delicious!!!! The trail mixes will be saved for next week. I am especially looking forward to the chocolate/vanilla mix that will cure my cravings for chocolate in the city of The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.

Try sprinkling nuts into salads, yogurt, cereal, pasta and cooked vegetables. Or add a handful to your muffin and pancake batter for an extra punch of flavour and nutrition. Add fruit and nuts to a cheese platter for new twist on a favourite appetizer. Experiment with flavour and texture by sprinkling or blending it in with softer cheeses. Chocolate bark is a decadent treat any time of year. Try adding your favourite trail mix into the recipe for a guaranteed flavour (and nutrition) boost.

Back to nature has 6 varieties to choose from. Try them today!!!!!!

Made with premium almonds, plump California raisins (sun-dried with no added sugars or preservatives), jumbo and large grade pistachios, and cranberries that are dried with their natural juices intact. This premium trail mix is 100% natural—no preservatives, no additives, all delicious.

They start by meticulously selecting the highest grade of almonds commercially available: Nonpareil almonds, prized for their superior size. Then they gently dry roast them, and then steep them in sea salt to create delicious almonds—100% natural with absolutely no additives or added oils.

After roasting, the nuts are blended together to create a 100% natural Sea Salt Roasted Cashew, Almond and Pistachio mix—four simple ingredients, one great taste.

A perfect combination of taste and texture. They begin with crunchy pecans that are sourced from Southwest US and Mexico. Then they’re mixed in with their sun-dried and premium-grade California apricots, delicious pumpkin and sunflower seeds, highest-grade almonds and plump raisins to create a delicious, 100% natural trail mix that has no additives or preservatives.

Only jumbo cashews make the cut for Back to Nature. USDA Fancy Grade whole cashews—no pieces or picked-over remains. They dry roast them and then gently steep them in sea salt to preserve their natural taste and crunch—creating a 100% natural mix without any additives, preservatives or added oils.

They start with plump cranberries from bogs in Quebec and eastern Canada that grow cranberries exclusively for drying, not juicing. Then they dry them with their natural juices intact, creating a “juicy” dried cranberry. Then they add premium almonds that have been slowly tumbled in dark chocolate of over 50% cacao. Then they finish this perfect recipe with almonds coated in vanilla from Madagascar. The result is a 100% natural, 100% delicious snack.