Equal Opportunity Kitchen

Holiday Bundt Cake

2009-12-04T15:55:00.003-05:00

I feel like Jack Nicholson in the movie "The Shining" when he announced "I'm baaaack" The difference is that I don't have a hatchet in my hand and I really promise not to break your door down.

It feels like we've been through a whirlwind of events - travel, then some more travel, busy time of year in my real world and a flurry of unexpected social events. All very good stuff. I think I'm getting a handle on it now and can spend more energy in the blogging world.

Is everybody baking yet? Of course they are and I can't wait to see what's coming out of blogging kitchens. One of my absolute very favourite cakes is a bundt cake from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking from my Home to Yours. If you haven't visited Dorie's blog , head over. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned baker, I'm sure you learn something.

I have to apologize - during my two week hiatus from blogging, it seems I've forgotten which end of the camera to hold up so I'll apologize for my pictures (and then I'll just let it go)

Dorie's All-in-One Holiday Bundt Care is not overly sweet, great texture and beautiful flavours. I especially get excited when I can actually identify all the ingredients in a cake and this is one of those.

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned unsweeted pumpkin puree
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 cup cranberries, halved or coarsely chopped (I've made it with both fresh and dried cranberries and like them both)
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Confections' sugar, for dusting (I omitted this)

Center rack in the oven and preheat to 350 F. Butter a 9-10 inch (12 cup) Bundt pan (I used non stick spray and it was fine). Don't place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven's heat to circulate freely through the Bundt's inner tube.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ground ginger, if you're using it (not the grated ginger)

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Ad the eggs one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the pumpkin, chopped apple and grated ginger, if you're using it - don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in the cranberries and pecans. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula.

Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool to room temperature on the rack.

Just before bringing the cake to the table, dust it with confectioner's sugar.

Note: What really takes this cake to the next level is the addition of the apple pieces.

Chorizo Pesto Pasta

2009-11-18T09:27:00.004-05:00

I can hardly believe that this is week #140 of Presto Pasta Nights . This week's host is Kait of Pots and Plots I'm amazed that the Grand Pubah, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast has been able to find the energy to keep this event going each and every week (even with help). You still have time - until Friday to submit your entry. One can never have too many pasta recipes.

Since I'm leaving to spend some time with Psychgrad and "R" and their new home, I've been working on not buying any groceries until I get back and using up everything in my fridge.
This pasta looked rather interesting so why not. OK, what's in the fridge - hmmm...some sausage, mushrooms - yup, we can do this.

Chorizo Pesto Pasta

Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pkg 375 g Pesto Rotini Pasta
2 links chorizo sausage (Italian would work too)
1/2 large or 1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
red wine to deglaze (optional)
1 tin (398 ml/14oz) tomato sauce
cherry tomatoes, as desired

Heat olive oil in fry pan and add onions just until they begin to be translucent. Add garlic and stir but don't burn.
Cut up 2 links of chorizo sausage; brown with onions and garlic, add mushrooms.
Deglaze with wine, add tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes

Optional: I added a mix of dried herbs and some chili peppers.

The one thing I most appreciate about pasta is its resiliency. You can throw together anything and always (well...nearly always) end up with something.

Louisiana Banana Bread

2009-11-16T08:50:00.002-05:00

This is the time of year that I go through the freezer and think about what I need to clear out to make room for the mass quantity of holiday baking that will need a spot for holiday giving. Oh look, only a gazillion bananas in zip lock freezer bags that need to get used. As I combed the internet looking for a fresh new (to me) recipe I happened upon this Louisiana Banana Bread that looked promising.

Louisiana Banana Bread

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
4 eggs
2 cups bananas, mashed (about 4 medium)
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped nuts

Cream the butter with the sugar, add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, then add bananas. Sift all dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients, alternately with sour cream; fold in nuts.
Bake in two greased (or spray with nonstick coating) loaf pans at 350 F for 50-55 minutes.

Makes 2 loaves
I made 1 loaf and 8 mini loaves. The mini loaves were about 40 minutes bake time.

Verdict: No disappointments here. I'd never made a banana bread with sour cream before and the consistency that resulted was terrific. I think this is going to be my new "go to" recipe from here on in. It's light, nutty and very flavourful.

Celebrations

2009-11-14T15:27:00.004-05:00

There are so many good things happening - lots of celebrations to share.

Firstly, the BloggerAid Cook Book is available for purchase on Create Space, an arm of Amazon.com. If you go to amazon.com, you won't find the book so follow the link below the picture of the cover to get there.

Create Space

After nearly a year of very hard work by so many, this 224 page book that contains approximately 140 unique recipes from over 60 countries is finally completed. 100% of the royalties have been assigned to School Meals with the World Food Programme.

We're incredibly impressed with the international efforts of so many who made this happen. A world can indeed come together with purpose.

Secondly

Psychgrad is on the move - I mean literally moving. She and "R" just got the keys to their new home. It's a celebration on two fronts. Firstly and most importantly, this is their first home. Visualize paint cans, ladders, moving trucks, boxes...more boxes, bread and salt on the kitchen counter (baba is superstitious about having this in a new home). I can hear lots of sighs as the paint rollers glide across the walls transforming the house into their own. Secondly and pretty exciting is that mom gets to go on a road trip - yipeeeee!!! With dogs in tow, we'll set out to help (read: supervise) the moving process and hope that I don't get clobbered within the first 24 hours of arrival. So, there's a very real chance that you may just get stuck with me until Psychgrad can find her way back to her computer.

Thirdly

Keeping with the theme of celebrations, last night we went out to celebrate!! My brother is one of the producers for the revival of the Broadway musical Ragtime

If you happen to be in the New York City area, Ragtime opens at the Neil Simon Theatre on Sunday, November 15th. We took baba out for dinner to share in the excitement. We went to our favourite local Italian restaurant; one we hadn't been to in a long while.

I loved the presentation on the appetizer so of course the camera had to come out. I asked about a source for these long handled spoons that come in two sizes - this is the small size. Apparently they're from Mexico.

I had shrimp diablo that was incredibly tasty with a pretty good kick.

followed by roast chicken

and tiramisu for dessert

They say things come in 3's - I'm pretty happy with these three good things :)

President's Choice Kicking off the Holiday Season

2009-11-13T11:56:00.001-05:00

The Halloween goodies are off the shelves in the supermarkets. Canadians usually see this as the switch in thinking directly to the Holiday Season and the countdown begins. Entertainment plans are being made and decadent cakes and cookies move to the front burner. I'm already seeing the glitz and glitter everywhere and soon the Santa Claus parade will be making its serpentine run to delight children and adults alike.

This week I was one of the invitees to the President's Choice kick off for the holidays. An Insider's Report is created and mass mailed to give families a look at what's new for the 2009 season.

The event was held in a well appointed home converted to a holiday theme to showcase both foods and decorating ideas. This year, we'll see 8 ft. PC Christmas Trees in the stores. For me, a tree is a tree so no great hype but what did impress me was that Loblaws has taken a responsible stand on tree sales. For every tree that's sold, another is planted. I'm liking this philosophy.

Many decorating ideas created from moderate cost items available in the stores.

Generally, I'm more inclined to "do it from scratch". But, I'm also aware that this coming time of year can be more than just stressful for many families who just don't have the time. In between school concerts, hockey tournaments, dance and gymnastics it just doesn't make sense to take sleep out of your daily repetoire.

Here's a look at some of the things that impressed me the most. They are not even closely indicative of everything available.

These shrimp wontons are a hit. I wouldn't hesitate to serve them in my home. They're delicious and each portion has a good sized shrimp on the inside.

I have such little experience cooking with Indian flavours. If you like appetizers with a kick, these are the ones (another one I'll be stocking)

At the risk of sounding like a commercial I'll just say that I'm pretty impressed with the gravlax salmon appetizers. For me it takes President's Choice to Progressive Culinary. Apart from my foodie friends, not many would even know what gravlax is.

For those who prefer not to embibe, a non alcoholic sparkling drink bottled to look like champagne.

A large series of mocktail mixes that include mojito, mulled sparkling cider and my favourite Sicilian lemon.

After sampling the lamb, which has not been one of my most successful dishes to prepare, I realized I can be a hero with this one that tastes pretty amazing and looks great to serve to the table.

and let's not forget about dessert. The plate is a cool thing - it's actually a shadow box and you can change the inside with whatever theme you like.

I don't think I can allow myself to keep the almonds or truffles in the house - yep, they're that good.

It was fun to see what's new. This is a small sampling but definitely falls into the category of some of my favourite things (hmmm...isn't that an Oprahism??)

First Annual Foodbuzz Festival

2009-11-11T19:57:00.003-05:00

A Canadian from the east taking a trip to the west is something to look forward to on the list of "great things to do". Taking a trip to San Francisco for the first annual Foodbuzz Festival was more than a great thing to do - it had huge big WOW factor. From the minute the plane landed each hour had something very special to offer.

I arrived a day early to just do some sightseeing and see things I hadn't seen in previous visits to SF. So here's a question. How many of you that went to the festival found yourself singing the song "Candlestick Park" on the way from the airport? How many don't know the song? Am I really aging myself?

After checking into the hotel I finally got to meet Val from More Than Burnt Toast. Can you even believe it? We've been co-administrators of BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine and working together all this time and this is the first time we've actually met in person.

We went out for dinner and found that we both like chicken. Val had the lemon chicken

and I had the cashew chicken

From my previous post, you probably already gathered that I get a kick out of the quirky things in life. Now, honestly...how many restaurants can you go to where the guy at the next table is staff and he's shelling peas for dinner?

Let's not forget a short jaunt over to Little Italy to visit the Italian French Bakery (that one confused me a little) for one of their gigantic macaroons

Maybe Zoe from Zoe Bakes can teach us all how to create these lovely breads that we found at the Boudin Cafe.

and no trip to Fisherman's Wharf is complete without a visit with the ever entertaining sea lions

Day 1 was a registration day followed by a cocktail reception well managed by our new BFF, Brian the bartender.

After a bit of getting to know you filled with "so you're so and so" and "oh I've been following your blog forever" and watching everyone, camera in hand doing everything you've been doing for so long. The real difference was that you didn't have your family around you telling you "you're not taking another picture are you"... we were all just doing what we do naturally and it was all okay. Whew!!! I'm not crazy afterall.

Then it was on to experience the street food of San Francisco and you enjoyed everything from burritos to pizzas;

to pork sandwiches

(by the way - these were to die for)

and fungi vol au vente

and, of course - doesn't every city have oyster street food?

Day 2
A visit to the market, olive oil tasting and becoming an expert in sparkling wines from the inside out, followed by a salon filled with 60 purveyors and a ton of samples.

Day 2 - Evening - Outstanding in the Field

Entering, we were greeted by an outstanding display of local produce

and a series of tables that snaked from one end of the warehouse to the other

The Menu

Let's not forget our incredible chefs!!!

To all our friends, new and seasoned - we were so happy to meet you and spend such precious time with you. From Canada - A Bientot!!! (See Y'all Soon)

To all the hard working folks at FoodBuzz - This first annual festival was incredibly well put together. You worked very hard at making it happen and you did it with style, flair and made everyone feel welcome. Thank you so very much. Can't wait until next year!!!

Note to Psychgrad - You're coming next year!!!!!

Back from Foodbuzz

2009-11-09T23:41:00.005-05:00

It's been a whirlwind few days in San Francisco finally getting to meeting blogging buddies and just taking in the whole flavour of Foodbuzz's first annual festival. I have about 400 pictures to go through but wanted to just let you know that my expectations of this festival were exceeded. Kudos to the entire Foodbuzz Team for an exceptional job!!! There's so much to show and tell but for today and maybe even tomorrow a rest is in order.

Here's just a couple of the "you think you have problems" things we caught along the way.

Is San Francisco a city with a great sense of humour or serious issues??? Let's go with the sense of humour.

Apple, Oatmeal and Raisin Muffins

2009-11-06T12:44:00.005-05:00

Oh the pressure! I'm in charge while Giz is in San Francisco for the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival.

I, on the other hand, am stuck in Ottawa in what "feels like" -5 Celcius, at home with a cold (because going to work with a cold might get me excommunicated in times of H1N1 panic) with next to nothing in my cupboards (I shouldn't complain about this last one, since that was the goal). Ok...pity party over.

Now, I'm just trying to use up whatever is left in my cupboards. So, here we go with another apple post.

This time I made Apple, Oatmeal and Raisin muffins with a recipe on Cooks.com.

Apple, Oatmeal and Raisin Muffins

1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. raisins
1 apple, chopped
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. sugar
1 c. oatmeal

Beat egg. Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing until just moistened. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I was pretty skeptical about this recipe once I started it. Everything in me said "don't just beat the egg and then add everything else in". So, I separated the dry ingrediants from the wet ones. In the end, it turned out decently. Maybe a bit on the mushy side because of the apples (doesn't seem to have lingered once cooled). It tastes like a healthy muffin, which is code for "it's not very sweet". But with only 1/3 a cup of sugar, that's to be expected. In hindsight, I should have gone with Hopie's recipe for apple muffins.

Zabar's Brunch

2009-11-04T08:23:00.003-05:00

Did I tell you that hell froze over last month? Yeah...Actorboy (my brother) made a meal for the family by his own initiative. Granted, Actorboy does cook for himself -- some concoctions strangers than others. But, he's never said, "Hey - how about I make brunch? I'll get the groceries and prepare the whole thing". I think this new gf has a positive, unhuman-like, influence on him.

Not only did they make brunch, during Giz's birthday weekend....they brought in food from New York for the occasion. We were all still "recovering" from the big meal the night before. But, it was such a treat to have a selection of foods from Zabar's, a place Giz had raved about.

Without a doubt, these are the best rugelach I have ever eaten. You can read about them on the Zabar's website here. It does not suprise me that they are an all-time best seller.

Apparently, the coffee was quite strong (I'm not a coffee drinker) -- but it may have just been how it was made.

We had a mix of NY-style and Montreal-style bagels, some brought from NY and some bought locally at a Pusateris store.

Bagels, lox and cream cheese....I'm in heaven.

Actorboy even prepared personally-tailored omlettes:

It was a delicious brunch all around!

Nearing the End of Market Season

2009-11-02T22:22:00.002-05:00

Does anyone have any wise words of wisdom about adjusting to change? From the changing of seasons and turning back of the clock to packing up my house and relocation(s) at work -- I'm all for re-establishing homeostasis.

Since I'm getting low on everything (a good thing), I haven't been making any new recipes. But, I have been doing some exploring and am a bit behind on sharing some pictures. So, let me share a few with you....

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get to market again -- only 2 weeks left :(. Here are some shots from my last visit:

I am eagerly awaiting the start of our new Green Bin Program. I can only imagine how much less garbage I'll have every week if all of my organic waste can be composted!

I must say, there seem to be more recycling options in Ottawa lately. The days of being expected to pay $50 to recycle an old tube tv seem to be in the past.

I finally finish a knitting project I started a long, long time ago. After finishing the two panels, I lost motivation get through the final steps to completing my poncho (yikes -- 9 months since finishing the knitted portion and completing the project). But, with weather cooling down a lot, the timing seemed right. I was worried about not having blocked the panels enough, but am actually happy with the result. I just compensated for my less than perfect blocking by adding extra length on to the tassles.

Beef Bourguigon

2009-10-30T07:44:00.005-04:00

It's become a craze - seems everyone is recreating Julia Child's beef bourguignon. Since I'm not a big beef lover it just seemed unusual that this recipe could attract soooo much attention. I have Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" so I took a look at the recipe. OK, got it - looks like a bit of work but I can handle this. Then I started flipping through "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" that has a much more simplified version and claims not to lose in the flavour department.

Well... oh my .... let me just tell you .... to die for. It's really worth all the hype and Ina's recipe is not at all complicated.

Ingredients

1 3 lb. filet of beef, trimmed (I used sirloin)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 Tbsp good olive oil
1/4 lb bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups good dry wine, such as Burgundy or Chianti (I used Chianti)
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 spring fresh thyme
1/2 lb. pearl onions, peeled
8-10 carrots, cutt diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices
3 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick (domestic or wild)

With a sharp knife, cut the filet crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Salt and pepper the filets on both sides. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan on medium-high heat, saute the slices of beef in batches with 2-3 Tbsp oil until browned on the outside and very rare inside, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the filets from the pan and set aside on a platter

In the same pan, saute the bacon on medium-low heat for 5 minutes until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Drain all the fat, except 2 Tbsp from the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook on high heat for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, thyme, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Strain the sauce and return it to the pan. Add the onions and carrots and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and the vegetables are cooked.

With a fork mash 2 Tbsp butter and the flour into a paste and whisk it gently into the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile saute the mushrooms separately in 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil for about 10 minutes, until browned and tender.

Add the filet of beef slices, the mushrooms and the bacon to the pan with the vegetables and sauce. Cover and reheat gently for 5 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Season to taste and serve immediate.

Ina's notes:

To peel the pearl onions easily, first blanch them for a minute or two in boiling water.

This dish is excellent made in advance and refrigerated in the pan. When you are ready to serve, heat the filets and sauce over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until heated through.

Warning!!! This dish is highly addictive. The sauce is so flavourful I'd be happy just having the carrots with the sauce. Using a good wine here is a great tip. I should have made a double recipe. I wouldn't hesitate to make this again. It's out of control delicious.

Apple Pie

2009-10-28T23:39:00.002-04:00

We're just about 2 weeks away fron the move. The bottom of my extra freezer is in sight!

We've got an office full of boxes and an attic full too. So far, no last minute packing -- we have some overlap between the close date and the end of our lease.

Last post, Giz mentioned having gone apple picking and having too many apples. So - you know that if Giz has too many apples, chances are that I'll get a load of them myself. Giz sent us home with two large bags full that are now taking up an entire shelf in my fridge. At least it forces me to not buy more groceries.

I decided to make an apple pie for dessert for the Canadian Thanksgiving meal I made. You can read about the soup and main course here.

I followed Giz's advice and used the Best Ever Apple Pie recipe in the Canadian Living Cookbook -- there were some initial bumbs in the road, but eventually success.

Best Ever Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry:
3/4 cup (175 mL) shortening
3 tbsp (50 mL) butter, softened
2-1/4 cups (550 mL) All-purpose flour
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) ice water
Filling:
8 cups (2 L) Thinly sliced peeled tart apples (2-1/4 lb/ 1. 12 kg)
2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice
1/2 cup (125 mL) Granulated sugar
3 tbsp (50 mL) All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
Glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 tsp (10 mL) Granulated sugar
Preparation:
1. In bowl, beat shortening with butter until smooth; stir in flour and salt until coarse and ragged looking. Pour in water all at once; stir until loose dough forms. With floured hands, gather into 2 balls. On well-floured surface, gently knead each into 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick disc. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chilled.

2. On well-floured pastry cloth or work surface and using stockinette-covered or well-floured rolling pin, roll out 1 piece of dough from centre, lifting pin at edge to maintain even thickness. Turn rolling pin clockwise 90 degrees. Repeat rolling out and turning dough until in 13-inch (33 cm) circle.

3. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin; unroll into 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Using sharp knife, trim edge even with pie plate.

Filling: In large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Stir together sugar, flour and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples and toss until coated. Scrape into pie shell. Brush pastry rim with water.

4. Roll out remaining dough to same-size circle. Using rolling pin, drape over apples, without stretching dough. Trim, leaving 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Gently lift bottom pastry rim and fold overhang under rim; press together to seal. Tilt sealed pastry rim up from pie plate at 45-degree angle.

5. With hand on outside of tilted pastry rim and using thumb and bent index finger, gently twist rim to form scalloped edge. With small decorative cutter or tip of sharp knife, cut steam vents in centre of pie.

6. Whisk yolk with 1 tbsp (15 mL) water; brush over crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake in bottom third of 425°F (220°C) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C); bake for 40 minutes or until golden, filling is bubbly and apples are soft when pierced with knife through vent. Let cool on rack.

Verdict: The recipe was quite good - but I partially messed it up. The short version is:

Don't follow pie cooking recipe if you decide to use a "almost ready-made dough, forget to make vents in your pie and eat it quite soon after it comes out of the oven. It ended up almost burning (I think I mainly salvaged it from the hot oven temperature) and became a bit apple saucy (probably from the lack of vents and type of apple). Nonetheless, I like hot apple sauce (with ice cream) - so all was good. It was even better the next day (which I don't have a picture of).

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

I have also been wanting to post about The Cookbook People. They've partnered with BloggerAid and have agreed to donate $20 to the School Meals Programme when a member mentions them on her/his blog. Here's some information about both:

The Cookbook People have designed their own family cookbook software to help families create a cookbook out of those recipes you've had in your family for generation -- or new recipes that you want to share with your loved ones. If you're into making your own cookbooks or cookbook supplies - go check out their site.

BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine has a number of great initiatives to raise awareness and funds for the World Food Programme. One of their major current initiatives is the cookbook they are developing with recipes from foodbloggers around the world. They're in the final editing stages and it will be available on Amazon soon! Really exciting to hear about it coming close to completion.

An Apple a Day

2009-10-25T21:49:00.003-04:00

There's absolutely no question that fall has arrived in Canada. The colours are spectacular and the photo opportunities are second to none. Although I'd love to take credit for these photos, I really can't. My friend "S" took them - she really has the photographic eye but I really had to share them with you. Tell me this isn't an incredible site to see.

Today was another fun day in the apple orchards. We probably have just one more good week of apple picking - most orchards close around Halloween but we found the apples really plentiful today - especially the Spy apples, known to be exceptional pie apples. While there, I also picked up a book called "An Apple A Day" written by a local cookbook author - Susan Smith. What a find!!!

Published in 1951 I couldn't even find it on the internet to give due credit to the author. It was amusing to find an author's tip that suggested using nylons as a great sieve to make apple juice with. No disrespect intended but does anybody actually really do that anymore?

Since I have this overabundance of apples, I thought I'd work my way through her book and try out some of her recipes. Here's an easy oldie but always a welcome dessert.

Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced, peeled tart apples (about 4 medium - I used Cortland apples)
2/3 - 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (quick cooking)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease square pan 8"x8"x2". Place apple slices in pan. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm alone or with light cream or ice cream.

6 servings

Here's my learning: An apple is not just an apple. As with most things, if you have the right tool to do the job, the outcome is generally more favourable. The cortland apple was the perfect match for this dessert. I've made many apple crisps but this one is by far the tastiest ever.

Garlic Roasted Turkey Breast

2009-10-24T16:39:00.009-04:00

I posted recently about my short trip to Niagara Falls and a visit to Anna Olson's Ravine Restaurant. I also mentioned that I picked up a cookbook that Anna generously signed for me. Do check out Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home So far I'm loving this cookbook. It's a compilation of recipes that you may or may not see in a restaurant setting but focuses more on the food that Anna and Michael would cook at home. What's the difference? So far most of what I've seen is lower fat without losing flavour.

I decided to try their Garlic Roasted Turkey Breast, a recipe I found to be really no fuss, a 10 minute prep and really delicious.

Ingredients

2 cups shallots, peeled
6 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 springs fresh thyme (I used sage)
1 3lb turkey breast
coarse salt and black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 325 F. Toss shallots and garlic with olive oil and spread over the bottom of a roasting pan or baking dish.

Arrange thyme over shallots and place turkey breast on top. Rub turkey with butter and season with salt and pepper.

Roast turkey until juices run clear and an internal temperature of at least 175F is reached
Remove turkey from pan and keep warm. Skim excess fat off shallots and place pan over medium heat.

Add balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring shallots, until vinegar is absorbed. Serve turkey slice with sauce spooned on top.

Canadian Thanksgiving

2009-10-21T00:15:00.001-04:00

Autumn is my favourite time of year. Although I am a proud Westerner, the Fall in Ontario is pretty amazing.

One of my favourite things to do at this time of year is to walk around Parliament Hill and the surrounding area.

Canadian Thanksgiving is a sure sign of Autumn. Here's some of the meal I made for it....

Last year when making Butternut Squash Soup, I realized I had bought more squash than needed. I decided to partially cook it (boil it) and then flash freeze it. It worked out perfectly as a base for a delicious recipe from Whole Foods Market

Classic Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup diced carrot (about 1 (8-inch) large carrot)
1/2 cup diced celery (about 1 (11-inch) large stalk)
2/3 cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
4 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 medium squash)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used this broth)
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Method
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add carrot, celery and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add butternut squash and thyme. Stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup. Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and carefully puree in batches in a traditional blender.

Along with the soup, I served a pomegranate salad...

roast chicken and sweet potatoes:

Everything came out really well... Except for the dessert. I'll tell you about that in my next post.

A Cure for Stress - The Niagara Region

2009-10-18T18:21:00.005-04:00

It's been a fun few days in the life of Giz. We decided to take a few days and take a short jaunt to Niagara Falls . It's pretty fortunate that The Falls are only a short hour's drive from my home. Although I've visited several times, the magnitude of The Falls is nothing short of incredible. Since Niagara Falls is right on the border that separates Canada from the U.S. we have a view of both the Canadian Falls and the American Falls. It's fair to say that the Canadian side is far more spectacular to look at.

Canadian Falls

U.S. Side

I don't think my view from a hotel window really shows the power of the Falls but if you come for a visit, I'd be happy to show you both falls and you be the judge.

We had a plan! Chillaxin' was part of the plan as was being able to participate in some of the local fun things. The Niagara Region is known for it's wines so we booked a full day tour of several of the wineries do do some tasting with a stop for lunch at Olson Foods at Ravine. The restaurant is run in partnership with Ravine Vineyards in St. David's, Ontario. It's a noteworthy restaurant and bakery since it's run by one of our Canadian celebrity chefs Anna Olson. Anna is known for two Food TV shows. The first is called Sugar where we followed a sweet journey in the life of a pastry chef who delights us with accessible baking.

Visiting the restaurant was part of a whole experience. As part of the BloggerAid View and Review group, I'll be receiving Anna's newest cookbook Fresh by Anna Olson for review. The book is also the name of Anna's second Food TV show.

It was nice to be able to meet Anna and have her sign a copy of one of her books for me and get a sense of the person behind the talent. In spite of the fact that she was cooking in the back as well as taping her show at the same time, Anna made a point of coming out to chat for a few minutes.

We had the pleasure of tasting the Gewustraminer wine found at the Ravine Winery that shares the same property as the Ravine.

The Niagara Region is well known internationally for its world class wineries and its ice wines.

The Inniskillen Winery will be the vintner for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia this year.

and how gorgeous are the grapes at Chateau des Charmes

and of course not to be forgotten, the white grapes

now...this is what I call a cork board -

Weaving through the back roads of the Niagara Region, one of the must stop places along the way is the well known unassuming Picard Peanuts. Housed inside, one can sample and purchase literally ALL things peanuts.

Since "R" is the only human I know who absolutely adores dill pickle chips, how could I not pick up peanuts that taste like dill pickles.

Yeah, I know - pretty out there but well.... I love my son in law :). Psychgrad - she'll get half my stash of wines and ice wine. A really great few days.

Birthday Celebrations

2009-10-09T23:58:00.004-04:00

Birthday celebrations were successful!

Somehow I got drafted to be in charge. I blame Giz (the obvious solution). Usually Giz is in charge of managing the troops, but since it was for her birthday, we couldn't put her in charge. So I got stuck "herding the cats" in my family.

We decided to mix things up and plan an evening of games. While packing (for the impending move), I came across an old murder mystery game I had from my 15th birthday. At first I thought we could just re-use it because it had been long enough since playing it last that I wouldn't recall the storyline. Then, I realized how old I am and came to terms with it being time to get rid of the game...It would be too difficult to find a tape player to play the tape that comes with the game.

Realizing that this is the 21st century, I did what any reasonable person would do...I searched on line for a murder mystery game and came across this site hostparty.com. It seemed well-organized, so I searched for a murder theme that would work for the group and sent out electronic invitations to the guests from there.

UPDATE: The game was fun...there were 4 rounds of clues and at each round the players had to reveal a clue. The idea is to weave the clue into a conversation, but everyone ended up just reading their clues and then yelling, "I heard that character X...." (basically yelling out the clue as soon as they read it). In any case, it was still fun.

In the end, Actorboy turned out to be the murderer. I liked how it was a ready-made game that incorporated everyone. But, I find that the murder mysteries are not particularly clever. In the end, it's not as though you would really guess how the murderer carried out the act -- it's basically a random result that falls a bit flat.

I decided to play it relatively safe by mainly selecting dishes that I've tried and love.

Of course, that involves Caprese Skewers:

I figured Portobello Mushroom Pizza would be a hit with at least some of the crowd, but even the fussier eaters ate them.

I made the easy lemon dill salmon - another simple dish.

Probably the biggest risk (which is still minor in the world of food risks) is the chicken dish. The fear is ending up with flavourless or dried out chicken. But, after browning the outsides and letting it finish in the oven, the chicken was very succulent and earned several kudos.

But, really - the commendments go to For the Love of Cooking. I made her Grilled Chicken with Mustard Tarragon Sauce. It was a great pairing with the chicken and actually went very well with the salmon too. I HIGHLY recommend that you try it.

The mustard-tarragon sauce is the dish on the left, below.

On the right is a herb and roasted garlic butter spread I made (it was just ok).

Actorboy and his gf were in charge of getting the cake. They got a carrot cake for Giz....

And a lemon meringue tart for my birthday (which was just a few days after Giz's b-day).

Of course, no one was hungry for fruit, but it's mandatory dessert food.

Hourly Photo Project

2009-10-02T09:21:00.011-04:00

Andrea, a well-known local blogger, from A Peek Inside the Fishbowl is hosting an Hourly Photo Project today.

The idea is that you post a picture every waking hour of the day.

I'll be taking a picture every hour and posting them. However, because I'll be in transit for a good part of the morning, I'll have to update later this afternoon with my hourly photos.

Photo 1: Evidence of my procrastination...Supposed to leave by 9am. This is my suitcase at 8am.

Photo 2: Making progress: lunch for the road...obviously missing my 9am target

I'm back...and now catching up on the photos I took.

Photo 3: 10am - finally on the highway...But 417 at 10am = seriously late

Photo 4: 11am - on route
Photo 5: 12pm

Photo 6: 1pm - Definitely more than half way.

Photo 7: 2pm - How can you tell we're getting closer to Toronto

Photo 8: 3pm In Toronto - Mom's dog, Suki

Photo 9: 4pm -- just some of mom's beads.

Photo 10: 5pm - mom's torture device/apple peeler

Photo 11: 6pm - a birthday present for me (warrants 2 pictures)!

Thanks mom!!!

Photo 12: 7pm - groceries for tomorrow night's dinner...

Photo 13: 8pm - yay! A new episode of Ghost Whisperer...but when did they get a 6 year old son?

Photo 13: 9pm - getting tired...

Wedding Reception #2

2009-09-30T08:27:00.004-04:00

Oh oh... The gig is up. After nearly two years of going unnoticed, we've been caught. My dad found the blog. Go see for yourself, this is the comment he left

Anonymous said...

Accidently found this blog...
... clearly somebody's been holding out on me

I guess I'm just yesterday's chopped liver (sorry, no foody pics...)

And who am I?
... with a Giz and Grad in the family - I could only be known as:

Psycho-Giz-Grad's Dad

All along, we just let him (and other family members) believe that we were crazy people obsessed with taking pictures of food and now the truth is revealed: the obsession goes much deeper. Not only do we take pictures of food, we blog about food and participate in a community of food bloggers. Oh well -- my dad is a wierdo too, in his own right.

*********************************************
Speaking of my dad...let me tell you about the reception he hosted for me and R...

Going to Winnipeg for a second reception is something R and I knew we had to do. R and I wanted a small ceremony and reception in Ottawa, so only closer family and friends were invited. I don't think anyone was too offended by it -- but a 2nd reception for extended family was probably the only way to prevent that.

The idea started out pretty basic...we would have a bbq at my dad's place. Then, this became unrealistic because a bbq would have to extend to both the house and backyard. This would, apparently, require a tent, catering, and a newly painted fence. (I don't know when we started trying to keep up with the Joneses)

Redoing the fence was the deal-breaker. So, the reception had to be held elsewhere. "Elsewhere" was pretty limited too because the meal had to be kosher. In Winnipeg, there are only a handful of places that serve kosher food.

So, what started out as a low-key bbq became a reception at the Hotel Fort Garry, one of the nicer hotels in the city.

From then on, I pretty much relinquished control and went where I was told.

Although the laws of kashrut created some limitations around food options, it was probably a mixed blessing. Any "bright ideas" Giz and I had about baking for the reception were impossible. So, that meant a repeat of the wedding cookie saga was out of the question.

Instead, we got some chocolate giveaways from Morden's, a family owned and operated chocolatier that is another one of those Winnipeg institutions.

Because the chocolate was not kosher, guests were asked to wait until they left to open up the giveaways. Our experience with Morden's was really positive -- they were able to complete our order with little notice and even accommodated a change to the order a day before pick up.

Sometimes kosher food has a reputation of being...so-so. I don't know why because when made well, the quality of kosher meat is often better that run of the mill grocery store meat.

I'd have to say that this meal didn't change my mind about kosher food. It was about par for the course. Not bad -- but no one dish would be something I'd add to my cooking repetoire (if I had made it at home).

The meal started with a mushroom and wild rice-type soup. It was pretty plain and could have used more mushrooms and wild rice within the broth.

On the way to the reception, I asked my dad and step-mom if there were any speeches planned (you may recall I had a "no speech" policy at my reception). My dad quickly said, "no" -- which was my first clue. Typically, when I ask my dad a question, I can expect a 5-10 second delay in getting a response (if he's paying attention). This time, there was less than a 2 second delay between the end of my question and his answer -- something was amiss.

Shortly after the evening started, I could see folders being passed around. There was one speech after the next and a "you must sing a song about love or tell a joke to get Psychgrad and R to kiss" rule. Turns out there was quite a bit of speech plotting without me knowing about it.

It was ok though...After consuming a couple of extra drinks than planned, all was good.

Back to the meal...

The salad had a sufficient amount of dressing, which was something the salad at the other reception lacked. But, it looked kind of sad on my plate.

The main course looked kind of sad too. The taste was ok, although the chicken was on the over-cooked side.

It did make me wonder when the last time this menu or plating was changed -- I'm guessing about 20 years ago.

The dessert was a cookie/scone (somewhere between the two) with sorbet. The sorbet was good, the scone wasn't great.

The decor my step-mom chose was nice -- tigerlilies.

It was nice to be able to spend time with more of my extended family. I think everything worked out well and no one has disowned me because of not being invited to a reception.

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

One last note....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIZ!

Celebrations will be held this weekend.

View and Review: Back to Nature Trail Mix

2009-09-27T22:11:00.004-04:00

I think I was born opinionated. That, or I had a model of someone who was very opionated to learn from. In either case, from a very young age, I have enjoyed reviewing things. When I would go to restaurants with my parents, I had a rating system that included the food taste and quality, service, and cleanliness of the washroom. Is this normal behaviour for a 10 year old?

When I heard that BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine was initiating a View and Review component, I was immediately intrigued.

BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine have partnered with cookbook publishers and food purveyors to offer members the opportunity to participate in book and product reviews. To date, more than 14 members have received copies of some great books and products for review.

Does it sounds like something interesting to you? Join BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine here and sign up for View and Review.

The only way I can agree to giving a review is to be able to tell the truth -- good and/or bad.

This week, I received my first product. A basket filled with six different nut/trail mix combinations from Back to Nature.Over the past couple of years, I've discovered that I actually like nuts. Starting with the ease of transporting them for camping purposes and then learning about their health benefits, I now regularly eat nuts. The Back to Nature website reiterates these benefits:

•Studies have shown that including nuts in your diet can reduce the amount of harmful cholesterol in the blood and can reduce the risk of heart disease.
•If total calories are controlled, eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain. The fat, protein and fibre in nuts keeps you feeling fuller longer, so you may eat less during the day without feeling deprived. Studies also show people who regularly eat a small amount of nuts have a lower Body Mass Index those who do not.

I don't typically buy salted nuts, so I was a bit weary about seeing some sea salted packages in my basket. But, I was quite impressed to see that even the salted nuts were low in sodium. Compared to a serving of non-salted nuts (as little as 5 mg sodium)/serving (1/4 bag -- 42g), the salted nuts are closer to 140 mg of sodium (about 5% of recommended daily intake). Not bad...not bad. Plus, the taste of the salted nuts is more of a light dusting as opposed to those nuts that are so salted you need a glass of water to just get them down.

I took a bag of cashews to work and they were happily shared among my colleagues. I also served a bag of cashews, almonds and pistachios to neighbours as we unwound from a long day at work.

This weekend, I opened up the raisin, almond, pumpkin seed, pecans and apricots to dress a salad.

As usual, the nuts tasted fresh. But, I would have to say that the apricots were not a high point for me. I don't generally have anything against apricots, but these ones were quite chewy, particularly in contrast to the remaining nuts. I may be crazy, but I'm pretty sure there are walnuts in this package too. I'd rather see more walnuts in lieu of apricots (although I'm sure cost would be a factor in determining the package's distribution).

Most recently, I opened the cranberry, chocolate covered almonds and vanilla almonds. I really like the vanilla almonds. I was less crazy about the chocolate covered almonds, because the chocolate is semi-sweet (not a flavour I'm crazy about). But, a nice snack all around.

Overall, a good product. I'm happy to see them at my local grocery store too.

Ovarian Cancer Month - September

2009-09-26T17:22:00.003-04:00

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and for the second year in a row, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are hosting the O Foods Contest to raise awareness of this important health issue.

There are TWO WAYS to take part in the O Foods Contest:

ONE: Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato)

Include this entire text box in the post; and send your post url along with a photo (100 x 100) to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.

PRIZES for recipe posts:

1st: Signed copy of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who is currently battling ovarian cancer, inspired this event, and will be choosing her favorite recipe for this prize;

2nd: Signed copy of Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali (winner chosen by Sara);

3rd: Signed copy of Vino Italiano: The Regional Italian Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich (winner chosen by Michelle).

OR

TWO: If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word and send your post url to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.

Awareness posts PRIZE:

One winner chosen at random will receive a Teal Toes tote bag filled with ovarian cancer awareness goodies that you can spread around amongst your friends and family.

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

Although I truly wanted to create a dish for this event, I, unfortunately threw my back out. But, I didn't want to do nothing. So, this will be my submission and dedication to recognize an event that touches too many women, one of them a very dear friend of mine. Let me share her story.

At the age of 37 and in the prime of her life, Kate started thinking about having a second child and thoughts of buying a new home to accommodate her growing family. With a beautiful 3 yr. old daughter, devoted husband, great job and loving family and friends, life couldn’t be much better.

Kate had been feeling a little “off” and doctors were having some trouble finding the cause of her discomfort. Following a battery of tests, she received the terrifying diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer – stage 3. NO warning, NO family history and presumably NO reason. Almost immediately, Kate was whisked into surgery where numerous tumors were removed and a radical hysterectomy was performed. What followed was 6 months of chemotherapy and all the side effects associated.

At the end of the grueling 6 months, she received some relief in the doctor’s words when he told her she was in remission. With newfound respect for life and the luxury of feeling good Kate made plans to return to her job and continue with her dreams.

A short 7 months later, Kate was back in chemo fighting the battle that continued for 2 1/2 years. We lost Kate this year at the end of July.

Kate and I worked together for many years - we were also good friends. A memorial website has been created for my very dear friend.

Kate Hynninen

Only 4% of Canadian women can identify a list of the most common symptoms of ovarian cancer. Yet 2,500 Canadian women are diagnosed and 1,700 women die annually from this disease, making it the country’s most fatal gynecologic cancer.

Symptoms include bloating, pelvic pain, abdominal pain, indigestion, feeling full quickly, frequent or urgent urination, fatigue, menstrual irregularities, weight loss or weight gain. They might be nothing. But if these symptoms persist for more than three weeks, they could be signs of ovarian cancer. If you are having persistent symptoms, talk to your doctor. And even if you are not, spread the word among your sisters and friends.

Ovarian Cancer Canada is the country’s sole charity dedicated to overcoming ovarian cancer. Our mission is to provide support to women with ovarian cancer and their families, raise public awareness and fund research that will ultimately lead to a cure for the disease.

Get curious – Find out more. Visit Ovarian Cancer Canada or call 1-877-413-7970.

When Kate was first diagnosed, I created this awareness bracelet and called it Kate. I have since been working with Ovarian Cancer Canada as a third party fundraiser to do whatever I can to help raise both awareness and funds for this organization. 50% of all profits from the sale of this bracelet go directly to Ovarian Cancer research.

and in the U.S.

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%.

And remember, you can also always donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at our page through First Giving. Please help spread the word about ovarian cancer.

Rosh Hashana

2009-09-19T11:44:00.002-04:00

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game. There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. The shofar (ram's horn) pictured above is highly symbolic and is blown 100 times to ring in the new year (kind of like a trumpet).

A popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year. Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh (tash-leek) or ("casting off"). We walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets into the river, symbolically casting off our sins. Small pieces of bread are commonly put in the pocket to cast off.

My commitment to the new year is pretty much the same as it is every year and that's to do the best that I can to somehow make this world a better place. I'm a very strong believer in following deeds. It's not always important what people say; it's far more important to follow what they do and why. My greatest wish is to see a world where people respect one another no matter of religion, colour, creed or beliefs; to create an environment where equal opportunity is not a dream and where all children have enough to eat.

The celebration of Rosh Hashana follow the Hebrew Calendar and arrives at a different date each year on the Julian Calendar. This year we celebrate:

Jewish Year 5770: sunset September 18, 2009 - nightfall September 20, 2009

And what's a celebration without the food. Family and friends gather after sunset on Friday night to enjoy one of two evening meals together (read: eat til you bust)

Typically the meal will begin with gefilte fish.

You can find the recipe here This is generally served with a hot horseradish contiment and challah bread.

Next comes chicken soup with matzo balls. Normal people would by this point already say, okay, enough I'm really full. This is where the cook says "you better be kidding because we're just beginning".

This year we're doing two entrees - chicken and beef brisket. This year's brisket recipe comes from my very favourite standby Norene Gilletz from her book Meal Lean Yumm! which is now in its umpeenth reprint and has changed its name to Norene's Healthy Kitchen

I may have only mentioned about 20 times that I raised my children on Norene's recipes and have yet to find one that hasn't been well tested both in the Gourmania kitchens as well as my own.

Coke Brisket

Ingredients

3 onions, sliced
4 1/2 to 5 lb. beef brisket, well-trimmed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp paprika
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup coke (or diet coke)

Spray large roasting pan with non-stick spray. Place onions in pan; place brisket on top of onions. Rub meat on all sides with garlic, seasonings, jam and lemon juice. Pour cola over and around brisket. Marinate for an hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cook covered. Allow 45 minutes per lb as the cooking time, until meat is fork tender. Uncover meat for the last hour and baste it occasionally. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refridgerate overnight, if possible. Discard hardened fat which congeals on the surface. Slice brisket thinly across the grain, trimming away any fat. Reheat slices in the defatted pan juices.

You can also take the defatted juices and onions and give them a ride in the food processor until smooth. Pour through a sieve into a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and add 1/4 cup water with 2 Tbsp of cornstarch or flour. If the gravy isn't thick enough, repeat the cornstarch process until you reach desired thickness.

When the brisket is placed on the table people whisper to one another "exactly where am I supposed to put this" as the cook then brings in a mountain of oven roasted chicken breast with dilled fingerling potatoes, Israeli couscous salad, green fruit and nut salad topped with pomegranate and toasted pecans, as well as the cauliflower pancakes I posted about the other day.

And no New Year dinner is complete without either a honey cake or an apple cake.

You can find the recipe here .

The beauty of the celebration is that we get to do it all over again for a second night!!! To all who celebrate this holiday - L'Shana Tova (to a happy new year) and may you all be inscribed in the book of life.

Back to Winnipeg

2009-09-18T08:49:00.004-04:00

Earlier in the summer, R and I took a trip to Winnipeg for a 2nd wedding reception (a compromise for having a small reception in Ottawa that excluded extended family).

Where is Winnipeg, you ask? It's the capital city of the Province of Manitoba, located at the geographic centre of Canada. The population is around 650,000

Going to Winnipeg requires a visit to some of the local institutions to get my fill of the treats I grew up with. Let me show what would easily be a "not-so-healthy but filled with delicious food day".

The first stop was a place I had never been to, The Eye Opener, but a good place for breakfast. R had the "Winnipeger", stuffed with chopped kulbassa, green onions and cheddar cheese.

Giz had "The Eye Opener"

Knowing that we would be running from one food store to the next, we took pity on R and dropped him off. We then proceeded to Gunn's bakery. This well known bakery has been providing Winnipegers with old country style, kosher baking since 1937. Well, it's kosher -- but open on Saturday.

After Gunn's, we stopped in to Alycia's Perogies. This is, apparently, the recipe for their dough.

Both Giz and I have blueberry perogies on our minds since seeing Adam's post. Unfortunately, they hadn't received their shipment of blueberries yet. So, I picked up a couple dozen cheese and onion stuffed perogies to freeze and take home with me. WAY better than the mass-produced crap R buys at the grocery store here.

After Alycia's, we headed went to a family dinner. On the menu was steak flown in from Toronto (care of Giz's Purolator Services).

Kosher steaks are available in Winnipeg, but not as readily as Toronto.

Such a good meal -- the steak was so flavourful. It makes me want to invest in some kosher steaks.

I was also thrilled to find that another favourite was on the menu....Jeanne's cake! Jeanne's cakes are a favourite of many Winnipegers, so much so that they're sold at the airport.

Yes...the cake says, "Can't leave Winnipeg without a Jeanne's cake".

Jeanne's cakes are known for their cookie bottom and shaved chocolate sides. I'm drooling already.

Ok...I know you're thinking -- holy crap, how much did you eat in one day. But, it doesn't end there. Oh the shame.

Unfortunately, we had to run quickly from dinner to catch a Bombers' game, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, that is. It was nice to catch up with some friends, but with the Bombers' making only one down during the first half, it was probably one of the worst games all year.

Since it had been a couple of hours since dessert, it seemed reasonable to go for a second dessert at Baked Expectations.

It was a long shot, but I had high hopes for my favourite cake being available.

I've had some unlucky experiences with this cake before (note: language warning if you follow the link). But, the stars were aligned and when I walked in, I saw that there were two slices of pavlova left. Before sitting down, I found a waiter and told him to save a slice for me and sat anxiously waiting for my slice.

Oh..pavlova...I miss you.

My friend got a slice of German Chocolate Cheesecake...

and R got a slice of Cinnamon Tort...

50 gazillion calories later, we decided to call it a night. The next day would be the reception, so we needed to rest up.

There you have it, a quick tour of some of the food sites Winnipeg has to offer. Proof -- Winnipeg truly exists!

Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-09-17T08:35:00.001-04:00

Do you ever randomly smell something (even when there is no explicable reason for the smell) and start to crave it immediately? This is how this recipe came to be...

It started when I thought I smelled peanut butter. It only lingered for a moment, but the craving persisted for the rest of the day. Then, my colleague came to work with a peanut butter bagel the next day. Next, we started talking about peanut butter cookies and it was all downhill from there...or uphill (depending on how you look at it). Thankfully, I have ready-made taste-testers at work, many of whom are foodies themselves.

Giz has posted Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Peanut Butter Crisscrosses before. That recipe makes for crunchier cookies than this recipe, which comes from The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook. This cookbook is one I regularly turn to for recipes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp each basking soda and baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. In large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy; beat in brown and granulated sugars. Beat in peanut butter and eggs, 1 at a time; beat in vanilla until smooth.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add all at once to butter mixture and stir until blended.

3. Scoop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (15 ml) and roll into balls; place 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on parchment paper-lined or greased rimless baking sheets. With fork dipped in flour or granulated sugar, press each to make crisscross pattern and flatten to 1/2 inch (1 cm) thickness.

4. Bake in 350F oven for 10-12 minutes or until firm and edges and bottoms are golden. Transfer to racks; let cool.

Verdict: Craving fulfilled!

House Success & Prince Edward County

2009-09-15T08:56:00.004-04:00

Oh oh...Giz has moved from gentle requests, "gee, it would be nice if you posted..." and "are you going to post tonight?" to "are you going to blog ever again?" and "why are you taking pictures of food if you don't blog anymore?" (ouch...the last one stung).

Ok mom -- I'm going to post.

Things have been busy. We found a house! We've got a couple of months until we move in. But, we're slowly making a dent in the things (e.g., trying to sort out an attic that is currently reminiscent of the "before" pictures on Clean Sweep).

I'm looking forward to being into a home of my own and am particularly excited about the amount of cupboard space in the kitchen.

**No, Giz, this isn't a covert way of me saying that you should go out and buy me more kitchen items**

I can see myself being busy with little projects for quite a long time. The current owners love antiques. Like this chandelier...

I think I'm going to be replacing the light fixtures pretty quickly.

I'm also interested in moving this island...or more accurately, penninsula, to the far wall.

I don't really understand their choice of configuration, nor the bum-shaped counter top. Does anyone know anything about these bum-shaped counter tops and whether there is something positive about them that I am missing?

How difficult is it to move an island that is stuck to the floor? It just doesn't make sense to me to have this space. I guess it's supposed to make it an eat-in kitchen. Ideally, I would like to move the penninsula and put on a new counter top that doesn't hang over the cupboards very much.

So, as I was saying, a number of projects for me to stay up at night thinking about. But, the house is in good condition. The lady that lives there is clearly a very tidy (read: obsessive) person, who hasn't skimped on repairs. Here's just one of her 3 closets that are all filled with clothes wrapped in clothing bags.

I'm very relieved to be done the house search process.

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R and I went to Prince Edward County last weekend. You may remember Giz and I blogging about our trip to that region last year around this time.

This time, we went to visit the very popular Sandbanks Provincial Park. It's so popular, that when we knew we wanted to go camp there during Labour Day weekend, R woke up 5 months to the date at 8 am (the earliest you can make your camping booking) to make the reservation.

The campsites are about average, as far as Ontario provincial parks go. But, the big draw is the beach, which is one of the nicest beaches in the province. The sand is very fine and the water crystal clear.

Beautiful sunsets too!

Because the weather was so beautiful, we spent most of our time at the beach. But we did take some time to go around the county on our last day in the region.

Last time Giz and I were in the county, we didn't get a chance to buy any cheese. So, R and I stopped in to the Black River Cheese shop.

The website explains that this company was started in 1901 by local farmers and is still a small production facility dedicated to preserving a tradition of making superior cheese.

We stopped off at County Cider. Unfortunately, they were sold out of their Waupoos Premium Cider that we like (the LCBO in town was sold out too). We bought a bottle of the County Premium Cider, but its flavour is much weaker.

We also visited Black Prince Winery. The winery markets itself as being dedicated to crafting fine, accessible wines showcasing what the area has to offer. I've only sampling the wine, so far. But, was actually quite impressed with the taste. Usually, when I sample wine the thought in my wine-novice head is, "yup, tastes like wine". But, when I sampled this wine, I immediately wanted to taste some more.

The 3 hour car ride home gave also gave me the opportunity to finish up a knitting project (Entrelac Cloth) I had started quite a while ago. With summer coming to an end, I'm starting to get the itch to knit again.

I do have actual food posts to share -- but, I'll leave it there for now.

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NOTE for Kelly Blechertas -- I don't have access to your blog and, therefore, have no way to contact you regarding your Random Acts of Kindness gift. Please email me at bloggingwagon(at)hotmail(dot)com