recipe-a-week # 15: spaghetti with tomatoes and peppers

I'm a little bit late with this recipe; the baby shower and visiting with my sister took up much of my time this week. Better late than never!

This is a delicious, quick meal. I chose it in order to use things up that I had on hand, so I ended up modifying the original recipe quite significantly. As you can see, when I made this, I didn't use penne. Or two tomatoes. And I added in some yellow and red pepper, because it was starting to soften. The original recipe, from Everyday Food is here, and is also in the May 2009 issue of the magazine. And here's my version:

Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Peppers

6 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper
12 ounces spaghetti (I used a mix of white and whole wheat)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 red or yellow pepper, sliced (or half of each)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 cup snipped chives

1. Place cheese in freezer. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.

2. In pasta pot, heat oil over medium-high. Saute garlic slices for one minute; add peppers and saute until slightly softened. Add tomatoes and pasta water, and cook until tomatoes are softened, 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Add pasta, chilled cheese, and chives to pot. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Enjoy!

I also wanted to share some bread trials for the best recipe ever with you. I tried making it with half spelt flour last week, and it turned out pretty well. The dough is quite runny and a little bit difficult to manoeuvre, but the bread turns out well. Nice and crusty, and the bread itself is a little bit sticky to the touch. I think I might try with 2 cups white, and 1 cup spelt next time, to see if that helps. Right now, I have a loaf on the go with 2 cups white, and 1 cup whole wheat. It turned out perfectly!

Hope you're having a fantastic weekend.

spiced hot chocolate

I don't often post other people's photos, but a) it's too dark and gloomy to take one of my own tonight, and b) I haven't actually made this yet. The photo is from here. I came across the recipe in The Naturally Scented Home, a book which I was completely pleasantly surprised by. It's definitely worth borrowing from the library, for the information and recipes for herbs and spices for both culinary and beauty purposes. I was especially excited for this one, because it calls for cardamom, my spice du jour. It seems like a wintry, cold-weather kind of recipe, but even though it's April, it fits today perfectly since it's been pouring rain for a few days and I feel soggy around the edges.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Add a small stick of cinnamon, a little grated nutmeg and 3 cardamom pods to 600mL (1 pint) of milk. Warm very gently, taking off the heat just before it boils. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon and cardamom pods and add grated chocolate (the recipe doesn't specify how much). Stir until melted over gentle heat. Pour into bowls and top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of grated chocolate.

grandma's collectables and cardamom cookies

In the course of a search for a perfect little jar for solid perfume (which I did not find), I did find this fantastic little marmalade crock at Grandma's Collectables, a funny little shop near Weymouth with just about everything antique-y and collectable and old that you could imagine. I'm a little bit giddy over it. Next time I go, I want much more time and my camera.
I also found these jars. I know, I know. Why on earth would I need more glass jars? Because these ones have the glass centre piece in the top, along with the metal ring. Fantastic! I have semi-specific plans for these ones, once they've been washed up and moved from the top of the washer.
And I found this cute little biscuit cutter, too.
To use some of my cardamom, I wanted to make something where it would be the main flavour. So I made these cookies. I wasn't expecting the lemony taste that cardamom has. All of the spiciness and warmth, yes, but not that citrus-y tang. It makes sense since it's in the ginger family, and the recipe is pretty good. Not amazing or earth shattering, but definitely decent.

Speaking of baking, I heard Michael Ruhlman on the radio this afternoon, talking about his book Ratio. I must say that I'm intrigued. The idea is that to be more creative in cooking, one needs freedom from the restrictions that recipes impose. By learning basic ratios of ingredients, you can then play around and make what you like. Part of me likes the idea, but the other part of me says, "Why bother?" I'm kind of thinking that the "Why bother?" side might win. I requested the book from the library, so I'll let you know what I think once I get my hands on it.

Lastly, we're working away on the kitchen! Adam's sanding the ceiling as I type. The "before" is above, and is now happily covered with new gyproc so that all potential lead is sealed in. It's crackfilled and will be painted tomorrow. A new floor will be installed next week (!), and then we're going to paint the trim and fix all of those little silly things that should have been done long ago. I am SO excited. And then we'll paint the porch, and redo the bathrooms and the spare bedroom...

Happy Friday!

recipe-a-week #14: the best bread, ever.

This bread is hands-down the best bread I have ever eaten. Seriously. And I made it! (I'm as surprised as you.) It's chewy and crusty and airy and perfect. Oh, so crusty! And of course, it's a great vehicle for butter - my first requirement for good bread.

I'm always hesitant to try the latest cooking trend, which is why it's taken me so long to get around to trying this. It's along the lines of the 5-minute artisan bread, which apparently became popular after it was written about in the New York Times. I should have tried it much, much sooner. It's been a part of my weekend routine for the past few weeks - two minutes on Saturday afternoon, a bit of attention on Sunday morning, and it's ready for lunch. Leftover pieces make amazing garlic bread, too.

I found the recipe in Mother Earth News, and you can find the original here. You use a Dutch oven to bake it in, which helps to give it the perfect crust. "Holy yum," as Ingrid would say.

No Knead, Dutch Oven Bread

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Really, you need to make this one. Like the tarragon chicken from last week. Did anyone try that recipe? Did you love it as much as I did? Let me know how you like this one!

Edited to add: I wanted to share some bread trials for the best recipe ever with you. I tried making it with half spelt flour last week, and it turned out pretty well. The dough is quite runny and a little bit difficult to manoeuvre, but the bread turns out well. Nice and crusty, and the bread itself is a little bit sticky to the touch. I think I might try with 2 cups white, and 1 cup spelt next time, to see if that helps with the dough consistency. Right now, I have a loaf on the go with 2 cups white, and 1 cup whole wheat. It looks terrific!

cardamom continued

Phillip and I had fun "squish-squishing" the cardamom before supper tonight.

Thanks for all of the suggestions for things to make. I haven't yet made anything with it, although cake, granola bars, chai tea and cookies are all on my list. Holy carbs, Batman. Now that I think of it, I hope that I like it. And I think I'll have to buy some more.

Next up: a very exciting recipe-a-week!

spring miscellany

After breakfast yesterday, I asked Phillip what he would like to do more than anything else in the world.
"Go outside!"
So out we went. First for a long walk, where we saw these hundreds and hundreds of crocuses. See all of the ones at the top of the photo? I couldn't get a closer shot without going right into the backyard, but it was beautiful.
I also made these scones again yesterday. Yum. Quick and easy. Oh, and I used my new mixer! It works like a dream.
Yes, there are two on this plate, both of which I promptly ate.
I am enjoying A Homemade Life, a birthday gift to myself, very much. It's by Molly from Orangette, and it's a cookbook of sorts. There are plenty of recipes, and each is accompanied by a well-written mini essay on a particular event related to the recipe. I love that it's in (pardon the pun) bite-sized pieces, and I can sit and read one or two and feel satisfied, or if I'm comfy and the tea is good, several. It's definitely worth picking up, and this is one I wouldn't recommend getting from the library, since you'll want to go back and make the recipes again and again.

recipe-a-week #13: slow cooker chicken with tarragon and leeks

I'm back! With a fantastic recipe this time. I made this recipe from the current issue of Real Simple (shouldn't it be 'Really Simple'? Or 'Real, Simple'?) magazine last week, and it is fantastic. Really, truly, delicious. And you know how I feel about slow cookers! Actually, I was surprised by a good recipe in Real Simple. I had a subscription for awhile, and found that most of the recipes were a box of this and a can of that somehow equals a 'recipe'. Regardless, this one's a winner! As in, you should go out and buy the ingredients this minute and have it for dinner tomorrow.

Chicken with Tarragon and Leeks

1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes (about 16)
8 small skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds) (I actually threw in a whole local chicken I had, but it would have been more manageable with the pieces)
3 leeks (white and light green parts), halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup dry white wine (I had some white cooking wine on hand, so I used that)
salt
10 ounces frozen peas
1/3 cup heavy cream (now you know why I like it!)
1 tbsp fresh tarragon (I couldn't find this, so my version was more 'Chicken with Leeks'.)

Place potatoes on the bottom of a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Add chicken, leeks, wine, and 1 tsp salt.

Cook, covered, until the chicken and potatoes are tender, on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-7 hours.

Transfer the chicken and all but 4 of the potatoes to a plate. Using a fork (I used a wooden spoon since I didn't want to scratch my slow cooker), smash the remaining potatoes into the cooking liquid to thicken.

Add the peas and cream and cook until just heated through, 3-5 minutes. Spoon over the chicken and sprinkle with the tarragon.

You'll enjoy this one for sure!

recipe-a-week #12: crushed raspberry tart & bonne fête à moi!

Snowdrops are just plain delightful. They're green and white, my favourite colour combination, they're the first flowers of the season, and they multiply and do their thing without any intervention whatsoever. I love birthdays anyway, but I'm especially glad that mine is at this time of year. I'm 28 today, and have no list of things I want to achieve over the next 365 days. That's my gift to myself.
Speaking of birthdays, Ingrid came over yesterday, and we made my birthday non-cake! She also brought me a Donna Hay magazine, which I intend to have a proper date with tonight. And some yummy tea. The non-cake is Donna Hay's Crushed Raspberry Tart, from her fruit book, and here's the recipe:

375 g (13 1/4 oz) block store-bought puff pastry, thawed
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tbsp caster sugar (we used regular granulated)
2 cups raspberries
1 tbsp icing sugar

sour cream filling:
1 cup sour cream (I think it would work better with the really thick type)
1/4 cup single or pouring cream (half and half; we used whipping, mmm)
1/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch and trim to a 20 cm (8 inch) square. Cut 8 strips measuring 1x20cm (1/2 x 8in) from the remaining pastry. Place the pastry square on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Brush with the egg white and place half the strips around the edge to form a border. Brush the borders with the egg white and place the remaining strips on top. Prick the base with a fork. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the pastry with caster sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. To make the sour cream filling, whisk the sour cream, cream, and brown sugar in a bowl until smooth. Combine half the raspberries with the icing sugar and crush lightly. Fold in the remaining raspberries. Spoon the sour cream filling over the pastry base and spoon raspberries on top.
One more thing: a great surprise on my birthday! My new Artisan mixer arrived this afternoon, when I wasn't expecting it until next week. Nice! I'm excited to try it out.

For those of you who are still reading, I'm hiding a little birthday giveaway in here. Leave a comment with your funniest birthday memory, and I'll pick my favourite tomorrow. The winner will be sent some of my fantastic handmade soap.

Happy Monday, and Happy Birthday to me!

kitchenaid mixer development

If you recall, there's an ongoing KitchenAid saga here in the Graham household. I bought a new mixer in May 2008. I returned it it August because of a crazy noise it was making, and received a replacement. The replacement unit did the same thing, so I returned it in February. I've called twice to check on the status of the mixer, and was told on the 13th that I would be contacted by someone with more details. I called again today, since I hadn't heard from them, and after waiting on hold for quite a long time (which was okay, because I was able to do all kinds of other things as I waited) was told that I would be immediately sent a new Artisan mixer (the one I returned was Ultra Power) as they didn't have the original model in stock. Yipeeee! The image is of the model I will be receiving, and I can't wait to get my hands on it, especially after all of this hassle! You will most certainly be seeing some photos when it arrives. Happy Tuesday!

recipe-a-week #11: roasted curried cauliflower

I made this dish last week, and it was really good. I haven't met a vegetable yet which can't be improved upon by roasting, and cauliflower is no exception.

Will you forgive me that the recipe isn't from one of my cookbooks? I know that was kind of the point of this whole recipe-sharing endeavour, but I bought the cauliflower expressly for currying and roasting, and there was not a curried cauliflower recipe in one of my cookbooks. So I found this recipe, and it was good.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

3/4 tsp	coriander seeds, crushed		1 g
1/4 cup	olive oil		65 mL
3 tbsp	wine vinegar		45 mL
1 1/4 tsp	curry powder		4 g
1 tsp	paprika		3 g
1/8 tsp	cayenne pepper [optional]		0.4 g
	ground pepper to taste
	salt to taste
3 1/2 cups	cauliflower, cut into equal-size florets		550 g
1/2	onion(s), cut into quarters		100 g
4 tsp	fresh cilantro, chopped [optional]		3 g

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F.
2. Crush the coriander seeds either with a mortar and pestle or using a rolling pin. Place the seeds in a bowl. Whisk in the oil, vinegar, spices, and salt.
3. Prepare the vegetables : Cut the cauliflower into equal-size florets. Peel the onion, cut it into quarters lengthwise, then pull apart the quarters to separate the layers. Add the cauliflower and onion to the vinaigrette bowl, then toss to coat well. Spread the vegetables in single layer on a large baking sheet.
4. Roast the vegetables until golden and tender-crisp, stirring occasionally, about 30 min.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature. You may garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Very good. You would rather have this one than the one from one of my cookbooks which I was disappointed in, right? Okay, I'm trying to make myself feel better for my weak recipe resolve. You're such a nice bunch, I know that it's okay. Just this once.

I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow, and I have lots of new pictures to share with you. So if those two things collide in a wonderful twist of fate, you'll be seeing a few new pictures I'm excited about. Happy Monday!

recipe-a-week #10: chocolate 'n' cream sandwich cookies

These cookies are delicious. I'm not the biggest chocolate fan, but these are good. Very sweet, and very good. They're a one-at-a-time-with-something-to-wash-it-down kind of cookie.
I loved working with the dough. The texture was so very lovely.
And I got to use my new cookie sheets.
So, here's the recipe, from April 2009's Everyday Food, with my notes in parentheses, for:

Chocolate 'n' Cream Sandwich Cookies
makes 15 (I had 18) :: prep time 25 minutes :: total time 35 min + chilling

Because there's butter in the cream filling, store these cookies in the refrigerator. For a minty touch (which I meant try but forgot) add a few drops of peppermint oil to the filling.

1 1/4 cups flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 cup cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
cream filling (below)

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside. In another bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and egg. Add flour mixture, and stir until dough forms.

2. Divide dough in half; roll out between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Stack on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 350, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment (oops). Using a 2 inch cookie cutter, cut dough int rounds. Place on sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are firm and fragrant, 8-10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through (again, oops). Transfer to wire racks, and let cool.

4. Spread half the cookies with 1 tbsp cream filling; top with remaining cookies. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 5 days.

(You can feel free to ignore this information:) per cookie: 211 cal; 7.9 g fat (4.8 g saturated); 2.4 grams protein; 35.1 g carb; 1.7 g fibre

Cream filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature, until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar, beating until combined. Beat in 2 tsp vanilla extract.

And try not to eat them all.

perfect Saturday breakfast

First of all, I brought some spirea branches in to force. I bought the plants at Canadian Tire on clearance last fall for 50 cents each. Not bad, eh?
Today's my first day of March Break! We had a celebratory breakfast, including all of the essentials: butter, maple syrup, and (warning: gross meaty picture coming up): bacon.
I had never cooked bacon in the oven before. This is probably because we buy it approximately once a year. I treated myself to some new baking sheets (some people are addicted to drugs, others, cookware), and I thought it would be a good way to use them. If you've never done it, it's easy; just place the bacon on a cooling rack over the baking sheet in the over at 425 for approximately 20 minutes, or until it's crispy and lovely. This way, it doesn't just cook in its own fat, and the slices stay nice and flat. You might want to line your baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up. Downsides: 1) even though it's done in the oven, your clothes will still smell like a dog treat, and 2) it's a pain to scrub the type of cooling rack I have.

How many songs do you know about baking/bacon? I love wordplay. We've been singing this one:


Other fun things I've enjoyed on this first day of the break: going to the Old World Bakery with Phillip for "muffins juice" and seeing some friends, getting the last faucet that was on sale at Canadian Tire, hanging out a full line of clothes, and reading Donna Hay's Fruit. It's a very good day.

recipe-a-week #9: zucchini bread & exciting garden developments

First things first: when the snow melted this week in the raspberry patch, look what was hiding underneath! The first snowdrops of the season. I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted them from across the yard; I zoomed over (in Adam's shoes, since I was emptying the compost and his were closest to the door) to make sure that my eyes weren't betraying me. Yipeee! I can't even express how very, very exciting this is. Prepare yourself for this year's garden pictures!

In indoor news, I'm having fun baking this afternoon while P is sleeping and Adam's at the gym. First, I whipped up these simple and quick brownies, as per Adam's request. I can't say enough good things about them - they are what I would call a perfect recipe. One pot, 4 or 5 minutes, and into the oven they go. Delicious, too, of course. (Edited to add: I originally posted about them with pictures, here.) The second thing, which is currently in the oven, is zucchini bread. I still have some frozen and grated zucchini from last fall in the freezer, and decided that some zucchini bread would be a great way to reduce my stores. The recipe I used is from More-with-Less, and it goes like this:

Zucchini Bread
350, 1 hr, makes 2 loaves

Preheat oven to 350. Combine in mixing bowl and beat well:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 c vegetable oil (you can use part applesauce; I used butter)
2 c raw, peeled, grated zucchini (mine was frozen and thawed; I drained off some of the water)
1 tbsp vanilla

Sift together:
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
3 t cinnamon

Add to zucchini mixture and stir until blended. Add 1 c coarsely chopped nuts (I didn't.)

Pour into 2 greased bread pans. Bake 1 hour, or until tester comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on rack. Yum! I like is best cold and with butter, à la post-funeral/celebration/exciting gathering in a church basement. Enjoy!

kicks

Doesn't that pasta look absolutely simple and delicious? Today I'm on a Donna Hay kick, from whence the photo by Chris Court comes. This follows the Ina Garten kick (that kick ended after the hours-long Ile Flottante, although there are still many recipes of hers I'm hoping to try). As most people who know me can attest, I go on 'kicks' quite often. During these 'kicks' of adoration for a particular person, author, or subject, I go to our local library website and place holds on whatever books are available. I just placed holds on 4 Donna Hay books. Yay! It's definitely cheaper than ordering them for keeps, and if I really, truly fall in love with a book and still want it when my birthday (March 30, just so you know) or another holiday rolls around, then I ask for it. If no one buys it for me, I can use Air Miles to get Chapters gift certificates. If I don't have enough Air Miles, I just might cave in and buy it with soap money. And if all of those avenues fail, I just might buy it. (And of course, I always check the book bin at Frenchy's - that goes without saying.) The Martha Stewart kick is the only one which has no beginning and no end. My mom has food kicks, as I think most moms do (probably me included). I know that Adam went through several Tater Tots kicks of his mom's when he was growing up. The thing I like about kicks is that they usually come around again, sooner or later, and enthusiasm for a particular thing peaks once again. So there's no need to feel as though you've abandoned anything - you'll get back to it eventually. If only there were enough time in each day to do everything I want to, I could be on a perpetual kick of everything. What are your kicks? Are they seasonal? I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and can't wait to hear about yours. I feel another kick coming on; the gardening one this time, which is most certainly seasonal. To me, it's by far the most exciting time of the year.

recipe-a-week #8: my grandmother's bread & hyacinth

I have a hyacinth on the way. Phillip and I are both very excited. He asks to smell it already. See why I chose carnations? They still look great, two weeks after Valentine's.

I've talked about winning things before, and how I seem to have a knack for it. Last weekend, a friend and I went to see Murder is a Game at Th'YARC, in which Ingrid is a star player. I lent the friend $5 for 50/50 tickets, and she won. And promptly paid me back! Tomorrow is the last night for the play - I meant to post about it sooner, but if you're free tomorrow night at 7:30, you should definitely pick up a ticket. It's a fun and entertaining show, and it wraps up all tidily at the end, which I love.

It's my dad's birthday tomorrow, and he always asks me to make him some bread. Chewy, gluten-y, white-flour-y, perfect-vehicle-for-jam-and-butter (yes, and) kind of bread. So I have a batch of his mother's bread rising by the fire as Phillip reads himself to sleep. I only have one memory of my Grammie, as she died when I was a few years old. We were in her kitchen, and I remember her opening the potato bin - one of those ones that looks like a cupboard but when you pull the handle it angles out toward you. My only memory of her husband (these were my dad's parents) is of him lying in his bed not long before he died. Both of my mother's parents died while I was in university, so I consider myself very lucky to have some fantastic grandparents of Adam's who I've taken as my own. I made a Queen Elizabeth Cake last night, which is one of Adam's Grammie's recipes, and tonight I'm making my Grammie's bread, so I'm feeling close to some great women and their kitchens.


Grammie's White Bread
Makes 3 loaves

Dissolve 1 yeast cake (or 1 1/2 tbsp traditional yeast) in 1 cup lukewarm water with 1 tsp sugar.

In a giant bowl (I use a huge metal one), put 2 tbsp butter and 2 tsp sugar. Add 1 cup milk. Pour 2 cups boiling water over, to melt butter. Add 2 cups cold water. To this, add the yeast mixture and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Add flour (approximately 12 cups), and mix until it's lovely and doughy, adjusting with more or less flour as needed. Form into a blob, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down, and let rise again. Divide into loaves, and let rise in pan before placing in oven to bake for approximately 1 hour, until loaves sound hollow when tapped and are golden brown. Of course, it's best served warm with butter and homemade strawberry jam - my favourite combo. My dad likes it with butter and peanut butter (now you can see where I get my affection for butter). Or store bought grape jelly in a squeeze bottle. However you like it, enjoy!

food week, day five: dessert

I'm realizing this week that many of the recipes I use regularly are from allrecipes.com. I love that you can be really specific with your searches, and that there are a bazillion (give or take a few) recipes to choose from. But I haven't used it to find a new recipe since January 1, as per my resolution to use the recipes I have in print more often.

Food Week's final day is dessert, and this Fruit Pizza is one of my all time favourites. It takes almost no time to make, and I don't think I've met a single person who doesn't like it. Okay, I just thought of one, but she doesn't like cream cheese, so her taste can't be representative of many others. So get that block of cream cheese out of the fridge, and invite some friends over so you don't eat the whole thing. The one pictured is one I made today to take to a staff meeting I went to, and it certainly isn't the prettiest one I've ever made. You can top it with whatever fruit you wish - because it's so sweet, I like it best with tangy fruit such as kiwi and pomegranate. But really, anything goes! The recipe is here. Enjoy!

Thanks so much to everyone for participating in Food Week! I've had fun collecting some new recipes, and I hope you have, too. Now go and have a fantastic weekend and do something out of the ordinary!

food week, day 4: vegetarian

This falafel with cucumber sauce is one of my favourite meals, and I don't make it often enough. We had it for lunch today, and there are some leftovers in the fridge which I can't wait to dive in to. Rather than copying the recipe here on my blog, you can just skip on over to the original here. I recommend doing the last step (making the cucumber sauce) first, so it mellows while you're working on the rest. You can see the list of everyone else who is participating in Food Week here.

It was a snow day here today, and I had the chance to make five batches of soap this afternoon. I feel very productive. One of them is a new exfoliating citrus bar with orange peel powder in it, along with essential oils of bergamot (I adore bergamot), grapefruit, and benzoin, to hopefully help hold the other oils' scent. I think I'm going to love it. My new base (of olive, coconut, and castor oils) seems to be working perfectly, so I'm a happy soaper.

The snow has stopped, and it looks like it's raining now. I have tickets for a play tonight, which Ingrid is in, so I'm having an all-around fan-diddly-tastic day. (Just call me Flanders.) Tomorrow is dessert day, and I have another excellent recipe to share, so pop on by again!

food week, day 3: supper (dinner)

Hey, it's that pantry picture again! There are some green lentils in that third jar, and that is the main ingredient in today's recipe. Speaking of lentils, something lovely came in today's mail...

My photo, published in Flavor (oooh, it's hard to spell that without a "u") magazine! I'm pretty tickled.

So, on to dinner! Lentil Sloppy Joes it is! I love this dinner (I guess I use both 'supper' and 'dinner') because it's super easy, quick, healthy, and the flavour of the dish is much more than the sum of it parts. Having the lentils done up beforehand is key. It's a crockpot recipe, so you come home to an amazing-smelling kitchen, too. I copied the recipe from a library book, and now I've forgotten the name of the book. It's something about vegetarian slow cooker recipes. Here it is:

Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 tbsp vegetable oil (I use olive)
1 onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup water (I use a lot more (probably 1 1/2 cups) - it tends to burn with too little water)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cups cooked brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed
hot pepper sauce (optional)
toasted hamburger buns

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for one minute. Stir in ketchup, water, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Add lentils and stir well.

2. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until hot and bubbling. Add hot pepper sauce to taste, if using. Ladle over hot toasted buns and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

food week, day 2: lunch

It's time for lunch! This is my favourite quick lunch to throw together in a hurry. I originally posted it here. There's no official written recipe, but it goes a little something like this:

Cook a box of whole wheat pasta, and run under cold water to cool. Toss in some cubed cheese, frozen peas, green onion or chives, and whatever else you like (red peppers, sundried tomatoes, etc). Mix up a dressing of a blop of mayo (maybe 1/3 cup-ish), salt, pepper, a splash of olive oil (2 tsp), parmesan, 1 tsp mustard and lots of garlic powder, mix, and voila! The reason I cook a whole box is because I can eat this for days in a row and not get tired of it. It's that good!

Click here to see the list of everyone who's participating.

**
P.S. - I'm sending my replacement Kitchen Aid stand mixer in for repair or replacement. Awful high pitched sound again, and one of the knobs broke in Adam's hand tonight. Good grief.

food week, day 1: breakfast

Happy Food Week! I'm excited to get started. So, let's jump right in. Here are the participants:

Vickie, mothergoose, sebrina, Sarah C, Alli, Stacey J, Ingrid, and ELK. If you'd like your name added, or if I've made some other error in the list, please let me know, and I'll "fick-its", as Phillip says.

Often on the weekend, we make a big batch of either waffles or pancakes, and freeze most of them between waxed paper to pop in the toaster on weekday mornings. I picked up a fantastic waffle iron on Freecycle (I know I've mentioned it here several times) and love using it. My favourite recipe that I've tried is from The Joy of Cooking - it makes light, delicious, fluffy butter-vehicles. I mean waffles. One of the things I love about the recipes is that you can use anything for toppings - fruit, jam, maple syrup (of course), butter, whipped cream or anything else that you enjoy.

Basic Waffles

Use 4 tbsp butter for a reduced-fat waffle, 8 tbsp for a classic light and fluffy waffle, or 16 tbsp for the crunchiest, most delicious waffle imaginable.
Preheat your waffle iron.
Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I usually add in some whole wheat)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together in another bowl:
3 large eggs, well beaten
4 to 16 tbsp butter, melted (I use somewhere between 4 and 8)
1 1/2 cups milk

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently whisk them together. If you wish, fold in 1/2 cup of anything from blueberries to bacon to cheese. Cook on waffle iron, and enjoy!
This is the fish dinner we had last night; it was supposed to be fish tacos, but someone (*my hand is raised*) forgot to write 'red cabbage' on the grocery list, and I thought they would not be so swell without. So I made up a breadcrumb mix with cayenne and some spices, pan-fried the fish in a teensy bit of olive oil. The salad is just a bunch of chopped up things in an olive oil dressing I whipped up. It turned out really well - a tidge of horseradish and some maple syrup made it very pleasant.

And it's been a little while since I posted a picture of Mr P - I thought these were good ones for food week. (Also because I thought you might like to see them, Annie!) I love how he stuffs his little face.