Culinary Adventures

A New Year, a New Foodblog!!

2011-01-01T12:30:00.001-08:00

Wow,its hard to believe that I havent blogged in over a year and a half. My last blog post was tragic and everytime I came back to my blog( to read other blogs), I was sad. However, I had a rough year( 2010) with a lot of changes and I couldnt bring myself to blog. I am no longer living in small town Ontario, Canada and I'm no longer with Robin. Robin is a wonderful person and I wish her all the happiness in the world. Our breakup wasnt exactly friendly. I didnt want to work on the marriage( we're still legally married in Canada, although we are now legally separated) anymore. Robin did. I was taking my dogs( that moved to Canada with me and lived there longer than they lived in California) and moving back to SoCal. I was leaving our beautiful house(that we renovated together) and the life we made. I'm going to be completely honest here. I met someone else. Actually, I remet someone that I was with in 1993 and in 2000( the timing was never right for us and I always put my feelings for her on the backburner). Isnt Facebook wonderful? LOL. The last thing I want to say on this is that Robin's story is " Randi left me for another woman" and she can have her story. Obviously, its not that simple. Robin and I had problems for years prior to me finding Julie again. There are 3 sides to every story. Yours, Hers and the truth. Maybe one day when Robin is over the hurt and anger, she can see the truth. I know this is a public blog and she might read it. Frankly, that is another reason I resisted blogging. However, I've since found out( thru very devious means) that Robin is in a new relationship and has been for awhile. In fact, Robin and her married( to another woman) girlfriend were together 3 weeks after I left Canada. If that is what is going to make Robin happy, than so be it.

So, there is my backstory. Here is my present and future. I'm back in Socal living with my girlfriend Julie. As I said, I met Julie in 1993 when I was 26. We were together for a summer but for many reasons that I dont want to get into, we didnt end up together. I wanted to be with her, but I couldnt. Flash forward to 2000 and we meet up again. Same story, just 7 years later. When I found her again on Facebook in the summer of 2009, I never expected anything to happen. I just wanted to find out how she was doing. She is a police officer and I've always thought about her and worried about her if I heard a news story about the LAPD. We didnt speak until October 2009 and then she went to Iraq for 5 months and here we are 1.5 later. I moved back to California in July 2010. I'm incredibly happy and I LOVE being back in California. Unfortunatly, I've eaten out way too much since moving back and I gained back 20lbs( of the 40) I lost in 2009. I decided I needed to take control back in the New Year and cook more at home and only eat out as a treat. Yesterday, we joined Weight Watchers and I'm excited about the new program ( all fruits are zero points!!). We spent the day in WLA/Santa Monica too. We had pizza for lunch and I bought some wonderful seafood for dinner. Unlike myself and Robin, Julie does eat beef so as much as I hate buying red meat, I do. I made myself 4 large shrimp as a shrimp cocktail and I grilled some swordfish chunks that I turned into fish tacos. Julie had steak and a sourdough roll( she loves bread) and salad. Since Julie had to work on New Years Day, we just had a quiet night at home with our four dogs( Julie had 2 before I moved in) and a movie.

Today is the Gym and turkey tacos for dinner.

Gregory Michael MacDonald 1968-2009

2009-05-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

On May 3rd, 2009, Robin's brother passed away suddenly. It was and still is a total shock to us. We were supposed to leave for Florida, the day after we received the news. We cancelled the trip and instead dealt with funeral arrangments along with my Mother in Law. It still seems so surreal. I did the one thing I do best which is cook/bake. I spent the entire week( we found out on Monday and the visitation was on Friday) planning meals, baking and serving. It actually made me feel useful and brought me a sense of peace. Greg really loved my cooking and he was a hearty eater. I did NOT take any pictures, It honestly never even entered my mind.

We're heading to Floriday on Tuesday as I really feel Robin needs a change of scenery and some relaxation. Robin had just started her 2 week vacation when we found out and thankfully, her employer gave her some more time off to get herself together.

I'm taking an extended break from this blog, dont know when I'll return.

Bagels.......

2009-04-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit of a bagel snob. I only really like them when they're fresh and untoasted, and not just any bagel will do. It has to be an authentic NY water bagel( which can actually be made anywhere, not just NY). The BEST bagels in my opinion are from The Sage Appetizing shop in Hallandale Beach, FL. When Robin and I go to S. Fl, we usually eat here at least 3 or 4 times in one week. I swear, I shed a tear when Robin finally tried her very fresh bagel untoasted. She said to me " I see what you mean now". Such a proud moment for me. Last year, I begged them to sell me some high gluten flour so I could attempt to make my own bagels. I lugged back 5lbs and finally decided to make them this weekend. I used the recipe from the Bread Baker's Apprentice and it was awesome!! I dont know why I didnt do this sooner. It was a fairly simple recipe that is made the day before you plan to serve them. The morning of, you boil and bake them off. I served them yesterday for Easter Brunch( ironic huh?) with some lox I got at Costco. I had one today and they were still really great untoasted!!

We're going to Florida in May for a wedding and I plan on begging them for some more flour, hopefully they'll oblige me.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake.....

2009-04-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

I did some cooking and baking this weekend so I now have a few things to blog about. Do you know how sometimes you read a post in a foodblog and you say to yourself " I must make that right this minute?" Well, that happened on Saturday about 1.5 hrs before we were expecting Christine and family for dinner/Wii. Luckily, this cream cheese pound cake came together quickly.

Isnt it gorgeous? It was melt in your mouth tender, the perfect poundcake. I doubt that I'll ever make another pound cake recipe again( although I might use some vanilla bean the next time I make this). Anyway, Deb's picture is a lot nicer( she used a way better camera and a bundt pan). Go make it, you wont be sorry!!!

Farmer's Market pics.....

2009-03-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

7 dollar a dozen eggs at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market in San Fran.

Veracruz sauce for seafood.....

2009-03-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

I returned home on Wednesday from 2 fun filled weeks in California. I lived in Cali for 15 years before moving to small town Ontario. I hadnt been back in 4 years and I didnt realize how much I missed Cali. I wasnt into cooking/baking as much as I am now when I lived in Long Beach ( I was a full time student/working) I didnt have time and I was only cooking for myself. I cooked a lot when I lived with my ex, but I wasnt that advanced and since my ex was a vegetarian, I made simple things. I really love this VeraCruz sauce recipe. My friend Mike introduced me to it a few years ago in Florida. The recipe can be found on MarthaStewart.com. Its meant to be served over whole fish, but I prefer to use fillets. For this meal, I used mahi mahi. I wanted red snapper but Gelson's didnt have any. My dad, sister and I paid a nice visit to the San Clemente Farmer's market where I bought some gorgeous baby veggies that I sauteed for a side dish. We also got some gorgeous strawberries. The produce was fabulous. Later in the week, I drove up to San Rafael and went to the Ferry Plaza Market in SF and the Marin Farmer's market in San Rafael. Both of them were beyond fabulous. It was absolutely killing me that I couldnt cook with all the wonderful products.

Back to the veracruz sauce. I used canned San Marzano tomatoes. The sauce also has white onion, garlic, fresh herbs, capers, white wine and olives. Its super easy to make and the leftovers freeze well. After the sauce is made, pour some into a baking dish and nestle the fish inside. Bake until the fish flakes. Even my sister who isnt really crazy about fish loved it.

I baked!!.....

2009-03-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I gave it to peer pressure and baked yesterday!! I went searching thru my old cooking light annuals and came up with this peanut butter cake. I seem to remember making this recipe years ago( into cupcakes) and really liking it. I also recall making a different frosting because I was at my MIL's house and didnt bring the cookbook with me. This frosting was meh, more like a glaze. Nevertheless, it hit the spot.

I also made a veggie/chicken sausage pizza using Joe's favorite whole wheat dough recipe. He's right, its easy to work with. I prebaked it for a few minutes before topping it. I also added a few tbls of ground flax to the dough to make it healthier. Robin really enjoyed it.

I miss baking!!

2009-02-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

I really miss baking and I really miss blogging. I swear though, my food is so boring these days. Ya see that chicken breast and spinach? Thats about the extent of my cooking. The chicken was from cooking light( chicken provencal), but I really thought it was uninspiring to blog about. The most exciting baked good I made was 2invididual almost flourless choc. cakes( Nigella recipe) for Robin and I a few weeks ago. I'd read that the Dollarama in Ontario is carrying Sharffenberger Choc. bars for 1.00 each( 85G) so I stocked up on a bunch and made these little desserts. They were heavenly, but somewhat high in points( 8). I need to figure out a way to cut those down.

I just know that if I bake, I want to eat it so I've pretty much stopped baking ( unless I get paid for it). I am going to Cali in 2 weeks so I'll try to do some restaurant posts when I get back. I might do some cooking at my dad's house so look forward to that too.

I havent been baking.....

2009-01-16T08:46:00.001-08:00

Robin and I started weight watchers on Jan 5th. We've been eating really boring foods like salads, chicken, fish, veggies and some weight watcher/lean cuisine frozen meals. Boring, but its working. I havent baked anything( even low fat stuff) since I started. I miss baking a lot, but I dont want the temptation. I'll be offering some Valentine Baking for sale so do check back.

Just a reminder.....

2008-12-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

The best time to stock up on candy for baking is right after xmas, Valentines Day, Easter and Halloween. This year, I made M and M cookies with a bag of red and green M and M's I bought last year. They were a very popular cookie with the children. The major candy holidays are also the only time you can get real chocolate in your butterfingers( Jinglers). Butterfingers are usually made with Mockolate!! Those Ghiradllie squares are perfect for melting( ie: to make hot fudge) or chopping up for cookies. Most of the Targets have the candy for 50% off now. In a few days, it will all be 75% off.

Holiday Baking part 2.....

2008-12-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

Wow, this has been a crazy holiday baking scene for me. Just as I did last year, I offered my holiday baking for sale. The picture about shows a mixed tray of cookies and squares. This year I made Jacque Torres Choc. chip cookie, M and M cookies, white choc. macadamia, pistachio cranberry, world peace cookies, kitchen sink cookies, ginger cookies( w/ cinnamon chips)and Anna's famous criss cross PB cookies. For the bar cookies I did.... Symphony brownies, peppermint patty brownies, coffee toffee blondies, apricot coconut sqaures, hello dollies and white. choc. cranberry blondies.

I was baking so much that I woke up last Sunday with a swollen right hand. Because of that, Robin baked these 3 pumpkin roulades for me. I think she did an excellent job.

Holiday Baking.......

2008-12-21T17:47:00.000-08:00

For the last 2 weeks,I've been knee deep in Holiday Baking. I decided once again to sell my baking and I was inundated with orders.

Yesterday, Robin and I made 2 items to give away as gifts. First up, we made a huge batch of caramel popcorn. I tested this recipe a couple weeks ago with microwave popcorn and it was good. I thought however, that it would be cheaper to make if we bought raw popcorn and popped it ourselves. Robin popped two kinds ( white and yellow) and we decided we liked the white better. I got the recipe for caramel popcorn over at Egullet. Jaymes has a recipe over on the thread that everyone is using and raving about. Its a pretty simple recipe using butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, mollases, vanilla and baking soda. We added pecans, peanuts and almonds.

In this area, bits and bites are another popular holidaym item. Most people use a Canadian cereal called Shreddies. I like to shake things up and be different( plus I had a 1 dollar off coupon for crispix cereal that I bought in MI). I also added cherrios, almonds and another item not sold in Ontario, Oyster crackers. This was mixed with melted butter and a large amount of Penzey's Rocky Mountain Dip Mix. I added more parmesean, worsteshire, a squirt of lemon juice, garlic powder, smoked salt, more sesame and poppy seeds. This whole mess was baked for a good hour( tossing a few times) at 250F. When it cooled down, we added Rold Gold Pretzel sticks, cheetos and 2 bags of bbq kettle cooked peanuts( bought at Big Lots for 1.00 each). This blend is absolutely addicting!!

Next up, tons of cookies.......

Happy Birthday to me!!

2008-12-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

Today I made my own birthday cake. I've heard more than a few friends proclaim their surprise because I made my own cake. I only have one friend in Ontario that cooks/bakes and she lives over an hour away. If I saw her, I'm sure she would have baked for me( Hi Christine). But, since we had no plans I made my own cake. OMG and what a cake it was. This coconut cake recipe was given to me months ago by my friend Brooks Hamakaer aka Mayhaw Man( on Egullet). Brooks was featured in the November issue of Southern Living with this crack cake!!

I'm a HUGE lover of coconut anything. My 40th birthday cake was also a coconut cake bought at We Take The Cake in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I have to say though, that this cake topped that cake anyday. It wasnt hard to make, but it was ohhhhh soooo fattening. The cake contains a pound of butter, 2 1/4 c. of heavy cream, one pound of cream cheese and 5 eggs. Oy, not an everyday cake mind you, but you dont turn 42 every day.

Tomorrow I head to Burlington to visit the Chocolate doctor. We're going to make buttercrunch( aka English Toffee). Later on in the afternoon, I'm heading to Western NY to visit my friend Stephanie for a few days. Stephanie and I met in college( in California) and I'm so glad she is only 3hrs away. I'm also glad that Stephanie can cook!!

Sweet/Salty Cake.....

2008-11-27T19:55:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!! Let's talk about dessert first. Today just happens to be my lovely spouse's 44th birthday, in addition to Thanksgiving. So, its a great reason to have a party. We had some friends/family over tonight to celebrate both occasions. I always like to make Robin a special cake for her birthday. When I read about this new cookbook just out, I went searching for this recipe( its over on marthastewart.com). This cake is called Salty/Sweet cake and it was amazing. But, OMG, it was over the top rich and fattening. You dont even want to know that the whipped caramel ganach contains 1 lb of butter and chocolate. Not to mention the heavy cream in the frosting and caramel. But, Omg, was it good. The sweet part is obvious, but the salty part is pretty cool. The caramel between the layers contains a full tsp of fleur de sel. The top of the cake is sprinkled with more salt. For that, I used some flower of the ocean salt that my friend from High School( omg, has it been almost 25yrs since I graduated?) sent me. Celtic Salt is a company in Asheville, NC. They have some amazing salts!! In addition to salts, they have herb blends and other cool products. Check them out for some great gift ideas. Let me tell you, The salt totally makes this cake. Its the perfect foil for the sweet caramel and ganache. Yummy!! I'm going to be dreaming about this cake, I swear.

I baked the 3 layers over the weekend and froze them. I made the caramel filling on Tuesday and the ganache frosting( ingenious method) today. I filled and frosted the entire cake while it was still frozen and that was a great idea. It was hot in the house because I was cooking the turkey, but the chill from the frozen cake, helped the ganache firm up. By the time I served it, it was totally defrosted. Just make sure you sprinkle the salt on right before serving.

Chicken and dumplings and Oatmeal Butterscotch bars( Cook's Country)

2008-11-21T07:07:00.001-08:00

On November 20, 2001, I walked off the airplane in Toronto and met Robin for the first time in person. We'd been emailing/talking on the phone since the end of September. Yep, we met online : ). We met on a diary writing website, where we both kept journals. I'm so thankful for that website, because I probably would have NEVER met Robin in my lifetime.

We were married on June 19th, 03, but November 20th is always a special day for me. Its also my baby Harley's birthday : ). I made this chicken and dumpling dish from Cook's Country. It was really good and comforting, and as a plus, it uses white meat chicken. The recipe calls for fresh carrots and frozen peas. I used 1 leftover fresh carrot, but also threw in a bag of frozen mixed veggies( I'm working on clearing out the freezer in preparation for Holiday Baking).

I was busy yesterday, cooking for a client so I forgot all about making a dessert. Robin said " don't I get a special dessert?". I whipped up these butterscotch Oatmeal bars from Cook's Country as well. Very good and easy!!

Smoke and Spice, Windsor, Ontario.

2008-11-17T18:40:00.000-08:00

I love San Marzano tomatoes. I can't use any other kind of canned tomatoes since discovering these. I'm pretty lucky in that I've found a place to buy them for 1.50 a can( 28oz). To get that price, I have to buy a case of them, but thats ok since its all I use when a recipe calls for canned tomatoes. My stash was getting a bit low, so I suggested to Robin we take a trip down to Windsor, ON to visit the Italian supermarket and a favorite restaurant down there called Spago's.

After a quick bid on Priceline, we got the Raddison riverfront for 50.00(USD). Robin's mom joined us as Robin has family there and my MIL was going to visit them.

I did a search for a new place to eat in Windsor and I came across this BBQ place called Smoke and Spice on a Chowhound thread. They advertise themselves has having real " Southern" BBQ. Overall, it was a great lunch and a very good value for the money.

I had the 1/4 chicken( white meat) $8.95. This came with 2 sides. I had the mac and cheese which was really rich and creamy) and the waffle fries. The fries had a sort of BBQ spice on them that I didnt care for. The chicken was a tad on the dry side( I'd suggest brining) too. I had a really wonderful clam/corn chowder to start and I was seriously full after that so I didnt enjoy the lunch as much as I should have. I took the Mac and Cheese home and reheated it last night for dinner. It reheated very well. The cornbread was true southern style, not sweet and a bit dry. It costs 1.00 to add that to your meal.

My MIL had the bologne sandwich and mac and cheese. She thought the bolgne was very good too. She couldnt finish her lunch either!!

Robin had the pulled pork sandwich(9.95). She said it was really good. It was served on a bun w/ coleslaw. She also tried their BBQ rubbed wings which she proclaimed interesting. She said the cole fired wings I make her are better.

Overall, I was impressed( and thats saying a lot). The portions were huge, the food was tasty and the price was right. Its no surpise that the owners went down to TN to learn the craft of Southern BBQ from a BBQ restaurant owner. We all know the portions in America are huge!!

2 more from NYC.....

2008-11-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

I realized that I forgot to write about two places we visited in NYC. The picture you see about is from the Streits Matza factory. It wasn't listed on the self-led walking tour of The Lower East Side, but we just happened across it. As a very proud Jewish girl, I love me some good matza. I even eat it when I don't have to, sometimes I just feel like having Matza Brei, even if it isn't Passover.

It was pretty cool to see the Matza falling off the conveyer belt, but I was a bit disappointed that I didnt get to see it actually being made. I did get a piece to sample and was surprised because I've never had hot matza before. I took a bite to be nice, but I was sooooooooo FULL.

I had a nice chat with the Russian Jewish lady who was the cashier while watching some orthodox Jewish women coming in to buy Matza ball mix(????). I was a bit dismayed about that since I never use a mix, preferring to use matza meal instead.

Another bakery we went to that wasn't on my tour of the UWS was Crumbs. I was standing on the corner, waiting for Robin who was in an antique shop when a woman approached me and asked me if I knew where Crumbs was. I said " No, I dont live here". I asked her to address, but then a delivery man overheard and pointed it out. Robin and I ended up walking by so we went in. The cupcakes looked better than Magnolia's, but I was put off by the 3.75 price tag for 1 cupcake. Robin however, spotted a Peanut Butter cupcake, and wanted that. She asked me if I wanted one and I said no( I was full again!!). She knows I love coconut so she got me one anyway. I brought it back to Ontario and it was still pretty moist the next day. Definitely better than Magnolia, but not worth the price.

New York City in Food( Day 3 and 4)...

2008-11-07T07:25:00.001-08:00

Robin and I love to travel. Prior to going away, I do all the research on where to eat, what to see, what not to miss etc. I didn't think I had anything to learn, but I was wrong. Robin turned me on to Grey Line Tours. The second time Robin came to visit me in California, she brought her mom and aunt with her. They took a tour of LA and dragged me along for the ride. I can't say that I really enjoyed it all that much, because I fell asleep!! However, we've taken tours in San Francisco, Halifax and most recently NYC. The tour we took in NYC was a 2 day unlimited hop on/hop off tour. It worked out well because we never took a tax the entire time we were in the city. If we wanted to go somewhere, we figured out what part of the loop it was on and then just hopped off. The tour included uptown, downtown, Brooklyn, a night tour and a water cruise. We didn't have enough time to fit in everything so we missed the night tour and the water tour. On Wednesday, we hopped back on the downtown tour where we got out at the stop for the Brooklyn Tour. I was determined to eat pizza in Brooklyn. We enjoyed about 10 min of the Brooklyn tour until we got off at the stop for Grimaldi's( right under the Brooklyn bridge). The pizza was amazing..... and thankfully, we didn't have to wait for a table. The weather still wasn't fantastic, but it was better than Tuesday.

When I was growing up in S. Fl, my parents would bring in Pizza fairly frequently. We only ever got 1 topping on our pizza( Mushrooms). I still prefer my NY pizza with only mushrooms. Robin has come to see my way too. When we first started going to FL together, she wanted to load toppings on her slice, but she soon realized that in order to fold the slice in half, it can't be weighted down with toppings.

The seating in Grimaldi's is communal. The foursome next to us was from another country and they ordered their pizza with 5 toppings. It was so weighted down that I was sad for them. They could not enjoy the simplicity of the dough, sauce and cheese!! It was really hard for me to resist butting in, but I held my tongue and ate my heavenly slices. Ask me how much I want a brick oven in my backyard? The pizza only cooks for TWO minutes. Amazing.

After lunch, we went back to the bus stop to wait for the tour bus to get us. This time, we had a different tour guide than the one that dropped us off. This man brought the people off the bus to show them the bridge. As we were walking back to the bus, another tourist asked the guide where Grimaldi's was. He said( in a thick NY accent). That's garbage, I wouldn't feed it to my cat, total tourist trap. I kinda laughed and said " we just ate there and we loved it". He said " well, then you don't know good pizza". Hahahaha, I laughed at that.

I don't care what he said, it was great pizza and considering how expensive NYC is, a relatively cheap lunch at 22.00 a small pizza( 6 slices) with 1 topping and 2 diet cokes.

The driver took us to another bakery where I had the most amazing halavah ever. It was so fresh and tasty( another item Robin doesn't like).

Dinner was in Chinatown where we were accosted by little Chinese women whispering DVD, DVD, Prada, Gucci, Chanel in our ears as we walked by. We ate dinner at Joe's Shanghai( I forgot to take pics). We walked back to the World Trade Center Path station and took the train back to NJ.

On Thursday, we were left to our own devices for transportation. Robin quickly figured out the subway and we took it uptown to the Upper West Side for another self-led walking Foodie walking tour.

After checking out of the B and B, we took our luggage to Penn Station. If you have a ticket on Amtrak or the Long Island Railroad( to get to JFK) you can store your luggage for 4.50 a bag. This was a huge time saver as we originally thought we'd have to go back to the B & B to pick up our bags.

Our First stop was Jacques Torres. We shared a CCC. Honestly, I was expecting more. It was OK, but not worth the 2.50 price tag. Granted, I was still full from the amazing breakfast we had at Jersey City's Best Bed and Breakfast.

We had this amazing double choc. pb cookie at Levain. This was a great, very dense cookie. I could only eat 1 bite of my half( I brought it back to Canada and it was still good the next day).

We skipped Grandaisy bakery on 72nd and B'way because nothing there appealed to me. We also skipped Soutine Bakery on W 70th between Broadway and Columbus (closer to Columbus)and Silver Moon Bakery at Broadway and 105th. We went into those places, but I was so full that I couldn't not fathom getting anything.

We did hit Magnolia Bakery where I was sorely disappointed. I had the plain vanilla cupcake/w vanilla frosting( 2.50). It was sooo sweet and kinda dry. Call me a conceited, but I think I'm a much better baker than the majority of what I tasted.

We went to the much lauded H&H bagels where I was shocked at the 16.80 pricetag for a dozen bagels. I did buy 5 to bring home. We walked thru Fairway( amazing grocery store) and a few other shops.

Robin tried a Beard Papa. I'm not a big fan of Choux paste so I skipped that one. She enjoyed it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this gelato/sorbet I had at GROM. Omg, too die for. The lemon was so intense and the hazelnut gelato was amazing.

We had a late lunch at Viand. We both enjoy diners and this one did not dissapoint. Its hard to find good tuna salad in this area so I never order it when I eat out here. This tuna salad was good and a bargain at $6.25

Robin had a turkey burger that she enjoyed very much.

We headed over to Central Park to enjoy some much needed sun. Our last meal in NY was at JFK and it was so horrible, its not even worth mentioning.

New York City In Food( Day 1 and 2)........

2008-11-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

We arrived in NYC on Monday. We took the supper shuttle to Times Square where a friend from High School( she lives in New Jersey) was meeting us. We had originally planned to go for pizza, but she suggested the Junior's Deli across the street from the Marriot Marquis( where we met her). I quickly forgot about the pizza, because like another blogger friend I also own the Junior's Cookbook. I mentioned to Robin " Oh, I have this cookbook". She didnt recognize it at first( I have a lot of cookbooks), but after awhile, she said she remembered it.

The soup you see above is NOT from Juniors. I'll get to that soup in a moment. I didnt pull out my camera for Junior's, but I wish I did. I had half a turkey sandwich and matza ball soup. The matza ball was so fluffy. I much perfer my matza balls fluffy. I know others prefer sinkers!! The turkey was a tad dry, but the bread was fresh. I'm not a huge fan of Cheesecake( 1 bite will do me), so I had a black and white cookie. I absolutely love Black and Whites. Growing up in S. Florida( the 6th bourough) they were commonplace. The black and white from Juniors, was the freshest B&W I've ever had. Robin had a slice of the original cheesecake and she said it was really good.

The soup you see above was from Katz's. We went there on Tuesday. I find a self-led foodie walking tour of the Lower East Side( LES) of NYC. The one thing I most miss about living in S. Florida is the Jewish Community. There is none in my small town and very little in London, ON. Most of the kosher products the grocery store in London carries are brought in from Toronto. Anyway, I digress.

Since there was a lot to taste on this tour, we shared the soup and a turkey sandwich. I forgot to ask for the cold turkey, so it came warm. It was very good, but expensive turkey. This sandwich was $15.00. We also shared an order of fries. I was pretty full after this meal. The weather was so horrible last Tuesday. It was cold and rainy and Robin's umbrella broke so I gave her mine. I was stuck wearing a disposable rain poncho we got from the bus tour. It was not attractive!!

The next stop on the tour was Russ and Daughter's. I love, love, love me some good bagels and this didnt dissapoint. We shared one with Nova and cream cheese. They asked me if I wanted any onion, tomato or caper. I asked for a very teeny slice of onion and that added .25 to the bagel.

I was really, really full at this point.

The next stop was Yonah Schimmels for a knish. I knew Robin would not like these, so I ordered a kasha knish. She refused to even have a bite. LOL. It was good, but I really couldnt appreciate it because I was soooooo full. I took half with me. I later tried to give it to a homeless woman who refused it.

Are you full yet? Wait, cause there is more. The next stop was for an egg cream. The quintisential NYC drink. I grew up with them, so I enjoy them. I had a feeling Robin wouldnt. I ordered a small( 1.25) chocolate. There are tons of other flavors avaible, but chocolate( and maybe vanilla) are really in my opinion the only ones you should get. The other flavors are pretty artificial tasting. In fact, I've never seen other flavors sold at deli's, etc. The place that sells these egg creams also sells belgian fries. I think Robin was pretty full, but she couldnt resist a familar food. The order you see about is 1.00, a variatable bargin for NYC.

We waited awhile before we hit the Doughnut Plant. We shared 2 doughnuts, a chocolate(valhrona) glazed and my personal favorite a coconut filled, coconut glazed. Robin had a small coffee too. She said the coffee was very good. The doughnuts were good, but expensive( 2.50 and 2.75). The shop is so much smaller than I thought it was.

Next door to the doughnut plant is Kossars for bialys. A bialy is like a bagel, except its not boiled first and it has the same topping( onions and poppyseeds). I was way too full, so I took it to go and ate it for breakfast the next day.

Later that night, we ended up back in Times Square. I did NOT want to eat there, but the weather was still horrible and we had to get our bus back to NJ at Port Authority so since I wasnt that hungry, I just said " whatever". We found a pizza place that wasnt so great. Its not even worth mentioning, because we had amazing pizza the next day.

To be continued......

Personal Chef dinner for 8....

2008-11-04T07:38:00.001-08:00

After a whirlwind trip to NYC( which I'm going to write about soon, I swear) I returned on Friday. I had no time to relax, as I had a personal chef dinner for 8 on Sunday. Thankfully, the clients had picked a menu that I'd made a few times before. The salad was a new addition, but I made it last week before we left in order to test it. It's a wonderful really simple salad from Cook's Illustrated. Arugula w/ dried apricots, pears, goat cheese and almonds. The main dish was also from CI, but I made a couple changes. I added fresh rosemary and used a cherry jam from France instead of the orange marmalade the recipe calls for. If you have a CI membership, its called Pork tenderloin with a dried cherry port sauce. I mashed sweet potatoes to go with the meal. The client raved and raved about the sweet potatoes. I used 1 stick of butter, a few tbls of heavy cream, 2tsp of brown sugar and salt and pepper for 7 potatoes. They were very good!!

I used a nifty little tool to french cut fresh green beans. I blanched them and then sauteed them with pine nuts and butter. I used a garlic/cheese finishing butter I picked up at Wegman's in Buffalo. Dessert was chocolate fondue w/ assorted fruit and amazing shortbread cookies. I used the recipe from Ina Garten( half w/ pecans) and cut them with my maple leaf cutter. I also made a batch of Peanut butter rice krispie treats. There was NOT one of those left on the platter.

I was hired thru the Canadian Personal Chef Alliance. I was required to provide a 3 course bistro dinner, but I also threw in an appetizer( forgot to take a pic) of an artichoke and white bean dip. I also threw in my famous( actually Peter Reinharts) overnight foccacia. If you want an amazing bread w/ little effort, seriously make that bread!!

Chicken Sausage Manicoti( cuisine@home). and NYC!!...

2008-10-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

Oct 13th was Canadian Thanksgiving. Because I cooked a big turkey dinner for the Seniors the previous Thursday, I went a little untraditional with the meal.

The dessert was the Black Forest Cake I'd previously blogged about. The main dish was this wonderful chicken and sausage manicotti. The recipe uses those Barilla no boil noodles. You do boil them though and they act like fresh pasta. You roll those around the flavorful filling of diced chicken breast, sausage, red pepper, mushrooms, garlic and ricotta cheese. The whole thing gets covered in a bechamel sauce. My MIL has a red sauce aversion( she gets an upset stomach) so I looked for a recipe using a white sauce. Robin and I both love my marinara sauce( using San Marzano tomatoes) so the next day we covered ours with the red sauce and it was spectacular!!

Speaking of Red Sauce, we're off to NYC on Monday. Before NYC, we'll be spending the night in Lewiston at my friend Stephanie's house. I see some Buffalo wings in Robin's future( not mine, I abHOR chicken wings).

There wont be any high end dining on this trip to NYC. I planned a self-led walking tour of the Lower East Side( where my grandparents grew up and grampa worked). The LES is home to most of the great Jewish culinary treasures such as Katz's, Yonna Shimels, Russ and Daughter's etc. We'll be eating our way thru these shops on this tour!!

I also have a self-led walking tour of the Upper West Side where thanks to Anna, we'll be visting some bakeries and other shops. We'll also be taking a GreyLine 2 day hop on, hop off tour where we hope to eat many a Slice and find some fabulous Red Sauce Italian restaurants.

Black Forest Cake( Cuisine @ Home).....

2008-10-13T07:36:00.001-07:00

I spent the majority of the weekend cooking as today is Canadian Thanksgiving. We celebrated yesterday as most people around here are prone to do. Having experienced both American and Canadian Thanksgivings, I'd say that its less of a big deal here in Ontario!!( Dont hate on me for saying that). I couldnt imagine having Thanksgiving on Friday instead of its intended Thursday( which btw, this year falls on Robin's bday).

Anyway, we hosted this year as we have a new kitchen( renovation started the day after Thanksgiving last year). Because I made a big Thanksgiving meal last Thursday for the seniors, I decided to go a bit untraditional this year. We had Chicken/Sausage manicotti, Garlic slathered stretch bread and this fabulous Black Forest Cake. The cake is great because you MUST make it the day before so the flavors can meld. The whipped cream frosting is stabilized with a cornstarch/cream mixture that is first heated to make a "pudding". The filling is a mixture of dark cherries, dried cherries, cherry jam and cherry juice. The cake is a simple choc. cake that contains NO eggs.

The only deviation I made from the recipe I used was to use some Kirch in the cherry compote as well as between the cake layers. This cake was amazing!!

Roasted Tomato Soup( Cuisine @ Home).....

2008-10-10T09:47:00.001-07:00

Just call me weird, but I absolutely despise raw tomatoes. I hate the texture and the slime of the seeds!! But, I adore tomato soup. When I spotted 3kgs of plum tomatoes on the clearance rack for 3.00 I scooped them up. I really dont know why they were on clearance as they were pretty decent looking. I had some minor trimming to do which was no big deal. I threw them on the sheet pan with lots of garlic cloves and olive oil. This gets roasted for 40 min at 400F. I threw it in the pot with 2 cups chicken stock( original recipe calls for water), salt, pepper, fresh thyme( my addition) and fresh parsely. This cooks briefly and then I used the immersion blender to puree. I finished it with some sugar and fresh basil. The recipe calls for 1/2c. of half and half, but I left it out as I'm going to freeze it. Prior to serving, I add some half and half to the pot when I rewarm. Its soooooo good that I've been running up to the grocery store hoping they'll be more of those tomatoes on the clearance rack. No such luck. I might just have to plant some next year so I can make my own supply of this fabulous soup!!

White chicken chili and corn toasties.....

2008-10-04T14:25:00.000-07:00

Do you know what it means when the weather has a noticable chill? It means soup and chili time, of course.

I whipped up this white chicken chili from a recipe in the new Cuisine at Home Soup/Chili book( 9.95 on magazine shelves now). I've had GREAT luck with Cuisine at Home recipes. They've never failed me and they're pretty easy to follow. I did make a few changes, so I wont post the recipe.

I can't remember where I found this corn toastie recipe, but they're yummy!! You pour the batter into a jelly roll pan and then slice and toast. To me, cornbread is a must accompaniment to Chili!!

Corn Toasties

1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c + 2 T sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 c + 2 T cornmeal
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1 c milk

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a medium-sized bowl mix together the melted butter & sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Add the baking powder, cornmeal, flour & salt. Mix until everything is moistened. Stir in milk & mix until almost smooth (a few lumps are fine).

Lightly grease a 10" x 15" baking sheet with 1/2" sides. Pour the batter into the baking sheet, spreading into all the corners. Tap the baking sheet on the counter 1 or 2 times to even the batter out.

Bake for about 25 minutes. The edges should be brown & pulling away from the side of the pan & the top show be set. Allow to rest in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Using a sharp knife cut into individual pieces I cut it into eight 2 1/2" x 3 3/4" rectangles.

Store the toasties wrapped in plastic wrap or in a resealable bag in the refrigerator for use over the next week. For longer storage keep them in the freezer.

To serve toast until browning & top with butter, syrup, honey or jam.

Makes 8 toasties

Pumpkin roulade( roll).....

2008-09-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

Libby's pumpkin roulade aka roll is a great alternative to traditional pumpkin pie. It has all the great fall flavors as this actual cake part is fat free( except for eggs which do add fat). This roll has no additional oil or butter in the cake. Its not that hard to roll this, in fact when you roll the cake up in a dishtowel( sprinkle with powdered sugar) it has a memory and will reroll with the filling super easily.

The filling is nothing more than cream cheese, powdered sugar, a bit of butter and vanilla. I have made this before with mascarpone cheese as well.

The only change I made from the original recipe, was to use pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon/cloves and omit the nuts.

symphony brownies.....

2008-09-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

I feel kinda stupid posting this "recipe" because its not really a recipe and its so simple. We had a baby shower to attend 2 weeks ago, so I whipped these up( along with muffaletta sandwiches) the night before. Just use your favorite brownie recipe for an 9 inch square pan( or a mix which is what I did). Ghiradelli makes a great mix, but its not sold in Canada. I used a Duncan Hines family size 9 x 13 mix, but baked it in a 9 x 9 square pan( so they're thicker). I subbed out coffee for the water and part almond oil for some of the canola oil. You could even use melted butter instead of oil.

Pour out half your batter and then layer in 2 family size Hershey Symphony Chocolate bars( I dont know if they're sold in Canada, I bought them for 1.00 each at Walgreen's in MI). In the picture above, you see a little square of chocolate missing. I took a little taste. Symphony comes in two flavors. Plain and an almond toffee. You want to use the almond toffee so you gets bits of both of those flavors. Pour the other half of the batter over the top and bake as directed. I refridgerated them overnight for easing cutting. They were polished off within a matter of minutes. They're really good and super easy.

Peanut butter banana blondies for weiner dogs!!

2008-09-05T12:36:00.001-07:00

Oliver turned 10 on Tuesday so I pulled out my doggie cookbook and whipped him up some blondies. As you can see, he loved them!! I added a few reeces pieces( no chocolate) to gild the lily. Oliver shared with Harley as you can see above.

The recipe uses whole wheat flour, mashed banana, honey, natural peanut butter, canola oil and some levening. Easy to make and no complaints from the boys.

Great Guacamole.......

2008-09-01T14:58:00.001-07:00

One of the great things about living in this culinary wasteland is the fabulous price I usually get on Haas avocados. When I lived in Cali, I routinely paid upwards of 2.00 each for an avocado. Maybe its because they really havent " taken off" here, but at least once a month I pick up a bag on the clearance rack for .99. Yesterday, I found a bag of 7( yes SEVEN) perfectly ripe ORGANIC avocados for less than 1.00. Because we were having dinner guests, I whipped up a batch of my famous guacamole. I usually make it the same way every single time, but for some odd reason, this batch tasted extra special( maybe it was the fleur de sel that Robin picked up at a liquidation store for another mere 1.00).

I used 4 avocado's, about 1-2 tbls of Green Mountain mild salsa, a few tbls of roughly chopped red onion( white onion is good too, but dont use a spanish onion), a few squirts of lime juice and a few tbls of chopped cilantro( oh and salt and pepper).

Yummy!!

Btw, I leared a neat trick over on the Cook's Illustrated message boards. Someone( I cant remember who) said they flick off that little stem on top of the avocado and if its green underneath, the avocado is ripe. If its brown, the majority will be brown. It worked everytime. Look at the picture of that perfect avocado~~

Why I shouldnt clean........

2008-08-27T13:48:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning was sort of overcast. Robin wanted to mow the lawn before the rain came, so I said I'd go out to the garage and attempt to organize it a bit. Well, I pulled out a few boxes and found my stash of really old( like 1991) Chocolatier Magazines. Before moving here, I got rid of years of Bon Appetite and Gourmet, but I could not bear to part with the Chocolatier. I was in college/university for what seemed like eons so I rarely cooked back then. But, I kept those Chocolatier magazines because I knew one day I'd have the time to make everything I wanted to( and because each magazine was around 4 bucks( expensive back then). Well, flash forward to today and I totally forgot they were in the garage.

I threw a couple into my beach bag and enjoyed what is probably the next to last nice beach weekend. Since we ate a bigger breakfast, we skipped lunch so of course my stomach was growling and everything looked great. I saw this " Marbeled Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake" recipe fairly early on into my reading. Robin said " Make that", because we all know what a peanut butter fan she is.

It wasnt a hard cake to make( standard creaming of butter/ peanutbutter sugar), but I had trouble with the ganache. Its so funny to read these older magazines because so many of the recipes calls for chocolate chips or Lindt chocolate. There just wasnt the abundance of good quality chocolate we have now. Anyway, I did use some random bits of chocolate for the ganache, including some choc. chips and some bar chocolate. It never smoothed out as you can see from the picture.

I thought the cake was a touch too heavy and Robin thought it wasnt " peanutbuttery enough". I responded to that by saying "it has a full cup of pb". Unless she eats pb by itself, she wont think its peanutbutter enough. My MIL had a piece today and she thought it was really good and rich. I dont think I'd make it again though. There are just too many other recipes to try.

The Spice House Evanston, IL.....

2008-08-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

I know many avid cooks rave about Penzey's, but I'm a fan of The Spice House. Patty, one of the owners is a Penzey so you're getting the best of both worlds. You can read about Patty over here.

The first thing I noticed when I went to the Evanston store was the intoxicating smell. It hits you like a ton of bricks before you even step inside. I love how the spices are displayed in glass jars and the sales associates weight everything out for you. It seems a lot more personal than shopping at Penzey's. I did go a tad bit crazy, but I rationalize it like this " I dont drink or smoke and I cook every day". So, there you go.

I bought 1oz of each type of cinnamon as I wanted to try them all. I also bought 4oz of Robin's favorite salad dressing mix. I really despise bottled ranch dressing so this is a great alternative.

I've also been looking for Salt-free adobo for at least a year. The Spice house is the only place I've found it.

If you're a fan of Penzey's, give The Spice House a try, you'll be pleasently surprised.

EGullet Chicago Heartland Gathering.....

2008-08-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the Egullet Heartland Gathering. I love attending these events because I live in a Culinary Wasteland. I love being around like minded people, especially when all of us converge in the kitchen on Saturday to cook the group meal.

The weekend actually started last Thursday when Kerry and I spent the night in Port Huron, MI. Our train left at the ungodly hour of 5am on Friday so spending the night( even though I was up at 3:30am) seemed like a reasonable option. We spent 8 LONG hours on the train( the train was 1hr late), but I made sure we were well nourished. I'd brought along my favorite granola and I'd picked up some organic yogurt the night before. I went to Jimmy John's the night before and ordered 2 sandwiches with all the veggies/sauce on the side. When it came time to eat our lunch, we assembled our sandwiches on our lap( they wouldn't let us eat in the dining car unless we were buying food). Since we were in the very first seat, we heard comments of envy from other passengers as they oggled our subs.

Friday night was a group meal at Lao Sze Chuan. I'm not a fan of spicy food( I'm a supertaster ya know) so this meal didnt thrill me. Too many weird items and way too spicy. I ended up ordered a really bland shrimp/broccoli dish off the regular menu.

Saturday was our group meal at a church in Evanston. I chose to make 2 dishes, Cook's Illustrated Peach Blueberry Crisp and a Nicoise Salad( see pic). I'm not a fan of tuna or tomatoes so I made some creative substitutions. I used swordfish and french breakfast radishes. I also brought some homeade tarragon vinegar from home. The salad was amazing, very fresh, very light and I was very pleased( how many times can I say VERY?). We spent the morning at a wonderful( if not pricey) Farmer's Market in Evanston. I bought some beautiful heirloom fingerling potatoes as well.

On Sunday, we went to the Maxwell Street Market where I had a fantastic tamale, a corn smut taco( weird), Mexican corn and a watermelon juice drink. Sunday night's dinner was at A-Mano where I had a great NY style individual pizza. We also made a trip to Frontera Grill. I missed Anna by 1 freaking day!! The food was good, but Kerry and I both thought the Mexican dinner we had at Neuvo Leon on Monday was better.

We had a breakfast and a lunch at Fox and Obel, we did an architecture river tour and we made a few shopping trips up Michigan Ave. I scored 10lbs of Guittard chocolate at Williams-Sonoma for 24.60 and I made 2 trips to The Spice House.

When we showed up for our train on Tuesday, we were told that no trains were running and we'd be put on Greyhound buses back to Port Huron. No Freaking WAY!! I was pretty upset. Turns out, we were on new chartered buses( not greyhound) and we arrived in PH a half hour early( we would have been even earlier if the busdriver didnt have to go back to BattleCreek to pick up a woman he left at the train station).

Look for more trip reports soon.

Baked stuffed spuds and Doodle bug cupcakes.....

2008-08-05T12:18:00.001-07:00

Every year on the day before Civic Holiday( The first Monday in August), Robin's uncle has a BBQ for his side of the family. Its a great tradition because we realized this year that last year was the last time we saw some members of the family. The BBQ is always a pot luck with Robin's aunt and uncle providing the main dish. Some members of the family are not very adventorus eaters. I learned my lesson one year when I brought Ina Garten's curried cous cous salad and it sat untouched. So, I try to stick with very familar recipes.

Our neice Chelsea was here on Saturday night and she's taken an interest in cooking ( much to my delight). She helped me with these baked stuffed potatoes. Last month I bought a 50lb bag of russet potatoes to keep in the basement. Did you know how many potatoes there are in 50lbs? I didnt realize, but its something like 50-70 depending on the size. Some of those suckers were huge!! I used about 20 to make this dish. I never follow a recipe as I've been making some variation of them for years. Because they were so large, and it's hot as hell outside. I microwaved them first for a few minutes. I finished them in the oven. Then, Chelsea and I scooped out the insides. We mixed them with a stick of butter, about 1/2 c. of sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, salt and pepper. Half of them got mashed cooked broccoli thrown in. They're topped with more cheese, and some smoked paprika and finished on the grill. Its a perfect make-ahead dish because the flavor doesnt suffer when cooked the next day.

There were a few kids at the BBQ so Chels wanted to make a cute dessert. For previous BBQ's, she's made a sand pail cake and a cheese ball snail. I baked up a batch of my favorite banana cake recipe( its called Frosted Banana Bar on Allrecipes.com). I made them into cupcakes and it worked out great. I tinted the homeade cream cheese frosting with food coloring ( I was going for purple, but it didnt work out well). Chels decorated them to look like bugs. She used skittles for the eyes and red string licorice for the legs. Too cute.

Very Veggie Lasagna.......

2008-08-02T10:49:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the picture, it doesnt make this dish look very good. In fact, when I served it to Robin she said " That doesnt look very appealing". Hah, such a food critic. Anyway, I saw Paula Dean make this dish on Foodtv and I knew I wanted to make it. I'm not going to post the recipe, because I didnt follow it. First, Paula calls for boiling the veggies in water. I didnt do that because it sucks all the flavor out of them. I sauted them in evoo and added some fancy garlic seasoning mix I got on clearance at Marshall's. I didnt use the can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce called for in the original recipe. I used 1 jar of Dave's Heirloom Tomato sauce I bought on clearance at TJ Maxx( do you see a theme here?).

For the amount of veggies I used, I probably could have used another jar of sauce. Anyway, I used yellow squash, mushrooms, zucchini and carrots. I left out the red peppers that Paula calls for because I dont really like them cooked( either does Robin).

I did follow Paula's choice of using cottage cheese. I've a ricotta girl myself. My Mom is from NY and has always used ricotta so thats what I'm used to. However, Robin told me her mom always used cottage cheese. There is only one lasagna recipe I use cottage cheese( pureed) and that CI's Spinach Lasagna. Anyway, I digress. So, you mix the cottage cheese with half a bar of cream cheese( I used the light kind).

I also used Sargento's new blend of artisan cheeses. Paula calls for Mozzarella and provolone and wow, Sargento just happens to make this blend so thats what I used.

I also used the Barilla no-boil noodles. They're quite thin and I only needed 6 of them.

Verdict: It was a good light lasagana. I much prefer ricotta though. It did taste much better on day 2. Oh and Robin said she was wrong( I'm usually right so this was no surprise).

Blueberry Tart( everday food).......

2008-07-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love blueberries. I bought 3 pints for 5.00 last week because I really wanted to make this blueberry tart. I saw it on Everday Baking and it totally called out to me..... " Randi, make me.... make Robin eat a piece". LOL, we all know by now Robin is not a lover of fruit.

It was super simple and if you love blueberries, you'll love this. I think the next time I make it, I'm going to add a cream cheese type filling under the blueberries.

Ingredients
Serves 10
FOR THE CRUST
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for dusting ( I used 1/4 corn meal for 1/4 cup of the flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
FOR THE FILLING
6 cups (3 pints) fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter; process until large moist crumbs form (dough should hold together when squeezed).
Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom; with floured fingers, press evenly into bottom and up sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes; prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes; cool completely.
Meanwhile, reserve 1 cup of the prettiest berries for topping. In a medium saucepan, bring 1/4 cup water and 1 1/2 cups berries to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to break down, 3 to 4 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water; stir into berries in pan. Add lemon zest and juice, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, stirring, just until mixture begins to thicken, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups fresh berries. Immediately pour hot berry mixture into cooled tart shell, and smooth with a spatula.
Scatter reserved berries on top, pressing down lightly to help them adhere. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes and up to overnight.

Homemade frosty paws.....

2008-07-19T18:16:00.001-07:00

We're back from our holiday to Nova Scotia. I've come to the conclusion that I really dont like taking trips in the Summer. After our week in Nova Scotia, we went to Toronto for 2 days to see Dirty Dancing. We also took our niece to the Ontario Science Centre. It was soooooo crowded with so many screaming button pushing children, oy!!

When I returned, I was dismayed to find out that I missed the garden centre clearance sale. I was hoping to score some clearance perennial herbs to fill out my herb garden. Alas, the only herb left was the lowly spearmint, which I got for .25

Anyway, my boys were pretty excited to see us when we picked them up yesterday. Ten days is just way too long for them to be boarded. They're very spoiled( they sleep on cotton sheets ya know) and I don't think they did that well away from us. When we came home around noon, they didn't even want to eat. If you know dachshunds, you'll know they would eat themselves to death if given the opportunity. Robin and I think they were just so exhausted. This particular kennel puts the dogs outside with the other dogs 5 times a day for "play time". We were a bit apprehensive about this as Harley can't stand other dogs and Oliver goes outside to do his business and the scratches at the door to come inside. He is the ultimate couch potato.

After bathing them( they were so dirty), they slept the entire day and night, only rising to go outside. They pretty much slept the entire day today as well.

Tomorrow they'll get a homemade frosty paw. I bought the container of yogurt for 50% off. The best by date is July 21st, but I pretty much ignore those when it comes to yogurt, as I've found it lasts at least 2 more weeks after the expiration date.

To the yogurt I added 1 jar of banana baby food and some agave nectar. I poured it back into the containers and topped it with a dab of peanut butter. I covered it with foil and chucked it into the freezer.

In the spirit of multi-tasking, I used two of the containers of yogurt to make tzatziki sauce to go with some chicken schwarma we'll eat for dinner this week. I prefer to use a greek style yogurt for that, but I just drained the water off this kind and it came out fine.

Date squares and seafood chowder......

2008-07-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

We're leaving for Halifax on Wednesday so I'm trying to use up what we have in the fridge and freezer. I've also decided to try my hand at selling some baked goods at a local flea market. Last week Robin and I set up a table( Robin is selling collectibles), but we were rained out. I did manage to sell about 30 bucks worth before the rain came. There was another lady selling next to me and she had quite the following. She's selling pies and butter tarts( oh so Canadian) and jams. I did make some awesome jam a couple weeks ago( strawberry w/out pectin and a mixed berry vanilla). I bought some pretty quilted mason jars at Wal*Mart in Michigan and I honestly dont want to sell a jar for 4.00. I'd rather give them away as gifts. I might bring a few with me and see if they'd actually sell.

Anyway, last week I made a bacardi rum cake, a couple of sour cream coffee cakes( my mom's amazing recipe) and some various cookies and squares. I individually wrapped each one, but Robin thought that wasnt the best way to go. So, I'm trying a different approach this week. My friend the butcher gave me a bunch of those white meat trays and I put 6 squares( aka bar cookies South of the Canadian border) on each one. So far I've made shortbread, these date squares and I currently have the Magic Brownies and Pecan Pie squares( recipe from Anna) cooling. The pecan pie squares are amazing. I'm going to have to photgraph those alone and give them their own entry. They're so good!!

In cleaning out the freezer a few days ago, I noticed a bunch of single serving portions of seafood that I bought at Wal*Mart( do you see a theme here?) in MI. As I said before, I'm a sucker for a bargain. For 1.50(50 cents each), I got 2 stuffed tilapia fillets and a bag of bay scallops. I also found about 10 shrimp languishing in there as well. So, I sauteed a shallot and some celery in some evoo. I added some old bay seasoning, a can of evap milk( 59 cents at Big Lots), some skim milk and 1/4c of whipping cream. I shredded a russet potato for its thickening power. I added some frozen corn, the seafood and some fresh dill. Robin proclaimed it amazing. I'm glad I decided to make it on the one coolish day we had last week. Robin isnt really a soup person and I really only like soup in the winter or if I'm sick. I also threw together some quesadilla's using some frozen flour tortilla's. It was a true budget meal!!

I made the date squares by cooking a 500g package of dates with 1/2 c. of OJ. I pureed that in the cuisinart. I made the crust with butter, flour, baking soda and powder, brown sugar and oats. I pulsed in some butter and then layered the whole thing. They're pretty thick. Next time, I'll use a 9 x 13 pan instead of a 9" square. Now, wish me luck that everything sells or my freezer will be totally full again!!

Easy and Good Oatmeal Raisin Cookies....

2008-06-22T08:42:00.001-07:00

I'm a total sucker for Red clearance stickers. Either at Target or my local grocery store. I picked up 3 bags of these jumbo mixed raisins for 1.20 each( half price). The raisins are gorgeous. They're large and plump, so I went looking for a recipe that would show them off. I went to my pal Anna's blog and found the perfect recipe for easy and good oatmeal cookies. I threw in some coconut because I had about a cup leftovt that was lingering in a ziplock bag. These were moist and delicious. This recipe is a keeper.

Where I've been.....

2008-06-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

I've been getting ready for a huge catering job I had the first weekend in June. Because I dont have a commerical kitchen, I can only take job where I can cook on site. I was hired way back in February for this job and because it was my first big job, I really made sure I was prepared.

I planned the menu and then started shopping. Shopping is something I do really well. The job was for 6 meals and 2 snacks over 3 days. I hired a fabulous sous chef to help me out. I litterally could not have done it without her. One of the best things I did to help myself out was preportioning all the dry ingredients into baggies for the many muffins and cookies I made( every single cookie and square was consumed). This way I didnt have to lug all my baking ingredients to the site. I also whipped up the salad dressing for the salad in the picture. I modified a recipe I found on All recipes by using half evoo and half veg oil. I used less sugar, added sesame and poppy seeds and I used a raspberry vinegar. The dressing and the salad rocked!!

I filled the bowl 3 times and each time it was cleaned out. The salad is simply baby spinach, cubes of brie cheese, red onion, strawberries and honey toasted macadamaia nuts( bought at Big Lots for 1.00).

Here is a link to all the pics.

Garlic Slathered Stretch Bread......

2008-05-23T05:14:00.001-07:00

Its no secret that I'm a huge fan of Marcy Goldman. I love, love, love her Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking book and I'm equally in love with her latest book " A Passion for Baking".

My friend Di also has this book and she reccomended this Garlic Slathered Stretch Bread. Once I read the recipe, I knew Robin would love this. She is always begging me to make " cheesy garlic bread" and this recipe is exactly that times 10. You start by making a simple flatbread dough. I love that the majority of Marcy's recipes use Bread flour. I think it gives great texture and chew. I made the dough in the KA using the hook and it came together in a snap. While its rising, you make a spread with mayo, garlic( I reduced the cloves to 4 instead of 6 and it was very garlicky) parmesean, some italian seasoning and evoo. This is spread over the bread with mozzarella. Once the second shorter rise is complete, its a short bake in the oven. As you can see, 4 cups of flour made a huge amount of bread. I have a big catering job coming up and I plan on serving this with their lasagna.

If enough people want the recipe, I can ask Marcy if I can post it. Or, you can always go buy the book. If you're like me, you'll want to bake every single recipe in it.

Beer Can Chicken( CI).......

2008-05-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

I seem to be one of those folks who's always behind on the latest cooking fads. Can you believe I've never even made the No Knead Bread??? It took me awhile to try beer can chicken and I'm really sorry I waited so long. I have this irrational fear of running out of propane in the middle of grilling. Thus, I never want to grill things that take hours and hours. I knew we were going to my MIL's for dinner on Sunday, so I decided to make this over there. My MIL has a direct gas hookup to her bbq( I'm smacking myself for not doing that when we did all our renovations). This seems like a fussy recipe, but its really very simple. I used the recipe and technique( loosely) from Cook's Illustrated. I bought 2 whole fryer's at Meijer in Port Huron, MI for .69lb( so cheap!!). I made a simple rub of parprika, salt, pepper, celery seed and thyme( I left out the cayenne). Instead of beer cans, I used two empty soup cans because they were sturdier. You fill those with beer and crumbled bay leaves( you can also use lemondae of ginger ale or whatever). I also used mesquite chips that I soaked for an hour. Those went right on the coals in a disposable pie plate( CI says make a foil packet, but I used the plate). We did have to flip the birds around a few times since they cook on indirect heat. The end result was a moist very tasty bird. I only had the breast meat and it was really good. This is something I'll defintely make again.

Rhubarb raspberry pie.......

2008-05-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

Its no secret that I'm a cake kinda girl. Plain, frosted, layer, sheet, bundt, I'm sure you get the picture. Its not often that I'll turn down a piece of cake. My Mother-in-law however, is a pie gal. She loves pie( as do most of the older folks around these parts). Since yesterday was Mother's Day, Robin and I whipped her mom up a nice pie. I've always been afraid of lattice, but I wanted to do it this time because I knew it would showcase all the ruby red fruit. I used my go to pie dough recipe for pate brise. I love the taste of an all butter crust even though my MIL prefers lard( egad!!). The filling is simply 4 cups of chopped rhubarb, a cup of raspberries, a cup of sugar( I used vanilla sugar) and 1/4c. of minute tapioca. I've made lots of pies since moving to Ontario and I have to say that as a pie thickener, I prefer the tapioca over flour or cornstarch.

Robin did the lattice using the really simple intructions we found over on simply recipes. I eggwashed the top and sprinkled some turbinado sugar over the whole lot.

Now, if we can just get the hang of this new camera, we'd be set.

Mimi's carrot walnut raisin bread......

2008-05-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much an "anti chain" restaurant type of person, especially in Florida. There are so many fabulous independent restaurant choices that I dont understand why someone would visit an Olive Garden or a Red Lobster. Thats not to say that I dont eat at any chains. When I go to Port Huron, I basically have no choice as almost all the restaurants there are chains. Jimmy John's sandwiches just opened up there and I'm not ashamed to say that I really like the #12.

My ex's mom used to take us to Mimi's cafe in Phoenix when we'd go back for a visit. I loved, loved, loved the carrot raisin walnut bread. Mimi's would always give you one small slice in their breadbasket. It would be the first peice I'd pick up. I found this copycat recipe( Top Secret Recipes) and I'm happy to report that the taste is very similar. I did make a few substitutions as I had pecans instead of walnuts. I also had a breakfast blend of dried fruits so I used that. Next time I make this, I'll reduce the oil to 3/4 cup(from 1 cup). I found it to be slightly greasy. Its dead simple to make and the recipe makes 2 loaves.

Spinach Lasagna( CI)........

2008-04-24T05:33:00.001-07:00

Yummy!! This lasagna rocks. Here we have another winner from Cook's Illustrated. I've made this a few other times, but couldnt remember if I'd blogged about it. Its a bechamel based sauce with 1 cottage cheese layer. I've never been a fan of CC in my lasagna, I much prefer ricotta, but you puree the cheese in a food processor and it really works well. This lasagna is pretty much so you only need a small slice. Thats a good thing because I made a German Chocolate Cake for dessert that was amazing!!

Cowgirl chicken casserole and Shrimp Etouffee.....

2008-04-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

One day last year I was surfing through the zillions of foodblogs and found a recipe for a chocolate peanut butter pie. The recipe came from Emeril's book called PotLuck kicked up comfort food with attitude. The book was less than 1.00 used so I bought it. We were invited to a bday party potluck on Friday so I pulled out the book and found these two recipes. I REALLY wanted to make the shrimp etouffee because shrimp was on sale ( 31-40) for a really low price of 3.99 a bag. Robin nixed that idea saying a lot of people don't really like shellfish so I made it for us instead. It was super easy to make and really tasty. Etouffee means smothered and thats basically what it was. You start by making a light roux and then you add the famous cajun trinity. Bell peppers, onions and celery. Shrimp stock is added next( I used Better than Boullion lobster stock and it worked fine) and this mixture simmers for awhile. Shrimp is added in last and its served over rice. I had some white rice leftover from a Chinese food meal we had so it was a snap to reheat.

We decided on this cowboy( I renamed it cowgirl) chicken casserole for the Friday Potluck. I did a lot of the prep on Thursday night so it came together fast. Emerils recipes include a lot of steps, but the flavor really comes thru. This dish consists of diced or shredded chicken( you poach it in a flavorful broth) over crushed crunchy tortilla chips. Next you make a mushroom bechamel( no canned soup here!!) and pour that over. Diced onions, peppers, cheese and spices round out the next layer. Oh and lots of shredded cheese. Canned chopped tomatoes and green chilies finish it off. It bakes for 40 min and voila!! It was very tasty and as you can see, it make a huge dish.

ps: The blogger upload picture thing wasnt working so I had to use a cut and paste from snapfish. The pics are big, sorry for that.

Big super nutty peanut butter cookies(CI)......

2008-04-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

We all know by now that Robin is a peanut butter freak, a title she wears happily. My friend J is also a lover of all things peanut butter. I'm off to Ann Arbor to visit J and her partner for a few days so I thought I'd whip these up. The recipe came to me in the America's Test Kitchen newsletter and as per usual, Cook's Illustrated didnt dissapoint. These were very peanutty, thanks to a dose of chopped nuts. I actually halved the recipe but while mixing I realized I added the full amount of peanut butter. I didnt have another full stick of butter softened, but I did have 2 tbls so I used that and proceeded with the recipe( but I did use only half the amount of chopped nuts). They're still really good, next time I make them I'll use the correct amount of butter. I used the ridged side of my meat pounder to make the marks( spray it with pam first).

Big, Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies Add to Favorites Shopping List
Bringing the butter, peanut butter, and eggs to room temperature makes it easier to blend the ingredients. Be sure to grind the peanuts, since whole, and even chopped peanuts tend to slip out of the dough. If using unsalted butter, increase salt to 1 teaspoon. Keep finished cookies refrigerated in airtight container. To restore just-baked chewiness, wrap a cookie in a sheet of paper towel and microwave for approximately 25 seconds. Cool before serving.
Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), salted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup extra-crunchy peanut butter , preferably Jif
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup roasted salted peanuts , ground in food processor to resemble bread crumbs, about 14 pulses (about 1 cup, packed)

1. Adjust oven rack to low center position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.

2. In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with electric mixer, stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts; stir gently until just incorporated.

3. Working with 2 tablespoons dough at a time (see illustration 1 below), roll into large balls, placing them 2 inches apart on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Following illustration 2, press each dough ball with back of dinner fork dipped in cold water to make crisscross design. Bake until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along edges, but not top, 10 to 12 minutes (they will not look fully baked). Cool cookies on cookie sheet until set, about 4 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 7 days.

Grilled pizza's( Cook's Illustrated) and a puppy....

2008-04-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Robin and I have a favorite pizza place. We love it so much that we could eat it for breakfast( we havent), lunch or dinner. Unfortunately, the pizza place is in S. Florida. We're both a big fan of thin crust pizza though so we really enjoy this Cook's Illustrated recipe for grilled pizza. We hosted a small cooking get-together a couple weeks ago and I demonstrated the pizza dough, sauce and grilling method. One of the couple's brought their new dachshund puppy over and Oliver and Harley fell in love!! I've wanted another dachshund for awhile now and was hoping that the cute puppy would sway Robin( We're not having 3 dogs!!) but alas he didnt.

Nevertheless, we had great grilled pizza and a fabulous chopped salad. Some of the varieties I made were.
Pesto w/ grilled veg and goat cheese
marinara w/ pepperoni and fresh mozzarella
marinara w/ sun dried tomato chicken sausage, fresh mozzarella and romano.
bbq sauce, chicken, red onion, cilantro and mozz.

Meyer Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake.....

2008-04-03T16:29:00.001-07:00

When I was in Florida last month, I met up with Egulleter Kathryn. We had a great time going out for lunch( Cuban Food), shopping at a restaurant supply and a Super Target and going out to a favorite restaurant for dinner. When we met up, Kathryn gave me 5 of the biggest Meyer Lemons I'd ever seen. These things were huge. They were the size of grapefruits. I gave one to my sister and my BIL made a pasta dish with it. I schlepped the other 4 back to Canada. The day after I arrived back in Canada, I had a dr. appt and I pulled it out to show the nurse. She actually walked around the office showing everyone because she'd never seen a lemon that big either. I found this recipe in Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More ,a book I checked out of the library. The flavor and texture were divine and while a bit fussy to make( anything to requires separating eggs is fussy to me), it was well worth it. I was excited too, to use my new loaf pan I picked up at Williams- Sonoma. I've always been a big believer in the saying " You get what you pay for". This is my second pan in the goldtouch series( I also have the 9 x 13) and I'm a big fan!!

Easter Brunch.......

2008-03-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hi. Remember me? I used to be really good about blogging almost everything I make. I still take pics of what I cook, but sometimes life gets in the way. I started a new job baking 3 days a week. I still have my other job cooking for the Seniors. I was really sick 2 weeks ago and then I went to FL for 9 days. I'm back now, ready to blog.

Robin really loves Hot Cross buns, but she said she's never had a really fresh one( she always has to toast them). I remedied that, by whipping up this recipe. I searched online, but then went to my massive cookbook collection and pulled out a bread machine cookbook. I really have no qualms about making dough in the machine, especially when I'm making 3 other things too. I decided on this recipe because it used skim milk( I didnt want to go out and buy whole milk) and I had everything on hand. Actually, I take that back. The recipe called for dried currants and dried apricots. I had the latter, not the former. I did have a mix of dried fruits(breakfast blend) by Sunsweet. It contained dates, 2 different raisins and prunes so I used that. It worked out well. The dough was super simple using AP flour, brown sugar, mace( I used a shake of pumpkin pie spice) eggs, butter, milk, yeast and salt. When the dough cycle is finished, you dump out the dough and knead in the dried fruits. After forming into rolls, you let rise again, slash the top and bake. After they were in the oven for about 5 min, I realized I forgot to slash the crosses into the top( Hey, I'm Jewish, I dont often make crosses). I hoped it would still work and it was fine. I just mixed up the glaze( powdered sugar, milk and vanilla or Fiori Di Sicillia). I let them cool for a few minutes then made the crosses by drizzling them on with a spoon. It worked out pretty well. Everyone loved them!! On my way back to Canada from the airport( in Detroit) last week, I stopped at Nino Salvaggio's
and picked up some Vermont Butter and Cheese Company Cultered Butter. It was divine on these.

I also made a smoked salmon, mushroom and asparagus quiche( The crust is Pate Brise, I subbed 1/4c. of WW flour in place of some of the AP flour)and roasted fingerling potatoes. I love these potatoes. I picked up a bag at our local grocery store( PC Brand) for 1.50. I'm always stunned when I can find gourmet stuff in our small town.

I didnt get a picture of the fabulous yogurt granola parfaits I made. I used Liberte organic vanilla yogurt. OMG, that stuff is TOO DIE FOR!! Robin said it was like eating heavy cream. I normally always look at labels( and prices) at the grocery store, but for some odd reason( subconciously maybe I didnt want to know) I didnt. I was shocked to see it had 15g of fat for 175g serving. It was also 4.79 for 750g. When I made the parfaits, I used probably 2 heaping tablespoons of the yogurt so I didnt feel too guilty. I also used some blackberries( from Mexico) and some semi tasteless strawberries from Cali. I really can't wait until we have Ontario strawberries. Those rock and last year I made a killer jam with them.

No big meal tonight. I'm going to have some blintzes my mom made for me and I schlepped back from Florida!!

Marcy's Legendary Choc. Chip Cookies......

2008-03-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

I mentioned before that I have a new job. I'm working( baking) for a caterer in who works out of a market in the old North section of London. In addition to preparing for catering job, my boss sells prepared foods( frozen and fresh) and lots of baked goods. He wanted to expand the repetoire so I suggested scones, cakes and some different cookies. I mentioned making big cookies ala Starbucks and did a trial run on Friday. The recipe I picked didnt work out so well( spread too much), although the flavor was good. I found this recipe based on the suggestion from the author of A Passion for Baking.
. I did a trial run yesterday baking two different sizes a 4.5oz ball and a 6.5 oz ball. I think we found a winner in the smaller ball, although its still a really large cookie. In addition to chocolate chips( I used chunks), the cookie also contains chopped chocolate( I used Bittersweet Pound Plus from Trader Joe's). I've always been a purist when it comes to CC cookies( I've never liked nuts) so these really hit the spot, crisp on the outside yet chewy on the inside. I portioned out the doughballs and frozen them and I'm going to bring one to work tomorrow to bake off so my boss can try it.

I really love A Passion for Baking. I checked it out of the library and then realized I had to buy it because I wanted to bake every single thing in it. Check it out, you wont be sorry!!

squirrel feet.......

2008-03-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

Note to self: On a beautiful bright and sunny day, don't leave a pan of toblerone shortbread on the deck and expect to find them untouched!!

I've been enjoying Marcy Goldman's A Passion for Baking these last few weeks. I've made a number of recipes and I was totally looking forward to trying this one. Robin is having a catered party when I'm in Florida next week( oh, btw, I'm doing the catering). I baked half a batch of these one afternoon, but alas our furry little white squirrel friends had a taste so I had to dump them!!

I've been MIA these last few weeks because I started a new job in London. I'm working as a pastry chef for a caterer and its a lot of fun. I get to try lots of new recipes and its rewarding to see people ask for my baked goods. I'm totally exhausted when I get home and since I've started working there, I havent baked anything at home. I also came down with a nasty, nasty cold last Friday and its still hanging around. I'm flying out to Florida on Tuesday so I really hope the cold is over by then.

Butterfinger cookies......

2008-02-22T05:52:00.000-08:00

Monday was a new holiday here called Family Day, it was also President's day so we decided to take off for a few days of eating out and shopping in Ann Arbor, MI. We like to visit Target a lot so we made it a point to check out 4 different Target stores on our trip. We hit the motherload of clearance sales when we found all the remaining Valentine candy for 90% off. As long as the chocolate is decent, I can chop it up and use it for baking. We ended up buying about 10 packages of butterfinger hearts. The reason I love these is because unlike a butterfinger candy bar, this is real chocolate. The butterfinger candy bars are mockolate!! I found this cookie recipe and I'm happy to report they're fabulous. I only made one change which was to use 1/4c. of brown sugar instead of all the white sugar. Next time, I'll use an even amount of both brown and white. The recipe does call for butterfinger candy bars, use them if you want, but they wont taste the same.

Butterfinger Cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened (we recommend LAND O LAKES® Butter)
1 large egg
1 cup (about three 2.1-ounce bars) coarsely chopped NESTLɮ BUTTERFINGER® Candy Bars

PREHEAT oven to 375°F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat sugar
and butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg;
gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in Butterfinger pieces.
Drop by slightly rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on
baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Lazy Daisy cake(TOH)........

2008-02-21T12:44:00.000-08:00

I whipped this cake up in litterally 5 minutes the other night. It was a cinch and it had a great flavor. This is an old-fashioned recipe that has been around for awhile so I decided I'm going to make it for the seniors when I cook for them next Thursday. The cake is basically a hot milk sponge cake with a broiled coconut topping. I love coconut so I loved the toping!! Robin isnt a super huge coconut fan, but she enjoyed it. I cut the recipe in half and made it in a 9inch square pan.

Here is the full recipe for a 9 x 13
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 c. milk( I used skim with no ill effects)
1/4 c. butter

topping
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter( I actually will cut down the butter next time I make it)
1/2 c. half and half
2 cups coconut.

In mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla for 4 minutes. Add flour, baking powder and salt. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter to a boil, stiring constantly. Add to batter, mix until combined. Pour into greased pan and bake at 350 for 30-45 min.

Combine topping ingredients, spread over warm cake. Broil until light brown 3-4 minutes.

Lawsuit muffins......

2008-02-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

Last week I checked 2 books out from our town's libary. A Passion for Baking and The best of Betterbaking.com. Both of these book are by Marcy Goldman. I have her other book, A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking as well. I loved that book so much, I ended up buying a copy for my mom. Its rare that I pick up a book and want to make EVERYTHING in them. Thats how I feel about these two books. I spotted this recipe for lawsuit muffins and of course loved the name and the story behind them. I whipped them up this morning as like Marcy suggested, I quadrupeled the topping to stash in my freezer. The muffins lend themselves to all types of fruit combinations. I used blackberries and lemon zest. You could also use blueberries, apples, cranberries, banana's, etc.

The muffins are oil based with a nice dose of buttermilk. They were very tender and flavorful. Leave me a comment with your email address if you want the recipe.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie( CI)......

2008-02-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

I cooked for the Seniors yesterday morning( got home at 2pm) so I wanted to make something easy for dinner. Robin loves chicken pot pie, but I'm not crazy about making pie dough. I saw this a few weeks ago on America's Test Kitchen and filed it away in my memory. The recipe came together pretty quickly. I made the biscuits first and to make it even faster, I just cut them into wedges rather than use a biscuit cutter. I've never made cream biscuits before, we were impressed. I did use White Lily flour and they rose nice and high.

The only changes I made to the recipe were to use fresh cooked( microwave) carrots instead of a frozen carrot/pea blend. I usually always have frozen peas on hand but not frozen carrots and peas. I also use a fine herb blend( penzey's) because I didnt have any thyme. I added some leftover red potatoes too.

You can find the recipe Here.

90 minute cinnamon rolls.....

2008-02-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with a sudden urge to bake some cinnamon rolls for Robin. I used this recipe, except I did make a few modifications. I used all butter because margarine is vile!! I also use 1/2 cup of white whole wheat flour and baked the rolls in a rectangular pan instead of muffin tins. I let them set up before I flipped them over. I also mixed up a quick glaze of powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Pretty good for only 90 minutes of work!! I made up a plate to take to my neighbors house as a thank you for plowing our driveway.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies......

2008-02-06T06:11:00.000-08:00

I love making a trip to Port Huron, MI the day after a major candy holiday( ya know the day after Halloween, Xmas, Vday or Easter). I fill my cart with half price candy for baking, because chocolate is so much more expensive over here( and I can't find mini reeces pb cups in my town). I was perusing Anna's blog and came across this recipe. She got it from Lara who got it from Allrecipes. Like Anna, I probably wouldnt have come across it on my own. This recipe came at a perfect time because I'm donating some refreshments for a charity event on Friday. I took the advice of some of the reviewers and used half butter and half shortening. I used to be anti shortening anything, but I've come to find out that I prefer it in some recipes. I dont think this is one of them though!! Some of the reviews said " This is the best cookie I've ever had". Me, I didnt think that. Maybe because I always prefer cake!! I didnt think the cocoa added anything to the mix. I also didnt have enough PB chips, nor did I have any reeces pieces. Robin loved them however!! I'll try them again when I have all the proper ingredients and with all butter.

Pancake day........

2008-02-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

In honor of Shrove Tuesday, we had ricotta pancakes for dinner. These were very light and fluffy with a nice flavor. I had half a container of ricotta left over from some calzones I made last weekend. If you didnt have any ricotta, I think pureed cottage cheese would work as well. I used this recipe and the only change I made was to cut the syrup recipe in half and use half buttermilk and half skim milk in the pancakes. I also used half sugar free syrup and half maple( I mix it myself and keep it in a bottle in the fridge). We really enjoyed them.

Here is a bonus pancake that I made a few weeks ago. In a nearby beach town, there is a restaurant that serves wonderful plate sized gingerbread pancakes year round. I found a recipe on Homesick Texan's blog and whipped them up. We liked them a lot too, although I wouldnt call them light and fluffy. They were pretty heavy. I served them to my 9yr old niece and she didnt care for them at all.

Yellow cupcakes( vegan) with choc.frosting( not vegan).....

2008-01-22T07:39:00.001-08:00

By now you know I'm not a Vegan and I probably will never be one( I really love dairy too much). I probably could become a vegetarian though. I havent eaten red meat in over 20 years and lately the thought of chicken or pork gives me bad shivers. I honestly don't like cleaning or touching raw chicken!!

You're probably asking "then why did she buy a vegan cookbook?" I bought Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World last year sometime because I thought so many of the cupcakes I'd see on other foodbloggers sites looked really good. I also thought " I'd still like to bake if I don't have any dairy or eggs in the house". That should be reason enough right?

Anyway, as I prepared our non-vegan dinner last night of Turkey burgers and oven baked fries, I decided I'd like a little treat for dessert. Aside from those chocolate brownie muffins, I havent baked anything in about 2 weeks.

I whipped out the book and decided on this basic yellow cupcake. The recipe came together in about 5 minutes. You clabber some soymilk( I used vanilla) with of cider vinegar in order to mimic buttermilk. You add your sugar to that along with some flavoring and 1/3c of oil. I used Fiori Di Sicilia, a citrus floraly vanilla flavoring from KA flour. You add the wet ingredients to the dry( flour, cornstarch, soda and powder) and thats it. I didnt even pull out the mixer!!

They smelled heavenly while they were baking, but I was still a bit skeptical. Since it was freezing outside( 12f), I popped them on the deck to cool for about 5 minutes. I frosted them with some simple chocolate frosting( NOT VEGAN) that I had leftover from a party I catered. If I was a vegan, obviously I would have whipped up a vegan frosting using margarine, but I dont even have any margarine in my house!!

I gave Robin a cupcake while explaining to her that these are vegan. Like the muffins, she was a bit skeptical!! How can you make a cupcake with no eggs?

The verdict? We liked them. They were light and not too sweet with a nice flavor. Next time, I'll try the chocolate kind. After all, I still have almost a full container of soymilk to use up......

Haddock w/Mushrooms and vermouth( Fine Cooking)....

2008-01-21T14:18:00.001-08:00

I picked up the January issue off Fine Cooking looking for something quick and easy to make for dinner on Friday. My eyes were drawn to the little pull-out section in the back titled " Quick Fish". I spotted this recipe because I knew that Haddock was on sale and cremini mushrooms were on sale too. The original recipe uses cod, but the footnotes say that any firm white fish can be substituted. It came together in about 15 minutes and was delicious served with some mashed potatoes.

Weight Watcher brownie muffins......

2008-01-18T08:31:00.001-08:00

I really debated about whether or not I should blog about these,because they're not gourmet or even blog worthy. I thought about it for a day and then said " why the heck not". I really wanted to blog about these, because I want this to come up on google if anyone is searching for a Weight Watcher Recipe for something sweet and simple.

As I mentioned last week, Robin and I started Weight Watchers( although I'm not being anal about every single point). I blogged last week over on Egullet with 2 other foodbloggers who were also watching their weight. One of them, has lost an impressive 200lbs already!! Anyway, I cooked a ton last week, along with packing Robin a snack container and lunch each day. All last week though, I craved something sweet with low points. I was browsing the cooking forum over on Garden Web and came across these. I think they're absolutely genius and I can't believe something can be so tasty with 2 ingredients and only 2 points( 3 if you use chocolate chips).

Now, don't hate on me because of the cake mix. I do have an organic mix in my pantry, but I was worried they wouldnt come out the same. One day I'll try them with that mix. For now, take my word that if you're dieting and in need of chocolate or your're a child, you'll probably love these. I think my neice Emily will love them and I've already instructed my sister to make them this weekend.

WW Brownie Muffins

1 box chocolate cake mix( can be devils food or dark chocolate)
1 15 ounce can of pumpkin( not pie filling).
6 ounces of choc. chips.

THATS IT!!!!!

No eggs, no oil, nothing else.

Mix the two really well( Mixture will be very thick) and scoop into sprayed muffin tins. Bake at 350 for around 13-15 min.

I topped mine with a few chips rather than adding them in.

I gave Robin one last night with about 3 tbls of organic vanilla ice cream and 1tbls of hot fudge( I made that!!) and she just about died. She couldnt believe they were 2 points each and only 2 ingredients. And no, you dont taste the pumpkin!!

Pssstttt......

2008-01-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging about weight watcher's along with two other gay foodbloggers over at Egullet. Check it out!! You don't need to be a registered member to read.

New Year's Eve Paella( Cook's Illustrated).....

2008-01-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

We're home!! Did you miss me? We had a glorius time in Florida. The weather was perfect,between 75-80F the entire time we were there. We managed to lay out in the sun almost every day( except xmas). We ate out a lot and believe it or not, I was looking forward to coming home and cooking. We usually get lobster on NY eve, but this year our supermarket was pre-cooking them. I decided to make a paella since I had some wonderful Spanish Paella rice lanquishing in the pantry that I picked up in Cleveland this summer. I also had the saffron, the chicken and the shrimp. I ended up buying clams, a piece marlin and the chorizo. It came out really well, very flavorful. I picked up 2 lobsters on sale for 8.77lb. I didnt really think about it, but the total was 15.50. Only when Robin picked out the palmful of meat( from both) did I realize that they were both under 1lb. Oh well, it was a nice garnish.

If you're having a party, its a great party dish because it made a huge pot!!

Fun in the sun!!

2007-12-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

We're off to Ft. Lauderdale until Dec 28th. See ya when we get back.

New deck with doggie ramp!!...

2007-12-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

How much do we love our weiner dogs? We had our contractor make a doggie ramp( it was Robin's idea actually) on our new deck. Dachshunds shouldnt go up and down stairs and now they don't have to.

How much am I looking forward to Xmas in Florida? We had over a foot of snow this weekend, yuck!!

Christmas baking.....

2007-12-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Robin put together a little baking brochure for me and surprise, surprise I got some orders!! I took the train up to Burlington last Friday and spent the afternoon with The Chocolate Doctor making English Toffee. Actually, she made the majority of it, I watched. She also showed me how to temper chocolate. I was happy to use up some E. Guittard coverture that I bought from Williams Somona a year ago!! I used some for a Sugar High Friday event, but I didnt like it. It worked great with the toffee.

Yesterday I spent the entire day baking because one of my customers needed to pick up her order. Thanks to Anna for some inspiration. Anna told me about the jumbles which were really great. Anna made hers with pecans, but I used some toasted almonds. I also used dried bing cherries( from Trader Joe's) and dark choc. chips. I made some candy cane shortbread and to my total surprise, I actually had rice flour in the pantry( don't know why I bought that). I didnt have pepperminte extract and had to send Robin up to the store in the middle of a blizzard to fetch me some. Ina Garten's fruitcake cookies are amazing. I'm not a fruit cake fan, but these rocked!! I used a dried fruit breakfast blend that I bought at Walgreens and candied peel and cherries. I made some oatmeal cookies that were on the back of the reeses pieces for baking bag. You can find the recipe for the molasses crinkles and dried cherry/pistachio wedding cookies on epicurious!!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesean( ALL RECIPES)....

2007-11-26T06:06:00.000-08:00

Normally, I can take or leave Tilapia. I bought some because last weekend, it was on a 2 day special for 2.99lb. Yesterday it was 11.49lb. Ridiculous I say, I refuse to pay that much for a farmed, bland fish. Anyway, when I bought it, I had the salesperson, vacuum seal it and I chucked it into the freezer.

I know you're not supposed to have cheese with fish, but this was so yummy. Years ago, my grandparents used to take me to this restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale called Sea Shanty( I think it was a chain). I always would get the fish oreganato style, very similar to this recipe.

Here, the fish is broiled on each side, and then slathered with a mix of butter, mayo, parmesean and a few spices. I did sprinkle Old Bay on both sides of the fish for more flavor. I also added some fresh chopped dill and some breadcrumbs to the coating mix. I used low-fat mayo and reduced the lemon juice. The original recipe is HERE. I'm sure this would be great on other types of fish too( although I wouldnt use it on salmon)

Zingerman's Buenos Aires Brownies .....

2007-11-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

I now know why I've never really cared for brownies. It's because I've never had a great brownie made with great chocolate. If you're on the fence about brownies, or you really love brownies, this is the recipe for you. I was in Ann Arbor for a few days this week and of course I had to visit Zingerman's. I actually went to a hard candy tasting held on Wednesday night. I was looking around the shop after the class and I toyed with the idea of bringing back a brownie for Robin. I then remembered that I had the recipe in an old issue of Midwest Living Magazine. I dug it out yesterday along with some unsweetened Callebaut that The Chocolate Doctor sent me. I also used a new 9 x 13 pan I picked up at Williams Sonoma. I took a bit of liberty with the recipe( the original recipe is for their magic brownies. These brownies contain walnuts). I've never liked nuts in brownies, so I dolloped dulce de leche on top of the batter and swirled it through. I ended up with the Buneos Aries Brownies. Try these, you won't be dissapointed.

Magic Brownies

13 tbls butter( no substitutes)
6.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1.5 c. sifted cake flour( I used white Lily)
3/4tsp baking powder( most brownie recipes have no levening in them, maybe this is why they were so good)

1/2tsp salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c. toasted walnuts( chopped)

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Melt butter and choc. together over low heat. Set aside. In small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. In large mixing bowl( I used my KA), beat eggs and sugar for 5 min. Add cooled choc. mixture and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined. Add flour mixture, beat again. Pour in pan, bake in 325F oven for 30 min( I used convection). Cool in pan on wire rack.

I have been cooking.....

2007-11-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

I havent really been making anything too exciting. Our granite is being installed at the moment and all we'll need to complete the kitchen is a pendant light( next week) and backsplash. The kitchen is still a bit unorganized and a mess so I've been keeping my cooking to simple things. I did make this oreo cheesecake for a fundraiser Robin attended. I also made 3 of these for the Senior Meal last night. It went over really well. Its a simple recipe on the back of the philly package( here in Canada). I ended up using Lactania cream cheese because it went on sale on the weekend for .99 a bar. That price sounds normal for the US, but here in Ontario cream cheese is over 3.00 a bar. Each cheesecake has 4 bars, 4 eggs, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of sour cream. You add some chopped oreos too. The crust is simply oreo's and butter.

The other day I found some fresh pasta clams on sale at Sobey's for 3.99lb. I've never seen fresh clams around these parts so I dug out a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It was pretty simple and it came out great!!.

Last but not least, I made some homeade hummus for the event Robin attended. It ridiculous how expensive hummus is when you buy it ready made. I made this from scratch( using dried beans) and it cost about 2.00 for a full quart. I even bought a big jar of Tahini. I basically winged it using garlic, Evoo, salt, pepper, lemon juice, tahini and a big spoonful of peanut butter. I sprinkled some chopped parsely on top. I served it with cut up greek style wheat pita.

French Toast Casserole( cooking light).....

2007-10-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

I put this casserole together before I went to sleep on Saturday night. It was super easy to make and the best part was that I used up ingredients I already had on hand. I substituted a mixed berry fruit jam for the marmalade and almonds for the walnuts. I cut the recipe in half too. I really liked it, but Robin said it was just "ok"

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 (16-ounce) sourdough French bread loaf, cut into 24 (1/2-inch) slices
Cooking spray
1 (12-ounce) jar orange marmalade
2 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 large eggs
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preparation
Spread softened butter on one side of each bread slice. Arrange 12 bread slices, buttered side down, slightly overlapping in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread marmalade evenly over bread; top with remaining 12 bread slices, buttered side up.
Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs), stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Sprinkle casserole with walnuts. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

I cooked( and I baked).....

2007-10-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yay!! and I didnt even wait until the label came off the oven. I made a simple dinner tonight, Pork Tenderloin with apples and sage( Cook's Illustrated), baked sweet potato and brocoli. It was so nice to be able to cook again. Robin brought me home a wonderful cookbook called The Great Canadian Cookie Cookbook.
. She got it for $9.00, so it was a great deal too. I did notice the Great American Cookie Cookbook has the same cover, its most probably the same book. Anyway, I digress. I baked some simple peanutbutter toffee cookies from the book( can you guess who requested them?) and they were well received. The best part? I can bake the entire recipe at once. No more waiting for 1 rack of cookies to finish before making another. I used the convection feature and the cookies came out perfect.

What shall I bake next?

The correct floor....

2007-10-23T09:10:00.001-07:00

Did I mention that the floor people installed the WRONG FLOOR??? This happened last Wednesday and could not be corrected until today because the cabinets were installed for 3 days. We're waiting on the appliances. I need to make a decision regarding the backsplash and I'm waiting on a pendant light( coming from Oregon).

I think I'll be able to cook tonight. Keep your fingers crossed.

So close......

2007-10-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

Our appliances are being delivered tomorrow. I'm this[ ] close to being able to cook and bake. I miss it so much.

Be back soon!!

All I wanna do is cook!!!!........

2007-10-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

But I can't!!! They started tearing down our kitchen yesterday. While I'm very excited about our new kitchen, I can't cook. Yesterday I had cereal for dinner. It's like we're camping in our living room, but we're not. In order to get to the bathroom, we have to walk thru the very dusty torn apart kitchen. Its not fun.

Our flooring and cabinets go in next week. The appliances will be delivered on Friday Oct 19th. The granite wont be ready for 3 more weeks, but we'll have a temporary sink and countertop so at least I can make dinner.

Rancho Gordo Hominy Stew.....

2007-10-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

While in SF, I picked up 4 kinds of Heirloom dried beans from Rancho Gordo at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. I'd been dying to try these beans since reading about them on Egullet. Yesterday, I whipped up this hominy stew for Robin. Since meeting me, she's turned into a bean lover. She absolutely loves Black Beans. For this recipe, I used Yellow Indian Woman beans. I also reduced the water as I only had canned hominy. I also used a jar of red chili sauce( less products to pack away). I didnt eat this as you all know by now that I despise dark meat chicken. Robin loved it!! It would be great with a sprinkling of cilantro too. Robin grated some sharp white cheddar over it. Not traditional, but very good.

Spiced pumpkin muffins.....

2007-10-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

I donated 2 dozen muffins to the agency I work for( the senior dining program). They're having a meeting on Oct 22nd and needed some muffins. I needed to bake these yesterday and deliver them because of our upcoming 2 weeks without a kitchen. I told them if they froze them, they'd be fine for the meeting. I used this recipe from Libby's. I used Kroger brand pumpkin though. The muffins smelled so good while baking, hopefully they taste good too.

Appetizers......

2007-10-02T14:33:00.001-07:00

These are pictures of the appetizers I did for the wedding on Sept 22nd. Things have been crazy here with the addition and the kitchen renovation.

Next week( Tuesday) they're tearing down our old kitchen and we'll be without a kitchen for 2 weeks. If we were in a big city it wouldnt be a big deal. However, there is NO WHERE to eat out in our small town( unless you count McDonald's, KFC and Subway). I'm trying to cook a few things and freeze them, but I dont know how that will work if I dont have a place to wash the dishes or silverware.( I suppose I could use the bathroom).

Various baked goods.....

2007-09-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Before we left for Cali, I baked 3 dutch desserts( Friesen thumbprints, tulband and an almond butter cookie) and some Magic cookie bars. I froze everything. On Thursday and Friday, I baked toll house cookies( with Raspberry swirl chips), peanut butter cookies, oatmeal scotchie bars, mollases cookies, white chocolate brownies, KA flour choc. brownies and banana bread. This was all for the wedding I on Saturday. While I was watching the Bridge and Groom say their vows, my friend Tom was downstairs making up the trays. He did a great job.

The burrito eaters......

2007-09-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

We're back from California and we had a great time. We stayed with friends in San Rafael and made our way into SF three days in a row. We took the ferry from Larkspur and Robin navigated us around the city using the Muni. I think the meal we enjoyed the most was our burritos from La Taqueria Castro. Before we left, I compiled a 5 page list of recomendations. I checked Burritoeater.com as well. We love Mexican food and Robin especially loves burritos. I had the super vegetarian( rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado and lettuce) and Robin had the Super Pollo salsa verde. Much later that afternoon, we made our way to Bi-Rite creamery in The Mission and had fantastic sundaes. I had a coffee toffee sundae and Robin had Brownie( we skipped dinner that night). The coffee was so intense, I was expecting something akin to Bryer's coffee but this was like downing a really cold cup of the most marvelous house roast( The ironic thing is I dont like hot coffee). Robin loved her sundae so much she made us go back on Saturday.

We flew home on Tuesday taking a red eye flight( never again!!!). We landed in Detroit around 4:40am(Eastern Time, 1:40 Pacific Time). We were so exhausted but needed to kill time until Trader Joe's opened at 9am. I had a wedding to cater this weekend and needed to pick up loads of cheese and other goodies. We went to Meijer and I shopped at 6am while Robin slept in the car. We then went to breakfast which we should have never ate because we both felt even worse after that. We went to Zingerman's to pick up bagels and then finally Trader Joe's. We much a quick trip before thru our beloved Target. We finally left Ann Arbor around 9:45am and then hit Nino Salvadggio's market on our way back to Port Huron. We picked up tons of Boar's head turkey, ham, roastbeef for the canapes. Then, when we got to Port Huron, we still had to go to Home Depot for a garbage disposal, keyless entry lock and air switch for the disposal( as an aside, The Canadian dollar is *almost* at par with the US dollar). We wanted to get these items while we each had a 750.00 customs allowance( since we were gone for a week). We wanted a few other things too, but our car was filled to the brim. We finally arrived home at around 3, unloaded the car and I went to sleep from 4pm-8pm. Since then, I've spent my days cooking and baking for this wedding( posts to come)......

Off to SF.....

2007-09-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

We're off to San Fran for a week. Catch ya later....

It's too late to turn back now......

2007-09-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

This really has nothing to do with our kitchen, but I wanted to post these for posterity. Yesterday, our sunroom was torn down in preparation for our new 24 x 24 bedroom. We wanted them to do the teardown while we were home( well, I was home, Robin was golfing) in case anything went wrong. I also had to hole up in the bedroom with the dogs because the A/C people were in and out( they had to move the unit).

The door to the sunroom is in our kitchen. I had to take the key out of the lock( it was in the deadbolt) because everytime I go into the kitchen now, I want to open the door. I'm weird like that. Anyway, I can't wait until this room is finished. The backyard looks even worse because after I took the last picture, they dug up even more dirt.

We ordered our appliances today. A GE Profile slide in Dual fuel range, A GE profile french door fridge, a whirlpool dishwasher( with stainless steal interior) and a panasonic over the range microwave. Very exciting. I can't wait to cook with gas again. I always had gas ovens in California, but its just not the norm here.

Chicken Tika Masala( CI).....

2007-09-07T10:37:00.001-07:00

Here we have another winner from Cook's Illustrated. This was in the latest issue. Like most CI recipes, there were a few steps, but none too difficult. The only problem I had with this, was that my sauce started to separate. I think its my fault though because I didnt have crushed tomatoes( I used whole Italian tomatoes that I pureed myself). I also had no tomato paste and I didnt want to buy a can( they dont sell the tubes in my town). I'm really try to use what I have in preparation for the kitchen renovation. As it is, I had to buy a pint of heavy cream and a container of whole milk yogurt. The recipe also calls for 1/4 of chopped cilantro, but I didnt want to buy that either as we're leaving on Tuesday for San Fran. I also threw some frozen peas in with the brown basmati rice because I'm trying to clean out the freezer too.

In other news, I've decided on the granite( Labrador Antique), the kitchen pain( Benjamin Moore, Soft Chinchilla) and the flooring. I think we're going to buy the appliances tomorrow.

I also ordered the faucet on ebay( Delta Leland in Stainless Steel) and I found a pendant light for above the sink that I'm going to order.

Today our sunroom was torn down and they're digging the foundation for our new bedroom. Very exciting!!

Tortiglioni with Broccoli and Goat Cheese...

2007-09-01T07:45:00.001-07:00

I whipped up this simple pasta dish 2 nights ago. To be honest, I wasnt expecting much since the recipe came from the back of the Decco Pasta box. I thought it sounded too simple, but really isn't simple sometimes best?

You bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the broccoli stems. Then 2 minutes later you add the florets and the pasta and boil for another 10 minutes. I thought to myself that it was going to be way too mushy, but it really wasnt. In another pan you heat up some EVOO(3/4 of a cup which I thought was too much, I used less), crushed garlic( the recipe said 2 cloves, I used 5) and some red pepper flakes. You toss that with the drained pasta/broccoli. You then shave over some parmeseana reggiano( please do not use the stuff in the green can) and some fresh cracked black pepper. I added some goat cheese since this was my main dish. I breaded and baked up some boneless, skinless chicken thighs for Robin. I picked up this box of pasta( a shape I normally wouldnt buy) for .50 at a liquidation place and the brocolli was 1.29. What a thrifty meal!!

I'm seriously trying to use up what I have in the pantry. We're also leaving in a little over a week and I don't want to buy any more food before we go. When we get back, I have a wedding to cater( just the apps and desserts) and I'll be needing all the fridge space I can get!!

Speaking of fridges, we're looking at the GE Profile French Door Fridge for the renovation. We're also looking at the GE Profile Dual Fuel slide in range and the dishwasher? Comments?

Kitchen Sink....

2007-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

(stock photo)

I ordered a large one bowl sink. I debated about getting a 2 bowl sink, but decided against it. We're also getting a dishwasher so I don't think a 2 bowl sink is necessary. Anyway, I'm happy with the choice( I hope Robin will be too)

More floor samples.....

2007-08-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

I picked up a few more floor samples. I really like the one on the left of the first picture but I'm not sure if it will be too dark. Is there some kind of rule for this? Like, dark floor = light cabinet = dark countertop? ( Btw, do you see the ugly floors we have now?) I'm not sure of the granite either, I'm going to get a few more samples on Friday. The contractor who is doing the addition( and work in the kitchen, teardown, etc) said there was a problem with getting the plans. He's going to draw the plans himself and now I have to get the permit.( A contracter can't get a permit if he draws the plans). He wants to start late next week. This means we have to clear out our sunroom and find room for everything in it because it will soon be gone. I have much anxiety about this project, especially since we'll be in San Francisco while they're digging the foundation. Oy vey!!!

Flooring samples.......

2007-08-27T09:17:00.001-07:00

I'm not too sure about these. Now we're thinking of going with a darker granite so we'll have more contrast. I'd love ceramic tile in the kitchen but I'm notorious for dropping things and I know tile isnt good for that. I dont think I have much of choice. You can't have wood or laminate in the kitchen. There is vinyl and ceramic. What other choices do I have?

Greek Salad Pizza.....

2007-08-27T06:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had a potluck to attend at Robin's work. Since Robin is the big boss lady, she always wants me to make something impressive. My idea of impressive might not be her employee's idea so I basically make what I want to make. I think this turned out tasty and impressive.

In preparation for our big remodel/addition, I was cleaning out a junk drawer in the kitchen and came across a pampered chef cookbook( more like a pamphlet). There was a recipe for a Mediterranean patio pizza. I loosely followed that recipe. Basically, its a Greek Salad on top of pizza dough. I bought a Pillsbury pizza crust and rolled it out in a rectangular shape. I covered that with EVOO, some oregano, an italian blend and some parmesean. The recipe also calls for fresh garlic and feta but I used some granulated( dried) garlic and left the Feta off. I didnt have enough for the crust and the topping. When its cooked and fully cooled, I cut it into strips and topped it with Greek Salad. I made a dressing with red wine vinegar and evoo, some agave nectar some herbs. I drizzled that on right before we ate it. It was a very, very popular dish. Summer produce is at its prime here in Ontario and I'm really getting sad that the Summer is almost over.

Luckily, we're going to San Francisco two weeks from tomorrow and we'll be able to enjoy California Produce ( and burritos, chinese food, italian food and sourdough bread) for a full week!!!

If you have any "must do" reccomendations for us while we're in SF, we'll gladly take them.

Kitchen samples.....

2007-08-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today was very exciting!! I wrote a check to the Kitchen Designers( the largest check I've ever written) and signed all the papers. I wasnt feeling that hot so I didnt stick around there very long. We still need to pick out our granite or quartz( I can't decide). I picked out a couple samples to bring home and show Robin. One of them is granite, the other is quartz. I'm leaning towards the granite. The cabinets will be ordered today and installation is set for Oct 17-19th. The door style we got is what is pictured, minus the middle section. If you have a raised inner door panel, it adds a lot of money to the price. We still need to pick out the hardware, the appliances and the flooring.

Did I mention we're also adding a 24 x 24 master bedroom to our house( with walk in closet). We're adding a deck as well. We're beyond excited but we have so much work to do. Our existing sunroom will be torn down and we need to clean that out. We also need to pick paint colors for the kitchen and bedroom and backsplash tile and lighting. Its going to be a busy Fall!!

Green Chilie Chicken Enchilada casserole( cooking light).....

2007-08-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

I spent some time cooking on Sunday. I had a lunch to cater today and tomorrow so I baked a few things and I made some marinara sauce and this enchilada casserole. I threw one in the freezer in preparation for our kitchen remodel( translation: I'll be without a stove for awhile). This is an old recipe from Cooking Light and I'm happy to say I used up 4 cans from the pantry( the pantry that will be torn down in the remodel). If you're interested in this recipe, let me know and I'll type it up. I couldnt find it online.

It does use canned soup which I hate using, but I did have 2 cans( 1 can that was expiring next month which means it must have been in the cabinet for awhile). It also uses corn tortilla's. I made some black beans from scratch to serve on the side.

If you want to see what I did today. Head over here and read the last page.

Robin cooked!!!

2007-08-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

On Friday I worked at the Retirement Home( Have I written about that? This is a different job than my cooking for Seniors). Anyway, when I get home at 7:30pm, I'm hungry and exhausted. I left Robin this simple recipe for Polenta Lasagna from Cooking Light and asked her to make it. She did a good job and I was thrilled to eat a meal I didnt cook. Robin accidentally picked up frozen leaf spinach instead of chopped and had I cooked, I would have added the spinach to the ricotta and whized it in the cuisinart. Robin didnt do that. ( I'm not complaining though) and it was a little leafy, but still good.

Apple-Maple glazed chicken breasts(CI)....

2007-08-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

I don't really know what to say about this recipe. Usually, I love all things from Cook's Illustrated but I'm sort of on the fence about this one. The chicken was tender and perfectly cooked. I think the sauce is what bugged me. It was somewhat sweet and I dont really like sweet sauces. Another thing I dont like is that corn syrup is one of the ingredients in the sauce. Its supposed to help the glaze to cling better. I just dont feel good about injesting corn syrup. The recipe comes from the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated. The main recipe was for an orange/honey glaze and this version was one of the options. I did add some fresh chopped sage as well even though the recipe didnt call for that. I felt it needed some "green".

I also made another loaf of bread from the KA whole grain baking book. I didnt take a picture because it basically looks the same as the other loaf. I just placed an order for the new Peter Reinhart whole grain baking book. I should have it in 2 weeks. I can't wait to bake from that book.

In other news, I got a big catering job for Sept 22nd. Its appetizers and sweets for a wedding for 250ppl. Sounds good right? We're also invited guests to the wedding so I need to work out the logisitics. The good thing is that I asked my friend Tom from Ohio if he wanted to help me( because I was going to hire someone) and he said YES. He's going to bake all the breads for the canapes which will be a huge help. Since the mother of the bride is a friend of the family, I told her I was just going to double my food costs but Robin and I were discussing whether or not to give my labor to the Bride as her wedding gift. I still need to pay Tom though for gas and ingredients since he so generously said I didnt have to pay him an hourly rate. Did I mention we're having a huge 24 x24 room added to our house and we're having the kitchen totally redone? The addition will be in full-swing when Tom is here, but I'll have to hold off on any kitchen work until after the wedding. I'm sure that wont be a problem as the cabinets are coming from Quebec.

Oh and we're also going to San Fran on Sept 11th( yeah, it was cheaper to fly that day)- 18th so at least I can pick up ingredients in MI before we drive back to Ontario.

Honey Oat Sandwich Bread(KA Flour whole grain).....

2007-08-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

We're out of bread!! Oh, I have lots of it in the freezer. A boule of Honey-Oat from Tom that I'm saving, some sourdough and rye from WholeFoods and of course some bagels from Florida and Cleveland. I've been eating my lunch( always a sandwich) on toast which is fine for me, but not for Robin, since she takes her lunch to work. I saw this loaf on Joe's blog and decided to make it. Its a bit of a misnomer though because it wasnt all whole-grain( there's AP flour in there as well as Oats). It was a good loaf, perfect for a turkey sandwich but it wasnt my favorite. Hmmmm, maybe I should defrost Tom's bread???

The Best Effing French Toast....

2007-08-04T08:24:00.001-07:00

Holy God was this good. It's just your basic french toast batter( eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon) with the most incredible, light, rich, fluffy brioche. This is Tom's brioche and man am I glad I snagged some to take home with me. Thankfully, I dont have anymore of this bread, or else I'd want to eat it every weekend for breakfast. It was just so dang good!!! Robin loved it too, she even ate some blueberries. That's Ron's house cured bacon too. This was the perfect breakfast!!

2 kinds of cookies......

2007-07-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I had a lunch catering job for 14 people. I don't know what I was thinking, but I decided to try two new recipes for cookies. The first is for Applesauce Currant cookies and the second was for a Choc. Chip cookie using a package of vanilla pudding mix. Our library had a book sale and I picked up a book called Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies for .25cents. How can you beat that price? The version I linked to is an updated version. My book is pretty old. Anyway, when I started making them, I noticed there were no eggs in the recipe and then I panicked because I wondered if that was a typo. I looked at a few more recipes in the book and decided it wasnt. The cookies were soft and very cake like. Robin said she liked them because they were different.

I found the next recipe from our very own fellow foodblogger Anna. However, I didnt find the recipe on her site( maybe its there though?), I found it over on Egullet in a thread about Choc. chip cookies. While I was making them, the doorbell rang. I went to get it and when I came back to the cookies, I accidentally put the pudding mix in the dry ingredients instead of the butter/sugar. They still came out great though. I did notice that when I didnt pat down the dough, they didnt spread out as much. I ended up with some flat cookies and some stocky cookies. I sent the flat ones to the job.

I really liked this cookie and will add it to my collection.

In other news. Did I mention we are renovating our kitchen and adding another room on to our house? Our kitchen designer came over yesterday for the last time. We made some revisions to the kitchen plans and we actually bought the plans (the price of the design fee is deducted from the total) so we can take them to the bank for financing. We need to get the cabinets ordered next week so installation can start by Oct 1st. My one nagging question is Quartz or Granite????

Deeply chilled......

2007-07-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I drove to Cleveland. I was somewhat nervous and anxious about making the drive by myself( 5+hrs). I'm not that good at driving and reading directions at the same time and I actually almost cancelled. I'm so glad I didnt. I had a great time and I really loved Cleveland( or I should say Beachwood, the suburb where I stayed). I enjoyed it so much that I'm planning a return trip in the fall.

I was there for the Egullet Heartland Gathering. The link will take you to the reporting thread and there you'll find pictures of what I made( in post #17 and #44). I made bing cherry crumb pies( I blogged about them last year) and a risotto with shrimp. I arrived too late for the Friday dinner at Lola, but I met up with folks on Saturday morning at the West Side Market. We all chipped in 20 bucks and then shopped for ingredients. After shopping, we had a phenominal lunch at a Cambodian place. The owner kept bringing out dishes and we all shared them. There was a plethora of food and it only cost us 12.00 each( with tax and tip). Amazing. I had the most flavorful won ton soup I've ever had. After lunch, we headed to a church in Solon, OH. The church had a huge commercial kitchen and large dining room for us to enjoy. There were about 25 of us cooking and everything just worked out really well. Another Eg member who came up from Ann Arbor, held a chocolate tasting/truffle and wine workshop. One person brought tons of homeade charcuterie from Chicago. I think that was quite possibly the best lox( smoked salmon) I've ever had. He also made pastrami( none for me thanks), bacon and sausage. These were just our appetizers!! My friend Tom made all the breads. If I can remember correctly, there was honey whole wheat( my favorite), brioche( heavenly), sweet potato bread, ciabatta, cranberry pecan, potato rosemary, and one other I can't recall. It was just so fabulous to hang out with like-minded people and talk about one of my favorite subjects.

Tom was so generous( as was Ron, the charcuterie guy). I came home with tons of bread( as you see in the picture) and smoked salmon and bacon. I froze the brioche and I'll be making french toast this weekend. Before I left for home on Sunday, I went to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Sur La Table, Williams Sonoma, a grocery store and a bagel shop. As you can see, I went a bit overboard with the cheese( Vegans, advert your eyes). I brought back 9 cheeses,( 2 of them I had at the gathering and I liked so I picked them up at Trader Joes). The rest came from Whole Foods. I even picked up a local Ohio cheese. Last night, I heated up some of Tom's bread and ate bread and cheese for dinner. Robin had a burrito that I brought her back from Chipotle.

I also picked up a slice of cheesecake for Robin from the Cheesecake Factory. I'm not a fan of cheesecake so a slice is good for her. When I was waiting for my order, another gentleman wanted to buy a whole cheesecake. The counterperson told him that they were "deeply chilled" and wouldnt be ready for consumption for an hour or two. Deeply chilled???? That made me laugh my ass off. Leave it to Cheesecake Factory to come up with a new word for Frozen. I guess Frozen is a bad, bad word in the restaurant industry. Speaking of cheesecake factory. They started in Detroit, yet there are no restaurants in Michigan. Why is that?

Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin w/chimichurri sauce ( cuisine at home)

2007-07-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

I really like Cuisine at Home Magazine. The food is very good and pretty simple to make. I was looking for simple last night when I promised Robin I'd make dinner. Lately( because of my Byetta), I just havent been that hungry at dinnertime. I could eat a bowl of cereal and be happy. I had a pork tenderloin in the fridge that had to be used though so this was perfect. You cut up the tenderloin and wrap each slice with bacon. Then you use two skewers so the pork doesnt spin around. The sauce is simple too. Parsley, garlic, pepper, red pepper flakes, olive oil, white vinegar and water. You brush this on the pork while its grilling and serve extra on the side.

I cooked this morning for my seniors(the job where I chose the menu). I made smoked sausages, baked beans, corn muffins, saukerkraut( I didnt actually make this), and fresh green beans. The baked beans are a Paula Dean recipe and they're really good. None of the ladies who were helping me today had heard of Paula. I found that strange. I guess I watch too much Foodtv.

This is the best I can do......

2007-07-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

I really havent been cooking much lately and when I do cook, I usually make something familar that I've blogged about before. For instance, last week I made Chicken Parmesean and on Monday, I made Zucchini bread( a great recipe, btw). When its hot outside, I only want to eat salad, fruit and icecream. We had a few really hot days, but then it cooled off yesterday. I do have a pork tenderloin in the fridge that I'd like to do something different to.

Anyway, I started a new job and frankly, the food there is not my style of cooking. Really, I feel like I'm just preparing food( instant puddings, sandwiches, reheating roasts that were cooked by someone else). Obviously, I'm being kind here, I could say a lot more, but ya never know who is reading. At my previous job( the caterer), I always made the staff lunch and tasted what I was cooking throughout the day. At this new job, I bring my own lunch and rarely taste anything( that should speak volumes). Do you want to hear the funny part? I'm making more money now than I was at the previous job. Crazy I say!! Anyway, I need to suck it up because its only a casual job. I dont have a set schedule, so I can turn down shifts if I I dont want to work on that particular day. So far, I'm only scheduled for 3 shifts in August.

I also still have the other job( Cooking for seniors). I do that tonight and I fill in next week on Tuesday and Wednesday. I like that job. I can cook what I want and I love introducing the Seniors to new and LOCAL or nonlocal foods.

Obviously, the above pictures have nothing to do with all the drivel I just wrote. June 19th was our 4yr wedding anniversary. I've wanted the cuisinart griddler for months now and I waited patiently until our anniversary. I'm usually the type of person who buys what I want, when I want it. However, Marriage is about compromise, so I patiently waited. But then, the griddler wasnt availble on Amazon( only thru another merchant and I didnt want to pay shipping charges) so I waited some more. About 2 weeks ago, it was on sale at Canadian Tire and I had a 10dollar off coupon so I got permission from Robin( LOL!!) to buy it. I used the griddle portion to make blueberry pancakes on Sunday. I still havent used the panini maker( well, I have at the caterer, just not since I bought it). I will this weekend though.

The picture of Oliver is just so cute. I checked out a bunch of library books and he planted himself on one. It looks like he's reading a cookbook. Oh, btw, the book is fix it and forget it lightly. I figured I'd pull out the crock pot and attempt to make something in it last Saturday because I dont get home from work until 7pm. I asked Robin if she'd like sweet and sour chicken. She said Yes. The cooking time was grossly exagerated. It took 4 hrs on low, not 6-7 and the chicken was like chewing gum. I choked down a few bites( Robin declined) and the rest went in the trash.

German Chocolate Cake( Cook's Illustrated).....

2007-07-05T06:29:00.001-07:00

My poor sick requested a German Chocolate Cake on Saturday after watching America's Test Kitchen make one. Oh, the power of suggestion!! Anyway, I got right on it and a couple hours later we had a beautiful, flavorful, wonderful cake.

I was a tad confused because the recipe on the Cook's website is different from the one in Baking Illustrated. I used the Cook's recipe because it was published after Baking. The frosting was fantastic and I like the idea of adding the pecans after the coconut mixture cools down and before you frost the cake.

German Chocolate Cake

When you assemble the cake, the filling should be cool or cold (or room temperature, at the very warmest). To be time-efficient, first make the filling, then use the refrigeration time to prepare, bake, and cool the cakes. The toasted pecans are stirred into the filling just before assembly to keep them from becoming soft and soggy.
INGREDIENTS

Filling

4 egg yolks
1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 6 pieces
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut (7 ounces)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (6 1/2 ounces), toasted on baking sheet in 350-degree oven until fragrant and browned, about 8 minutes

Cake

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa , sifted
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for dusting cake pans
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (about 4 3/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon table salt
4 large eggs , room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream , room temperature

See Illustrations Below: Assembling the German Chocolate Cake

1. FOR THE FILLING: Whisk yolks in medium saucepan; gradually whisk in evaporated milk. Add sugars, butter, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is boiling, frothy, and slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl, whisk in vanilla, then stir in coconut. Cool until just warm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool or cold, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (Pecans are stirred in just before cake assembly.)
2. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chocolate and cocoa in small bowl; pour boiling water over and let stand to melt chocolate, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth; set aside until cooled to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, spray two 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high straight-sided cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess. Sift flour and baking soda into medium bowl or onto sheet of parchment or waxed paper.
4. In bowl of standing mixer, beat butter, sugars, and salt at medium-low speed until sugar is moistened, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula halfway through. With mixer running at medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl halfway through. Beat in vanilla; increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. With mixer running at low speed, add chocolate, then increase speed to medium and beat until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl once (batter may appear broken). With mixer running at low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream (in 2 additions), beginning and ending with dry ingredients, and beating in each addition until barely combined. After final flour addition, beat on low until just combined, then stir batter by hand with rubber spatula, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to ensure that batter is homogenous (batter will be thick). Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; spread batter to edges of pans with rubber spatula and smooth surfaces.
5. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard paper rounds. Cool cakes to room temperature before filling, about 1 hour. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)
6. TO ASSEMBLE: Stir toasted pecans into chilled filling. Set one cake on serving platter or cardboard round cut slightly smaller than cake, and second cake on work surface (or leave on wire rack). With serrated knife held so that blade is parallel with work surface, use sawing motion to cut each cake into two even layers. Starting with first cake, carefully lift off top layer and set aside. Using icing spatula, distribute about 1 cup filling evenly on cake, spreading filling to very edge of cake and leveling surface. Carefully place upper cake layer on top of filling; repeat using remaining filling and cake layers. If necessary, dust crumbs off platter; serve or refrigerate cake, covered loosely with foil, up to 4 hours (if refrigerated longer than 2 hours, let cake stand at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes before serving).

Gingery stir fry( cook's) and Cobbler( KA whole grain baking)

2007-07-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Niagara. Chels really enjoyed herself and so did we. I think Robin might have enjoyed herself a bit too much. On Thursday she started having really bad neck pain. By Friday night, she was in so much pain, she was in tears(poor thing). We ended up in the ER where they diagnosed her with Tortocollis. Litterally, a twisted neck. She might have jerked it or done something funky going down all those water slides. Anyway, they gave her an injection and when that didnt work, they gave her a few different pills. We left the ER at 2:30am and when we came home, she still couldnt get to sleep. She couldnt even lay down. I gave her my memory foam travel pillow so at least she could try to get some sleep. Yesterday was no better. It's Canada Day today and all our plans went out the door!! So, what did I do all day yesterday? I stayed home with her and cooked off course. Its been ages since I've been able to do that. In addition to making breakfast, lunch and dinner, I also made 2 different batches of strawberry jam. One with pectin, one without.( posts about that later). For dinner I made a stir fry from Cook's Illustrated. I used the ginger sauce recipe and modified it using firm tofu and shrimp. For dessert, I got a great deal on blueberries(1.77 a pint). I made a peach blueberry cobbler from the KA flour whole grain baking book. The recipe called for rolling out the biscuits, but I just dropped them on because by this point, I was exhausted. I'm not used to doing all the dishes when I cook!! I've come to the conclusion, that If I had to do dishes on a dialy basis, I wouldnt cook!!

cranberry citrus salad.....

2007-06-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from my former catering boss. I left my job at the caterer almost 2 weeks ago. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders as I haven't been happy there for awhile. I actually dreaded going in to work which is very ironic because I love cooking. The working environment was unprofessional and as they say " when one door closes, another opens. I'm happy to report that I got a much better job that I start next week. I still have my Senior dining job too. My new job will allow me weekends off if I so choose. I actually forgot what it was like to have weekends off and I realized how much I've missed that. Anyway, on to the food.

I'm not sure where this recipe comes from, but its super simple. The dressing is equal parts oj and lemon juice, olive oil, a dab of honey, a touch of mustard, salt and pepper. The salad is red leaf, butter lettuce( or bibb), and raddichio. Toasted pecans, dried cranberries and segmented oranges round it out. Its actually a better salad to make in the winter because the citrus is so much better. I had a catering job last week and I thought it would be good to round out the other two salads they requested.

Jambalaya( cook's Illustrated).....

2007-06-22T06:13:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger( doesnt everyone say that when they've been MIA for awhile?). Work was absolutely crazy for a few weeks and then last week I blogged on Eg while trying to work 3 jobs.

I had some shrimp in the freezer and some chicken/turkey andouille sausage in the fridge so this dish was just meant to be. My neice Chelsea helped me make it and she loved it so much that she didnt leave even 1 grain of rice on her plate. I liked it too, but I had a problem. Maybe because I used my oval Le Creuset, but I had a hard time trying to get the rice to absorb all the liquid. It seemed to take forever. We were so hungry, that I finally pulled it off the burner and the rice was still a bit crunchy. Not too much, just enough so I knew that it wasnt cooked all the way. Oh well, live and learn. I think I might try it again with the round Le Creuset.

Robin and I are taking Chelsea to Niagara Falls( Canadian side) on Sunday. I'm having a really hard time trying to find a decent restaurant there. Anyone know of one? My friend from California will be meeting us there as they just live over the border in Lewiston, NY. We'll be spending our time at Great Wolf Lodge( giant water park). Chelsea is beyond excited.