Ricotta-stuffed summer cherry tomatoes {Photo: Vadim Daniel}

It’s summer time and it’s the weekend so in my book, it’s the only excuse that I need to throw a cocktail party for my friends. Even though the thought of making small bites might be daunting to some of you, these bites are easy and quick to make. They will only take a few minutes of your time so you can spend the rest of the time with your guests. They are also beautiful and delicious and I guarantee that your guests will love them. With the warm temperatures also comes the need to have lighter, more summery food.

RICOTTA-STUFFED SUMMER CHERRY TOMATOES

Ingredients:

• 20 cherry tomatoes (yellow and red)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme
• Olive oil
• Sea salt In Cuisin pita crisps

Method:

1. Mix the ricotta with salt, pepper and some fresh thyme
2. Scoop out the inside of the tomatoes with a small spoon
3. Stuff the tomatoes with the ricotta mix, place on a pita crisp for a textural contrast and drizzle with olive oil and black pepper

Time saving trick: You can prepare the tomatoes and the ricotta mix ahead of time and place them in the fridge. Fill them up just before the party starts.

Smoked salmon bites {Photo: Vadim Daniel}

SMOKED SALMON BITES

Ingredients:

• Smoked salmon
• 1 package cream cheese
• Capers
• Sea salt In Cuisin pita crisps
• Chives

Method:

1. Place some smoked salmon on a pita crisp
2. Top with some cream cheese and garnish with a caper and some cut chives

Truffled mushroom canapés {Photo: Vadim Daniel}

TRUFFLED MUSHROOM CANAPÉS

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Shiitake mushrooms (or any other mushroom of your choice)
• 1 French shallot
• Truffle oil
• 1/4 cup shredded taleggio cheese (or more to taste)
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
• Sea salt In Snax pita crisps

Method:

1. Sauté the mushrooms with the shallots until the mushrooms are cooked and the shallot is translucent, about 10 minutes
2. Drizzle with salt, pepper, truffle oil and taleggio cheese and mix well
3. Place a bit of the mushroom mix on a pita crisp, top with a small dollop of ricotta, some freshly cracked black pepper and decorate with some cut chives if desired

Time saving tricks: You can cook the mushrooms ahead of time and save the mix in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, just pop them in the microwave for a minute to warm them up

Photos: Vadim Daniel

{Photo: Myriam Richard, Paperplanes}

Paperplanes.ca is a great online magazine which I am a fan of so I am happy to have Myriam, one of the co-founders as a collaborator on the blog today!

Myriam is the co-founder and editor of the lifestyle blog-zine Paperplanes.ca based in Montreal. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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It occurs, at times when excited by trying a new recipe, that I pour my energy on that one single recipe and often neglect the side dish. And when that happens, the last seven minutes before dinner are spent rushing to the fridge, standing before it for half that time with a quizzical brow, wondering “what to do?”, only to settle by pulling a bag of bland frozen veggies (yes, I still buy those), that I sauté. The end result is always insulting to my recipe for having such a poor quality sidekick. Fortunately, I can kiss those bland veggies goodbye for when that situation occurs again, I now have a great alternative at hand!

I recently received an invitation to try out In Cuisin products by In Foods Inc, which cook in about 2 minutes, depending on your microwave. Beats my 7 minutes!

The first one I tried was the Garlic & Chive Mashed Potatoes, which accompanied a BBQ chicken. To my greatest pleasure, it was a harmonious mix. The taste of the sauteed chive and garlic and the soft and fluffy texture only added flavour and fun to our plates. It has now become a staple in my freezer, as many others such as the Cauliflower Mash and the Mushroom Risotto.

I love how little time it takes from bag to plate. Whether it’s because you neglect side dishes, don’t have much time to cook, or really just because you want something good to eat, I’m happy to have discovered these products. They are and will always be welcomed InMyKitchen!

Myriam

Baked eggs with potatoes {Photo: Vadim Daniel}

I love long weekends! In fact, I wish all weekends were 3 days long! I feel like it’s the ideal amount of time to really relax, unwind and enjoy family and friends. So one of these rare weekends comes along, I take full advantage of it. I take long walks with the dogs, spend time with friends, maybe even enjoy a picnic with my fiancé. I also always try and have friends and family over for brunch. I find it’s the ideal meal to enjoy leisurely and you have the rest of the day to spend time with everyone. Brunch is also an ideal meal to have the kids be a part of.

I don’t fret too much about the brunch menu. It is easy to put together a beautiful table with fresh fruit platters, flaky pastries, delicious breads, cheeses and smoked salmon. However, I always try and make an egg dish, because what is more quintessential then eggs for brunch?

Baked eggs are easy to make. You can’t really mess them up and you don’t have to watch them too closely. You can also make a big quantity of eggs so that more people can enjoy them. I always vary my baked eggs and I can get very creative but in this instance, I wanted to stick to the basics. Eggs and potatoes are a classic brunch item and that’s what I tried to recreate here. I hope you enjoy your long weekend!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of In Cuisin butter and cream mash potatoes
• Eggs (as many as you’d like)
• Fresh herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook the mash potatoes according to the instructions on the bag
3. Place the potatoes in a non-stick pan
4. Crack the eggs on top of the potatoes and sprinkle with sale, pepper and frech herbs
5. Place in the over for 5 minutes or until it’s cooked to your liking

Photos: Vadim Daniel

In Foods spinach risotto to the rescue!

Our collaborator for today’s post is a food blogger we’ve been following for a while now. Last time we saw Candace, it was at the In Cuisin launch party when she was pregnant. She has since become a great new mom and has been trying to adjust to her new life.

Candace is a working parent, wife, and cat owner who has recently returned to the land of blog. She’s trying to manage her new life as a parent while reviving the culinary explorer in her while hopefully helping people break down their preconceived notions about food and to not be so intimidated by cooking along the way.

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I recently received an email about In Foods. I had gone to a food bloggers event through them a while ago (this was before the great writing death of 2011/2012) and I was contacted again about writing a bit about their newer products. If I could have reached through the wifi waves and given a big hug I would have. This is exactly the push that I needed, and by exactly the right product. A group of products that I’ve come to rely on.

Kyle and I look at each other all the time and ask ourselves “Do other people live like this? Do other families struggle like this?” Our week days are a blur of making dinner, preparing dinner for the next night, fighting to feed the baby dinner, and laundry (always laundry). So when I found the In Cuisin risottos at the grocery store, the company already had a huge soft spot in my heart and I jumped at the chance to try them. Really? Something that’s not made of 60,726 chemicals and doesn’t turn out tasting like a salt bomb? Really? It takes 5.5 minutes? Maybe I’ll take you home little buddy…

My mother tells me that when I was small my mantra was ‘Candace do it’ and I guess I never really grew out of that. So using a prepared product is a little nerve wracking… I mean… Candace DIDN’T do it. But what I found when I tried the In Cuisin stuff is that while it was solid enough to stand alone as a side, there was definite room to get creative. Dear sausage risottos, and buttery mashed potatoes with spinach and artisanal cheese, welcome back into my life.

And then another time I had a bunch of horrid sad broccoli and a few withering onions and one frozen piece of salmon and one frozen piece of tilapia, and a 1/4 of a bag of frozen roast potato wedges. It seems disgustingly wasteful to throw it all out, but what am I going to do with all of this? With a bag of the In Cuisin cauliflower puree, 2 eggs, a squeeze of lemon and a cupcake pan they became fish and vegetable croquettes. So while I’m not promoting the use of almost putrid vegetables and abandoned frozen fish, I’m just saying that having the puree already there really saved my bacon… Mmmm bacon.

So my point is, THANK YOU, thank you thank you thank you In Foods for making products that are real food, are tasty on their own, but also basic enough that you CAN add your own spin to it without spending all night cooking. Also it’s really nice to be able to even contemplate a cauliflower puree. I was THIS close to trying to develop a silencer for my food processor… Actually I’m still considering it — DON’T WAKE THE BABY!

So someday I’ll post about the molecular gastronomy kit that Kyle got me for my birthday and the one blissful afternoon that I got to play with it (ancini di pepe w/ tomato oil & balsamic pearls) but in the meantime, I’ll be happily spiking my frozen tomato risotto with caramelized onions and hot Italian sausage and NOT keeling over from exhaustion. And if you get in my way in the frozen section, I’ll guiltlessly elbow you in the face. (I’m all talk, that won’t happen)

Candace

You can follow Candace on:
Blog: Cheese and Olive
Twitter: LittleSnook

Chocolate mug cake {Photo: Vadim Daniel}

It’s an absolutely beautiful Monday today in Montreal! Feels like summer is finally here! I thought we could celebrate with a quick and easy chocolate mug cake! In 5 minutes, you can find yourself sinking your spoon into a lovely, gooey, chocolatey cake. What do you say?

For each cake you will need:

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbs sugar
• 2 Tbs cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbs milk
• 3 Tbs melted butter
• Some crushed In Snax cinnamon pita crisps

Method:

1. Put the dry ingredients in the mug and mix
2. In a separate bowl, mix the egg with the wet ingredients. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well, making sure all the dry ingredients are mixed in
3. Add the crushed pita crisps in the batter or all around the cup before you put in your mix
4. Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes at high. Take it out and let it cool for a couple of minutes then eat straight from the mug like I do or invert onto a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

Photos: Vadim Daniel

I just wanted to take the time today to wish all the mothers out there a very happy Mother’s Day this coming Sunday! As I tweeted earlier, moms are our rocks, they soothe our souls and are always there for us no matter what. We can rely on them whether we need a shoulder to cry on or someone to share a laugh with.

So Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there. I hope you all have a great weekend and that you celebrate in style surrounded by your loved ones!

The nice weather is here and it’s time for some spring-cleaning! To me spring-cleaning also means decluttering and getting organized, shedding that extra accumulated weight and getting lean for the nice weather ahead, yes, I am talking about all those things we manage to accumulate over time…

Here is a list of 5 things to check off when I spring-clean my house:

1. Maximize the storage you already have

• Buy drawer and cupboard organizers for your bathroom and kitchen to optimize the sapce you already have
• Buy closet and drawer organizers for your bedroom to optimize the space you already have

2. Find extra space in unexpected places

• Place storage containers under the bed,
• Store books and objects on shelves over doors
• Find storage under staircases or install shelves along staircases

3. Put a label on everything!

• Plugs, cords, toys, schedules, fresh herbs, plants, etc.
• You can also colour code everything for each family member so that everyone’s things are easily recognizable

4. Declutter and get rid of things you haven’t used for a year

• I use the year mark as a reference, if I haven’t worn or used an item for a year or more, it means that I don’t really need it and I pass it along

5. Use unexpected items for storage

• Painted crates and bookcases to store shoes for example, you’ll be able to store a lot more shoes then storage made for that purpose
• Shoe organizer to store toys

For more great organizing ideas, check out our Organizing & Decluttering Pinterest board!

Do you have any great organizing solutions to share?

This article was inspired by one I read in the March 2012 issue of Chatelaine magazine

Arancini aux épinards et au fromage

Les Gourmandes de Montréal, c’est MH & LA : deux filles montréalaises (une ancienne, une nouvelle), universitaires et passionnées (lire ”amateures”) de gastronomie. Vous trouverez, sur leur blog, les résultats de leurs expériences culinaires («on vous avertit, ce ne sera pas toujours réussi et c’est bel et bien le but»), leur appréciation de restos ”made in Montréal” et leurs coups de cœur gastronomiques du moment.

Pour les connaître d’avantage, n’hésitez pas à les suivre sur leur blogue ou via Twitter

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On nous a demandé de tester les nouveaux produits In Foods, plus particulièrement le risotto In Cuisin, distribué dans la plupart des grandes chaînes d’épicerie (section des surgelés).

On s’est retrouvées un lundi après-midi pluvieux et venteux pour cuisiner ce plat réconfortant qu’on aime toutes les deux. Rien de plus facile avec la formule In Cuisin. La confection d’un risotto peut souvent s’avérer fastidieuse et rares sont ceux qui voudront se lancer dans un tel projet un soir de semaine. Quelques minutes au micro-ondes ou à la poêle et c’est réglé. Vraiment? Testons.

Grâce à In Foods on a pu dire au diable les dépenses et goûter aux quatre saveurs offertes :

• Pomodoro
• Fromage et épinards
• Champignons
• Asperges et petits pois

Risotto aux champignons d'In Cuisin

On commence par tester le produit brut, sans modification aucune. On opte pour le risotto aux champignons, à la poêle. On vous conseille de sortir le sac au moins 5 minutes à l’avance afin d’éviter que le risotto ne soit congelé en bloc.

Après quelques minutes seulement, on obtient un risotto crémeux à souhait avec des champignons entiers et goûteux. Et ce, sans avoir ajouté ni crème ni parmesan. Intéressant tout ça! Au goût, c’est parfumé et pas trop salé, contrairement à ce que l’on pourrait s’attendre d’un produit pré-cuisiné.

Risotto aux champignons d'In Cuisin

En goûtant et en discutant du produit, on se dit que la consistance serait parfaite pour confectionner des arancini. Vous savez ces petites boules frites et fromagées que l’on retrouve habituellement dans les aperitivo italiens? On a tous les ingrédients sous la main (fromage, chapelure, œufs, lait et farine). Souvenir de voyage garanti, on se lance!

En même temps, on décide de tester une nouvelle saveur, celle aux épinards et fromage. Cette fois-ci, on opte pour la cuisson au micro-ondes qui nous apparaît plus rapide. Dans notre cas, la cuisson aura été plus longue que le temps indiqué, soit le double. Nous avons brassé deux fois à mi-cuisson.

Risotto aux épinards et au fromage d'In Cuisin

Au micro-ondes on obtient un mélange plus liquide, qui se prête moins aux arancini. On le passe donc au chinois avant de le réfrigérer pour quelques minutes. Lorsque le mélange est refroidi, on ajoute un œuf pour lier le tout.

La confection des arancini est assez simple et se fait en trois étapes :

1. Rouler d’abord des petites boules au creux de la main et y insérer un cube de mozarella.
2. Ensuite, enduire les boules de farine avant de les tremper dans un œuf battu allongé d’un peu de lait. Les enduire ensuite de chapelure.
3. Dans l’huile de canola ou autre huile neutre, frire les boules pour environ 2 à 3 minutes. Si elles dépassent en surface, les retourner à mi-cuisson.

Lorsqu’ils sont cuits, éponger les arancini sur un papier essuie-tout. Et déguster pendant que c’est chaud!

Arancini aux épinards et fromage

Somme toute, nous sommes satisfaites de cette découverte. Les produits In Cuisin sont parfaits pour un soir de semaine un peu pressé. Vu la facilité de la cuisson, il n’y a plus d’excuse pour ne pas faire d’arancini à l’apéro. Tous les critères sont remplis pour l’exécution d’un cocktail dînatoire sans avoir chaud (rare).

À tester également, les croustilles de pita In Snax et les purées de pommes de terre In Cuisin, tous faibles en gras et en sel. On aime.

Bon appétit,

MH & LA
Les Gourmandes de Montréal

Perfect family game night crisps and dip {Photo: Vadim Daniel}

When I was little, one of my favourite nights of the week was family game night. It was a chance for my family and I to get together and spend time with each other. We played board and card games and always snacked on delicious things.

We always looked forward to the snacks on game nights because they were different from what we would eat on a daily basis. They were special and delicious and I think this dip recipe is the perfect accompaniment to your family game night.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano
• Canned green chilies, chopped (to taste) (optional)
• Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) to top
• In Snax multigrain pita crisps

Method:

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients together
2. Top with the panko and serve with the In Snax crisps

Do you have a family game night with your loved ones? What kind of games do you play and most importantly, what kinds of snacks do you serve?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Photos: Vadim Daniel

Healthy smoked trout cakes {Photo: Indigonat}

I am happy to introduce another one of our guest bloggers today. I hope you enjoy this post and the delicious recipe that comes with it as much as I did.

Nathalie Rivard is a freelance journalist and blogger. This Indiana Jane of social media has a passion for adventure and food travel in all its forms. Curious, she is interested in everything. Her friends affectionately call her Wiki-Nat! You can read Nathalie on several media as well as on Foodies Emporium, Copines en cavale and Twitter.

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I love cooking, but when I’m in a rush, I like to have staple food in my freezer and cupboards.

I have recently discovered some Canadian products that are almost as good as what I make at home: In Cuisin frozen mashed potatoes and risottos, plus some baked pita crisps. They are a life saver at lunch or in the evening when I don’t have more than 15 minutes to prepare a decent meal. The company sent me coupons, so I could try them to see if I liked them.

Well, I have to confess that the first time I tried their spinach risotto, I was not immediately converted. I was in a hurry and I had read on the front of the packaging that it was ready in just 2 minutes. So I put some in a bowl, placed it in in the microwave for 1.5 minutes, mixed it and sent it back for another 30 seconds. It was not like real risotto and I was kind of disappointed. It’s my fault, I should have read the packaging. The 2 minutes only apply for a certain quantity, if you reheat more, you have to adjust the time. I should have known better and read the instructions… So the second time, I got it perfect and I LOVED it!

I now keep both the mashed potatoes and the risotto in my freezer as staple food. That way, I can prepare a meal in a whim. For example, I created a recipe last week that will surely become a regular in my kitchen and it took me only 15 minutes to prepare and cook! Bonus: I even have leftovers for lunch the day after.

Here is the recipe. If you don’t have smoked trout, try a can of salmon.

Healthy Smoked Trout Cakes

Ingredients:

• 16 cubes of In Cuisin Garlic and Chives mashed potatoes
• 175 g of smoked trout in small pieces
• 50 g of Albert le Fermier cheese, grated
• “Bread crumbs” made with In Snax Pita crisps multigrain and garden herbs, ground in the blender or food processor (about 20 crisps)

Homemade Spicy Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek (more or less to taste)

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together, shape about 8 trout cakes, about the size of a burger patty.
2. Put a little bit of oil or some Mycryo (cocoa butter) in the heated pan, and cook the smoked trout cakes on each side, until they are nice and golden.
3. Serve with a mesclun salad and add about a tablespoon of homemade spicy sauce on top of each trout cakes.