Chasing Tomatoes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-05-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

I met Maija last spring, on the cusp of my 40th birthday, at the Kraft Canada headquarters. We had both been invited to take the tour, and for some reason, she was one of the few people that really stuck with me. Months later, when I began to work for Yummy Mummy club I remembered Maija, and now we are co-workers at Yummy Mummy. Maija loves chocolate and peanut butter, and now every time I see a recipe that marries the two flavours together, I think of her and our day at the Kraft kitchens. (psst...check out Maija's chocolate peanut butter cupcakes over at Yummy Mummy club)

This weekend our family made a trip over to Vancouver and like every month when we venture into the city now, we took a detour by Costco. With a giant jar of peanut butter and a ridiculously huge bag of chocolate chips, it just made sense to make some cookies with them. I'm usually a little skeptical of peanut butter cookies, mostly because they are often dry and I like mine to be a little more moist. This recipe is a keeper because the cookies are still fairly soft and more moist than I had expected. Make sure to watch them carefully and not overbake, and have your butter just softened so it's easy enough to blend, but not really room temperature soft. Be sure to let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet a little once you remove them from the oven, because they are quite fragile and will break if you don't. However, I discovered that broken cookies only meant that they were fair game to eat and we all know that broken cookies have no calories, right?

Adapted from canarygirl.com

½ cup butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir together on low until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop the batter by level tablespoons onto the parchment paper lined sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cookies are just set on top and golden on the edges. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies [Flickr]

2012-05-27T21:05:15-07:00

Scatteredmom posted a photo:

Soft and delicious, these are the best peanut butter chocolate cookies I've had.

Soy Sesame Steak

2012-05-21T10:21:00.004-07:00

This steak is one of the easiest ways to please my teenager. Sliced thinly, marinated for a few hours and then seared in a hot pan, it's a great way to stretch a cut of meat to serve a few people. Kevin has made this before on his own, which shows you just how easy it can be to make. The secret to getting perfectly cooked and yet tender bits of meat is to get your pan really hot, and add the beef strips in batches so that they sear quickly, yet leave the inside a bit pink. It only takes a brief 45 seconds to 1 minute to do this, so stay at your stove and watch it carefully.

Adapted from Gourmet

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (this is important-make sure you use low sodium or the end result will be too salty)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sake
1 bunch scallions (white and light green parts separate from the dark green, minced)
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 lb flank steak, sliced very thin ( 1/8th of an inch?) across the grain

Mix together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, sake, white and green parts of scallion, garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Toss with steak strips, cover dish with plastic wrap, and chill for about 2 hours.

Get your frypan hot over medium heat. Add a little oil. Add about half of the beef strips, stirring and moving it around quickly as it sears. The trick with having tender steak strips is to cook it just briefly. When sliced so thin, beef doesn't need long to cook at all-maybe just 1-2 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pan, but rather cook in batches, stirring it around as you go.

Heap the cooked steak strips on a plate, sprinkle the remaining green onion over top, and serve with rice.

Serves 2-3

Korean Style Steak [Flickr]

2012-05-20T18:30:45-07:00

Scatteredmom posted a photo:

Marinated in soy sauce, sesame, and more, it's a quick and delicious way to stretch out a bit of steak.

The Smell of Cookies [Flickr]

2012-05-20T15:22:55-07:00

Scatteredmom posted a photo:

Fizzy Izze [Flickr]

2012-05-20T13:11:00-07:00

Scatteredmom posted a photo:

A hands down favorite alternative to pop when we are on vacation in the USA, we were a little sad that we may not see some this summer and then I found a whole selection at IGA. I brought this one home and watched Kevin do a happy dance around the kitchen.

This bag makes me smile [Flickr]

2012-05-20T13:10:59-07:00

Scatteredmom posted a photo:

Anne brought this back from Hawaii once-I had forgotten about it until today, and carried it through the store as I shopped. It always makes me giggle.

Beet, Carrot, and Spinach Salad with Couscous and Feta

2012-05-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

I was tempted to call this 'Science Salad', because it was inspired by one of the science teachers bringing something similar for their lunch last week. I admit that I'm somewhat of a lunch stalker, always noticing what the people around me are eating and occasional gleaning inspiration from them or out right asking for a recipe.

This salad also reminds me of Anne, a friend of mine (and Science teacher!) who once had a huge garden in her backyard, full of beets and carrots. I never really liked beets that much until I met Anne, and her enthusiasm made me wonder if they really were better than I thought. Anne moved away recently and is now without her beloved garden, but I think she would like this recipe. Look Anne, you have me eating beets too!

A word about the recipe: beets are nasty suckers to shred and this is best done if you have a food processor with a shredding attachment. In fact, my little food processor made this recipe really quick to make. You can use a box grater, but it might be a little messy and you'll come out looking like you murdered the beets rather than just shredded some tasty vegetable. Don't be put off by the ingredients in this-by themselves, they aren't anything special. Pair up sweet beets with salty feta, the tender couscous and tart dressing, and it's really, really, tasty. If you can't find Israeli couscous, substitute quinoa or regular couscous. You don't need a lot per person, but enough to pile the veggies on. I think you could just eyeball it.

Makes 4 servings

2 medium beets, peeled and shredded
3 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
2 cups washed and trimmed fresh spinach leaves, torn into bite sized pieces
1/4 red onion, minced
Feta cheese
pistachios, chopped
1 1/2 cups uncooked Israeli couscous

Tahini dressing (recipe below)

In the bottom of a medium sized pot, toast the couscous over medium heat in a bit of oil until golden, which should take about 3-5 minutes. Make sure to stir so no bits get burned. Pour in 2 cups boiling water, bring the couscous to a boil, then put a lid on, turn the heat down to low, and cook for about 10-12 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.

Let the couscous cool to room temperature.

To assemble:

Divide the couscous between 4 plates. Top with spinach, then a handful of each of the shredded carrot and beets. Sprinkle a bit of red onion, then feta and pistachios over top. Serve with tahini dressing, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Balsamic Tahini dressing (from Choosing Raw)

1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup water

Blend everything together in a food processor! You can adjust the amount of water depending on if you want it thinner or thicker, in which case it makes a great dip. I seasoned it up with a little more salt and pepper as well.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for Mother's Day

2012-05-11T20:36:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid growing up in the country, we had rhubarb growing in our garden like most people we knew. I think it was one of the only things that would grow over in 100 Mile, and since we had a ton of it, Mom made everything with it. Pie, jam, rhubarb crumble, crisp, even platz (a sort of coffee cake with fruit and crumble topping) I admit, I overdosed on rhubarb. For over 20 years I haven't touched it and even claimed that I hate the stuff.

Last weekend meant a trip to the Sechelt Farmer's Market (which I meant to blog, but I forgot my camera), and there I met Farmer Jon from Sechelt Farm. We talked about a new farm to school program that's coming together, the new location of the market, and he talked me into some farm fresh spinach, rhubarb, and a ridiculously tasty rhubarb vinaigrette dressing. I had planned to make salad, but some how the week got away from me. Instead, it seemed as though pie was the only other option.

Oh, wow. Tart, yet sweet and delicious, this pie is SO good. You could reduce the sugar if you want to, but I think the amount called for is just perfect. Orange zest adds wonderful flavour and compliments the tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries nicely.

Adapted from Canadian Living

Pie crust
4 cups chopped rhubarb (1 inch pieces)
2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 tbsp cold butter, cut into tiny cubes
egg yolk
2 tsp sugar

In a large bowl, toss together the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, flour, vanilla, and orange zest. Set aside.

On a lightly floured counter, roll out one of the disks of dough to about 1/8 thick and fit into a 9 inch pie pan, leaving about 3/4 inch (2cm) overhang. Spoon in the rhubarb filling.

In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tsp water, then brush over the rim of the pie.

Roll out the other disk to 1/8 inch thickness and fit over top of the rhubarb filling, leaving about 3/4 inch (2 cm) overhang. Fold overhang under bottom pastry rim, seal, and flute edges. Brush the top with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Cut some steam vents in the top.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 F. Bake on a baking sheet in the bottom third of the oven for about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350 F and bake another 45-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbly.

Cool pie completely on a rack before serving.

Un-fried Fried Chicken

2012-05-07T20:38:00.001-07:00

I'm going to admit straight out-when I first saw this recipe, I was completely skeptical. Breaded and baked chicken can be tricky-some recipes can turn out dry and sandy, and others leave you with a soggy breading. I hate trying new recipes with the risk of failure, but most from John Bishop turn out amazing, so I gave it a go. Not content with just plain breadcrumbs, I couldn't resist adapting by adding a bunch of spices.

Drumsticks were on sale at the store this week; buy 1 package, get one free, which meant our chicken legs were only $.50 each. A steal! You can leave the skin on here if you like that, but I don't and always remove it. These babies baked up super moist with a tasty crunchy coating, and we scarfed down every last bit while licking our fingers and exclaiming about how downright delicious they were. Try having them cold the next day in your lunch, with some potato salad, and you have a picnic! Kevin declared these to be "just like Shake N Bake, but SO MUCH better!". Well, then! A great home made alternative?

12 chicken drumsticks (skin removed if desired)
1 cup fine dried breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and oil. Set aside. In another shallow bowl or pie plate, stir together the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, and oregano.

Dip each drumstick in the mustard mixture, coating well. Roll in breadcrumbs and set on the baking sheet. Continue with each drumstick until all are coated.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning the chicken pieces half way through. Make sure to use a spatula/flipper instead of tongs so that you can lift each piece and keep the coating intact. Tongs tend to allow some of the coating to stick to the pan and come off.

Once the drumsticks are cooked through, remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and serve.

Makes 12 pieces

Chicken Corn Chowder with Bacon and Cheddar

2012-04-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

I've always liked corn chowder. There's something about a creamy, hearty, thick soup with bits of bacon and vegetables that is really tasty after a long motorcycle ride. John and I went out today and wound our way along the Sunshine Coast Highway, drinking in views of the ocean in the crisp spring air. Once back home, I whipped this up and we ate it with thick slices of baguette to dip in the sauce. You could fry up a little extra bacon to use as a garnish, but I admit I ate the extra piece. This soup is a great way to use up any leftover chicken or turkey you could have hanging around, as well as home made stock. I didn't have any, so I used pre-made stock and poached a bit of chicken.

Adapted from Spilling the Beans

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp cumin

4 cups chicken stock

1 red skinned potato, diced

2 cups white beans, rinsed and drained

12 oz (341 ml) can of corn (or you can use 1 ½ cups of frozen/ fresh corn cut right off some cobs

1 cup cooked, chopped chicken

½ cup whipping cream

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

In a large soup pot, fry up the bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels and blot.

In the same pot using the bacon grease, sauté the onion and celery until tender. Stir in the flour and cumin for about a minute, then add the stock, potato, and beans. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then turn down to medium low and simmer until the potato is tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Taste your bits of potato to make sure they are as tender as you like. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the cream, bacon, corn, cheese, and chicken. Stir well and put back on the heat to warm through, but don’t let it boil.

Makes 6 servings

Strawberry Filled Crepes

2012-04-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for something to make for Mother's Day that is easy but also looks elegant and tastes delicious, this is absolutely for you. Crepes are very easy to make, they just take a little practise. You can also buy them already made if you like. I grew up with a Dad that didn't cook often but he was a master at whipping up a batch of crepes on Saturday evenings, which we would slather with jam or peanut butter, roll, and eat. Sometimes we just sprinkled a little sugar inside! I like to fill these with fresh strawberries and, instead of whipping cream, thick Greek yogurt.

1 1/c cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and butter. Whisk the milk mixture into the flour until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. When you remove the batter from the fridge, strain it through a fine sieve to get rid of any lumpy bits of flour. You'll notice that there will be a lot of sediment, but don't worry-that's perfectly normal and your crepes will be okay.

Brush an 8-inch skillet, non stick skillet, or crepe pan with butter. Heat over medium until good and hot. Ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the middle of the skillet, swirling the pan as you go. Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for about a minute. Remove to a plate and set aside. Continue with the remaining batter.

To make ahead: once the crepes have cooled, store on a plate, with waxed paper between each crepe, and the plate wrapped in plastic film. You can also freeze the crepes, with waxed paper between them and wrapped in plastic film (then over wrapped in foil) for about a month. Thaw before using.

To fill these, you can spread a table spoon of Greek yogurt down the middle, top with strawberries, then drizzle with a bit of honey. Fold over and serve.

Like this recipe? Check out this savoury version for brunch, stuffed with ham and asparagus, then topped with a light sauce that I wrote up for Yummy Mummy Club. We absolutely loved this, and it would make a nice dish for a crowd that looks like you did a pile of work when in fact it's really easy and easily prepped in advance.

Asian Style Hoisin Glazed Meatloaf

2012-04-23T22:01:00.001-07:00

This ain't your Momma's meatloaf! With lots of ginger, spice, and a delicious glaze, you can serve it with coconut fried rice and some steamed bok choy. The leftovers are incredible made into sandwiches with a pickled veggie topping. I loved them in my lunch box! Don't let what seems to be a long list of ingredients put you off, this is a meatloaf that is definitely worth the work.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

2 cups cubed day old crustless while bread (about 2 slices)

½ cup low salt chicken broth

4 slices of bacon, minced

1 1/3 cups sliced green onions (separate the white and dark green parts)

3 celery stalks, minced (about a cup)

1 four inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

7 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound of ground beef

1 pound of ground pork

2 large eggs, whisked

3 whole star anise, freshly ground in a spice mill (about 2 tsp ground) or 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder

1/2 tsp salt (the bacon and hoisin add salt, but you can add more if you wish)

1 tsp pepper

Glaze:

¾ cup hoisin glaze

½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1 one inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

In a small saucepan, stir together the glaze ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes until it thickens.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F and brush a loaf pan with vegetable oil, or coat with non stick spray.

Saute the bacon over medium heat until it begins to crisp. Drain off the fat and add the white parts of the green onions, celery, ginger, and garlic. Turn the heat down and stir it often so that the ginger and garlic don’t burn. When everything has softened, take it off the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the bread cubes and the chicken broth. The bread should soak up the broth and begin to fall apart. Add the bacon and vegetable mixture, beef, pork, anise, salt, pepper, eggs, and 2 tbsp of the hoisin glaze.

Using your hands, mix everything together until well incorporated. Scoop the meat mixture into the greased pan, pushing the mixture down to get rid of any air bubbles. Mound the meat in the middle, cover it with foil, and place on a baking sheet covered with foil to catch any liquid overflow. Bake for 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes, take off the foil and brush with Hoisin glaze. Return to the oven and continue to bake for about an hour, until a meat thermometer inserted in the middle reads 165 F. Brush with more glaze occasionally.

When the meatloaf is finished, remove from the oven, drain off the fat, and allow to sit for about 20 minutes before transferring to a board and slicing.

Asian Style Hoisin Glazed Meatloaf Sandwiches

One recipe of Hoisin Glazed Meatloaf, cut into 12 slices

1 cup each matchstick sized pieces of carrot, cucumber, and radish

¾ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

vegetable oil

12 thick slices of ciabatta bread

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a bowl, toss the carrots, cucumber and radish together with the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Set aside and allow to sit for about an hour.

Using a heavy fry pan, sauté the pieces of meatloaf in a bit of oil until the sides are browned and crispy. You will have to do this in batches. Set the pieces aside on a plate.

Toast the bread under your broiler, then brush with hoisin glaze and top with a slice of meatloaf. Mound the salad over top and sprinkle with coriander. Serve immediately.

Makes 12

Book Review: Unjunk Your Junk Food

2012-04-18T22:10:00.002-07:00

Sometimes, you just can't shake that craving for junk food. I'm a huge believer that once in awhile, you should just indulge a bit and enjoy, then go back to your usual healthy eating. Let's be realistic-we can't all be eating quinoa and kale all the time!

If you're going to indulge in junk, you should at least make sure it's the best junk possible, and I don't mean the junk that's most full of the grossest ingredients you can find. Be a bit demanding and get high quality junk food!

Unjunk Your Junk Food is a great resource for this. Packed with lots of information about undesireable ingredients, what to look for when you are reading labels, trivia, healthy eating tips, best of and worst of in common junk food categories, Unjunk Your Junk Food is an interesting read. With lots of tidbits spread throughout the pages, it's a handy little resource with all sorts of good information.

The only drawback with this book, (yes-I could only find one) is that the products listed are in the USA. The ingredients may vary from country to country, so not every choice according to Unjunk may be valid for the same products in Canada. I would, however, find this very handy if we went on a road trip to the USA because now I'd know what treats would be the best choice after all. Despite this, the other information and trivia still stands and makes for an interesting read. I've learned a lot about various additives, preservatives and junk in my food in a quick and easy read!

Surprisingly (at least to me), the book includes tips on how to curb your cravings for junk food and choose healthy snacks, shopping seasonally, and how much exercise will burn off those chocolate chip cookies.

Knowledge is power! Unjunk is a good tool to deciphering the code of those food labels.

Disclosure: I wasn't paid to write this review, but I was sent a copy of Unjunk to read.

Spring Egg and Asparagus Sandwiches with Bacon and Pickled Onion

2012-04-09T10:25:00.002-07:00

Easter is over, and if you spent a lot of time dyeing eggs this weekend, you now have a fridge full of the stinky things just waiting to be eaten. Don't worry, I have a great sandwich recipe that will help you use them up!

We love good sandwiches for dinner. Put together with a salad or even on their own, these are really filling and yet easy to put together. We love asparagus so it's an easy way to work more veggies into your diet, along with fresh baguette and a little bacon.

Adapted from The Kitchn

4 eggs, hard boiled
1 lb of asparagus
4 small baguettes, or 1 large one divided into four sections, each big enough for one sandwich
fresh dill
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
grainy or dijon mustard
2 tbsp red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

In a small bowl, combine the red onion and vinegar, set aside while you prepare the rest of the sandwich.

Heat up a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add a little olive oil and then sear the asparagus, in batches. You don't need to move it around too much because you want the asparagus to brown a little, but keep searing them until the asparagus is tender crisp (about 3 minutes). Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Split the baguettes in half and toast under the broiler. Slather each with your choice of mustard.

On each baguette, lay a handful of asparagus, a sliced hard boiled egg, then bits of the onion, bacon, and fresh dill. Top with some fresh cracked pepper, a little salt, and enjoy!

Serves 4

Vanilla Cloverleaf Sweet Rolls

2012-04-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Easter dinner, for me, isn't complete without some kind of sweet, tasty bread to go with it. Usually I love to have hot cross buns on the table, but this Easter I tried some really tasty vanilla buns. I'm a sucker for anything vanilla, so these were an obvious choice. If you don't have a vanilla bean handy, vanilla bean paste is a tasty option. This recipe is different from most bread recipes I've ever made, but if you follow the directions, you are rewarded with delicious results. These tend to be best eaten the same day they are made, as they tend to be drier as they sit. You can also make the dough the night before, then shape and allow them to rise in the morning before baking for Easter dinner. Look for the bold make ahead hint in the recipe below for instructions.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

2/3 cup whole milk
5 tbsp sugar, divided
1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 3/4 cups flour
1 vanilla bean
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1 inch pieces

Heat the milk on your stove until it's about 110-115 F. Pour into a 2 cup measuring cup, and stir in 1 tbsp sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top and allow to sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. Whisk in the eggs.

Measure out the flour, remaining 4 tbsp sugar and salt into the bowl of your mixture. With the dough hook attachment, stir it together and then add the milk/egg mixture and scraped vanilla bean seeds with the motor running. Continuing to run the motor, add the pieces of butter, one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix it on medium high for 1 minute, then on medium for about 5 minutes.

Don't worry that the dough seems really sticky, wet, and unlike bread dough you've seen before. It should be sticky, but not greasy. If the dough seems greasy, knead it with the machine about another 2-3 minutes longer.

Brush a large bowl with melted butter. Put the dough in the bowl, and brush the top of the dough with a little more melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a draft free area for 1 1/2 hours.

Make ahead: Instead of putting the dough on the counter to rise, put it in the fridge to chill overnight. Pull out in the morning and allow to rise for 2-2 1/2 hours before continuing with the recipe.

Brush a muffin tin with melted unsalted butter.

Punch down the dough on a lightly floured counter. Divide the dough in half, then each half into six equal pieces. Taking a piece at a time, break into three equal pieces. Roll each into a ball and fit the three balls of dough in each muffin tin. Continue with the remaining half of the dough.

Cover the buns with a clean tea towel and set in a draft free place to rise for 1 or 1 1/2 hours, until the dough rises about an inch above the top of the pan. Gently brush each bun with milk and sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp sugar.

Bake at 375 F for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cook completely.

You can make these ahead and then freeze in an airtight container for up to a month. Thaw, and then reheat by placing on a baking sheet and placing in a 350 F oven for about 5-10 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen.

Peanut Butter Maple Granola

2012-04-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, I tried my hand at making home made granola. I'm not the kind of person to eat granola for breakfast; rather, I love spooning it over thick Greek yogurt drizzled with honey and topped with fat slices of banana. My body has had a love hate relationship with nuts the last 10 years, ever since I discovered that I could have Oral Allergy syndrome. At one time, particular fresh fruits and nuts would make my mouth itch and burn but these days, as my reactions to apples have waned, so have my reactions to nuts.

There really is much rejoicing, because I love almonds, and now it seems I can eat them.

I was inspired to try this granola when I was searching the internet for recipes using maple, since a lovely twitter follower of mine so kindly sent me a jug of the darkest of dark maple syrup from a sugar shack just down the road from her house. I was (am!) thrilled to pieces to have syrup this decadent and rich to use in baking. This recipe seemed to call a little from the recesses of the internet, daring me to try it. Peanut butter and dried fruit add a sweet/salty element that I couldn't ignore, so last weekend I whipped up a batch.

My entire family loves it. From Kevin, who eats it by the handful to John, who prefers his in a bowl with milk, we've been nibbling on it all week. I daresay that you need to make this, and that it would make a great gift if you were inclined to give some away. Personally, I think I would have a mutiny on my hands should any leave my house. Feel free to mix it up when it comes to the nuts and/or fruit, using whatever kinds appeal to you. I love cashews and pecans in my granola, and I think a mixture of them in this would be delicious. I also used a combination of dried berries, but you could use dried apple and/or apricots if that suited you. Have fun!

Adapted from Dinner with Julie

4 cups old fashioned / large flake oats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 cups nuts-I used 1 cup of chopped pecans, 3/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (dark, if you can find it)
1 cup of dried fruit (I like cranberries, cherries, blueberries)

Pre-heat oven to 325 F.

Stir the peanut butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup together in a medium sauce pan over medium low heat until melted and smooth.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, coconut, nuts, and salt. Drizzle over the peanut butter/maple mixture, stirring as you go, until all the oats and nuts are all well coated. Spread out onto a large rimmed baking sheet, and bake for about 30-35 minutes until golden. If you like your granola clumpy, only stir it once, but if you don't mind that there aren't many clumps, stir it a few times as it bakes.

Let the mixture cool before adding the dried fruit.

Store in an airtight container, or in large Mason jars, as I do. Makes about six cups.

Hug-worthy Guacamole

2012-04-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

The first time I ever had really great guacamole, I was about 15 years old. My family was visiting my uncle Bill in California at his almond ranch. California was far different than I expected-the hot dry weather of Chico, lizards, and the abundance of fruit blew me away. One day for a snack, Uncle Bob whipped up a batch of guacamole with the sweetest, most delicious avocados I'd ever eaten. I still remember that day-sun kissed from the morning in the pool, I sat wrapped in a towel by the breeze of the air conditioner, watching him in the kitchen.

"There, now THAT is guacamole," he set a bowl in front of me and pushed a bag of chips my way. I think I likely ate half the bowl.

Since then, I've been to California multiple times, and I always sigh with happiness when we roll over the pass by Mount Shasta and into Redding. Of all the states we have visited, California is one of my favorites-the people, the scenery, and of course the food, never fail to make an impression. Last summer while I traveled with the girls to Blogher in San Diego, we picked up guacamole kits in Trader Joes and there I'd be, late at night, whipping up guacamole in our hotel room. We ate every last bite. It wasn't quite my Uncle Bill's, but it was still delicious.

This afternoon, looking for something to nosh on, I wanted a bit of summer and reached for the avocados. Kevin came bounding into the kitchen, took one look at what I was doing, and threw his arms around me in wild abandon.

"I LOVE you. I LOVE guacamole."

On rainy cool days when I'm dreaming of hot sunny places and California, I feel that way too.

2 large avocados
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup seeded and diced tomato
2 limes
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Mash up the avocados with a fork. I like to have it a little chunky, so I do this roughly and don't worry too much about getting it smooth. Stir in the other ingredients, before zesting 1 of the limes into the bowl, then cutting the limes in 1/2 and squeezing the juice over top. Mix everything together well.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Turkey Meatballs with Scallions and Soy Ginger Glaze

2012-03-27T19:39:00.002-07:00

Meatballs are a great party food, but we also like them for dinner. Sometimes when you make them with turkey they can be a bit dry and tasteless, but these ones are full of flavour. We had them with coconut rice and brocollini, but you can also try serving them at a party with the glaze on the side. If you are feeling adventurous, try slipping them into tiny bins and use the glaze as a sauce, while you add a bit of thinly sliced veggies. There is quite a bit of sauce in this recipe, and I'd likely double the amount of meatballs while leaving the sauce as it is.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine, found in Asian or Japanese markets)
3 tbsp peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
4 black peppercorns

In a medium sized pot, combine the water and sugar over medium high heat until the sugar melts. Stir in the soy sauce, mirin, ginger, coriander, and peppercorns. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down and allow it to simmer for about 30-45 minutes until the mixture is reduced by half and syrup-like. While it bubbles on the stove, make your meatballs!

Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey
4-6 green onions, chopped finely
1/2 cup coriander, chopped finely ( you could substitute flat leaf parsley if you like)
1 large egg
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (regular is fine)
2 tbsp soy sauce
fresh cracked black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Put a skillet over medium high heat and add a little oil before measuring out the mixture in tablespoon sized portions. Roll into balls-although the mixture is fairly wet, so it's a bit hard to do. Don't worry about getting them perfect. Brown in a skillet, being careful not to have too many in the pan at once. They should take about 8 minutes to brown and cook through.

When you serve the meatballs, drizzle cooled glaze over top. You can serve these with rice and a vegetable for dinner, or as an appetizer if you wish.

Serves 4

Creamy Broccoli Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

2012-03-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

This salad was inspired by a co-worker who brought it to work a few weeks ago. I love the crunchy raw broccoli with the bite of red onion, crunchy pecans, and sweet dried cranberries. I didn't use a lot of measurements in this salad because I think it pretty much is a no brainer-just throw the broccoli in a salad bowl, add a little onion, then a handful or two of each of the nuts and cranberries.

2 crowns of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
1/2 red onion, minced
handful of dried cranberries
handful of pecans, chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
lemon, zested

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Zest the lemon into it, then cut in half and squeeze the juice from one of the halves into the bowl. Stir well.

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients and toss with the dressing. I never add it all right away, but rather add some, mix, and then see if I need more.

Makes about 4 servings

Noodles and Ginger Scallion Sauce

2012-03-22T01:00:00.001-07:00

I really love soba noodles. Despite their odd slightly grey color, they have far more flavor that usual noodles, and require little to make a them worth eating. This simple sauce dresses them up a little without overpowering them, and makes for a light, kid friendly meal if yours don't mind green bits in their food. I served them with some crunchy raw veggies, but you can pair them with some roasted meat if you like.

Serve with some chopped cucumber, lime slices, sesame seeds, and extra soy sauce on the side.

Adapted from Simply Reem

1 1/2 cups finely chopped scallions
2 tbsp minced ginger
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 tsp chili oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp pepper

6 ounces of soba noodles
2 tbsp sesame seeds
lime wedges
julienned cucumber

Mix the first nine ingredients together in a bowl and allow to sit for about 20 minutes. This is crucial because the flavors need to develop. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain noodles, then toss with the sauce, sesame seeds, and add more salt, pepper, or soy if you want. I like to squeeze some lime over and toss in some cucumber as well.

Sun Maid Raisin French Toast

2012-03-19T01:00:00.001-07:00

A little while ago, Sun Maid asked if I wanted to try a loaf of their raisin bread. I know that Hubs loves raisin bread so I said yes, and the package soon arrived at my front door. I plunked that little baby in the freezer and went about my week, plotting to have my way with it later and make something delicious.

Only, I had forgotten about how much Hubs loves his raisin bread and when I pulled it out of the freezer last night, it was almost all gone! What's a girl to do? I didn't even get to enjoy a slice!

A friend of mine suggested that I bake some raisin bread, but the truth is, it's too much work. There are many things that I will make from scratch, but raisin bread is not one of them. I buy it, and Sun Maid makes some really great bread!

The recipe I had was for waffle toast, but since I don't have a waffle iron and just fried the bread up in a skillet and made french toast for Kevin's Sunday breakfast. He said it was really good, and asked if I can make it again on Easter. I think I just might! (but of course I'll hide the bread from Hubs so we have some)

3 eggs
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
6-8 slices slightly stale Sun Maid Raisin bread

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Mix the eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla together in a shallow dish or pie plate with a fork. Set aside.

Get your skillet warmed up, and add a little butter. You don't want too much to make the French toast soggy, but enough for it to brown in. I used about 2 tsp. Dip the bread pieces in the egg mixture, letting each side sit for about 30 seconds so they can soak up the moisture. Hold over the dish and allow the excess to drip off before placing the bread pieces on the hot griddle.

Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes or so per side, before flipping over and browning the other side. When finished, place on a baking sheet in the oven for about 2 minutes while you cook the rest of the pieces.

Serve warm with maple syrup, or dusted with icing sugar.

Makes 6-8 slices

Disclosure: I was not paid for this post, but I did receive a loaf of bread to cook with and a few coupons for free product. Since we love the bread so much, I thought it would be nice to share the recipe with all of you!

Giveaway: Since I have some extra free product coupons, tell me what you love to do with raisin bread in your kitchen in the comments! I'll randomly choose someone and send them to you.

Mom's Old Fashioned Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

2012-03-15T01:00:00.001-07:00

I have a shirt from Paper Chef that says, "The Best Things in Life Are Simple". It's so true, too-when I was a kid, the easiest way to make me happy was to make this cake and slather it with cream cheese icing. Not only is this cake easy to make, but the dense, moist crumb makes it very easy to eat!

When I was a child this cake was often my pick for my birthday and since my 41st birthday is on March 25, it seemed fitting to dig out this recipe to share with all of you! Kevin greedily wolfed down a piece today after dinner and then used his finger to scrape up every last bit of icing.

I think someone else may have found a new favorite.

This recipe comes from my Mom, and I don't know the source. If you recognize it, please let me know!

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9x9 inch pan and then line with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, banana and vanilla, beating well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and blend well. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a rack and allow to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Icing

You may be tempted to reduce the fat in this icing by using low fat products, but I don't recommend it. What makes the icing so rich and creamy is the fat, and lower fat items contain a lot of water, which would make the icing soupy instead. Just eat and enjoy!

3/4 brick of full fat cream cheese, softened (do NOT use spreadable, it won't work)
2 1/2 cups of icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup whipping cream (do NOT use milk, it won't work)

Whip the cream cheese in a bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add in the vanilla and icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, blending well. Pour in the whipping cream and turn the mixer to high, letting it whip up and get nice and creamy. Slather all over the top of the cake.

Store the cake, covered, in the fridge for a few days.

Makes 12 servings.

Kevin Cooks: Spicy Lamb Meatball Pizza

2012-03-13T22:36:00.001-07:00

With a bunch of classes behind him and onto the second half of Kevin's school year, he's moved on to take a Foods 11 course through online school! The first assignment was to find a pizza or hamburger recipe, change one thing about it, and cook it.

Of course Kevin's response was, "Only change one thing? Can't I make my OWN recipe?" Um, sure, but that's not the assignment. I threw him my latest issue of Bon Appetit for inspiration and he was enthralled with this recipe. Spicy lamb meatballs, nestled in cheese and vegetables, on top of a tender crust was just the thing he wanted to make. We happened to have a fridge just bursting with all sorts of pizza topping options, which made things really easy!

Adapted from Bon Appetit

First, the meatballs:

½ tsp caraway seeds

½ tsp coriander seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 whole 2 inch dried chipolte chile or 2 tsp ground chipolte chiles (see *notes below)

1 small (3 inch diameter) potato, peeled

1 lb ground lamb

1 heaping tbsp minced scallion (white parts only)

1 ½ tsp grated pecorino cheese (we used Parmesan)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp finely grated peeled ginger

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

(*note: If you can't find these, try getting a can of chipolte chiles in abodo sauce. Dump them in a food processor and make a puree. Skip the step of roasting/grinding the chipolte pepper and add a tbsp of the puree to the meat mixture before you combine everything together)

In a dry skillet, toast the caraway, coriander, and cumin seeds until aromatic and a little darker in color (about 2 min). Let cool.

Broil the chile on a baking sheet, watching it carefully, until it puffs up. Don’t let it burn! Cut the chile in half and discard the seeds and stem. Cool and transfer, along with the caraway, coriander, and cumin seeds into a spice mill. Grind them together until they are fine. If you use the ground chipolte chiles instead, just add to the seeds mixture and then grind.

Meanwhile, submerge the potato in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil before reducing the heat and simmering for about 10 minutes, or until just cooked through. Drain and allow the potato to cool, then grate.

In a large bowl combine the chile mixture, the potato, ground lamb, scallions, cheese, salt, and ginger. Mix well with your hands and form into tablespoon sized meatballs.

Brown the meatballs in a skillet with a little oil, but leave them a little pink in the center as they will finish cooking on the pizza.

Now, the pizza!

Make a batch of this pizza dough. If you don't want make the dough from scratch, you can use a pre-made shell or get ready made dough at the store. Roll it out and fit it into a 12 inch pizza pan.

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.

Kevin chose to skip the traditional pizza sauce and instead drained a 14 oz can of plum tomatoes. Then take the whole tomatoes and seed them, discarding the juices from the insides. Chop them up and spread them over the crust. Follow with mozzarella cheese, red onion, feta, sweet peppers, slivers of garlic, and sliced black olives.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the bottom is golden. I like to then remove the pizza from the oven, turn the oven to broil, move the rack to a higher position and broil the top of the pizza until it's nicely browned. At this point you have to watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn.

Cool the pizza in the pan for about 5 minutes and then slice into pieces to be fought over at the table, snacked on cold at night, or taken for lunch the next day.

**NOTE: We didn't use all the meatballs on one pizza. They would easily divide between two pizzas, so cook through any that you don't use and freeze them for another day. Also, the meatballs cook faster if they are on the smaller rather than larger side.

It's Pi Day! Time for Blueberry Pie!

2012-03-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

"I like pie. Can you make pie?"

Pie has never been my forte, but as we sat on the couch I began to think about Kevin's request. Is pie really that hard, or is it that I can't overcome my irritation of how mine never turns out perfect and actually produce one? Besides, I have blueberries in the fridge. Why not?

Rooting around in the freezer, I dug out the ingredients and that evening produced a delicious blueberry pie that has turned out to be my most successful effort to date. For once the crust was flakey, the filling sweet and delicious.

Always up to the challenge of teaching Kevin something new since he IS homeschooled (or 'online schooled' as we like to call it), I couldn't resist teaching Kevin about PI day on March 14. Did you know there was a whole day devoted to the Greek letter? Celebrate PI day at your house, by making pie with the kids and talking diameter and circumference of circles!

What's YOUR favorite pie?

Adapted from Canadian Living

Filling:

5 cups of blueberries (if frozen, thaw and drain them first)
3/4 cup sugar (I reduced it to 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg yolk

Pastry crust:

2 1/2 cups flour (I used cake and pastry flour)
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/3 cup lard
1/2 cup cold water

Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter and lard until the mixture resembles crumbs. Stir in the cold water, a little at a time, until the flour comes together into a dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gather into a ball. Split into two portions and form each into a disk. Cover each with plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

When you are ready to make the pie, stir all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. On a lightly floured counter, roll out one of the disks of dough to about 1/8 thick and fit into a 9 inch pie pan, leaving about 3/4 inch (2cm) overhang. Spoon in the blueberry filling. In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk and 2 tsp water, then brush over the rim of the pie.

Roll out the other disk to 1/8 inch thickness and fit over top of the blueberry filling, leaving about 3/4 inch (2 cm) overhang. Fold overhang under bottom pastry rim, seal, and flute edges. Brush the top with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Cut some steam vents in the top.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 F. Bake on a baking sheet in the bottom third of the oven for about 20 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350 F and bake another 50-60 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbly.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool before you slice it into 8 pieces and serve. I like my pie room temperature with big scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Meyer Lemon Buttons

2012-03-07T01:00:00.001-08:00

I made two recipes today, and neither really turned out like the original, but it's okay-they both tasted really good. I did change this one up a bit and that's likely why this one was a bit different, but it could also be the fact that the power went out just as I was about to put them into the oven. With a couple Meyer lemons leftover from last weekend's excursion to see Alexis, I needed to come up with something in order to use them up. These cookies sounded great! The thing with Meyer lemons is that because they have less acidity, you don't need quite as much sugar so I reduced it a bit, then added more lemon juice and peel. The cookies didn't spread out like they did for the original photo, but that's fine with me. I also didn't roll them in icing sugar, but granulated sugar instead.

Fresh, not too sweet with a hint of lemon, these are perfect with a cup of tea. I think they would be a great addition to a tea party! Make sure to use a real lemon, and if it's a regular lemon from the store, you may want to up the sugar to 1 cup from 3/4 cup.

Adapted from LDS Living

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup icing/powdered sugar (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 F

Cream the butter and sugar together until it's fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg, lemon juice, and zest, then whip until it's light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add into the butter mixture and mix until just combined.

Measure the dough out in heaping teaspoons and roll into balls. Roll the balls in either granulated sugar or the powdered sugar and set on a cookie sheet about an inch and a half apart.

Bake about 9-11 minutes, until they are set and just starting to turn golden.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

Chicken Provencal

2012-03-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

Awhile back when I visited Alexis to go an event in Vancouver, I walked into her apartment to the smell of something absolutely amazing. While I didn't get to eat the amazing dish because we were going out for dinner, Alexis did point me in the direction of the great recipe. I wasn't surprised at all to see it was in my friend Emma's book "Whining and Dining" and promptly made it for my own family.

The result? It's so delicious. Don't let anchovies scare you off, they don't taste fish and meld right into the dish. Make sure to buy really good tomatoes (I like Cortina) and the best black olives you can find. It's worth it, trust me on that one. Alexis recommended I double the anchovies and garlic. Mmm...she's right!

Adapted from Whining and Dining

3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup flour
1 salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (or you could use breasts, just don't cook as long)
1 cup chopped onion
4 anchovy filets
one 19 oz can italian plum tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup pitted black olives
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Stir the flour with a little salt and pepper in a pie plate and set aside. Get your dutch oven or a deep fry pan heated up on the stove with the olive oil, then dredge the chicken in the flour and add to the pan. You might have to work in batches, but you want to brown up the chicken so it gets some color. Set browned pieces aside on a clean plate as you go.

Add a little more oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir in the onions and anchovies, stirring and moving them around to keep from burning or sticking. They will get nice and soft. When they are, add the garlic and cook about a minute or so longer. Add the tomatoes and their juices, breaking them up with a spoon. Stir in the thyme, stock, and bay leaf before you bring to a bubble.

Return the chicken to the pan along with the olives. Make sure the chicken is covered with sauce and simmer for about 20 minutes or so until the chicken is cooked through. Make sure to turn it now and then so all sides are cooked evenly. Taste and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it.

Top with parsley and serve with some delicious crusty bread!

Makes 4 servings.

Mandarine Artichoke Salad and Orange Poppyseed Dressing

2012-02-27T01:00:00.001-08:00

1 head of butter lettuce
1 small can of mandarin oranges (in juice), drained
1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 green onions, sliced (or you could try red onions)

Wash and tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces. Toss with the oranges, artichoke hearts, and green onions if you are going to serve immediately. Serve with either Honey Poppyseed Dressing, or we like the Orange poppy seed dressing below.

Orange poppyseed dressing:

Adapted from Canadian Living

1 tsp orange rind, zested
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp poppyseeds
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Measure out all the ingredients into a mason jar. Screw on a lid well so it doesn't leak, then give it a good shake. Voila! Dressing!

Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes and Feta for two

2012-02-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

When I was in the city, I couldn't get over how cheap produce was and bought copious amounts of everything from pints of cherry tomatoes to grapes, peppers, and cucumbers. With the prices so low I was able to load up the fridge, and we are still working on using it all up. We weren't eating the cherry tomatoes fast enough, so I decided one night to make a pasta sauce with them. I had seen Michael Smith do this, and inspired by the contents of my fridge I decided to go for it.

1 pint of cherry/grape tomatoes (about 2 cups)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced into chips
freshly cracked pepper
1 tbsp and 1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
pinch hot pepper flakes
freshly cracked pepper to taste
1 tbsp rosemary
1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cubes of pesto, thawed (if you use store bought, omit the Parmesan cheese)
1/4 cup crumbled feta
6 oz spaghetti

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.

Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss in a bowl with garlic, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, hot pepper flakes and black pepper.

Spread the tomatoes out in the pan in a single layer and roast for about 25 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving a small amount of the water. Toss cooked pasta with pesto, roasted tomatoes, feta, and olives. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings

Home made Pesto

2012-02-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

In the summer when basil is at it's peak, I make this and stash it in the freezer to use throughout the rest of the year. The difference between home made and store bought jarred pesto is just unbelievable- we noticed that you can really taste the basil, and it's far less salty. Add salt if you need to, but remember that the cheese will add some so be careful.

Adapted from Fresh

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds, toasted
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a food processor, blitz together the basil, and garlic until chopped well. With the motor running, add the oil in a steady stream.

If you are going to are going to use the pesto right away, stir in the Parmesan. If you are going to save it for later, omit the cheese. Spoon the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once the cubes are solid, pop them out and freeze in a ziplock bag. When it's time to use them, thaw and stir in 1 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes about 6 cubes, or 1 1/4 cups