Things I Make (for Dinner)

SRC Reunion: Savoury Pull Apart Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 04:00:00 +0000

So.
I haven't been here in a while.
I seem to say that a lot. It's totally true, and a little embarrassing. I work in a building right now where people actually say, "She's a food blogger," and I want to correct them and say I'm a lapsed one who still enjoys posting pictures of the new things I make to Instagram. Just because I don't write doesn't mean I don't still make new things all the time.
When Sarah from the Secret Recipe Club proposed a reunion for the anniversary of the club, I asked if I could come out of retirement. I'm so glad she said yes. I'm also pretty sure retired sounds better than lapsed.
For those not familiar with the Secret Recipe Club, food bloggers were given another blog from the group (in secret), and the blogger than chooses a recipe and makes it. Then everyone reveals who has who's blog at the same time. It was a whole lot of fun, and I always enjoyed meeting new bloggers and trying different things.
For this round, I was assigned Tara's blog at Tara's Multicultural Table. Tara is a married mother of 2 who is a former picky eater. Her blog is filled with recipes from around the world. She even had Canadian Butter Tarts...but they have pecans in them, which is sacrilege. I am totally #TeamRaisin. I considered Breakfasts, which included these Pumpkin Fantail Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Icing , and the Spinach Feta Wrap is totally up mine and J's alley. I also considered a variety of cookies, but ultimately, I chose a carb to go with Sunday night chili.
In Secret Recipe Club, I made a lot of bread. Like, when I didn't know what to make, I would choose a bread. Once again, I chose a bread. And it's so good.
I present to you now from Tara's Multicultural Table, Savoury Pull Apart Bread:

Ingredients:
For the rolls:3/4 c warm water
3/4 tsp yeast
3 c flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp softened butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 c warm milk
For the Coating:
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped chives
1 Tbsp Forward! spice mix

Method:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Let stand 10 minutes until frothy. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl before starting mixer using the dough hook. Stir until dough forms a soft ball, pulling off the sides of the bowl. Release dough from hook and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1-1/2 hours.
2. When the dough is doubled in size, make the coating. Melt butter and whisk in olive oil before adding chives and spices. Punch down dough, and then pinch off balls approximately 2" in diameter. Roll balls of dough in the butter mixture before putting into a greased 10" bundt pan,, trying to ensure that the dough is evenly spread in the pan. Cover and let rise 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake bread for 30-40 minutes, until golden and the rolls sound hollow when tapped. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan before unmolding onto a plate.

From Tara's Multicultural Table

You know what I don't do any more? Take process pictures. I didn't use the same flavour profile as Tara had. I made something a little spicier with more of a cumin undertone because I was serving them with a white chili. But this is a versatile recipe. Garlic and basil makes this Italian. Cinnamon and sugar makes this delicious for breakfast.

I wasn't sure when I made the dough balls that the bread was going to be very big.

But I shouldn't have worried. This smelled amazing before going in the oven. Between this baking and the chili bubbling, my kitchen was warm and cozy on a ridiculously miserable and icy afternoon in April.

I mean...come on...how can you not love the warm, spiced, slightly oily bread that was perfect for sopping up the end of a bowl of chili?
Thanks Tara! J and I both loved your bread!

I made a great recipe from a new to me blog! Check out all the rest of the bloggers who made something from a new (or not so new) blog to them!

An InLinkz Link-up

#TastyParTEA: Earl Grey Waffles

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
I agreed to take part in an event that was celebrating all things tea. And I enjoy tea...but usually black with a little sugar in winter, or iced with lemon and sugar in summer. And frankly, orange pekoe is about as exciting as we get in my purchasing around here.
But despite the fact that I am not a tea snob, I do know what a good cuppa tastes like. Each year for Christmas, one of the gifts that I buy my mother is the Little Black Tea Collection from Steeped, which includes the most wonderful Earl Grey known as Earl Grey de la Creme. And it is. Smoky, creamy and with the most delicious finish. It's a great tea.
Earl Grey tea is tea flavoured with oil of bergamot. It is used to flavour baked goods, sauces and chocolates. When I looked for a recipe featuring tea, I started at the Steeped website. I saw this, and was sold.
I present to you now Earl Grey Waffles:

Ingredients:
1-2/3 c milk
3 Tbsp loose leaf Earl Grey Tea
1/4 c oil
2 eggs, separated
1 tps sugar
2 c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
1. In a small saucepan, warm milk gently with tea, in a stainless steel infuser. Let stand 30 minutes to steep and cool.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whip egg whites to firm peaks and set aside. In a third bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar. Add flour and steeped milk in stages, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in egg whites.
3. Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Bake waffles as directed.

From Steeped Tea

Isn't this a great infuser from Charles Viancin? The top green part is a magnet, that you can use to remove the infuser from the liquid. I also used it as a weight to keep the infuser in the milk. It worked like a charm...seeing as I can't find my tea ball since the kitchen renovation.

Believe it or not, I made waffles on a Thursday morning before going to work. The batter went together quickly (I got up, warmed the milk, got dressed and made waffles), and I even had a chance to sit and eat with J before running out the door.

We ate these with maple syrup, but blueberry sauce would have been awesome! Thanks Charles Viancin and Republic of Tea for sponsoring a fun breakfast!
Have you entered the Giveaway? You totally should!!

#TastyParTEA: The Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 02:11:00 +0000

So.
I signed up for another event. But this one is totally in line with fall. As the days get shorter and colder, I am more wont than in summer to drink tea. And this event is all about the good stuff.

A baker's dozen bloggers have come together to share different recipes that use tea during the month of November. Whether you're a fan of sweet or savory #TastyParTEA's creations will make your mouth water.

See all the posts on our Facebook page, check out the pins on our Pinterest board, or follow the conversation on social media with hashtag #TastyParTEA.

We Are the #TastyParTEA Bloggers...

listed alphabetically by blog name

A Day in the Life on the Farm

A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Amy's Cooking Adventures

Café Terra Blog

Cookaholic Wife

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Jane's Adventures in Dinner
Kahakai Kitchen

Making Miracles
Our Good Life

The Gluttonous Geek

Things I Make (for Dinner)

Our Blog Tour Schedule...

The Giveaway...

Our generous sponsors have contributed prizes for this event.

The giveaway will begin on November 12th and end on November 21st
and is open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our Sponsors*...

and how you can find them around the internet

Charles Viancin

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest

The Republic of Tea

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, on Instagram

*Disclosure: Bloggers received complimentary products from sponsors for the creation of this event. This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are our own.*

#SecretRecipeClub: Cinnamon Roll Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 05:00:00 +0000

So.
It's time for another edition of Group A's reveal for the Secret Recipe Club! Actually, it's a rather sad occasion as this will be the final reveal day for Group A. Sarah E has decided to send us out on a high note, and the club will be folding. I've had almost 3 wonderful years searching other blogs for a recipe to make and share. It's been exciting to see what people think worth sharing from my own little corner of the internet. I'll need to find a new challenge.
So, this time when I went looking for my last recipe with the club, I decided I had to stick with what I do best - breakfast carbs.
My monthly email sent me off to peruse Sights, Bits and Bites. Marla is relatively new to the kitchen, and says she works in the smallest kitchen known to mankind. I also did that until recently. She loves cats, but currently has a boyfriend and a pet hamster. I don't think I recommend having the hamster and cats simultaneously, but cats are a lovely way to pass the time.
While looking through Marla's recipes, I came across a few things to consider: Freezer Breakfast Burritos looked easy and yummy, as did Lasagna Soup, which needs to make an appearance on my Sunday night supper table (and in my lunch) soon. But carbs as always screamed my name. Like my last reveal, this recipe is somewhat of a portion controlled one. But no matter. Once can always eat 2.
I present to you now Sights, Bits and Bites' Cinnamon Roll Muffins:

Ingredients:
For the Filling:
1 c light brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp butter, softened

For the dough:
1 c soured milk (1 scant cup of milk with 1 tsp lemon juice, stirred and left to stand 10 mins)
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3-1/2 c flour

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line 12 muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. Make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Make the Dough: In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg. Add milk and beat well. Stir in 3 cups of flour to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured pastry sheet and knead until smooth (I found it very sticky and used most of the final 1/2 cup)
4. Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 12"x24". Spread dough with softened butter and sprinkle with filling, pressing into the butter.
5. Roll the dough up tightly, starting along 1 long edge. Cut into 12 equal pieces and place in the lined muffin tins, cut side up.
6. Bake rolls at 375F for 16 minutes, until golden.

From Sight, Bits and Bites

These are really individual cinnamon buns. I found the dough really sticky, but I didn't want to add too much flour and toughen them up. I didn't.

I wondered at this point if I really needed the paper liners, but they were a good plan. I also wondered if things would rise at all.
One other thing I tried that was fantastic was a kitchen hack for softening butter: I put what I wanted on a small plate and covered it with a glass that I had heated under hot tap water for about 2 minutes. It was perfectly spreadable!

They both rose, and I was glad for the paper. Filling leaked out around the paper, and I would have had a huge mess without the papers.

So yummy! Thanks Marla, for helping me with breakfast for the next little bit!

An InLinkz Link-up

#SRC Bonus Post: Monkey Bread Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 04:00:00 +0000

So.
I haven't been a very good blogger recently. I have, however, managed to keep up with my Secret Recipe Club posts if nothing else. I love being given a reason to explore someone else's blog and make a recipe. Sometimes, it's a challenge to make something that I've always wanted to try. Sometimes, I make something that just sounds way too good.
Always, I procrastinate.
This month, with 5 Mondays, our fearless leader Sarah put out the call for a special reveal day of fall dishes. I was thrilled to be assigned April's blog over at Home Sweet Homestead. April is a wife and monther who is a Flexitarian after the onset of adult allergies and food intolerances. I loved going through her recipes and saw many things that interested me including these Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies and this Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dip. Apparently, peanut butter makes me think fall.
Unfortunately, I haven't made either yet. With time running short, I whipped up a breakfast treat with lots of cinnamon. It's not pumpkin, but it is delicious. And monkey bread is always fun. Who doesn't love monkey bread?
I do, obviously. I present to you now Home Sweet Homestead's Monkey Bread Muffins:

Ingredients:
1 tube refrigerated biscuits
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 c white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners (my tube had 10 biscuits) according to the number of biscuits.
2. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Cut each biscuit into thirds. Roll each piece into a ball. Roll balls in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar. Drop 3 balls into each paper liner.
3. Bake muffins for 12-15 minutes until golden at 400F. Cool slightly before serving.

From Home Sweet Homestead

You know what I love about my new island in my new kitchen? The workspace to set up an assembly line. I've been loving the space for the past couple of weeks. I now share it with you.

These are really easy to put together. I made them in paper liners and using the traditional technique of rolling in butter and sugar to keep things a little less messy for eating.

These smelled lovely! Fresh bread always does. April made hers with frozen bread dough, which would also be really yummy. My mother has made a traditional monkey bread in a bundt pan that uses vanilla pudding that is really good, but this was quick and simple for a treat.

J and I both enjoyed these for breakfast as well as hot out of the oven. Thanks April for a delicious treat!

An InLinkz Link-up

Secret Recipe Club: Sopa de Arroz

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 04:00:00 +0000

So.
We are in the midst of a kitchen renovation. The obvious question is to ask why I would do something so asinine as to say that I would participate in Secret Recipe Club when I don't have a kitchen. The good news is I made this just before the renovation started. Now, I'm looking forward to it being over so I can start cooking again.
This month, I was thrilled to be assigned and excuse to spend some time in La Cocina de Leslie! My very first month with SRC, Leslie made my Peanut Butter Crunch Cake. I was so excited to have a chance to peruse Leslie's blog and make some good, authentic Mexican food.
Leslie lives in Mexico with her husband and 4 children. She's even written a cookbook called Taqueria Tacos that is being released on my birthday. J and I are both huge fans of Mexican food. We had our first date at Mi Hacienda, a Mexican restaurant in Toledo, and that's where he proposed as well! I wanted to make Leslie's Shredded Chicken Tacos de Mole because it reminded me greatly of my favourite Chicken Enchiladas Poblanas from Mi Hacienda, but I couldn't find the mole paste, and a mole sauce was more work that I was up for. (But if you are up for the work, Leslie has options for homemade mole sauce!)
Enter this recipe. I was making a shredded pork in the crockpot to mix with black beans and Mexican rice to make burritos so that I would have things in the freezer for eating during the reno. I needed a good recipe for Mexican rice. Leslie's recipe from her mother in law doesn't disappoint.
I present to you now from La Cocina de Leslie, Sopa de Arroz (Mexican Rice):

Ingredients:
1 c long grain rice
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 c water
2 c chicken broth
1 tsp chicken boullion
2 Tbsp oil
Salt, to taste

Method:
1. In a blender, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic and water. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in a medium pan until hot. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is golden. Carefully add pureed mixture to rice, then add chicken broth and boullion. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat.
3. Cover pan, resisting urge to stir. Let simmer until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

From La Cocina de Leslie

I didn't take many pictures, and this is a simple recipe; but it's so versatile! Make sure to toast the rice well. This is just as I started, so it's not golden. Also, be careful adding liquid to hot oil. The spatter factor can be surprising if you're not ready.

But see what you end up with? Yum. Perfect as a side, or in my case as a part of shredded pork and black bean burritos. Thanks Leslie!

An InLinkz Link-up

#Secret Recipe Club: Peanut Butter Banana Bagels

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 04:00:00 +0000

So.
It's time for another episode of the regular Secret Recipe Club! Once a month, a group of bloggers get together, are given another blog to peruse in secret, choose a recipe and make something from their assigned blog. I so enjoy doing this every month, and look forward to seeing whose blog I will be looking through for something delicious.
This month, I was thrilled to be paired with Erin of the The Spiffy Cookie. I've enjoyed working with Erin in the past on multiblogger events, and enjoy drooling over her pictures of food on Instagram. Erin, like myself, isn't a fan of mushrooms; but she does love all things peanut butter and chocolate (also like myself) and bakes...a lot. How could I not make something peanut buttery after looking through her blog?
I seem to be on a breakfast kick at the moment, so I considered her Pumpkin Pecan Waffles and even something somewhat healthy with her Carrot Cake Oatmeal, but then I found this.
I have been intrigued by recipes containing PB2, but have never tried it. I also decided to challenge myself and make something that I hadn't made successfully before: bagels. With bananas in the freezer, I was ready to go!
I present to you now The Spiffy Cookie's Peanut Butter Banana Bagels:

Ingredients:
3 c all purpose flour
1/4 c Powdered Peanut Butter (I used PB2 Chocolate Peanut Butter)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 c warm water
2-1/4 tsp yeast
2 Tbsp sugar, divided
1 large ripe banana

Method:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast and 1-1/2 Tbsp sugar. Let stand until foamy, 3-5 minutes. In a medium bowl, stir together 2-1/2 c flour, PB2, salt and cinnamon.
2. Add mashed banana to yeast mixture. Start mixer with dough hook attachment on low, slowly adding flour mixture. Alternate between low and medium speed, kneading until dough forms a ball on the hook and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is sticky, continue to add small amounts of flour until the dough is slightly tacky.
3. Form dough into a ball and lightly grease a bowl. Return dough to bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
4. Punch down dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a bagel shape by pressing a finger through the centre. Arrange bagels on parchment lined baking sheet and let rest for 20-30 minutes. The hole in each bagel needs to be larger than a quarter, or it will fill in as they bagels rise while resting.
5. Bring 12 c of water to a boil in a Dutch oven with the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of sugar. Preheat oven to 400F. Boil bagels in batches, for about 20-30 seconds per side. Return to parchment lined baking tray until all 8 bagels are done.
6. Bake bagels at 400F for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before freezing.

From The Spiffy Cookie

I have to admit, dough on a dough hook isn't all that exciting. When you use a ripe banana that you froze a while ago, you don't even need to mash it - just break off the stem and squeeze it into the bowl. This made the most delicious smelling dough from beginning to end.

The bagels also rose beautifully. I used a scale to weigh out my portions, but you could eyeball it. There's less math if you eyeball it. The day before school starts, I'm all about not thinking. I'm saving my brainpower for getting through Tuesday. It's been a challenge to get my head around teaching kindergarten music again.

They get kinda funny looking in the boiling water, but the bagels become fluffy, for lack of a better work. I used 2 slotted serving spoons to turn the bagels and remove them from the boiling water.

But they were beautiful coming out of the oven, and they were delicious with chocolate cream cheese the following morning for breakfast. The peanut butter and banana flavours weren't overwhelming, but were deliciously present. They'll be great for breakfast out of the toaster. Thanks Erin!

An InLinkz Link-up

#SRC Bonus: Lunch Lady Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 04:00:00 +0000

So.
Today is my first day back at work after being off for the summer.
I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this, seeing as it's my 7th school in the past 10 years. While there are no students until next week after Labour Day, I need to finish unpacking and get my head around what is to come. For me, this is not a great thing.
What is good, however, is that there are 5 Mondays in August, and we're celebrating with a special edition of The Secret Recipe Club that's all about back to school. What's even more fun about this reveal day is that it's cross-group, so I'm not paired with someone in my regular group A for this week. Next week, I'll be back with my Group A on Monday's reveal.
There are so many options when you consider back to school. Around here, it means soups that I can take for lunch, or something I can pull out of my freezer for a quick meal, or something that I can make for a hearty breakfast. I had so much fun looking through Ashley's blog, Cheese Curd in Paradise for something that might fit one of these catagories, and I wasn't disappointed.
Ashley had a ton of things that I pinned while browsing, including these Strawberry Cream Muffins to use up the strawberries that came in my produce box this week; I also thought about this Chicken Bacon Ranch Tot Casserole because come on...all in one dish? Sign me up!
I finally opted for a dessert that can easily be frozen, and is even nut free, so totally work-takeable (as opposed to my regular SRC choice for next week). The name even screams school - even though I work in an elementary school and there's no cafeteria.
I present to you now a Cheese Curd in Paradise's Lunch Lady Brownies:

Ingredients:
For the Brownies:
1 c butter, melted
1/2 c cocoa powder
2 c sugar
2 c flour
4 eggs
4 tsp vanilla

For the Icing:
1/4 c butter, softened
1/4 c milk
1/4 c cocoa powder
3 c icing sugar

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13" pan and set aside.
2. In a bowl, beat together butter and cocoa until smooth with an electric beater. Add flour and sugar. Beat until incorporated before beating in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake brownies at 350F for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove and let sit 10 minutes.
3. While the brownies are baking, make the icing. Beat all icing ingredients together until smooth. Spread over warm brownies, and then cool completely.

From Cheese Curd in Paradise

The first thing I can say about both the batter and the icing is that they're pretty stiff. I used hand beaters to make both, but the stand mixer would have been perfectly appropriate, especially for the batter. Both were dark and chocolatey. All good.

I probably could have spread the icing over the brownies a little sooner. It melts on the warm baked brownies, and mine did around the edges...less so in the middle. It didn't matter for taste, though.

They were delicious! J says they are exactly what he thinks of when he thinks of a brownie. We kept half the pan out to eat, and put half in the freezer for later. Thanks Ashley! We'll make these again!

An InLinkz Link-up

Breakfast: Chocolate Zucchini Chocolate Chip Waffles

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
After last summer's fun with my friend's waffle iron, I kept thinking I should buy one of my own. I thought about it for a whole year (which I am wont to do), and finally picked one up on the cheap at Kohl's when J and I went to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday in Toledo.
But what to make first? I have an absolute pile of waffle recipes pinned to my Breakfast board on Pinterest. There's pumpkin, and snickerdoodle, and gingerbread...but I was looking for wow factor for the first waffles from the new toy.
I started searching again for something with wow factor, that would use things in my fridge. I'm pretty sure I picked it with this recipe. Seeing as I had buttermilk leftover and a couple of zucchini from our Good Food Boxes, this was a no brainer. Seeing as there was cocoa and chocolate chips involved, I'd found my wow factor.
Even better? This made enough for 2 brunches the day of and more for the freezer for later. You know, when I want a bit of a day brightener. That can always be achieved through chocolate chips for breakfast.
I present to you now The Candid Appetite's Chocolate Zucchini Chocolate Chip Waffles:

Ingredients:
2 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 eggs, separated
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 c mini chocolate chips

Method:
1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a second bowl, beat egg yolks, vanilla and buttermilk, slowly add butter, beating constantly. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until combined.
2. In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into batter before folding in zucchini and chocolate chips.
3. Heat waffle iron according to directions. Brush with butter when hot. Add 1/4 c batter to the middle of the iron and close, cooking for about 3 minutes, but according to manufacturer's directions. Keep waffles warm while continuing to cook additional waffles. Serve with butter and maple syrup (or ice cream!!)

From The Candid Appetite

You know what almost makes these healthy? The zucchini. It definitely makes them moist. 1 medium shredded zucchini is about 1 cup. Mine was a little more, but I put the whole thing in. I don't think it affected the flavour or texture at all.

My shiny new toy! A Black and Decker Belgian waffle maker. 1/4 cup is the perfect amount to fill but not overflow the maker. Doesn't that batter look awesome? Chocolate chips just took it over the edge.

J liked these as well, but he's not quite sold on the whole "they're healthy because there are vegetables in them" argument. I'm not saying these are for everyday...but once and a while can't be bad!

Freezer Friendly: Walnut Zucchini Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
Despite the fact that as I write this we haven't been on vacation yet (Friday's coming!), I've started planning for my Back to School cooking extravaganza.
Three years ago, I discovered the genius of freezer meals. After buying a Taste of Home freezer magazine, I tried cooking and freezing meals that would make my life easier upon my return to work. It totally does make my life easier. We eat at home during a stressful time with the startup of school and being away weekends for football. I've started my lists and my inventory of the deep freeze so that we have some more healthy choices than the nearest restaurant.
To that end, I'm stocking not only dinners but breakfasts as well. I need something that can be quick, or on the go; but not just peanut butter toast when I can't think of anything else. My Christmas present from last year has been a help: a Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich maker that we pull out maybe once a week. I also try and stock bagels, and often have cooked breakfast sausage links so I can make quick scrambled egg wraps. I also enjoy muffins from time to time.
My mother makes lots of different muffins that are delicious, and if you look at my index I make lots of different flavours too, Muffins freeze well, are portable, and can use up things that are lurking in your produce drawer.
Speaking of produce, if you and I are friends on Facebook, I've been posting pictures of my Good Food Boxes this summer from The Stand in Burford. J and I have eaten more fresh fruits and vegetables for an incredible price because of these boxes! We've had things like this:

Every week, there is a head of romaine lettuce, and a field tomato. The rest is seasonal, so we've had carrots, new dug potatoes, garlic, corn, green onions, peppers of all colours, field and hot house cucumbers, green and yellow beans, cherry tomatoes, garlic scapes, red onions, and zucchini. We've been picking up the box and then meal planning to use as much as possible from the box.

Fruit-wise, we've had tons of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, and yellow plums. J eats the blueberries. The rest are left up to me.
I've been freezing what we can't eat (mainly strawberries and beans), and knowing that in winter we will have lots of things to choose from out of the excess of our bounty from the summer.

But there are many things that we get that can't be frozen. And vegetables like zucchini need to be made into another form to be frozen.
When I saw this recipe in my Taste of Home freezer magazine, it was like it was meant to be.
I present to you now Harriet Stichter from Milford, Illinois' Walnut Zucchini Muffins:

Ingredients:
2 c all purpose flour
2/3 c packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 c milk
1/2 c butter, melted
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 c walnuts, chopped
1/2 c raisins

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and butter. Stir wet ingredients into dry until just combined. Fold in zucchini, walnuts and raisins.
3. Fill paper liners three quarters full. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, until an inserted tester comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

From Taste of Home (I have Ultimate Meals from the Freezer)

I made these big, and still got 12. Batter is batter. I have a before picture...

And an after. These were moist and delicious. I also froze 9 of them for future use. That's a win in my book!

Revenge of the Magazine Challenge: Grilled Pizza with Asparagus and Sundried Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
When we moved, one of the things we talked about was the fact that we might grill more, because the deck is off the open concept kitchen/dining room. As opposed to our last house, where I had to walk around through the family room to the far end of the house to retrace my steps outside to get to the grill, this is just open the door and step out.
We've taken to grilling a lot.
Despite the fact that we don't often sit outside to eat because of the trains (We have 2 backyards between our deck and the tracks), we carry in things from the grill to eat at the dining room table. And seeing as there's more to life than burgers, I'm always on the lookout for fun new things to try cooking over propane.
When we renovated the last kitchen, we discovered that you could make pizza directly on the grill. When I saw this recipe in the June 2008 issue of Everyday Food, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I was right. It was worth it. The was a fantastic change of pace on a Saturday night with a glass of cold white wine.
I present to you now from the June 2008 issue of Everyday Food, Grilled Pizza with Asparagus and Sundried Tomatoes:

Ingredients:
1 lb pizza dough (I make my own in my bread machine)
1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed
1 bunch green onions, washed and trimmed
1/2 c sundried tomatoes packed in oil, thinly sliced (Plus 3 Tbsp oil from the jar)
1 c ricotta
1 Tbsp dried basil
4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

Method:
1. Preheat grill to medium. In a medium bowl, toss asparagus, green onions and 1 Tbsp of the sundried tomato oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables, turning frequently until tender. Remove from grill and chop into 1" pieces when cool enough to handle.
2. On a foil-lined baking sheet, brush 1 Tbsp of the sundried tomato oil. Divide pizza dough into pieces, and stretch each piece into a 10" oval. Brush rounds with remaining oil.
3. Transfer dough to the grill. Let cook until the underside begins to char, about 3 minutes. transfer to baking sheet, grilled side up, with tongs.
4. Spread ricotta over dough rounds, leaving a border. Top with grilled vegetables, sundried tomatoes, basil and Parmesan. Return pizzas to the grill, rotating occasionally until the dough is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

From Everyday Food, June 2008

I forget how easy it is to grill pizza. I didn't have any issues with the dough slipping between the grates, but if you look closely, you will see I lost a couple of spears of asparagus.

But I really liked this with the grilled vegetables. The onions, especially. J and I eat a great deal of asparagus while it is in season. I grill it frequently with whatever else we're eating.

Here are the pizzas, ready to go back on the grill and finish cooking. It didn't take long, once the dough was made.

And we were ready to eat! The sundried tomatoes were a nice little punch with the grilled vegetables. Another summer winner that we'll have again!

SRC: Lemongrass Ginger Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 04:00:00 +0000

So.
It's time again for the Secret Recipe Club! What's that, you ask? Well, it's a group of food bloggers who are all assigned another blog from the group (in secret, hence the name) and then we all reveal on the same day at the same time. Fun, right? I enjoy getting my assignment every month and finding something to make from a blog that I don't know a whole lot about.
This month is no exception. I was assigned the blog Crazed Mom, written by Nicole. Nicole is a mom of 5 teenagers, and I am exhausted just thinking about that. She's a writer, and she makes some delicious looking and sounding food.
I have to admit, when I started looking at her blog, I didn't get past her Breakfast offerings. As the owner of a new waffle iron, I'm all about waffle recipes right now. I eyed these Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, because I have ricotta needing to be used in my fridge and blueberries right now; but Nicole made these for an SRC reveal. I also really want to make these Pumpkin Spice Latte Doughnuts, but I would need a doughnut baking pan...and I'm still playing with my waffle iron. Then I found something that totally caught my attention.
As some of my friends on Facebook know, I was literally giving away some of my Gourmet Garden stir in paste herb tubes from past blogging events. I love their products (just ask, and I'll tell you!), but there are some that I've never known what to do with...like Lemongrass. It's intimidating looking at the store, and I've never used it. But I have 3 tubes of it in my freezer. I saw the picture in the index with the Gourmet Garden tubes, and saw that this would use up (albeit a small amount) of my Lemongrass stash, and I was in! Plus, the leftovers are freezable, as we start the grind towards school. I'm starting my freezer cooking to make the fall easier. J and I both enjoyed these for breakfast, and they'll be great out of the toaster with maple syrup this fall too,
I present to you now Crazed Mom's Lemongrass Ginger Pancakes:

Ingredients:
1-1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp grated Ginger (I used Gourmet Garden stir in paste)
1 tsp minced Lemongrass (I used Gourmet Garden stir in paste)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c molasses
1 c milk

Method:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre.
2. In a second bowl, beat together egg, vanilla and molasses until smooth. Slowly add milk until full incorporated (I used electric hand beaters to ensure that the molasses is fully suspended in the milk)
3. With beaters running on low, slowly pour milk mixture into flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Batter is thick and a little lumpy.
4. Heat griddle and brush with oil. Pour about 1/4 c of batter per pancake. I found I had to spread the batter with the edge of the cup. Cook until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Turn and cook for about 2 minutes on the other side as well. Keep made pancakes warm in 250F oven while continuing, oiling griddle as needed.

From Crazed Mom

Don't you love my current spice rack? I can find nothing. I was sure I had cloves, but I didn't, so I subbed allspice. J and I have started the process of finding someone to renovate the new house kitchen. I will soon not be the proud owner of the sexy blue countertops, also pictured here. But back to pancakes....

These went together quickly. I was surprised by the lack of oil in the batter itself, and it's a really thick batter. As a result, you need to watch closely so they don't burn. The cooking time is short. But it's worth the watching. They smell amazing while cooking as well.

Very like gingerbread was the final verdict on flavour, and delicious with butter and maple syrup. With all the lemongrass I have, I forsee a lot of pancakes!
Thanks Nicole!!

An InLinkz Link-up

#BookClubCookbookCC: Lemon Chicken and Orzo

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
It's the last month of the #BookClubCookbookCC project! I've so enjoyed working with the other bloggers and especially Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla who spearheaded this project! This month, Camilla hosted, and she invited us to make Greek food and read Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres.

Once again, I haven't read the book. For whatever reason, there's been a run on the copy at my local library. I am currently third on the waiting list. I was fifth when I went to reserve the book. But I can make Greek inspired food. We love Greek food.
I'm always looking for new 1 pot meals that go together fast and are delicious. This one fits the bill. J and I loved it. It also comes from one of my favourite sources for recipes, Budget Bytes. With lemon and feta cheese, it's reminiscent of all the great flavours of Greek food.
I present to you now from Budget Bytes Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo:

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs (I used bone-in, skin on)
5 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, divided
1 Tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-1/2 c chicken broth
4 Tbsp dried parsley (I used Gourmet Garden's lightly dried parsley)
1-1/2 c orzo pasta
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Method:
1. Season chicken thighs with about 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning per thigh.
2. In a large skillet with a lid, heat oil until shimmering hot. Add and cook chicken thighs, skin side down first, and allow to cook until browned on both sides, about 5 mintues per side. Remove cooked thighs to a clean plate.
3. Turn heat to low. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add chicken broth and stir to release browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Add about half the parsley to the skillet, with an additional teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning. Add orzo to the skillet, stir to combine, and then add the chicken thighs, skin side up.
5. Cover skillet and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes, until orzo is tender. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and feta before serving.

From Budget Bytes

It's not often I make bone-in chicken. J has a hard time dealing with the bones. But they're so much cheaper than boneless. I decided to go with it for this recipe, and I wasn't disappointed.

I hadn't cooked orzo before, but this was a great starch with the chicken. I like other Budget Bytes recipes, the pasta cooked with the protein in broth is so good.

Just nestle the chicken in, cover and cook. Something I can set on the stove and let go is great too. Dinner in 30 minutes! Perfect for when I'm working!

And with a little feta, we're ready to eat. This was delicious. J and I both enjoyed it. Both times I've made it.

Thanks Cam, for a wonderful year of literature and food!

Grillmistress: Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
Remember in January when I Spatchcocked a chicken and roasted it in the oven? Well, at that time, I bought a couple of whole chickens and froze them for later.
Later finally arrived when we were cleaning out the freezer for the move.
While I was looking for something to do with a whole chicken, I came across this recipe with an interesting marinade that would use the pastes provided to me from Garden Gourmet. A win all the way around as I tried to clean out my freezer and prepare for the move.
Now I need to buy another whole chicken so I can do this again.
I present to you now from Martha Stewart Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken:

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, quartered
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 c Italian herb paste (such as Garden Gourmet), or 1/3 c fresh herbs, chopped
1/4 c oil
Lemon zest from 1/2 a lemon, in strips
1- 3 to 4 lb chicken, spatchcocked
Salt and pepper

Method:
1. Spatchcock the chicken: With a pair of kitchen shears, cut down both sides of the backbone of the chicken. Turn chicken breast side up and flatten chicken out.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine onion, garlic, herb paste, and lemon zest with the oil Puree until finely chopped and well combined.
3. Loosen the skin on the chicken with your fingers and rub the onion mixture between the skin and the breast. Rub remaining puree on the skin of the chicken. Put into a zip top bag, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
4. Heat grill to medium-high. Wipe most of the puree off of the chicken. Grill chicken, breast side down, for 10 to 15 minutes, until dark and brown. Flip the chicken, cooking 25-30 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.

From Martha Stewart

This? This smelled amazing. With fresh herbs, lemon, garlic and onion, how could it not? Using the herb paste made it even faster to make - no washing a chopping. But honestly, it's fast either way.

I ended up putting this in a bag and keeping it overnight before grilling. I think the flavour was probably enhanced as the onion had more time to soak into the chicken. It seemed somewhat weird to be wiping off all the marinade, but it would have fallen through the grates and burned.

Here it is on the grill, having just been flipped. Such a great colour! You want to ensure that the chicken reaches a temperature of 165F in the thickest part of the thigh to make sure it's cooked through. Over medium heat on the grill for 30 minutes, that isn't too hard. But better safe than sorry!

This fell apart when I went to carve it. J and I both loved it. I should really do this again soon.

Dessert to Share: Rhubarb Custard Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
It's been a while, and rhubarb season is, for all intents and purposes, over.
But this is too good a pie not to share. It's no secret I love lemon. That's because you can get lemons year round. As opposed to rhubarb, which has a tiny window of opportunity and if you're like me you need to know somebody to get it from because there's no way I'm paying for what is essentially a weed.
Call it what you like, rhubarb is a fantastic flavour - blisteringly sour and begging for sugar. My aunt used to have a red stalked variety that was gorgeous when it was cooked down (my favourite way to eat it...still warm....over ice cream). But my aunt lives a long way away, and my source for rhubarb moved into a smaller house.
Fast forward to this June, where we were at a friend's for dinner, and she mentioned that I was welcome to go and get some rhubarb from the farm. She gave me directions, and I didn't go. Then she brought a bag of rhubarb to me. I chopped some for cooking and eating this winter, took some more and made a batch of delicious muffins, and turned the rest into this pie with a pie crust I found in the bottom of the freezer.
I called my mom looking for my grandmother's recipe. It's apparently lost. My mother's comment was she was looking too, and I didn't want the recipe she'd made last. So I turned to the source of all recipe knowledge, Pinterest.
I present to you now from Creative Bite, Rhubarb Custard Pie:

Ingredients:
1 - 9" deep dish pie crust, unbaked
3 c rhubarb, chopped
1-1/4 c white sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 c heavy cream
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place rhubarb in unbaked pie shell.
2. In a medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over rhubarb in pie shell.
3. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, before reducing oven temperature to 350F and baking for an additional 35-40 minutes. Cool before serving.

From the Creative Bite

The box said this was a deep dish crust. They lied. At least, compared to my deep dish pie plate as a comparison, it's not that deep. The rhubarb fit well enough, and I cut it to a fairly small dice, but then I started adding the custard.

I wasn't smart enough to put it on a cookie sheet first. I had to bail a little of the custard out to be able to lift the pie onto the cookie sheet, seeing as I knew it was going to run over, based on how full the shell was. My grandmother's pie calls for nutmeg. I missed the nutmeg in this recipe.

But it was pretty when it came out. And delicious when we at it at a potluck BBQ the next day. Rhubarb season - so short, so yummy! While this is a little late for this year, there's always planning for next year!

#GuacSquad12: Bacon Ranch Guacamole

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 10:00:00 +0000

So.
Remember when I posted last week that #GuacSquad12 was coming, and that I would be posting my recipe soon?
That day has come.
My knowledge of guacamole is fairly limited. I'd never made it before. But as with many recipes, I searched Pinterest, and added bacon. Because frankly, everything's better with bacon, is it not?

Read the details of the event (and the fabulous giveaway. Make sure you enter!) below, and then follow the jump to see the great guac I made!

A dozen bloggers have come together to share fourteen different guacamole recipes during the month of July. Whether you're a guacamole purist - think avocado, cilantro and lime - or you get a little more creative - think of some fabulous fold-ins such as pineapple or olives - the #GuacSquad12's creations will make your mouth water.

Want to see what the other bloggers have created? Check out all the great guacamoles here.

Here's are the GuacSquad Bloggers...

listed alphabetically by blog name

A Day in the Life on the Farm

A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Angels Home Sweet Homestead

Café Terra Blog

Cheese Curd In Paradise

Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Cookaholic Wife

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Making Miracles

The Heritage Cook

Things I Make (for Dinner)

Here's the blog tour schedule...

Here are Our Sponsors*...

and how you can find them around the internet

Casabella

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest

Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, on Instagram, on Google+

Melissa's Produce

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, on Instagram

Here are Our Prizes...
We are giving away a dozen - yes, twelve! - Guac-Lock™s from Casabella.

And we have an amazing prize package from Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices that includes their entire collection of stir in pastes and their lightly dried herbs.

The Giveaway...

Our generous sponsors have contributed prizes for this event. The giveaway runs from July 8th through July 25th when we will select thirteen winners who will be notified by email. The first twelve winners will receive the Guac-Lock™ by Casabella; the thirteenth winner will receive a generous prize package from Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices. No purchase necessary. Winners will have 48 hours to reply with contact information or new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Bloggers received complimentary products from sponsors for the creation of this event. This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are our own.*

Ingredients:
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c buttermilk
2 Tbsp ranch seasonings (I used Victorian Epicure)
3 avacados, pitted and peeled
3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp chives, chopped (I used Gourmet Garden's Lightly Dried Chives)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. In a small bowl, beat sour cream, buttermilk and ranch dressing mix until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mash avocados until somewhat chunky. Stir in ranch until you reach a desired consistency (I used about 3/4 of a cup). Gently fold in tomato, chives, onion and bacon. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate to allow flavours to meld. Serve with tortilla chips.

Adapted from The Recipe Critic

My Good Food Box the past 2 weeks has included greenhouse tomatoes. They've been beautiful. I used one for this.

I started with a fork to mash the avocados, and it just wasn't working for me. That's when I thought of my pastry blender. Things went much better at this point. I made mine fairly smooth, seeing as I'm not a huge fan of plain avocado. My ranch also contained a good deal of garlic, so I didn't add any more, but you might want to. I did use Gourmet Garden's lightly dried chives, but their garlic paste would be amazing too. So easy to stir in to so many things!

Then fold everything in, and get ready to refrigerate. Have I mentioned the Guac Lock? It's great for keeping your guacamole from going brown during the melding process. J and I ate this over a few days, slowly pushing the bottom of the container up to keep the dip at the top of the container and fresh in the fridge. It was as good the next 2 days as well.

But isn't this pretty? Delicious too. Thanks Casabella for helping me get my guac on!

Disclosure: I received products from both Casabella and Gourmet Garden for the creation of this post. This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.

#GuacSquad12: The Scoop

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 20:37:00 +0000

So.
I signed up for another blogging event.
Call me crazy, but it's summer, and that means I have time for this sort of thing...right? I should hope so.
This time, it's all about something I've never made before, and don't eat much of: guacamole. The green dip has always been okay, but not something that I've raved about. However, when the call went out for bloggers to try a new product by Casabella, and to make guacamole, I was in.
Here's what you need to know:

It's summertime! And that means ripe avocados and lots and lots of guacamole. Do you adore guacamole? If so, then #GuacSquad12 - a multi-day, multi-blogger event - is for you. Follow the conversation on social media with our event hashtag and visit the participating bloggers for some amazing twists on guac.

A dozen bloggers have come together to share fourteen different guacamole recipes during the month of July. Whether you're a guacamole purist - think avocado, cilantro and lime - or you get a little more creative - think of some fabulous fold-ins such as pineapple or olives - the #GuacSquad12's creations will make your mouth water.

Here's are the GuacSquad Bloggers...

listed alphabetically by blog name

A Day in the Life on the Farm

A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Angels Home Sweet Homestead

Café Terra Blog

Cheese Curd In Paradise

Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Cookaholic Wife

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Making Miracles

The Heritage Cook

Things I Make (for Dinner)

Here's the blog tour schedule...

Join Us On Twitter...

Join us for a live Twitter chat on Saturday, July 16th at 7am Pacific/10am Eastern. We'll be talking guac for an hour!

Here are Our Sponsors*...

and how you can find them around the internet

Casabella

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest

Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, on Instagram, on Google+

Melissa's Produce

on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, on Instagram

Here are Our Prizes...
We are giving away a dozen - yes, twelve! - Guac-Lock™s from Casabella.

And we have an amazing prize package from Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices that includes their entire collection of stir in pastes and their lightly dried herbs.

The Giveaway...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Bloggers received complimentary products from sponsors for the creation of this event. This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links.

Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are our own.*

#BookClubCookbookCC: Chocolat Roundup and Pie!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 17:10:00 +0000

So.
It's been a month since I posted the invitation to make hot chocolate, and read Joanne Harris' book, Chocolat. I'm picking the book up today from the library.
It's been a crazy month here, where we moved, school ended, I packed and moved to a new school, and I have quickly slipped into the entropy that invariably arrives with the first week of summer vacation.
But never fear! The members of the Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew have a variety of chocolate recipes for you to enjoy!

Renee from Tortillas and Honey made Florentines. I've never eaten them, or heard of them, but now I want to make them! This almond cookie coated with chocolate looks amazing. I would add the orange zest.

Andrea at Adventures in All Things Food made gorgeous Pots de Creme. My favourite chocolate French masterpiece is Mousse au Chocolat, but this would probably be a close second...along with any other way I can think of to use chocolate!

Erin at the Spiffy Cookie decided against sweating and drinking, and turned her hot chocolate into Hot Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats. These would be perfect for your next BBQ...or Tuesday...when you're by yourself and have a need for sugar.

Emily at Life on Food decided to marry 2 of my favourite flavours: peanut butter and chocolate into these cute little Chocolate Peanut Butter Graham Cracker Sandwiches. Obviously, these are to be dunked in the hot chocolate so we end up on a chocolate high for the rest of the day! Count me in!

Sarah of the Pajama Chef also chose a no-sweat, no-bake recipe featuring white chocolate: Avalanche Cookies. I now want these too with their feature of mini marshmallows and peanut butter. So many cookies. So little time.

Finally, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm made a beautiful Black and White Cake. I love cake. There aren't enough reasons to make or eat it, honestly.

But what did I make? My own favourite dessert, or did I guess someone else's as Vianne would do? I didn't really guess. I made J's favourite. I present to you now from the April 2008 issue of Everyday Food, Chocolate Merinuge Pie:

Ingredients:
1 - 9" pie crust, blind baked and cooled
1 c sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1- 12 oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs, separated
3 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Method:
1. In a saucepan, whisk together 2/3 c sugar, cocoa, flour and 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Gradually whisk in milk and egg yolks. Place pan over medium heat and whisk constantly until the first bubbles form. Reduce heat to low and whisk for 1 minute before removing from heat.
2. Immediately add butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and glossy. Pour into cooled pie shell and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 2 hours.
3. Heat oven to 450F. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with remaining 1/3 c of sugar and teaspoon of cornstarch until stiff peaks form. Remove plastic wrap from pie, and spread with meingue to the edges. Bake at 450F for 7 or 8 minutes, until merigue is lightly browned before serving.

From Everyday Food, April 2008

Oh look! It's my old kitchen. Sigh. I miss my kitchen. This is essentially a cooked chocolate pudding with a meringue topping. The chocolate was dense and so good.

I was afraid it would be too much, but it perfectly fit in my pie shell. The result was somewhat gelatinous, but intensely chocolate. I think I ultimately like the King Arthur Flour recipe for Chocolate Cream Pie better.

But isn't this pretty? Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the pie sliced. It came out beautifully. That would most often be my excuse for having not taken a picture of a single slice.

I'm still looking forward to the book, and also to reading this month's selection, Corelli's Mandolin. It's the last month of the #BookClubCookbookCC! Won't you join us?

#BookClubCookbookCC: Allons-y a la France!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 00:58:00 +0000

So.
It's time for a new month of the #BookClubCookbookCC! Thanks to our leader, Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla, I'm so excited to be hosting again. I'm even more excited that we're giving away not one but two copies of the cookbook! But let's start at the beginning.
This month, I invite you to join us and read Joanne Harris' Chocolat.

I've seen the film...but I haven't finished the book yet. After report cards and our move (which is complete...not that I can find anything). The movie is wonderful. I don't see how the book won't be too.
Read it, and make Hot Cocoa, totally not the drink for this time of year, except maybe breakfast. But this would be delicious. Homemade hot cocoa is always the best. Read, make a recipe, and enter the giveaway. It really is that simple. Everything you need to know is after the jump.
I present to you now from the Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, Hot Cocoa:

Ingredients:
1 c boiling water
1/4 c cocoa powder
2-4 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/16 tsp ground cloves or nutmeg
3 c scalded milk

Method:
1. Scald the milk: In a heavy bottomed pan, heat milk over low heat. Stir occasionally. Heat just until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan and remove from heat.
2. Fill the bottom of a double boiler with water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Combine the boiling water, cocoa, sugar and salt in the top of the double boiler. Place top directly over direct heat and stir for 2 minutes over low heat.
4. Add the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and place the top over the bottom of the double boiler. Add the milk; stir and heat through. Cover the cocoa and keep over hot water for 10 more minutes. Beat with a wire whisk before serving.

From the Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition

Want to play along with us? Here's how to participate in The Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew #thebookclubcookbookCC:

1. Draw inspiration from the chosen recipe.
2. Blog about it! It doesn't have to be a lengthy post. Just share your dish.
3. Include a linkback to the hosting blog somewhere in your post.
4. Your post must be current to April. Of course,we don't mind if your post is linked to other events. The more, the merrier!
5. Send your entries to me at xxxxxxxxxx (at) yahoo (dot) ca, and please be including:
~Your name
~Your blog's name and URL
~The name of your dish and the permalink to the specific post you'resubmitting
~Attach a photo of any size (or just give me permission to"pull" one from your post)
~Indicate #thebookclubcookbookCC, especially if you post to other social media

Deadline for submission is: June 30, 2016
*watch for the roundup to be posted shortly after this deadline!

Giveaway

This month Sarah at Thing I Make (for Dinner), this month's host, is giving away two copies of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

TWO of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from June 1st till June 30th at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: Sarah received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

#SecretRecipeClub: Lemon Blueberry Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 04:00:00 +0000

So.
It's time for the Secret Recipe Club! I once again turned to carbs for a quick snack that used up things in my fridge and freezer.
Today's post is also celebrating our move to the new house. While I was excited (and still am), it's finally sinking in that I'm losing my kitchen that we renovated a couple of years ago. No more super deep sink and crazy amount of cabinet space. But no matter. We already are hatching plans to renovate. So let's celebrate the last SRC in my old kitchen, shall we?
This month, I was sent to explore Lori's blog over at Lori's Culinary Creations. Lori lives in Utah with a menagerie of pets. She had tons of delicious things to choose from, like Hamburger Pasta Casserole and a Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Skillet but I was drawn to a breakfast food that used up things in my freezer. Yes, once again I chose to make carbs. But what a way to go!
I present to you now from Lori's Culinary Creations, Lemon Blueberry Muffins:

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 c flour
1/2 c sour cream
1-1/2 c blueberries

Method:1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare muffin tin by greasing, or lining with paper liners.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla before zest and juice. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and sour cream. Mix until just combined.
3. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (12). Bake at 350F for 25 minutes, until done.

From Lori's Culinary Creations

Oh, these were good. The lemon was delicious, and the sour cream made them really rich. Thanks Lori! Another winner for breakfast!

An InLinkz Link-up

#SRC Bonus Post: Moist Chocolate Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 30 May 2016 04:00:00 +0000

So.
With 5 Mondays in the month, we're having an extra edition of the Secret Recipe Club! It's all about BBQs, Picnics and Potlucks. Normally, I do a reveal with the other members of Group A the first Monday of the month (that's coming up next week!). But with the fifth Monday, our intrepid leader Sarah put out the call for a special event - one where you can be paired with anyone else from the club. Fun, right? We always have a few BBQs and so on to go to in the summer, so I thought it sounded like a great opportunity to go looking for something new and different.
I should pause here to say that right now my house is a shambles. Next Monday J and I are moving. The fact that I signed up to do this and my regular reveal day means that I just might be certifiable. But whatever.
I was happy to be paired with a blog that was totally new to me: Loving Life. Kirstin is a wife and mom who blogs about food, home, and life. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, a place I have visited once but know very little about.
I enjoyed going through her recipes, knowing I needed a dessert for my Home Church BBQ. What I discovered? She doesn't blog about dessert like I do...and many of them are SRC recipes (I make a lot of desserts for SRC too), but never mind. She had lots of yummy looking things, like Blackberry Balsamic Salmon and Lasagna Bread as well as the Candied Spiced Chickpeas that I bought the chickpeas to make and never got that far. But no matter. I did find a dessert, and a delicious one at that.
I present to you now Loving Life's Moist Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:
2 c white sugar
1-3/4 c flour
3/4 c cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c strong brewed coffee
1 c buttermilk
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

For the Glaze:
2 c icing sugar
4 Tbsp milk

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10" bundt pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients, making a well in the centre. Add wet ingredients and beat for 2 minutes, until well combined and glossy. The batter will be thin.
3. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Let rest 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
4. Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, stir together icing sugar and milk, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Transfer cake to cake plate and pour glaze over cake. Let set before serving.

Cake from Loving Life

The coffee in the cake deepens the flavour of the cocoa. It smelled so good, and went together really quickly. I had a debate with myself about whether or not to grease the pan, and did butter it well before pouring the batter in.

It looked so good coming out too! I let it sit 10 minutes, and ran around the outer and inner edge with a knife before jiggling it to make sure it was loose.

And then turned it out of the pan, which promptly ripped the top off the cake. It was at this point I decided I was adding a glaze. I scooped the broken cake out of the pan, plunked the pieces back on top and left it to cool.

I added a glaze, and we all enjoyed! Cake is such a treat anyways that no one commented on the craggy top. The flavour was deep and delicious, and it was so moist. We loved it. Thanks Kirstin for adding to our BBQ!

An InLinkz Link-up

Revenge of the Magazine Challenge: Roasted Chicken Fajita Tostadas

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 05 May 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
It's Cinco de Mayo today. I know nothing about this holiday, but think it might have something to do with Mexican Independence. What I do know is that it's an excuse to drink margaritas and eat Mexican-inspired food according to the interwebs. For food bloggers, this also means that we post Mexican-inspired food posts.
I can get down with that.
The April 2008 issue of Everyday Food had an article on Lighter Tex-Mex favourites. I marked 3 of the recipes as things I want to make (these tostadas, fish tacos and stuffed poblano peppers). Based on the results from this recipe, the others will be delicious too.
I present to you now from the April 2008 issue of Everyday Food, Roasted Chicken Fajita Tostadas:

Ingredients:
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced (ribs and seeds removed)
10 oz frozen corn
1/2 c salsa
1 Tbsp oil
2 c shredded cooked chicken
2 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, combine onion, pepper, corn, 1/4 c salsa, and 1 Tbsp oil. Spread on lined baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Add chicken, stir to combine, and continue to roast until chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a bowl, reserving baking sheet without foil.
3. Arrange tortillas on baking sheet. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until edges are golden and cheese is melted.
4. Evenly divide chicken and vegetables between tortillas. Top with salsa and sour cream.

From Everyday Food, April 2008

I love recipes like this. They cook up quickly and easily. I found that the chicken and vegetables made a ton, so I took it for lunch the following day with a tortilla. I had part of a spatchcocked chicken in the freezer that I ripped apart to make this really fast.

I probably should have used a smaller tortilla. J and I couldn't decide if we should pick these up, or use a knife and fork. We did a bit of each. The conundrum we faced didn't affect the flavour at all.

Yum. So good. While I can't tell you anything about the holiday, I can tell you that these are totally worth making for Cinco de Mayo, or a Thursday. Your choice, really.

#BookClubCookbookCC: Pearl Earring Roundup and Breakfast!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 04 May 2016 14:00:00 +0000

So.
It's been a month since I issued the invitation to join the #BookClubCookbookCC and read Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier before making Griet's Vegetable Soup or something else inspired by the book.
I'm going to start with what others made before talking about my own literal dish that J and I ate on a Saturday morning while listening to Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe.
Let's see what the crew made, shall we?

Andrea from Adventures in All Things Food made a Rainy Day Vegetable Soup with the vegetables that she could find...but I don't think I'd like turnip in my soup. Mini red skinned potatoes are much more appealing!

Likewise, Ashley of Cheese Curd in Paradise opted to make a Quick Vegetable Soup for a weeknight dinner. With tomatoes, this looks a lot like a soup that people in this house would enjoy!

Emily from Life On Food made the soup from the cookbook. Doesn't it look delicious? With a Spring that doesn't seem to be warming up, soup is still in regular rotation here. Good way to chase away the chill.

Finally, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm made a Colour Your Palate Soup with a pun on the painter's palatte and the zinginess that this soup would bring to your own tasting palate.

Renee at Tortillas and Honey decided to take inspiration from the book, and make a dinner like one described in the book with her Herbed Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Parsnips. I love roasted parsnips. This looks lovely.

Likewise, Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla took inspiration from Griet's relationship with the butcher's son and made Lamskoteletten op zijn oud-Hollands (Lamb chops old-Dutch style. I love lamb, and never cook it. Now I'm hungry.

Finally, Erin of the Spiffy Cookie thought outside the box, and took the vegetables and bacon of the soup and made a spring-like Bacon and Vegetable Pizza.

But what did I do, you ask? Well, I went literal.

On a cool Saturday morning, I made a Dutch Baby with Lemon Blueberry Sauce. (Recipe after the jump).

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2/3 c flour
2/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp butter

For the Sauce:
1 c frozen blueberries
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
4 Tbsp sugar

Method:
1. Place skillet in oven, and preheat to 425F.
2. In the bowl of a blender, or in a medium bowl (if you plan to use an immersion blender), combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. Remove hot skillet from oven, melt butter, swirling to coat before pouring all the batter into the skillet and returning it to the oven. Bake at 425F for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
4. While the batter bakes, make the sauce: In a small saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve Dutch Baby warm, cut in wedges, with sauce.

From Hungry Girl por Vida

I don't have a whole lot of process pictures. This went quick. It's a fancy thing that doesn't take much work. The whole thing was on the table in 30 minutes.
Here is the Dutch Baby, out of the oven. It's a little bit crepe, a little bit pancake.

But with blueberry sauce, it's a whole lot of yummy! Now that we're moving, I'm trying to clean out my freezer. I found these lurking in the depths. They were perfect for sauce.

We cut it in half and ate. A nice little treat for a Saturday morning, while listening to a great story!

The giveaway here is over, but the fun isn't! This month, Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm is inviting us to Drink a Mojito and read Love in the Time of Cholera. Won't you join us?

Secret Recipe Club: Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 02 May 2016 04:00:00 +0000

So.
It's time again for the Secret Recipe Club! When last we left our heroine, she was once again eating carbs and enjoying Pumpkin Muffins. This month, I took a slightly different tact when looking for a recipe.
The blog I was assigned was one that I am familiar with because we've been involved in other projects together. I was pleased to have a chance to explore Adventures in All Things Food written by Andrea. Andrea lives on a farm, has really cute kids, and is crafty. But she does also cook.
I decided that I didn't want to be just baking again this month. I mean, I love to bake, and with Andrea's participation in #BundtBakers there were some amazing cakes to choose from (including my favourite cake, Pineapple Upsidedown Cake; or how about Rum Rocky Road??) But I decided that I wanted to make an entree, so I searched chicken, and came up with something yummy.
When I first told J I wanted to make a chicken cobbler, he looked at me a little oddly. Like myself, I reserve the use of the word "cobbler" for a fruit dessert. But with this casserole chock full of chicken and vegetables under a crispy topping, baked in the dish that I would normally make the fruit dish, I am more than willing to make an exception. But whatever. When the weather won't warm up, this was a welcome dinner. On a miserable and drizzly night, we were warmed from the inside out.
I present to you now from Adventures in All Things Food, Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler:

Ingredients:
1/4 c butter, melted
1 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash)
3 c cubed soft bread (I used 12 grain)
3 c cooked chicken, diced
2 c broccoli, cut into small florets
1 c baby kale, torn
1/2 c old cheddar cheese, shredded; plus more for sprinkling on top
1/2 c sour cream
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp dry mustard powder
3/4 c chicken stock
1/2 c milk

Method:
1. Heat oven to 375F, and grease a 2 qt casserole. Set aside. In a large bowl, toss 1/4 c butter, bread cubes and Lemon Pepper seasoning. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, stir together chicken, broccoli, kale, cheese, sour cream, and garlic. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp butter and whisk in flour and mustard powder. Gradually add chicken stock, whisking constantly. Whisk in milk and let thicken slightly. Pour over chicken mixture and stir to combine.
3. Assemble casserole: Spread chicken mixture in the casserole dish, and top with buttered bread cubes. Sprinkle with a little more cheese and bake at 375F for 20 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly, the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy.

From Adventures in All Things Food

This is a great Secret Recipe Club recipe. You use more dishes and utensils than I usually use for the creation one dish. J was horrified at the number of things piling up by the sink. It looked so green and pretty while being stirred together.

Here it is, ready to go in the oven before I realized that I needed to shred a little more cheese. It smelled so good while baking.

And looked so pretty coming out of the oven! I let it sit briefly before serving. J forgave me the pile of dishes after one bite.

I don't often get the comment, "Cute girl, this is amazing!" at dinner. But when I do, I plan to make the dish again. Thanks for the new casserole, Andrea!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Magazine Challenge: May Planning

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 01 May 2016 17:49:00 +0000

So.
It's May.
In education, when you come back after March Break, there is one month left, affectionately known as "Aprilmayjune". We have added to the insanity by deciding to move.
The house closes June 3, and we're moving June 6. I have to pack. And empty my freezer. It's scary.
But enough about what's going on around here. My absence around these parts has been due to not really cooking while trying to sell a house. Now I need to use up the supplies of things that I have amassed to use at "some point", like 3 pork tenderloins. Or a rather large rack of ribs.
The May 2008 issue of Everyday Food may help in some regards. I was commenting to J that it's the first issue where I've actually made a few things. But let's get on to the list of 6, shall we?
Here's what I'd like to make from this issue:

Better-than-Basic Muffins
Hamburger and Grape Tomato Pizza
Sausage and Asparagus Saute over Soft Polenta
Spinach and Feta Turnovers
Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs with Feta and Mint Sauce
Roasted Carrots with Honey

I think I've made the Pizza, and I make the Sausage and Asparagus Saute regularly. The rest of this list looks doable. Here's to May and packing!