Equal Opportunity Kitchen

Apple, Oatmeal and Raisin Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:44:00 +0000

Oh the pressure! I'm in charge while Giz is in San Francisco for the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival.

I, on the other hand, am stuck in Ottawa in what "feels like" -5 Celcius, at home with a cold (because going to work with a cold might get me excommunicated in times of H1N1 panic) with next to nothing in my cupboards (I shouldn't complain about this last one, since that was the goal). Ok...pity party over.

Now, I'm just trying to use up whatever is left in my cupboards. So, here we go with another apple post.

This time I made Apple, Oatmeal and Raisin muffins with a recipe on Cooks.com.

Apple, Oatmeal and Raisin Muffins

1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. raisins
1 apple, chopped
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. sugar
1 c. oatmeal

Beat egg. Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing until just moistened. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I was pretty skeptical about this recipe once I started it. Everything in me said "don't just beat the egg and then add everything else in". So, I separated the dry ingrediants from the wet ones. In the end, it turned out decently. Maybe a bit on the mushy side because of the apples (doesn't seem to have lingered once cooled). It tastes like a healthy muffin, which is code for "it's not very sweet". But with only 1/3 a cup of sugar, that's to be expected. In hindsight, I should have gone with Hopie's recipe for apple muffins.

Zabar's Brunch

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Did I tell you that hell froze over last month? Yeah...Actorboy (my brother) made a meal for the family by his own initiative. Granted, Actorboy does cook for himself -- some concoctions strangers than others. But, he's never said, "Hey - how about I make brunch? I'll get the groceries and prepare the whole thing". I think this new gf has a positive, unhuman-like, influence on him.

Not only did they make brunch, during Giz's birthday weekend....they brought in food from New York for the occasion. We were all still "recovering" from the big meal the night before. But, it was such a treat to have a selection of foods from Zabar's, a place Giz had raved about.

Without a doubt, these are the best rugelach I have ever eaten. You can read about them on the Zabar's website here. It does not suprise me that they are an all-time best seller.

Apparently, the coffee was quite strong (I'm not a coffee drinker) -- but it may have just been how it was made.

We had a mix of NY-style and Montreal-style bagels, some brought from NY and some bought locally at a Pusateris store.

Bagels, lox and cream cheese....I'm in heaven.

Actorboy even prepared personally-tailored omlettes:

It was a delicious brunch all around!

Nearing the End of Market Season

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:22:00 +0000

Does anyone have any wise words of wisdom about adjusting to change? From the changing of seasons and turning back of the clock to packing up my house and relocation(s) at work -- I'm all for re-establishing homeostasis.

Since I'm getting low on everything (a good thing), I haven't been making any new recipes. But, I have been doing some exploring and am a bit behind on sharing some pictures. So, let me share a few with you....

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get to market again -- only 2 weeks left :(. Here are some shots from my last visit:

I am eagerly awaiting the start of our new Green Bin Program. I can only imagine how much less garbage I'll have every week if all of my organic waste can be composted!

I must say, there seem to be more recycling options in Ottawa lately. The days of being expected to pay $50 to recycle an old tube tv seem to be in the past.

I finally finish a knitting project I started a long, long time ago. After finishing the two panels, I lost motivation get through the final steps to completing my poncho (yikes -- 9 months since finishing the knitted portion and completing the project). But, with weather cooling down a lot, the timing seemed right. I was worried about not having blocked the panels enough, but am actually happy with the result. I just compensated for my less than perfect blocking by adding extra length on to the tassles.

Beef Bourguigon

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:44:00 +0000

It's become a craze - seems everyone is recreating Julia Child's beef bourguignon. Since I'm not a big beef lover it just seemed unusual that this recipe could attract soooo much attention. I have Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" so I took a look at the recipe. OK, got it - looks like a bit of work but I can handle this. Then I started flipping through "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" that has a much more simplified version and claims not to lose in the flavour department.

Well... oh my .... let me just tell you .... to die for. It's really worth all the hype and Ina's recipe is not at all complicated.

Ingredients

1 3 lb. filet of beef, trimmed (I used sirloin)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 Tbsp good olive oil
1/4 lb bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups good dry wine, such as Burgundy or Chianti (I used Chianti)
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 spring fresh thyme
1/2 lb. pearl onions, peeled
8-10 carrots, cutt diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices
3 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick (domestic or wild)

With a sharp knife, cut the filet crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Salt and pepper the filets on both sides. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan on medium-high heat, saute the slices of beef in batches with 2-3 Tbsp oil until browned on the outside and very rare inside, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the filets from the pan and set aside on a platter

In the same pan, saute the bacon on medium-low heat for 5 minutes until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Drain all the fat, except 2 Tbsp from the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook on high heat for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, thyme, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Strain the sauce and return it to the pan. Add the onions and carrots and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and the vegetables are cooked.

With a fork mash 2 Tbsp butter and the flour into a paste and whisk it gently into the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile saute the mushrooms separately in 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil for about 10 minutes, until browned and tender.

Add the filet of beef slices, the mushrooms and the bacon to the pan with the vegetables and sauce. Cover and reheat gently for 5 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Season to taste and serve immediate.

Ina's notes:

To peel the pearl onions easily, first blanch them for a minute or two in boiling water.

This dish is excellent made in advance and refrigerated in the pan. When you are ready to serve, heat the filets and sauce over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until heated through.

Warning!!! This dish is highly addictive. The sauce is so flavourful I'd be happy just having the carrots with the sauce. Using a good wine here is a great tip. I should have made a double recipe. I wouldn't hesitate to make this again. It's out of control delicious.

Apple Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:39:00 +0000

We're just about 2 weeks away fron the move. The bottom of my extra freezer is in sight!

We've got an office full of boxes and an attic full too. So far, no last minute packing -- we have some overlap between the close date and the end of our lease.

Last post, Giz mentioned having gone apple picking and having too many apples. So - you know that if Giz has too many apples, chances are that I'll get a load of them myself. Giz sent us home with two large bags full that are now taking up an entire shelf in my fridge. At least it forces me to not buy more groceries.

I decided to make an apple pie for dessert for the Canadian Thanksgiving meal I made. You can read about the soup and main course here.

I followed Giz's advice and used the Best Ever Apple Pie recipe in the Canadian Living Cookbook -- there were some initial bumbs in the road, but eventually success.

Best Ever Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry:
3/4 cup (175 mL) shortening
3 tbsp (50 mL) butter, softened
2-1/4 cups (550 mL) All-purpose flour
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) ice water
Filling:
8 cups (2 L) Thinly sliced peeled tart apples (2-1/4 lb/ 1. 12 kg)
2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice
1/2 cup (125 mL) Granulated sugar
3 tbsp (50 mL) All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
Glaze:
1 egg yolk
2 tsp (10 mL) Granulated sugar
Preparation:
1. In bowl, beat shortening with butter until smooth; stir in flour and salt until coarse and ragged looking. Pour in water all at once; stir until loose dough forms. With floured hands, gather into 2 balls. On well-floured surface, gently knead each into 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick disc. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until chilled.

2. On well-floured pastry cloth or work surface and using stockinette-covered or well-floured rolling pin, roll out 1 piece of dough from centre, lifting pin at edge to maintain even thickness. Turn rolling pin clockwise 90 degrees. Repeat rolling out and turning dough until in 13-inch (33 cm) circle.

3. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin; unroll into 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Using sharp knife, trim edge even with pie plate.

Filling: In large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Stir together sugar, flour and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples and toss until coated. Scrape into pie shell. Brush pastry rim with water.

4. Roll out remaining dough to same-size circle. Using rolling pin, drape over apples, without stretching dough. Trim, leaving 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Gently lift bottom pastry rim and fold overhang under rim; press together to seal. Tilt sealed pastry rim up from pie plate at 45-degree angle.

5. With hand on outside of tilted pastry rim and using thumb and bent index finger, gently twist rim to form scalloped edge. With small decorative cutter or tip of sharp knife, cut steam vents in centre of pie.

6. Whisk yolk with 1 tbsp (15 mL) water; brush over crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake in bottom third of 425°F (220°C) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C); bake for 40 minutes or until golden, filling is bubbly and apples are soft when pierced with knife through vent. Let cool on rack.

Verdict: The recipe was quite good - but I partially messed it up. The short version is:

Don't follow pie cooking recipe if you decide to use a "almost ready-made dough, forget to make vents in your pie and eat it quite soon after it comes out of the oven. It ended up almost burning (I think I mainly salvaged it from the hot oven temperature) and became a bit apple saucy (probably from the lack of vents and type of apple). Nonetheless, I like hot apple sauce (with ice cream) - so all was good. It was even better the next day (which I don't have a picture of).

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I have also been wanting to post about The Cookbook People. They've partnered with BloggerAid and have agreed to donate $20 to the School Meals Programme when a member mentions them on her/his blog. Here's some information about both:

The Cookbook People have designed their own family cookbook software to help families create a cookbook out of those recipes you've had in your family for generation -- or new recipes that you want to share with your loved ones. If you're into making your own cookbooks or cookbook supplies - go check out their site.

BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine has a number of great initiatives to raise awareness and funds for the World Food Programme. One of their major current initiatives is the cookbook they are developing with recipes from foodbloggers around the world. They're in the final editing stages and it will be available on Amazon soon! Really exciting to hear about it coming close to completion.

An Apple a Day

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:49:00 +0000

There's absolutely no question that fall has arrived in Canada. The colours are spectacular and the photo opportunities are second to none. Although I'd love to take credit for these photos, I really can't. My friend "S" took them - she really has the photographic eye but I really had to share them with you. Tell me this isn't an incredible site to see.

Today was another fun day in the apple orchards. We probably have just one more good week of apple picking - most orchards close around Halloween but we found the apples really plentiful today - especially the Spy apples, known to be exceptional pie apples. While there, I also picked up a book called "An Apple A Day" written by a local cookbook author - Susan Smith. What a find!!!

Published in 1951 I couldn't even find it on the internet to give due credit to the author. It was amusing to find an author's tip that suggested using nylons as a great sieve to make apple juice with. No disrespect intended but does anybody actually really do that anymore?

Since I have this overabundance of apples, I thought I'd work my way through her book and try out some of her recipes. Here's an easy oldie but always a welcome dessert.

Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced, peeled tart apples (about 4 medium - I used Cortland apples)
2/3 - 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (quick cooking)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease square pan 8"x8"x2". Place apple slices in pan. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm alone or with light cream or ice cream.

6 servings

Here's my learning: An apple is not just an apple. As with most things, if you have the right tool to do the job, the outcome is generally more favourable. The cortland apple was the perfect match for this dessert. I've made many apple crisps but this one is by far the tastiest ever.

Garlic Roasted Turkey Breast

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:39:00 +0000

I posted recently about my short trip to Niagara Falls and a visit to Anna Olson's Ravine Restaurant. I also mentioned that I picked up a cookbook that Anna generously signed for me. Do check out Anna and Michael Olson Cook at Home So far I'm loving this cookbook. It's a compilation of recipes that you may or may not see in a restaurant setting but focuses more on the food that Anna and Michael would cook at home. What's the difference? So far most of what I've seen is lower fat without losing flavour.

I decided to try their Garlic Roasted Turkey Breast, a recipe I found to be really no fuss, a 10 minute prep and really delicious.

Ingredients

2 cups shallots, peeled
6 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 springs fresh thyme (I used sage)
1 3lb turkey breast
coarse salt and black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 325 F. Toss shallots and garlic with olive oil and spread over the bottom of a roasting pan or baking dish.

Arrange thyme over shallots and place turkey breast on top. Rub turkey with butter and season with salt and pepper.

Roast turkey until juices run clear and an internal temperature of at least 175F is reached
Remove turkey from pan and keep warm. Skim excess fat off shallots and place pan over medium heat.

Add balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring shallots, until vinegar is absorbed. Serve turkey slice with sauce spooned on top.

Canadian Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Autumn is my favourite time of year. Although I am a proud Westerner, the Fall in Ontario is pretty amazing.

One of my favourite things to do at this time of year is to walk around Parliament Hill and the surrounding area.

Canadian Thanksgiving is a sure sign of Autumn. Here's some of the meal I made for it....

Last year when making Butternut Squash Soup, I realized I had bought more squash than needed. I decided to partially cook it (boil it) and then flash freeze it. It worked out perfectly as a base for a delicious recipe from Whole Foods Market

Classic Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup diced carrot (about 1 (8-inch) large carrot)
1/2 cup diced celery (about 1 (11-inch) large stalk)
2/3 cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
4 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 medium squash)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used this broth)
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Method
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add carrot, celery and onion. Cook until vegetables have begun to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add butternut squash and thyme. Stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup. Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and carefully puree in batches in a traditional blender.

Along with the soup, I served a pomegranate salad...

roast chicken and sweet potatoes:

Everything came out really well... Except for the dessert. I'll tell you about that in my next post.

A Cure for Stress - The Niagara Region

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:21:00 +0000

It's been a fun few days in the life of Giz. We decided to take a few days and take a short jaunt to Niagara Falls . It's pretty fortunate that The Falls are only a short hour's drive from my home. Although I've visited several times, the magnitude of The Falls is nothing short of incredible. Since Niagara Falls is right on the border that separates Canada from the U.S. we have a view of both the Canadian Falls and the American Falls. It's fair to say that the Canadian side is far more spectacular to look at.

Canadian Falls

U.S. Side

I don't think my view from a hotel window really shows the power of the Falls but if you come for a visit, I'd be happy to show you both falls and you be the judge.

We had a plan! Chillaxin' was part of the plan as was being able to participate in some of the local fun things. The Niagara Region is known for it's wines so we booked a full day tour of several of the wineries do do some tasting with a stop for lunch at Olson Foods at Ravine. The restaurant is run in partnership with Ravine Vineyards in St. David's, Ontario. It's a noteworthy restaurant and bakery since it's run by one of our Canadian celebrity chefs Anna Olson. Anna is known for two Food TV shows. The first is called Sugar where we followed a sweet journey in the life of a pastry chef who delights us with accessible baking.

Visiting the restaurant was part of a whole experience. As part of the BloggerAid View and Review group, I'll be receiving Anna's newest cookbook Fresh by Anna Olson for review. The book is also the name of Anna's second Food TV show.

It was nice to be able to meet Anna and have her sign a copy of one of her books for me and get a sense of the person behind the talent. In spite of the fact that she was cooking in the back as well as taping her show at the same time, Anna made a point of coming out to chat for a few minutes.

We had the pleasure of tasting the Gewustraminer wine found at the Ravine Winery that shares the same property as the Ravine.

The Niagara Region is well known internationally for its world class wineries and its ice wines.

The Inniskillen Winery will be the vintner for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia this year.

and how gorgeous are the grapes at Chateau des Charmes

and of course not to be forgotten, the white grapes

now...this is what I call a cork board -

Weaving through the back roads of the Niagara Region, one of the must stop places along the way is the well known unassuming Picard Peanuts. Housed inside, one can sample and purchase literally ALL things peanuts.

Since "R" is the only human I know who absolutely adores dill pickle chips, how could I not pick up peanuts that taste like dill pickles.

Yeah, I know - pretty out there but well.... I love my son in law :). Psychgrad - she'll get half my stash of wines and ice wine. A really great few days.

Birthday Celebrations

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Birthday celebrations were successful!

Somehow I got drafted to be in charge. I blame Giz (the obvious solution). Usually Giz is in charge of managing the troops, but since it was for her birthday, we couldn't put her in charge. So I got stuck "herding the cats" in my family.

We decided to mix things up and plan an evening of games. While packing (for the impending move), I came across an old murder mystery game I had from my 15th birthday. At first I thought we could just re-use it because it had been long enough since playing it last that I wouldn't recall the storyline. Then, I realized how old I am and came to terms with it being time to get rid of the game...It would be too difficult to find a tape player to play the tape that comes with the game.

Realizing that this is the 21st century, I did what any reasonable person would do...I searched on line for a murder mystery game and came across this site hostparty.com. It seemed well-organized, so I searched for a murder theme that would work for the group and sent out electronic invitations to the guests from there.

UPDATE: The game was fun...there were 4 rounds of clues and at each round the players had to reveal a clue. The idea is to weave the clue into a conversation, but everyone ended up just reading their clues and then yelling, "I heard that character X...." (basically yelling out the clue as soon as they read it). In any case, it was still fun.

In the end, Actorboy turned out to be the murderer. I liked how it was a ready-made game that incorporated everyone. But, I find that the murder mysteries are not particularly clever. In the end, it's not as though you would really guess how the murderer carried out the act -- it's basically a random result that falls a bit flat.

I decided to play it relatively safe by mainly selecting dishes that I've tried and love.

Of course, that involves Caprese Skewers:

I figured Portobello Mushroom Pizza would be a hit with at least some of the crowd, but even the fussier eaters ate them.

I made the easy lemon dill salmon - another simple dish.

Probably the biggest risk (which is still minor in the world of food risks) is the chicken dish. The fear is ending up with flavourless or dried out chicken. But, after browning the outsides and letting it finish in the oven, the chicken was very succulent and earned several kudos.

But, really - the commendments go to For the Love of Cooking. I made her Grilled Chicken with Mustard Tarragon Sauce. It was a great pairing with the chicken and actually went very well with the salmon too. I HIGHLY recommend that you try it.

The mustard-tarragon sauce is the dish on the left, below.

On the right is a herb and roasted garlic butter spread I made (it was just ok).

Actorboy and his gf were in charge of getting the cake. They got a carrot cake for Giz....

And a lemon meringue tart for my birthday (which was just a few days after Giz's b-day).

Of course, no one was hungry for fruit, but it's mandatory dessert food.

Hourly Photo Project

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:21:00 +0000

Andrea, a well-known local blogger, from A Peek Inside the Fishbowl is hosting an Hourly Photo Project today.

The idea is that you post a picture every waking hour of the day.

I'll be taking a picture every hour and posting them. However, because I'll be in transit for a good part of the morning, I'll have to update later this afternoon with my hourly photos.

Photo 1: Evidence of my procrastination...Supposed to leave by 9am. This is my suitcase at 8am.

Photo 2: Making progress: lunch for the road...obviously missing my 9am target

I'm back...and now catching up on the photos I took.

Photo 3: 10am - finally on the highway...But 417 at 10am = seriously late

Photo 4: 11am - on route
Photo 5: 12pm

Photo 6: 1pm - Definitely more than half way.

Photo 7: 2pm - How can you tell we're getting closer to Toronto

Photo 8: 3pm In Toronto - Mom's dog, Suki

Photo 9: 4pm -- just some of mom's beads.

Photo 10: 5pm - mom's torture device/apple peeler

Photo 11: 6pm - a birthday present for me (warrants 2 pictures)!

Thanks mom!!!

Photo 12: 7pm - groceries for tomorrow night's dinner...

Photo 13: 8pm - yay! A new episode of Ghost Whisperer...but when did they get a 6 year old son?

Photo 13: 9pm - getting tired...

Wedding Reception #2

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:27:00 +0000

Oh oh... The gig is up. After nearly two years of going unnoticed, we've been caught. My dad found the blog. Go see for yourself, this is the comment he left

Anonymous said...

Accidently found this blog...
... clearly somebody's been holding out on me

I guess I'm just yesterday's chopped liver (sorry, no foody pics...)

And who am I?
... with a Giz and Grad in the family - I could only be known as:

Psycho-Giz-Grad's Dad

All along, we just let him (and other family members) believe that we were crazy people obsessed with taking pictures of food and now the truth is revealed: the obsession goes much deeper. Not only do we take pictures of food, we blog about food and participate in a community of food bloggers. Oh well -- my dad is a wierdo too, in his own right.

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Speaking of my dad...let me tell you about the reception he hosted for me and R...

Going to Winnipeg for a second reception is something R and I knew we had to do. R and I wanted a small ceremony and reception in Ottawa, so only closer family and friends were invited. I don't think anyone was too offended by it -- but a 2nd reception for extended family was probably the only way to prevent that.

The idea started out pretty basic...we would have a bbq at my dad's place. Then, this became unrealistic because a bbq would have to extend to both the house and backyard. This would, apparently, require a tent, catering, and a newly painted fence. (I don't know when we started trying to keep up with the Joneses)

Redoing the fence was the deal-breaker. So, the reception had to be held elsewhere. "Elsewhere" was pretty limited too because the meal had to be kosher. In Winnipeg, there are only a handful of places that serve kosher food.

So, what started out as a low-key bbq became a reception at the Hotel Fort Garry, one of the nicer hotels in the city.

From then on, I pretty much relinquished control and went where I was told.

Although the laws of kashrut created some limitations around food options, it was probably a mixed blessing. Any "bright ideas" Giz and I had about baking for the reception were impossible. So, that meant a repeat of the wedding cookie saga was out of the question.

Instead, we got some chocolate giveaways from Morden's, a family owned and operated chocolatier that is another one of those Winnipeg institutions.

Because the chocolate was not kosher, guests were asked to wait until they left to open up the giveaways. Our experience with Morden's was really positive -- they were able to complete our order with little notice and even accommodated a change to the order a day before pick up.

Sometimes kosher food has a reputation of being...so-so. I don't know why because when made well, the quality of kosher meat is often better that run of the mill grocery store meat.

I'd have to say that this meal didn't change my mind about kosher food. It was about par for the course. Not bad -- but no one dish would be something I'd add to my cooking repetoire (if I had made it at home).

The meal started with a mushroom and wild rice-type soup. It was pretty plain and could have used more mushrooms and wild rice within the broth.

On the way to the reception, I asked my dad and step-mom if there were any speeches planned (you may recall I had a "no speech" policy at my reception). My dad quickly said, "no" -- which was my first clue. Typically, when I ask my dad a question, I can expect a 5-10 second delay in getting a response (if he's paying attention). This time, there was less than a 2 second delay between the end of my question and his answer -- something was amiss.

Shortly after the evening started, I could see folders being passed around. There was one speech after the next and a "you must sing a song about love or tell a joke to get Psychgrad and R to kiss" rule. Turns out there was quite a bit of speech plotting without me knowing about it.

It was ok though...After consuming a couple of extra drinks than planned, all was good.

Back to the meal...

The salad had a sufficient amount of dressing, which was something the salad at the other reception lacked. But, it looked kind of sad on my plate.

The main course looked kind of sad too. The taste was ok, although the chicken was on the over-cooked side.

It did make me wonder when the last time this menu or plating was changed -- I'm guessing about 20 years ago.

The dessert was a cookie/scone (somewhere between the two) with sorbet. The sorbet was good, the scone wasn't great.

The decor my step-mom chose was nice -- tigerlilies.

It was nice to be able to spend time with more of my extended family. I think everything worked out well and no one has disowned me because of not being invited to a reception.

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One last note....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIZ!

Celebrations will be held this weekend.

View and Review: Back to Nature Trail Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:11:00 +0000

I think I was born opinionated. That, or I had a model of someone who was very opionated to learn from. In either case, from a very young age, I have enjoyed reviewing things. When I would go to restaurants with my parents, I had a rating system that included the food taste and quality, service, and cleanliness of the washroom. Is this normal behaviour for a 10 year old?

When I heard that BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine was initiating a View and Review component, I was immediately intrigued.

BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine have partnered with cookbook publishers and food purveyors to offer members the opportunity to participate in book and product reviews. To date, more than 14 members have received copies of some great books and products for review.

Does it sounds like something interesting to you? Join BloggerAid: Changing the Face of Famine here and sign up for View and Review.

The only way I can agree to giving a review is to be able to tell the truth -- good and/or bad.

This week, I received my first product. A basket filled with six different nut/trail mix combinations from Back to Nature.Over the past couple of years, I've discovered that I actually like nuts. Starting with the ease of transporting them for camping purposes and then learning about their health benefits, I now regularly eat nuts. The Back to Nature website reiterates these benefits:

•Studies have shown that including nuts in your diet can reduce the amount of harmful cholesterol in the blood and can reduce the risk of heart disease.
•If total calories are controlled, eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain. The fat, protein and fibre in nuts keeps you feeling fuller longer, so you may eat less during the day without feeling deprived. Studies also show people who regularly eat a small amount of nuts have a lower Body Mass Index those who do not.

I don't typically buy salted nuts, so I was a bit weary about seeing some sea salted packages in my basket. But, I was quite impressed to see that even the salted nuts were low in sodium. Compared to a serving of non-salted nuts (as little as 5 mg sodium)/serving (1/4 bag -- 42g), the salted nuts are closer to 140 mg of sodium (about 5% of recommended daily intake). Not bad...not bad. Plus, the taste of the salted nuts is more of a light dusting as opposed to those nuts that are so salted you need a glass of water to just get them down.

I took a bag of cashews to work and they were happily shared among my colleagues. I also served a bag of cashews, almonds and pistachios to neighbours as we unwound from a long day at work.

This weekend, I opened up the raisin, almond, pumpkin seed, pecans and apricots to dress a salad.

As usual, the nuts tasted fresh. But, I would have to say that the apricots were not a high point for me. I don't generally have anything against apricots, but these ones were quite chewy, particularly in contrast to the remaining nuts. I may be crazy, but I'm pretty sure there are walnuts in this package too. I'd rather see more walnuts in lieu of apricots (although I'm sure cost would be a factor in determining the package's distribution).

Most recently, I opened the cranberry, chocolate covered almonds and vanilla almonds. I really like the vanilla almonds. I was less crazy about the chocolate covered almonds, because the chocolate is semi-sweet (not a flavour I'm crazy about). But, a nice snack all around.

Overall, a good product. I'm happy to see them at my local grocery store too.

Ovarian Cancer Month - September

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:22:00 +0000

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and for the second year in a row, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are hosting the O Foods Contest to raise awareness of this important health issue.

There are TWO WAYS to take part in the O Foods Contest:

ONE: Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato)

Include this entire text box in the post; and send your post url along with a photo (100 x 100) to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.

PRIZES for recipe posts:

1st: Signed copy of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen by Gina DePalma, Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who is currently battling ovarian cancer, inspired this event, and will be choosing her favorite recipe for this prize;

2nd: Signed copy of Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali (winner chosen by Sara);

3rd: Signed copy of Vino Italiano: The Regional Italian Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich (winner chosen by Michelle).

OR

TWO: If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word and send your post url to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on Monday, September 28, 2009.

Awareness posts PRIZE:

One winner chosen at random will receive a Teal Toes tote bag filled with ovarian cancer awareness goodies that you can spread around amongst your friends and family.

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Although I truly wanted to create a dish for this event, I, unfortunately threw my back out. But, I didn't want to do nothing. So, this will be my submission and dedication to recognize an event that touches too many women, one of them a very dear friend of mine. Let me share her story.

At the age of 37 and in the prime of her life, Kate started thinking about having a second child and thoughts of buying a new home to accommodate her growing family. With a beautiful 3 yr. old daughter, devoted husband, great job and loving family and friends, life couldn’t be much better.

Kate had been feeling a little “off” and doctors were having some trouble finding the cause of her discomfort. Following a battery of tests, she received the terrifying diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer – stage 3. NO warning, NO family history and presumably NO reason. Almost immediately, Kate was whisked into surgery where numerous tumors were removed and a radical hysterectomy was performed. What followed was 6 months of chemotherapy and all the side effects associated.

At the end of the grueling 6 months, she received some relief in the doctor’s words when he told her she was in remission. With newfound respect for life and the luxury of feeling good Kate made plans to return to her job and continue with her dreams.

A short 7 months later, Kate was back in chemo fighting the battle that continued for 2 1/2 years. We lost Kate this year at the end of July.

Kate and I worked together for many years - we were also good friends. A memorial website has been created for my very dear friend.

Kate Hynninen

Only 4% of Canadian women can identify a list of the most common symptoms of ovarian cancer. Yet 2,500 Canadian women are diagnosed and 1,700 women die annually from this disease, making it the country’s most fatal gynecologic cancer.

Symptoms include bloating, pelvic pain, abdominal pain, indigestion, feeling full quickly, frequent or urgent urination, fatigue, menstrual irregularities, weight loss or weight gain. They might be nothing. But if these symptoms persist for more than three weeks, they could be signs of ovarian cancer. If you are having persistent symptoms, talk to your doctor. And even if you are not, spread the word among your sisters and friends.

Ovarian Cancer Canada is the country’s sole charity dedicated to overcoming ovarian cancer. Our mission is to provide support to women with ovarian cancer and their families, raise public awareness and fund research that will ultimately lead to a cure for the disease.

Get curious – Find out more. Visit Ovarian Cancer Canada or call 1-877-413-7970.

When Kate was first diagnosed, I created this awareness bracelet and called it Kate. I have since been working with Ovarian Cancer Canada as a third party fundraiser to do whatever I can to help raise both awareness and funds for this organization. 50% of all profits from the sale of this bracelet go directly to Ovarian Cancer research.

and in the U.S.

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose, but include bloating, pelvic and/or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly; and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency).

There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.

In spite of this, patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region. When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.

And remember, you can also always donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at our page through First Giving. Please help spread the word about ovarian cancer.

Rosh Hashana

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:44:00 +0000

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game. There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. The shofar (ram's horn) pictured above is highly symbolic and is blown 100 times to ring in the new year (kind of like a trumpet).

A popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year. Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh (tash-leek) or ("casting off"). We walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets into the river, symbolically casting off our sins. Small pieces of bread are commonly put in the pocket to cast off.

My commitment to the new year is pretty much the same as it is every year and that's to do the best that I can to somehow make this world a better place. I'm a very strong believer in following deeds. It's not always important what people say; it's far more important to follow what they do and why. My greatest wish is to see a world where people respect one another no matter of religion, colour, creed or beliefs; to create an environment where equal opportunity is not a dream and where all children have enough to eat.

The celebration of Rosh Hashana follow the Hebrew Calendar and arrives at a different date each year on the Julian Calendar. This year we celebrate:

Jewish Year 5770: sunset September 18, 2009 - nightfall September 20, 2009

And what's a celebration without the food. Family and friends gather after sunset on Friday night to enjoy one of two evening meals together (read: eat til you bust)

Typically the meal will begin with gefilte fish.

You can find the recipe here This is generally served with a hot horseradish contiment and challah bread.

Next comes chicken soup with matzo balls. Normal people would by this point already say, okay, enough I'm really full. This is where the cook says "you better be kidding because we're just beginning".

This year we're doing two entrees - chicken and beef brisket. This year's brisket recipe comes from my very favourite standby Norene Gilletz from her book Meal Lean Yumm! which is now in its umpeenth reprint and has changed its name to Norene's Healthy Kitchen

I may have only mentioned about 20 times that I raised my children on Norene's recipes and have yet to find one that hasn't been well tested both in the Gourmania kitchens as well as my own.

Coke Brisket

Ingredients

3 onions, sliced
4 1/2 to 5 lb. beef brisket, well-trimmed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp paprika
1/4 cup apricot jam
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup coke (or diet coke)

Spray large roasting pan with non-stick spray. Place onions in pan; place brisket on top of onions. Rub meat on all sides with garlic, seasonings, jam and lemon juice. Pour cola over and around brisket. Marinate for an hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cook covered. Allow 45 minutes per lb as the cooking time, until meat is fork tender. Uncover meat for the last hour and baste it occasionally. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refridgerate overnight, if possible. Discard hardened fat which congeals on the surface. Slice brisket thinly across the grain, trimming away any fat. Reheat slices in the defatted pan juices.

You can also take the defatted juices and onions and give them a ride in the food processor until smooth. Pour through a sieve into a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and add 1/4 cup water with 2 Tbsp of cornstarch or flour. If the gravy isn't thick enough, repeat the cornstarch process until you reach desired thickness.

When the brisket is placed on the table people whisper to one another "exactly where am I supposed to put this" as the cook then brings in a mountain of oven roasted chicken breast with dilled fingerling potatoes, Israeli couscous salad, green fruit and nut salad topped with pomegranate and toasted pecans, as well as the cauliflower pancakes I posted about the other day.

And no New Year dinner is complete without either a honey cake or an apple cake.

You can find the recipe here .

The beauty of the celebration is that we get to do it all over again for a second night!!! To all who celebrate this holiday - L'Shana Tova (to a happy new year) and may you all be inscribed in the book of life.

Back to Winnipeg

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:49:00 +0000

Earlier in the summer, R and I took a trip to Winnipeg for a 2nd wedding reception (a compromise for having a small reception in Ottawa that excluded extended family).

Where is Winnipeg, you ask? It's the capital city of the Province of Manitoba, located at the geographic centre of Canada. The population is around 650,000

Going to Winnipeg requires a visit to some of the local institutions to get my fill of the treats I grew up with. Let me show what would easily be a "not-so-healthy but filled with delicious food day".

The first stop was a place I had never been to, The Eye Opener, but a good place for breakfast. R had the "Winnipeger", stuffed with chopped kulbassa, green onions and cheddar cheese.

Giz had "The Eye Opener"

Knowing that we would be running from one food store to the next, we took pity on R and dropped him off. We then proceeded to Gunn's bakery. This well known bakery has been providing Winnipegers with old country style, kosher baking since 1937. Well, it's kosher -- but open on Saturday.

After Gunn's, we stopped in to Alycia's Perogies. This is, apparently, the recipe for their dough.

Both Giz and I have blueberry perogies on our minds since seeing Adam's post. Unfortunately, they hadn't received their shipment of blueberries yet. So, I picked up a couple dozen cheese and onion stuffed perogies to freeze and take home with me. WAY better than the mass-produced crap R buys at the grocery store here.

After Alycia's, we headed went to a family dinner. On the menu was steak flown in from Toronto (care of Giz's Purolator Services).

Kosher steaks are available in Winnipeg, but not as readily as Toronto.

Such a good meal -- the steak was so flavourful. It makes me want to invest in some kosher steaks.

I was also thrilled to find that another favourite was on the menu....Jeanne's cake! Jeanne's cakes are a favourite of many Winnipegers, so much so that they're sold at the airport.

Yes...the cake says, "Can't leave Winnipeg without a Jeanne's cake".

Jeanne's cakes are known for their cookie bottom and shaved chocolate sides. I'm drooling already.

Ok...I know you're thinking -- holy crap, how much did you eat in one day. But, it doesn't end there. Oh the shame.

Unfortunately, we had to run quickly from dinner to catch a Bombers' game, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, that is. It was nice to catch up with some friends, but with the Bombers' making only one down during the first half, it was probably one of the worst games all year.

Since it had been a couple of hours since dessert, it seemed reasonable to go for a second dessert at Baked Expectations.

It was a long shot, but I had high hopes for my favourite cake being available.

I've had some unlucky experiences with this cake before (note: language warning if you follow the link). But, the stars were aligned and when I walked in, I saw that there were two slices of pavlova left. Before sitting down, I found a waiter and told him to save a slice for me and sat anxiously waiting for my slice.

Oh..pavlova...I miss you.

My friend got a slice of German Chocolate Cheesecake...

and R got a slice of Cinnamon Tort...

50 gazillion calories later, we decided to call it a night. The next day would be the reception, so we needed to rest up.

There you have it, a quick tour of some of the food sites Winnipeg has to offer. Proof -- Winnipeg truly exists!

Peanut Butter Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Do you ever randomly smell something (even when there is no explicable reason for the smell) and start to crave it immediately? This is how this recipe came to be...

It started when I thought I smelled peanut butter. It only lingered for a moment, but the craving persisted for the rest of the day. Then, my colleague came to work with a peanut butter bagel the next day. Next, we started talking about peanut butter cookies and it was all downhill from there...or uphill (depending on how you look at it). Thankfully, I have ready-made taste-testers at work, many of whom are foodies themselves.

Giz has posted Dorie Greenspan's recipe for Peanut Butter Crisscrosses before. That recipe makes for crunchier cookies than this recipe, which comes from The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook. This cookbook is one I regularly turn to for recipes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp each basking soda and baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. In large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy; beat in brown and granulated sugars. Beat in peanut butter and eggs, 1 at a time; beat in vanilla until smooth.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add all at once to butter mixture and stir until blended.

3. Scoop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (15 ml) and roll into balls; place 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on parchment paper-lined or greased rimless baking sheets. With fork dipped in flour or granulated sugar, press each to make crisscross pattern and flatten to 1/2 inch (1 cm) thickness.

4. Bake in 350F oven for 10-12 minutes or until firm and edges and bottoms are golden. Transfer to racks; let cool.

Verdict: Craving fulfilled!

House Success & Prince Edward County

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:56:00 +0000

Oh oh...Giz has moved from gentle requests, "gee, it would be nice if you posted..." and "are you going to post tonight?" to "are you going to blog ever again?" and "why are you taking pictures of food if you don't blog anymore?" (ouch...the last one stung).

Ok mom -- I'm going to post.

Things have been busy. We found a house! We've got a couple of months until we move in. But, we're slowly making a dent in the things (e.g., trying to sort out an attic that is currently reminiscent of the "before" pictures on Clean Sweep).

I'm looking forward to being into a home of my own and am particularly excited about the amount of cupboard space in the kitchen.

**No, Giz, this isn't a covert way of me saying that you should go out and buy me more kitchen items**

I can see myself being busy with little projects for quite a long time. The current owners love antiques. Like this chandelier...

I think I'm going to be replacing the light fixtures pretty quickly.

I'm also interested in moving this island...or more accurately, penninsula, to the far wall.

I don't really understand their choice of configuration, nor the bum-shaped counter top. Does anyone know anything about these bum-shaped counter tops and whether there is something positive about them that I am missing?

How difficult is it to move an island that is stuck to the floor? It just doesn't make sense to me to have this space. I guess it's supposed to make it an eat-in kitchen. Ideally, I would like to move the penninsula and put on a new counter top that doesn't hang over the cupboards very much.

So, as I was saying, a number of projects for me to stay up at night thinking about. But, the house is in good condition. The lady that lives there is clearly a very tidy (read: obsessive) person, who hasn't skimped on repairs. Here's just one of her 3 closets that are all filled with clothes wrapped in clothing bags.

I'm very relieved to be done the house search process.

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R and I went to Prince Edward County last weekend. You may remember Giz and I blogging about our trip to that region last year around this time.

This time, we went to visit the very popular Sandbanks Provincial Park. It's so popular, that when we knew we wanted to go camp there during Labour Day weekend, R woke up 5 months to the date at 8 am (the earliest you can make your camping booking) to make the reservation.

The campsites are about average, as far as Ontario provincial parks go. But, the big draw is the beach, which is one of the nicest beaches in the province. The sand is very fine and the water crystal clear.

Beautiful sunsets too!

Because the weather was so beautiful, we spent most of our time at the beach. But we did take some time to go around the county on our last day in the region.

Last time Giz and I were in the county, we didn't get a chance to buy any cheese. So, R and I stopped in to the Black River Cheese shop.

The website explains that this company was started in 1901 by local farmers and is still a small production facility dedicated to preserving a tradition of making superior cheese.

We stopped off at County Cider. Unfortunately, they were sold out of their Waupoos Premium Cider that we like (the LCBO in town was sold out too). We bought a bottle of the County Premium Cider, but its flavour is much weaker.

We also visited Black Prince Winery. The winery markets itself as being dedicated to crafting fine, accessible wines showcasing what the area has to offer. I've only sampling the wine, so far. But, was actually quite impressed with the taste. Usually, when I sample wine the thought in my wine-novice head is, "yup, tastes like wine". But, when I sampled this wine, I immediately wanted to taste some more.

The 3 hour car ride home gave also gave me the opportunity to finish up a knitting project (Entrelac Cloth) I had started quite a while ago. With summer coming to an end, I'm starting to get the itch to knit again.

I do have actual food posts to share -- but, I'll leave it there for now.

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NOTE for Kelly Blechertas -- I don't have access to your blog and, therefore, have no way to contact you regarding your Random Acts of Kindness gift. Please email me at bloggingwagon(at)hotmail(dot)com

Cauliflower Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:49:00 +0000

Lots of company planned over the next couple of weeks so in true foodie frenzy, my freezers have to be filled with prepped food for any eventuality that may arise. What can I say - this is my obsession. But then you understand this don't you. You're the same as I am - cookbooks all over the livingroom, grocery list on the fridge so you don't forget anything, the good silverware is getting polished (who ever invented silver in the first place) and just general Giz type chaos. I'm sure Psychgrad can attest to this. You know that old expression - we become our mothers - enough said.

Today I stopped in to my local market to find HUGE heads of cauliflower at $1.00/head. It's not even part of my vocabulary to say no to a good find like this. I decided to make cauliflower pancakes to serve as a side to at least one of the meals for guests.

Ingredients

1 medium to large head of cauliflower
3 large eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the cauliflower florets and boil in water until tender
While still warm, mash the florets. Add eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper

Shape the cauliflower into smallish pancakes and fry in olive oil on medium heat.

These freeze well and can be warmed up in the oven at 300 F for about 15 minutes.

If you're into easy and tasty - this is it. You can also use broccoli or a combination of broccoli and cauliflower.

Greens, Fruit and Toasted Pecan Salad

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:26:00 +0000

I admit it - I've been a blogging slacker these days. As most of you already know, we're working away dotting the "i's" and crossing the "t's" for the BloggerAid - Changing the Face of Famine cookbook and it's looking pretty darned good. There's learning, the glitches, the endless hours and the cooperation needed to collect close to 140 recipes from international sources and understand them all. Products that are easily recognizable in one part of the world become foreign in another. Everyone has a different writing style and a different story to tell. For me, apart from having a great vehicle to raise money for the World Food Programme, the diversity of it all is nothing short of magical - or maybe it'll be magical once we get to the other side of it. Those who have been entrenched in this process are beginning to learn a whole new respect for an alcoholic substance called tequila and it's now become the standard joke - just pass the tequila. One blogger, who shall remain unnamed but knows who she is and if she's reading this from the UK (oops), thought she might want to squirt lemon in her eye to go with her tequila.

But more than feeling like somehow, we're making a difference, there's a bonding that's happening internationally. Although none of us has met one another, the friendships that are/have been created are lasting and entirely meaningful. I bet I could walk into one of at least 5 homes and have a bottle of tequila plopped on the table and we'd be laughing and talking like old friends.

OK, on to the food portion of the post. Salads have been my staple for the past bit and this one is a winner. I love fruit and nuts in my salads but this one gets even tastier because of the dressing.

Ingredients

1 large bunch of greens
2 cans drained mandarin oranges or 2 large clementines
strawberries, sliced (as many as you like)
1/2 cup blueberries
sliced colourful vegetables (I added fresh peas from the shell)
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Dressing

1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp chopped onion
1/4 tsp worchester sauce
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in food processor. This dressing will stay in the fridge for a while so great to make double and triple batches.

The long weekend is here. Once your dressing is made and refrigerated, your salad takes 5 minutes to throw together. Voila - you're a hero.

Chocolate Banana Loaf - Lower Fat

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:50:00 +0000

While looking through Allrecipes I found a low fat version of Banana Bread. Of course...I had to try it.

1/3 cup skim milk
1 tsp lemon juice
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Lightly spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan or 16 muffin cups with cooking spray. Stir the skim milk and lemon juice together in a glass measuring cup; let stand until curdled, about 30 minutes. Whisk together the whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside.

Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the mashed bananas, the milk mixture, canola oil and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture just until all ingredients are moistened. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or muffin cups.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour for a loaf, or 30 minutes for muffins. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

I found that by the 40 minute mark it was ready to come out of the oven.

Verdict: Low fat - yup. Flavour - not nearly as great as regular banana bread - it definitely needed some fat added to it to give it some moisture. I found it on the dry side although not so dry that it was inedible. I don't think it would be something I'd ever take to a pot luck .

I know it defeats the whole purpose but I just had to add butter to it and then it was pretty ok.

Checkerboard Cake

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Go ahead - take a shot at me. I probably deserve it. I'm the world's biggest sucker for things that look "interesting" in my subjective opinion. While shopping at my local mega grocer, I happened upon this cake pan set.

Looks rather interesting doesn't it? Inside are 3 - 9" cake pans and a plastic divider ring (if you're handy you can make it yourself). Actor Boy is on his way to New York for a couple of months and he and the new girlfriend were coming over for brunch. By the way, the new girlfriend is very sweet and gets the mother's seal of approval (like it really matters what I think). She even helps in the clean up department and is totally not intimidated by our insane family. Baba even asked for her phone number in NYC..just in case we needed to reach Actor Boy. Poor dear - has no concept of email and facebook let alone cell phones.

I decided to follow the recipe on the Wilton box for this cake and went through each step to the letter.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 2/3 cups granulated sugar (I cut this back by 2/3 cup)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
4 squares (4 oz) semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Chocolate buttercream icing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pray pans with vegetable pan spray (I used the Wilton's cake release)

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla; mix well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture alteratively with milk; mix well after each addition. Cocontinue beating 1 minute. Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into half the batter and mix well.

Place batter dividing ring (you need to have this) into one prepared pan. The pans are 9"x1". Pour darker coloured batter in outer and center sections and lighter batter in the middle section. Fill sections half way.

Remove the ring from pan by carefully lifting straight up on handles. Rinse and completely dry the ring.

Place ring in second prepared pan and repeat what you did for the first pan. These two pans form your top and bottom layer of your checkerboard cake. Clean and dry your ring again and put into prepared pan. This time reverse - white layer on the outside, darker layer on the inside. Bake the 3 pans at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes.

Although the directions said 30-35 minutes, I took the cakes out before the 30 minute mark and they seemed a little overbaked to me.

Assembly

Position layer with chocolate cake on outside onto serving plate; spread top with chocolate icing. Position layer with yellow cake on the outside on top of this layer spreading top with icing. Position third cake on the top and ice the rest of the cake.

I don't know - kinda sorta resembles the box but not really. The icing - another story and a bottle of wine.

Verdict: I found the cake rather boring and indeed, it was a little overbaked. It wasn't really dry - but on the dry side and quite dense in texture. Would I make it again. I think so, but I'd have to find another recipe. I also don't think I was entirely exact in my 1/2 way measurement in each pan. Next time, I'll tweak it a little.

I suspect that Psychgrad will become the recipient of this cake pan set but not until she finds a house.

Georgia Peach Upside Down Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:51:00 +0000

Can I just say how much I don't like multiple offer situations?

Yesterday, we entered into our first bidding war and lost. We weren't outbidded...we were outkidded. After waiting outside of the seller's house for what seemed like FOREVER, it came down to us and another couple. Our bids were exactly the same and the sellers were going to just make their decision. I knew at that point that we had lost. The other buyers had two kids with them, the same age as the sellers' kids. I quickly looked around for things I could shove under my shirt to make a case for being pregnant with triplets (the only thing that may have helped at that point).

So...the search continues. I'm not sure what's more disappointing -- losing a house I really liked or having to continue searching for a new home.

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On to something happier...Random Acts of Kindness!

Watch the video below to see how I picked the 3 recipients of random acts of kindness!

Amelie

Princess of the Universe

Kelly Blechertas

I'll get in touch with you guys to get your addresses!

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Now - for some food.

I think I have a "thing" for upside down cakes. You can check out the Strawberry & Blueberry Upside Down Cake I posted here and the Upside Down Apple Cake I posted here. There's something so satisfying about not knowing what your dish will look like, but then seeing a beautiful creation after flipping it over. There's risk, intrigue and reward.

This time, I made a Peach Upside Down Cake. Being that this is peach season, this is a great time to make this pie. But, I actually used the peaches I froze last summer, thinking that I should start cleaning out my freezer in case I ever manage to find a house.

I'll admit, I didn't really read the recipe in full when I first started making it. So, I was surprised to see that the cake is made in a pan. Thankfully, the pan I was using for the first step of the recipe was the right size and could go in the oven.

Georgia Peach Upside Down Cake
CD Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 pounds peaches
13 tablespoons of butter (divided)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and halve peaches.

Cook brown sugar in 5 tablespoons butter in 10 inch ovenproof frying pan until dissolved. Off the heat, arrange peach halves, cut sides up, in pan.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Beat 8 tablespoons butter with granulated sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture by thirds, alternating with sour cream.

Spread over peaches and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.

A person that had reviewed the cake recipe said, "the cake will get quite brown before it is ready, but if you pull it before the toothpick comes out clean you'll end up with a gooey cake in the middle. Let it sit 10 min before you flip it out on to a serving dish, and be careful with that step, maybe use a dish with a high lip to catch the brown sugar/peach juices so they go into the cake and not all over your kitchen counter and floor. I had some mopping to do as part of the clean up".

I thought this was good advice. My oven is fast, so I set my timer for 45 minutes and it was ready, but quite dark around the bottom edges.

Verdict: R quite likes this cake and has been taking a slice for lunch every day. Personally, I find it to be denser than I would like. The two previous upside down cakes were lighter and I prefered them. But, I was quite impressed with how well the cake stuck together using the frying pan cooking method (not sure if there's a more technical name for that). I also like the flavour of the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in the cake.

Onion Soup

noreply@blogger.com (giz) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:56:00 +0000

When my sister (aka Auntie Takeout) offered to bring French Onion Soup to a family dinner, the first reaction was "oh oh...now what do we do". Not exactly a culinary genious (to put it mildly), AT is known for her skills at warming things up while she reads the side of the box. To her credit, we all agree that when you want something fixed, she's the go to person. Plumbing, painting, carpentry - you name it, she's always the first one there with a viable solution....cooking - not so much.

Well - I will never sell her short again. It's really not that she doesn't know how, but rather she has absolutely no interest in cooking. She was pretty impressive actually - scanned the internet, visited some food blogs and found "The Best Onion Soup (evah" at Cookography

The Best French Onion Soup

Serves 6

Notes:

For the best flavour, make the soup a day or 2 in advance. Alternatively, the onions can be prepared through step 1, cooled in the pot, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before proceeding with the recipe.
Ingredients:

Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 3 pieces
6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (Make sure you get Yellow)
Table salt
2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
1/2 cup dry sherry
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (They recommend Swanson Certified Organic Free Range Chicken Broth )
2 cups beef broth (They recommend Pacific Beef Broth)
6 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine
1 bay leaf
Ground black pepper

Cheese Croutons

1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices
8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Directions:

For the soup:

Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Generously spray the inside of a heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the butter in the pot and add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, for 1 hour (the onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring the onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust, roughly 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.)
Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

For the croutons:

While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

To serve:

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Verdict: Really really flavourful and when served in a ramekin doesn't take away from the meal (we all know that onion soup can be a full meal all on its own)

Roundup: Presto Pasta Nights # 126

noreply@blogger.com (Psychgrad) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:50:00 +0000

One hundred and twenty six weeks in and still going strong! It is my pleasure to host Presto Pasta Nights for a second time. To see my first PPN round up, click here. This week is chock full of more great pasta recipes. Let me tell you about them...

Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe shares a recipe for Creamy Spinach Walnut Pasta. Johanna uses her tried and true combination of walnut and cottage cheese. When combined with spinach, it makes for a creamy pesto-like sauce. Sounds delicious.

Mikky from My Finds shares Tocini with Malunggay Marinara Pasta. Interestingly, tocino is a cured meat native to the Phillipines and malunggay is eaten like spinach and contains Vitamin C and other minerals. Some flavours I'd definitely like to try.

Amelie shares her Homemade Rice-a-Roni, one of her signature dishes. I was lucky enough to actually taste this dish as R and I went over to Amelie's for dinner tonight! This versatile dish is a total crowd-pleaser and the toasted almonds give it a nice little crunch.

Kevin from Closet Cooking makes a strong case for combining shrimp, feta and tomato sauce. His Baked Shrimp and Feta Pasta is inspired by the Taste of the Danforth, a Greek festival held annually in Toronto.

Chaya from Sweet and Savoury Says it All serves up her Triple Cheese Pasta Bake. This dish combines white cheddar, parmesan and yogurt cheese for a delightful cheese-filled dish that is sure to get you salivating.

Rita from Mochachocolata-Rita shares her recipe for Baked Pasta with Fish, Bacon and Cheddar. Although she is still perfecting this dish, it looks delicious to me.

Here's a dish brought to you by my mom, Giz, who co-blogs with me at Equal Opportunity Kitchen. Surpassing her own expectations with this Fettucini Pescatora, Giz is probably still dancing around the kitchen with excitement for this dish. I'm impressed mom -- put this on the menu for my next visit.

Gilli from So So Simple Food shares The Best Lasagne Yet. With its three sauces, Basic Meat and Tomato sauce, Mushroom Sauce and Béchamel with Grated Cheese, I'm really starting to crave some lasagne.

Debbie from Dining with Debbie shares a Spaghetti Salad. This recipe comes from a cookbook fundraiser for a project called “Safety Zone", which provides an immediate safe house for abused children when they have been removed from their homes. A great cause, indeed.

Ruth, the creator of Presto Pasta Nights, shares Curried Spaghetti Sauce on her blog, Once Upon a Feast. At first glance, this looks like a traditional marinara sauce, but this dish also incorporates flavours like curry leaves, cumin and coriander. This is a combination I'd like to try with pasta.

Pam, the creator of one of my favourite blogs, Sidewalk Shoes, submits Fusilli with Eggplant, Pine Nuts, Currants, and Capers. Understandably, this dish has turned around Pam's original dislike for eggplant.

Val from More than Burnt Toasy always makes enticing dishes and this one is no exception. This Pesto Pasta Salad is perfect for the summer season. Val explains that "...although it is basic, it is packed with flavour. It is also a "light" dish because it uses yogurt instead of mayo".

Libby from The Allergic Kid features recipes and tips for certain allergies. This week, she shares her Alphabet Soup. This dish combines nutritious ingredients with fun alphabet pasta.

Sarah from What Smell So Good shares a vegan version of Macaroni & Cheese. Although it's still being perfected, it is a good reminder that I need to get out of my typical omnivorous box.

Mangocheeks (I love the name) from Allotment 2 Kitchen made her Spicy Broccoli Pasta Frittata that not only looks delicious but features fresh veggies from her garden. Go check out her blog to see more pictures of her garden -- they're beautiful!

Daphne from More Than Words shares not one but TWO pasta dishes with us. The first is her Garlic Chili Aglio Olio Spaghetti. It only contains four ingredients, but much like Daphne says, "Sometimes the best comfort food is the simplest".

Daphne's second dish is Cheesy Baked Pasta with Bacon, Mushrooms and Peas. Since it's winter time in Australia, Daphne has been craving baked pasta. She uses a reduced calorie cream sauce option that sounds delicious.

Here's my contribution to this week's roundup, Spaghetti with Cajun Chicken. This dish is quite simple, but the cajun seasoning packs a punch and pairs well with the tomato base and feta cheese. Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!

Joanne from Eats Well With Others submits her my Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Butternut Squash to this week's PPN. Joanne and I share a proclivity for green sauces and tries out a pistachio pesto, which sounds very interesting.

Bergamot from Cooking Escapes and Delights shares her Tiranga Pasta. With India's Independence Day (August 15th) right around the corner, this patriot dish celebrates the orange, white and green colours of the Indian flag.

I think/hope I got everyone's entries! Thank you to everyone for participating in this week's roundup!

Kudos to Ruth for initiating and continuing to organize such a great weekly event. To view all of the previous 125 roundups, check out this link. Next week's host with be Katie from One Little Corner of the World.