Crepes

I love crepes! I can eat them all day, every day.  My favourite tends to be Nutella with bananas or strawberries, but while I was in Paris I ate a lemon sugar crepe every night.  I woke up one morning and decided I was going to make crepes for breakfast and introduce my 15 month old daughter to the beauty of a crepe.  I have adapted this recipe to be non-dairy as well, but that will be for another post.
You can use any filling/topping you'd like, but this morning I decided to do cooked apples.  Prepare the apples first as they can cook while you are making the crepes.
And don't worry if the first crepe doesn't turn it - it never turns out for me so I researched it once and apparently it is a myth that the first crepe never turns out!

Crepes:
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
splash of vanilla
salt to taste

1. In a small bowl combine the eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Add flour, blending well. Heat heavy skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Brush with shortening or oil (or spray with non-stick cooking spray).

Batter starts to bubble and
curl on the edges.

2. Pour batter, about 1/3 cup at a time, into pan.  Tilt and swirl pan to spread batter very thin - to the edges of the pan.  Brown about 1-2 minutes (until it starts to bubble), turn and brown the other side.
3. Transfer crepes to a plate and cover with foil paper or place in warm oven to keep warm.
4. When all the batter is cooked, place a crepe, one at a time back into the pan and fill with the filling (below). Fold in half (or thirds) and briefly heat through.
5. Dust with icing sugar and garnish with whipped cream or syrup and serve.

Makes approximately 8 crepes.

The final product - yum!

Filling #1:
5 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced.
2 tbsp butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

Heat skillet over medium heat.  Melt butter in the pan and add apples.  Squeeze lemon juice over top and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Cook until the apples are soft and starting to break down.

Filling #2:
Nutella
Sliced Bananas

Spread nutella over half the crepe. Once it starts to melt, place the sliced bananas over top.  Fold the crepe over and flip to heat the other side.

Filling #3:
Nutella
Sliced Strawberries

Spread nutella over half the crepe. Once it starts to melt, place the sliced strawberries over top.  Fold the crepe over and flip to heat the other side.

Filling #4:
1 lemon, juiced and zested
sugar

Sprinkle the crepe with sugar, lemon zest and juice.  Fold over and serve.

Spaghetti Squash Bake

This is a great recipe for anyone who has kids that love pasta, but want to cut down on the carbs.  The stringiness of the squash trick your kids into thinking it's pasta!

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic,
1 tsp ground parsley
1/2 carrot
1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained (or a few fresh ones)
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1-1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup mozzarella, grated

Directions:

1. Pierce the spaghetti squash and roast it whole in a 400F oven for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally; cool.
2. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Pull apart the squash with a fork, lengthwise, to create strings of pasta.  Let it drain for about 30 minutes in a colander. (If you omit/shorten this step that's okay, but the bake might be a little more runny.)
3. Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat some oil and butter and add the onion.  Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the onion starts to soften and become translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the parsley and garlic, stir to combine and keep sauteing the mix as the onions become more golden.
4. Cut your carrot in half and using a peeler, peel strips of carrot into the pan with the onion mixture.  Add as much or as little as you like. [At this point you could add any other vegetables you'd like to sneak into your dinner!]
5. Add the tomatoes, stir and heat through.
6. Place the squash in an 8" square pan, add the onion-tomato mixture and stir.  Crumble in your feta and stir once again.  Press down evenly.
7.  Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan and butter and sprinkle over top.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and a little more butter (it doesn't have to be melted) and bake in the oven (400F) for another 15-20 minutes until golden.  Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over top and return to the oven on broil just until the cheese is melted.

Homemade Applesauce

Yesterday my husband and I took our daughter apple picking.  She had quite the time "running" between the trees (more like wobbling and tripping!), biting into my apple and having the juice run down her face, and picking a couple of apples off the branches.

We picked so many apples that I knew I had to kick into full gear so that they wouldn't go to waste.
I've never made applesauce before and I never really ate it growing up, but I remember my daughter tasting it once and loving it, so I thought I'd try and make some myself.

It turned out amazingly! All three of us are enjoying this applesauce everyday.  I've frozen some and read that it can last several months if packaged properly, but I doubt ours will last that long!

Ingredients:
12 apples (of your choosing)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup brown sugar (I used both dark and golden)
A splash of vanilla
1 cinnamon stick, broken (or ground cinnamon)
pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Pee, core and slice or chop the apples. They don't have to be that small as they will break down on their own as they cook.
2. Place in a cast iron Dutch oven (or any pot you have handy).  My apples went right to the top of my pot.
3. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over top.  Sprinkle with the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and give it a stir to mix it all together.
4. Pour water to cover the bottom of the pot.  I actually put quite a bit more because of how full it was, maybe about 1/3 of the way up, and I think it turned out great!  Sprinkle with salt and give it one more stir.
5. Cook over medium-high heat, covered.  Stir occasionally to prevent any sticking and to distribute the heat and flavours throughout.  Simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until the apples break down.  The longer you let it simmer, the softer the apples get and the more they break down.
6. Remove from heat, remove the cinnamon stick and mash with a potato masher or puree in a blender. I mashed mine because I preferred the lumpier texture.

And voila! You have some yummy applesauce.  It tastes just like the inside of a really good apple pie!

Classic Belgian Waffles

I love breakfast - especially a sweet, dessert type breakfast! This is my last weekend before returning to work after my maternity leave.  So this morning I woke up feeling like waffles.  I pulled out my recipe, my waffle iron and I got mixing!

This recipe creates a light and fluffy waffle that tastes so good.  And you can top it with whatever you want: maple syrup, strawberries and whipped cream with a dusting of icing sugar, nutella and bananas - the possibilities are endless!

My waffle iron makes 4 at a time, so this recipe will take you through about 3 rounds.  I normally get 10-12 waffles, depending on how full I fill it each time.

Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk

Directions:

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a second bowl using a wooden spoon or electric mixer, beat together egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add vanilla extract, melted butter and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine.  Combine liquid mixture with flour mixture and whisk until just blended. Do not overmix!

In a third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Don't overmix!

Coat iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour batter into iron just to cover the waffle grid. (For mine, I'd put about 1/3 cup of batter for each square, but I'd place closer to the middle to avoid a lot of spillover!) Close and cook per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. (I set my iron to "3" or "4".  Once it beeps the first time I open it up and close it again and let it beep a second time.  This allows for a crispier and less soggy waffle.)

Serve immediately.

These waffles also freeze great so you can make them in large batches and pull them out whenever you want waffles for breakfast - just pop them in the toaster!

Batter and egg whites, still separate.

Folding in the egg whites.

Sometimes my batter doesn't make it quite to the edges, so my waffles are a funny shape!

Last round of waffles.  It spilled over some edges, but still didn't fill in all the wholes!

Waffles and maple syrup - yum!

A Tuscan Dinner

Tonight's dinner idea came from Rick Rodgers, The Carefree Cook.  I had bought some pork side ribs on sale and wanted to BBQ or slow-cook them, but I couldn't find anything interesting to me in my collection of cookbooks (and it hasn't been BBQ-ing weather).  But I did find this oven-roasted recipe in one of my books, and today was finally the day I had some time to make it.  The recipe recommends serving these ribs with polenta and sauteed green beans, so that is exactly what I did.  My daughter took a nice hour and half long nap, which gave me plenty of time to do most of the prepping and cooking.  And my hubby pulled into the driveway as I was finishing the final touches and bringing everything to the table. All three of us enjoyed our dinner; my daughter loved the polenta and ribs - she made a mess trying to feed herself!

Tuscan Roasted Ribs

Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt, divided
1.5 tsp dried basil
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1.5 tsp dried rosemary
1.5 tsp dried sage
3/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
approx. 5lbs ribs
3/4 cup dry white wine (I used red wine)

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F.
2. Crush the garlic and coarsely chop.  Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt and mix together in a mortar and pestle until it forms a paste. Scrape into a bowl and add the basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, pepper, and the remaining salt. Stir in the oil to make a paste.
3. Rub the herb paste all over the ribs.  Place the ribs in a very large roasting pan (It's okay if they overlap slightly. They just curved around my pan and fit perfectly!) Roast, basting occasionally with the juices in the pan, for 1 hour.  Turn the ribs and continue baking and basting until they are browned and tender, about 1 more hour.  Transfer to a cutting board and let stand while you make the sauce.
4. Tilt the pan and spoon off the fat, leaving the dark juices in the pan.  Place on two burners over high heat and heat until the pan is sizzling.  Add the wine and use a flat wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits in the pan.  Cool until the wine is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.  Pour the sauce into a small bowl.
5. Cut the ribs between the bones and place on a serving platter.  Serve immediately, topping each serving with a spoonful of the sauce.

I didn't care much for the sauce.  I don't know if it was the red wine or that I didn't cook it long enough (I cooked it for almost 5 minutes), but the wine flavour was very strong. I must have also left some fat because my sauce separated and really didn't do much to the flavour of the ribs.  The ribs tasted amazing though all on their own.

Pan-Fried Herbed Polenta 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal (coarser gives better texture)
2 tsp dried basil
2 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it gives off its aroma, about 1 minute.
2. Add the chicken broth,  2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, gradually add the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring very frequently.  Add the basil.  Continue stirring and cooking, about 15 minutes, until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan and it is tender.  Stir in the butter.
3. Spread the hot polenta in a greased 8" square pan.  Let cool completely.  Cut into 9 squares. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the polenta squares and cool, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.

I'm used to eating soft polenta with a hearty tomato sauce/stew over top.  My grandparents would pour the polenta over a wooden board over the kitchen table and we would all cut off our portion, add the sauce and eat away.  This recipe is very different from what I'm used too.  I know my husband doesn't really like polenta that way (or at all). so I thought he'd like it better cooked this way.  Plus I could cook it in advance while the baby was sleeping, let it cool and harden and then quickly fry it up right before everything was ready.  The verdict: he still doesn't care much for polenta.  I enjoyed it, but missed the sauce I'm used to.  My daughter simply loved it!

Garlicky Sauteed Green Beans

Ingredients:
1 pound green beans, stem ends snapped off and beans cut in half
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add beans plus salt and pepper and thyme.  Toss to coat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-8 minutes, or until beans are spotty brown.
2. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove lid and cook until the remaining water has evaporated, about another minute.  Add garlic and toss, cooking for another minute.  Add butter, toss and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the beans are crisp-tender.

These beans tasted so yummy! They were a little to crispy for my little one, or maybe too garlicky - she just spit out the pieces.  But hubby and I devoured them.

And of course I forgot to take a picture of my beautiful dinner setting, so tomorrow I will try and remember to take a picture of the leftovers (sans green beans!). 

Some picture I found online.

 

One Pot Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

This recipe comes together so easily. The prep is so fast and you only use the roasting pan so it's a quick clean up as well! I made this for our four year anniversary yesterday.  With a little baby crawling/walking around and demanding my undivided attention, the ease of this recipe is very helpful! And all three of us really enjoyed the flavour!

Ingredients:
1 large chicken (about 1.5 kg)
sea salt and black pepper
olive oil
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
2 lemons
rosemary and thyme
4 carrots, quartered
1 onion, chopped into large pieces
5 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pkg (227g) sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup wine
1 cup chicken stock

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 450F.  Rub the chicken all over with salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil.  Place in  a large roasting pan and stuff the cavity with half of the head of garlic, one lemon halved, and some rosemary and thyme.

2. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onion).  Take the chicken out of the oven and lower the oven to 425F.  Add the onion, carrots and potatoes around the pan.  Quarter the remaining lemon and place around the roasting pan with the remaining garlic.  Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and vegetables; sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Roast for another 15 minutes.

3. Lower the oven to 400F. Add the mushrooms around the pan.  Drizzle with a little bit more olive oil, then pour the chicken stock and wine over the vegetables. I used red wine simply because that's what I had handy.  Either wine works fine, but the red will stain your potatoes a bit. Roast for another 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through - the juices should run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife.

4. Place the chicken on a platter, cover with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Place the vegetables in a serving dish and keep warm.

5. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables.  Spoon some of the cooking liquid over each.

This will easily serve 4 people! As I forgot to take a picture of my beautiful creation, these photo from the web will have to do until I cook it again! Buon'appetito!
(The picture on the right is more like the colour of the chicken from this recipe.)

Peperonata

This recipe comes straight from my nonna.  Because she never measures when she cooks, everything below is an approximation.  The amount of vegetables you use is all in relation to each other. Since this stews for a very long time, make sure you don't chop the vegetables too small or you won't have anything to bite into! This recipe works great with all the fresh vegetables from the garden. This is one of my most favourite things to eat.  Pick up a nice bread stick or a ciabatta bun and enjoy! (And my 1 year old daughter loves it too!)

Ingredients:
2 large red peppers, sliced and seeded
2-3 large onions, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (optional)
2 medium zucchinis, chopped
1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 jar diced tomatoes or 3-4 medium tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:



1. In a large pot on high heat, saute onions (and garlic if you're using) with oil until softened and just starting to brown.
2. Add red peppers.  Season with salt and pepper. Stir and saute until softened.
3. Add zucchini and eggplant and stir.  Lower to medium heat; cover and simmer.  Mixture will soften and reduce; liquids will emerge.  Simmer until the majority of the liquid has been evaporated. (This could take a long time, depending on how much liquid there is).  Stir occasionally to prevent vegetables from sticking to the pot.
4. Add tomatoes and let simmer on low heat until it has reduced, approximately 3 hours.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
5. Serve immediately or reheat as needed.  This can also be frozen and stored for later use.

Saute the onions.

Add the red peppers.

After the red peppers have softened.

Adding the zucchini and eggplant.

As the liquids emerge & veggies reduce.

Adding the tomatoes.

The final product.

 

Banana Yogurt Loaf

Anna Olson is one of my all-time favourite bakers.  I recently got her newest cookbook, Back to Baking, and have tried a few recipes from there with a lot of success.  This Banana Bread recipe is an adaptation of her Morning Glory Yogurt Loaf.  It was my first time making this and trying my modification, but I think it turned out pretty good.  It was very moist.  What I did notice was that it took much longer to bake than her recipe states.  I think this might be because of all the bananas I put in it, but I'm not too sure.  Next time I will try using less bananas and see what happens.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch ground cinnamon
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup (approx.) white chocolate chips
1/2 cup (approx.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9x5" loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Stir in the yogurt and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Stir this into the butter mixture.  Stir in the bananas, and then the chips.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 70 minutes (mine took closer to 90 minutes), until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Cool the loaf for 30 minutes, then tap it out of the pan to cool completely on a cooling rack.  The loaf will, keep, well wrapped and unrefrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Two years ago my husband and I went to the UK for a vacation and we discovered sticky toffee pudding in York. And what a discovery it was! It now ranks pretty high on my list of all-time favourite desserts.  When I returned home I went on a search for a recipe to make my own sticky toffee pudding whenever my heart desired.  And in case you didn't know, it is not a pudding.  We learned ourselves in England that pudding is just their word for a dessert.  I found this recipe in a book called Favorite Foods by Jill Dupleix. I've made this dessert on a few occasions and always get good reviews.  I'm making it tonight for a Mommies Night Out that I'm hosting at my house.  And I'll tell you that this recipe tastes exactly like the one I had in England.

The dessert we discovered in York!

Ingredients - Cake:
180g (about 1 to 1-1/4 cups) dates, pitted and chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1-2/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients - Toffee Sauce:
2/3 cup brown sugar
250ml (1 cup) whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp butter

Heat oven to 350F.  Mix dates and baking soda in a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water on top and let it sit. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until pale, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gently fold in the sifted flour mixture, stir in the date mixture and then pour into a lightly greased (8") square pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Combine sugar, cream, vanilla and butter in a sauce pan, bring to the boil over medium-high heat, stirring.  Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring.  (I often find that if I simmer it longer, the sauce comes out even thicker.) Set aside until ready to serve, then reheat when needed. Cut the cake into squares and pour the sauce over, serving warm.

Here is how I normally serve this pudding: Pour a spoonful of the sauce on a plate, cut a good size piece of cake and place on top.  Then put another 1-2 spoonfuls of the sauce on top of the cake.  Pop it into the microwave for 45 seconds - 1 minute (depends on the size) and serve.  Traditionally you would add a spoonful of double cream (I find it in a small jar at the Superstore) over top, but you could also use vanilla ice cream, fresh cream, etc.

This recipe says it feeds four - but those must be HUGE servings.  I find that you could serve 8-10 people with very generous portions and everyone is happy.

The mommies loved it and there was just enough left over for my husband and I to enjoy a piece for breakfast the next morning with a nice latte!

Of course in my rush to make the dessert while my daughter was sleeping, I forgot to take pictures of the process, but here is a pic of my creation at our breakfast this morning!

Potato Parsnip Gratin

As far as I know, I have never eaten parsnip.  I didn't even know what it was until I found myself looking for it in the grocery store so I could make it into baby food for my daughter.  What a surprise to discover that it was basically a white carrot.  When I was steaming it, it smelled so delicious and sort of familiar, but I couldn't figure out how or why.  Well my daughter seemed to enjoy it so I thought I'd try and make it in a dish for me and the hubby.

Tonight's dinner consisted of chicken fatina (sp?) which are breaded chicken cutlets (yum!) and a parsnip take on one of our favourite dishes - scalloped potatoes.  Now I did not make up this recipe. I saw a gratin on Pinterest and through my google searches I found a bunch of other gratin recipes - always made with potatoes and parsnip or potatoes, parsnip and turnip (another veggie I have never tried!).  So I picked a recipe that seemed to have good reviews, gave it a read through and decided that it was basically a scalloped potato recipe with a few modifications.  You can find the original recipe here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Parsnip-Potato-Gratin but as usual I did not follow it.  I basically used my scalloped potato recipe and added what was different.  I think this recipe would be healthier because it is using 1% milk instead of whole or whipping cream.

Ingredients:

4 small-medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large parsnip, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small-medium onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, grated (I mixed in a little mozzarella)

1/4 cup flour

3-4 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

1 cup milk (approximately)

Grease your dish (I used a corning ware 2.5qt  

 oval casserole dish) and start layering.  Start with potatoes and scatter some pieces of onion all over; season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour; dot with butter. Do the exact same thing with a layer of parsnip and then sprinkle some cheese over it (you will use about half of your cheese for the layers - save the other half).  Continue doing this with a potato layer and parsnip layer until you run out of ingredients (or reach the top of the dish!). Ideally you'd like to end with a potato layer, but I actually ended with a layer of potato/parsnip alternating.  Overall I did two layers each of potato and parsnip, and my fifth layer was the combo. For the top layer - do not sprinkle flour or butter, but you can season with salt and pepper if you'd like.  Pour your milk over the top till it comes about halfway up the dish. Top off the dish with the remaining cheese and cover.  Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 35 minutes.  Remove the lid, increase the heat to 400 and bake for another 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

Now someone who has eaten parsnip before and knows what it should taste like in dishes will need to comment to let everyone know if this recipe really is any good.  I wouldn't say it was bad, but for me and my husband, we didn't really care for the dish.  We both found that the parsnip was very overpowering, and it is a flavour neither one of us grew up with so we didn't really enjoy it all that much.  We would both prefer my scalloped potatoes all on their own so I doubt I'll be making this recipe again.

The fatina on the other hand - yum! I could eat those all day every day.  I simply took some chicken breasts that had already been sliced horizontally and then pounded to make them into thin cutlets (thanks Nonna!), dipped them into beaten eggs and then dipped them into Italian bread crumbs so they were covered.  Heat your pan over medium heat with some vegetable oil (add a splash of olive oil and tablespoon of butter - my mom's tip) and fry away. So fast and easy and of course - so delicious!

Chicken Cacciatore-ish

I wanted to make a dish that would use a lot of the vegetables I had in the fridge. I wanted it to be colourful and hearty. I first thought of stir-fry because my husband always buys chicken thighs that are already cut up so it's easy to cut them into chunks and fry them up. But I really wasn't feeling it, so I went to my cookbook shelf. I saw Giada's Everyday Italian and picked it up. I was really looking for a sauce idea to either marinate or cook the chicken in, but didn't find much. I did see her cacciatore recipe though and that became my inspiration. As usual, I don't really measure my seasonings, so these are my approximations below - adjust to suit your tastes. We ate this over jasmine rice - very yummy. If you like more kick, add cayenne when you add the oregano or add more of it to the dredge mixture.

INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp each salt, pepper and paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 handful green beans, cut into thirds
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pkg (227g) sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup (red) wine
1 can diced tomatoes, with their juices
3/4 cup chicken stock

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix flour, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper. Use this as a dredge to evenly coat pieces of chicken. Heat approx 3 tbsp oil (I used a combo of vegetable and olive oil) over medium high heat and sauté chicken in 2 batches; set aside.
2. If necessary, add more oil and sauté onions for a couple of minutes. Add carrots and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the red pepper and green beans - season with salt, pepper and oregano - and continue to sauté for another few minutes until onions are tender and other vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up all yummy brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Stir in the mushrooms and cover. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the wine is reduced. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and give it a stir. Return the chicken to the pan, submerging them in the sauce and stir. Bring to a simmer.
4. Cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Uncover and crank the heat to let it gently boil for a few minutes if the sauce needs to be thickened.
5. Serve over cooked rice, quinoa or even pasta!

This is what was leftover in the pan after we enjoyed our dinner. I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture earlier! ;-)

Raspberry & Lemon-Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Tomorrow is Greek Easter. I'm not Greek, but I did choose Greek people to be my daughter's godparents, so I guess we are honorary Greeks tomorrow. Easter is a big deal for Greek godparents (or so I've gathered from the stories), so my husband and I are very excited to take our daughter to her godparents' house tomorrow to celebrate her first (Greek, second ever) Easter with their family. I've already told her that she is so lucky to be able to celebrate Easter twice in one year. She gets to wear her Easter outfit that they got her again and that's awesome because she looks so adorable in it!

Anyways I've totally gone off topic. I'm supposed to be focusing on food here. And the reason for this blog entry is to share with you the recipe I will be bringing to their house tomorrow. Despite being told I don't have to bring anything, I want to. It's the least I could do to show my gratitude to them for being such awesome godparents and welcoming us into their family for this important holiday and always.

So I decided to make this coffee cake. I've made variations of it before and have always received good reviews. I almost couldn't find my recipe today, but after much searching it appeared. I can't remember where I got it, except that I remember it was from a book I took out of the library. So here it is....

FOR THE TOPPING:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE CAKE:
1 3/4 cups all- purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups fresh raspberries (approx.)
2 tbsp icing sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 10" round springform pan.

2. To make the topping, stir together the flour, sugar and zest. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

3. To make the cake, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until well blended. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the sour cream mixture. Beat until smooth and fluffy, a couple of minutes.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Cover evenly with the raspberries.

Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the berries.

5. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 40-50 minutes (my oven always takes almost 50 mins). A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes.

Remove the sides of the springform pan. Dust with icing sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TIPS: As the recipe is, you really shouldn't put lemon in the title. What I always like to do is add the juice of the zested lemon to the sour cream mixture. It shouldn't come to more than 1/4 cup. If the mixture is a little runny, you can always add another tbsp or so of sour cream. Continue with the recipe. I've also made this recipe with blueberries and it turns out just as phenomenal. Dusting the cake with icing sugar is also purely optional.

Rice Cooker Mac n Cheese

We use our rice cooker quite a bit - so much so that my husband went out and bought a super-duper fancy one. We use it to make rice (obviously!) and quinoa mostly. When I heard that you could mac n cheese in a rice cooker, I had to try it! And I have to say it turned out quite nice. The cheese didn't melt as well as it should have, but I think that's because I only had fettuccine in my cupboard and it didn't allow enough room for the cheese to blend and melt.

Ingredients:

2 cups pasta
1.5 cups chicken stock
Salt
1 cup milk
1.5 cups grated cheese (I used cheddar, mozzarella and Swiss)

Directions:

1. Put the pasta and chicken stock in the rice cooker and season with salt. Set it to cook for about 15 minutes; most of the liquid will evaporate.

2. Add the milk and cheese and give it a stir. Let it cook for another 20 minutes or so. You may have to stir it once or twice in this time period.

(Each rice cooker is different so keep an eye on it. After about 10 minutes mine switched to the warm setting and the bottom was already getting crusty while there was still quite a bit of liquid. After another 5 minutes the liquid was gone and it was quite creamy.)

3. Serve. You can add some more grated cheese on top.

This served me and my husband with no leftovers.

Update: I've made this recipe several times since with macaroni and it definitely turns out much better!  I've actually increased the grated cheese to 2 cups (and always use a mix of different cheeses) and also increased the milk to about 1-1/3.  It will take a little longer to cook, but it definitely comes out creamier and cheesier.

Honey Beer Bread

This recipe has been circulating on Pinterest so I decided to try it one day.  And it turned out so yummy!  When I went back to get the recipe and make it on Easter, the website I got it from was down.  So here is the recipe - I've made it several times and it always turns out so well.  It comes together fairly easily.  The butter makes such a beautiful crust on the bread and adds such an amazing flavour!
So because every time I make it I am asked for the recipe - here it is!

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsbp honey
1 bottle beer (I used Brava)
1/4 cup butter, melted ( I actually use more like 1/2 cup because it adds such colour and flavour)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a loaf pan with non-stick spray.  Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Heat the honey in a glass of warm water for a few minutes to make it easier to stir, then add the honey and the beer to the batter. Mix until all ingredients are blended well.

3. Pour half of the melted butter into the bottom of the pan.  Spoon in the batter, then drizzle the rest of the butter on top.  If needed, spread it with a pastry brush (this gives it a nice golden crust).

4. Bake for about 60 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Tastes great warm on its own, but it also tastes great with nutella or jam or butter spread over it.  Warm bread and butter is always so amazing!
Although I haven't tried it yet, I'd like to grate some (cheddar) cheese and add it to the batter - I'm sure it'd taste amazing!

A Cheesy Variation: I've made this recipe with the addition of cheese and it turned out pretty yummy too!  Most recently I used cheddar cheese - a mix of aged Balderson cheddar and a medium orange cheddar.  I used about 1-1/2 cups and reserved about 1/3 cup to sprinkle on top before pouring the melted butter over top.

Top: Cheesy variation
Bottom: Standard honey beer bread

Another Barley Dish - Italian Barley Stew

I saw recently on Breakfast Television a whole segment on barley. They called it Canada's answer to a superfood.  I also learned that there were different types of barley, which I really didn't know much about.  They made a stew-type dish using pot barley.  I did some research and I found out that pearl barley (which is what I used in my other post)  is the most common form used in cooking, but it is also the least nutritious because it is stripped of the bran layer.  Because of this it also cooks the fastest. Pot barley isn't as heavily processed, so it is more nutritious and takes a little longer to cook.  From what I was able to gather, you can pretty much use them interchangeably, with some possible slight modifications to cooking time.

This dish is a lot like a stew as well, but I found it thicker and more hearty.  For lack of a better name, I decided to call it an Italian barley stew simply because of the herbs that are used in it.

Ingredients:

1 onion, thinly chopped
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled, quartered and thinly chopped
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into approx. 1/2" cubes
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup pot barley, rinsed
1 cup chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Saute onion with oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat till they start to get a golden colour.  Add the garlic and carrots and saute for a couple of minutes until the carrots soften slightly.  Add the squash.  If the pot is dry, add a little bit of oil to the pan.  Saute for another couple of minutes.
2. Add the basil, oregano, salt and pepper and stir; saute for a minute.  Add the wine and scrape up all the bit at the bottom of the pot.  Add the barley and give it a stir.  Let it saute for another couple of minutes.
3. Stir in the broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and stir once again.  Lower the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for about 45 minutes until the barley is cooked and tender.  Stir occasionally to prevent the stew from burning
4. Remove from heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  Place into serving bowls and sprinkle grated cheese over top

Crustless Quiche

This quiche comes together quickly and easily and is so very filling!  It warms up nicely in the microwave - if you have any leftovers!


1 pkg (227g) sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bag baby spinach
6 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup feta cheese (or to your taste)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Place the sliced mushrooms in a pan coated with non-stick spray with the garlic and salt and pepper.  Turn the heat to medium-high and saute the mushrooms until they release all of their moisture and no water remains in the pan, approx. 5-10 minutes.

2. Spray a pie dish with nonstick spray.  Spread the baby spinach on the bottom of the pie dish.  Add the cooked mushrooms and crumble the feta over top.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs until smooth.  Add the milk, Parmesan and some salt and pepper.  Whisk to combine.  Pour the egg mixture into the pie dish, over the vegetables and feta.

4. Sprinkle the mozzarella over top.  Place the pie dish in the oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid, approximately 30-35 minutes.

Tomato sauce

I'm very fortunate that my family has jarred their own tomato sauce for years. So whenever I need to make something that requires sauce, I can just go downstairs and bring up a jar of sauce. It's basically ready to go the way it is, but I always add a little more to it and let it simmer before using it.

You can easily make "fresh" sauce on your own using a can of crushed tomatoes, some veggies and herbs.

Ingredients:
1 can crushed tomatoes (or a jar of your own sauce if you have it!)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled, quartered and sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly chopped (I often leave this out because I never seem to have celery around!)
1 tbsp tomato paste (if you don't have this that's okay)
Basil, oregano, bay leaves - to taste, about 1-1.5 tsp dried herbs or tbsp of fresh
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat for about a minute and add the garlic. After a couple of minutes add the carrot and celery and cook until softened, about another 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, salt and pepper and stir.
Add the crushed tomatoes and herbs and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and let it simmer for at least an hour until the sauce has reduced and thickened. If you used whole bay leaves, remove and discard.
At this point you can use an immersion blender to roughly blend the sauce to thicken it and make it a smoother consistency.

Vegetarian Lasagna

Lasagna is a great make-ahead dish.  It sits well in the fridge, assembled, for up to a day. This makes it great for when you are having people over because you can just take it out of the fridge, pop it into the oven and hangout with your guests.  It does take some time to make and assemble, but the payout is so worth it in the end.  This lasagna is so hearty that you really don't need anything else with it, except maybe a salad if you really want.  You can also adapt this recipe to make in smaller dishes that you can freeze and take out whenever you need it.  With that said, you can also freeze a large tray of lasagna too.  Lasagna makes a great left-over dish as well, for lunch the next day or even for dinner two nights in a row.

Ingredients:
approx. 2 boxes oven-ready lasagna (or you can use the one you have to boil - just don't forget to boil it!)
Tomato sauce (any jarred sauce works, or you can use this recipe here)
approx. 2 cups ricotta cheese (I use at least 3/4 of a 1kg tub)
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed out
3 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, peeled, quartered and chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 zucchini, quartered and chopped
1/2 pkg (227g) sliced mushrooms
1/2 butternut squash,  peeled, quartered and chopped (I used the top half)
1 cup mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Before you can assemble the lasagna, you will need to prepare each layer separately.  If you are making your sauce, let it simmer for about an hour before using.

To make the spinach-ricotta mixture: Combine the spinach and ricotta together in a bowl with the eggs.  Make sure everything is well incorporated. Add 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Give it another stir and set aside.

To make the veggie layer: Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the onion for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.  Add the carrots and saute for another couple of minutes, until the carrot softens.  Add the mushrooms and do the same.  Finally add the rest of vegetables and saute for another 5 minutes.  Season with about 1 tsp each of salt and pepper.  Lower the heat, cover and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes.

To assemble: Pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of a large (9x13") baking dish.  Place about 5 lasagna sheets (or however many you need to cover the dish) on the bottom of the dish, overlapping slightly.  Spoon about half of the ricotta-spinach mixture over the lasagna, covering the sheets.

Place another layer of lasagna sheets and then spoon the veggie mixture.
 Pour some more sauce over the veggies (not too much) and cover with about half of the mozzarella.  Place another layer of lasagna sheets followed by the remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, followed by another layer of lasagna sheets.  Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.




Bake, covered with foil, in a 400F preheated oven for about 45 minutes.  Remove the foil, lower the oven to 375F and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted.  Let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it!