pork on my fork

so yet again I come back amid a myriad of excuses, take-out meals and processed food. Ugh. Anyway, I actually cooked something for Canada Day, so I thought I'd snap a few pics and share it.

We don't often eat a lot of pork...never really been my favourite meat, but for some reason it just seemed like having the 'other white meat' with a nice red rub would be a fitting way to celebrate Canada's 142nd.

Because I'm way too lazy to haul lil Z, hubs and myself downtown to stand in the rain and watch the fireworks. I'm also not crazy. Something tells me that an almost-11-month-old (eGAD when did that happen!!!!!!!!!!!!) in a huge crowd with loud explosive fireworks would not end well.

ANYWAY...so while I left the antics to folks both younger and much less lame than myself, I had my own kind of fun creating some yummy food in the kitchen. :) Dinner started with a simple fresh salad - romaine, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, blackberries and feta, with a homemade creamy poppyseed dressing (eat your heart out Kraft...my dressing is WAAAAAAAAAAY better).

Main course was a boneless pork rib roast with a smoked-paprika and cumin rub, topped with a red wine raisin vinaigrette, accompanied with potatoes au gratin (think: scalloped potatoes all grown up and aged to golden delicious perfection), and balsamic glazed asparagus. YUM.

To finish off the meal, yes, it would have been utterly and appropriately seasonal to do a reprise of my strawberry cream tart, but there's this other recipe that I've been dying to share with you, so I made it. It's so good. Think: caramel. pecan. apricots. pastry. almost an entire pound of butter.

Yeah. It's that good.

Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

2 T white wine vinegar

1/2 t salt (preferably sea salt)

2 T dijon mustard

6T extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 T poppyseeds

2-3 T honey (to taste)

3 T whipping cream (35% fat! very important or it will curdle)

1. Dissolve the salt in the vinegar.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together.

3. Taste. If it's a bit thin, you can add a combo of honey, whipping cream and a bit of mustard. It's not an exact science and definitely subject to personal preference. At any rate, if you're a fan of purchased poppyseed dressing, you'll LOVE this stuff. Pretty quick and easy and every ingredient is pronounceable. Gotta love that. This was utterly fabulous on our salad - romaine, red onion, cucumber, red pepper, feta and blackberries. The sharp tang on the onion, with the salty creaminess of the feta and the sweet juicy blackberries was wonderful. I'd initially been looking for strawberries, but man....the blackberries rocked my world.

Pork Roast with Smoked-Paprika Rub and Red-Wine Raisin Vinaigrette

stolen and slightly modified from epicurious.com

For roast:
1/4 cup (1 oz) bittersweet smoked Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus additional for sprinkling (I used coarse sea salt)
1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black pepper
1 (5- to 6-lb) center-cut bone-in pork loin rib roast (I couldn't find a bone-in roast...I actually ended with a boneless pork rib roast and a centre cut boneless roast)

For vinaigrette:
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup red wine
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Roast pork:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.
2. Stir together paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Rub mixture all over pork. (Press lightly so rub adheres; you will have some leftover rub.) It's a hands on experience.

You really will have to get your fingers a little dirty...

3. Put pork on a metal rack in a roasting pan, rib side down.

4. Roast pork 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300°F and continue to roast until a meat thermometer inserted diagonally into center registers 160°F, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes more. (DNM NOTE: the rub that didn't adhere actually started to SMOKE like crazy during the 10 minutes at 500F. I ended up having to add a skiff of water to the bottom of the pan because I was worried that YET AGAIN I would set off my stupid smoke detectors and wake up a napping lil Z).

See the stuff underneath? Yeah...lots of smoke.

Let pork stand, loosely covered with foil, 20 to 25 minutes before carving.

Make vinaigrette while pork roasts:
1. Soak raisins in wine in a medium bowl, covered, 30 minutes. Add vinegar, red onion, garlic, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined. (DNM note: This dressing did not combine at all. Not even remotely. Five minutes of vigourous whisking resulted only in tired arms, splashed olive oil everywhere and an utterly separated dressing. I think next time I might just make a pan sauce with some of the drippings. The vinaigrette was tasty...but not really a showstopper. And the lack of emulsification was very disappointing. Meh.

Slice pork and serve with vinaigrette. I LOVED the rub on this roast. Normally, smoked paprika is something that's so permeating in a dish that I'm not sure if I really like it or not. As a rub, it's great, because you have some nice smokiness on the outside, but nothing too overwhelming.

Since I ended up having two roasts and only four people, I actually only served the rib roast. The centrecut roast, I sliced REALLY thinly and plan on using it for sandwiches for the rest of the week. In fact, I had one tonight, with some leftover salad. It was awesome. Lightly smoky pork, crunchy veggies, jalapeno havarti, honey mustard and multigrain bread. YUM.

Potato Gratin

6 potatoes, sliced thinly (you could peel 'em if you want...but I'm too lazy)

1 onion, chopped (I used a vidalia as it's sweeter)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1.5 cups whipping cream

salt

pepper

garlic powder (I know...heinous...I was feeling lazy)

1. Spray a 9x13 glass dish with cooking spray.

2. Spread a thin layer of potatoes over the bottom of the dish (use two potatoes). Sprinkle with a handful of onion. Add a thin layer of parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese (I actually just use my microplane to grate right over).

3. Pour about 1/2 cup of whipping cream over the layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Repeat 2 more times.

4. Bake at 350F, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours (until potatoes are done and nice and golden brown). This isn't an especially saucy gratin, but it's deliciously rich and cheesy. Lil Z gave it two thumbs up, squinched her nose at me, and squealed with glee. You will too, hehe. Though perhaps minus the nose squinching.

Balsamic Glazed Asparagus

1.5 lb asparagus spears

2 T olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T balsamic vinegar

fleur de sel

black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Trim ends off asparagus.

2. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper. Mix it together well with your hands.

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on thickness of your asparagus - mine were pretty thin). Enjoy. It's yummy.

this was my dinner. And lil Z's too. This kid is awesome and will eat anything I make. So far.

And now, for the pièce de résistance...this tart kicks complete ass. Everyone loves it. In fact, pretty much everyone I've served it to has mentioned that it's the best tart they've ever eaten. People even dream of this tart. It's soooooooooooo good. Make it. Make it now. And what's fantastic about it (at least for this Canuck) is that it requires no seasonal ingredients. So even way up here, we can have this tart any time we want.

Caramel Apricot Pecan Tart

stolen from The Wine Lover's Dessert Cookbook

This is the third time I've made this tart and I've adjusted the proportions of the recipe a bit - more caramel, less topping. Also, I use dark brown sugar, whereas the initial recipe calls for golden brown/light brown sugar. I like the deeper flavour, but if light brown is all you have, I'm sure it would still be delicious. One aspect of this recipe that's pretty friendly to the home cook is that there's no actual caramelizing going on....so no picky burnt sugar to work with. The brown sugar provides the caramel flavour here.

Pecan Crust:

1/3 c pecans

1/3 c granulated sugar (I used vanilla sugar)

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 t vanilla extrack

1 egg white

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/4 t salt

Topping:

3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/3 c dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1/3 c (2/3 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 t salt (I recommend fleur de sel as its coarseness results in the most wonderful little salty tangs on top of the caramel filling)

Filling:

3/4 c (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter

1.5 c dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1/3 c honey

2 c pecans, coarsely chopped

1/3 c heavy cream (35%)

1 1/3 c dried apricots, coarsely chopped

To make the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F, centre rack. Toast the pecans (ALL of the pecans for the entire recipe!!!!!!) for about 8-10 minutes. Cool the nuts completely (don't skip this step or the pecans will melt the butter in your crust!)

2. Combine the toasted pecans and sugar in a food processor and grind as finely as possible. Add the butter and vanilla and process until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.

3. Add the egg whit eand process until well combined. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the mixture comes together into a ball.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead briefly, then form the dough into a flat disk. Wrap the disk in plastic film and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll. (DNM note: I suck at pastry. I really do. My pastry stuck to the counter. So this is what mine looked like. This is what it's looked like every time I've tried. No worried though...I just use my fingers and flatten it out and it seems to work just fine. Next time, I may just spare myself the hassle.)

5. Preheat the oven to 350F. With a floured rolling pin, roll the chilled pastry into an 11-inch round on a floured board (ya...ya...ya....ugh). Transfer the pastry to a 10-inch tart pan (this is the type of pan with a removable bottom and a fluted edge). Press the pastry firimly into the bottom and sides of the pan, patching any tears (you saw my pastry....the entire thing was a patch!). Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, leaving the oven on. This crust smells phenomenal...it's like the most delicious pecan shortbread cookie.

To make the topping:

1. Combine the flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a small bowl. Use your fingertips to incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms a crumbly dough. Set aside.

To make the filling:

1. Heat and stir the butter, brown sugar and honey in a heavy medium saucepan, until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a full boil. Boil for 1 minute.

2. Remove the pan from heat and add the chopped pecans and cream. BE CAREFUL - it will sputter and steam. Wait a few seconds for the steam to subside and then stir together.

3. Sprinkle the chopped apricots over the bottom of the baked crust. Pour the filling over the apricots and bake the tart for 10 minutes. I highly recommend placing your tart pan on a foil-lined pizza pan. The caramel has a tendency to boil and bubble a bit and it would make one heck of a big mess in your oven....

4. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top, then return the tart to the oven until the surface is bubbling - about 20 minutes more.

5. Cool on a rack and ENJOY. It's soooooooooooooooo good. Lil Z, sadly, cannot comment about the tart...no pecans for her just yet....

Enjoy! And if you only take one thing away from this post, it's that you should make the tart. Thanks for reading.

pseudo-mexican spice

For reasons I can't fathom, I've had crazy crazy cravings for some spicy mexican fare lately. No, Lil Z is not going to be a big sis. I've just been absolutely craving fiesta-inspired food. Hubs and I just came back from a lovely, lovely respite in Cuba (where we attended and took some pics at a lush and colourful tropical wedding and trash the dress session. The whole setting just gave me intense longings for spicy food (Cuba is BEAUTIFUL, but the resorts are not exactly known as gastronomical meccas).

So the entire meal plan for this week is based around spice, spice and more spice. I recently got hold of a March 2009 copy of Cooking Light and within it found a veritable treasure trove of ethnic foods. So this week's plan consists almost entirely of recipes modified from that magazine. YUMMY. Cooking Light is my absolute FAVOURITE cooking magazine. As much as I love some of the more sinful publications (Bon Appetit, Gourmet), I really appreciate the fact that this magazine actually has food that I can eat and enjoy with little guilt. My back-to-work deadline is rapidly looming and I still can't jam myself back into most of my work attire...so Cooking Light is definitely de rigueur.

Last night, we dined on tex-mex turkey calzones, accompanied with a delicious black bean salad. The recipe as published in the magazine is pretty simple and quick. I complicated it a bit by making my own dough (I had the ingredients and the time), but if you follow their prescribed shortcuts, especially the one of just using shredded (already cooked) chicken breast), this would assemble in a jif. The results are deeeeeelish and satisfying and, as I was anticipating the sheer deliciousness of this meal, I doubled the recipe and froze half. I see some frozen calzones in the near future for me........

Tex Mex Calzones

stolen and adapted from March 2009 Cooking Light

1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper (I cheated and used 2 green as they are cheaper!)
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fat-free fire-roasted salsa verde
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 (11-ounce) can refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough (I made my own, recipe below)
2 cups preshredded Mexican blend cheese (I never buy pre-shredded cheese - it's SO expensive...I used grated old cheddar)
Cooking spray
low-fat sour cream

1. (If you're making your own dough, do that first!) See below. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring mixture occasionally. Remove turkey mixture from heat; stir in salsa and cilantro.



3. Unroll dough; divide into 4 equal portions (per can....or if you make your own dough, divide into 8). Stretch each portion into a 6 x 4–inch rectangle.



Working with one rectangle at a time, spoon about 1/2 cup turkey mixture on one side of dough. Top with 3 tablespoons cheese; fold dough over turkey mixture, and press edges together with a fork to seal.



4. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining dough and turkey mixture.



5. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until browned. Serve with sour cream.



Calzone Dough:
4.5 teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packages)
2 t sugar
1.5 c warm water
3 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 T ground flax meal (it's good for ya!)
1 t salt
1 T canola oil
spices: about 1/2 t each cumin, chili powder, coriander, garlic and zest of one lime....TOTALLY optional but they are easy to throw in and taste oh-so-yummy

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer/food processor, combine yeast, sugar and water. Add flours, flax, salt and canola oil and mix on speed 2 until combined and forming a nice, cohesive ball. If it won't combine, add water, 1 t at a time. If it's too sticky, add flour, 1 T at a time. (You can do this by hand as well...I am just lazy and in luuuuurve with my kitchenaid).



2. Turn out the dough into a greased large bowl.



Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. I like to have it rise in the oven, with the oven light on. It's perfectly warm and draft-free. If you make the dough first, you can let it rise while you make the filling and the salad. By the time you're done those, the dough should be just about done. When it's ready, punch it down and divide into 8 equal portions.

Black bean salad:

Combine 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed and drained black beans, 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup chopped red onion, 1/4 cup chopped celery, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, 1 avocado, 1 clove garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl; toss well to coat.



Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 calzone and 1 tablespoon sour cream)

CALORIES 416 ; FAT 14.1g (sat 6.1g,mono 4.9g,poly 1.6g); CHOLESTEROL 44mg; CALCIUM 195mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.2g; SODIUM 771mg; PROTEIN 25.7g; FIBER 2.5g; IRON 2.5mg

Said hubs, about this meal....'this is freaking phenomenal.' And about leftovers at lunch: 'I could just eat a lunch of these black beans, onions and tomatoes on their own.' It's absolutely delicious. The salsa verde imparts just enough spice to satisfy and they are yummy pockets of mostly-healthy goodness. Two thumbs up.

Tonight's meal is hopefully equally delicious - tilapia with coconut red curry sauce, served on a bed of seasoned jasmine and bok choy rice. I'm excited already. Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!

of local interest....

In twit-like fashion, I managed to delete all of the photos I had stored up to post....but I do have two quick local notes for my Ottawa readers.....

1. Atelier Restaurant - if you have an adventurous palate and a deep pocket for eating out, you should eat there. Eat there now. It's a fantastic new restaurant, chockful of molecular gastronomy. They serve a 12 course blind tasting menu (blind meaning that you don't get to pick what you eat, nor do you know what it is until it's served....not that the room is dark or that you are blindfolded) of fun and creative food. LOVE IT. You will also love it. Also, get the wine pairing. The sommelier is young and cute and knows his stuff. Cost for two with tip (and wine pairing) is about $330. But totally worth it for that special occasion. No doubt this will become a mecca for Ottawa foodies.

The image below is borrowed (without permission) from Miv Photography (they are awesome) - I kinda felt like too much of a touristica-tool to whip out my massive camera with its huge flash to take my own photos. The food is freaking cool.




2. Supperworks - another cool company. They aren't entirely local, as there are franchises across the province, and other, similar companies, across the continent, but they've got a great thing. Basically, every month, they have a snazzy fresh menu. You fill in a form online and tell them which delicious things you would like to eat. Then, you arrive at your booked appointment, are offered an apron and a drink, and then you get to work in assembling your pre-ordered meals. Everything is chopped and ready for you. All you do is scoop up according to instructions, stick on a label, and throw the whole thing in your freezer when you get home. Then, when you're having a crazy week, you just defrost it in your fridge (while you're at work or running around or what have you) and come home and just quickly cook it. Most of them cook in less time than takeout, and the cost is definitely less. The added bonus is that you know exactly what went into your meal and you can actually feel good about serving it.



I'm not sure how they'll fare in the floundering economy, but if it's between supperworks and take-out, supperworks is definitely the more economical option. Definitely suggest that you busy folks check it out.

Now....I actually have snazzy meals planned for every night this week...hopefully I'll actually get to posting some of them. On the menu tonight? tex-mex turkey calzones with a black bean salad.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

cordon bleu...or maybe it's green....

Since being on mat leave, I've done a number of things. First, I got a nice big TV. Next, I upgraded my cable package.

And last, I've become totally and completely addicted to the Food Network. However, in doing so, I've discovered that they tend to replay the same episodes about three times a day. Probably not a huge deal if you only tune in every once in a while, but when it's on your TV all day, most days, it gets darned annoying.

The added bonus is that the idiosyncracies of the various hosts really start to grate on your nerves. I'm not about to get into a full-blown invective lambasting the various people on tv, but one show in particular that I *almost* love is Chef At Home. It's hosted by Michael Smith and he's got a great approach to food. Unlike most chefs whom I would be absolutely sh!tbaked to have at my home (you know, the ones who ascribe to the idea that there is only ONE correct way to make every individual dish), he seems to have a totally down-to-earth approach to food. I think we'd get along.

That is, of course, if I could get over his didactive narration. Seriously, he talks to me like I"m about 5 years old (coincidentally, the age of his cherubic little son, Gabe). And if you watch each episode, a fun drinking game would be to take a shot every time he uses the word "aromatic." Might liven things up.

Anyway, with all that said, his food is almost unerringly fabulous. I caught a preview for an episode a while back and was so intrigued by it (ham and cheddar chicken baked on a bed of onions) that off I went to www.foodtv.ca to try to find the recipe.

It was yum. I made the whole meal and it was a big hit. Simple, delicious...no complaints here. I might skip the spinach sauce next time (it made a TON and was just a little too spinachy tasting), but the onions were amazing, and the stuffed pototoes kicked all kinds of ass. Two thumbs way up. Make this meal - it'll impress your inlaws and fill your bellies.

Ham and Cheddar Chicken Rolls
stolen from Chef at Home


4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 slices deli ham
8 thin slices cheddar cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp dried thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°.

2. Layer two pieces of plastic wrap on top of each other. Fold them in half, open and place a chicken breast near the fold. Fold over the plastic wrap covering the meat then gently pound and flatten the breasts using a rolling pin, meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy pot.

3. Season the chicken, then spread a thin layer of Dijon over each piece.

4. Lay two slices of ham and two slices of cheddar on each breast. Roll them up tightly.


5. Sauté the onions with the oil, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until they are lightly browned and golden.


6. Place the chicken rolls on top of the onions in the pan or transfer to another baking pan, cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the rolls are cooked through.


You may serve them whole with a scoop of the onions or slice each one into several ‘rounds’ and present them on a bed of the onions.



Spinach Sauce
stolen from Chef at Home
as mentioned, I could take this or leave it. It makes WAY too much - I've frozen the leftovers to use as a pizza sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb. spinach leaves, washed
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Pour the oil into a saucepan over medium-high heat then add the onions and garlic. Sauté until they are fully aromatized, until the whole kitchen smells great!

2. Add the spinach, white wine and chicken broth and cook briefly just until the spinach softens, shrinks and wilts down. This is a 6qt pot, btw.


3. Puree with a hand blender, counter blender or food processor and season with salt and pepper.


Salsa Stuffed Potatoes
stolen from Chef at Home
these potatoes ROCK - I used hot salsa and old cheddar. I recommend you do the same

4 large baking potatoes
1/2 cup your favourite salsa
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°.

2. Bake the potatoes for an hour or so, until their flesh is very tender.

3. When they are cool enough to handle, trim the top off of them. Scoop out most of the flesh, leaving enough around the inside of the skin to keep it whole and give it strength.

4. Mash the scooped potato with the salsa and cheese. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells, mounding them over the top a bit as needed.


5. Bake until they are hot and the tops are golden brown and beautiful (about 20 minutes...put them back in the same time as the chicken!)



This is a great meal to serve to company - it's got loads of flavour, but there's nothing in it that is especially exotic or strange to the unadventurous tastebud. I had no leftovers, so that should say something. Super yum. Thanks for reading!

the easiest, best thing you will ever make

Dear, dear readers...I must apologize. I've been holding out on you. You see, there is a recipe that I came up with by happenstance a couple of years ago and I've been making it regularly ever since (and you know it's good, because me actually making something on a regular basis is in itself an irregularity).

This recipe is ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as salt and pepper pasta. This is a recipe that is so stupidly easy and simple, so fast to throw together, can make totally varied quantities depending on your needs and is basically just perfect for a working/busy family. It's not the prettiest thing I've ever made, but if you pair it with a salad, you have a healthy, balanced meal that will totally blow your mind.

If, of course, you like Indian food. If you hate curry, well, read no further...this is yummy, but not likely to convert an avowed curry hater.

Everyone else will love it though, and you can pat yourself on the back, because it's just so stupidly easy that you won't mind making it over and over again.

In this particular instance, I was making a triple batch, but I'm going to give you the quantities for a single batch instead...though the leftovers are so yummy, you may want to double or triple it.

Crockpot Beef Chickpea Curry


1-1.5 lb beef (I usually buy a super cheap roast and cut it myself - it's cheaper and less fatty than pre-cut stewing beef. Also, I find the stores have stewing beef in such enormous chunks that they are more suited to giants than people) - in this particular instance, I used a big ole rump roast:

Apparently, 1.7 kg makes about 2L of beef...hmmm

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-1.5 c beef broth
curry paste to taste (I use Patak's curry paste, usually either hot or vindaloo...but there are many other types...use about 1/4 cup for a flavourful curry)



1 cup peas
1/4 c chopped cilantro

1 cup low-fat plain yogourt
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 t salt
1/4 c chopped cilantro
zest and juice of 1 lime

naan/pita/etc.

1. In the morning, throw the beef, chickpeas, broth and curry paste in the crockpot (these proportions are best-suited to a 2-3 qt crockpot...my triple batch was perfect in a 6 qt pot). Turn the crockpot to low and go about your life for the rest of the day. I've even put the beef in frozen and it still tastes good. You want the liquid to not cover your ingredients, but ALMOST to cover them, so add a little more if you're short. BTW, life is easiest if you combine the broth with the curry paste, and THEN add the beef/chickpeas.


2. When you get home (or about 20 minutes before dinner), throw the whole curry into a large skillet and turn the stove to medium-high. Add the peas (use frozen peas, don't bother thawing). You want to get the liquid to evaporate to make an almost-dry curry. You could simply drain it off, but having it evaporate concentrates the flavours a lot more. It's much tastier.

3. Meanwhile, combine the yogourt, garlic, cilantro and lime in a small bowl. If it's not a saucey consistency, add a little milk to thin it out. Heat up your naan/pita in the oven at 350F for about 5 minutes (wrap them in foil).

4. By the time you've finished the sauce, your curry is probably close to ready. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro.

5. To serve, you can try to eat it like a wrap (which is delicious, but generally messy), or make a curry 'pizza' on your plate and drizzle with sauce. Maybe not the prettiest thing ever, but it's SO GOOD.



I absolutely love making this. You could make it vegetarian/vegan by omitting the beef/broth (duh) and either adding more chickpeas, or some paneer (though not for the crockpotting portion of the day), or some spinach. The recipe is just a guide, but anyone with a crockpot should make this. Even if you don't have a crockpot, it would fare very well in a cast iron (or other) dutch oven in the oven for a few hours. The key is cheap, non-fatty beef and a long cooking time to soften it up. If you make this, you will like it, guaranteed. Hubs has been after me for weeks to post this recipe, so I hope you enjoy! Also, the reason there are no peas in this particular iteration is that it was hubs' job to add them and he neglected to do so. It's good with or without peas, but it's always good to add more veggies.

Thanks for reading!

to say that life has been busy...

...for the past few weeks would actually be an understatement.

I've got two guest rooms and they've both been occupied more often than not in the last little bit...which is why you haven't heard anything from me.

Between that and Lil Z, life has kept me hopping.

So um...first things first, merry Christmas from Lil Z and I:


I will update about the big potluck party a bit later (it was awesome) as well as all about Christmas dinner...because in the meantime, I have a few more resolution-worthy recipes to share.

As I've mentioned before, I don't run ads on this blog - first, I'm way too incompetent to figure it all out in HTML (I'm a click and hope kind of gal, when it comes to website coding), second, I steal too many recipes and don't want people to think I'm making money off their creativity, and last, the piddly income I would get from ads would probably only serve to screw up my taxes, make me hire an accountant and essentially negate any financial benefit.

Plus, ads are annoying.

BUT, that said, blogging will occasionally have its perks, and sometimes, I do get the odd freebie in the mail.

Lately, I've received a couple of cookbooks and while I will not mindlessly whore my name out to enrich others, I am pretty happy with some of the recipes I've sampled. This particular cookbook seems fitting for this time of year, given that most of us are probably resolving to eat healthier (BAHAHAHA!), eat out less and all that jazz, I think it's worth considering.

Whole Grains for Busy People, written by Lorna Sass is pretty much exactly what the title describes - quick recipes using whole grains. I'll admit I actually found the book a little off-putting at first...almost TOO healthy looking. I guess I like people to make food appealing by extolling its TASTE virtues, not so much the health virtues. I go for taste, first and foremost, with health being a very good side benefit...kwim? Anyway, Sass, who is pretty much THE person for whole grains, does a good job of explaining a few of the less common grains (farro, millet, etc.) and I'm most definitely looking forward to trying a few more recipes (like squash bisque topped with curried popcorn, or oat-crusted turkey cutlets....she also has recipes coating meat in ground-up popcorn, which sounds intriguing).

The recipes I tried are actually on facing pages, using my latest most fave ingredient - quinoa. Can I tell you how much I love this stuff? It's got a nice chewiness, doesn't taste obnoxiously-in-your-face-good-for-you and just goes so well in so many different things.

I modified the recipes lightly due to ingredient availability (and, let's face it, proximity, as I was too lazy to brave the cold to grocery shop), and because I like bolder, stronger seasonings.

These recipes are relatively quick, though they do require a higher than average amount of attention (i.e., lots of do this, wait 3 minutes, then do this, etc.).

Here are two yummy sample recipes for ya:

Provençal Salmon Stew with Quinoa
from Whole Grains for Busy People
Serves 4 (generously)

My modifications are in parentheses

1 T olive oil
1 c. diced onion
3/4 t thyme *I thought using only thyme would be a bit plain, so added some other typical provençal herbs
(1/4 t lavender)
(1/4 t marjoram)
(1/2 t basil)
(1/2 t rosemary)
1/2 t minced garlic (I used 3 cloves)
1/2 t anchovy paste
1/2 c dry white wine or vermouth (I used vermouth, to keep me from opening and drinking the bottle of white wine, hehe)
2 bottles (13 ounces each) clam juice (here, I subbed 900mL chicken broth as I had no CJ on hand)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid
1/4 c small black olives (I omitted - not a big fan and didn't have any anyway)
1 pound boneless, skinless salmon fillets, cut into 1 inch chunks - I used one of my fave christmas prezzies to cut this bad boy up....

3 T fresh parsley (omitted because I didn't have any)
grated zest of 1 large lemon
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. In a heavy 12-inch sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, thyme (and other spices, if using), garlic and cook, stirring frequently until the onion is lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the anchovy paste and cook 30 seconds more. You can actually see the lavender and other spices here:


2. Stir in the wine/vermouth and cook until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add the clam juice (or broth) and bring to a boil. Stir in the quinoa, cover, and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes.


3. Stir in the tomatoes and olives. Return to a boil. Cover and continue cooking until the quinoa is almost done, about 5 minutes longer (if the quinoa has a substantial white dot of starch in the centre, continue cooking until the dot is tiny).

4. Add a little water if the mixture is no longer loose and soupy. Gently stir in the salmon. Cover and cook over medium heat until the salmon is cooked through to the centre and the quinoa is tender, 2-3 minutes.


5. Gently stir in the parsley, lemon zest and juice and season (salt/pepper) to taste, if needed.


Both hubs and I really enjoyed this stew. Sure, I made some changes, but it's a very nice, fresh, healthy tasting soup...like something you might find in a health spa. I noticed, actually, that hubs enjoyed it so much he also ate it for brekkie. Fish for brekkie should tell you something about how tasty this is. Two thumbs up.

Now, on the facing page to the salmon quinoa recipe was another quinoa stew recipe. And while I was making last night's dinner, I couldn't help but read through this other stew recipe and think...hmmm...I freaking love quinoa and I think I have all/most of the ingredients for this. SOLD.

So here's another one for you. I followed the recipe for the most part, but I added a LOT more spices, due to personal preference. I suspect the original might have been a little timid in flavour. Not so much mine.

Southwestern Quinoa Stew with Squash, Black Beans and Corn
serves 4-6
stolen from Whole Grains for Busy People

(again, my mods are in parentheses)

1 T olive oil
2 t minced dried onion (wtf is this? I used 1 small whole regular onion)
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t granulated garlic (again, wtf....I used 3 cloves of regular garlic)
1 container low-sodium chicken/veggie broth
(1 T chili powder, 1 t cumin, dash cinnamon, 1/2 T cocoa powder)
1 cup quinoa
1 t chipotle in adobo, minced (didn't have any - subbed 1 T chipotle hot sauce, and then oomphed it with a few dashes of sri racha)
1 10-oz package frozen cooked squash
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1/3 c fire-roasted red peppers (ummmm....witness what happened to my peppers...EW. I may have cured cancer here, but I opted to toss that jar and just use a fresh green pepper along with the onion....GROSS)

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
pepper to taste
(crumbled aged cheddar)

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, oregano and garlic, cook for 10 seconds (because I used fresh onion, garlic and added a green pepper, I actually cooked for about 5 mins).


2. Add the broth and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa and boil uncovered over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. I added my extra spices at the same time as the quinoa. While the quinoa is cooking, you can assemble the other ingredients.


3. Stir in the chipotle in adobo, and add the block of squash (I partially defrosted mine in the fridge overnight). Otherwise, cover, turn the heat to high and continue cooking until you can break up the squash and stir it in (3-4 mins).

4. Stir in the beans and reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking until here is no solid white dot of starch at the centre of the quinoa (1-3 minutes). I added my squash/beans at the same time because I am lazy.


5. Stir in the corn, red pepper, cilantro and salt/pepper to taste. When I tasted it, I added some sri racha and the juice of half a lime (it needed more bite). Cook, uncovered, until the corn is defrosted.


I garnished mine with some 3-year-aged balderson heritage cheddar. OMG. YUMMY. The stew was delicious - I never would have thought to put these ingredients together, but it works wonderfully....I just thought it needed some kick, and I'm happy with the way my mods turned out.



Overall, I think this is a pretty good cookbook if you're trying to eat healthy, or for example, if you need to eliminate gluten, etc (it's NOT a gluten-free cookbook, but uses a lot of gluten-free grains). THere is a nice variety of recipes and I like how it gently introduces you to a large variety of whole grains.

Critiques? It would be nice if there were nutritional info. I know these recipes are healthy, and were I feeling motivated, I could enter the ingredients and find out the exact info myself...but it would have been nice if this book had already done that. And I also find the recipes can overemphasize the salt and underemphasize other herbs and seasonings.

That said, I would recommend this book to any of you who are trying to eat healthy and are trying to look beyond steamed veggies and rice for your healthy fare. Keep your eyes peeled, as I'm sure I'll have more to say about this book in coming weeks. I've got a beach with my name on it and only a few short weeks to get beach-ready!

i'm still trying to figure out...

...why we insist on indulging to the point of utter frivolity during this time of year. Think about it....not only are there more parties and outings than at any other time, but there is a redonkulous amount of shopping to get done (I'm totally not done...a proactive more martha-esque type might have been clicking away and online shopping during November...but I'm just not that smart)...and we compound all the family juggling fun by also insisting on baking a huge quantity of a great variety of things that we really don't need to eat.

And colour me guilty.

I did just that. I'm really not much of a baker...I don't have the time or patience for fancy rolled cookies (plus, I HATE pastry) or really anything that's very finicky or multi stepped. I either want something that is a smooth batch process or a quick dump and pour.

I made four different things this year - 2 varieties of eggless cookies (for no reason in particular, other than the fact that I was right out of eggs on the night I decided to cook) and two different types of candy. None of this is difficult, and it's pretty tasty.

For the cookies, I was first inspired by the fragrant lavender I picked up a couple of weeks ago. I made a very simple butter cookie and scented it with lavender. However, to make life simpler for myself, I actually doubled the cookie DOUGH recipe and then divided it in two. The first half, I made into lavender cookies, and the second half, into white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. It's not too much extra work and you end up with more variety - win-win in my books.

They're both decent ocokies. Not like super-duper amazing rave-worthy cookies, but solid, decent cookies. No complaints.

The next two though, EVERYONE will be clamouring for the recipe (or perhaps I flatter myself in thinking this). I made peanut butter cups (yep, just like Reese's) and everyone is always utterly baffled that they can be homemade and they fit neatly into the batch process idea. They are messy to make (my kitchen was totally covered in chocolate), so I like to quadruple the recipe to make it worth my while. Everyone loves them and they are not tough at all.

Last, I made a maple walnut fudge...I'll admit that the maple flavour is totally artificial...and even though I normally despise all things artificial (ESPECIALLY maple)...it's honestly really good. As far as fudge recipes go, I've made this one four times, and I've yet to eff it up. It seems to be foolproof. And the best thing about it is that it's actually a real fudge recipe...I find a lot of people say they are making fudge...but it's totally NOT fudge...it's usually some heinous marshmallow squishy concoction that bears no resemblance whatsoever to fudge.

This is fudge...when I make it, it's a bit on the drier side, and slightly sugary, so it may not be everyone's allegorical fudge...but then again, one really must allow a bit of leeway anyway when applying form theory to creations of a culinary nature.

So all that said, let's get to the recipes. This is going to be a loooooong post.

Eggless Butter Cookie Dough
this is a double batch that will make about 60 cookies


1 cup butter (at room temperature!)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 cups flour
1/2 t salt (if using unsalted butter)
4 t baking powder

1. Hopefully, you have some sort of electric mixer, or a really strong arm, to help you cream the butter and the sugar together.

2. Beat in the sour cream and the vanilla.

3. Dump in the flour, salt (if using) and baking powder. Purists will tell you that you should sift them all together (blah, blah blah), but trust me, it works just fine (for this recipe, at least) if you just dump and save yourself an extra bowl.

Your dough will be very thick and quite dry (it should stick together, but it won't actually be STICKY).

Now, divide your dough in two. Here, you now have the option to make two (or more) different types of cookies. You could add in things like cinnamon, raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, toffee bits, coconut...whatever you like. I did lavender.

Lavender cookies - add 1.5 t dried lavender that's been lightly pulverized (I used the snazzy new mortar and pestle that my mom passed along to me).



White chocolate macadamia cookies - add 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1 cup lightly toasted macadamia nuts


To make cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Drop by teaspoons onto a greased baking sheet (I use a silpat). I found the lavender cookies spread out fine on their own, but with the white chocolate cookies, I found it worked better when I flattened them out a bit first).


2. Bake for 11-13 minutes (start checking at about 9 minutes though, as this will depend on your oven). I thought I would try to be smart and use the convection feature on my oven, but I clearly have a little learning to do, as all I managed to accomplish was overly browning one side of my cookies.

I totally hate baking.

So that's why the other stuff I made did NOT involve the oven. Everybody makes cookies at Christmas, so that's why it's nice to change it up with something fun like PB cups or fudge.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
I quadrupled this recipe and made 100 small ones.


Peanut Butter Mixture:
½ c. peanut butter (natural is best for the most strong peanutty flavour!!)
¼ c. brown sugar (golden is best...I used demerara and do NOT recommend it...too crunchy!)
½ c. icing sugar
1 ½ T. butter (softened)
½ t. vanilla
* if you are using all natural peanut butter and salt-free butter, add a bit of salt too - about 1/4-1/2 t

Chocolate Mixture:
1 300-350g bag of chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet “The Decadent” by PC, but milk
chocolate would work!)
2 T. oil (canola or other flavourless oil)

1. Mix the peanut butter mixture together (this can take a while, it’s quite stiff - if you have a mixer, USE IT). The mixture should stick together, but not be sticky (like a cookie dough). If you find it too dry, add a another scoop of peanut butter.


2. Melt the chocolate and oil together. I like to melt chocolate in the microwave, on 50% power. My stove is really bad at low heat (as in, it doesn't really have a LOW setting...everything boils!), so I prefer the control I have with my microwave.


3. While the chocolate is melting, line muffin tins with the paper muffin cups. (this is only if you'r using large paper cups. I personally prefer this recipe using smaller candy cups - it's a better treat size, and they have more structural strength than a paper cup, so you don't need to put them in a muffin tin).


4. Once chocolate is melted, place some chocolate in the bottom of the
cup, using only enough to cover the bottom. I have this snazzy Wilton Icing Gun and I love using it for this - it's so quick and way less messy than using a spoon. You can use a spoon or pour though; hopefully you'll be neater than I am!


5. Form the peanut butter mixture into patties using your hands, and place these on top of the chocolate. They don't have to be perfect...just decent.


6. Pour chocolate over the peanut butter, enough to cover.


7. Place in fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes (it’s chilled when the chocolate is no longer shiny).



Keep chilled, because the oil in the chocolate lowers the melting point of it by quite a lot. If you are a little more confident in the kitchen, you could forgo the oil, and instead temper the chocolate. I'm way too lazy and this way works just fine. I'm just sayin'
Makes 12-24, depending on how big you like them!


Perfect Maple Walnut Fudge
This recipe is completely stolen from here: http://www.christmas-cookies.com/recipes/recipe377.perfect-maple-walnut-fudge.html


It's so yummy. I could eat it all the time. Every day, even.
I always double it because it's so easy to double and so easy to eat that doubling is practically a necessity. YUM.

2 cups packed brown sugar
half of a 10 oz can evaporated milk - not condensed!
1/2 pound butter (if unsalted, add a pinch of salt)
2 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar
1 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring (if desired)

1. Butter a 9x13-inch pan and set aside. I have determined lining the pan with foil or paper and buttering that makes cutting and removing much easier.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat very slightly and boil 10 minutes while stirring constantly. No longer!


Hopefully you are smarter than I am...I used a 3 qt pan for doubling the recipe, forgetting that boiling sugar tends to grow in volume. I had to transfer to my 6qt pan most of the way through the boiling process. That wasn't pretty, and I have the burns to prove it! Learn from me, kids. You can see here, the sugar is already starting to eke its way closer to the edge....(oh, and cleaning burnt sugar off a smooth top stove REALLY sucks...ughhhhhhh)


While the sugar is coming to a boil, it's good to put your other ingredients in place so you don't have to fumble or rush later:


3. Remove from heat and add icing sugar, vanilla and maple flavoring (if using). Mix thoroughly with hand mixer on medium until thick and glossy - just a couple of minutes.


Fold in walnuts and pour in prepared pan.

Refrigerate until set. This keeps perfectly well in the freezer and makes a great gift.

I love giving baking - people are always happy to receive it and the other nice thing about it is that unlike a wrapped gift, it doesn't impart the same sense of "aw-crap-i-didn't-get-you-anything" to its recipient. Golden.

I packaged some up like this:





And some, for a few friends, like this (yeah, tthey are already in the fridge):


Fun, eh?

Next up on my plate...dinner for 27 at my house. Should be good times. I'm not making everything (that would be crazy!!! I have a four month old, people!), but hopefully my contributions will be successful....

Thanks for reading!

complete satiety using only the basics

I almost hesitate to post this as a recipe. It's so ridiculously simple - I certainly can't lay claim to any sort of originality or great wave of creative genius here.

In a nutshell, I was hungry, low on fresh ingredients and so I just put a few very simple things together and WOAH. It's really freaking good.

The best parts of this are that it's ready in mere minutes (faster than KD and with less stirring) and if you have a well-stocked pantry, you can probably make it right this second.

So go make it already.

Salt and Pepper Pasta
1 pound good quality pasta (I like barilla or de cecco)
extra-virgin olive oil (about 1/4 cup - it's worth using your best stuff for this)
sea salt (ideally fleur de sel)
fresh black pepper
cheese for grating (real parmigiano or grana padano or pecorino romano are best)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Cook pasta to your preferred doneness (al dente!!! please!!!!). Start tasting it a minute or two before the package says it will be ready...you really don't want to overcook the pasta if you can avoid it. I had this really funky pasta in my cupboard and this was a great recipe to use it in because there was no heavy sauce masking the fun colours of the pasta.


This recipe is a good way to use any funky shaped or coloured pastas you might have hanging around. I was a little sad that some of the bright colour came off in the pasta water though:


3. When the pasta is cooked, drain, but don't rinse. Put it back in the pot and toss with olive oil, a good solid pinch of sea salt (again, I highly recommend coarse fleur de sel - because salt doesn't dissolve in oil, you get nice little tangs of salt throughout, rather than a solidly salty dish). Table salt wouldn't be as good because it's really intensely super duper salty. I know it sounds silly to say salt is salty (duh), but sea salt has a number of other minerals in it that tend to broaden the flavour of it and make it less sharply salty. Grind a LOT of pepper over top. Salt and pepper are your flavours here, so use a good amount.



4. Use a microplane to grate some cheese over the pasta in the pot, and toss to coat everything.

5. Serve the pasta with additional cheese and let people grate LOTS on top of their pasta.



Hubs could not get enough of this, and between the two of us, we scarfed the entire pound of pasta with him inquiring about whether there was more. It really is that good - a super duper simple dish that just allows a few classic flavours to shine. I call it recession gourmet. If you paired it with a green salad and some ice cream, you'd have a three course meal that you could serve to anyone - even your mother-in-law - and you'd have a delicious meal that's very easy on the wallet. Eating cheaply doesn't have to mean eating badly...

Thanks for reading! Oh, and keep voting on the poll - I'm shocked that only one person thinks I'm deluded thus far. I expected the anonymous internets to be out in full force to crush my video star dreams, lol.

i absolutely cannot believe...

...that Christmas is in only two weeks. Less than two weeks, actually. Eleven days.

CRAP.

I'm so not ready.

I do, however, have a question for you all. One of our latest purchases since Lil Z's arrival is a video camera...it's not a super snazzy one (no HD for me, lol), but it's kinda fun. I've been mulling over the idea of doing a little 3-minute webisode for the blog....what do you guys think? Ridiculous self-indulgence? Another useless food-network-wannabe? Let me know. I'm going to put up a poll so you can even be totally anonymous if you want to tell me I'm ridiculous.

But hey, at least I'm not hungry.

I actually made this stew a couple of weeks ago (kinda breaks my own rule that I like my posts to be timely), but things have been in such a whirlwind since then that I didn't have the chance to tell you about it until tonight.

One of the nice bonuses of being at home on mat leave is that I can try out those recipes that have to cook for an hour or two...mind you, Lil Z is not especially tolerant of such endeavours, but if I can throw it in the oven and forget about it, it usually works out pretty well all around.

I know most people opt for stews and roasts in this kind of weather (a nice balmy -15C tonight, I believe - totally feel for you poor prairie peeps and your minus 40! YUCK). And while I acknowledge that the generic roast or stew is pretty tasty, this is a little something more. It delves into some of the more exotic flavours, without making have to roam much farther than a well-stocked fridge and pantry. This is definitely stick to your ribs kind of food - very hearty and the peanut sauce gives it a gloriously rich texture in your mouth. It's worth stocking up on natural peanut butter for this recipe...and frankly, it's worth stocking up on natural PB in general...the other stuff is more of a dessert than anything and chock full of hydrogenated gunk.

African-Inspired Peanut Stew with Spiced Couscous
Serves 8


2/3 cup "all natural" peanut butter
1.5 cups WARM water
3 large chicken breasts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 T ginger, finely chopped
1 (14- to 16-oz) can diced tomatoes including juice
1-2 teaspoons sri racha hot sauce
juice and zest of 1 lime
2 lbs carrots, chopped (this is what I had on hand - sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, turnip, etc. - those would all be fabulous in this)
1/3 c chopped cilantro
chopped roasted peanuts (for garnish)

1. In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil. Chop the chicken breasts (or use thighs or chicken pieces) in bite-size pieces (obviously, skip this step if you are using large chicken pieces). Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown the outside in the pan. Don't worry about cooking it through at this point.

2. Remove the browned chicken from the pan (just put it on a plate).



3. I like to chop ginger and garlic together in the mini-bowl of my food processor (much quicker!) - you don't have to do this though, hand chopping is just fine.


Add the ginger and garlic to the pan, along with the onion, bell pepper and carrots.

4. While the veggies are starting to cook, dilute the peanut butter into the water (it will help if you nuke your PB a little bit first to soften it). Once the veggies have softened (about 5 mins), slowly add the peanut butter and the canned tomatoes. Also add a good squirt of sri racha (or other hot pepper paste) at this time.



5. Preheat your oven to 350F, toss the chicken back in the mixture and throw the whole thing into the oven for at least an hour (more is fine).

6. About half an hour before you want to serve, take the chicken out of the oven (and boil some water for the couscous). To the pot, add the juice and zest of one lime, the cilantro and some salt and pepper to taste. Also check to see if it needs more hot sauce (I like lots, but not everyone does). Let it bubble away madly on the stove to help reduce and thicken the sauce.



Garnish with some chopped peanuts and cilantro for serving! Also, I like to squish my couscous into a little ramekin and then unmould it to make things extra-attractive. Takes two seconds and makes you look like a super star.



Meanwhile....

Spiced Couscous:
2 cups boiling water (add some chicken bouillon powder/cubes for added flavour)
2 cups couscous
1 t each of turmeric, cumin and ground coriander
1/2 t cinnamon
dash of cardamom
1/2 c raisins

1. In a medium pot, combine the boiling water and the couscous. Cover and let sit for five minutes (it can sit longer though, if your dinner isn't ready yet).

2. Add the spices and the raisins and combine it well. Taste it and add some salt if you think it needs it.





Serve the stew with the couscous. YUM.

I happened to make this on a night where hubs was playing hockey, so I packed his up nicely in a snazzy two compartment container. He was most grateful when he got home. :)



Thanks for reading - I've got the most ridiculously simple pasta recipe in the world coming up next. YUMMY. Also, please answer the poll (that I"ll hopefully have working by the time you read this, lol. A tech guru, I am NOT.

one thing that annoys me...

...is a website that pretends that I write for them.

Check this out:
http://www.emaxhealth.com/1/15/26837/pumpkin-swirl-cheesecake-recipe.html


I don't write for them. I've never written for them. I will never write for them. They certainly never contacted me to have permission to post my work, and in fact, even if they had I would have said no.

This is a spammy/full-of-ads website.

And I don't do ads here on my blog (okay, except maybe the one for my own business below, lol). I don't make one teeny little cent off my blog and that's a deliberate decision. The things I want you to buy (like fresh meats, produce, etc.), generally don't have ads and I'm not really interested in promoting whatever brilliance google ads would come up with.

So there's my rant. I tried submitting a comment indicating my objection, but of course it's not been posted. What a bunch of larcenic poops.

Just so there's a culinary tone to the post...thought I would share my list of supposedly gourmet things that I can't STAND:
1) dates. they look like cockroaches and I just can't get past that.
2) blue cheese. the taste is simply foul.
3) goat cheese. it grosses me out. I keep re-trying it and it just doesn't get any better.
4) food that still has a face. I'm not a vegetarian, but I draw the line at food with eyes still attached (full lobster, shrimp with heads, fish with eyeballs....GAH).
5) fish skin. I keep seeing food network hosts waxing poetic about lovely crispy skin and i want to hurl. soooooooo gross.
6) giada de laurentiis...if she does one more episode where she puts two chopped vegetables with citrus zest and calls it salad, i will go insane. Celery and mushrooms are not salad. They are a soup base. Maybe.
7) Poached fruit in syrup. This is such a meh dessert.
8) Runny yolks. I can't order eggs when I'm out of the house because I'm TERRIFIED the yolk won't be cooked hard as a rock. Soft yolks skeeve me.

Kinda grumpy.....