Braised Dinners - Quick and Easy

I love winter but even I feel like it's dragging on at this point. Here is a meal I like to make to help me cope with those cold nights. Braising doesn't take a lot of effort and is a great way to make an inexpensive and perhaps not so tender piece of meat melt in your mouth. The smells of the dish simmering away in the oven will fill your whole house with warmth.


For this recipe I'm going to show you how to braise chicken legs but you could use beef, pork, lamb or turkey. You do want something on the bone as this will help flavour the dish. I cut off any visible fat or skin to help lower the fat content.

Braising consists of 3 simple steps - 1. Brown 2. Add everything to the pot 3. Simmer.

First we brown our meat. Use a 1-2 Tbsp of oil. Heat it in an oven safe frying pan with straight sides and a lid like I have here or use a dutch oven (biggest pot out of your set with 2 handles). If you don't have either then do all you work on the stove in a pan and transfer everything to a round casserole dish before you put it in the oven. You must have a properly fitting lid - this is a must! Heat the oil to medium high. Brown your meat on both sides, about 5 minutes each. Remove them from the pan and put them on a plate to add back in later.

Next brown your aromatics - onion, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger, whatever you want. I used onion and carrots in this dish.
Once they are brown add in your liquid, herbs and flavorings. I used a small can of diced tomatoes, 1 cup of red wine, 2 cloves of garlic, chopped rosemary and a smidge of anchovy paste. Stir it all to blend well and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. You should still have the pot on the stove so it should all start to simmer together. Add back in your chicken.
Now you are ready to go to the oven. Preheat your oven to 350. Cover your dish and cook it for 40 -50 minutes until the meat is falling off the bone. That's it! That's dinner. You can serve this over rice, pasta, couscous, potatoes, whatever you feel like. Make your own combinations. Just Brown, Mix it all together and Simmer. That's braising!

The nice part about this dish is that it is truly elegant enough for company and you can have it in the oven before dinner guests arrive. But it is also quick and easy enough for a week night. You could even brown everything the night before and even have it all mixed together in a container in your fridge, just put it in a oven safe pot or casserole when you get home, cover it and pop it in the oven. You will have to cook it a little longer to allow time for the food to warm up from fridge temperature. I'd add 10 minutes to the cooking time.

Perfect Weekend Indian Chili

Why does chili have to be Tex-Mex inspired? If you have a crock pot and some ground meat, you can make all sorts of variations of chili. This one is easy to assemble and if you don’t want to wait all day for it to cook, put it in a big pot on the stove and it will cook in about an hour. Remember though, all chilies – no matter what the variety – taste better after they have sat a while. So think about making this a day or 2 before you want to eat it.

I used all frozen veggies in this. During the winter months I find frozen veggies tastier. And it is definitely more convenient!

Serves 8
Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 inch piece of ginger, chopped fine
• 2 tsp or 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 lb, 454 g ground lamb, extra lean beef or buffalo
• 540ml can of chickpeas
• 14 oz./398ml can of tomato sauce, no salt added
• 1 cup low sodium beef broth
• 2 Tbsp Curry Powder
• ½ Tbsp 13 Spice Curry Blend or ½ tsp each – cumin, coriander, chili powder and turmeric
• 4 cups frozen cauliflower
• 2 cups frozen diced turnip or one small fresh turnip, diced small
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 cup fat free yogurt

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat

2. Sauté the onion and ginger until softened, about 3 minutes

3. Add in the garlic and cook one more minute. Empty the pan into the crock pot

4. Return the pan to the stove. Brown the ground meat. If using lamb, drain it and rinse under hot water to remove the excess fat. Add it into the crock pot.

5. Add the next 7 ingredients to the crock pot (from the chickpeas through to turnip)

6. Cook for 4 -6 hours on high or up to 8 hours on low

7. Right before serving, stir in the peas.

8. Put a dollop of yogurt on each bowlful before serving.

9. Enjoy!

This dish freezes beautifully. If you want to lower the fat content then go with the extra lean beef or buffalo. You may need more broth if you are using fresh veggies or are cooking this on the stove. Just be sure this is enough liquid to cover the other ingredients.

Serve with mashed potatoes or basmati rice, white or brown.

Nutritional Information Main Servings with Ground Lamb: 323 Calories, 14g Fat, 5g Saturated Fat, 0g Trans Fat, 37 mg Cholesterol, 400mg Sodium, 8g Fiber, 32g Carbohydrates

We ate in?! The Signature Fish Dish, Roasted Veggies and Smashed Potatoes

Last night we had a meal that was elegant enough to be from a restaurant yet simple and quick enough to put on the table after a long week. And most of it came out of my freezer! The meal consisted of my signature wrapped haddock, roasted brussel sprouts (other veggies work well here if you don't like brussel sprouts - but why not? what did a brussel sprout ever do to you?!) and smashed crispy potatoes.

First we start with the potatoes. These are fresh, not frozen. You need to give them a wash then boil or microwave them until soft. Not quite ready to eat soft but soft enough so you can poke them with a fork and then smash them down. Use a dish towel and place the potato inside. Now use the palm of your hand to squish the potato down to about 1/2 inch thick. Put the smashed potatoes on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil and then a layer of parchment paper if you have it. Sprinkle on Olive Oil and salt or salt substitute. They get cooked in a 425 oven for 30 minutes.

Next we prepared the brussel sprouts. I used frozen brussel sprouts - much easier. Just toss them with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little pinch of salt or salt substitute. The can cook in the same oven as the potatoes during the last 15 minutes. You could also use frozen asparagus but it will only take 5 minutes in the oven.

Now on to the fish. The fish cooks at 350 for 15 minutes or so. The rule is 10 minutes per inch of thickness of the fish. All I do is smear some Laughing Cow light cheese on the top. If you don't have this then use light cream cheese. Want to shake it up some - use a flavoured light cream cheese like herb and garlic or vegetable! You only need about a Tablespoon per fillet. Lay a slice of prosciutto on top of each fillet. That's it. Put it in the oven. I have a toaster oven so I used it to cook the fish while the potatoes and brussel sprouts were in the big hotter oven. Once the fish was done I topped it with some shredded parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of fresh basil which I had on hand. It's optional.

Valentine's Day Dinner- Creme Brulee

Last night we stayed in for Valentine's Day. As my rant from yesterday states - we went out the night before Valentine's Day for dinner. But just because we weren't going out doesn't mean we weren't planning a nice evening in. Oh contrare. I had a great menu planned. Raw Oysters on the half shell, Rack of Lamb Persille on my signature creamy spinach and for dessert, Creme Brulee. We love Creme Brulee and I figured as an experienced cook, I should be able to handle making it myself. Honestly, I was pretty worried that I'd screw it up.

First off I had to shuck the oysters. I had picked up an oyster knife a while ago because the very first year Tim and I shared Valentine's day I had made oysters and didn't have a proper knife to open them with. So this year I was all set. It isn't that terribly hard. The box of oysters didn't look pretty but only one out of the 14 I shucked was bad. It was easy to tell it was bad because I could smell it before I even got the shell fully open. What a stink! One of the serious advantages of having oysters out in a restaurant - you don't have to deal with the bad oysters. It can ruin your appetite. But we persevered and it was worth it. We had them with a little cocktail sauce and they were great. We also had a bottle of Italian Champagne - Prosecco with it. Oh my god, it was perfect. If you haven't tried this sparkling wine I highly recommend it. Smoooooth


Next we had our rack of lamb. I just drizzled it with lemon juice and rubbed chopped rosemary and bread crumbs on it. I cooked it at 400 for 15 minutes and then reduced the temp to 325 for another 10 minutes. We like it rare but you could cook it longer. I made my signature spinach dish to go with it (I'll enter that recipe as a separate blog entry). We had a nice Shiraz with it.





For dessert we had creme brulee, my first attempt at making it even though I've had all the necessary tools for a couple of years now. You must have a small kitchen torch to make this properly. Although a long lighter may work. It was really easy to do! The ingredients are simple


For 2 Creme Brulee


Just under 1 cup of whipping cream


2 egg yolks


2 Tbsp sugar


1/2 tsp vanilla extract, the real stuff, not the imitation stuff


Rock sugar or regular to sprinkle on the top.





Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it starts to simmer. I added in the vanilla with the cream.


Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl.


Once the cream starts to simmer, take it off the stove and let it sit for 10 minutes.


Add a small amount of the cream to the egg yolk mixture, whisking quickly. This is called tempering the eggs. You are trying to bring them up to temperature without scrambling them. It's really easy.


I then added a little more cream into the eggs a second time just to be sure I wasn't going to scramble them before I added all the cream. Then I added all the cream. All the while whisking away. But try not to whisk in bubble or you'll end up with a bubbly top on your custards (which is what the creme brulees are, a custard)


Pour the mixture into small au gratin dishes for each serving.


Boil a kettle of water. You will put the dishes in a bigger baking dish and then pour the water in the bigger baking dish to a depth of 2/3 up the side of the littler dishes with the creme brulee in it. I put the whole thing on the oven rack before I pour in the water.





Bake at 300 for 40 - 50 minutes until the custard is firm. Take it out and let it fully cool. We put ours out in the snow after it had come to room temp.





Sprinkle with sugar and light your torch! The most sober person should do this job. I put ours on a tea towel to protect the countertop. You heat the sugar until it is golden brown and you have a nice crust.

I forgot to get a picture until I had half eaten mine. It was delish!! We finished it off with a nice glass of port. What a lovely evening.

Maverick's

I thought I had already written about the move Maverick's has made but I can't seem to find it in the archives which is fine since we went again last night and I have more to say.

For those of you who don't know yet, Maverick's has moved from it's downtown location to the Future Inn on Mapleton Road. I was concerned that it would have lost it's charm. It's different for sure. But is some ways it was a good change. There is more seating which was why when we decided to drop in for dinner last night we didn't worry about having a reservation. Tuesday night before Valentine's day didn't seem like a big dinner out kind of night. We ended up waiting a good 20 minutes for a table. However, this was not because they were full by any stretch of the imagination. They tried to put us at a table along the wall where everyone is lined up but I don't like those seats. There is no privacy and since Tim was in the mood to complain about work, I figured privacy was best. They have booths and nice tables in 2 rooms in the back. We could have a better table but we'd have to wait. It seemed the hostess was seriously overwhelmed. I didn't recognize her so I assumed she was new.

She finally seated us amongst many empty tables...and without a wine menu! Number one rule of fine dining - never let your customers sit for more than 5 minutes without someone taking their drink order. Hard to do when we weren't even given a menu to choose from. We waited for about 10 minutes when someone came over and asked if we had been looked after. Apparently the server who approached our table had been told we had been when in fact, we had not. I was not impressed. She did not get us a wine menu or take our drink orders but told us she would send someone over. Unacceptable. When our server finally came over I was losing my patience. When I go out to dinner I want a glass of wine in my hand immediately! This server took our food order and then brought us a wine menu. Okay, that order is wrong but at least there was a sign of hope that we'd get something tonight.

Now here is the clincher. We got our appetizers before we got our drinks! I'm a huge fan of wine and food pairing. I had ordered a pinot grigio to go with our calamari and all I had was water to drink with it. When the server finally showed up with my wine I asked if they were seriously understaffed tonight. She told me no! Now I should mention that one of the chefs was out on the floor serving food. That was definitely a sign that they were understaffed. And I can appreciate that sometimes life happens. But if they weren't understaffed then they had to be seriously incompetent. Maverick's, as one of the better places to eat in town, should also have excellent service. And for years they have had excellent service. Which left me wondering if the move from fine dining establishment to hotel restaurant hadn't hit them in the service department. I have a hard time with poor service when I eat out. Remember, I can make most of these meals at home so when I go out it's for the luxury of having someone else provide the experience for me.

The meal itself was good as expected. On our way out the hostess mentioned that they were short staffed. Apparently she had been there since 6 AM! Okay so that explains why she didn't seem on the ball. It was sheer exhaustion! Why our server denied this, I do not know. I would have appreciated her situation much more and not made the assumption that they had a bunch of incompetent people working if she had just shared the truth with us.

Moral of the story may be to wait until Valentine's day to go out for dinner. The hostess told us they were fully staffed for Valentine's day and they were fully booked. The jury is still out about this move Maverick's has made. Some of it's charm is definitely gone and it seems some of it's more experienced staff is too although I think, due to the longer hours the restaurant is now open to accommodate the hotel guests, that they are spread out more during the day. They do need to work on things a bit. I overheard someone say last night that there is a Keg restaurant going in a new building downtown. That will be serious competition for the steak crowd here in Moncton.

Mexican Lasagna out of Leftovers

I took my Super Bowl Chili (which had been frozen) and made it into a Mexican Lasagna yesterday. It is really simple to do this. You only need a couple of ingredients. You can make it up and freeze it for another time. And you all know how I feel about freezing meals! It's just a great idea!!

If you don't have leftover chili, don't worry. You don't have to take the time to make some... Buy it in the can or even better yet, go through the drive through at Wendy's and order 2. Wendy's chili tastes great and is on their $1.99 menu if I'm not mistaken. It'll be the perfect substitute for the homemade leftover stuff.

This serves 4 in a square pan like the picture above.

2-3 cups of leftover chili

5 tortillas

1/2 jar of salsa

1/2 cup of corn, frozen works best.

Cheddar or tex mex cheese blend. I used some of each and I got the light cheddar.

Layer a bit of the chili in the bottom of the pan, just enough to cover the bottom. Cut to fit a layer of tortillas. Then put in the rest of the chili on top. And top with some grated cheese.

Cut to fit another layer of tortillas.

Top with the salsa and corn and some more grated cheese.

Cut to fit another layer of tortillas

Top with cheese and fresh cilantro if you want or sprinkle with some chili powder.

I used a Spanish Cheese, Queso Manchero because I had found some at the grocery store. Try any "queso" cheese if you can find it.

Oh, and by the way, this meal is low fat and nice and healthy! You can assemble it and freeze it. And you can freeze any leftovers after you cook it.

Spinach Salad - It's not just for Popeye!

Spinach salad doesn't have to be boring. Here is a simple way to stretch your creative juices without spending the whole night making dinner. For this variation on spinach salad I used toasted walnuts (yup, I toasted them for about 5 minutes on a baking sheet at 350.), dried cranberries and crumbled blue cheese.

I made a dressing out of the following:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
and with the toasted walnuts I also roasted a small shallot. If you don't have a shallot, finely slice some red onion and roast it. Or if you have neither, add a sprinkle of onion powder!
Whisk it all together and that's it!

Now isn't that a healthy looking meal! I roasted both white and sweet potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes at 350. I had some pork pieces with I just rubbed with a salt free herb mixture and sauteed in a pan. Excellent!

Quick and Easy Spaghetti Squash

(I don't reheat in these margarine containers, I just store in them and reheat in microwave approved dishes)

I've preached about the virtues of spaghetti squash before. It's cheap, tasty and a nutritious replacement for regular spaghetti. Just cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place it cut side down on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. You can then use a fork to scrap out the spaghetti like strands. An average size squash will feed 4.

Here is a super quick way to serve spaghetti squash. We do it as the main meal but if you have a meat obsessive in the house, add a pork chop or chicken breast on the side.

Prepare the squash. This can be done the night before while you watch TV! Then it's all ready to go the next night for supper.

1 red onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic

1/3 - 1/2 a head of broccoli chopped or 2 cups frozen broccoli

2 cups of fresh spinach or one box frozen

1/2 cup light cream cheese

1/2 cup red or white wine

2 tsp Italian seasoning or 1 tsp dried basil and 1 tsp dried oregano

Saute the onion in a tbsp of olive oil until soft, add the broccoli and garlic and saute until the broccoli becomes that vibrant green colour. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted or heated through if using frozen.

Add in the cream cheese, red wine and seasoning. Mix until the cheese is melted and it's all blended. Add in the spaghetti squash and toss it all together. That's it. Dinner is done!

You end up having a plate of veggies for dinner!

If you don't like spaghetti squash simple boil some spaghetti while you are making the veggies and sauce and toss it in instead of the squash.

Super Bowl Sunday!

Are you ready for some football!!! We sing that every Sunday around here. Makes the dogs crazy... I made my chili and pineapple salsa yesterday so the flavours could meld. I still haven't added the fresh cilantro to the chili. I'll wait until just before serving to do that. I also added 1/2 a bottle of beer. It really does add a great flavor. When I open a can of chipotle peppers, I use what I need and then freeze the rest in ziplock bags. I put one pepper per bag. Most recipes only call for one so then I can just take out what I need. I also used roasted garlic in my chili so the garlic taste isn't strong.

I did the pineapple salsa in the food processor. I think I liked it better done by hand. It looked nicer but the processor made it up in a snap!

GO COLTS!!!!!!!!

No New Recipes?!

Okay, so once again I have been slack about sharing recipes. Mostly because I haven't really been cooking. Tim was away last week and so far this week he's been working late. Tomorrow I should have him home again for a while and we are determined to get back on the healthy track. Well to be honest, I've still been on the healthy track, eating out of my freezer. Tim, however, has been off track as he has been on the road which is never healthy. But we'll fix that ASAP!

On another note, Super Bowl Sunday is coming up. It's one of my favorite days of winter. Time to put on a pot of chili and chill some beer. Even if you don't love football, the commercials are worthy of tuning in. I'm going to make my chili the day before do it has extra time to let the flavors meld. And after Sunday I'm going to share with you some great recipes to make with your leftover chili. Chili also freezes beautifully so it's a great meal to make lots of and then you have healthy meals on hand! I'll finalize the recipe on Sat. and then I'll share it with you. But a priliminary list of ingredients follows:
1 lb of stew meat or simmering or marinating beef (yup, not ground meat - chunks of beef are soooo much better!!!)
1 can of black beans
1 can of kidney beans
red pepper
onion
garlic
can of tomatoes or tomato sauce depending on whether you like your chili chunky or smooth and saucy
chipotle powder
chili powder
cumin powder
dried oregano and basil
fresh cilantro
These are subject to change but that's the basics. Sometimes I add tabasco sauce too but we'll see.

I'm also going to make my healthy and super tasty - Pineapple Salsa for Super Bowl Sunday. Tim loves it and it is a great way to get some fruit into your diet. And it also does well if it sits for a day or two before eating. A great afternoon snack for the work week. Here's a quick link to the recipe - http://thegourmetgoddess.blogspot.com/2006/09/great-little-salsa-and-other-easy.html yummilicous!

Curry Glazed Salmon

Here is a super quick recipe that tastes great and is fancy enough for dinner guests but quick enough for a weeknight. It requires 3 ingredients....
Salmon fillets, one for each person
Honey, about 1/2 cup for 4 people or 1/4 cup for 2
Curry powder, Curry paste or your favorite Indian spice mix. I used Curry powder and Tandoori Marsala when I made this this week for my folks. Use about 1 tsp of 1/4 cup of honey or 2 tsp for 1/2 cup. Mix it up and drizzle it over the fillets. Cook them at 425 for 20 minutes. It was Divine! We had ours with couscous which was a great pairing.

You can add a nice yogurt sauce if you want. Just mix up the following and let sit until ready to eat. The leftovers go great on veggies!
1 cup of yogurt
1/2 tsp dried mint, basil and ground cumin
2 tsp grated ginger (I used the bottled stuff)
1 tsp of curry powder or whatever you used in the glaze mix above.
That's it. Enjoy!

A Fantastic New Year's Dinner

(small winter village I have that I keep up after Christmas until March - it's just so pretty!)

As I mentioned, we had a great dinner out on New Year's Eve. We went to Chives www.chives.ca for their 6 course New Year's Eve Special Dinner. We'd been to Chives a couple of times before. They create excellent dishes focusing on local products in season. And for the quality of the food, the prices are excellent. The atmosphere is nice and the service is always excellent. We've always walked away pleased with the experience.

For this New Year's Eve dinner they had a set menu. It was well thought out with a nice blend of seasonal tastes and a good balance between courses. We got a bottle of red wine, Wolf Blass Shiraz Cabernet Sauv and 1/2 litre of white, a South African Savignon Blanc so that we could pair our different courses with the right wine (right being a relative term when one refers to wine of course).

We started with Dungeness Crab and Sweet Corn Fritters. I love corn but Tim is not a huge fan. That was irrelevant with these. We were only given a little fritter each, just enough to tantalize the taste buds. They were great with a sip of the white wine. Next came the soup. Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Balsamic Syrup drizzled on top. Pumpkin soup just does not get the recognition it deserves. It was tasty and soothing to the soul. I make pumpkin soup at home all the time with 100% pure pumpkin from a can. Great inexpensive and easy meal. Of course mine never tastes quite as yummy as this bowl was at Chives. And the white wine worked well with this course as well but the red also had its charm...

I'm going to be honest here... I'm not a huge fan of raw spinach. I like it just fine cooked, preferable in a sauce of some type or with some cheese added in. Tim loves spinach and is why we have it at home so often. Well, that and it's good for you. The next course was an Organic Spinach Salad with "That Dutchman's Blue Cheese", Spiced Walnuts and Cranberry Apple Vinaigrette. Oooh, myyyy god! I brought home the menu just so I could try this one at home. This was amazing. The tang of the blue cheese against the sweetness of the vinaigrette all layered with the natural bitterness of the spinach. I vowed right then and there to attempt more spinach salads at home. And to consider ordering them when I'm out. The red wine stood out here.

Okay, 3 more courses to go. However, we weren't stuffed yet. All these flavours were served in excellent serving sizes so you got the full taste but weren't stuffed. And I had worn my stretchy pants!

For the next course we had a choice between a potato and goat cheese dish or a bacon dish. Tim had the potato dish and I had the bacon. I'm not a fan of goat cheese. Tim enjoyed his but felt he didn't have enough of the goat cheese taste. I had a bite of his and I tasted goat cheese quite strongly. I'm not sure if I got a good bit of it in my bite or if he was expecting a stronger taste overall. My bacon dish was a good size chunk of molasses cured bacon on apple confit and a toast point. It was tasty but not the highlight of the meal. I enjoyed it but if there was one item I had to give up from the meal, this would have been it. I enjoyed the red wine with my dish while Tim found that both the red and the white worked well with his.

Here comes the main course! Once again we had a choice. I had the Atlantic Halibut with Scallops, Roasted Garlic and Baby Clam Risotto and Riesling Braised Leeks. Tim had the Filet Mignon with Maple Wood Smoked Bacon, Brown Butter Celery Root Puree, Roasted Root Vegetables and Madeira Veal Jus. I love Halibut. And the Risotto was quite tasty. Usually when they say "roasted garlic" the garlic flavour is too mild but not in this dish. My plate was a seafood lovers dream. Tim was equally as thrilled with his filet mignon. It was a red meat delight. I had more white wine while Tim continued to enjoy the red with his meal.

Now I'm not a huge dessert person. I can live without it mostly. I do love chocolate but a little goes a long way with me. I will, however, always get the creme brulee if is on the menu. And much to my delight - Caramel Creme Brulee was part of the dessert course! It was paired with a French Chocolate Ganache Torte with Terry's Chocolate Orange Ice Gelato. No problem with milk allergies or lactose intolerance here! We both cleaned our plates.... Ahhhh.

Consider hitting a special tasting menu near you next New Year's Eve. It's worth it! What a nice evening out. And we were home in time to cheer in the new year with family. It was a great New Year's Eve this year. Here's wishing you all a peaceful and prosperous new year.

Happy New Year - really late...

Hello! Yes I'm alive and well. I know it's been a while since I posted but there has been a lot going on. We've still been eating and I've still been cooking. But it's been so hectic lately that I haven't photographed a single dish. And I even got a tripod for Christmas! I do want to share with you a delicious New Year's Eve dinner we had out but I'll do that when I have more time. It was fantastic. In the meantime, if you are in Halifax for any reason check out Chives Canadian Bistro. I'll give you all the details of our meal there later but lets just say, it's worth a visit. It was a great night.

I have some news. After a year of running The Gourmet Goddess, I've decided to go back to the real work world. It's been an interesting experience but entrepreneurship is not for everyone. And I've decided I like a regular paycheque better! I miss working with a team. Cooking is solitary work. This blog will continue but soon if you go to www.thegourmetgoddess.ca or www.thegourmetgoddess.com you will get directed right to here, not the website. I will still do any cooking classes or consider catering jobs but the personal chef service will not continue. I think I may have been ahead of my time for Moncton with that service.

The recipes, food tips, restaurant reviews and anything else food related will continue right here. So check back often!

It's all over until next year...

Are you exhausted too? Well now all that is left is the relaxing and the New Year celebrating! I hope everyone's holidays were peaceful, safe and full of fun. We had an excellent holiday. I got gifts to placate my 2 passions, cooking and knitting. And a few more things I can put candles in. I'm a big fan of candlelight during these long winter nights. I really learned to appreciate the beauty of the long winter night while spending many of them in Sweden. Everywhere there are tealights to twinkle in the dark. It's so peaceful. Funny I would find the darkness peaceful but I do. So here's to winter! We had a green Christmas day but now there is a nice little blanket of snow, another thing I find peaceful. And when the sun shines on the brilliant snow it really boosts the spirits. But I'll admit, it does look cold out there today. I think I'll stay in.... snuggle up with my knitting and maybe cook up a yummy dinner later!

Just so you know that even us expert cooks screw up, I'll share my turkey story with you. Due to the hustle and bustle, I forgot to take the bird out to defrost. I remembered on Christmas Eve. And while I didn't have a huge bird this year (about 13 pounds, 5.7 kg) it still required some time to defrost. So I left it out on the counter, not in the fridge. Part of the reason I hadn't taken it out earlier was I had absolutely no fridge space. Nada, as in - no way was another thing fitting in my fridge! I kept feeling the bird to see how the defrosting was going. I'm extremely aware of the 4 hour, 4-40 rule. This is the rule where nothing should sit out between 4 and 40 degrees for more than 4 hours. I turned the bird upside down once one end had defrosted enough so that the cold water from the bird would drip down the defrosted part. Just a side note, we had a ham in the fridge in case the turkey became in any way, questionable. So I had a back up plan (just by luck really, we were to have the ham for Boxing Day dinner).

So I kept an eye on the turkey and once it was defrosted on the outside I took it out of the packaging. It was still a little frozen inside but I was able to wiggle out the neck and the giblets. There was only the heart. I put the neck and heart aside in the fridge and added them later to the pan right before it went in the over. I salted the bird and put it in the roasting pan with lots of foil. As I mentioned, there was no room in my fridge so mister bird had to spend the night outside. Last year I had a covered pan so all I did was put something heavy on top to keep out the critters and I think I taped the lid on. This year I was using an open pan so I had to put the pan in the bbq to keep it safe. All night I dreamt about my bird making a run for it. Luckily the temperature cooperated and stayed just around freezing. When I brought the bird in the next day it had some surface freezing but at least I knew it was safe from the temperature danger zone.

I didn't have a rack to put the bird on in the pan so after rinsing the salt off, I put the bird on some celery, carrots and onion. This natural rack also added great flavor to the pan drippings which were later used for the gravy. You can do this for any roast or bird. Since I had a lack of fridge space, once we finished with our main meal we cut up the rest of the bird and put it in freezer bags. Most of it ended up in the freezer but we kept some out for munching and leftovers.

Speaking of leftovers, here is an awesome leftover sandwich. Smear a little dijon and mayo on once slice of bread and layer on some turkey. On another slice of bread smear on some leftover cranberry sauce and then layer some sliced brie cheese. Heat both slices of bread in a 325 degree oven until the cheese melts (about 5 - 10 minutes). Take it out of the oven and put the 2 slices of bread together to make a sandwich. It's very tasty!

Turkey Tip #6 - Great Gravy

Now this recipe is about the gravy, not the turkey but without great gravy, how good can a turkey really be?! This is not terribly complicated and will give you great results.

Okay, you've removed the turkey from the roasting pan. Now you should have a lot of great turkey drippings on the bottom of the pan. You are going to put that pan on the stove top over medium heat. Add 1 cup of riesling wine (or you can use brandy, I like the wine better because it tastes more subtle) and 1 cup of either the homemade broth you made the night before or 1 cup of the store bought broth. Let this all simmer for about 20 minutes. You are looking for the liquid to reduce. You should be able to look at the side of the pan and see where the liquid line has shrunk down the side by about 1/3. While that is simmering, take another cup of broth and add about 1/2 cup of flour, mix it until smooth. A whisk or putting it all in a jar and shaking it works well. Just DO NOT USE HOT BROTH. You'll have an explosion. Happened once when I was a kid.... Not pretty.

Turn down your pan on the stove to med low. Mix in your flour/broth into the pan. This is when a whisk is essential. Otherwise get your kids to all get spoons going in the pan! Pour slowly and mix vigorously as you add the flour/broth mix. Keep stirring until it starts to bubble again. You'll see how it thickens up pretty quickly. If it doesn't thicken up, mix more flour with broth and add it in. Sometimes it takes a little more flour if you have a lot of liquid you are trying to thicken!


Where are those mashed potatoes!?

Christmas Morning Strata

My Aunt had just asked me for this recipe that I made the last time she visited. It's quick, it's easy, it can be made the night before and it's nutricious. So I thought I'd share it with everyone. It's a great way to start any day but it really was originally called "Christmas Morning Strata" so try it over the holidays. I don't have a pic but you don't need to know how it's suppose to look, you really can't screw it up. I promise!

1C broccoli florets
5C ½ inch French bread cubes
2C shredded cheddar
1C cooked ham, cubed
3 beaten eggs
1 3/4C milk
2 tbsp finely chopped onions
1 tsp dry mustard
Dash of pepper

Place broccoli and 1 tbsp water in a microwave dish, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, drain
Layer half on the bread cubes in a greased 2 qt. casserole dish
Top with cheese, ham and broccoli
Top with remaining bread cubes
Mix eggs, milk, onion, mustard and pepper
Pour egg mixture over layers
At this point you can cover and chill for 24 hours
Uncover and bake at 325 for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Merry Christmas!!

Turkey Tip #5 - Resting the Bird

This is the single most important tip but it's the easiest one yet. You MUST let the turkey rest before you cut into it. I mentioned it before but it bears repeating, it's that important. Once you take the turkey out of the oven and confirm it is done but either jiggling the leg or testing the temp with a themometer, move it to a cutting board or serving tray. COVER IT TIGHTLY WITH FOIL. It will stay warm for quite a while so don't worry. Keep it this way for A MINIMUM OF 20 MINUTES or up to 45 minutes. This is the best way to prevent your turkey from drying out. All the juices redistribute through out the bird and stay moist. It's easy so do it.

I thought I'd provide a before and after shot!

Turkey Tip #4 - Easy Cornbread Stuffing

One week and it will all be over! Are you all ready? Don't panic. I'm still making gifts, the house isn't decorated or even clean yet and I do this as a living! By this time next week, it won't matter and all that will be left will be the relaxing, eating, drinking and spending time with family and friends. You know, the stuff that really matters! But before then, let's see if we can share a few more tips for a great Christmas dinner.

This is less about the turkey and more about the stuffing. I have posted my super easy cornbread stuffing before but it deserves a repeat. There are lots of fancy stuffing out there but this is simple and tastes delicious. As I mentioned earlier, I don't stuff mine in the bird, I cook it separately making it dressing, not stuffing. It just means the bird cooks a little quicker with less time to dry out. You can do it either way, it's up to you.

All I do for my cornbread stuffing is make some store bought packages of cornbread up ahead of time. I leave them uncovered on the counter to help them dry out a bit. If you can get store made cornbread or the cornbread bread cubes, go ahead. Just don't get the cornbread cubes already seasoned for stuffing. It will have tons of salt and it's better to season it yourself.

Break up the cornbread in a bowl. Toss in a finely chopped onion and some dried herbs. I use about 1 tbsp per package of cornbread mix or if you get the bag of cornbread cubes, use about 1/4 cup of dried herbs. You can use fresh herbs if you like but it isn't necessary. I use rosemary, thyme and sage or poultry seasoning. Melt some butter in the microwave. I usually start with about 2 tbsp. Add to the stuffing mix until you can get a bit to form a loss ball in your hand. Keep adding until you get this consistency.


I'll add the dish into the oven about an hour before the turkey is done. If I have to wait until the turkey is finished before putting the dish in the oven then I usually only need to cook it about 45 minutes if it's a big dish. Use a long flat pan like a lasagna dish if you are putting it in after, it will cook quicker. Remember to put some turkey drippings in the dish. I use my baster or a spoon and take some of the drippings out of the pan and drizzle them on the stuffing dish. Perfect.

Turkey Tip #3 - Preparing the Bird for the Oven and Cooking!

Lets talk about getting that bird ready to hit the heat. Many people still stuff their birds with stuffing. I stopped doing this a last year. One reason was the added length in cooking time required to get a stuffed bird cooked all the way through. This added time gives the white meat more opportunity to dry out. Definitely not a good thing. I was a little concerned as to how I would get the great turkey flavour into the stuffing, (which, when cooked outside the bird is called "dressing") but not to worry. I use my turkey baster to get the pan drippings out of the pan and onto the dressing either during the last hour of cooking if I am doing the dressing and the turkey in the oven at the same time or, if I have to do the dressing after the turkey because there simply isn't enough room for both, I siphon off some pan drippings when I take the turkey out and drizzle them over the dressing before it goes in the oven. I'll pass along my dressing recipe as a separate post.

Once you've rinsed off the salt coat from the night before, pat the turkey dry. Now it's time to get it ready for it's big day in the oven. I cut up some celery, onions, lemons and herbs to put inside both the body cavity and the neck cavity of the bird. The herbs I use are fresh thyme, rosemary and sage. If you don't have fresh use dried. You'll need dried in a minute anyway so if you want to save money and time, just buy dried. Cut the veggies into large 1 inch chunks. Before you stuff these goodies in the body cavity, check around the skin flaps and see if there are chunks of fat. If so, remove them. You will add your own moisture to the bird so you don't need these adding more grease to the mix.

Mix your dried herbs, thyme, rosemary, sage, summer savory, poultry seasoning, whatever, with a good amount of Olive Oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. I usually mix up about 1/2 cup of olive oil and a squeeze of half a lemon with about 2 tbsp of dried herbs. This is your basting mix. Spread it all over the turkey before it goes in the oven. You will use this to baste the bird every 20 to 30 minutes while cooking.

We have one more important step. Keeping the breast meat moist. The brining you did the night before will help but it won't be enough. Some people put cheesecloth over the breast meat at the beginning of cooking, some put bacon strips over the breast meat. I put butter mixed with herbs under the skin. Not a lot! For this 22 pound bird I used about 4 tablespoons. I have a 12.5 pound bird for Christmas dinner and I will only use 2 tablespoons for it. Mix the butter with the herbs and shove it under the skin. Make room between the skin and meat before you go in with the butter. It's easier if you have the space ready. This and basting will keep your meat moist!

And now - to the oven. I start mine at 425 for the first 30 minutes, uncovered. Then I baste, reduce the heat to 350 and tent foil over the bird. I cook it until the meat themometer says 180 degrees or until a leg gets loose. I usually do the leg method as I don't always have a themometer handy. Jiggle the leg, if it starts to give way from the body easily, it's done! And there should be no bloody juices coming from the bird. DO NOT CUT INTO THE BIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The meat must rest for at least 20 minutes after you take it out of the oven otherwise you will open it up, let all the juices out and end up with a dry bird. Blah!

Turkey Tip #2 - Prep the Bird!

Here is my next turkey tip. How to prep the bird properly. DO THIS THE DAY BEFORE!! This is extremely important and can make the difference between a juicy bird and a dry bird. So here goes.

First, be sure to fully defrost your bird in the fridge. It takes about a day for every 5 pounds or 2 kilograms. I put our 22 pound turkey in the fridge on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening when I took it out to brine it (to be explained shortly), it was still frozen on the inside. Luckily it wasn't frozen solid so I was able to wiggle the neck, tail (also known around here as the pope's nose... my family is from Newfoundland, I can't explain it) and giblet packet out. It is imperative that you check the inside of the bird for these things. You don't want to cook the bird with these inside!!! My mom did this once. Yes we all have our turkey cooking horror stories.

You have some options as to what to do with the neck, tail and giblets. The liver should be separated from the group. It makes gravy or broth bitter. It looks just like a human liver, except much smaller, so it is easy to identify. Either cook the liver separately or toss it. The rest of the inside treasures can either be made into a broth that you will later use in the gravy or just tossed in the pan with the turkey to flavor the drippings. I support either choice! First let me explain brining and then I'll tell you about the broth. Both of these things should be done the night before.

There are 2 types of brining, wet and dry. I use the dry method simply because I do not have a container big enough to soak a big turkey in salt water overnight. And I find dry brining really simple so that is what I am going to focus on here. You can find lots of info about wet brining on the net, try the food network or Martha.

Dry brining is simple. After you empty out the giblets, give the bird a wash with cold water and pat dry, inside and out. Now take either some kosher salt (my preference) or regular table salt and coat the outside and sprinkle a lot on the inside in both the body cavity and the neck cavity. You want this bird well coated!

This is the bird the next day after a night of partying it up in its salt suit. Attractive, isn't it?!

Okay, on to the other step you should do the night before if you feel so inclined. The broth. The last 2 years I have made a broth out of the inside treasure collection, as opposed to just putting them in the pan with the turkey to add to the drippings flavour. It really is up to you. I'll share my whole turkey gravy recipe with you later. It is awesome, if I do say so myself!

In a pot, add some chopped onions, carrots and celery. This is the classic French flavour base known as mirepoix that is in all soup broths and stocks. Don't worry about the size or bother peeling the carrots, you are going to toss all this out after the broth is made. Add the inside treasure collection, except the LIVER to the pot. I also add a can of low sodium chicken broth. Add some herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage to the pot. Simmer gently until the pot reduces by about 1/3. Drain out everything but the liquid and ta da! You have broth! If you don't have time or energy, don't sweat it, just skip this step and use some can or box of broth tomorrow when you make gravy. It's the holidays! Relax, have a cocktail, chat with your guests. Don't stress yourself!

And about the sodium content. While I advocate strongly to reduce the salt in your diet, keep in mind that a turkey has no sodium to start with. The amount added by the salt brine in not huge and will result in less salting at the table by your dinner companions. And you will note, I didn't add any to the broth. I can add it later to taste when I make the gravy. After coming back from a week of eating out and a big turkey dinner, Tim's blood pressure is still fine. It's the big picture here, not one meal. But you'll see, I don't over do the salt during the rest of the turkey prep because it simple doesn't need it.

As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Turkey Tip #1 - Buying the Right Size!!

I'm back from the Big Apple! It is always great to see the city as it prepares for the holiday season.

The official lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center is this week! It's quite a sight to behold. Imagine, that tree was in someone's yard just a couple of weeks ago! It was discovered by helicopter. And for those of you concerned about the environment, it was getting old and would have soon fallen on it's own so the owners knew they were going to have to cut it down in the next year to avoid serious property damage. It's over 100 years old.

Saks was testing their lights for their official unveiling later that night. It's a beautiful display, don't you things?! And Cartier was not to be outdone by any of their neighbors.

Traveling around the holidays always puts me in the spirit. Even airports decorated for Christmas seem pleasant.

Okay, on to the bird. Thanksgiving dinner went well and I'll be sharing more tips, recipes and pics in the days to come. And then there will be recipes for the leftovers. So stay tuned. But today's tip is about size. Turkey's are one of the many things in life where size matters. Bigger isn't always better! I wrangled a 22 pound turkey for 7 people. It's kind of sad when the friends are gone but the leftovers linger... and linger... and linger. So what size bird should you buy? The rule is 2 pounds per person or just under 1 kilogram per person. This will leave you with leftovers but just enough for some sandwiches or a soup. If you want more leftovers, I wouldn't get more than 3 pounds per person or about 1.3 kilograms per person. Leftover turkey does freeze well and lots of recipes call for cooked turkey or chicken which make a great use for these leftovers. But be sure to wrap them up in serving sizes or meal sizes separately. One big block of turkey isn't going to do you much good when you only need a cup. And be sure to mark the freezer package with the name, amount (weight or size) and date. You'll be grateful when you are standing at your freezer door while juggling frozen packages as your fingers get frostbitten!

If you don't want leftovers, get about 1 1/2 pounds per person or about 6oo grams per person. If you aren't feeding a large crowd, consider a large chicken or just a turkey breast but be sure to follow my tips for keeping the meat moist (coming up in the next few days), even if you are cooking these smaller meals. I learned the hard way so you don't have to!

Healthy Fried Chicken

I can chew! Whew! I've had a Caesar salad the last 2 evenings just because I could! I made up some of my low far creamy Caesar dressing (see below). The first night I sauteed a piece of Salmon to go with it and last night I added in some grilled chicken. I still have to let the croutons get a little soggy in the dressing but I don't mind. It's better than pureed!

Tomorrow we had south for the American Thanksgiving. This is the 8th year in a row I have made the trip to cook a bird for some displaced Canadians on one of the best holiday's of the year. It is the single most relaxing weekend of the year for me even though I cook the whole Thanksgiving day dinner. Last year was my best dinner ever. I made notes and saved the recipes I used for inspiration. So I'm looking to make a repeat. Expect a lot of tips for a great holiday dinner over the next couple of weeks. You'll be all set for Christmas!

Here is a recipe to try now. Sorry no picture but it was a hit with my folks who were in town when I served it.

Healthy Fried Chicken
4 Chicken breasts, thighs or legs with the bone in but the skin removed. (I cut the breasts in half because they are usually so large)
1 cup Buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup Flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
(experiment with your spice and herb mixtures, come up with your own special homemade fried chicken!)
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil of your choice.

Preheat oven to 400
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat with the 2 tbsp of oil.
Beat the egg and add it to the buttermilk in a shallow dish.
Combine the flour and cornmeal in another shallow dish.
Dip the chicken in the buttermilk mixture and then the flour mixture.
Cook in the pain until lightly browned on all sides.
Place in a baking sheet and cook in the oven about 20 minutes for breasts and about 30 mintues for legs and thighs. Remember to let it sit for about 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute and to prevent it from getting dried out the minute you cut into it. Take it off the pan and put it on a room temp dish. But don't cover it or you will lose the crispiness on the skin.

It's quite tasty! Simply place any leftover chicken on a plate in the fridge until cool, then cover and you'll keep the skin crispy.

My Dinner Selections

Just thought I'd share a pic of my dining choices for today. The dish to the front left is a piece of donair pizza. Beside it is some perogies with sour cream and in the back is a chicken and spinach curry with mashed potatoes which was surprisingly good and easy for me to eat. Welcome to my world. Tomorrow I'm pureeing a steak. Wish me luck!

The Necessity of Chewing

As I mentioned I have had gum surgery lately. While it has put a damper on my cooking desires, my appetite is still good. Problem is that the thought of eating is exhausting. Everything must be pureed and then it takes forever to gnaw my way through a meal. Not really a meal, more like a snack. So by the time I'm done, I've managed to only get down half of a normal serving and then I'm hungry again in a couple of hours! When you can't chew and the roof of your mouth is covered in plastic (it would be so much worse to try and eat without the protection, the roof of my mouth is full of stitches...) it is impossible to taste anything. As I write this I am trying to gnaw on what would amount to one slice of donair pizza. When you can't chew you really want big taste. Tonight I'm going to make a curry chicken. Yes, it will be pureed but hopefully the big taste will come through. So to everyone out there who can chew... CHEERS! You don't know how good you've got it!

Pastelli's Restaurant Review

I'm sorry to say I haven't been blogging much lately. This week I had gum surgery so I haven't felt up to doing to much. And the only thing going on in my kitchen is the pureeing of food from my freezer. Once again I am grateful that I freeze lots of leftovers. I haven't been in the mood to cook but we still have lots of healthy options right in the freezer. It's hard to be inspired to cook when all you are going to do is puree the food and swallow it. I'll be glad when I can chew again! And all this is after Tim having his wisdom teeth removed a month ago and then he was on pureed food. Now he has an infection so we have matching swollen faces at the same time....

Before my surgery, we had gone to Pastalli's. I'm not sure how long the Italian restaurant has been open but it was one of the first restaurants I went to when I first moved to Moncton over 7 years ago. And not once in the past 7+ years have I left there disappointed!

This visit we had some special appetizers and wine pairings put on the menu in honour of the wine festival that occurs here in Moncton annually. There is nothing quite as interesting as the proper pairing of food and wine. I had a fresh mozzarella salad with a bold Italian red wine while Tim had a spinach and goat cheese wrap with a nice French Sauvignon Blanc. We were both pleased with our selections. Although mine had a balsamic glaze that was way too thick but it was delicious anyway.

Since I had ordered an appetizer, I opted for a lighter main course. I have a terrible habit of ordering too much food. I went with the Scampi alla Romano. Basically shrimp and pasta in a garlic sauce. There may have been too much garlic but since I love garlic, I enjoyed it. Tim had the lamb chops and they were cooked to perfection. I brought home my leftover pasta and it filled the fridge with a garlic smell. I enjoyed it every time I opened the fridge door. It didn't last past lunchtime the next day...

Even when I look at the small complaints I may have with a dish at Pastalli's, the overall experience makes me glad I spent my entertainment dollar there. Not everything you have when you go out may be exactly as you expect but when you can walk away from the experience with a general feeling of pleasure, then that is an evening well spent!

Breakfast Pizza

Yes, you heard right. Pizza for breakfast is a fantastic idea. I usually make it for Christmas morning, it taste that good. But it is easy enough for anytime and leftovers make a great quick breakfast meal when your on the run!

First use either the flatbread pizza crusts or the refridgerator dough. Pre-cook the dough as the package directs. You can use a thin layer of dijon mustard (about a tbsp) if you want or you can leave it out. The one I made this morning didn't have any dijon. Layer on your toppings such as, back bacon, proscuitto, bacon, ham, pancetta, smoked salmon, breakfast sausage, etc. And add some veggies, onions, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, even spinach. Then drizzle on your eggs. You will need to bake this pizza on a cookie sheet or pizza pan... the eggs will often seep over the edge. Finally pick your cheese. I've used Oka, gruyere, swiss, cheddar, emmenthal. Bake until golden or follow the instructions for your crust.

This morning we had shallots, tomatoes, proscuitto, pancetta, eggs and gruyere. It was delish! And we have leftovers to grab tomorrow morning or for a snack later today.

Harvest Dinner

Last night was the first meeting of our dinner club. It was a nice evening. Very relaxing. And we weren't hungover this morning! I did the main course. I went with a stuffed roast beef, potato galettes, butternut squash ragout and chianti glazed beets.

Overall I was not impressed with my performance. The roast beef was more on the medium side then the rare side. I used my meat themometer but I still went a little too long. The potato galette was good. I made individual ones but I didn't fill up the dishes enough so when they cooked down the dish was only half full in the end. I filled them to the top but I should have gone over. A potato galette is simply some shallots sauteed in olive oil with some fresh chopped thyme tossed with some thinly sliced potatoes. I used my mandoline to make the potato slices. Layer it in a round dish with cheese between each layer. I used parmesan and gruyere. It's that simple! Bake it in the oven for 45 minutes or so until golden. It was my favorite part of the meal.

The butternut squash ragout had mushrooms (I used cremini) and brussel sprouts done in a white wine sauce. It was a weak sauce for such strong tasting veggies. The chianti glaze on the beets also was weak. I should have just oven roasted the beets and butternut squash, tossing them in balsamic vinegar and olive oil then about half way through, added in the brussel sprouts and mushrooms. Oven roasting veggies brings out the sweetness and is simple. Instead I had to try and get complicated and it didn't taste any better... One day I'll learn!

The next dinner club I will be doing the dessert. I don't usually make too much of a fuss about dessert which is why a dinner club is so much fun, you get to focus on your dish since you only have the one. I think I'm going to do a creme brulee. I have the torch and the right dishes. And I'll serve it with some Bailey's. We now have them in the different flavours and they will pair beautifully with a nice creme brulee!

The Best Low Fat Caesar Salad Dressing Ever!

Here is my recipe for low fat Caesar salad dressing. It uses no fat!

Mix all of these in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender (braun stick blender).

2 large cloves of ROASTED garlic (I bring home 3 heads at a time, roast them in a 350 oven for 45 mintues with the tops cut off and then seperate the cloves and freeze them in a ziplock bag, then I have roasted garlic whenever I want it!)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (or balsamic, depends on your taste)
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp anchovy paste (one tube lasts me a year)
2 tbsp grated parmesan (just throw in a 1 inch cube cut up a bit, the blender or processor will take care of the rest)
1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt
2 tbsp - 1/4 cup of low fat sour cream (if I have it on hand)

If I want to make it southwestern style and give it a little heat then I'll add a few shots of tabassco sauce.

I'll mix this with some mayo to make a sauce to put on salmon (it was serious delicious) and I add a shot of cayenne pepper just to make the heat stand up to the bold taste of the salmon.

I always make this a few hours ahead, if not a whole day ahead, so the flavours can really come together. I keep the leftovers in the fridge for about 5 days.

Baked Ziti

Feel like swimming in pasta and sauce?!

The last time we were in the US, we bought a box of ziti. They were on sale for $1 each! And there were a bunch of different shapes we never see around here. If you can't find ziti then penne also does beautifully in this dish but any medium shape will work.

This dish is deadly easy, freezes well and doubles up no problem. Just boil your pasta (the whole box or bag unless it's mumbo jumbo size) and drain. In a large bowl mix a large container of light ricotta (or low fat cottage cheese if that's all you can find), about 2 cups of grated mozza and about 1 cup of grated parmesan, romano or asiago. Add a jar of sauce. Mix it all up, stir in the pasta, pour it in a greased 8 x13 inch casserole or lasagna dish and your are ready to bake. I like to sprinkle another 1/2 or so of mozza on top. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes uncovered until is nice and bubbly. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.

You can easily up the veggie content of this meal. I used some leftover broccoli, fennel and yellow pepper. But if you don't have any leftover veggies laying around, try adding a box of defrosted frozen spinach or chopped broccoli.

You can prep this one the night before and just take it out of the fridge, pop it into the oven as soon as you turn it on. While the oven is preheating, the dish is coming up to temperature. You will most likely need to the full 45 minutes because of the time the dish had to warm up before cooking commenced. It's still all good!

Thai Chicken Curry Crock Pot

I made a super-dee-duper dinner tonight. It's got a few ingredients you wouldn't expect but it makes a great dish.

In your crock pot mix the following:
1 cup of medium salsa
1/3 cup of peanut butter
2 tbsp of reduced sodium soya sauce
2 tbsp of honey or brown sugar
2 tbsp of orange juice
1 tbsp of minced ginger (I keep the bottled stuff on hand, much easier)

Toss in 12 chicken thighs and make sure they are coated. Cook on Low for 8 hours or hi for about 4-5 hours. I add in some veggies in the last hour. Tonight I used Cauliflower and peas but you can use diced carrots, snow peas, peppers, bean sprouts. It's a thai dish so think thai veggies. I served mine with rice noodles but you can use rice. You can also sprinkle on some green onions and/or chopped peanuts before serving but I always forget.

This recipe comes from the "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry" cookbook authors. They now run a regular article in Readers Digest with some excellent recipes. All healthy and I've never had one I didn't love. They also have 2 other cookbooks, "Looneyspoons" and "Crazy Plates". Pick any of them up if you see them, they are a must have for any cookbook collection!

Quick Chicken Skillet Dinner....and a cookbook recommendation.

Here is a super yummy quick dinner idea. I've been making this one for years and it still pleases my palatte.

1 tbsp oil or nonstick spray
400-500 grams or around 1 lbs of boneless chicken breast or thighs
3 large cloves of garlic, minced (I use the jar stuff, why easier!)
2 large onions, chopped
1 19 oz/540 ml can of stewed tomatoes
2 medium zucchini- sliced
1 red or green pepper, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (or you can use 1 1/2 tsp of italian seasoning in place of the thyme and rosemary)
1/2 cup of red wine (optional)

Heat a big frying pan over medium high heat with the oil or spray in it.
Brown the chicken then add the onions and garlic and saute for another 3 minutes.
Toss in everything else and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low.
Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid, add wine and let simmer until the liquid has reduced.

Serve over rice, pasta or even mashed potatoes. This is a variation on a recipe I got off the back of a can of stewed tomatoes. Excellent!

If you buy frozen chicken breasts in bulk, watch that they aren't already seasoned or be aware and don't salt them before cooking. Seasoned means "salted"!

I'd like to make a recommendation for one of my favorite cookbooks. It can be hard to find but keep your eyes out in those second hand bins or discount bins. I had to buy my copy at amazon second hand. My mom has a copy and it is the greatest. Healthy and simple meals. I give it a "10"!! It's published by the people at Prevention and worth the effort to find.

Stuffed Potatoes - as a meal!

Here is a seriously overlooked meal idea. The stuffed potato. It's low fat, nutritious,inexpensive and quick! I poke some holes in mine with a fork and then toss them in the microwave for 3 minutes per potato. I cook one potato per person. You can prep the stuffing mix while you wait for the potatoes. The stuffing mix is only limited by your imagination. I used broccoli, cheese, a little bacon, garlic and onion powder, sour cream and buttermilk. I also had some fresh chives so I chopped them up and added them in. I scooped out the inside of the potato and mixed it with everything else, scooped it back into the potato then cooked it in the oven for 20 minutes until the top was starting to brown at 375.

Add a salad and this is a great meal. Or use the potato as a side and bake a boneless chicken breast in the same oven as the potatoes!

Greek Pasta and Ground Meat

This meal takes about 30 minutes to prepare and another 25 in the oven but the great thing is that you can double the recipe and freeze half of it for another meal! It's originally a weight watchers recipe and is worth 6 points for anyone counting. It's a one dish meal. Everything you need for a balanced meal is in the one dish!

1/2 lb (approximately 230 grams) of pasta. The recipe calls for orzo but I used orzo and tubetti and I have a friend who uses rotini. So it's up to you, whatever you have on hand will do.
6 ounces of ground meat. This is why I doubled the recipe, it's hard to bring home just 6 ounces of meat...Usually its around a pound which is 16 ounces. The recipe calls for lamb which I had so I used it. My friend makes it with beef but you could use chicken or turkey or even pork. Any of them would work here.
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced (I keep the bottled stuff on hand, it's a real time saver)
1/4 cup chopped fennel. Not everyone likes fennel or even knows what it is but this is a great recipe to get to know it but if you would rather use another veggie then I would recommend either 1/2 a package of frozen spinach or 2 cups of fresh spinach. Broccoli would also work well here. But those are just the ones I like, you'll have to come up with your own favorite substitutions.
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 (14 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp of tomato paste. (I used 3/4 of a small can of tomato paste for a double recipe. You can freeze the rest of the can if you can't find tomato paste in the tube. The tube is so convenient, you can squirt out just the amount you need!)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 ounces light feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Spray an 8 inch square baking dish with nonstick spray and preheat the oven to 350.

Cook Pasta as per directions on box. Drain and put in a large bowl.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown and break up the ground meat. Add it to the bowl.

Add the onion, fennel, garlic, mint and oregano to the skillet and cook until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato, tomato paste and cinnamon and cook until thickened, about 6 minutes.

Add the skillet mixture to the bowl. Toss in the feta and mix it all well. Pour it into the baking dish and sprinkle with the parmesan.

Bake for 25 minutes. Low fat, low sodium and delicious!

Want to take it to another level? Think about changing the herb/cheese/veggie combo to create other flavours. For example, Basil, oregano and thyme with fontina and provolone with zucchini and mushrooms would make a great Italian dish! It's only limited by your imagination.

Clam Chowder (or Fish or Seafood...)

Here is a great recipe for a cold fall evening. It's super simple, can be modified and totally delicious. I serve it with a salad and the meal is complete. Serves 4

2 slices of bacon (optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large potatoes, finely diced
1 can of clams OR 200g of fish fillets OR 200 g (around 1/2 lb) of seafood - shrimp, scallops, mussels
1/4 tsp liquid smoke (in your regular grocery aisle)
1/2 tsp oil, salt free marg or salt free butter
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 can of fat free evaporated milk or 1 1/2 cups of skim milk with 2 tbsp of corn starch added.

Heat the 1/4 tsp of the oil, margarine or butter in a saucepan over med heat. Add the bacon if using and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon and let it sit on a paper towel while you prepare the rest.

Add remaining oil. margarine or butter, reduce the heat to medium-low and saute the onions, careful not to brown them, just soften them.
Add the potatoes and enough water just to cover them. You can use chicken, veggie or seafood broth if you want but water will work just fine. Simmer the potatoes for 15 minutes.
Add the clams, fish or seafood. Heat until just cooked through, the clams are already cooked so just heat them through, about 2 minutes. The fish or seafood will take about 5 minutes.
Add the milk and cook until thickened if using the cornstarch, otherwise just heat through.

The liquid smoke is a great thing. It adds a great bacon flavour to many dishes without the fat or salt. I've had the same bottle for years, it keeps well in the cupboard.

You can leave the potatoes unpeeled if you like. We sometimes do. I make chowder all the time. It's a real maritime tradition!

Curry Chili - Super Easy!

Looking for something quick, inexpensive and healthy? I gotcha covered. I used to call this dish bean burger stew but then I realized it really is a quick curry chili. Here is the ingredient list:

1 pound of extra lean ground beef
1 14 oz (398 ml) can of no salt added pinto beans (if you are watching your sodium level)
1 14 oz (398 ml) can of no salt added tomato sauce
1 green pepper chopped
1 onion chopped or 2 tsp of onion powder
2 cloves of minced garlic or 2 tsp of garlic powder
3 tsp curry powder.
3-5 cups of veggies (I used Cauliflower but spinach or peas or a combination would work well)

Spray frying pan with non-stick spray
Heat to medium-high
Saute onions and peppers until soft
add garlic and cook for another minute
add and break up beef, saute for 5 minutes
add in beans, tomato sauce, curry and veggies
simmer until veggies are tender and serve (2 - 10 minutes depending on the veggie you added)
but this can sit on your stove for up to an hour on low if you aren't ready to eat right away.

I did this in less than 30 minutes with nothing prepared before hand, I even had to wash my veggies and I had to cut up fresh cauliflower. Frozen veggies would work really well here.

You could certainly get more creative. If you have authentic Indian spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamon, etc., you could make your own spice blend, just toast up any whole spices before grinding. And if that were the case, I would use ground lamb. It would stand up well to the intensity of the fresh spice mixture.

Okay, this is just too funny! Are you ready for Halloween?!

Fall Pics

These were suppose to go with the last post.

Fall at Last.

Today is one of those first real days of Fall. It’s my favorite season. Some think of the new year as a time of new beginnings but for me it’s Fall. Even though I haven’t been in school in, oh, let’s just say, a long time, it’s still the beginning of a new year for me. Fall means no longer sweating after you shower. Fall means getting to stop shaving everything all the time! Fall means no longer having to water and deadhead those damn flowers. Fall means boots; long sexy ones that make you feel like Tina Sinatra knew what she was talking about. And Fall means that Winter is just around the corner. And I really love winter! Winter is an excuse to snuggle down under the covers a little longer. Hats and scarves…. Oh boy! But let’s get through Fall first.


The colours of the leaves always amaze me, year after year. How can anything be so beautiful? For someone who is a “cool” colour tone herself, you wouldn’t think I would love the shades of Fall so much. The burnt umber, the yellow mums, orange pumpkins, the burgundy, red and flame orange of the leaves. Somehow the colours of the summer flowers pale in comparison. It’s warmth everywhere even as you start to see your breath.

And the smells of Fall. Pumpkin spice, vanilla, apple pies… and now that the windows are closed you can light all those scented candles and capture the scent indoors. And speaking of candles, how about those shorter days and longer night? Fall is the time to pull out all those sparkling candleholders and lighting them up. Those red wines that didn’t really go with summer’s warm evenings now sound like a great idea. Soups and stews make a reappearance after summer hibernation. Mmm, beef stew, chili, pea soup, chowders! Wow, I think I just planned the perfect evening. Light the pumpkin spice candles, put some plain tealights in all the holders (they tend to be safest), Get a pot of soup on the stove, open a bottle of good red wine and snuggle in for a romantic evening at home!

Maybe that’s why I like Fall so much… I associate the long dark evenings with romance. Curling up with the one you love (or even just lust after a little) with the twinkle of the candlelight in the background. Slap on some Jazz and it’s perfect. See it’s hard to do that in the heat of summer. Snuggling is less than sexy as you sweat like a rutting pig. And it’s too easy for me to get really drunk on white wine to stay sensible, let alone sexy for long. And all that flesh…it’s all out there. All having to be maintained…. In Fall you don’t have to worry nearly so much because candlelight does wonderful things to cellulite. It glistens in the glow of the flames. And the red wine makes you seem that much sexier without becoming completely stupid, well hopefully. Depends on your drink of choice but you get my drift. And Fall means being cool enough to enjoy Bailey’s Irish Cream again! Now that’s perfect. Life doesn’t get any better than that.

Happy Turkey Day!!

Let's talk turkey. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love it so much, I do it twice each year, once for the Canadian Thanksgiving and then again for the American Thanksgiving. How's that for commitment?!

This year it was just myself, Tim and his son so I only cooked a turkey breast half. Now if you've been paying attention you'll remember that I cook low sodium. It's hard to leave salt out of a good turkey dinner. Especially when I find the best way to ensure a turkey is moist is to brine it. This is a crucial technique. You can baste until the cows come home but nothing will give you the moisture that brining does. There are 2 different ways to brine. One is to soak the bird in a water and salt solution for at least 24 hours. I find this difficult because I'm usually wrangling a pretty big bird. So I go for brining method number 2. I rub it in salt and let it sit over night. Then I rinse it off, pat it dry and we're good to go. This year I didn't do it... and the turkey was way too dry.

My nephew told me about an interesting cooking method he heard of, steaming. I've never steamed meat, let alone a whole turkey but it may be the low sodium solution I'm looking for. Like I mentioned, today I only did a half of a turkey breast (it really was enough meat for the three of us and I still have leftovers) and I was tempted to try it but I didn't. I do have some turkey thighs that I might try it with soon. Anyone ever steamed their turkey? I'd love to hear of some real life experiences with it.

The highlight of today's meal was the cornbread stuffing. I love cornbread stuffing so much that we never have bread stuffing anymore. I had some maple corn muffins I had made the week before last in the freezer. But often I just make one or two cornbread mixes up a couple of days before Thanksgiving to allow it to start to dry out. Then I just add some finely chopped onions, summer savory or sage and some melted butter. If I don't put it in the bird, I use some of the turkey drippings and mix it in during the cooking process to get a nicer flavor. It's a nice change from the ordinary.


Is it my imagination or do all my food pics lately look the same?!?!

Quiche me you fool!

Picture of this mornings quick quiche!

Ah the joy of weekend brunch...

I love a late breakfast on the weekend. I like to come up with something yummy that brings the whole family to the table, something that may even require a nap afterwards. And it doesn't require big grocery list, a lot of planning or a lot of prep work. I've been known to take the leftovers from dinner the night before, add some eggs and call it breakfast. Leftover roast chicken, broccoli and potatoes? Perfect. Chop them up, put them in a casserole dish, pour some eggs over and bake it for 20- 30 minutes at 350 degrees and you've got a great brunch. Toss in some cheese with the mixture before you bake it and you have a delectable delight!

Even if you just have some leftover steak and onions, great that'll work! Add some cheddar, even throw in some frozen veggies to make it a complete meal and you'll be impressed with the results. Even leftover seafood works (if you aren't too hungover from the night before). Shrimp, scallops or salmon make a fantastic breakfast bake! Spinach works well here or just go with some herbs. I tend to stay away from too much cheese with seafood. It just doesn't need it. But some cream cheese or a flavored soft spreadable cheese mixed in with the eggs adds a nice punch.

You can make these concoctions as either a quiche or scrambled eggs. And you don't have to add everything from the night before. Roasted beets with your steak and eggs may not be for everyone.

This morning I made a Ham and Spinach quiche. Oh, when I say "quiche" I mean an egg pie, there is no shell involved. It saves on fat and calories but if you want to use a frozen one or want to make one, go right ahead. I won't tell you not to!

For this mornings dish I used a slice of diced ham (this is an example of how to incorporate a high sodium food into your diet without having a huge portion but still getting the taste), some frozen spinach (you can get the chopped kind frozen in nuggets from Sobey's, it's really useful when you don't need a whole package), some Jarlsberg and some swiss cheese, a little herb and garlic seasoning and some onion powder mixed in with the eggs. It took me exactly 5 minutes to make this dish. 30 minutes in the oven at 350 and breakfast is ready! And here's the real kicker.... we'll have leftovers for quick breakfasts during the week. How awesome is that?!

Calactus Review (Vegetarian can be awesome!)

So I haven't really spoken much about restaurants here in my blog. One of the reasons is that I believe if you don't have anything nice to say, then you shouldn't say anything at all. I find a lot of places make heavy, flavorless, overly salty food and I often leave disappointed that I wasted my entertainment dollar on a meal I didn't enjoy... Although I must say, there are a few chain restaurants around that, while having heavy meals, have been flavourful and a decent experience for my entertaining dollar, which is a surprise for me because I'm a big fan of local ingredients made fresh. But I want to talk about my most pleasant surprise as of late.... Calactus! If you haven't been, you need to go. Bring along your 'Earth Muffin' side and an open mind. This place respects the earth and your body, even if you don't. They do things with vegetarian cuisine that make me seriously contemplate a vegetarian lifestyle. Meat?! Who needs it?! This is the stuff of a foodie's dreams.

I've been there twice so far and both times were divine. They have a full menu of coffee and teas to make your lunchtime experience complete. And they have a nice little wine list to make your dinner a truly grown-up experience, all organic of course. The first time I had the daily special, the Mustafa Melt. It was amazing. Flavors that you would never think of putting together... This chef needs to put out a cookbook! The second time I had a wrap type dish off the menu. Again I was impressed. I took Tim there for dinner for my second visit. He too was quite impressed. And he didn't have to feel guilty about blowing his healthy eating regime. What a treat!

We even had a vegetarian parfait with tofu cream. It was good! And I'm not a big tofu fan. I'm still developing my taste for it. But this dessert was fabulous.

So go to Calactus and have a delicious dinner or lunch. And you won't even have to feel guilty about a great meal out!

Stir Fry...anything!

First I'd like to say that I've turned off the "comment moderation". I was having a problem with an automatically generated comment maker! After a few rejected comments, it seemed to have stopped. So I apologize for any inconvenience. Comment away! I enjoy the feedback.

Let's talk about stir fry. Everyone assumes you have to do it Chinese or Asian style but I'm here to tell you that's just not true. I use my wok style pan for all sorts of things. You can use a lot of the same base ingredients but just by changing the seasonings, you can change the flavor. And it doesn't take much.

A good stir fry consists of meat, chicken, fish or tofu, sauteed over medium high heat (if you have a non-stick pan). Add in some onions and garlic, maybe some ginger. Remove and throw in your veggie combo. Add some sauce and/or seasonings, return the meat, chicken, fish or tofu to the pan to combine and you're done!

Okay so think about it, the right combo of meat, chicken, fish or tofu with veggies and the right seasoning and you can go with a totally different flavor! I did a nice Greek version the other night. I used chicken, onions, garlic and some of my homemade Greek salt free seasoning for the first saute. (You can use store bought seasoning but if you are watching your sodium, use it sparingly) I used green and yellow zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, green pepper and mushrooms. I was going to use spinach and tomatoes and that would have been it but I had some veggies to use up. For the sauce I used yogurt with a squirt of lemon juice, some dried oregano and a good bit of crumbled feta. Voila! We had Greek stir fry and it was awesome. I served it over brown rice because that is what I had on hand but we could have used a pita bread or even potatoes.

So think your favorite flavors and stir fry them. It's a quick method of cooking that is pretty darn healthy!

I've been slack...

Okay, I've been really slack about sharing recipes lately. Mostly because I've been creating quick throw togethers and I haven't been photographing them. And let's face it, this site is way more interesting with pictures...

I did make some beautiful Halibut steaks on the weekend. I marinated them just for a couple of hours in olive oil, lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning and a bit of minced garlic and chopped shallots. I BBQed them about 7 minutes per side over medium heat and they were perfect. What a taste! I forget how much I love Halibut. I served them on grilled zucchini which was tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and italian seasoning. Yum!

I also did a Curry Beef Stew. It was a nice alternative to traditional stew even though it had most of the same ingredients.

1 plb of stew meat
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1 turnip, cut into cubes
2 large carrots, diced
low sodium beef broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp tumeric
2 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger minced or 1/2 tbsp of the bottled stuff.
and 2 squeezes of tomato paste (I get it in the tube but you could add a whole small can if you want)

I sauted the meat, onions, garlic and ginger. And then tossed everything in the crock pot and let it simmer all day. Right before serving I stir in 2 cups of yogurt. Make sure it doesn't boil! And I serve the stew on top of mashed sweet potatoes. Easy! And it was good enough for company (which we had)

This week I'm going to start my official recipe review. I've got recipes I've developed over the years and I'm going to start putting them to the test of time. Will they make the grade? Stay tuned! And if you are a meat lover be sure to come back often. I'm working on a quick and simple meat lovers healthy recipe collection!