Chive Butter: A Pictorial

Welcome to spring! The herbs are starting to sprout. Chives to me are the first sign of all the yummy things to come. However, I never seem to make a good dent in the supply before they go to seed (the flowers bloom and then dry out and the whole thing goes into hibernation until next year) so I've made chive butter. Serious yum factor. The nice thing about this butter is that you can freeze it so it's a great way to keep chives around long after they are gone from the garden.

First, set your butter out and let it come up to room temperature.
Next chop your chives up.

Mix them with the butter. Using a back of a big spoon makes it easier.

Plop the butter on some plastic wrap.

Roll the butter into a log.

Twist the ends to get a nice tight log

Pop in the fridge or freezer. This will keep for a couple of months in the freezer.

Serve this with potatoes, pasta, on fish or meat.

Have butter issues? I'll try not to rant about the evils of the over processed product known as margarine. I prefer butter because it's the least processed. And the French eat lots of it and they have a far lower rate of heart disease than we do here in North America! Margarine was originally commissioned by Napoleon as a butter substitute for his troops and the poor. While we can safely say that margarine today is not the exact same formulation as back then, we have discovered in recent years that the hydrogenated oil in it was bad. So why eat something that has been manipulated from it's original form? We are discovering how dangerous that really is. That being said, I do have margarine in the house for convenience sake. However I reach for the butter first. I'll get off my soap box now. You can try this with margarine but I've never seen it done. Please let me know how it works out for you.

Greek Souvlaki and Feta Tzatziki

This is a great grill time recipe but if the weather changes during the day (which is a good possibility around these parts) you can always broil or bake it.

I love Greek food! And it’s so healthy! The great thing about this dish is that you can do it all ahead and then at mealtime you just grill or bake. Easy! Start with a Mediterranean dip like hummus or baba ganoush and finish off the some baklava and you have a wonderful themed meal, suitable for guests. I like the leftover souvlaki in a pita with the tzatziki on top – what a great lunch!

Greek Souvlaki and Feta Tzatziki - Serves 6 -8. 7 Points

Ingredients:
Marinade
½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes

Souvlaki
24 cherry tomatoes
24 mushrooms
1 large green and red pepper
2 red onions
1 lb pork, chicken or beef

Tzatziki
1 ½ cup plain yogurt, preferably the Greek or Balkan style
½ cup grated English cucumber, water squeezed out
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup feta cheese

Instructions:
Mix together the marinade ingredients in a shallow, non-metal pan.
Cut peppers, onion and meat in 1 inch cubes
Toss souvlaki ingredients in the marinade and let sit for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
Mix tzatziki ingredients and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Before cooking, arrange souvlaki ingredients on skewers.
Grill over high heat or bake at 425 for about 15 minutes. Serve with rice and tzatziki. Opa!

Nutrition Information based on 8 servings (without rice):Calories 306, Calories from Fat 176; Total Fat 20g, Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 46 mg; Sodium 181 mg; Carbohydrates 15g; Fiber 2g; Sugars 10g; Protein 18g

Fresh squeezed lemon juice is best. One good size lemon should give you enough for both the marinade and the tzatziki. The superior taste over bottled lemon juice is well worth it in this recipe.

Use a decent quality olive oil. There is currently no regulation requiring that olive oil be labeled by origin of the olives. An olive oil that states it was bottled in Italy doesn’t mean all the olives come from Italy. Those olives could have travelled quite a ways to be part of the mix that ends up in that bottle. Buy your olive oil from a trusted importer. I buy mine from the Italian market and it comes from a cooperative of Greek olive growers. Taste great! And I didn`t pay a fortune for it either.

Time for the BBQ! A tip for Cast Iron Grills

It's here, it's really here! Spring has sprung, the birds are singing, I've discovered a pussy willow bush (impersonating a tree) in my back yard, and barbecue season is official started! I have bunches of pussy willows with their beautiful grey/brown fuzzy buds in my vases. And I stocked up on barbecueable meals. I'm ready!

Last year I got a new barbecue. If you have bought a new barbecue in the last 2 years you may notice that more and more of them are coming with cast iron grates. It's a little different to deal with cast iron grates. At first I thought "what a pain" but I do know that once you get the cast iron just right it's worth the effort. Now I have 2 cast iron pans that I have never gotten "just right". So I wasn't optimistic. I read the instructions for seasoning the grates and did as I was told. Basically you have to wash them in warm soapy water, oil them and bake them at a low temperature. This is typical of all cast iron. I've done this for my cast iron pans and I still have rust issues and well, I still haven't really seen the greatness of the cast iron.

I have been following the instructions for caring for the cast iron grates between uses. We usually care for stainless steel or porcelain covered grates by burning off the food bits and scraping the grates clean after using them. With cast iron you have to think differently. The goal is to protect the grates between use. So I've been oiling the grates a bit after they've cooled, before I put the cover back on the grill. I also don't scrap off the food bits until BEFORE I go to fire up the grill the next time. This not only protects the grill but also adds to the seasoning process.

Last Friday night I threw on some steaks, totally forgetting to re-oil the grates before putting the food on. I thought "oh shit, this is not going to be pretty" and I gave the steak a little jiggle. Now really the steaks had just gone on and should have been sticking to the grates until they were seared and ready for flipping. But guess what?! They weren't stuck! My cast iron grates are seasoned properly! Amazing! I can't believe I finally have some cast iron that works the way it's suppose to... And I had the most perfect sear marks on those steaks. I love how cast iron holds the heat.

Now I'm inspired to work a bit more with my cast iron pans. I think it's easier to get your barbecue grates seasoned properly because you don't have to store them. When I oil up my pans, I then have to put them in the cupboard somehow keeping them dry and not effecting my other pots and pans. With the barbecue the grates have lots of air circulation and I can oil them liberally without any worries. Remember I live 1.5 blocks from the ocean so the air is damp, protecting my grates is imperative! And so far, no signs of rust. And now they work like they are suppose to. So don't despair if you have cast iron grates on your new barbecue. Once you get them seasoned, they are the best at searing food, making your barbecue the culinary wonder it was meant to be!

It's been a slice!

First, see above for a chance to win a $1000 Cookware set. Enter now! This is only open to US residents.. Sorry but even I can`t enter.

Second, it's about time I shared with you the details of my weekend in NYC. It was awesome! The theme of the weekend quickly became "It's been a slice!" cause we ate a quite a bit of good real NY style pizza. The stuff I grew up on. Sigh.... good stuff. I may be ruined for life. But I'll get to that.

We had our first slice at Villa Pizza in the Bergen Town Center. Villa Pizza has restaurants in Italy! Holy crap, how good of a pizza joint do you have to be to have restaurants in Italy. (They have franchise opportunities...maybe that should be my next career... oo, they have a South Philly Steak and Fries brand... that would suit me! I digress) Granny Tan and I were a little overwhelmed at the selection. We both ended up with plain pepperoni. Nothing like sticking with a classic. We also split a tomato, mozza and basil salad that was huge and tasty!

Saturday night we went for Turkish food at Lisa's Turkish Kitchen. I didn't get a pic of my meal. It was huge, it was tasty, it was a good time. Ridgewood, NJ is a lovely spot to hit for dinner. It's BYOB which has it's charm... it's make for a cheaper meal overall but you do have to keep this in mind when heading out. Granny Tan and I after our meal (and a day of shopping... see our smiles?! and you can't even see my new shoes!)

Sunday morning we headed into the city for a food tour of the West Village. It was raining but we were prepared and eager to eat! (just a side note, I've been back for less than 2 weeks and I've had to do 3 loads of dog towels from wiping puppy paws.... i love spring....)

We started the tour with the most perfect slice of pizza. You have got to hit Joe's Pizza on Carmine St.

Perfection. I may be ruined for all pizzas in the future. And I've had some pretty damn good pizza in my life (best pizza overall.... in Sweden! yup, I swear but since the odds of most of you getting to Stockholm are probably slimmer than getting to NYC....) Seriously, I may not ever be satisfied in a pizza kind of way again. This tour rocks!

Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin. Talk amongst yourselves. I need a moment.

Okay, next we hit Bleecker Street and O&Co, an olive oil, vinegar and spreads shop. Note this link is Canadian! Yup, you can get this stuff delivered in Canada. But if you go to the .com site you see that there are locations in several different countries for you international readers. Ooooo, sweat nectar from the gods!

Olive oil is like wine. The quality varies. I have one less expensive olive oil for cooking with and a high quality French (that I picked up at O&Co) for salads and such. I also picked up a basil infused olive oil that is deadly tossed on tomatoes!

Next stop was Faiccos where the firemen were getting their lunch. We likey firemen!

We also ate a fried rice cheese ball. Yum! I wonder if I can make these at home without a deep fryer? These would be awesome appies for a cocktail party.
Our next stop was a 40 year old herb and spice shop called Aphrodisia, still on Bleecker Street.
We had a herbal tea tasting while there and sniffed some of the spices. Granny Tan went back for some paprika, I got some ground porcini mushroom powder! Cool.

Time to get off Bleecher street for a while. We headed over to 7th Avenue to Centro Vinoteca where the Head Chef Leah was on the show Top Chef!

It's a bit expensive but would make for a nice evening out. They have an extensive wine list.

We had a farro mushroom risotto. Alana and I aren't big mushroom fans but this was good. I gave my biggest mushroom pieces to Granny Tan but overall, yummy!

We also had the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine. They sell wine by the quarter bottle which is a great way to sample wine with a friend! Our hosts with the mosts enjoying a glass! No really, Adam was enjoying the tour, I swear. And Alana is only blurry when she drinks wine.

We then roamed around the village and had a tour of some of the landmark areas. Beautiful. Then it was time for some cookies. I ate mine too fast to get a pic.

Then is was back to Bleecher Street. We started our tour at Murray`s Cheese Shop and then hit it again later for a cheese tasting.

We had a smoked goats milk cheese, a dutch cheese and a Parmesan. The meat was actually from Faicco`s. I could have spent the afternoon in this store. And I could have bought half the contents however, trying to cross the border with cheese is not recommended (I`ve tried and had my precious cheese taken from me... I`m still traumatized by the whole thing).

We ended the tour the way any good visit to NYC should end - with a cannoli. An awesome cannoli from Rocco`s Pastry shop.

After the tour we went back to a O&Co to buy some olive oil and to Aphrodisia to buy some spices. We had beers at the Blind Tiger then headed over for a great deal on oysters at Fish still on Bleecker. 6 oysters and a glass of wine for $8. Alana wasn`t sure about raw oysters so we recommended she get the clams, same deal. Never did we imagine that the clams would be raw! I must say, I`ll stick with the oysters!

We decided to hit NYC`s second oldest pizzaria for dinner, John`s Pizza. They`ve been around since 1929 and still use their original coal oven. And it`s cheap! But get there earlier or you`ll be lined up outside for a while.

We got a pitcher of beer for less than $20. (I had a glass of white wine, served in a juice glass!)
Note the decor on the table. This place had character! We got a salad to share. It was enough for 4 people who had spent the day eating...

And then we split a pie. Sigh... it was good.

I must say, one could spend a day just on Bleecher street. Check out this or some of the other tours they offer. Money well spent.

We also got a tour guide of the recommended restaurants in the area. The tour was $46 and worth every penny. I`ll be keeping my tour guide for my next visit (and for anyone heading down that way, just email me, I`ll share info!)

Now, I must go figure out what to eat for dinner! Hmmm could I make thin crust....

Freezin' Rice and a recommendation for the BBQ (I promise Spring is coming, it just has to be!)

Last night I made a great stir fry. Broccoli and Chicken Stir Fried Rice. I had just gotten a great deal on boneless chicken breasts so I'm feelin' foot loose and fancy free with the stuff (which is usually more expensive than Caviar...). If I wanted to make this recipe more budget friendly I would have used a lean cut of beef or pork. You could also use Shrimp which sometimes are a better price than boneless chicken breasts!

I used a big bag of frozen broccoli which worked out quite well in this dish. But the best part was simply pulling out the frozen cooked rice. By using rice out of the freezer, this becomes a one dish meal! So when you cook rice, cook extra, freeze it in 1 cup serving sizes and you'll save extra time later. Also, freezing the rice dries it out a bit, making it perfect for adding to dishes and really great for making fried rice.

Oh, and the Hoisin and Lime Marinated Chicken mentioned in the Broccoli and Chicken Stir Fried Rice recipe above (which I actually did as directed in the recipe)... well I bookmarked that recipe for next summer for the bbq. You can bring home your chicken and add it to the marinate before freezing. Then on a nice day when you are ready to bbq, you just pull it out of the freezer, let it defrost while it soaks up the marinate and you are good to go. I'm starting a list of recipes for this summers CJ and Granny Tan's 2nd Annual Most Excellent Cottage Getaway and this one is definitely on it!

Fish tip - keeping it together in a chowder

Last night I made a salmon chowder recipe that called for roasting the salmon first. I did as I was told which is really quite rare. But guess what?! The salmon did not fall apart when I added it to the soup. I had really nice chunks of salmon! I diced the salmon to the size I wanted for the soup. Then I roasted it in a hot oven at about 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Doing this binded the salmon so that it kept it's shape when added to the soup. And roasting the salmon at a high heat really gave it a nice flavour. I would do this again when adding salmon or any fish to soup or pasta dishes.

Tip - Liven up Mayo

Here's a quick tip to liven up your sandwich or dress up a dish. Flavour up your mayo. I add pesto to mine for a "pesto aioli". Sounds fancy, doesn't it? (I like it for dipping my baked fries in, deadly!) You can serve a dollop with fish, chicken or meat as an accent sauce. Veggies would love a dip too. This takes the food to a more gourmet level and is deadly easy. Just remember to only use a little, you want to up the flavour not ruin a healthy meal!

With your mayo mix any of the following.

Italian Twist:
basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary

Spicy:
fresh or dried chilies, chili powder, cayenne powder, Tabasco

Tangy:
Ketchup

French:
Crushed peppercorns, a dribble of white wine and a dab of Dijon mustard

More Italian:
Sun dried tomato and garlic

More varieties:
Any fresh herbs
or Lemon

You are only limited by your imagination.

Cheap Wine! Just because we are in a recession doesn't mean you have to stay dry!

So let's talk cheap. In these times of economic uncertainty it seems one retailer who isn't feeling the pinch is the liquor store. Funny that. But I can confirm that I've found some great cheap wines for under $10. Those Americans reading this... stop laughing. I'm heading down there at the end of the month and I intend to indulge in some fine California wines. I hope you really appreciate how very lucky you are to have affordable access to such a fine selection of wines. It's a beautiful thing. Probably lucky I don't live there.... I'd be a lush.

On to the wine list! Recently I saw a recommendation in the local "Metro" newspaper for some Argentinian wine. Now I enjoy South African wine which I got exposed to when I traveled to Sweden. If the Europeans are drinking wines from non-traditional regions then they must be good given the fact that these folks have access to well priced French and Italian wines. So that has given me a pretty open mind regarding the origin of a bottle of wine. These did not disappoint. And they were each under $9! Give these a try the next time you are looking for wine.
Trapiche Astica Sauvigon Semillon - not a subtle quiet white. This one will wake up your taste buds!
Trapiche Astica Merlot Malbec - holy lip smackin' batman! I'm prefer whites for sipping and typically only drink reds when pairing with food. Well this one was so good I enjoyed a glass for no particular reason other than it was just tasty. What a pleasant surprise.

I picked up a few others around the $10 mark and have been pleased with each one. Give these a try:
Painted Turtle Merlot - Canadian - appr $12. They have 2 whites too which I intend to try soon
Funky Llama Chardonnay - Argentina - appr $10. Anyone who knows me knows I don't like Chardonnay as a rule. But really it's just California Chardonnay I don't like. Before you proponents of California wines started sending me hate mail, I adore every other grape varietal that comes out of California. See above for proof. So I think I'm allowed to not like one type. You California Chardonnay lovers, mail away. I can't help it. Back to this particular Chardonnay. It was good, it was cheap, I'd buy it again, enough said.

Try wines from the non-traditional regions. They are often affordable and more than often, tasty. I'll keep trying cheap wines and sharing my findings. The things I do for you people... sigh.

Cheers!

Chicken Fajita Pasta

Here is a super quick and easy recipe that is kid friendly!

Chicken Fajita Pasta
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pack of spaghetti (appr. 250g)
• 1 lb of boneless chicken, breast, thighs or even ground (ground beef works too)
• 1 cup of salsa
• 2/3 cup of light sour cream
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

that's it, yup, really

Instructions:

1. Boil the pasta
2. In a saute pan, brown the meat and cook through
3. Drain the pasta and put it back in the pot
4. Toss in the salsa, sour cream and meat
5. Mix well
6. Serve with cheese sprinkled on top

yup, that easy and quite tasty! Use whole wheat pasta to up the fiber content. Add in more veggies if you're feeling frisky.

Seafood Lasagna from the Holidays

Really lobster lasagna! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Christmas Eve I had planned to make a Seafood Lasagna. In the days leading up to Christmas I had a power outage for 27 hours and then again for 7 hours on Christmas Eve. It put me way behind on all the things I had left until the last minute. We ended up grabbing Chinese on Christmas eve which is not a bad idea. Why bother cooking Christmas Eve when you're busy with the last minute details?! Definitely something to keep in mind for future busy Christmas Eves (some years I'm completely organized but some years I'm like an unmade bed...)

We ended up having the seafood lasagna on Christmas Day. This past holiday season lobster prices bottomed out around here so I picked up 2 really cheap and thought I'd add them to the lasagna. How decadent! When I cooked and picked through them I was amazed at how much meat they had. I usually have lobster in the summer months around my birthday. But what a difference getting them during the high season! Needless to say, I will revisit lobsters next year during the holidays.

Once I picked through the 2 lobsters I had so much meat that I decided to skip the other seafood, hence my lasagna went from being a "seafood" lasagna to just being a "lobster" lasagna. And it was perfectly elegant for Christmas day.

A couple of good cheats - I got the store made fresh lasagna sheets (no precooking required)and I used 2 packs of prepackaged sauce, a 4 cheese sauce and a light alfredo sauce. Again, this is a special occasion lasagna so decadent is mandatory!

Lobster Lasagna - Serves 12 and freezes beautifully!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mushrooms
• 2 onions
• 3 small zucchini
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tbsp celery seeds
• 2 lobsters (or crab meet and shrimp), cooked and picked
• 1 1/4 c feta cheese
• 250ml (1c) cottage cheese, reduced fat
• 1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• basil, fresh 1/4 cup chopped or 1 tbsp dried
• 1 package 300ml 4 cheese sauce
• 1 package 300 ml light alfredo cause
• 1 package of fresh lasagna noodles
• 2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded parmesan
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Saute the mushrooms, onions, zucchini, garlic, thyme and celery seeds until soft. Remove from the heat
3. Toss in the lobster and mix, put aside
4. Combine the feta cheese, cottage cheese and spinach, set aside
5. Combine the 2 packages of sauce, set aside
6. Toss the mozza and parm
7. Pour a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 13 X 9 inch baking dish
8. Place a layer of noodles on the sauce
9. Top with 1/3 of the cheese mix, 1/3 of the lobster mix, 1/4 of the sauce and 1/4 of the mozza/parm mix.
10. Repeat 2 more times, ending with noodles, sauce and mozza/parm.
11. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes until golden on top. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Parsley.

Enjoy! Nice thing about this recipe is that you can make it ahead. You can even cook it for about 25 minutes a day or two ahead and then heat it through on the day of serving, covered for 20 minutes then uncover for 5 - 10 until golden.

Comfort foods for sick days

You know I love my freezer but never was it more apparent than the week before last when I was home sick with a severe episode of the flu. You know it's the flu when you constantly think to yourself "even my eyeballs hurt". And they did. So you can imagine how grateful I was that my freezer had lots of comfort foods. I have homemade turkey soup, leftover turkey hash and turkey pot pie. Turkey is my comfort food. Although this time I craved salads. Luckily I had romaine lettuce on hand. But there were points during the week and a half of illness ( yup, that long) I did have periods of extreme nausea which is definitely turkey soup time.

I always make turkey pot pie out of the leftover turkey and gravy. Just throw in some veggies of your choice and some form of crust. I've used leftover carrots and turnip and put a layer of mashed potatoes for the crust. Ooo, I've even done a mashed potato and stuffing mix for the crust. That is always yummy. This time I used frozen broccoli, diced turnip and some of my own roasted corn. For the crust I used the Pillsbury cresent rolls. When I cook it I undercook the crust, freeze it and then when I go to reheat it, the crust ends up perfect.

Serious comfort food.

This time of year it's really important to keep some good comfort foods (and cold meds) on hand. You never know when the flu or cold will take you down! So whatever means 'comfort' to you - stock up! And next year I'll be getting that flu shot....

Tofu and Carrot Ginger Dressing

As I mentioned, I got a new cookbook for Christmas from the Moosewood Collective called Simple Suppers. I came across a recipe for sesame tofu... Hmmm, sounded interesting. A couple of times when out for sushi I've had the fried tofu and it's quite tasty. So I wanted to give this sesame tofu recipe a try. It was deadly simple. Brush the tofu with soy sauce and honey mixed together then roll the tofu around in the sesame seeds. Be sure you have a really hot pan to sear the tofu in. I used a combination of canola and sesame oil in the pan but you don't need a lot. I used about 1/2 tbsp to do 2 pieces. The tofu had a great crispy crust while being light inside. I used the firm tofu.


Give it a try!

So with this meal I had a Japanese inspired salad. When we go out for sushi we often comment on the salad dressing. So I decided that, given the obscene amount of lettuce I had on hand, I should attempt to make the dressing to go with my Japanese inspired tofu. I did a little research, tweaked the recipe based on what I had and ended up with the perfect dressing

Carrot-Ginger Dressing
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup tofu, firm or medium
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp wasabi powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey

Instructions:

1. Blend in a blender, food processor or with a hand (immersion) blender.

You could use the silken tofu but then you'll want to use miso paste instead of soy and maybe add some salt.

YUM!

Easiest Heuvos Rancheros Ever!

Hello! No, I have not broken a limb. Yes, I am still eating. I've just been incredibly slack about blogging. Somehow sitting in front of a computer over the holidays sounded way too much like work since I sit in front of a computer most days and get paid for it. I do have some fantastic recipes to share so stay tuned. What got me off my lazy non-blogging butt this morning however was my breakfast. It was so fantastic I just have to share!

I got a new cookbook for Christmas, Moosewood Restaurants "Simple Suppers". Veggies meals made super simple. Just browsing through it gave me inspiration for 3 meals for the upcoming week. I'm looking for quick things to whip up when I come home and it's already dark and all I really want to do is get in my jammies and curl up in bed. I spent the last week turning to the carton of eggs in my fridge and thinking "there is something in there that would make a quick healthy dinner, but what?" Well I came across Heuvos Rancheros in the "Simple Suppers" cookbook. I was thinking of doing something with salsa and eggs but I didn't think to do it quite like this. You actually poach the eggs in the salsa. Hang on, I'll give you the recipe. There are no pics. I ate it so quickly this morning that it never dawned on me to take a pic! This was a great brunch meal but I would absolutly make it for dinner. Nutritious too!

Ingredients:

• Salsa (enough to fill a pan about 1/3 inch, about 1/3 cup per person)


• Egg (one or two per person)


• Cheese, cheddar or monteray jack, shredded (1 ounce per person)


• Green onions, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pour the salsa in a non-stick saute/frying pan big enough to fit the number of eggs you are going to cook. I used a small individual size pan to make one egg for me.


2. Heat over medium heat until simmering


3. Gently pour in each egg, leaving space around each egg.


4. Once the egg is cooked to your liking, sprinkle on the grated cheese and green onion.


5. Melt the cheese and serve by taking a flat spatula and lifting out each egg with the salsa under it.

You can put this on a tortilla but I had some toast with mine to sop up the liquid.

You can also add corn or black beans to make the meal more hardy. You could saute some onions and peppers before you put the salsa in the pan for more veggies.

I still can't believe how tasty this was. Enjoy!

Let's talk about squash

Like me squash?!

This is a butternut squash. Done giggling? His name is Richard. Now let's commit a little squashicide.

First we must cut him up.

Scoop out the seeds and place it cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 -40 minutes. You'll know, the squash will be soft when you poke it with a fork. This huge squash is my squash for the winter.

Once it's cooked scoop it out of the skin. I ended up with about 8 cups of squash.

Can't be bothered roasting a whole squash? I hear ya, some days are just like that. You can get the frozen diced butternut squash by arctic gardens at the Sobeys here in Atlantic Canada. You can make both of the following recipes with it.

Okay, picture time is over. Now lets talk recipes. First I made a butternut risotto. You know how I love my risotto...http://thegourmetgoddess.blogspot.com/2007/11/risotto-again-and-rumblings-of-future.html and http://thegourmetgoddess.blogspot.com/2006/09/lets-talk-risotto.html

Bottom line for the butternut squash risotto, add the cooked butternut squash at the end and just heat through. It's awesome. I also add some dried sage because it compliments the squash so nicely. You can use summer savory if you have it instead (newfies will have that one on their shelves).

The other fav I have for butternut squash is soup. I made mine a coconut curry squash soup but you can keep it simple and just use some sage or cinnamon and nutmeg in place of the curry. Instead of coconut milk add a bit of whipping cream, just a cup to smooth it out. This recipe makes 8 servings so a cup of cream won't summons the heart patrol into your kitchen but the flavour is really nice with it so don't leave it out.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable, canola or grape seed oil
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4- 6 cups of broth, chicken or veggie
• 3 tbsp green curry paste (for the milder soup, use curry powder)
• 3 apples, peeled and diced
• 6 cups of squash
• 1 can of coconut milk, light

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat
2. Saute the onions, celery, ginger and garlic until soft
3. Add the broth and bring to a simmer
4. Add in the curry, apple and squash. Cook until soft
5. Puree the soup with an immersion blender (stick blender), blender or potato masher
6. Pour in the coconut milk and heat through

This freezes beautifully. I make one batch for the winter and that's it!

This is for Rosalie who made my quite proud when she said she reads my blog and tries my recipes. It's humbling to realize people actually read what I write. I hope you enjoy my recipes. More people read this blog than my knitting blog yet less leave comments. So it's a shock to hear that someone tries my recipes. Thanks Rosalie.

Wharf Wraps

I have been meaning to share with you the best spot for fish and chips on the planet. Yes, I said "on the planet" because, seriously, it is. Wharf Wraps is another restaurant in Fisherman's Cove in Eastern Passage Nova Scotia. And it is totally worth the trip. Luckily for me it's just a 2 minute drive! While waiting to be seated we heard someone say that it was the best place for fish and chips so we had to try it out. I don't even particularly like fish and chips but this is to die for. I have guest coming for both the Canadian and the American Thanksgiving and you can rest assured there will be fish and chips consumed on both occasions.

The fish is huge. It's a 10 oz haddock fillet! And the breading is so tasty. I took some of mine home because there was no way I could finish the whole thing and it was even delicious the next day warmed in the oven. It wasn't greasy but it was nice and moist. You have the option of homemade tartar sauce or the Kraft packet. I like a place that attempts to make their own tartar sauce, shows a bit of passion for making good food. The decor is ketchy but not as overkill as Boondocks. I can see myself in snuggled in there during the cold winter months with a cup of chowder. That will be the true test, how is their chowder. I'll let you know when I find out.

New England Clam Bake

Now that's a meal worthy of a 40th birthday! During our cottage getaway, Granny Tan and I attempted a paired down version of a New England Clam Bake. I'd seen a few recipes floating around and thought it was worth a try.

First we introduced Clancy to the lobster. My dogs have already met a lobster or two along the way but this was Clancy's first. He found it a little skittish.



We only had mussels, clams and lobster for our clam bake. We were suppose to head to the market but we never wanted to leave the cottage the whole time we were there. Typically a NE Clam Bake also has corn, potatoes, chicken and sausage but we're purists. Just seafood please.

Most recipes call for seaweed to put on the bbq to steam the mussels and clams open but I couldn't find any. Okay, I didn't take the time to walk one block from my house to get some from the shore. But I did get some dulse from the seafood market. I soaked that in water for a couple of hours then took the dulse out and used the water as the base in my pot to steam the mussels and clams. I added a wack of salt to give us that salt water taste. And I threw in some lemons, cause we had 'em. The lobsters were cooked ahead and just warmed on top of the mussels and clams.

I also did a flavoured butter mixed with chives and sweet paprika. What a flavour! It was great with the mussels but the lobster just screamed 'traditional' butter which we had too.

Finish off with libations and a great meal was had by all.



Okay there may have been a lot of libations...



So far '40' is great!

The Local Hangout.

So this past weekend we ventured over to my new local spot, Fisherman's Cove. It's a quaint little cove full of shops, fish places, a couple of restaurants, a pub and an awesome coffee shop! But first let's talk about the restaurant. Boondocks is a touristy spot run amok. The decor is a little embarrassing in it's overkill with the ocean theme. So you can imagine my trepidation at trying the food. However I had to venture in. Mom and I stopped in for a bowl of chowder a couple of weeks ago when I was first getting settled in the new pad (see other blog about the move) and the chowder was delicious. However the service was really slow and the place was almost empty and the bun they served with the chowder was not exactly fresh. But the chowder was good. And I know chowder! So I was prepared to give this restaurant another chance.

So during our very rainy Saturday this past weekend, we grabbed The Kid and headed over for a meal. Tim and I had just been to about every store in the greater Dartmouth area so we were seriously hungry and feeling the need for good seafood. Well first off, there were no basic options on the menu for The Kid. They must have a kids menu but of course they didn't offer it to a kid who is as tall as us.... Most of the menu is seafood. Which was great for Tim and I but what about the kid... He settled for the ribs. It was an expensive meal at $21.99 but we knew if he didn't like the ribs then we would love the leftovers the next day. So all was good. Tim got the fish and chips and I got the fried clams. Healthy eating had officially gone to hell in a hand basket for the day!

We started bravely with the calamari. Oh my goddess! It was seriously good. Fresh and tasty. Not a chewy bit to be found. This had to be fresh not frozen. Even The Kid had a taste and liked it. It was served with a spicy Tzatziki sauce. Seriously. This was good stuff. Okay bring on the main course. I'm ready!

The Kid's meal was huge. Definitely built for sharing. He really liked them too! He had fries and even a half corn on the cob. I didn't try the corn but I can't image that it was local so it should have been fairly starchy after it's journey from where ever. The Kid said it was good (after we cut it off the cob due to braces interference) and he has had the really good, straight off the stalk stuff. So he should know good corn. The veggies on the side were a bit overcooked but seemed fresh. And the pile of ribs?! There was a mound. And they were tasty and tender. Well worth the money. Next time I get a rib craving I know where I'll be heading! Wonder if they do take out?

As for our seafood. Tim's fish was so light and flaky that even The Kid enjoyed a taste. And my clams were great. The batter had a sweetness to it that balanced nicely with the clams.

I had a lovely Jost Pinot Grigio with my meal. It was lovely.

There are many more dishes to be tried at Boondock's and I look forward to doing my fair share of sampling.

As I mentioned in the beginning, there is also a fantastic coffee shop, Sea Gulps. They have great coffee, a quaint shop and a nice looking patio on the water in the inside of the cove. I had a Creme Brulee latte. It was awesome. I look forward to buying my beans from them in the future!

And where will I be buying my seafood from now on? Well there are at least 4 retail seafood shops. This really is God's country...

Two Chowder Tips, A Breakfast Idea and Some Skin Arsed Dogs

Okay I know I've talked chowder (just enter "chowder" in the search area top left) before but last night I made a yummy one of corn, shrimp, clams and scallops. I mashed about 3/4 of the potatoes to thicken it. One of my favorite tricks to keep it light but thick. I like mine thick personally, some people say that's just wrong but it's your chowder, you do it however you like. I won't tell. I also used some liquid hickory smoke since I had no bacon in the house. The flavour is great, rich and salty without the added fat or sodium! I had some last night and I'm taking some tomorrow for lunch. I love chowder when it's had a chance to fester. (yes the picture is sideways and no, I don't know why)

Since I've been back to work I have been taking breakfast on the go. Usually a english muffin toasted with cheese and ham but on Sunday I made a croissant to go. I took the multigrain Pillsbury refrigerated crescent roll, put a slice of deli meat (I had toscan turkey and some ham) and a slice of cheese, (I used swiss and provolone) and rolled them up as usual. I cooked them as per the instructions on the tube and they were great. Best part, I wrapped them, completely cooled in plastic wrap and they kept well. I had them for breakfast on Monday and Tuesday. Just 15 seconds in the microwave and they were good to go!

This is the view from my deck at the moment. Gotta love summer!
So this is my new bad boy. Stay tuned for some bbqing fun with this baby! Isn't he pretty?! I just need to pick up some propane...


So Granny Tan and I are heading away for a Most Excellent Cottage Getaway in just 9 more sleeps. So I got the dogs prepped. Mr Twist..(does Dakota, on the left, look green to you too? I won't tell you what I came home to today since this is a blog about food... it would turn you green, trust me. poor fella)

And this is miss em. She is one sassy girl with her summer shave. Nice tushie too!

This is where granny tan and I are going. Do you think it will be relaxing?

And this is the kitchen. Expect good blogs after that our trip!

Tuna, Tomato, Basil and Cheese Pasta Salad

I am having the most lovely lunch. I made it last night. Simple and tasty. It kept well and fresh, no wilting of the basil overnight. Definite plus!

It's a tuna pasta salad! The pic is not great since I took it with my cell phone but you get the idea. (can you get a tripod for your cellphone camera?!)

Here is the ingredient list: (serves 2 - 3 big lunches)

• 1/2 of a 375g box of whole wheat penne
• 1 can of tuna packed in water
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup finely shredded or grated parmesan or mozza cheese (I used a bit of both)
• dash of salt or Ms. Dash (I used a bit of both)
• splash of extra virgin olive oil. I used about 1 1/2 tbsp for the whole salad
• a couple of leaves of basil, torn by hand

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package. Drain
2. Toss tuna, tomatoes, pasta and cheese in a bowl.
3. Add in the salt/Ms. Dash and olive oil and mix well
4. Add in the basil and toss lightly.

Enjoy! I certainly am. I see this one going on my chick weekend cottage getaway next month! Now there will be some good cooking. We are starting to plan the menu now and the holiday is 3 weeks away! Stay tuned.

Tomato Tart

I'm tired too after a long week... Move over Emily, I'm gettin' in for a snuggle. These days I'm keeping my cooking quick and simple!

Tim had bought a bunch of tomatoes when he hit the grocery store because they looked so fresh. They were on the vine and they were nice. But there was no way he would eat them all this week in salads and on sandwiches so I decided I would make something with them. I wanted something we could take for lunch this week so I settled on a tomato tart.


First I started with some Pillsbury pizza dough but puffed pastry would have been excellent too. I spread the dough out in a deep dish pie dish and precooked it like the instructions on the package say (400 for 8 minutes). I had some dough leftover so I made another tart base in a small casserole dish. You don't need anything special, just a baking dish with sides. You can spread the dough as far up the side as you like or as little as you like.

I brushed the cooked dough with a olive oil/balsamic mixture, going light on the balsamic. I didn't have any fresh basil but I did have some freeze dried basil (yup, it comes that way) so I sprinkled that on the crusts. I would have used fresh or if I didn't have anything else on hand I would have used some dried Italian seasoning. Then I thinly sliced the tomatoes and placed a layer on the crust. I topped that with goat cheese, finely shredded asiago, parmesan and mozza. I did another layer of tomatoes and then another of cheese. I even threw on some feta. We had a lot of little bits of cheese so I used them up. It wasn't all cheese. I cooked for another 12 minutes at 400.

Yum! I had 2 slices right then and there, some for lunch the next day and guess what I'm having for lunch today?! And this dish would freeze well so guess what I'll be making when tomato season hits us full force....

Marinating your meat.

Are you ready for some BBQ?! Yes it is finally that time of the year. I know some of you have been bbqing for a while now but it is slow to warm up here in Atlantic Canada. We are at the point now where it's still perfect, warm but not yet hot. Some call it spring...we call it lucky. Typically we go from cold and rainy to full on hot. Spring is not an Atlantic Canadian season. Now Fall, that we get, in spades. The Fall is amazing here. Come, visit, see, do, it's fantastic! But I digress.

I wanted to talk about bbqing. Last night I did some steaks on the barbie at my mom's. It can be hard when using a strange grill to get them just like you like them. Ours were a little overdone. However, they weren't dry or tough because we had marinated them in some Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and Ms. Dash grilling seasoning overnight. Mom mentioned that she never plans ahead to get that much marinating time on her meat before it hits the bbq. Most of us don't.

So here's a simple solution. Put your meat in the marinade before you freeze it! Then as it freezes and defrosts all those great flavours are getting into the meat. And if you use an acid, like fruit juice, vinegar, etc (wine may impede the freezing process so use only a little) the meat fibers will be nice and tender when they hit the grill. I do this a lot in the summer time with beef, pork, lamb and chicken. You have to be more careful with fish since it take marinades quickly. I just leave fish and seafood out of this freeze ahead marinate process. 20 minutes in a marinade is enough for fish or seafood to get infused with flavor and you don't risk cooking the fish or seafood before hitting the bbq with the acid in the marinate. Easy!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken and Orzo Salad

I am sitting here eating the most wonderful lunch. I've actually debated trying to get a pic of it from my camera phone to share with you but I know that the camera on my phone isn't that good....Friday night Tim made a real tasty supper. He flattened out some chicken breasts, stuffed them with a little bit of goat cheese, then dipped the breasts in beaten egg and then some Italian seasoned bread crumbs. He then heated some olive oil in a saute pan and cooked them on the stove. We had some sauteed asparagus with roasted garlic with it. Tim had taken out an extra breast to make some for lunches. See this is the whole "cook once, eat more than once" mentality. It's easier just to make extra when you cook and then have it for another meal or lunch. We ended up with 3 portions of stuff chicken out of that one breast that was just perfect for lunches.

Sunday I made a side dish to go with the leftover chicken. I took some asparagus and red onion and diced them up nice and small then sauteed them in a non stick pan with some cooking spray. I put some orzo on to boil. Once it was cooked I drained it and tossed it with the asparagus, red onion, some goat cheese and a pinch of salt (it needed it). I finished it all off with a splash (about 1 tbsp for 4 -5 lunch side servings) of this wonderful pumpkin oil Tim brought back from Austria. You could use a good olive oil if you don't have the pumpkin oil. And I now have another serving to enjoy with something else later in the week. My goddess, I love planning ahead!

New Employee

Wondering why I haven't been blogging about anything tasty lately? I'm newly employed, homeless and dead tired. Yup, The Gourmet Goddess has gone back to the real world. I'm also working in another city so I'm staying with my folks while I find a place of my own. All this means that at the end of the day I get a home cooked meal 'mom' style. Last night we had stew. It was over +20 C but stew seemed like a good idea to my mother. In her defence, there are so many black flies on her deck, there is no way to bbq without being eaten alive before you actually eat!

I am going to talk about lunches though, since I'm back to packing them. I have a couple of different sandwich ideas. One is with sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella (the kind in water, not the hard stuff) and basil. I put a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette on the bread for an extra kick of flavour. A crusty bun of some sort is best. Tasty! The other sandwich idea I think I have spoken of before but it is so tasty that it's worth mentioning again. Hummus, veggies and feta on a tortilla wrap. Oh - my- goddess, it is tasty. Be mindful of the soggy tomato syndrome though. I put the hummus on the tortilla when I'm packing my lunch and dice up tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, just a bit of red onion (working with people all day, must be nice!) and feta and put them in a separate container. At lunch time I just open up the tortilla and add in my veggie/feta mix. Super healthy as well as super tasty.

What about snacking? Well if you sit at a desk all day it's impossible not to snack. I like some Wasa and cheese. Wasa is a brand name of what I call Swedish crisp bread although you see it all over Europe. Wasa is apparently made in Germany but I swear it used to say "made in Sweden". There is a crown on the logo and there hasn't been a monarchy in German in quite a while. Sweden, on the other hand, has a royal family, lovely people, not blond, oddly enough ... That's a myth, that all swedes are blond. There are some of the best colourists in Sweden...

Some other light snacks:

• Veggies and dip, ranch or hummus
• Baked tortillas and salsa (I like to take the Weight Watchers tortillas, cut them into triangles, sprinkle with some tex mex seasoning, toast them and then have them with salsa. You can do this ahead of time or on the job if you have a toaster oven around)
• Cup of soup is a good one especially if the AC in your office is set to frigid
• Popcorn, either popped ahead (I use a pan and oil and do it the old fashioned way at home) or popped in the micro on site. the snack size bags are great but be honest, everyone comes for by for a visit when they smell fresh popcorn coming from your desk.
• Cheese and crackers. This is not a common snack but lots of us need a carb and some protein to get through the day. My favs - Low fat triscuits and light cheddar.
• Laughing cow cheese (light is like 1 point for 2 wedges!), light cream cheese or even peanut butter on crackers, wasa, cucumber slices (okay, maybe not with peanut butter)
• Melon wedge wrapped in prosciutto. Now that's decadent!

Thing is you are likely going to snack. Plan for it instead of against it. I plan a morning and afternoon snack. I usually have either fruit or yogurt for my morning snack, not exciting but it does the trick. If I don't eat everything in my lunch then I already have them for tomorrow's lunch bag. A lot of us are grazers, eating smaller bits more frequently. This is considered more healthy and can put a couple of nice dents in your workday. Make sure to count your lattes or special coffees as treats or snacks. They are full of calories and need to be recognized as more than just a drink! Speaking of which, I'm going for a skinny vanilla latte right now. My afternoon is looking brighter already!

Tomato and the Sandwich

Wow, it's been a while since I blogged. I've started a new job so I've been busy and living off the food in my freezer (all homemade and healthy!). So I haven't had any new recipes to share. But I do have a tip.

Since I started a new job I'm back to packing lunches. I enjoy a good lunch, it can really punctuate your day with a pleasure point. Some of you may remember my hummus, veggie and feta wrap. It's one of my favs. I brought it the first day of work. Wheee! Well, make that almost whee.... I had made it up the night before like a good little well prepared worker bee should. However, the next day by lunchtime the tomato had managed to make the whole thing soggy. What was I thinking? I'm not some newbie here, I've packed a lunch or two in my day. So here's my tip. Are you ready?? It's a big one! Pack your tomatoes for sandwiches separately and insert them into the sandwich right before consuming. Yeah, I know, it's not rocket science.

Orzo, a underated pasta

Last night I whipped up a quick dish for a late dinner. I had taken out some chicken tenders (the long bits that are inside a chicken breast. Don't have any? Just use a chicken breast) and some frozen chopped spinach the day before. I had some feta that I wanted to use since I had just bought another package of it, no need to have 2 packages of feta in the fridge. And I had picked up some of the new Kraft Pure Olive Oil based dressing on sale at the grocery store. I usually make my own dressings but with summer approaching and salad season about to hit me hard, I like to have some quick options on hand. I picked up the sun dried tomato and the balsamic vinaigrette. I now have a total of 4 ready to go dressings in my fridge and tonight I'm making a grilled shrimp caesar salad with my own homemade low fat caesar dressing... Yep. that's logical. Hey, the store bought dressings last a couple of months so I'm good for the summer. Back to last night's dinner.

So I had some chicken and spinach. I thought I'd do them in a sort of saute pan supper. Pasta? sure. I pulled out some orzo, the rice shaped pasta. This is a great pasta for salads and mixed dishes. I boiled 3 handfuls (fancy measuring, eh?).

Warm Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

• Orzo (3 handfuls for 3 small meals)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red and orange pepper
• 6 oz. chicken tenders or breast meat, diced
• 2 cups frozen spinach
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 2 tbsp sun dried tomato salad dressing

Instructions:

1. Cook Orzo according to instructions on package. Set aside when done.
2. Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat
3. Saute red onion and peppers until tender
4. Add chicken and saute until cooked through
5. Add in spinach and cook until heated through
6. Toss in Orzo and salad dressing and heat through
7. Put on plates and top with feta.

You can do this dish without the chicken for a great vegetarian dish or a nice side dish. You can also serve it cold! Orzo is great for cold pasta salads. The shape and texture is really nice.

Unstuffed Shells

I decided to make a big batch of stuffed shells. They freeze beautifully. And I was in the mood for some cheesy goodness. So I put them on the menu, got groceries for the week and then realized I forgot to pick up the pasta shells. D'uh! Okay, not to worry, I can improvise. So I made unstuffed shells. Or you could call it an italian mac and cheese, depending on your perspective.

It tasted as good as it looks.

I simply cooked some pasta I had on hand, in this case macaroni and put the tomato sauce on the bottom and top with the cheese mixture or 'stuffing' in the middle. I mixed the macaroni with the cheese and spinach mixture but you could layer sauce, pasta, cheese mixture, pasta and sauce. Top with cheese and this is a less messy dish than stuffing shells!

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Thai Burgers made with a KISS

I can't believe how long it's been since I shared from my kitchen! Wow, I've been busy. I've been sitting on this one for a week now so I'm going to post it to give you something to think about for now but stay tuned. I still have the ragu recipe to share and am working on an unstuffed shells cheese dinner!

I realized as I was eating this one that it was definitely worth sharing. Wanna bite?

This is a Thai Burger done the KISS way (keep it simple, silly!). Usually when I approach burgers I go overboard with the flavours. That can be good but it doesn't have to be that complicated. Just a few authentic flavours can make your burger go from ordinary to extraordinary! Here's what I did for these.

Thai Burgers for 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of extra lean beef, pork or chicken
• Lime Zest of 1/2 a lime or 2 tsp of lime juice
• 3 tbsp bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp each of fish sauce, garlic chili sauce and peanut butter (I use the all natural, no additive type)

That's it. Mix gently and make into patties.

I made a spread to go on the buns

Thai Burger Spread:

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp mayo, light works well here
• 4 tsp red curry paste
• 4 tsp or less, depending on taste, soya sauce
• Blend and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

I have a few more recipes written down for easy ethnic burgers that I'll post after I try them. What sounds good in my head usually works but it would be best if I'm sure first, don't you think?