Austrians, Creme Brulee and A Quick Side Dish

Last week we entertained some Austrian business associates of Tim's. I forgot how much we love to entertain. And I think we are pretty darn good at. I don't think there was a topic we didn't hit on at least once during the evening. You know, I spend all day talking to this computer but it never talks back. Neither do the dogs. It's nice having someone talk back, to discuss ideas and such. I forgot how charming I was.


Tim thinks I worked so hard to pull together such a wonderful meal. Really it's pretty easy. I keep it simple and do as much ahead of time as I can. Really it's all about project management. Break the tasks down, order them so they make sense, time estimate, schedule and get to it. But I'll let Tim think I'm wonderful, talented and worked my butt off. We'll see what that gets me. On the other hand, cleaning this dog infested pig pen was a shite load of work and for that I do deserve some kudos. Luckily we have wine leftover from last week so I see a nice big glass of it in my future later this evening...


Last week's menu was as follows:

Lobster Bisque

Maple Glazed Salmon

Sauteed Spinach and Orzo

Creme Brulee



Creme Brulee is actually quite easy and a great make-ahead for entertaining. You can make them up to 2 days ahead of time and then all you have to do is brown the tops right before serving. I use a basic recipe from Fine Cooking. They have a great resource on line that also includes an article that discusses these wonderful silky custards. http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/recipes/creme_brulee.aspx



But I want to share my side dish recipe for Sauteed Spinach and Orzo. You can boil the Orzo before your guests arrive so it is all ready to toss into this dish.



Ingredients: (for 4-5 servings)

• 3/4 cup dry orzo


• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil


• 3 shallots, chopped


• 2 cloves of garlic, minced


• 1 box of fresh baby spinach


• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Instructions:

1. I have everything all ready to go before my guests arrive so I can just pull this together quickly.


2. Boil the orzo as instructed on the package


3. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a saute pan


4. Brown the shallots and garlic


5. Add in the spinach


6. Once the spinach starts to wilt (about 1 -2 minutes) toss in the pasta


7. Toss in the cheese and serve.

It's really great with fish!



Just a note about Austrian wine. I had experiences some of the good stuff when I was in New York City last November. We stumbled across a great little Austrian Restaurant when we were looking for a place to get a drink. We ended up having an appetizer plate as well to share. It was full of Austrian meats, cheese spreads, spreads and breads. It was really lovely. My friends had beer, which they both enjoyed but I had a glass of white wine from Austria. It was really good. I didn't write down the name because in my wine lovers delusion, I assumed I would remember the name. Do I?! Of course not. It started with an 'S' and I think that was the grape name, not the brand name. Since I got back I've checked each liquor store I've been in for Austrian wines but hadn't seen anything until last week. I was able to pick up a bottle for dinner. And once again I forget the name! Okay, name's aren't my thing but you would think I could write it down if I was going to discuss it here... My point is that Austrian Wines are quite lovely so try one!

Our guests told us that almost all Austrian wine is made from little wineries where they often sell the wine on site. These places have a special license which allows them to sell anything they produce on the farm in an on-site cafe. It seems the appetizer plate we had at the restaurant in NYC was very much like something we would get at a winery cafe in Austria. How cool is that?

Chicken Pot Pie

Last night I made Chicken Pot Pie. I used some leftover turkey. Some of it was from Christmas 2006! I didn't realize this until I went to unwrap it. It tasted fine. Now that's some shelf life! Anyway, I diced and partially cooked some carrots, added in some frozen cauliflower, onion powder, garlic powder and dried sage. I added some of the Ms. Dash original and a pinch of salt. Then I added in my leftover, from the freezer, gravy. Tossed in the diced leftover turkey. Warmed it all through. Added some water when it got too thick. That's it. I dished it into casserole dishes, sprinkled on some frozen peas and put the unrolled crescent rolls on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and dinner was ready. It was super tasty. Even The Kid liked it and he'd never had chicken pot pie.

I made one big casserole that we ate last night.

And 2 individual casseroles to put in the freezer. It will be interesting to see how it freezes. The biggest issue really is reheating it so the crust stays firm. It will have to be in the oven.

If you don't have leftover cooked turkey in the freezer, no need to buy the pre-packaged stuff. Just bake extra the next time you bake some chicken or buy parts and bake them up for the leftovers. That way you control the salt and seasonings. Plus you can make gravy out of the pan drippings! Your half way to a chicken pot pie already!

The Pillsbury Dough Boy lives on

Last night was pizza night. We do pizza crust many different ways but one of the quickest is using the refrigerated pizza dough in the tubes, you know, the Pillsbury stuff. The Kid makes his own (obscene amounts of cheese which he is responsible for grating) and everyone is happy. The best part about Friday night pizza night is Saturday morning leftover cold pizza breakfast. It's great to be able to hit Saturday morning running with breakfast good to go. And surprise, it's a healthy breakfast. Actually, in most cultures there are no specific breakfast foods. Breakfast is just like any other meal, maybe some rice or a sandwich. Not all cultures have fruit loops! So I like to pretend that we are being very international when we have our leftover pizza for breakfast.

Tonight I'm making Turkey Pot Pie. I have leftover turkey out of the freezer from Christmas, gravy from the last beer can chicken I made and I picked up some Pillsbury crescent rolls to use for the top crust (second time you've heard me say Pillsbury products because, guess what?! They were on sale last week at the Sobey's - see last post!). Just add some frozen peas and carrots and we're all set. I'm debating whether to do them in individual casseroles since I have quite a few ramekins or if I should do it as one big casserole. The benefit of doing it in individual casseroles is that I can freeze them easily and defrost them later faster. Plus I can make them customized for The Kid. Although I can't think of how I would make them any more kid friendly ...

Toblerone Biscotti

I'm waiting patiently for the coffee to finish brewing. Yesterday I made Toblerone Biscotti. I like making biscotti. Even us non-bakers can manage a biscotti recipe. After all, they're just overcooked cookies. Even I can manage to do that! And these turned out tasty even though I didn't really follow the recipe. I just threw everything in a bowl, mushed it together, made a log and baked it. So it seems you can't screw up biscotti.

The recipe is super easy.
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 c flour (I used half white flour and half whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
150 g of chopped almonds (I used only about 55 grams and I used natural almonds and pistachio nuts)
100 g of chopped toblerone bar

You are suppose to mix the sugar and eggs until smooth then add in the flour and baking powder. Fold in the nuts and chocolate. Form into a flat log on a greased cooking sheet.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until firm and lightly browned. Cool 15 minutes then cut into 1/2 inch slices. Put those slices on a cookie sheet and cook them at 325 for another 15 - 20 minutes.

I let them set on the cooling rack overnight so they get good and hard. Perfect for dipping in my morning coffee. Which is exactly what I'm doing right at this very moment. Life is good..

These days I'm trying to enjoy my beverages more. Most days I putter around all morning and then suddenly realize I've drank 3 cups of coffee (I try to only have 2 full caffeine cups per day) and I didn't really savour any of them. Now I wait until I'm sitting and can give my coffee the attention it deserves. So often we are just inhaling things today and not savouring the moment. I'm trying this with wine too. I'm only having a glass when I will give it my full attention and truly savour the moment. If I'm consuming the calories then I really should fully enjoy it!

Cheers!

Sales Flyers!

Today I want to talk about sales flyers. Most of us don't bother with the sales flyers from the grocery stores. Lets face it, it's not really exciting to look at a colour brochure for stuff we have to spend our hard earned money on. No one dreams of a can of spaghetti like they do a big screen tv. Grocery flyers just aren't part of the "if I could afford it, I'd buy it" fun of the weekly flyers. But they should be part of your "I have to spend it, so I might as well get the best deal" approach to parting with your dollars.

I see what's on sale in meat and fish and start planning my menu around it. For example, this week one grocery store had a good price on frozen shrimp so I put Coconut Curry Shrimp on the menu. The shrimp were a really good price and I had been keeping my eye out for a sale so I could make this dish. I also added pork roast to the menu since the centre loin roasts were on sale (we're having it tonight). If something is on sale it usually means it's plentiful and typically fresh. Buy it!

This is especially true for produce. I devise the rest of my grocery list based on what is on sale and what I know is in season which is also priced well, looks good and tastes great. Typically these are two of the same! I got some nice Campari tomatoes and baby cucumbers at 2 for $4. I bought my cheese, bread and even toilet paper because of the sale prices. I write the name and price on my grocery list so I don't have to try and remember what it is I'm looking for, this lets me zip through the grocery store!

Take advantage of the sales at your grocery store. It someone is offering you a good price, take it! And this week, no cheap scratchy toilet paper for us, no sir, we got the good stuff - on sale of course!

Stew Secrets from my Mom

I promised I would share my mom's secret for great stew. So here it is.

You can add whatever veggies you usually do for your stew (potatoes, carrots, turnip, parsnip, etc) and of course, your beef. I'm just going to talk about the flavour base.

Ingredients:
1 tsp chili powder
1 onion, chopped into large chunks
2 tsp minced garlic (about 3 -4 cloves)
2 tbsp white vinegar (this is the secret so don't leave it out)
6 cups beef broth
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tomato sauce (I used about 1/4 c tomato paste instead)
20 -25 shakes of Worcestershire Sauce.

This will make a large pot of stew for about 8 - 10 servings. If you are making a smaller pot, adjust the amounts as necessary.

I'm serious, these flavours are awesome. And if you can let it sit for a day or two in the fridge, the flavours only get better!

We had yet another snow storm this weekend and are forecasted 30 cm for Wednesday but +9 degrees for Tuesday. I love winter but this up and down weather is driving me crazy! Time for a bowl of stew, a hunk of good bread and maybe a Hot Toddy! Join me, won't you?!



Just a note. I made an adjustment to the Swiss Steak and Tomatoes Recipe found here http://thegourmetgoddess.blogspot.com/2008/01/swiss-steak-and-tomatoes.html after I had some out of the freezer. Tim thought the leftovers from the freezer were great but I thought a slight change to the recipe for freezing could make it even better!

Staples to get a homecooked meal on the table when the craving grabs you..

I love my freezer, it's no secret. However, even I like to have a fresh homecooked meal from time to time. This weekend Tim returns home from being in Europe on business which is not as glamorous as it sounds, trust me. I used to do that sort of travel and it wrecks havoc on your eating habits. So this weekend I need to do hearty, satisfying meals that will start to re-adjust his system. I also don't want to go to the grocery store on until Monday when the Kid arrives for March break. Friday night we'll eat a nice light Chickpea Chowder from the freezer (I do love my freezer, did I mention that?). This recipe is a variation on the Chickpea Chowder recipe from Looneyspoons. If you haven't got a copy of this cookbook then I highly recommend it. In fact, you should have all 3 of the cookbooks written by the Podleski sisters. They are awesome... and the books are pretty great too! I've been making this recipe for about 10 years and it still stands up to the test of time and taste.

Now what to make for the rest of the weekend, keeping in mind that Tim's tummy will be used to large, heavy meals eaten out. Just by keeping a few root veggies on hand, potatoes, carrots, parsnip, turnip, onions, squash - you can whip together a stew. Now not everyone thinks of this but you don't have to use beef if you don't have some on hand (I happen to have a chunk of lean beef that will work perfect here). You could use chicken parts, removing the skin so you don't end up with a greasy stew, or you could use pork, veal or lamb. Whatever you have. Just be sure to brown the meat first as it adds so much to the flavour. My mom keeps a bag of stew veggies (it actually says that on the bag "stew mix") in her freezer and some stew beef. She whips up an excellent stew in a pinch. I'm going to find out what she puts in her broth to make it so tasty and I'll share the recipe with you. It's really good!

Another healthy option is to keep arborio rice to make risotto on hand. Toss in some frozen veggies, like spinach or asparagus and you are all set. A great vegetarian dish is good to go. However, to make a good risotto you need good parmesan or some type of hard Italian cheese. That is not a staple around here. When good Italian cheese comes into this house it never lasts long unless I hide it. I swear! The Kid is totally hooked on good Grana Padano.

Okay so what else is good to have on hand? Well how about pasta. Any shape or size will do. Keep a can of your favorite good Italian tomatoes in the cupboard. I add some frozen veggies like spinach, broccoli or brussel sprouts and a healthy meal is done! You can open a jar of your favorite sauce if you want to keep it super simple. The sauce is a veggie! Add meat if you are so inclined. This dish doesn't require good hard italian cheese to sprinkle on top but it's nice or you could add in diced feta, mozza or whatever tickles your fancy. But you don't have to if you don't have it on hand.

Do you know what my favorite pantry staple meal is? Tomato soup. Right from the can. It's nutritious, low fat and super tasty. Now that's comfort food even if it's not 'homemade'.

Bon Appetite

Still going on about leftover chicken... And The best Chili recipe ever.

First off, my pizzas last night were delish! I just put on some pizza sauce from a squeeze bottle from the grocery store, some chopped frozen broccoli (mostly defrosted), some diced chicken, green onion and a mix of leftover cheeses I had in the fridge, provolone, mozza and a bit of parm. That bun made a perfect pizza crust.

Here is my chicken salad. I used some diced chicken, some leftover matchstick carrots I had on hand but you could just add peeled or shredded carrot and chopped green onion. I mixed this with half mayo, half ranch dressing and a splash of tabasco sauce. It's buffalo inspired chicken salad. I would have used blue cheese dressing if I had some on hand but I did have some blue cheese so I crumbed up a little of that to toss in.


I had to share this recipe. I made Chili with Chipotle and Chocolate out of December's Cooking Light magazine. Tim thought it was the best chili he has ever had. I found it bit too spicy for me but I would just take the seeds out of the chipotles as I was dicing them up. Or you could reduce it to just one chipotle to lesson the heat.

Here is the recipe on Cooking Light.com. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1687650 It works out to 5 points per serving.

Beer Can Chicken - it's not just for BBQs

Saturday night I did a beer can chicken in the oven. I'd rather cook a chicken the beer can way than just straight roasting because even if I over cook the chicken, it's still really moist. My beer can turkey at Christmas won over 3 other entries that the Kid had on Christmas day. It was the moistest! And because you have to put it in a pan of some sort to avoid completely ruining your oven, you catch the drippings for gravy. And some days ya just need gravy...

Saturday night I kept it simple. We were going to have movie night so I didn't want to be slaving away in the kitchen, mashing potatoes, boiling veggies, etc. I cut up potatoes, parsnip and carrots into wedges and roasted them to make "veggie fries" for dipping in the gravy. I put the parsnip and carrots in for 20 - 30 minutes before adding the potato wedges since the parsnips and carrots took longer to cook. I didn't think I like parsnips as a kid but I find them sweet and tasty now. This was an easy side dish to make since all I had to do was peel and cut. I roasted them in the same oven with the chicken. Easy! All I had to do while the chicken rested (for a minimum of 20 minutes - don't forget this important step!) was make the gravy out of the pan drippings and some chicken broth from a box and dinner was served.

My favorite part of beer can chicken is the leftovers. I always have at least enough for a chicken salad sandwich or two after feeding 3 people. This time I have enough for at least 2 meals for me and a couple of sandwiches. I'm home alone this week so having chicken leftovers in the fridge discourages me from eating popcorn for supper... (see previous posts)

Last night I threw some chicken in with whole wheat pasta, spinach, a little crumbled bacon, and some bottled light caesar dressing thinned with some of the pasta water. It was sinfully good. I munched on that while watching the Oscars! It was definitely decadent enough to match the fanfare of the show.

Tonight I'm really looking forward to "A Raisin in the Sun" on TV. It's a historic story but I've never seen it. Before I hit movie time and the popcorn (it's okay if it's not in place of a meal!) I'm making chicken and broccoli pizzas. I have some flat bread hamburger buns in the freezer. These come from the Superstore. I think they will make great pizzas. I'll try to make just about anything bread like into a pizza! It's one of my favorite home alone meals.


If I still have enough chicken leftover after making some chicken salad I might do Chicken burritos/tacos tomorrow night. I have a first rate salsa in the fridge, some cheddar, green onions, tortillas and a bit of sour cream. Oh and I know I have some leftover refried beans in the freezer. Mmmmm.

ps. Don't want to eat leftover chicken all week? Carve it all off the bones and freeze it in 1/2 cup or serving size packs. Then you can just take some out when you want cooked chicken fast. Imagine pulling out a pack of cooked chicken, grabbing a pizza shell of your choice, assembling your pizza, baking it and wheeeee - you've got dinner. Or piling that chicken in a tortilla, top with salsa and cheese, baking it and again - wheee - you've got dinner!

Nana's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Squares

If you read my other blog you know that this month we said goodbye to my Nana. She suffered for 6 long months before finally finding peace. She and Grampie were married for 67 years. Grampie just celebrated his 90th birthday in December. Two days after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. As he says, he's had a good life. Nana gave him a family which was everything to him. I hope that he does not suffer.

Grampie's diagnosis was the third in my list of 3's. First a dear friend of ours in Sweden, Harry, was diagnosed with terminal cancer almost 2 years ago. He passed away at the end of January. Then Nana got sick this past summer. And now Grampie. I have been blessed with the opportunity to say good bye to both my Nana and I went to Sweden to say goodbye to Harry. He was a wonderful man.

Sweden is a wonderful place. I love it dearly for many reasons but since this is a cooking blog, we'll stick to that topic. Here is a little courtyard I discovered one summer. In the summer all the restaurant in the courtyard have tables outside. It's really lovely.

This was the restaurant I ate at. Yes, it's nicer when the trees are in bloom. But note the lack of snow... This is Stockholm in February!
Right outside this courtyard is the one of the best pizza restaurants "Al Forno" on Drottingatan, the main shopping street in central Stockholm. The best pizza I've ever had has been in Sweden. Odd place for great pizza, eh?

I wanted to share with you a recipe of Nana's in her honour. It's one of my favorites and she always made them for me. I wasn't much of a chocolate eater as a kid so these were just right for me.

Nana's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Squares

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Margarine
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (use the regular kind, not the all natural)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• Icing sugar.
  

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350, grease a square brownie pan
• Mix margarine, peanut butter, brown sugar and eggs until fluffy
• Add vanilla
• Stir in dry ingredients until smooth
• Blend in chocolate chips.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes
• Let cool completely then sprinkel with icing sugar.

All Hail the New York Giants!

Not a lot of serious cooking got done this weekend as it was Super Bowl weekend. So I have just one thing to say

All Hail the New York Giants!!!!!!!

It was an amazing game. For those of you who routed for the underdog, I salute you. See, you just have to have faith!

Looking for a tasty TV watching snack, see below for the Onion Ring recipe. I also made some boneless chicken wings. Just take some boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut each into 2 or 3 pieces, shap them like wings and put in a baking dish, like a lasagna pan. Pour on some of your favorite sauce. You can buy something from the store or make one. I had a nice variation of one out of "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry" that was suppose to be like a honey garlic sauce but I left out the honey and added more spicyness. I served mine with a buffalo inspired sauce of sour cream, mayo, tabasco and feta cheese. They were awesome and not too heavy. I'll be making these again for any other pub food type gathering!

Popcorn as the Main Course

Last night I had popcorn for dinner. How sad and single is that? (I'm home alone) It was the perfect snow day. I was hunkered down under a blanket with my knitting (see other blog) and some good DVDs. I had taken out Light Salmon Carbonara (I'm in a "carbonara" phase). But by 9 pm I still wasn't hungry so I decided to skip it. By 10 pm I was hungry for a snack. Popcorn won! I had a late lunch of a veggie quesadilla so I did have something healthy. What is it about popcorn that makes it seem like a suitable meal alternative? Okay, it's low fat and has some fiber.... but I'm not sure it meets any one's standards for a healthy, well balanced meal. Is it because it makes you feel like your being naughty without really being that naughty? I don't know but today, nothing but healthy eating. Yeah right. We'll see. I'm still pretty much house bound as we have a freezing rain warning in effect. So that makes it a pseudo snow day. Sigh, that just sounds like trouble....

Portion Control

I've talked before about my weakness for Lipton's Creamy Bacon Carbonara. I'm not perfect, I eat naughty things from time to time...
Last night I ate a whole package myself. It was sooooo good. I had some fresh parmesan on it. I did have a nice big salad beforehand. But still - the whole package! I don't even want to think about the calorie count.

This brings me back to my freezer. Another nice thing about putting meals in your freezer is that you can control the portions. When you dish up dinner you can divide the portions out and fill your freezer containers at the same time. Pop those in the freezer and the next time you need a meal you can take out a sensible serving size. You can't eat what you don't take out so - there you have it! - portion control!

Hmmm, what to have for dinner tonight...?

Quick Creole Jambalaya

Here is an old recipe I dug out. It's super quick, got rave reviews when I made it this past week, cheap, freezable and healthy. Only 5 points per serving!
Jambalaya is just a Louisiana version of the Spanish Paella. You can add whatever meat you want. I used ground Pork but you can use ground chicken or turkey, boneless turkey, pork or chicken. I will add in a diced chorizo sausage, just one adds a nice flavour. You can add seafood like shrimp or scallops at the end to make it more authentic. But it's awesome just as the recipe says below. Authentic versions from Louisiana might have alligator, turtle or boar in it... Yeah, I dare ya.... tastes like chicken I hear.



Ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb lean ground pork
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 ½ tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• ½ red pepper, chopped
• 28 oz/796ml can diced no salt added tomatoes
• 3 cups cooked long grain rice
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat.
2. Brown the pork and onions
3. Add the garlic, curry, thyme, Cajun seasoning and peppers and brown.
4. Mix in the tomatoes, rice and broth
5. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes
6. Taste and add Tabasco sauce if a hotter dish is desired.
   

I used cooked rice since I make a big batch at once and freeze it in 1 -2 cup containers. But you can use raw rice and simmer it in the pan with the rest of the ingredients. Just add equal amounts of broth and rice (about 1 ½ cup each), simmer it for as long as the rice package instructions say and keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Add more broth if needed.

Nutrition Information based on 6 servings:
Calories 262, Calories from Fat 54; Total Fat 6g, Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 46mg; Sodium 120mg; Carbohydrates 32g; Fiber 3g; Sugars 5g; Protein 20g; 5 Points.

The Good
This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Manganese and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin C and Thiamin.

The Bad
There is nothing bad to report!

Gravol and Rare Meat

If this doesn't make any sense, forgive me, I'm whacked out on Gravol. For those of you south of the border, Gravol is this wonderful over the counter drug for nausea. It can cause drowsiness which means it knocks me out. Oddly enough, it never touched me when I used to fly international and wanted to be knocked out for the journey in cattle class... Go figure.

Why did I take Gravol you ask? Well I think I may have gotten a bit of food poisoning. See I'm not so delusional to think it's a "touch of the stomach flu" because true stomach flu is rare. Speaking of 'rare', I think that's how I got sick. Food poisoning or ingesting food bacteria results in symptoms very flu like. I have had a headache, abdominal discomfort, body aches and of course, nausea. There was also cheap homemade wine involved, which always does somethng funky to my digestive system, and potato chips, something I never eat so my system is seriously revolting. Let me tell you about the rare meat.

I brought home a beautiful, inexpensive, lean roast of beef Friday from the grocery store.

This is how I get steaks. I trim the fat (the dogs enjoyed the treat of beef fat - dogs don't have issues with cholesterol).
Then I cut the roast into pieces that become steaks. We had the 2 large piece on the left for dinner Friday night. They were 7 oz each which is actually a huge serving of beef. The ones on the right area proper serving size and what I would normally serve. But I was having a craving and had been eating healthy all week so we had the big ones. The odd shaped piece in back will go into a stir fry at a later date.
When cooking such lean steaks it is vital not to overcook them or they will be tough. I go by touch to make sure the steaks are done. You poke the steak with you finger and see how spongy it is. You want it to stay fairly spongy so you don't end up with a well done steak. I cooked these for about 4 minutes a side then took them off the heat, covered them in foil and let them rest for 15 minutes.

The problem was that the sides showed a ring of red, uncooked meat. These were so thick that I should have seared around all the sides. And the meat inside was blue rare which is a little rare for my liking but I ate it anyway. I'm not sure I really got food poisoning off of it or if it is just the combination of bad eating, bad wine and a complete lack of healthly foods but a couple of times over the last couple of days I've felt like I was seriously going to toss my cookies, hence the Gravol. Moral of the story - sear your meat, any that is exposed to air can carry bacteria. Also, don't eat crap all weekend when you are used to eating healthy. Lastly, even professionals can screw up. I can't tell you how many times I have gotten food poisoning in restaurants. I'd say I'm pretty luck this time because when I get a good solid case of food poisoning, Gravol isn't going to stop the food from making a repeat performance. Maybe it's just stress... Either way, I think I'll stay away from red meat, red wine and chips for a while. Something green might be good.

I also bought a piece of salmon at the grocery store.

And divided it into 4 servings of about 4 oz each. I love my scale. If you find you are carrying a few extra pounds get a scale and you'll see how large your portions really are.

Note the different cutting board. I change boards whenever I change meat or fish to avoid any cross contamination. I also wash them immediately and then I put them through the dishwasher for a final cleaning. Better safe than sorry.

Now if you'll excuse me I must go lie down.

To Shop, or Not to Shop.. Actually, where to shop is the question.

Today is grocery day. Somehow just knowing I get to go to the grocery store perks me right up when I open my eyes in the morning. It's a sickness. The odd part is that once I am at the grocery store, I'll be totally impatient and frustrated. It's a love/hate relationship really. I love the smells and sights at the grocery store but I hate the slow shoppers. And god forbid there is an empty space where there is suppose to be something I need! That makes me crazy. You only go to the store once a week or less (hopeful, or else you are like my mom who goes about every other day in which case I can direct you to the proper support group) so if you need something and it's not there what are you going to do?! Come back tomorrow? I think not! I will go get my item at another grocery store, that's what I'll do. And I won't go back to that one for a while.

This is my big dilemma. Which of our two major grocery stores to go to today. They each have their charms. One has a great health food section which has lots of low sodium products but it has seasoned pork which means added sodium to all their pork. And I need to buy pork today but I also need canned chickpeas and tomatoes and I really want all if it with no added salt. The other grocery store has great pork but it's hard to find no salt added canned goods. They do have nice frozen spinach that done up as chunks in a bag versus one block in a package. It's great to add a chunk or two of spinach to sauces, casseroles or soups without having to add a whole package. Choices, choices

The other thing that tends to suck some of the fun out of grocery shopping for me is the cost. I stick to a budget, tallying in my head as I go along. It can be frustrating to see something interesting and know that you shouldn't buy it. I always allow myself one or two items that aren't on my list just to keep me from completely tossing the list and just going whilly, nilly through the aisles. I'm not sure what kind of income one would have to have to be able to just trot through the store grabbing whatever they wanted from the shelves.... And the tough part is, it's a football playoff weekend so we have to have snacks.... I'm trying to make a list, a short list of healthy snacks. Ha, ha, ha. I think "healthily snacks" is an oxymoron. There really is no such thing. I do have recipe for onion rings I came across. Oooo, must try this one this weekend. Here it is:

Ingredients:

• 1 large white, red or yellow sweet onion for every 2 people you are feeding (okay, go more if you want, I won't tell)
• flour
• garlic powder
• dry mustard powder
• salt or Ms. Dash
• Buttermilk
• Bread Crumbs (I may add some spiciness here like a dash of chili powder or cayenne pepper)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray or drizzle and shmear olive oil over the foil.
2. Cut the Onion into rings. Mix the flour, garlic, mustard and salt/Ms.Dash in a bowl. Pour the buttermilk in another bowl, put the bread crumbs in a third bowl.
3. Toss the onion rings in the flour bowl, then dip them in the buttermilk bowl, then toss them in the bread crumb bowl. Lay in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet
4. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauces like ketchup, different mustard and ranch dressing!
Enjoy the playoffs or a good movie! Go Green Bay and San Diego!!

Inspirational Reading

I was watching TV last night, waiting patiently for the new episode of "The Rick Mercer Report" to start when I picked up a recipe magazine to thumb through. I've been working on my cookbook and I am 3 weeks ahead on menus so I wasn't really looking for menu ideas but low and behold, I ended up with a ton. The recipes for this cookbook all have to be reasonably simple, healthy and appealing to the average family, not too gourmet, too complicated or full of heavy ingredients. I love cooking in winter. The soups, the stews, the casseroles.... yum! It all lends itself quite well to cooking ahead with leftovers to fill the freezer. It feels so good to be this inspired!

So let's see if I can get you inspired too. One of my favorite inspirational magazines is free! Yes, you don't even have to pay for a subscription to get Kraft's seasonal mailing. Just go to kraftcanada.com . It's a great site and all the ingredients can be found easily at your local grocery store. Watch for the healthy recipes. Not all of them are tagged "healthy", you have to look for the sunshine symbol. Of course the site pushes the kraft product line so you'll have to use your judgement, sometimes opt for cheaper products and watch the sodium levels but you should leave the site feeling inspired to get into that kitchen and shake out the cupboards. Did I mention it's free!? The magazine comes out 4 times a year, once per season. Last night I was reminded of chicken pot pie, sheppards pie, fajitas, easy stir-fry dishes, some great chicken dishes.... mmmmmm.

I have another favorite. I recommend this magazine for the health conscious foodie. The recipes are a step up from average in skill and taste. But they are all pretty healthy and a lot of fun. Check out their site at www.cookinglight.com

Cooking Light also has a regular exercise article. There is also information about healthy trips and great destinations. They also do a yearly feature on a 'fit' house, a house that is healthy. The last issue had a whole section on Chocolate (which I feel is a necessity during these dark days of winter!) including a recipe for Chili with Chipotle and Chocolate. I'm dying to try that one! You can get this mag on your newsstands to try it before you decide whether or not to subscribe to it. It does have a lot of recipes though, you may get overwhelmed. I do. I end up tearing out recipes and piling them up to try throughout the month. I never get through the pile but, again, it's great to get inspired once a month! And Cooking Light does an annual cookbook each year. You can always get last years annual on the website. I have "The Best of Cooking Light" and it is one of my favorite cookbooks.

I have one more recommendation. www.finecooking.com

This magazine has some nicely gourmet type recipes that aren't typically low fat or low sodium but the nutritional information is included for every recipe so adaptations can be made. While the magazine isn't packed full of recipes, it does focuses thoroughly on a couple of key ingredients or cooking styles in each issue. So you will learn quickly and easily how to do whatever it is the magazine is showcasing in that issue. This is a great magazine for those who love to cook and know a bit about nutrition so they can adapt the recipes and make them a little more healthy. They also do product reviews. I have never made anything out of this magazine that didn't turn out perfect. The magazine only comes out once every 2 months so it's great for the occasional chef-wanna-be. And yes, it leaves me inspired. Because of this magazine I've made my own Creme Brulee, I've ventured into the world of "sunday gravy" in the form of Ragu, and I've braised just about anything that will stand still. The end results seem complicated but this magazine shows you how to make great food quite easily.

Now after all the inspiration I'm not even cooking tonight! Nope, instead I'm eating out of my freezer. I'm in the middle of test running the first chapter's menu from my cookbook. Tonight it's Coconut Curry Shrimp and Veggies.

All I have to do is make rice or noodles to go with it. Luckily, after all the inspirational reading, I took the lid off this container and the yummy smells smacked me hard. I can't wait for dinner!

Swiss Steak and Tomatoes

I have to share this recipe. I came across it while searching my archive for cookbook menu ideas. It is such a great recipe, a great do-ahead, freezes well, cheap, healthy and nice enough for company. And it's one of my favs. What more could a recipe be?!

Normally I cook it in a roasting pan but mine was too small. So I had to use the other style of roasting pan. But then I said the heck with it and put it in my crock pot. I'll be serving this with some dirty mashed potatoes (unpeeled potatoes, cut into chunks, boiled with some roasted garlic that I have in the freezer and mashed)

Serves 6-8
6 Points per serving based on 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs/900g Round Steak
• 1/3 cup flour
• ½ tsp salt (optional if on a low-sodium diet)
• 1 tsp Ms. Dash Grilling Blends - Beef
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 green pepper, cut into strips
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 28 oz/796ml can of stewed or no salt added diced tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ cup apple juice
• 4 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth (only use 1 cup if cooking this dish in the crock pot)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat.
3. Cut the meat into bite size pieces
4. Mix the flour, salt and pepper in either a bowl or a bag
5. Toss the meat in the flour mixture
6. Brown in the pan in a single layer, you will probably have to do 2 batches
7. Prep the vegetables **I like to brown the onions and peppers in a saute pan before adding them in, it's optional but it gives more flavour especially if you are using your crock pot**
8. Put the meat in a roasting pan or casserole dish (2+quart size) **or the crock pot
9. Add in the rest of the ingredients into the roasting pan or crock pot. Mix well.
10. Bake for 1 ½ hours in a 350 oven or for 6-8 hours on low in the crock pot.
11. Serve with noodles, mashed potatoes or rice

Edit Note: Try roasted peppers if you are going to freeze this dish. I found that the skin from the fresh peppers really separate from the flesh when frozen. Roasted peppers already have the skin removed. Also, if peppers bother your stomach it may be from the skin, try the bottled roasted red peppers to see if they are more agreeable to you

Add mushrooms, celery and carrots if you don’t like peppers. Or in addition to the peppers if you want to cut down on the meat.

Make it vegetarian by leaving out the meat and adding all the veggies listed above and in the recipe. I also would include a can of beans, red kidney beans would work, to up the protein.

Nutrition Information based on 8 servings:
Calories 284, Calories from Fat 43; Total Fat 5g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 101 mg; Sodium 494 mg; Carbohydrates 14 g; Fiber 2g; Sugars 6 g; Protein 44 g

The Good This food is a good source of Vitamin B12, Phosphorus, Zinc and Selenium, and a very good source of Protein and Vitamin C.

The Bad This food is high in Cholesterol. Reduce this by only using half the meat and adding more veggies.

Mac and Cheese - Breakin' It Down

I'm here, I'm here. No, the holiday's didn't suck me into a vortex of blabbering idiocy. They were actually quite relaxing. I hung out, continued knitting Christmas gifts (finished my last one 2 nights ago) and watched obscene amounts of hockey and football. I kept the cooking simple. Probably the most difficult thing I did was try to make pizza with my pizza stone and a pizza with waaaay toooo much cheese on it (think 14 year old boy with a serious cheese addiction). Aside from taking days to scrap the burn cheese and crust bits off my pizza stone, I pretty much took it easy in the kitchen. I thoroughly enjoyed my freezer. After the big meals Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day,.... well lets just say it was time to relax! Now I have to think about restocking the freezer a bit.

This brings me to last night's meal. I made Mac and Cheese. A true perennial favorite. It freezes so beautifully that I only make it once a year and end up with enough in the freezer to keep us happily in this fav comfort food until spring. And you can do so much with it. What do I mean, you ask?! Well lets start with the pasta, you don't have to use macaroni. You can use any similarly sized pasta. Bowties, fusilli, wagon wheels. Okay, I used macaroni but it was only because I actually had whole wheat macaroni in the house which is quite rare. I like the whole wheat but if you or your family is picky, try using half whole wheat and half regular. It's a great fiber boost.

Next lets move on to the cheese. I used gouda in mine because that is what I had on hand. Everyone has had mac and cheese with cheddar but why not try some Jarlsberg, or emmenthal or gruyere. Just think of a cheese that will melt well. I would stay away from any of the blue cheeses unless you want to do a sprinkling of them tossed in. They can be strong and rich for the main cheese of the dish. Mix and match. I've seem recipes for smoked gouda and gruyere. Or fontina and parmesan. Just remember to go lightly on the cheeses. You can always add more but once you make your cheese sauce too rich, it's hard to un-rich it.

Now lets talk about other additives. I like to add veggies to make my mac and cheese a complete meal. Last night I added arugula and butternut squash. The squash was from a package of frozen so I just tossed it in with the macaroni and then mixed it all with the sauce. The arugula was fresh so I wilted it down in the sauce before adding in the macaroni and squash. The flavour had a nice gourmet flare. But you can add any veggies. Broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, brussel sprouts (cut up), tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, any greens like kale or swiss chard. Use frozen when you can, it then bakes nicely with the sauce and you don't have to take the extra time to cook the veggies first. You are only limited by your own imagination. Or your kids tastes. The great thing about making mac and cheese is that you can keep the kids version fairly basic, dish theirs out, then kick it up for the adults. I might make a plain cheddar sauce for the kid and add only broccoli and cauliflower to his macaroni. Mix some of that sauce with the macaroni mix and put it in a baking dish. Then I might add another cheese to the sauce and some more adventurous veggies for us adults. Wheeee!

I have a secret ingredient I add to my mac and cheese. Ketchup! Yup, just a tablespoon or 2 and it really adds another dimension to the mac and cheese. Try it, I'm not kidding.

When freezing your mac and cheese keep one thing in mind. It is easier to defrost a serving or two instead of a big casserole. And you aren't committed to eating up a big casserole of mac and cheese within the next 5 days. I use small casserole dishes and aluminium pans to freeze one or two serving sizes. And when the kid is here, I can just grab a single serving of his kid-friendly version when Dad and I are eating something more gourmet. So easy.

Why I don't bake.

I'm not one much for baking and there is a good reason for that. Aside from the fact that baking is more of a science and you must be precise, while I prefer to toss things in and use a recipe more as a guideline, I have another reason I don't bake. We eat it all. I have no self control. I made these fantastic Skor Bits Cookies on the weekend for the holidays. I ate 7 on Saturday. So did Tim. We had such a sugar high going. But for 2 people who don't eat a lot of sweets, it left us with a yucky feeling in our stomachs. I finally had to freeze most of them. I left us out a dozen. This is what was left by Tuesday....

Here is the recipe I got from a friend who got if from her mother. If anyone knows where it originally came from, let me know so we can give credit where credit is due. These really are fantastic and they freeze beautifully!

SKOR COOKIES

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups (10-oz. pkg.) SKOR English Toffee Bits

1. Heat oven to 350F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or use parchment paper.
2. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in toffee bits. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned but still soft, don't over cook!! Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies

I cooked mine for 14 minutes because I thought they were too soft and they ended up too hard, still tasty and will dip nicely in coffee or hot chocolate over the holidays but won't cook them that long again.